It is 5 o'clock in the morning on a Saturday and I am awake. I have had trouble staying asleep since around 2:00 am when my husband burst into the bedroom to tell me that he was going to take a shower (which I thought meant come to bed afterwards) and, by the way, we had some tornadoes heading straight for us. I guess that since I was only partially awake and therefore only partially processed what Adam had said, I went back to sleep, at first, with little trouble. Then my brain must have continued processing while sleeping and I kept waking up expecting to hear high winds or pounding rain or some other scary storm-related noise. These noises finally started occuring around 4:30 am. I got up to find my husband standing in the bathtub and looking out our small bathroom window so he could view the storm. When asked why he had not come to bed after showering, Adam replied he was expecting another phone call from work between 4 and 5 am (it never came) and didn't see the point in going to bed at 2:30. Call me crazy, some sleep is better than none, right? I guess this means that Adam can stay up with the baby when she can't sleep. :) Anyways, I decided that I was hungry and wanted to see what the weather people were saying about this storm. Adam and I both came downstairs. I had some cereal and now Adam is continuing to play his 50-turn game of Mario Party 3 for Wii. For those of you who don't know, a 50 turn game lasts at least 3 hours, but you can take breaks so that you don't have to play all at once. (Now I, and you, also know the real reason why Adam never came to bed. :) ) Adam is down to his last 10 turns now so the fun is wrapping itself up. I plan on returning to bed when I am finished with my blogging. I would guess that Adam will start another game. We'll see.
In other interesting news, I had to complete my glucose test on Wednesday. I was very nervous about taking the test. I know I have many risk factors for gestational diabetes and I had pretty much convinced myself that I was going to have gestational diabetes. Plus, I have known 3 people who have had gestational diabetes within the last year and just read an article the other day saying that more and more women are being diagnosed with the disorder.
I had to take my glucose drink to school with me and was supposed to drink it at the end of science class. On Tuesday I had had a discussion with the science teacher (who has 2 children) about having to consume the drink at the end of class. This then turned in to a whole class discussion about gross glucose drinks, tests done during pregnancy, and whether or not the students thought I would get sick while drinking the stuff. This, of course, meant that on Wednesday all the students were chomping at the bit to see me drink the stuff. It's a relatively small bottle, but it has to be fully consumed within 5 minutes. After seeing how excited the students were about the possibility of the stuff making me sick or have some awful reaction, I decided that there was no way I would be able to drink it in front of them. I figured one of two things would happen if I tried to drink it in front of them: 1) I would end up laughing and spit a large part of the stuff out OR 2) I would actually get sick (which seemed to be what most of them were hoping for). So, I dutifully waited for class to be over and then got in my car to race towards the hospital. I opened the container and started swallowing the stuff. It really wasn't so bad. It was like a strange version of orange pop. Now, admitedly, I don't like orange pop, but I had built up such great fears about how awful the stuff would be, that orange pop didn't seem so bad.
I arrived at the doctor and continued my waiting process. The nurse finally called me back. She asked me some questions and then wanted to check my blood pressure. I told her that I had no problem with her checking my blood pressure, but that I would expect it to be running a little high because I hate having my blood taken and I knew that that was going to be the next part of the appointment. She seemed very surprised that I needed my blood taken because the nurse that I checked in with had failed to mention that I had consumed the glucose. They are supposed to take your blood exactly one hour after you finish the drink. At the time, this was about five minutes away. Just as we were getting up to go over to the "blood station," a woman rolls past us with her stroller. In the stroller is her 9th month old son. Walking beside the stroller is her 18 month old son. And, as I soon learned, she was getting her blood taken because she was pregnant again. So, the fact had already been established that this woman was crazy and therefore what happened next came as no great surprise. The woman went to sit down in the "blood-draw" chair. The nurse had just given the 18 month old son a Dum-Dum sucker. Being that 18 months is still a little young, in my own opinion, to be fully responsible with a sucker, the kid decided to stick it to his baby brother. He took the stick of the Dum-Dum sucker and stuck it up the 9 month old brother's nose. Of course, much crying ensued and the 9 month old was gushing blood from his nose. However, since the mother was having her own blood taken, there was not a great deal she could do (not that I think she would have done a lot to begin with - she clearly has her hands full!). So as I'm watching this whole seen unfold I'm thinking to myself that since I hate the sight of blood, maybe I'll pass out before the nurse can actually get to me and she can just take my blood while I'm already down. :) Fortunately, the nurse that had brought me back to begin with interrupted this whole seen and told the blood draw nurse that I needed my blood drawn immediately because I had had the glucose drink and was out of time. This forced the other woman to deal with her screaming child and her 18 month old and allowed for me to have a seat in the "blood draw" chair. I explained to the blood-draw nurse that I don't like having my blood drawn and would prefer to get this over as quickly as possible. I also told her that my veins have a tendency to roll which usually means that I get stabbed multiple times, hence one of the reasons I hate having my blood drawn. She actually listened to me and used a surface vein in the corner of my elbow pit. This was GREAT because not only did it not hurt, but it left virtually no bruise! She had to take 4 vials of blood because of all the different tests they were running so while it did take a while for her to draw all of the blood, I didn't mind so much since it wasn't hurting me.
