I'm Giving Courious George a Run for his Bananas

First things first, the fog is lifting...I think so at least. I'm feeling much more alert during the day and not craving the 2 hour nap I haven't been able to take in the afternoon so much. Literally, there were days when I must have resembled a walking zombie at about 2:30 in the afternoon. But (finally), I'm feeling more alert and energized. Yay. This is grounds for big time celebration. Now if the occasional sickness would also decide to follow "exhaustion's" fine example of exiting for awhile, that'd be great.

This is really getting to be fun. I'm feeling more like myself in terms of how I act and its nice to have the old me back...not that I didn't like the foggy version of myself, but this is much better. Everytime I talk about Little B I feel like I light up on the inside (and probably on the outside too). Somehow being in the 2nd trimester makes everything a bit more real.

I'm so curious to know what's going on inside, which is why I think I had to publicly declare that we weren't going to find out if we're having a girl or a boy. It validated what we've been saying to ourselves. Help me stay strong--- b/c I'm super curious. I can see myself being "that girl" who sifts through her medical chart before the doctor pops in the room. I can totally see me doing that-- and can completly emphathize with anyone who has done this. But strong I will stay...or at least I'll warn the nurse to leave my chart out of my reach so it can't tempt me :) I am getting very familiar with how Curious George feels on a daily basis.

We're Not Finding Out

I've said it and made it official :) We're not going to find out if we're having a boy or a girl until Little B make his/her grand (and I do mean grand) entrance.

I realize that those of you who really know me are probably blown away by this statement. You're not alone--- I'm equally shocked astmy feelings on this issue. I'm such a planner and absolutely love to figure out "surprises" before they happen. I'm not as bad as my sister (she's actually my sister-in-law, but is really the sister I always wanted, so that's what I call her) who has a history of finding her Christmas presents, unwrapping them before the 25th and delicately re-wrapping them so no one knows. But I'm close.

Before we did our IVF, I really thought I'd want to know what we were having so I could get on with my gender-specific nesting like the planner I know I am. I felt that way until I saw the baby's heart beat on the ultrasound. That little flicker of life on the screen made my heart melt. It was at that moment that I didn't care whether Little B was a he or a she. Little B won over me.

Mike has always said that he doesn't care if we're having a girl or a boy. All he wants is a healthy baby. We talk about this statement often and I 100% agree with him. We're very lucky that our IVF worked on attempt #1. I've read many online journals/blogs and so many aren't as lucky. Little B is a gift. We might feel different if we were having twins, but with one, its gonna be a surprise for all of us.

I will admit that I am super curious, but there aren't a lot of big, happy surprises in life, so we're going to do our best not to find out. We told this to our doctor and now we're putting it in writing. Its official.

But guessing is fun....so I've improved my blogging abilities and put up a poll to the left of my postings. This way, we can all post our guesses. The poll closes on 6/5, so please take a second to enter your guess. This should be fun. I'll think of something else baby-related to poll the group on once this one is done. Suggestions anyone? My mom gave me a "My Pregnancy" book this weekend. Its really cute-- and has some sample questions to fill in. So, maybe we'll use some of those.

Hope everyone had an enjoyable weekend!!!

I finally took the plunge

There will soon be new pants making a grand entrance into my closet...of the maternity variety. Although a bump hasn't yet really popped, there's definitely somethin' goin on in my belly b/c its bigger below the belly button. And that's fantastic! What's not so fantastic is the lack of comfort I'm getting from my pants. So, bye bye trousers, jeans and dress pants....at least for awhile.

I must say that maternity wear is WAY better than it used ot be. We've come a long way baby, literally. No more moomoos and elastic banded pants in g-d awful colors that look like a 5 year old sewed them. There are actually some hip items that don't look that bad--- and are way comfortable (and at this stage, comfort is key).

What did surprise me is the price that some of these, ahem, "hip" mom-to-be clothes cost. Where's the middle ground? You either get the "I'm a cute pair of pants made so poorly that I don't expect to be worn more than a month" or the "I'm the coolest thing ever b/c I'm a really expensive designer and XYZ celebrity wears me around her bump so I'm ridiculously overpriced." Seriously, you can get pants for $10....or for $250. But looking for reasonable price tags and well made quality--- not such an easy task. Can somone please give me directions to middle of the road "I'm a good pair of flattering pants that are comfortable AND modestly priced?"

