Dear Lovely Readers,
I have failed you. Alas, between scrambling to get all packed for our trip, running last minute errands, cooking and eating dinner, and going to our child birth class yesterday, we managed to let Tuesday-Picture Day slip by without documenting it.
I would say that I'd try to take a picture today, but it's not likely. Lane is picking me up straight from work and from there, we are driving the 5 hours or so to the Outer Banks where we'll have plenty of time to relax and take all the pictures we want.
Baby continues to move around like crazy. We met with a potential doula on Sunday and I had a doctor appointment yesterday. Everything seems to be progressing well, except that we still need to select a pediatrician.
Wednesday, May 28, 2008
Monday, May 26, 2008
Memorial Day Weekend
This was our first Memorial Day weekend on the east coast that we've been at home in DC instead of out on the town in New York City. Our city was completely taken over by Rolling Thunder - some 350,000 biker dudes here to celebrate Memorial Day. They were everywhere, their motorcycles could be heard all around. We managed to survive, though.
Friday night we went with some friends to see the new Indiana Jones movie. We thought it was entertaining however implausible. For example, call me crazy but I don't believe it is possible to survive an atomic bomb closed up in a refrigerator, yet somehow, Indy pulled it off.
Malia was able to get us in with her on a White House tour on Saturday. We thought it was nice of Georgie to invite Lane over for Lane's b-day. The white house was pretty fancy - go figure. It's too bad we weren't allowed to take pictures (or bring chapstick or electric stun guns). It was a little weird to think that the president and dignitaries and the likes roam through those same rooms.
After the White House, we went to Lane's favorite restaurant - Thai Place in Foggy Bottom, for his beloved green curry dish. We've been to lots of Thai restaurants in the area and sampled all their green curries. This place definitely has the best. After my requisite weekend nap, I left the bedroom and happened upon Lane, standing in a pile of hair with scissors in his hands. This guy cut his own hair. Not only that, he did it all in the mirror. Pretty amazing if you ask me. And his hair looks pretty good! Stay tuned for some pics.
We went out for a sushi dinner later that night, followed by a night of karaoke madness. Lane and Sean entertained us with their fabulous singing abilities, but nothing topped Fareed. Fareed was a 50 year old Indian man who sang several hip hoppish songs that you would never suspect a 50 year old Indian man would even know. It was priceless.
We spent Sunday afternoon meeting with a potential doula we might hire to help us through our birth experience and enjoyed the beautiful weather. Sunday I cooked Lane a birthday dinner. - NY steaks, roasted potatoes with garlic and rosemary, his favorite roasted onions, and sauteed squash.
We lazed around today - napped for a while, and got in on some Memorial Day sales at Old Navy & Best Buy. I bought some shirts for the baby for 97 cents each!!!! I love super duper sales. We also got Lane a fancy schmancy widescreen monitor for the computer.
The rest of our evening was spent doing exciting things like cleaning, laundry, and packing for our trip to the Outer Banks in North Carolina. We leave Wednesday after work. Tomorrow will be packed -work, doctor appointment, child birth class, and somehow finishing up getting ready for the rest of the week. Wish us luck!!!
Friday night we went with some friends to see the new Indiana Jones movie. We thought it was entertaining however implausible. For example, call me crazy but I don't believe it is possible to survive an atomic bomb closed up in a refrigerator, yet somehow, Indy pulled it off.
Malia was able to get us in with her on a White House tour on Saturday. We thought it was nice of Georgie to invite Lane over for Lane's b-day. The white house was pretty fancy - go figure. It's too bad we weren't allowed to take pictures (or bring chapstick or electric stun guns). It was a little weird to think that the president and dignitaries and the likes roam through those same rooms.
After the White House, we went to Lane's favorite restaurant - Thai Place in Foggy Bottom, for his beloved green curry dish. We've been to lots of Thai restaurants in the area and sampled all their green curries. This place definitely has the best. After my requisite weekend nap, I left the bedroom and happened upon Lane, standing in a pile of hair with scissors in his hands. This guy cut his own hair. Not only that, he did it all in the mirror. Pretty amazing if you ask me. And his hair looks pretty good! Stay tuned for some pics.