After the blood draw I had my regular check-up with the doctor. She had a hard time measuring me because my fibroid sits at the top of my uterus. This meant that it was challenging to tell what was fibroid and what was baby. So, she said that we would just get more accurate measurements at my next ultrasound. That ultrasound is scheduled for June 23rd, so stay tuned for those results. I did ask her about when I might hear back about the results of the tests. She said I should expect to hear from her by Friday unless there was nothing to worry about, in which case, she would not be calling at all.
On Thursday I had an appointment with my regular doctor. She always gets duplicates of my test results since she is my primary care physician. She came bounding into the room and was excited to tell me that I do NOT have gestational diabetes. YEAH!!!!! For those of you who don't know, a typical blood sugar level is somewhere betweeen 80 and 120. For a pregnant woman they typically extend the top number to 135. My number was 116, so things are really looking quite good!
So, I am now feeling much relief at having avoided another possible pregnancy complication. I'm beginning to even hope that I may make it to August without having preeclampsia (high blood pressure), but it's just a glimmer of hope at this point. :)
Just so that you all know, Adam has finished his Mario Party 3 game. He won, by a lot, and just told me that he is going up to bed! Fantastic! Additionally, the storm has now completed passed over us. So, it's clearly time to go back to bed. Enjoy your weekend everyone!
Saturday, May 31, 2008
Saturday, May 24, 2008
Road Trippin' It With 8th Graders & "High Fives"
It is Saturday May 24 and I arrived back home late last night (around 11 pm) from a 4 day trip with my beloved 8th grade students. We left very early (6:30 am) Tuesday morning on a bus headed for Washington DC. We visited the Smithsonian museums (I only managed to make it to the Natural History Museum with my group), the Hard Rock Cafe, the White House, took a subway ride, and visited the Iwo Jima Memorial and that was only Tuesday afternoon!
On Wednesday we were up very early and had our picture taken on the steps of the Capitol. Then we got to go up inside the Washington Monument and view Washington from high above. Then we ate lunch and headed to the National Cathedral. Next we visited Arlington National Cemetary. We had two students who actually participated in the wreath laying ceremony at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier and then got o witness the changing of the guard. This was particularly neat for me since the last time I was at Arlington was when I was in 8th grade and I was in the wreath laying ceremony. :) (On another side note, Arlington is VERY hilly and I would like to give myself special kudos for trekking up the many hills of the cemetary while 6 months pregnant! Go me!) After Arlington we headed to dinner and then took a walking tour of the FDR memorial and the Jefferson memorial. By the time we got to the memorials it was getting darker, which actually ended up being pretty cool. Finally, we headed back to the hotel.