Thankfully, I'm really only dealing with this on pants b/c as I've dicussed earlier, the regular tops out there in fashion land are so flowy and roomy that they are working just fine right now and for the forseeable future.

And on another good note, I think I have found the "Middle Road of Maternity Pants." Its a place called the internet and online stores with excellent return policies. The policies are key...as are hitting the good retailers when they have great sales. By doing this, I've been able to get some terrific stuff and wonderful prices (and haven't had to drive all over the free world to find stores and try on items. I always look for deals...and have found them on APeaInThePod.com, MimiMaternity.com, AnnTaylorLoft.com and Nordstroms.com. Again, I stress the importance of waiting for sales-- that's key.

Oh, and there are 2 pretty cool new concepts in Mom-To-Be Wear.....Bella Bands & the Secret Fit Belly. I'm a big fan of both. Bella Bands are these fabric bands that you wear over your opened regular pants. They look like you're going for the "layered look" with your top buy actually extend the life of your regular pants. The Secret Fit Belly is a concept patented by MimiMaternity that allows pants to fit normally up to your hips and then they have this stretchy, but fitting lycra like fabric that "secretly fits over your belly." Its sounds run of the mill, but the coolest part is that it works for a very wide variety of pregnant bellies....from me, who barely has a bump to me later, with a really big bump. All in a single, comfortable pant that you don't have to pull up every 5 minutes. I heart the Secret Fit Belly.

Then having a super tailor is also a must (and their affordability is also a factor). Shockingly, a lot of the pants I've ordered come with 33 - 34 inch inseams. Um, my husband is 6'4" and I think thats his leg length?!?! I guess there are preggers that are as tall as him, so that's why they make them this size? Anyway, I found a tailor who hems pants on the spot and only charges $5 a leg. Sign me up!

I'm gonna be a lot more comfortable next week. That's for sure! This is quite enough on maternity fashion--- didn't know I had all this info to share, but apparently I did.

Have a safe, enjoyable Memorial Day everyone!!! I'm off to spend time with family in Columbus. Can't wait!

1/3 Down

Woohoo! First Trimester DONE! Onward to Trimester 2. Pretty exciting. Not that I'm trying to rush this, but somehow saying we're 1/3 of the way there just feels good. There's a good sense of accomplishment.

The 2nd Trimester is often viewed as the "Golden Trimester" because it usually is the most enjoyable of the three. Sign me up. Of course, I still chuckle at the books that say things like "by your 12th week, your morning sickness should subside." Hmmmm. Not exactly. But I will say that "Grandma knows best." She sent me sea bands and, although they don't work all the time, they are single handedly the best aversion tool for such sickness. Thanks Mom Mom! The books still give me hope though--- they say that if sickness doesn't go away by Wk 12, that it "usually" passes by Wk 16. For the first time in my life, I want to be "usual." Its still so worth it.

How did I mark Day 1 of T2? By playing golf with my co-workers. Eat your heart out Tiger...was your mom golfing with you on board? Kidding. Although I will say that I was making shots I haven't before, so maybe it was Baby's Luck? It was a lot of fun.

School for Little B!

Yes, although I'm not even showing yet, I've been advised by other thoughtful moms-to-be of the need to get a spot reserved in a solid daycare pronto....like now. In addition to costing a small (or not so small) fortune, the best centers fill up very quickly. These friends of mine have told me how hard it can be to get in a program and how they wished they started researching sooner than they did. Thank you for the advice-- I took it and now, thankfully, will not have to find contingency daycare plans. Thanks Sharon, Jenn, Tiff, and Kim for saving me.

We made a decision and thankfully, got the last spot available in Feb at the school of our choice.
I call it a school, rather than a standard daycare because of their "learning through play" philosophy that begins on Day 1. Le Chaperon Rouge is the name of the early learning school (which includes a fully accredited nursery school and private kindergarten), and its located 3 minutes from my work.

This isn't some "lets stress out your child and get them learning how to be an overacheiver by age 2" type of center. Instead, its a well-thought center that encourages children to enjoy exposure to educationally-stimulating activities. They use some Montessori principles and allow a child's development to determine when they are ready to move to a new class as opposed to making their age the primary indicator of advancement. They also show a nice balance of structured activies and free-flowing learning through playtime, which I like. Music is played at all times in the center as the arts are very fundamental to Le Chaperon Rougue's educational philosophy.