We went out for a sushi dinner later that night, followed by a night of karaoke madness. Lane and Sean entertained us with their fabulous singing abilities, but nothing topped Fareed. Fareed was a 50 year old Indian man who sang several hip hoppish songs that you would never suspect a 50 year old Indian man would even know. It was priceless.
We spent Sunday afternoon meeting with a potential doula we might hire to help us through our birth experience and enjoyed the beautiful weather. Sunday I cooked Lane a birthday dinner. - NY steaks, roasted potatoes with garlic and rosemary, his favorite roasted onions, and sauteed squash.
We lazed around today - napped for a while, and got in on some Memorial Day sales at Old Navy & Best Buy. I bought some shirts for the baby for 97 cents each!!!! I love super duper sales. We also got Lane a fancy schmancy widescreen monitor for the computer.
The rest of our evening was spent doing exciting things like cleaning, laundry, and packing for our trip to the Outer Banks in North Carolina. We leave Wednesday after work. Tomorrow will be packed -work, doctor appointment, child birth class, and somehow finishing up getting ready for the rest of the week. Wish us luck!!!
Baby Clothes Galore!
I woke up early to wash all our baby clothes so I could sort and put them away in our new dresser. They weren't all the way dry when I took them out so I set them out to dry a little bit extra. Lane got out of bed and wandered sleepily into the living room. He was quite shocked to see that baby clothes had completely taken over our apartment!Sunday, May 25, 2008
May 24, 2008
Happy THIRTIETH birthday to the sweetest, kindest, most-patient-with-pregnant-ladies, most loving and fun husband, best friend, and soon-to-be amazing daddy I know.
Saturday, May 24, 2008
Where, oh Where to Birth
So we checked out the hospital the other week, and were pleased with what we saw. But as we get closer to actually having the baby, we are reading about hospital births and all the interventions they are so eager to push on you (pitocin, epidurals, etc.) and routine procedures that can impair mobility during birth (constant fetal monitoring, IVs, etc). I just started questioning whether I even wanted to give birth in a hospital at all.
Birth Center births are so much more flexible. The midwives and attendants view birth as a totally natural process, not some medical procedure. They are focused on helping you be confident and having a beautiful birth experience, whereas doctors are trained to find things that are wrong, and sometimes do even when there isn't. Birth centers are also usually affiliated with or close to hospitals, in case complications occur and you do need a doctor's care during delivery.
I called a birth center in Alexandria and was so disappointed, yet not really surprised, that they are booked until November. There is only one other birth center in our area and it's in DC. I was convinced I'd switch over to them. I scheduled my first doctor appointment, got the fax number to have my records switched over and everything. Then I took a step back and thought I better at least take a look at the place before ditching my doctor and hospital.
My mom drove with me to the DC Birth Center on Friday. The birth center is not metro accessible and we had to drive through tons of terrible traffic (and the ghetto) just to get there. It wasn't that easy to find either. We got there and the people were very nice. They gave us a tour of the facility. I tried picturing myself giving birth there and, after all my excitement, I just couldn't. It didn't feel right at all. So after all that, I canceled my appointment and decided to stick with the hospital birth, same doctor, and just get a doula to help support us in having the kind of birth that we hope for.
My class is really helping me to find what I want in this birth experience, the right questions to ask, and to be an active participant, instead of just letting this happen to me. Even though I'm still going to the same place, I feel better having researched other options and deciding where I'll be instead of just being told where to go by the doctor.
Wish us luck as we get closer.
Birth Center births are so much more flexible. The midwives and attendants view birth as a totally natural process, not some medical procedure. They are focused on helping you be confident and having a beautiful birth experience, whereas doctors are trained to find things that are wrong, and sometimes do even when there isn't. Birth centers are also usually affiliated with or close to hospitals, in case complications occur and you do need a doctor's care during delivery.
I called a birth center in Alexandria and was so disappointed, yet not really surprised, that they are booked until November. There is only one other birth center in our area and it's in DC. I was convinced I'd switch over to them. I scheduled my first doctor appointment, got the fax number to have my records switched over and everything. Then I took a step back and thought I better at least take a look at the place before ditching my doctor and hospital.