On Thursday we were up very early again and headed to the Capitol once more. This time we got to go inside the chamber where the House of Representatives meets. This is where the President gives his (or her) State of the Union address from every year. There were fewer than 25 representatives present that morning, which was kind of disappointing. However, the representatives that were there were giving 1 minute speeches on various things to basically just ensure they would be on the record. It was an interesting process and it was definitely pretty neat to see the actual building itself. From the Capitol we headed to the Bureau of Printing and Engraving. This is where our money is made. It was a very cool process and I was very excited to see the piles and piles of money just laying around and waiting to be shipped. If only it could be shipped directly to me! :) After our tour we went to the Mall where we enjoyed a picnic lunch. Please understand me clearly, I am NOT complaining, however, I must say that it was rather chilly eating lunch on the Mall. While the sun was out sporadically, there was a constant wind that made being outside a bit cold. But, I would MUCH, MUCH, MUCH rather be cold than hot, so I did not complain even once! After lunch we walked over the the World War II Memorial, the Vietnam War Memorial, Lincoln Memorial, and the Korean War Memorial. All 4 were exciting to see and our language arts teacher and the students left a book of poetry behind at the Vietnam Memorial. It was dedicated to Clarence "Beau" Casto, who was the only man from West Jefferson to die in Vietnam. (Again on a happy side note, ALL of my students had their poems finished and turned in on time, so their works were all included in the book!) After the memorials we headed to the United States Holocaust Museum. Again, the last time I had been at the museum was when I was in 8th grade. That was 15 years ago and the museum had just opened. I can remember going there, but I didn't remember a whole lot about it. We unfortunately did not have a great deal of time, but I can definitely say that it is a museum that is well worth the visit. My students got a lot out of the visit and I did too! After the museum it was off to the National Archives Building. We got to see the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, and the Bill of Rights. Since we spent a great deal of time talking about all 3 documents this year, the kids seemed to really enjoy getting to see the actual papers themselves. From the National Archives Building we headed to the pier for our Potomac Dinner Cruise. We had a decent meal and then all the kids (and many chaperones and teachers) enjoyed dancing. I enjoyed sitting and watching everyone dance and got to enjoy the sensation of the baby dancing inside of me! Based upon Thursday evening's experience, this baby girl should be quite the dancer. :) Finally, around 10:15 pm we boarded the buses and headed back to our hotel. It was a VERY long day!
On Friday we were up early one last time and headed out to Mount Vernon. The whole plantation was very beautiful and we got to head down to the Potomac to get one last up-close view of the very pleasant surroundings. After Mount Vernon it was back to the buses and then a VERY long trip home. There was a horrible accident on I-70, so we had to take a different route for a large part of our journey (I-68). It was pretty, but quite hilly. We finally arrived back in West Jeff around 10:15 pm. It really was a great trip and I was very proud of all of my students. They weren't perfect angels, but I would say they behaved better than any other group we witnessed, which is really saying quite a lot. They are a good group of kids and I'm glad they got to enjoy this experience.
Now, with my journey told, I thought I would also complete this "Fivers" challenge that I have seen Amy and Al complete.
The questions are listed one at a time and my answers are right below the indvidual questions.
What were you doing five years ago?
In May of 2003 I had just moved back to Ohio and was settling in with Sarah and Jenny at 58 Crestview. I had just secured my first full year job for the 2003-2004 school year at Windsor Academy in Columbus Public. I was substitute teaching in Dublin and basically enjoying a fairly lazy existence. I wasn't dating anyone and my grandfather was still alive and living with my parents. My sister was getting ready to graduate from high school and life was all around pretty good.
What are five things on your to-do list for today?
Well, it's almost 8 pm now, so I'll reveal what was on my list for today.
1. Get caught up on my sleep (I accomplished this by getting up and eating breakfast and then going back to sleep!)
2. Enjoy eating food that wasn't prepared with tons of grease and prepared really quickly. (We went to a Mexican place!)
3. Play our new Nintendo Wii! (We just got it yesterday!)
4. Go shopping for a rocker/glider. (We went out to the JC Penney outlet store, but had very little luck)
5. Enjoy spending time with Adam and the kitties (I've done this all day!)
What are five snacks you enjoy?
1. Ice Cream - vanilla or strawberry are probably my 2 favorites
2. 100 calorie snack packs (pretty much any variety)
3. Chips with French Onion dip
4. Chocolate Oatmeal Cookies
5. Mom's macaroni and cheese (usually a meal, not just a snack)
What are five things you would do if you were a billionaire?
1. Pay off our own and our family's debts (It would be fantastic to be debt free!)
2. Move to Worthington
3. Travel - anywhere and anytime
4. Buy some new furniture (a bigger bed, a new couch, new dining room table and chairs)
5. Donate at least some of the money to a worthy charity (Cozy Cat Cottage?)
What are five of your bad habits?
1. Being too negative
2. Being too hard on myself and others
3. Not cleaning up immediately when I make a mess
4. Not speaking with friends as often as I would really like to
5. Not getting enough exercise and/or eating out too much
What are five places you have lived?
1. Columbus, Ohio (in Clintonville - Kensington and Crestview)
2. Worthington, Ohio (on Stafford)
3. Indianapolis, Indiana (at Butler and 2 different apartments)
4. Florence, Italy (while studying abroad)
5. Columbus, Ohio (in my house in the hood!)
What are five jobs you've had?
