A Time of Miracles

Today, as Jews in Jerusalem and all over the world celebrate the miracles of Purim, I would like to give thanks for my own little miracle growing inside me. Yesterday, I not only heard the heart beat for the first time, but I also saw my fetus in 3D, moving around inside me and looking like, well...a little person.

The doctor also did a preliminary check for signs of G-d Forbid birth defects, and reported happily that this baby has the highest score possible, so good that he/she is off the traditional charts. I always did well in school.

Thank you God, for keeping me and this baby healthy. Not that it wasn't real before - the constant nausea is certainly keeping it real - but after hearing that strong heart beat I was able to make that final connection. I am going to be a Mom.

And of course there is a long way to go, more tests and me actually gaining weight instead of losing it, but I am jazzed and ready, and love this child growing inside me.

I also took a step yesterday that I have been avoiding, for fear that it would irrevocably damage our relationship: I called my Ultra-Orthodox sister and told her that I was at the end of my first Trimester, and that I had gone the non-conventional route to get there. The call went much better than I ever could have expected, and I am grateful for the love and support she showed me on the phone.

I told her that I know that this will cause some discomfort for her and the lifestyle she has chosen, but that I never wanted us to stop communicating, or loving each other.