My mom drove with me to the DC Birth Center on Friday. The birth center is not metro accessible and we had to drive through tons of terrible traffic (and the ghetto) just to get there. It wasn't that easy to find either. We got there and the people were very nice. They gave us a tour of the facility. I tried picturing myself giving birth there and, after all my excitement, I just couldn't. It didn't feel right at all. So after all that, I canceled my appointment and decided to stick with the hospital birth, same doctor, and just get a doula to help support us in having the kind of birth that we hope for.
My class is really helping me to find what I want in this birth experience, the right questions to ask, and to be an active participant, instead of just letting this happen to me. Even though I'm still going to the same place, I feel better having researched other options and deciding where I'll be instead of just being told where to go by the doctor.
Wish us luck as we get closer.
Family Weekend
Thursday, Theresa and my mom had the chance to check out Washington DC. They went on a City bus tour, stopped in at some museums, and even got home in time to have dinner ready on the table by the time I returned from work.
This was the night Adrienne and Meliss showed up. Thank goodness I had decided to take Friday off from work! We stayed up until like 2 am, my mom, my sisters, and my sisters in law. It was great to just have girly time talking and laughing and catching up. We balanced the girlyness by folding origami NINJA STARS for Beau's b-day party as we gabbed.
Meliss and Adrienne had some well deserved kid-free time together at the mall on Friday while Theresa cooked up a storm preparing for Saturday's festivities and my mom accompanied me on a trip to a birth center in DC to check it out.
We ate at Cafe Pizzaiolo that night, which was where David and Mary Jane and Grandma Chaney all showed up. Everyone at the restaurant must have thought we were nuts with the way we greeted our dinner companions - with great big hugs and lots of tears.
You can read all about Saturday here. We spent the rest of the evening just lazing around and talking.
Lane took his family out on the town on Sunday to see Washington DC, especially the World War II Memorial which Grandma Chaney specifically wanted to check out. I stayed home and slept and slept. It was a wonderfully fun filled weekend and it tired me out.
We are so lucky to be as loved as we are, that everyone arranged trips to be here with us for our special day. Thank you all oodles and bunches!!!
This was the night Adrienne and Meliss showed up. Thank goodness I had decided to take Friday off from work! We stayed up until like 2 am, my mom, my sisters, and my sisters in law. It was great to just have girly time talking and laughing and catching up. We balanced the girlyness by folding origami NINJA STARS for Beau's b-day party as we gabbed.
Meliss and Adrienne had some well deserved kid-free time together at the mall on Friday while Theresa cooked up a storm preparing for Saturday's festivities and my mom accompanied me on a trip to a birth center in DC to check it out.
We ate at Cafe Pizzaiolo that night, which was where David and Mary Jane and Grandma Chaney all showed up. Everyone at the restaurant must have thought we were nuts with the way we greeted our dinner companions - with great big hugs and lots of tears.
You can read all about Saturday here. We spent the rest of the evening just lazing around and talking.
Lane took his family out on the town on Sunday to see Washington DC, especially the World War II Memorial which Grandma Chaney specifically wanted to check out. I stayed home and slept and slept. It was a wonderfully fun filled weekend and it tired me out.
We are so lucky to be as loved as we are, that everyone arranged trips to be here with us for our special day. Thank you all oodles and bunches!!!
Wednesday, May 21, 2008
Week 32
Baby Grover should be about 4 pounds or so by now. She is supposed to gain one third to one half of her total birth weight in the next seven weeks. I continue to gain 1 pound per week (or so), and about half of that should go directly to the baby’s weight. Maybe that’s why I’m so hungry all the time again! Just the other day I woke up before 6 am and starving!! They say by now some babies have a full head of hair, while others only have peach fuzz. I’m guessing our little girl has lots of hair.I don’t have much energy these days, but I try to keep up by taking afternoon naps here and there. It’s so hard because the littlest things make me tired! I get all short of breath just walking to the metro.
Last night we got home from our childbirth class after 10 pm and I was ready to fall over. Lane insisted that we not let our readers down and stick to our Tuesday Picture Day schedule. I had other thoughts. Standing AND smiling were two thing I didn't want to do last night, but I did it for YOU!!