1. Worthington Public Library book processor
2. Babysitter
3. Blockbuster Video Cashier
4. Insurance Saleswoman
5. Teacher
What five people do you want to tag?
1. Adam (you can put your replies in my comments section!)
2. Rhian (she doesn't have a blog either and she's in Cyprus right now, so I'm not counting on this anytime soon!)
3. Jerry or Patty (I know you read this!)
4. Mom or Dad
5. Anyone else who feels they have something to share!
Well, I get to go to the doctor again on Wednesday and this will be my gestational diabetes "check" appointment. So, as soon as I learn something one way or the other, I will let you all know! Take care!
On Wednesday we were up very early and had our picture taken on the steps of the Capitol. Then we got to go up inside the Washington Monument and view Washington from high above. Then we ate lunch and headed to the National Cathedral. Next we visited Arlington National Cemetary. We had two students who actually participated in the wreath laying ceremony at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier and then got o witness the changing of the guard. This was particularly neat for me since the last time I was at Arlington was when I was in 8th grade and I was in the wreath laying ceremony. :) (On another side note, Arlington is VERY hilly and I would like to give myself special kudos for trekking up the many hills of the cemetary while 6 months pregnant! Go me!) After Arlington we headed to dinner and then took a walking tour of the FDR memorial and the Jefferson memorial. By the time we got to the memorials it was getting darker, which actually ended up being pretty cool. Finally, we headed back to the hotel.
On Thursday we were up very early again and headed to the Capitol once more. This time we got to go inside the chamber where the House of Representatives meets. This is where the President gives his (or her) State of the Union address from every year. There were fewer than 25 representatives present that morning, which was kind of disappointing. However, the representatives that were there were giving 1 minute speeches on various things to basically just ensure they would be on the record. It was an interesting process and it was definitely pretty neat to see the actual building itself. From the Capitol we headed to the Bureau of Printing and Engraving. This is where our money is made. It was a very cool process and I was very excited to see the piles and piles of money just laying around and waiting to be shipped. If only it could be shipped directly to me! :) After our tour we went to the Mall where we enjoyed a picnic lunch. Please understand me clearly, I am NOT complaining, however, I must say that it was rather chilly eating lunch on the Mall. While the sun was out sporadically, there was a constant wind that made being outside a bit cold. But, I would MUCH, MUCH, MUCH rather be cold than hot, so I did not complain even once! After lunch we walked over the the World War II Memorial, the Vietnam War Memorial, Lincoln Memorial, and the Korean War Memorial. All 4 were exciting to see and our language arts teacher and the students left a book of poetry behind at the Vietnam Memorial. It was dedicated to Clarence "Beau" Casto, who was the only man from West Jefferson to die in Vietnam. (Again on a happy side note, ALL of my students had their poems finished and turned in on time, so their works were all included in the book!) After the memorials we headed to the United States Holocaust Museum. Again, the last time I had been at the museum was when I was in 8th grade. That was 15 years ago and the museum had just opened. I can remember going there, but I didn't remember a whole lot about it. We unfortunately did not have a great deal of time, but I can definitely say that it is a museum that is well worth the visit. My students got a lot out of the visit and I did too! After the museum it was off to the National Archives Building. We got to see the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, and the Bill of Rights. Since we spent a great deal of time talking about all 3 documents this year, the kids seemed to really enjoy getting to see the actual papers themselves. From the National Archives Building we headed to the pier for our Potomac Dinner Cruise. We had a decent meal and then all the kids (and many chaperones and teachers) enjoyed dancing. I enjoyed sitting and watching everyone dance and got to enjoy the sensation of the baby dancing inside of me! Based upon Thursday evening's experience, this baby girl should be quite the dancer. :) Finally, around 10:15 pm we boarded the buses and headed back to our hotel. It was a VERY long day!
On Friday we were up early one last time and headed out to Mount Vernon. The whole plantation was very beautiful and we got to head down to the Potomac to get one last up-close view of the very pleasant surroundings. After Mount Vernon it was back to the buses and then a VERY long trip home. There was a horrible accident on I-70, so we had to take a different route for a large part of our journey (I-68). It was pretty, but quite hilly. We finally arrived back in West Jeff around 10:15 pm. It really was a great trip and I was very proud of all of my students. They weren't perfect angels, but I would say they behaved better than any other group we witnessed, which is really saying quite a lot. They are a good group of kids and I'm glad they got to enjoy this experience.
