Well, today I went in for yet another ultrasound. Not surprisingly this little girl was wiggling around again and making it challenging to get her measurements. Today's ultrasound was a medical ultrasound to get measurements and to make sure that baby girl is healthy. Her head, you'll be especially happy to know Amy, is right on target for her current gestational age (20 weeks and 1 day), but in other measurements she is longer and chubbier than expected (21 weeks and 4 days). This could potentially push the due date up to August 24th. Hopefully she'll hang on a little longer than that because I really need to get in at least one day at school and our first teacher day is August 22nd! Oh my goodness!
In addition to actual measurements, we got to take a peek at all of her parts. Her brain looks great. She has both hemispheres of her brain, a perfectly formed cerebellum, a well-formed brain stem, etc. She has all four chambers of her heart. She has ten fingers and ten toes. This is all very good, of course, and pretty exciting.
The only mildly disturbing thing that we also learned today is that I have a fibroid. A fibroid is basically a ball of muscle tissue and grows inside the uterus. These usually grow in women of child bearing age and are typically discovered prior to pregnancy. However, pregnancy can also trigger them to grow (or sometimes shrink) which may be why I've never noticed the fibroid before. Fibroids pose no real risk to the baby and mine is very high up in the uterus which means there is not likely to be a complication with it getting in the way at birth. Plus, at this point it is only about the size of a golf ball. While this sounds alarming, a large fibroid can be as big as a grapefruit! The only real side effect of the fibroid is one that will be an effect to me. They can be quite painful. However, since I don't know anything different, this is baby number 1 after all, I guess I'll just attribute most pains to "normal" pregnancy. The most important thing is that the fibroid should not affect the baby in any way!
Well, nature is calling - or rather baby girl is kicking my bladder and making nature call - so I've got to run. Take care everyone!
Monday, April 14, 2008
Saturday, April 12, 2008
It's a Baby. . .
GIRL!!!!
I know, I know - she looks a bit strange. She is only 20 weeks old and she is very skinny. Obviously, this will drastically change before she is actually born. At this point, she's just been working on growing a body and getting all of her parts to form. Now that she's got all of her parts she can work on getting fat!
Here you can see a sneak peak of her face, her arms and hands going up towards her face, and a little bit of the umbilical cord twisting its way from the bottom left of the photo. She kept trying to hide her face behind the placenta and she was fairly successful. I'm absolutely amazed that you can see things as clearly as you can. If you ever have a chance to go to a 3-D/4-D ultrasound, I highly recommend it. It's even more exciting to actually be in the room and have the ultrasound technician pointing things out to you.
Here she is flexing her muscles for us! How cool is that! She may not have any fat, but she's got some muscles! You can also make out some of her facial features - bulging eyes, squished up nose, pursed lips, and you can even see the definition of her chin!
Adam, our parents, our siblings, and I are all very excited. This will be the first grand daughter for Adam's parents and, obviously, the first grand baby for my parents. My dad thinks she may be a little spoiled because of this. Oh darn! Adam and I already went out to Babies R' Us last night to add a few more things to the registry and Mom and I are planning a shopping trip out this afternoon. Adam's mom and her sister are taking a shopping trip on Tuesday. She's only half way to being born and she's already the star of the shopping world! Awesome!
Well, hope you all enjoy this as much as Adam and I are! We're actually having another ultrasound, this time a medical one, done on Monday, so I'll probably have more to post then. Take care!
I know, I know - she looks a bit strange. She is only 20 weeks old and she is very skinny. Obviously, this will drastically change before she is actually born. At this point, she's just been working on growing a body and getting all of her parts to form. Now that she's got all of her parts she can work on getting fat!
Here you can see a sneak peak of her face, her arms and hands going up towards her face, and a little bit of the umbilical cord twisting its way from the bottom left of the photo. She kept trying to hide her face behind the placenta and she was fairly successful. I'm absolutely amazed that you can see things as clearly as you can. If you ever have a chance to go to a 3-D/4-D ultrasound, I highly recommend it. It's even more exciting to actually be in the room and have the ultrasound technician pointing things out to you.
Here she is flexing her muscles for us! How cool is that! She may not have any fat, but she's got some muscles! You can also make out some of her facial features - bulging eyes, squished up nose, pursed lips, and you can even see the definition of her chin!
Adam, our parents, our siblings, and I are all very excited. This will be the first grand daughter for Adam's parents and, obviously, the first grand baby for my parents. My dad thinks she may be a little spoiled because of this. Oh darn! Adam and I already went out to Babies R' Us last night to add a few more things to the registry and Mom and I are planning a shopping trip out this afternoon. Adam's mom and her sister are taking a shopping trip on Tuesday. She's only half way to being born and she's already the star of the shopping world! Awesome!
Well, hope you all enjoy this as much as Adam and I are! We're actually having another ultrasound, this time a medical one, done on Monday, so I'll probably have more to post then. Take care!