I'm also happy to know that this center will grow with our child-- its not just infant or toddler care, but will also be an excellent nursery school. They have a 100% open door policy, where they actually encourage parents to drop in whenever they want to...that's comforting as well. Clearly, they have nothing to hide and want to interact with parents. The director also mentioned that they will call often thoughout the day should they have a question or want permission to give an extra feeding or participate in a new activity. I like the fact that they want me to be as invloved as possible, even when I'm at work. When Little B gets older, he'll/she'll also be able to participate in supplemental activites during the day, including dance, gymnastics, karate and foriegn language programs.

After they move on from the Infant room, children participate in a more formalized educational plan. Very early on, they start a weekly learning regimen where they focus a specific letter, number, state, & country. The focus changes each week and as they mature, the learning in these areas is more extensive. Arts, crafts, music, and physical activity are a part of each day. They have both indoor and outdoor play yards, both of which have special "bouncy" bases/flooring to minimize accidental injuries. Oh, and there's nurse onsite every day and nutritionist who prepares breakfast and lunch for the children as well as closed-circuit video recording of every classroom at all times (and parents are invited to watch at any time).

I think Little B will be in pretty good hands, even when they aren't mine or Mike's. This was a big concern of mine as I work to balance my career and my family. I believe that I can have it all, as long as I'm willing to work hard for both. I know it won't be easy, but I feel like finding a learning center that makes us feel so comfortable is a huge piece of the puzzle that we've now put in place.

p.s. I love the comments-- keep em coming. Although, Mom, I can't imagine that I ever tested your patience. I was (and still am) a complete angel. Kidding :) Thanks for the interaction. I'm so glad that this site allows us all to share and stay updated.

Patience is a Virtue that I better start developing

So, as I round out the last part of Trimester #1, a thought has occured to me: It only takes 9 (or 10) months to create a living being. That's kinda amazing. Scrath that-- its incredible. In the grand scheme of things, its not much time at all. To think that brain, lungs, heart, bones, and about 50 other essential organs develop that quickly is quite a lot to accomplish in 9 months from start to finish.

Now, that's the "grand scheme." The view from much closer to the situation (as in carrying it) is slightly different. I want to meet Little B now. I don't want to wait. I haven't even felt Little B move yet (that happens at about 16-20 weeks according to the 18 books I'm currenly reading) and I'm already to meet him/her.

In fact, this is what I did first thing when I woke up. I ran to my laptop to check the date of Thanksgiving, 2008 online. Why? Becuase I thought that maybe it would be early again this year (like on 11/20) and that would mean my due date would be the day before and so I might be able to "suggest" to my doctor that I woudn't feel good about having to interrupt his big turkey dinner on Turkey Day and therefore, maybe we should consider options to make sure baby arrives before then. Crazy? Maybe, but I've always been eager. And now that I'm preggers, I'm taking my eagerness to a whole new level. Rest assured though, Thanksgiving is on 11/27 this year. So all that my research has ensured is that I probably won't go more than 6 days past my due date. Still that's cool. Truly, I'm not selfish--- and I know that baby will arrive when baby is ready. I'm just excited and that's a great thing.

Afterall, parenting is all about patience (from what I've been told and from what I've seen in parenting relationships around me). So, its about time I learned some patience skills. Guess that's why there's 2 more trimesters ahead. At least we're wrapping up the longest one (the first trimester is 14 weeks-- the rest are 12). One down, two to go :)

Um, some outfits are about to be retired

I'm going to look at this very positively and call this "progress." As I got dressed this morning, I noticed that some of the pant that I've had tailored to fit me correctly aren't fitting so nicely around the belly region right now. Its time for them to be retired....at least temporarily.

There's two ways to look at this--- but I'm only considering the one that means that maybe, just maybe, this is the middle step to me looking preggers, not just chunky. So, I will happily dryclean and put aside the dress pants I'm wearing today in favor of looser items that won't threaten to cut off my circulation halfway through the workday (as I predict the ones I'm wearing will do later today for the first time).

To the back of the closest they'll go....at least for awhile. Realizing that bodies change after pregnancy, I'm still hopeful that this pair won't be making a permanent exit. They're one of my favorites. We'll just have to wait (and work at it after baby) and see what happens.