Tuesday, May 20, 2008
Baby Shower Madness
Sisters - I had just finished crying right before we took this picture.
So the shower was on Saturday, and if I might say so myself, it was a great success. This was not my doing, but that of my wonderful family who worked so hard to make it all come together.
First, my sister-in-law Kryztie made and sent out all the invitations.
David was in charge of the appetizers and boy, did he take this responsibility seriously. He decided his theme should be BACON. What else? So he made bacon wrapped dates, and then marinated some shrimp in a garlic-chili sauce, and wrapped shrimp and a mango slice in, you guessed it, bacon! We also had delicious fresh fruit, assorted cheeses, and crab stuffed mushrooms.
He and Lane bbq’d the tri-tip and chicken that was marinating in a bbq sauce made by Cynthia. My mom took care of the pasta salad, the green salad, and the roasted mixed veggies, while Theresa conquered the dessert arena. She concocted a tiramisu, a chocolate mint crazy cake, and an insanely delectable coconut mango cheesecake. When people told me how delicious the food was, I had to step back a minute and then I realized it – I could not claim fame to any of these masterpieces! All I made was the vinaigrette for the salad.
Cynthia and Phil lugged load after load after load of stuff downstairs to the party room. And Phil and Lane came up with a solution for music. Cynthia made sure everyone wrote us a message in our guest book and recorded all the gifts for the thank you notes I’ll be writing soon. Theresa and my brother Matthew made these darling bookmarks to pass out as favors, and my mom organized a cute little game. (By the way, in case anyone is wondering, my waist is NOT 66 inches across!!) Everyone helped clean up and get all our supplies and the lovely presents back to the apartment.
I really enjoyed having so many of our friends, and surprisingly, so many of our family there to share the special day with us. There was lots of good company, laughs, and delicious food.
I am amazed by how many crafty and talented people already love this little baby. My mom crocheted us a blanket and so did my sister, Theresa. Meliss quilted a blanket, and Adrienne learned to knit and made me another blanket. Andrew (soon-to-be-Athlete-of-the-Year-in-Hawaii)’s mom made a lovely blanket by hand, and Ida-Jean, a woman who I knew at my old Red Cross chapter, made a baby blanket as well (and a baby bunting and a hat and booties). I also have a baby blanket my nana gave me for Christmas in 2002. So now, I have a baby blanket for every day of the week. They are all so special and totally different – different styles, different colors, different weights. We have one lucky little girl.
A humungous thank you to everyone who worked so hard to create a special day for Lane and Baby Grover and me. We love you and appreciate everything you did to make this happen!! Muah!
(pictures coming soon)
First, my sister-in-law Kryztie made and sent out all the invitations.
David was in charge of the appetizers and boy, did he take this responsibility seriously. He decided his theme should be BACON. What else? So he made bacon wrapped dates, and then marinated some shrimp in a garlic-chili sauce, and wrapped shrimp and a mango slice in, you guessed it, bacon! We also had delicious fresh fruit, assorted cheeses, and crab stuffed mushrooms.
He and Lane bbq’d the tri-tip and chicken that was marinating in a bbq sauce made by Cynthia. My mom took care of the pasta salad, the green salad, and the roasted mixed veggies, while Theresa conquered the dessert arena. She concocted a tiramisu, a chocolate mint crazy cake, and an insanely delectable coconut mango cheesecake. When people told me how delicious the food was, I had to step back a minute and then I realized it – I could not claim fame to any of these masterpieces! All I made was the vinaigrette for the salad.
Cynthia and Phil lugged load after load after load of stuff downstairs to the party room. And Phil and Lane came up with a solution for music. Cynthia made sure everyone wrote us a message in our guest book and recorded all the gifts for the thank you notes I’ll be writing soon. Theresa and my brother Matthew made these darling bookmarks to pass out as favors, and my mom organized a cute little game. (By the way, in case anyone is wondering, my waist is NOT 66 inches across!!) Everyone helped clean up and get all our supplies and the lovely presents back to the apartment.