Wednesday, April 9, 2008
Costly Kitty: A Child Preparation Lesson?
On Sunday night around 8:00 pm, our middle kitty, Parry, started getting sick. This sickness continued about every 15 minutes throughout the night and into the next morning. Parry couldn't keep anything down - food or water. This had happened to Parry once before. At that time he had been diagnosed with something called Megacolon. Basically this means that Parry's colon doesn't work correctly to help him get rid of his solid waste.
Adam graciously agreed to take Parry to the vet on Monday morning. This delayed Adam's plans for the day and made him have to delay his cycling later in the day. However, Adam put the needs of the sick kitty ahead of his own desires. (Won't he make a great dad?) Adam then waited and waited for the vet to call him on his cell phone so that we could figure out what was going on with Parry. When the vet finally called (around noon) they said that they had done an x-ray and Parry's intestinal tract and colon were about 75% blocked with hard, non-moving solid waste. She said that they would be giving Parry several enemas and a laxative and hopefully be able to get things moving. She said she would call again around 5 pm to update us.
The vet did call again around 5 pm on Monday night, but she did not call with good news. Parry had still not been able to pass any of his waste. She said they would be giving him another kitty enema and then keeping him over night for observation. (Lord willing we will never have this same problem with our own child!) She said that she would call again the next morning and update us.
On Tuesday morning the vet called Adam to tell him that Parry had still not been able to pass anything and the next step was to sedate him and manually remove the blockage. Without any other options, Adam made the decision to go ahead and permit this next step. (Unfortunately Adam forgot to ask about the cost of this procedure, but cost becomes somewhat irrelevant when you're dealing with someone you love, right?) The vet said she would call again later to update us. She called around 2:30 pm to say that Parry had come out of surgery but would need to stay the night again so they could continue to monitor him.
At this point I did a great deal of research on the internet about Megacolon. I learned that there is no known cause for this disorder and that there are a great deal of medications that cats can take that can help eliminate some of the problem. I had a little fear because one of the medicines, Propulsid (cisapride) had been removed from the human drug market for causing heart arrythmias. I made sure to note this so I could ask about it when we got to see Parry and the vet. I also learned about some of the other medications and how they work to treat this disorder.
On Wednesday morning we got a call from the vet saying that Parry was doing quite well and had actually eaten some of his food. The day passed and we got to actually meet with the vet when we picked Parry up at 5:00 pm. I asked her all of my questions and she thought I was a pharmacist because of all the medicine questions I asked. I explained that I was not a pharmacist, just a concerned "mommy."
In the end, this whole business was an expense, but not as much of one as we had anticipated. We also learned a little bit more about the sacrifices that we will undoubtedly be making in the years to come.
Only 2 more days until we find out if the baby is a boy or a girl! I'm sure I'll post again soon!
Adam graciously agreed to take Parry to the vet on Monday morning. This delayed Adam's plans for the day and made him have to delay his cycling later in the day. However, Adam put the needs of the sick kitty ahead of his own desires. (Won't he make a great dad?) Adam then waited and waited for the vet to call him on his cell phone so that we could figure out what was going on with Parry. When the vet finally called (around noon) they said that they had done an x-ray and Parry's intestinal tract and colon were about 75% blocked with hard, non-moving solid waste. She said that they would be giving Parry several enemas and a laxative and hopefully be able to get things moving. She said she would call again around 5 pm to update us.
The vet did call again around 5 pm on Monday night, but she did not call with good news. Parry had still not been able to pass any of his waste. She said they would be giving him another kitty enema and then keeping him over night for observation. (Lord willing we will never have this same problem with our own child!) She said that she would call again the next morning and update us.
On Tuesday morning the vet called Adam to tell him that Parry had still not been able to pass anything and the next step was to sedate him and manually remove the blockage. Without any other options, Adam made the decision to go ahead and permit this next step. (Unfortunately Adam forgot to ask about the cost of this procedure, but cost becomes somewhat irrelevant when you're dealing with someone you love, right?) The vet said she would call again later to update us. She called around 2:30 pm to say that Parry had come out of surgery but would need to stay the night again so they could continue to monitor him.
At this point I did a great deal of research on the internet about Megacolon. I learned that there is no known cause for this disorder and that there are a great deal of medications that cats can take that can help eliminate some of the problem. I had a little fear because one of the medicines, Propulsid (cisapride) had been removed from the human drug market for causing heart arrythmias. I made sure to note this so I could ask about it when we got to see Parry and the vet. I also learned about some of the other medications and how they work to treat this disorder.
On Wednesday morning we got a call from the vet saying that Parry was doing quite well and had actually eaten some of his food. The day passed and we got to actually meet with the vet when we picked Parry up at 5:00 pm. I asked her all of my questions and she thought I was a pharmacist because of all the medicine questions I asked. I explained that I was not a pharmacist, just a concerned "mommy."