Busy Weekend

We did a lot this weekend...even I'm impressed. On Friday, we went to a Cavs Game (Baby's first NBA Playoff Game). Now if they could only win again today...afterall, they're the only Cleveland team that we root for, so we'd like to see them go far. On Saturday, we did a bunch of lawn work (and by "we" I really mean "Mike," while I did laundry). Then we went over to a cookout with our friends...which later turned into game night. It was a lot of fun.

Both nights we were out past midnight, which is not a normal occurance for me as of late. But don't worry, Mom, I got tons of sleep with naps and sleeping in. Seriously, I'm quite in tune with the amount of sleep my body requires. In fact, I'm writing the melody of said "tune."

Then, this morning, we took Boomer to the track, did 2 miles, and then went to the grocery store. After the grocery store, it was off to do a little bit of shopping. We have some birthdays coming up, so I needed to pick up some gifts. I couldn't help myself from meandering into the baby sections of said stores. And yes, some of the gifts I brought home will be for Little B. Just some outfits...really cute ones that magnetically jumped into my shopping cart. I'm somewhat surprised at how little of a selction there is for neutral baby clothes. Perhaps waiting until the baby's birth is a bit old fashioned, but that's what we intend to do. I'm just surprised that there aren't more hip, neutral baby clothes. Then again, this is the first time I made it a point to look. I am quite happy with the outfits I found. Afterall, we can't have a naked "Little B" now can we? Frankly, the ones I picked are quite "ducky" if you catch my drift :)

Sleeping a bit more sound tonight

Today we got the results back from our Nuchal Translucency (NT) Screening. This bloodwork, when combined with Little B's neck measurments provides a pretty accurate risk factor for predicting possible chromosomal defects and major congenital heart problems. This first trimester screening is a rather new procedure that causes no risks to the baby.

For a 31 yr old woman, the standard risk factor of chromosomal defects (such as Downs syndrome) are 1 in 400. The news is good. Our risk factor after the series of tests decreased dramatically to 1 in 8,100....much less than the standard risk. So, we're pretty happy in the Foley camp.

Its comforting to know that things are progressing well. I'm getting calmer by the day. I must admit that the first 12 weeks of our pregnancy have been filled with a lot of joy. We've also been a bit scared of something going wrong. I'm sure that this is something most expecting parents go through, especially with their first child. Its wonderful that these tests exist to help ease the nerves of parents-to-be, or allow them some extra months to prepare and educate themselves if its possible their child may have a chromosomal abnormality.

We won't be doing any additional screens. And I'm going to sleep tonight a bit more at ease. Night, Night :)

Oh, and I forgot...

Another great thing about our appointment on Monday is that they took me off of all hormone medications. No more artificial hormones! So that's a big plus. My doctor said that everything looks really good and that they are going to continue to classify my preganancy as a low risk one. So that's great! Its very comforting to be finally classified as a regular pregnancy. What a relief!

A Beat & A Peek

Today we got to take a look, and a listen to the happenings inside "Hotel W," which is what I affectionately call my uterus (W stands for Womb-- how creative is that?).

I'll sum it up right away by saying it was a GREAT day.

First, the PEEK...

Little B's head is to the left, and he/she is laying on his/her back. On the face, there's the outline of a very cute nose and mouth (and I am convinced that there's a smile there too). On the actual screen we could see the tiny fist that was up by Little B's face and the feet at the other end, with tiny little bent legs. Its a little harder to see on the printout, but we were able to see it today. The white line from head to rump is baby's spine, which looks to be developing quite nicely.

It might not look like a whole lot, but on the screen it was way cool...complete with the blinking heartbeat. I could watch that for hours upon hours.

Next was the BEAT....

We heard the heartbeat! Funny story...Little B was wide awake this morning at our appointments. In fact, my doctor laughed as we'd hear the beat for 10 seconds, and then it would quickly go away as the baby "went for a swim." Then it'd come back again. The beat was strong and fast. I'll never get tired of that sound either :)

The smile on Mike's face was priceless. I'm sure he'd say the same thing about mine.

Needless to say, we're pretty happy....giddy. I'm amazed at how much growing has been going on. In our last ultrasound, about 6 weeks ago, Little B looked like a "little blob." I'm very happy to see Little B looking like a "little baby"....which is what this name stands for and what we saw today.