I really enjoyed having so many of our friends, and surprisingly, so many of our family there to share the special day with us. There was lots of good company, laughs, and delicious food.
I am amazed by how many crafty and talented people already love this little baby. My mom crocheted us a blanket and so did my sister, Theresa. Meliss quilted a blanket, and Adrienne learned to knit and made me another blanket. Andrew (soon-to-be-Athlete-of-the-Year-in-Hawaii)’s mom made a lovely blanket by hand, and Ida-Jean, a woman who I knew at my old Red Cross chapter, made a baby blanket as well (and a baby bunting and a hat and booties). I also have a baby blanket my nana gave me for Christmas in 2002. So now, I have a baby blanket for every day of the week. They are all so special and totally different – different styles, different colors, different weights. We have one lucky little girl.
A humungous thank you to everyone who worked so hard to create a special day for Lane and Baby Grover and me. We love you and appreciate everything you did to make this happen!! Muah!
(pictures coming soon)
Thank Goodness For My Mom
I cannot tell you how much I appreciated having my mom visit for almost a week. It was great to visit with her and spend time chit-chatting and talking all things baby. Not only that, she took fabulous care of me! I’d come home from work to find dinner on the table, she’d massage my back, and do all sorts of things to help around the house. She was so cute, and said it was good practice for her to learn where everything belongs so she can be extra helpful when she comes back in July. I know I am going to need her extra support and mom knowledge after Baby Grover arrives. I’m so lucky that she’s coming back in just two short months.
Monday, May 19, 2008
Surprise!!
Holy Baby Shower Weekend! We had a fabulous, fabulous time. I was so excited to see my mom, my sister Theresa, my sister Cynthia, and my brother David. As we all sat around the dinner table on Thursday night, someone knocked at the door. In a not-so-surprised voice, one of my sisters said, "Hmm, I wonder who *that* could be?!?!?" Quickly, my mind raced to figure out who else could possibly be showing up. I decided it had to be Lane's sister, Ann. After all, she doesn't have any kids.
I was super duper shocked and excited to see my sister in law Adrienne at the door!! As if this weren't shocking enough, my OTHER sister in law, Meliss popped into the doorway as well. You have to picture me at this point - big huge pregnant lady jumping up and down and clapping, and (of course) crying! I never would have guessed that they'd be able to make it out and it was wonderful to see them.
Not only did my WHOLE family know they were coming out, Lane found out a couple days ahead of time, and then I learned Adrienne already had her flight reserved when she came out to visit us in April, AND Lane spent time with his brothers in April and didn't find out from them that their wives were coming to visit. I was very impressed with everyone's secret keeping abilities!
On Friday, Adrienne and Meliss left to go run an "errand". Not wanting to be nosy, and figuring it was something related to the shower, I didn't ask what they had to do (or why they needed our car to do it). They said they'd meet us at dinner later that night. Oh they showed up for dinner alright, all FOUR of them!! That's right, as if having two sweetheart sisters in law show up by surprise wasn't enough, Lane's mom AND grandma also surprised us with a marathon 48 hour weekend visit.
We thoroughly enjoyed the time we got to spend with both our families. More on our weekend together coming soon.
p.s. Adrienne is so sneaky, just look at the comment she posted on the previous post!!
I was super duper shocked and excited to see my sister in law Adrienne at the door!! As if this weren't shocking enough, my OTHER sister in law, Meliss popped into the doorway as well. You have to picture me at this point - big huge pregnant lady jumping up and down and clapping, and (of course) crying! I never would have guessed that they'd be able to make it out and it was wonderful to see them.
Not only did my WHOLE family know they were coming out, Lane found out a couple days ahead of time, and then I learned Adrienne already had her flight reserved when she came out to visit us in April, AND Lane spent time with his brothers in April and didn't find out from them that their wives were coming to visit. I was very impressed with everyone's secret keeping abilities!
On Friday, Adrienne and Meliss left to go run an "errand". Not wanting to be nosy, and figuring it was something related to the shower, I didn't ask what they had to do (or why they needed our car to do it). They said they'd meet us at dinner later that night. Oh they showed up for dinner alright, all FOUR of them!! That's right, as if having two sweetheart sisters in law show up by surprise wasn't enough, Lane's mom AND grandma also surprised us with a marathon 48 hour weekend visit.