In the end, this whole business was an expense, but not as much of one as we had anticipated. We also learned a little bit more about the sacrifices that we will undoubtedly be making in the years to come.
Only 2 more days until we find out if the baby is a boy or a girl! I'm sure I'll post again soon!
Monday, March 24, 2008
Spring Break 2008: To Phoenix and Beyond!
Greetings to one and all. I am writing this blog in a bit of a bad mood today. Adam and I awoke yesterday morning to a gloriously sunny Phoenix day. When we boarded our plane at 11:40 in the morning, it was more than 80 degrees outside. We spent most of the day on Saturday in the sun and went to the Phoenix Zoo. So, it seems completely unfair that while flying down into the Columbus skies yesterday afternoon it was both gloomy and miserably cold!
Last night I tried desperately to download our video to my computer, only to realize that I didn't have the right connecting cables to make that happen. That, too, was both annoying and disheartening.
Enough complaining though, I will tell you about our adventures and then make myself feel better. We flew out on Saturday March 15. Our flight was delayed by almost 2 hours because of horrible fog, but we finally got under way and made it to Phoenix. We picked up our rental car, headed to Rhian's, picked Rhian and James up (also visited with Mortimer for a bit), checked into the hotel, and headed for dinner. We tried a Japanese place called Sakana. Rhian had been misled to think that this was like the Japanese steakhouses from home where they cook in front of you on big, hot surfaces, but it was really a Sushi restaurant with a very limited grill menu. Obviously I cannot eat sushi right now, so I was left to choose from the grill menu. Fortunately, I had chicken teriyaki and it was very good. After dinner, we returned to Rhian's apartment and Rhian and James taught Adam and I a new card game. It's called King's Corners and is sort of like solitaire except you don't play alone. After several rounds of playing, Adam and I were tuckered out and headed back to our hotel for a good night's sleep. See the picture below of Rhian and I waiting for Sakana to open.
On Sunday morning March 16, Adam and I left very early and headed for the Grand Canyon. We had breakfast at U.S. Egg, a local Phoenix breakfast spot, and then stopped a few hours later for pie at the Rock Springs Cafe. Both places had delicious food! Adam and I were very excited to be on our way to the Grand Canyon and had high hopes of seeing magnificent views never before seen with our eyes. Our wish was granted, but not in the way we had expected.
As it turns out, the Grand Canyon had both record cold temperatures and record snowfall for the day and night we spent there. I told Rhian before we left that I sensed we would be bringing the snow with us. She kept saying that it rarely snows in Arizona and not to worry. It was SO snowy that you couldn't see more than 5 feet in front of you! That's a lot of snow!
On Monday March 17 (St. Patrick's Day), Adam and I gladly left the frozen tundra for lower ground and warmer temperatures. We arrived at Hoover Dam just before noon. I have seen many pictures and watched a few TV specials on the Hoover Dam and none of them really do it justice. I'll go ahead and post our best picture there, but you really need to see it for yourself to appreciate its true magnificence. After taking a tour and eating lunch, Adam and I drove on into Las Vegas. We checked into the MGM Grand and got upgraded to a suite. We were on the 8th floor and had a HUGE room with an extremely comfortable bed. Adam and I both wished we could bring the bed home with us. We could sleep all the time on that thing! Anyways, Monday night we ate dinner at the Rainforest Cafe and then took the monorail over to the Mirage to see "Love." "Love" is the Beatles Cirque du Soleil show. It was AWESOME! If you ever get the chance, I highly recommend that you go. The music, of course, was great and the theatrics were just amazing. I have no idea how the actors can do all of the things that they can do. After the show we wandered back through the drunken "Irish" crowds and arrived at our hotel room anxious for a good night of rest in our luxurious bed!
On Tuesday March 18, we did some major exploring of the strip. We walked the 2 miles down towards the Mirage and Treasure Island and then part of the two miles back towards our hotel (we eventually hopped on the monorail due to walking exhaustion). We stopped at the Venetian and watched the gondolas on the canal. We also went to Madame Tussaud's and had a very funny time posing with all of the wax sculptures We ate lunch at the buffet at Harrah's. We did some light shopping. We went to the Siegfried and Roy's Secret Garden and Dolphin Exhibit at the Mirage and saw white and bengal tigers and dolphins. We took a nap. Adam and I ate dinner at Diego, a Mexican restaurant at our hotel. It was delicious. We had table-made guacamole with sundried tomatoes. It was REALLY, REALLY good! After dinner we took the monorail to the Bellagio stop and made our way to the water show. I had only really seen the water show in pictures and on "Ocean's 11," so I was very eager to see the show in person. It was certainly not a let down. It was really quite amazing to see what could be done with water. We decided to walk back after the show and ended up stopping at New York, New York to wander through the casino and shops and see the sights. We ended up buying another cute baby outfit and then going back to the hotel for an early night's rest.