Now, with my journey told, I thought I would also complete this "Fivers" challenge that I have seen Amy and Al complete.
The questions are listed one at a time and my answers are right below the indvidual questions.
What were you doing five years ago?
In May of 2003 I had just moved back to Ohio and was settling in with Sarah and Jenny at 58 Crestview. I had just secured my first full year job for the 2003-2004 school year at Windsor Academy in Columbus Public. I was substitute teaching in Dublin and basically enjoying a fairly lazy existence. I wasn't dating anyone and my grandfather was still alive and living with my parents. My sister was getting ready to graduate from high school and life was all around pretty good.
What are five things on your to-do list for today?
Well, it's almost 8 pm now, so I'll reveal what was on my list for today.
1. Get caught up on my sleep (I accomplished this by getting up and eating breakfast and then going back to sleep!)
2. Enjoy eating food that wasn't prepared with tons of grease and prepared really quickly. (We went to a Mexican place!)
3. Play our new Nintendo Wii! (We just got it yesterday!)
4. Go shopping for a rocker/glider. (We went out to the JC Penney outlet store, but had very little luck)
5. Enjoy spending time with Adam and the kitties (I've done this all day!)
What are five snacks you enjoy?
1. Ice Cream - vanilla or strawberry are probably my 2 favorites
2. 100 calorie snack packs (pretty much any variety)
3. Chips with French Onion dip
4. Chocolate Oatmeal Cookies
5. Mom's macaroni and cheese (usually a meal, not just a snack)
What are five things you would do if you were a billionaire?
1. Pay off our own and our family's debts (It would be fantastic to be debt free!)
2. Move to Worthington
3. Travel - anywhere and anytime
4. Buy some new furniture (a bigger bed, a new couch, new dining room table and chairs)
5. Donate at least some of the money to a worthy charity (Cozy Cat Cottage?)
What are five of your bad habits?
1. Being too negative
2. Being too hard on myself and others
3. Not cleaning up immediately when I make a mess
4. Not speaking with friends as often as I would really like to
5. Not getting enough exercise and/or eating out too much
What are five places you have lived?
1. Columbus, Ohio (in Clintonville - Kensington and Crestview)
2. Worthington, Ohio (on Stafford)
3. Indianapolis, Indiana (at Butler and 2 different apartments)
4. Florence, Italy (while studying abroad)
5. Columbus, Ohio (in my house in the hood!)
What are five jobs you've had?
1. Worthington Public Library book processor
2. Babysitter
3. Blockbuster Video Cashier
4. Insurance Saleswoman
5. Teacher
What five people do you want to tag?
1. Adam (you can put your replies in my comments section!)
2. Rhian (she doesn't have a blog either and she's in Cyprus right now, so I'm not counting on this anytime soon!)
3. Jerry or Patty (I know you read this!)
4. Mom or Dad
5. Anyone else who feels they have something to share!
Well, I get to go to the doctor again on Wednesday and this will be my gestational diabetes "check" appointment. So, as soon as I learn something one way or the other, I will let you all know! Take care!
Monday, April 28, 2008
Fine and Dandy
Well, I had a doctor's appointment today. Nothing too extraordinary to report. According to the doctor, you can feel my uterus up past my belly button. Thankfully I'm not feeling the baby up quite that high yet, but I'm sure my time is coming. She's certainly been active today and even the doctor said she was hard to keep track of while she was trying to get her heart rate. I, of course, was unsurprised by this since I know full well that this is one active little girl. Her heart rate, by the way, was 156 bpm. This is fairly normal.
Originally, my doctor had wanted me to have blood drawn today because of my history of high blood pressure. However, I also take my blood pressure nearly every night and brought all of those recorded readings in to show the doctor today. Because my blood pressure has been pretty close to normal (120/80), she decided that the blood draw was unneccessary today! Yeah! Unfortunately, she still wants to do the tests, but I'll have to be stuck at my next appointment anyways because it's the dreaded "Glucose Test" appointment. I guess that it was at least nice of her to not have me stuck twice. :)
I'm also happy to report that I had not gained any weight since my last appointment which was at the beginning of the month. I guess the daily walks with my mom (and sometimes dad) and the two times per week of water aerobics must actually be helping. I have also noticed that I have not been able to eat quite as much because someone is squishing my stomach. I'm beginning to think that for weight loss you might always want to have someone squishing your stomach because it certainly forces me to stop eating MUCH sooner!