Mums Day 2008

I'll tell ya, Mothers Day is a little bit different this year...mostly b/c there's this Little B swimming around in my belly. My mom sent me the cutest "Mother-To-Be on Mother's Day" card. It was quite sweet. And I got my first Mothers Day plant....very nice as well. And then close friends and family kept saying "Happy Mothers Day" to me. This is all new to me--- very welcome--but a brand new experience.

Personally, I don't 100% consider myself to truly be a mom until there's a baby....and we're still in production with this one ;) But such comments also made me feel really great. I guess this past Sunday is a perfect example of "Mothers Day in Transition."

I always look at this holiday as a time to sit back and realize (yet again) how incredibly lucky I am in the Mums department. Simply stated, I hit the jackpot with my mom. And the family that surrounds us....Jackpot as well.

So, in honor of the day...I thought I'd share this:
"Making the decision to have a child is momentous. It is to decide forever to have your heart go walking around outside your body." ~Elizabeth Stone

The Silver Lining of Morning Sickness

Ooops, I spoke to soon in yesterday's post...Sickies haven't entirely exited stage left (or stage right for that matter). They popped back up last night after din din. Bummer. But as the Dr says--- its a good sign. Truthfully I was hoping that this good sign would gradually go away like it does around this time in many healthy pregnancies. I'm still holding out hope. On the bright side, at least I can't forget that I'm preggers. Some of my friends have talked about the way some syptoms just start to disappear, and how that can make them feel uneasy. I completely understand their logic. At least with every episode of morning (ahem, evening) sickness, I am reminded that somethin's still in there. So that's nice and comforting. See, there is a silver lining of morning sickness...and that's it. How do ya like that for positivity?!?! Can't wait til Monday.

No Whammies, No Whammies :)

Its been 48 hours and no sicky. That's minor cause for a major celebration. In fact, I'm actually noticing that I can go from zero to starving in 60 seconds. Its like Little B flips a switch and I go from not being hungry at all to being ravished.

Even the starving sensation is all good though, b/c I might just be welcoming another health nut into the world. There's still a long list of things that are completely unappetizing to me.... things that are seriously borderline repulsive to me right now. Oddly enough though, they're the things that considered "fun foods." This list includes items like ice cream, mayonaise, and french fries (pretty much anything with grease falls into the fries category). You know the ones I'm talking about...that everyone's like "hey, enjoy these while you're pregnant." Well, oddly enough, I totally don't. And I guess that's good. Maybe baby wants to be healthy. I'm guessing it might have something to do with what my stomache's used to.

p.s. I'm totally counting down the minutes until Monday. In case anyone is curious as of 7a this morning I have only 6,419 minutes to go until our ultrasound appointment. Not that I'm obsessing or anything. :)

In the meantime--- here's a pic from our NYC trip. As you can see, it was a tad bit froggy out, but still tons of fun:

Eureka! 12 Weeks Under the Belt (literally)...and...

Might it be possible that my "so-called morning sickness" has exited stage left? Yesterday was the first day that I didn't toss cookies. And by "cookies" I mean anything that I eat for lunch and or dinner and/or anything that was attempted to be consumed between the hours of noon and midnight. I ate these meals yesterday (during the typical 12 hour danger window) and something strange happened as I consumed them....they felt like they might just stick.

If this is the case, its grounds for celebration--- as there have only been 4 days since I was 5 weeks along that I haven't gotten sick at least once. If this is the case, the thought of actually mailing a thank you card to Little B did cross my mind. Not that I mean to complain, because I'm thrilled to have the Little B coming into our world, but I'm not gonna lie, getting sick daily hasn't been exactly the highlight of my day. With this being said, my doctor keeps reminding me that sickness like this in the first couple of months is a wonderful sign of a healthy baby....so that's good. But if going into trimester #2 could be done without carrying the morning sickness baggage, I'm all aboard!

Here's hoping this new trend continues :) Fingers (and toes and legs and arms and eyes.....all crossed).

Donde es la bump??