On Wednesday March 19, we were up very early in the morning. We had to be at the parking lot of the Tropicana (across the street from our hotel) by 6:30 am. We were there by 6:15 am, but the bus did not actually show up until 7:00 am. (Those of you who know me well know how very irritated I was by this - this was our first impression of the company and they were 30 minutes late!). Anyways, we were headed for our second Grand Canyon adventure of the week. This time we had very high hopes of actually seeing the canyon and we were not disappointed. We flew on an 8 passenger plane from Henderson, Nevada to the Hualapai Indian Reservation. At the reservation, we boarded a helicopter. The helicopter flew us down inside the canyon to the Colorado River. We boarded a float boat and took a mini tour of the canyon and the river. Then we got back on the helicopter and flew back up to the top. Next we boarded some buses that took us to Eagle Point (where the Grand Canyon Sky Bridge is) and then Guano Point where we ate lunch (no, we did not have bat poop for lunch). Then were got back on the buses to head back to our original point, boarded our mini-plane, and flew back to Henderson. The ride back was rather bumpy and uncomfortable, but we managed to make it safely to the ground. When we arrived back at the hotel we took a well deserved nap and then headed over to Excalibur to see the Tournament of the Kings. (This is like a Medival Times restaurant and show place). We sat in the France section and cheered on our king. We had tomato soup, chicken, french fries, broccoli and a desert and we ate the whole meal with no silverware. Our king did quite well in the competition and we left the whole event quite happy. We did a little gambling when we arrived back at our hotel. I won 12 cents! I decided to stop while I was ahead! :) Then we turned in for the night.
On Thursday March 20 we ventured down to our hotel's buffet for breakfast. All Las Vegas buffets are massively huge and packed with people. Our buffet was quite typical but it did have good food. As soon as we were finished, I headed off to the spa for a prenatal massage. My wonderful and fantastic husband promised me a massage with the whole Las Vegas package and with all of the walking and general pregnancy crampiness I had been experiencing, I was very excited for the opportunity. I had a great female masseuse who I learned had given Marie Osmond a prenatal massage during her last pregnancy. She had this technique where I stacked myself up on towels and could then lay on my stomach. It was fantastic because I really miss being able to lay on my stomach AND because on my stomach she could really work on my lower back. It was great! After the massage Adam and I again ventured out onto the strip. We walked through Planet Hollywood and the Bellagio. Adam and I ate lunch at Magaritaville. We then headed back towards Excalibur and took the tram over to Mandalay Bay. At Mandalay Bay we went to the Shark Reef and saw sharks as well as many other aquatic creatures. After taking the tram back to Excalibur and walking over to the MGM, we quickly had to change for dinner and our show, Ka. We went to Fiamma, and Italian restaurant at the hotel. It was expensive, but it was delicious. We had these delicate raviolis in this amazing red sauce. Yummy! After dinner, we headed to Ka. Ka is another Cirque du Soleil show. This one is about two imperial twins who get separated and the struggles they face trying to get back to each other. It was another amazing show with a stage that I am confident cannot be equalled anywhere else. With a somewhat sad heart, we headed up to bed knowing that this was our last night in Vegas.
On Friday March 21, we began by stuffing ourselves again at the MGM buffet and then hitting the road to drive back down to Phoenix. This time we did not encounter any snow and actually arrived in Phoenix and to our hotel in under 6 hours. We went to Phoenicia (a Mediterranean restaurant) for lunch and then met up with my whole family at Rhian's new rental house. At the house we got caught up with my parents and their adventures seeing my cousin Amanda in San Francisco and filling them in on our adventures in Las Vegas. Eventually we ordered some great pizza from Oregano's (a local Chicago-style pizza place) and then we all taught my parents how to play King's Corners. Eventually we left Rhian's, dropped my parents off at their bed and breakfast, and then gladly got into our own bed at the Best Western Papago Inn.
On Saturday March 22, we began our day by eating at U.S. Egg again. They have these delicious protein pancakes with all sorts of yummy things inside. Then Adam and I went to the Phoenix Zoo. We saw giraffes, orangutans, squirrel monkeys, zebras, and even some bald eagles. Eventually we got hungry again and met up with my whole family at Phoenicia. Yes, it was the second day in a row of eating there, but it's very good food. After lunch, Adam and I drove around Phoenix with my mom and my sister. Adam's parents lived and were married in Phoenix so we drove around looking for their old residence and church. The residence no longer existed and we're hopeful that we found the church. After our drive, we took Rhian to Sam's Club and then headed to Nordstrom Rack. We bought some more adorable baby clothes and then headed back to my parents bed and breakfast so that they could change for dinner. We went to King's Fish house for dinner. Adam and I both ordered coconut curry shrimp, which was delicious but extremely filling. After dinner we headed back to Rhian's for a bit to gather our chocolate Easter bunnies from my parents and to do some final visiting with Mortimer and the whole family. The night wrapped up by dropping off my parents and then heading back to our hotel.