Mom and I did make it to yet another consignment sale over the weekend. We really only bought more clothes. We also stopped at Once Upon a Child, a local resale shop. On Sunday we ventured down to the Prime Outlets at Jeffersonville. While I certainly spent some more money on the baby, I also splurged a little on myself and bought a dress at GAP and was jean capris from Motherhood Maternity. Hopefully both will make warmer weather a little more bearable down the road. Additionally, I bought some new shirts for Adam to wear while he is biking. I don't think I have previously shared that my crazy husband is taking a week off in June for something he is referring to as his "bike vacation." For the "sane" person, this week of bike riding does not in any way, shape, or form resemble a vacation. But, one of Adam's endearing qualities is his "insanity" in regards to biking. When we met, he was biking an average of 60 miles per day. For the past two weekends, he has begun to return to old habits and biked at least 40 miles for 2 days in a row. This "bike vacation" is actually an organized event called GOBA (Great Ohio Bicycle Adventure) and he'll be biking with a "pack" of riders all around Ohio. I have to admit that I am quite happy to be pregnant because Adam had previously asked me to accompany him on this crazy adventure and I'm sure that as his dutiful wife I would have attempted it. Thankfully, this lovely little gift of a baby girl has saved me from this event. Hopefully she'll be able to save me in the future too! :)
Well, that's really the update around here. We're having Ohio Achievement Tests this week so I've been kept quite busy today making sure all of my students are receiving the proper accomodations so that they can hopefully pass this test. Today was reading and we have math, science, and social studies still to come. Maybe if everyone keeps their fingers crossed it will provide a little extra luck for my students!
Okie-dokie! Take care everyone!
Originally, my doctor had wanted me to have blood drawn today because of my history of high blood pressure. However, I also take my blood pressure nearly every night and brought all of those recorded readings in to show the doctor today. Because my blood pressure has been pretty close to normal (120/80), she decided that the blood draw was unneccessary today! Yeah! Unfortunately, she still wants to do the tests, but I'll have to be stuck at my next appointment anyways because it's the dreaded "Glucose Test" appointment. I guess that it was at least nice of her to not have me stuck twice. :)
I'm also happy to report that I had not gained any weight since my last appointment which was at the beginning of the month. I guess the daily walks with my mom (and sometimes dad) and the two times per week of water aerobics must actually be helping. I have also noticed that I have not been able to eat quite as much because someone is squishing my stomach. I'm beginning to think that for weight loss you might always want to have someone squishing your stomach because it certainly forces me to stop eating MUCH sooner!
Mom and I did make it to yet another consignment sale over the weekend. We really only bought more clothes. We also stopped at Once Upon a Child, a local resale shop. On Sunday we ventured down to the Prime Outlets at Jeffersonville. While I certainly spent some more money on the baby, I also splurged a little on myself and bought a dress at GAP and was jean capris from Motherhood Maternity. Hopefully both will make warmer weather a little more bearable down the road. Additionally, I bought some new shirts for Adam to wear while he is biking. I don't think I have previously shared that my crazy husband is taking a week off in June for something he is referring to as his "bike vacation." For the "sane" person, this week of bike riding does not in any way, shape, or form resemble a vacation. But, one of Adam's endearing qualities is his "insanity" in regards to biking. When we met, he was biking an average of 60 miles per day. For the past two weekends, he has begun to return to old habits and biked at least 40 miles for 2 days in a row. This "bike vacation" is actually an organized event called GOBA (Great Ohio Bicycle Adventure) and he'll be biking with a "pack" of riders all around Ohio. I have to admit that I am quite happy to be pregnant because Adam had previously asked me to accompany him on this crazy adventure and I'm sure that as his dutiful wife I would have attempted it. Thankfully, this lovely little gift of a baby girl has saved me from this event. Hopefully she'll be able to save me in the future too! :)
Well, that's really the update around here. We're having Ohio Achievement Tests this week so I've been kept quite busy today making sure all of my students are receiving the proper accomodations so that they can hopefully pass this test. Today was reading and we have math, science, and social studies still to come. Maybe if everyone keeps their fingers crossed it will provide a little extra luck for my students!
Okie-dokie! Take care everyone!
Monday, April 14, 2008
Big baby - not a big surprise!
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!
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!
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!
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