In the spirit of Cinco de Mayo, I thought it'd be clever to use a somewhat Spanish title for today's post. That's "Where is the bump" for those of us who didn't do so hot in Spanish class (myself included). Since margaritas and cervesas aren't in my plans for today or the next several months, I thought I'd try to be festive this way. Its my little way of saying "Happy Cinco de Mayo"

Its a funny phenomenon: My regular dress pants are not comfortable anymore...its like I came back from my trip and "no mas" for some of my work clothes. Although, I don't feel like I'm showing either. So odd. If I'm gonna feel bloated, I wanna see a bump. Otherwise it just looks like I spend my evenings with my head emerged in HaaganDaz, followed by a pint of Graeters Rasberry Chip, topped off with a double scoop of Handels homemade Cake Batter Ice Cream. Coincidentall, I'm not consuming any of the above--- it just looks like I am.

The great news is that I have larger sizes of dress pants that I can use before taking the plunge into maternity wear. We'll see. I'm just looking forward to the day when I look like I'm carrying a baby, not 14 pints of ice cream.

Oh, and by the way, I now totallly understand why TomKat purchased an ultrasound system for their home when Katie was preggers. Before now, I didn't get it, but know, I am totally on board. I just want to see the Little B. Waiting 6 (or more) weeks between ultrasounds is just plain tough! Our next appointment is Monday, May 12 and I can't wait. This is the appointment when we're hear the heartbeat and they'll to a rather throrough ultrasound. Hope I get pictures :)

Meet my new friend, "The Rancher"

The ride back from NYC made a little thought pop into my mind: What would I do without my Jolly Ranchers? This thought was quickly followed by the next question: How many cavities am I gonna get during this pregnancy.

Seriously though...Jolly Ranchers currently cure all. If my stomach rumbles (just as a volcano does before it erumpts), the one weapon I seem to have to ward off the dreaded 'reverse food toss' is the faithful rancher. Whether its in car, on a swinging subway, because I didn't recently eat or just because its the evening (all of these are the biggest triggers for my so-called "morning sickness")...Jolly Ranchers seem to buy me time. So, today, I'm thankful for the 'Ranchers. And don't worry, I brush my teeth lots everyday to keep those cavities where they belong (i.e. not in my mouth).

Little B in the Big Apple

Although Little B won't remember, we had quite the weekend in NYC. It was a really fun trip...and I was very impressed on how we held up (and by "we" I mean me [a.k.a. the host organism]and Little B). I'm equally impressd with how great everyone around us was. We didn't overdo it, but we had a lot of fun. Everyone was just great. We ate a yummy places, saw great sights and then everyone was cool with me spending "late night" at the apartment while they did NYC's nightlife justice. And every night, they promised to have a beverage for me. As for me & Little B, the beverage of choice was Ginger Ale.

We went all over Manhattan....literally walked 7 of the 14 mile length of the happening NY island...all the way from 42nd down past Little Italy....passing the cloud-encrusted Empire State Building (it was a bit foggy), thru NYU, past China Town (where we resisted the urge to purchase designer knockoffs). We had some friends with us, one of whom got to see NYC for the first time. It was a whole lotta fun. Over the 3 days, we had a plethora (like my big word of the day?) of cuisines: Italian, Thai, & Mexican....and of course, deli & bagel-fare too...can't go to the big apple without getting a bite of that stuff.

On Saturday, we went to see Yankee Stadium in its final season-- that was cool. I'm proud to say that the new stadium definitely has classical roots, which is encouraging for a newer stadium. Not don't worry about the prospects of our child becoming a Yankees fan....that's not something we're going to encourage in the least. In the NL, they'll be very exposed to the Reds and in the AL, they'll be around family that cheers for the Orioles. Even Danny is a Mets fan. So, no Yankee roots are being planted anywhere...promise. Just wanted to see a stadium with the history that Yankee Stadium has before it goes away.

Mission Accomplished

Seven hours...Yes, that's about the drive from here to NYC, which we did at night on Thurs. I will admit that I was a little concerned about my stomache on the drive. In fact, I may have caused the beginnings of a couple cavities as I kept a constant supply of Jolly Ranchers and Chewy Sweet Tarts in my mouth...but I am proud to say "Mission Accomplished!" We made it all the way to NYC without a stomache episode. I know its not much to sit in a car for 7 hours....but still, this felt like a good accomplishment.

We arrived in at Danny's apartment in Astoria at about 1:30am. Danny met us once we arrived. After we got settled, Mike shared the news with Danny--- who was pretty surprised and very excited. I'm really glad we waited to tell him in person.