On Sunday March 23, we again ate breakfast at U.S. Egg. We had our final taste of protein pancakes and then quickly raced to the airport. After dropping off our rental car and checking our bags, we learned our flight was slighly delayed. However, Adam was kind enough to let me play games on his laptop while we waited for our flight to arrive and then board. Adam and I actually managed to sleep for a majority of the flight, which made time pass much faster. And I think that pretty much brings everyone up to speed.
We had a great time and now we are home in cold, often sun-less Columbus weather. Here's to hoping that the sun starts to shine more and the weather gets warmer quickly!
Last night I tried desperately to download our video to my computer, only to realize that I didn't have the right connecting cables to make that happen. That, too, was both annoying and disheartening.
Enough complaining though, I will tell you about our adventures and then make myself feel better. We flew out on Saturday March 15. Our flight was delayed by almost 2 hours because of horrible fog, but we finally got under way and made it to Phoenix. We picked up our rental car, headed to Rhian's, picked Rhian and James up (also visited with Mortimer for a bit), checked into the hotel, and headed for dinner. We tried a Japanese place called Sakana. Rhian had been misled to think that this was like the Japanese steakhouses from home where they cook in front of you on big, hot surfaces, but it was really a Sushi restaurant with a very limited grill menu. Obviously I cannot eat sushi right now, so I was left to choose from the grill menu. Fortunately, I had chicken teriyaki and it was very good. After dinner, we returned to Rhian's apartment and Rhian and James taught Adam and I a new card game. It's called King's Corners and is sort of like solitaire except you don't play alone. After several rounds of playing, Adam and I were tuckered out and headed back to our hotel for a good night's sleep. See the picture below of Rhian and I waiting for Sakana to open.
On Sunday morning March 16, Adam and I left very early and headed for the Grand Canyon. We had breakfast at U.S. Egg, a local Phoenix breakfast spot, and then stopped a few hours later for pie at the Rock Springs Cafe. Both places had delicious food! Adam and I were very excited to be on our way to the Grand Canyon and had high hopes of seeing magnificent views never before seen with our eyes. Our wish was granted, but not in the way we had expected.
As it turns out, the Grand Canyon had both record cold temperatures and record snowfall for the day and night we spent there. I told Rhian before we left that I sensed we would be bringing the snow with us. She kept saying that it rarely snows in Arizona and not to worry. It was SO snowy that you couldn't see more than 5 feet in front of you! That's a lot of snow!
On Monday March 17 (St. Patrick's Day), Adam and I gladly left the frozen tundra for lower ground and warmer temperatures. We arrived at Hoover Dam just before noon. I have seen many pictures and watched a few TV specials on the Hoover Dam and none of them really do it justice. I'll go ahead and post our best picture there, but you really need to see it for yourself to appreciate its true magnificence. After taking a tour and eating lunch, Adam and I drove on into Las Vegas. We checked into the MGM Grand and got upgraded to a suite. We were on the 8th floor and had a HUGE room with an extremely comfortable bed. Adam and I both wished we could bring the bed home with us. We could sleep all the time on that thing! Anyways, Monday night we ate dinner at the Rainforest Cafe and then took the monorail over to the Mirage to see "Love." "Love" is the Beatles Cirque du Soleil show. It was AWESOME! If you ever get the chance, I highly recommend that you go. The music, of course, was great and the theatrics were just amazing. I have no idea how the actors can do all of the things that they can do. After the show we wandered back through the drunken "Irish" crowds and arrived at our hotel room anxious for a good night of rest in our luxurious bed!
On Tuesday March 18, we did some major exploring of the strip. We walked the 2 miles down towards the Mirage and Treasure Island and then part of the two miles back towards our hotel (we eventually hopped on the monorail due to walking exhaustion). We stopped at the Venetian and watched the gondolas on the canal. We also went to Madame Tussaud's and had a very funny time posing with all of the wax sculptures We ate lunch at the buffet at Harrah's. We did some light shopping. We went to the Siegfried and Roy's Secret Garden and Dolphin Exhibit at the Mirage and saw white and bengal tigers and dolphins. We took a nap. Adam and I ate dinner at Diego, a Mexican restaurant at our hotel. It was delicious. We had table-made guacamole with sundried tomatoes. It was REALLY, REALLY good! After dinner we took the monorail to the Bellagio stop and made our way to the water show. I had only really seen the water show in pictures and on "Ocean's 11," so I was very eager to see the show in person. It was certainly not a let down. It was really quite amazing to see what could be done with water. We decided to walk back after the show and ended up stopping at New York, New York to wander through the casino and shops and see the sights. We ended up buying another cute baby outfit and then going back to the hotel for an early night's rest.