We thoroughly enjoyed the time we got to spend with both our families. More on our weekend together coming soon.
p.s. Adrienne is so sneaky, just look at the comment she posted on the previous post!!
Tuesday, May 13, 2008
Week 31
Only NINE weeks left!! Baby Grover is gaining weight faster than she is lengthening. She is going to run out of wiggle room in there pretty soon! It seems like she is constantly moving around. Baby Grover's iris color is developing now, although her true eye color won't be apparent until she is six or nine months old.
I have been getting so tired lately and it's getting more and more difficult to get around. It's kind of hard to get comfortable - whether it's sitting at my cubicle all day or trying to sleep at night. I'm a trooper though.
Tonight my mom gets into town AND we have our childbirth class.
I have been getting so tired lately and it's getting more and more difficult to get around. It's kind of hard to get comfortable - whether it's sitting at my cubicle all day or trying to sleep at night. I'm a trooper though.
Tonight my mom gets into town AND we have our childbirth class.
Visitor Madness
We have a very exciting week in store for us. This afternoon, my mom arrives in town. My sister, Theresa gets here tomorrow night, followed by my other sister, Cynthia on Thursday. On Friday, Cynthia's boyfriend and my brother David arrive!! We can't wait to see everyone!!
Monday, May 12, 2008
Busy Weekend
Friday night Lane, Sean & Matt went out for boys night to see Iron Man, while us ladies decided to go have dinner and then meet them back at the apartment. Hanging out with just the girls was so fun! We gabbed and gabbed for hours. So long, in fact, that when we finally checked our phones we realized that we all had multiple missed calls and the movie was way over. whoops. We are looking forward to more summer movie extravaganzas especially Sex & the City!!!
I am a new fan of the breakfast fritatta. I tried my hand at another one this Saturday. I sauteed onions, garlic, and jalapeño, added some zucchini and yellow bell pepper, followed by some halved grape tomatoes. I added the eggs, covered the top with chopped cilantro and mexican cheese, and then popped it in the oven until it got all fluffy and delicious. I had some last minute inspiration and put together some cilantro, fresh avocado, fresh mango, honeydew melon and lime juice with salt for a topping for my fritatta. Add some roasted red potatoes with garlic and rosemary and Lane's signature weekend smoothie and we were good to go!! As if that weren't a fabulous enough way to start the weekend, Lane sent me off for a pregnancy massage right after breakfast for my first Mother's Day. Now I had plans to clean house all day on Saturday, but seriously, who wants to clean house after coming back from a refreshing and relaxing massage??!? Not me.
Saturday night we enjoyed a lovely evening with our friends Laura & John. It was Laura's birthday and they hosted a fabulous party complete with REAL mexican tacos, lots of tasty drinks, delicious dessert, and of course, wonderful conversation and friends. We were really inspired also, because some friends of theirs came with their SIX WEEK old baby. It was so refreshing to see them out with their friends, and their darling little guy slept the whole time! There is hope for us :) We took advantage of our ability to stay out and didn't get home until pretty late that night.
We got most of our cleaning done yesterday. Lane was super man and scrubbed all the floors and actually did most of the cleaning. I just get soooo tired so easily, and can't really move around that great. He's been asking me to make clam chowder so we finally did over the weekend. It was a total hit.
I am a new fan of the breakfast fritatta. I tried my hand at another one this Saturday. I sauteed onions, garlic, and jalapeño, added some zucchini and yellow bell pepper, followed by some halved grape tomatoes. I added the eggs, covered the top with chopped cilantro and mexican cheese, and then popped it in the oven until it got all fluffy and delicious. I had some last minute inspiration and put together some cilantro, fresh avocado, fresh mango, honeydew melon and lime juice with salt for a topping for my fritatta. Add some roasted red potatoes with garlic and rosemary and Lane's signature weekend smoothie and we were good to go!! As if that weren't a fabulous enough way to start the weekend, Lane sent me off for a pregnancy massage right after breakfast for my first Mother's Day. Now I had plans to clean house all day on Saturday, but seriously, who wants to clean house after coming back from a refreshing and relaxing massage??!? Not me.