On Wednesday March 19, we were up very early in the morning. We had to be at the parking lot of the Tropicana (across the street from our hotel) by 6:30 am. We were there by 6:15 am, but the bus did not actually show up until 7:00 am. (Those of you who know me well know how very irritated I was by this - this was our first impression of the company and they were 30 minutes late!). Anyways, we were headed for our second Grand Canyon adventure of the week. This time we had very high hopes of actually seeing the canyon and we were not disappointed. We flew on an 8 passenger plane from Henderson, Nevada to the Hualapai Indian Reservation. At the reservation, we boarded a helicopter. The helicopter flew us down inside the canyon to the Colorado River. We boarded a float boat and took a mini tour of the canyon and the river. Then we got back on the helicopter and flew back up to the top. Next we boarded some buses that took us to Eagle Point (where the Grand Canyon Sky Bridge is) and then Guano Point where we ate lunch (no, we did not have bat poop for lunch). Then were got back on the buses to head back to our original point, boarded our mini-plane, and flew back to Henderson. The ride back was rather bumpy and uncomfortable, but we managed to make it safely to the ground. When we arrived back at the hotel we took a well deserved nap and then headed over to Excalibur to see the Tournament of the Kings. (This is like a Medival Times restaurant and show place). We sat in the France section and cheered on our king. We had tomato soup, chicken, french fries, broccoli and a desert and we ate the whole meal with no silverware. Our king did quite well in the competition and we left the whole event quite happy. We did a little gambling when we arrived back at our hotel. I won 12 cents! I decided to stop while I was ahead! :) Then we turned in for the night.
On Thursday March 20 we ventured down to our hotel's buffet for breakfast. All Las Vegas buffets are massively huge and packed with people. Our buffet was quite typical but it did have good food. As soon as we were finished, I headed off to the spa for a prenatal massage. My wonderful and fantastic husband promised me a massage with the whole Las Vegas package and with all of the walking and general pregnancy crampiness I had been experiencing, I was very excited for the opportunity. I had a great female masseuse who I learned had given Marie Osmond a prenatal massage during her last pregnancy. She had this technique where I stacked myself up on towels and could then lay on my stomach. It was fantastic because I really miss being able to lay on my stomach AND because on my stomach she could really work on my lower back. It was great! After the massage Adam and I again ventured out onto the strip. We walked through Planet Hollywood and the Bellagio. Adam and I ate lunch at Magaritaville. We then headed back towards Excalibur and took the tram over to Mandalay Bay. At Mandalay Bay we went to the Shark Reef and saw sharks as well as many other aquatic creatures. After taking the tram back to Excalibur and walking over to the MGM, we quickly had to change for dinner and our show, Ka. We went to Fiamma, and Italian restaurant at the hotel. It was expensive, but it was delicious. We had these delicate raviolis in this amazing red sauce. Yummy! After dinner, we headed to Ka. Ka is another Cirque du Soleil show. This one is about two imperial twins who get separated and the struggles they face trying to get back to each other. It was another amazing show with a stage that I am confident cannot be equalled anywhere else. With a somewhat sad heart, we headed up to bed knowing that this was our last night in Vegas.
On Friday March 21, we began by stuffing ourselves again at the MGM buffet and then hitting the road to drive back down to Phoenix. This time we did not encounter any snow and actually arrived in Phoenix and to our hotel in under 6 hours. We went to Phoenicia (a Mediterranean restaurant) for lunch and then met up with my whole family at Rhian's new rental house. At the house we got caught up with my parents and their adventures seeing my cousin Amanda in San Francisco and filling them in on our adventures in Las Vegas. Eventually we ordered some great pizza from Oregano's (a local Chicago-style pizza place) and then we all taught my parents how to play King's Corners. Eventually we left Rhian's, dropped my parents off at their bed and breakfast, and then gladly got into our own bed at the Best Western Papago Inn.
On Saturday March 22, we began our day by eating at U.S. Egg again. They have these delicious protein pancakes with all sorts of yummy things inside. Then Adam and I went to the Phoenix Zoo. We saw giraffes, orangutans, squirrel monkeys, zebras, and even some bald eagles. Eventually we got hungry again and met up with my whole family at Phoenicia. Yes, it was the second day in a row of eating there, but it's very good food. After lunch, Adam and I drove around Phoenix with my mom and my sister. Adam's parents lived and were married in Phoenix so we drove around looking for their old residence and church. The residence no longer existed and we're hopeful that we found the church. After our drive, we took Rhian to Sam's Club and then headed to Nordstrom Rack. We bought some more adorable baby clothes and then headed back to my parents bed and breakfast so that they could change for dinner. We went to King's Fish house for dinner. Adam and I both ordered coconut curry shrimp, which was delicious but extremely filling. After dinner we headed back to Rhian's for a bit to gather our chocolate Easter bunnies from my parents and to do some final visiting with Mortimer and the whole family. The night wrapped up by dropping off my parents and then heading back to our hotel.
On Sunday March 23, we again ate breakfast at U.S. Egg. We had our final taste of protein pancakes and then quickly raced to the airport. After dropping off our rental car and checking our bags, we learned our flight was slighly delayed. However, Adam was kind enough to let me play games on his laptop while we waited for our flight to arrive and then board. Adam and I actually managed to sleep for a majority of the flight, which made time pass much faster. And I think that pretty much brings everyone up to speed.
We had a great time and now we are home in cold, often sun-less Columbus weather. Here's to hoping that the sun starts to shine more and the weather gets warmer quickly!
Friday, March 7, 2008
14 Weeks and Growing
Hello everyone!
Baby reached the ripe old age of 14 weeks this week and with that came another doctor's visit. Adam and I travelled to the doctor on Tuesday March 4. This was our last doctor's appointment with the doctor we know. Next time we will be meeting with a new doctor. Our doctor is retiring on March 14. But, everyone I have talked to about this has really, really recommended another doctor in the practice and that is who we will be seeing from now on. Hopefully we will like her as much as everyone else does.
Adam and I got to hear the baby's heartbeat for the first time. It was very exciting! It's heart was beating at 155 beats per minute! It took the doctor a while to find the heartbeat and we found out why as soon as we moved on to the ultrasound. This baby NEVER stops moving! :) During the ultrasound the baby was moving all over the place. We got a little wave and saw some kicking feet. The baby even did a few flips just to be sure and show off. It's no wonder the heartbeat was so hard to find because this baby doesn't want to stay still long enough to let anyone listen! :)
Here is a picture of the baby. I know it's a bit hard to see, but I'll explain below.
Baby's head is on the right side at the top. If you look closely you can sort of decipher a face. Coming from the baby's head is a long dark line. This is the baby's spine. Where the baby's spine stops, there is a bit of a blur above the line. That blur is the baby's bottom and legs all curled up. I know you have to use your imagination with these things. It would be much easier if I could show all of you the actual picture. The ultrasound machine prints the pictures on glossy paper and that makes it very hard to scan the pictures well.
In other news, I kept insisting to my mother on Monday night (March 3) that I thought I could feel the baby moving. I said that I couldn't quite put my finger on what exactly I was feeling, just that something felt very different. My mother, even in all of her wisdom, kept insisting that I just had a very vivid imagination and was feeling nothing more than what I "wanted" to be feeling. So, when we got to the doctor on Tuesday, I had to ask her if she thought it was possible that I was feeling the baby. She said that it was completely possible, especially since the baby was very high up in my uterus. So, ha, I am feeling the baby! How cool!
Finally, Adam and I are now counting the hours until we can escape "The Blizzard of 2008" and retreat to the warm and happy bliss of Phoenix, the Grand Canyon, and Las Vegas. (Yes, I do realize that it will not be warm at the Grand Canyon, but it will be VERY warm in Phoenix and moderately warm in Las Vegas!) No matter what, we are both very excited to be getting out of town for a while. We leave next Saturday, March 15 around 12:30 pm. For those interested in the hour count...It is 6:30 pm here so we have about 161 hours until we board our plane. Daylight savings time starts tomorrow, so I included the "sprung" hour in my estimation. I wish we were looking at a mere 18 hours, but I'm not sure we'd be able to get out of town 18 hours from now, so it's probably better that it's 161 hours.
Well, I do hope this posting finds everyone well. We have a 3-D/4-D ultrasound scheduled for April 11 and we should be able to find out the baby's sex at that point. I certainly hope to post again before then, but start preparing your guesses for whether or not you think baby is a boy or a girl. :)
Baby reached the ripe old age of 14 weeks this week and with that came another doctor's visit. Adam and I travelled to the doctor on Tuesday March 4. This was our last doctor's appointment with the doctor we know. Next time we will be meeting with a new doctor. Our doctor is retiring on March 14. But, everyone I have talked to about this has really, really recommended another doctor in the practice and that is who we will be seeing from now on. Hopefully we will like her as much as everyone else does.
Adam and I got to hear the baby's heartbeat for the first time. It was very exciting! It's heart was beating at 155 beats per minute! It took the doctor a while to find the heartbeat and we found out why as soon as we moved on to the ultrasound. This baby NEVER stops moving! :) During the ultrasound the baby was moving all over the place. We got a little wave and saw some kicking feet. The baby even did a few flips just to be sure and show off. It's no wonder the heartbeat was so hard to find because this baby doesn't want to stay still long enough to let anyone listen! :)
Here is a picture of the baby. I know it's a bit hard to see, but I'll explain below.
Baby's head is on the right side at the top. If you look closely you can sort of decipher a face. Coming from the baby's head is a long dark line. This is the baby's spine. Where the baby's spine stops, there is a bit of a blur above the line. That blur is the baby's bottom and legs all curled up. I know you have to use your imagination with these things. It would be much easier if I could show all of you the actual picture. The ultrasound machine prints the pictures on glossy paper and that makes it very hard to scan the pictures well.