Saturday night we enjoyed a lovely evening with our friends Laura & John. It was Laura's birthday and they hosted a fabulous party complete with REAL mexican tacos, lots of tasty drinks, delicious dessert, and of course, wonderful conversation and friends. We were really inspired also, because some friends of theirs came with their SIX WEEK old baby. It was so refreshing to see them out with their friends, and their darling little guy slept the whole time! There is hope for us :) We took advantage of our ability to stay out and didn't get home until pretty late that night.
We got most of our cleaning done yesterday. Lane was super man and scrubbed all the floors and actually did most of the cleaning. I just get soooo tired so easily, and can't really move around that great. He's been asking me to make clam chowder so we finally did over the weekend. It was a total hit.
Happy Mother's Day to Me!
On Saturday morning, Lane and I made a delicious breakfast together, as we normally do on the weekends. But when it was time to eat he told me I'd better hurry because I needed to go soon. I stopped for a minute confused, thinking I hadn't scheduled anything for us. Little did I know, that my clever and sweetheart of a husband made me an appointment for a pregnancy massage in honor of my first mother's day :) I came back feeling glorious!
I got my first mother's day card from Katie and an e-card from the SB Grovers, and lots of sweet wishes from other friends and family.
Happy Belated Mother's Day to all you mamacitas out there.
I got my first mother's day card from Katie and an e-card from the SB Grovers, and lots of sweet wishes from other friends and family.
Happy Belated Mother's Day to all you mamacitas out there.
Friday, May 9, 2008
Less Than 10 Weeks Left!
Apparently the arrival of week 30 came with an added super bonus. Uncomfy nights that involve waking multiple times and trying (mostly unsuccessfully) to get comfortable and back to sleep.
My feet still look a little swollen, but probably only to me. They just aren't all boney looking anymore, so they basically look like a normal person's feet.
Baby Grover has been hiccuping lately. She is also hosting daily dance parties, because my stomach moves around like crazy!! And when people ask me when I'm due and I tell them I have a little more than 2 months to go, they are really surprised. I think they assume I'm due any day. I don't blame them. I don't really understand how I can continue to grow for that much longer.
I've been having tidbits of baby dreams - rocking a baby, and cleaning up spit up. ;)
My feet still look a little swollen, but probably only to me. They just aren't all boney looking anymore, so they basically look like a normal person's feet.
Baby Grover has been hiccuping lately. She is also hosting daily dance parties, because my stomach moves around like crazy!! And when people ask me when I'm due and I tell them I have a little more than 2 months to go, they are really surprised. I think they assume I'm due any day. I don't blame them. I don't really understand how I can continue to grow for that much longer.
I've been having tidbits of baby dreams - rocking a baby, and cleaning up spit up. ;)
Tuesday, May 6, 2008
Week 30
In the last six weeks, Baby Grover has nearly doubled in height to about 16 or 17 inches. She should only gain a few more inches before her grand entrance. Her eyebrows and eyelashes are fully formed, and any hair she has on her head (I'm guessing there's quite a bit) is white because it doesn't have any pigment to it yet.
I'm getting bigger and bigger every day. I'm starting to get a little achy right under my ribs.
Our class started last night officially. I think we have a nice group of people. When class first started I think I was actually a little nervous. I don't know if it was because I was in a room full of people I didn't know or if it was because the immediacy of this whole parenting thing became real. There's a doula/massage therapist in our class that I have my eyes on. The further along we get, the more interested we are in the possibility of hiring a doula.
We saw the coolest video at our class. A brand newborn baby was placed on its momma's stomach right after birth. We watched the baby scoot up the momma's tummy, find her breast (all on its own), and start to nurse. It was unbelievable and totally precious.
Monday, May 5, 2008
Maternity Tour
We made it to the hospital in time for the tour on Sunday. It was a close one though - Saturday night Sean reminded us that because of road closures for a cycling race, we'd be unable to drive our car out of the parking garage. So we found out how to take the metro and the bus and made it there with perfect timing.