In other news, I kept insisting to my mother on Monday night (March 3) that I thought I could feel the baby moving. I said that I couldn't quite put my finger on what exactly I was feeling, just that something felt very different. My mother, even in all of her wisdom, kept insisting that I just had a very vivid imagination and was feeling nothing more than what I "wanted" to be feeling. So, when we got to the doctor on Tuesday, I had to ask her if she thought it was possible that I was feeling the baby. She said that it was completely possible, especially since the baby was very high up in my uterus. So, ha, I am feeling the baby! How cool!
Finally, Adam and I are now counting the hours until we can escape "The Blizzard of 2008" and retreat to the warm and happy bliss of Phoenix, the Grand Canyon, and Las Vegas. (Yes, I do realize that it will not be warm at the Grand Canyon, but it will be VERY warm in Phoenix and moderately warm in Las Vegas!) No matter what, we are both very excited to be getting out of town for a while. We leave next Saturday, March 15 around 12:30 pm. For those interested in the hour count...It is 6:30 pm here so we have about 161 hours until we board our plane. Daylight savings time starts tomorrow, so I included the "sprung" hour in my estimation. I wish we were looking at a mere 18 hours, but I'm not sure we'd be able to get out of town 18 hours from now, so it's probably better that it's 161 hours.
Well, I do hope this posting finds everyone well. We have a 3-D/4-D ultrasound scheduled for April 11 and we should be able to find out the baby's sex at that point. I certainly hope to post again before then, but start preparing your guesses for whether or not you think baby is a boy or a girl. :)
Sunday, February 24, 2008
Big Slacker
Ok, I've had several comments about how I've been a big slacker. I'm very sorry. Days have been passing, but nothing overly exciting has been happening. I've had several days with delays to school and one day off of school. We've had lots of snow and ice. I had parent-teacher conferences on Valentine's Day. My wonderful husband sent me an edible arrangement for Valentine's Day. It had all sorts of yummy fruit in it! My mom and I went to Pittsburgh over President's Day weekend so that I could go to IKEA.
IKEA, as always, was great. I LOVE that store! Check out the pics below:
That's a picture of the crib (actually set up in the baby's room), a picture of what the changing table will look like (there's an extension piece that you can add to actually make it into a changing table), and a musical giraffe (that is one of MANY stuffed animals we got for the baby's room!)
We are very excited, obviously, about everything associated with this baby! I get to go to the doctor again on March 4, so I may have more to update you on at that point. Hope things are well for all of you!
IKEA, as always, was great. I LOVE that store! Check out the pics below:
That's a picture of the crib (actually set up in the baby's room), a picture of what the changing table will look like (there's an extension piece that you can add to actually make it into a changing table), and a musical giraffe (that is one of MANY stuffed animals we got for the baby's room!)
We are very excited, obviously, about everything associated with this baby! I get to go to the doctor again on March 4, so I may have more to update you on at that point. Hope things are well for all of you!
Wednesday, February 6, 2008
Visiting the Doctor
Hello everyone! Sorry I haven't posted in a while. There just hasn't been too much going on here. I went out this past weekend and purchased some maternity clothes. I'm certainly not popping out of all of my clothes yet, but they are definitely getting tight. My mom also ordered me 2 "Bella Bands" which are basically extensions to a shirt that will allow you to be able wear your regular clothes longer because you don't have to button everything. I'm really hoping that those work and I'll certainly keep you posted.
Today Adam and I got to make our first actual doctor's visit. We had another ultrasound. The baby now has viewable arms (not just arm buds) and is bigger than at last week. He/she is progressing at the same rate as previously found, which means that I am 10 weeks and 4 days pregnant as of today. I've decided not to post the ultrasound pictures because they were pretty fuzzy and even harder to distinguish than those that are already posted.
We got some sad/frustrating news too. My Ob/Gyn is retiring at the end of March, so I now have to find a new doctor. She recommended some of the other doctor's in her practice, so I'll be checking them out...I guess. :( I'm sure it will all work out, but it does make me a bit sad.
I've been feeling pretty well overall. I'm excited for our Tempe/Grand Canyon/Las Vegas trip that's coming up in a bit more than a month!
I'll keep you all "posted" if anything exciting does happen! :)
Today Adam and I got to make our first actual doctor's visit. We had another ultrasound. The baby now has viewable arms (not just arm buds) and is bigger than at last week. He/she is progressing at the same rate as previously found, which means that I am 10 weeks and 4 days pregnant as of today. I've decided not to post the ultrasound pictures because they were pretty fuzzy and even harder to distinguish than those that are already posted.
We got some sad/frustrating news too. My Ob/Gyn is retiring at the end of March, so I now have to find a new doctor. She recommended some of the other doctor's in her practice, so I'll be checking them out...I guess. :( I'm sure it will all work out, but it does make me a bit sad.
I've been feeling pretty well overall. I'm excited for our Tempe/Grand Canyon/Las Vegas trip that's coming up in a bit more than a month!
I'll keep you all "posted" if anything exciting does happen! :)
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