We were pleased with the delivery area, although the recovery rooms seem kind of tiny. I can see why people are so anxious to get home. Here's a link to the area so you can see for yourself: http://sibley.org/services/s_noc.tmpl
The best part wasn't even an official part of the tour. We ran into a Labor & Delivery nurse who was available to answer lots of our questions. It was very reassuring to hear how she would handle things.
It was also kind of surreal to actually be in the hospital with these new moms and dads and itty bitty infants, thinking that will be us in 10 weeks!!! WOW!
We pre-registered at the hospital while we were there so it should be much easier when we arrive for the real deal.
We were pleased with the delivery area, although the recovery rooms seem kind of tiny. I can see why people are so anxious to get home. Here's a link to the area so you can see for yourself: http://sibley.org/services/s_noc.tmpl
The best part wasn't even an official part of the tour. We ran into a Labor & Delivery nurse who was available to answer lots of our questions. It was very reassuring to hear how she would handle things.
It was also kind of surreal to actually be in the hospital with these new moms and dads and itty bitty infants, thinking that will be us in 10 weeks!!! WOW!
We pre-registered at the hospital while we were there so it should be much easier when we arrive for the real deal.
More Date Nights!
We have really been taking advantage of the fact that we won't be able to just head out whenever we'd like to after Baby Grover makes her grand entrance.
We decided we'd take a trip the weekend after Memorial Day to the Outer Banks in North Carolina with some friends. We are really looking forward to staying at a beach house, cooking good food, and just relaxing. Thursday after yoga, I met up with Lane and Torin and some others who will be joining in the Outer Banks fun.
Lane and I took a nice walk through our neighborhood on Friday evening, stopped on the way back to try another Thai restaurant up the street, and then took another walk before we made our way home. We had beautiful spring weather. We ate outside and were totally comfortable on our walks. I was also proud of myself for exercising!
Saturday we took a trip to Medieval Times where we sat in an arena, watched knights battle it out in jousting competitions with all sorts of weaponry as we feasted on a medieval dinner with our bare hands. There was great fun to be had with our friends Jess & Sean and Alex & Matt.
We enjoyed the weather even more on Sunday afternoon by taking a walk through the Dupont Circle neighborhood, stopping at a cafe for lunch, and just people watching and relaxing at the circle. We decided to take the long way home and walked several extra blocks to a metro stop further away to take advantage of the lovely weather. Apparently, I may have overexerted myself because I had to take a big long nap as soon as we got home.
We decided we'd take a trip the weekend after Memorial Day to the Outer Banks in North Carolina with some friends. We are really looking forward to staying at a beach house, cooking good food, and just relaxing. Thursday after yoga, I met up with Lane and Torin and some others who will be joining in the Outer Banks fun.
Lane and I took a nice walk through our neighborhood on Friday evening, stopped on the way back to try another Thai restaurant up the street, and then took another walk before we made our way home. We had beautiful spring weather. We ate outside and were totally comfortable on our walks. I was also proud of myself for exercising!
Saturday we took a trip to Medieval Times where we sat in an arena, watched knights battle it out in jousting competitions with all sorts of weaponry as we feasted on a medieval dinner with our bare hands. There was great fun to be had with our friends Jess & Sean and Alex & Matt.
We enjoyed the weather even more on Sunday afternoon by taking a walk through the Dupont Circle neighborhood, stopping at a cafe for lunch, and just people watching and relaxing at the circle. We decided to take the long way home and walked several extra blocks to a metro stop further away to take advantage of the lovely weather. Apparently, I may have overexerted myself because I had to take a big long nap as soon as we got home.
Thank you, Nana & Papa!
My mom and dad got us this lovely dresser for Baby Grover. Lane did a good job putting it all together on Saturday afternoon. We love it and can't wait to fill it all up with cutsie outfits for our little girl!Friday, May 2, 2008
Elena la Famosa
Check out this story on Red Cross website: http://www.redcross.org/article/0,1072,0_312_7696,00.html
It's a nice story about the work local chapters do, and it even has a picture of yours truly.
It's a nice story about the work local chapters do, and it even has a picture of yours truly.
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