Wednesday, June 29, 2011
Tuesday, June 28, 2011
Lil' Squeeze
14 weeks: Our Baby is a Lemon.
Well, not really a lemon. That would be a crazy sci-fi genetics experiment. And not figuratively for that matter, as lemons are used to describe defective cars... what I meant to say is that our baby is the size of a lemon this week. A cute little lemon. Baby measures approximately 3 1/2 inches and weighs 1 1/2 ounces.
According to Baby Center, this week is full of big developments. Baby can now squint, frown, grimace, pee, grasp, and possibly suck his or her little thumb! After all that brain development in the first several weeks, impulses from the brain now allow the facial muscles to form expressions. Kidneys are producing urine, which is being released into the amniotic fluid.
By the end of this week, baby's arms will be more proportionate with the rest of the body, but the legs still have some lengthening to do. That is, unless being petite is a dominant trait and then baby will take after me. Lanugo, which is an ultra-fine, downy hair, is growing all over his or her little body. The liver starts making bile this week and the spleen starts the production of red blood cells. Amazing.
We're doing well on our end too. Last week, we tried to find another home for the duration of the summer, so we could move out of this condo, but were side-stepped by our potential new landlords when someone else walked up and signed a year-long lease. I certainly don't blame them for picking the year lease over our 2-month-needs-to-be-furnished-option, but it would have been awesome to have an upper flat across the street and overlooking Lake Calhoun. Let’s hope the feeling of a mouse running across my forehead the other night, which sent me flying out of bed, lights on, in one second flat, was just another creative, dramatic pregnancy dream, and not the real thing. No sign of a mouse since. I could seriously write a book about all my dreams...hmm, that’s another post idea.
So, in keeping with the theme and getting back from my tangents, we are trying to turn lemons into lemonade in our current housing situation. I'm going to dig in a little more and spruce it up as best I can without investing any more of our own money in it. Now that I'm thinking of it, it'll be interesting to see what my "nesting" phase looks like when we are living in someone else's place for the next several months. Good thing only women go through this. Can you imagine what kind of crazy unbalance would result in this world if both men and women were affected by raging pregnancy hormones?! Yikes. Thankfully, David is very level-headed. In the meantime, since I've come to terms with the idea that we will not have a dedicated nursery for this baby, I'm asking all my mommy friends for advice on baby essentials and travel-able alternatives. It just doesn't make sense for us to have a lot of baby things if we'll be moving it all every 10 weeks. Please comment here if you have any ideas. And, here's praying our little lemon is a good little traveler!
Food: http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Lemon-Cakes-with-Basil-Lemon-Syrup-231815
Tuesday, June 21, 2011
Just Peachy
Welcome Friends and Family! For many of you, this is the first post you are seeing! We've kept this little blogging project a secret in order to share our news with our parents first. If this is your first visit, you may want to check out the archive on the left, to catch up on our story. This is the announcement we made for David's parents - they had to put the puzzle together, which arrived in pieces in the mail! How cute that the last piece they put in place was the heart above the carriage.
We're in week 13, end of the first trimester, and baby is the size of a peach this week. Baby’s head has slowed in growth so that his or her body can start to catch up. Our baby’s head is now 1/3 to 1/2 the crown-to-rump ratio. Eyes and ears have settled into the normal positions. Genitalia is distinguishable now and the intestines which develop outside the body within the umbilical cord are moving into the abdominal cavity.
I’m even feeling more peachy than before. Finally, the evening sickness is completely gone and I no longer need to rely on cereal for dinner, though I still depend on my cravings to help me choose my meals. I still can’t eat salad for what seems to be a texture aversion, but other vegetables are okay if I decide ahead of time what I’m in the mood for.
Yesterday was our first day in our new routine since we moved in. David has been here for the last week, but because of my trip to Mexico, it’s the first time I’ve been back. We had breakfast and lunch together. Let me tell you, little things like that are such a luxury that often get taken for granted. We also took a long walk around the lake in our neighborhood. I still don’t have a job, but have gotten a few calls about potential opportunities in primary care. We’ll see if anything pans out.
Moving may be just around the corner again. With all the challenges we’ve had with this place and the lack of response from the landlord, as soon as we find another unit, we’re out of here. Let’s hope this is the first and last time we have to deal with this.
Here are a few pictures of the baby and me!
We're in week 13, end of the first trimester, and baby is the size of a peach this week. Baby’s head has slowed in growth so that his or her body can start to catch up. Our baby’s head is now 1/3 to 1/2 the crown-to-rump ratio. Eyes and ears have settled into the normal positions. Genitalia is distinguishable now and the intestines which develop outside the body within the umbilical cord are moving into the abdominal cavity.
I’m even feeling more peachy than before. Finally, the evening sickness is completely gone and I no longer need to rely on cereal for dinner, though I still depend on my cravings to help me choose my meals. I still can’t eat salad for what seems to be a texture aversion, but other vegetables are okay if I decide ahead of time what I’m in the mood for.
Yesterday was our first day in our new routine since we moved in. David has been here for the last week, but because of my trip to Mexico, it’s the first time I’ve been back. We had breakfast and lunch together. Let me tell you, little things like that are such a luxury that often get taken for granted. We also took a long walk around the lake in our neighborhood. I still don’t have a job, but have gotten a few calls about potential opportunities in primary care. We’ll see if anything pans out.
Moving may be just around the corner again. With all the challenges we’ve had with this place and the lack of response from the landlord, as soon as we find another unit, we’re out of here. Let’s hope this is the first and last time we have to deal with this.
Here are a few pictures of the baby and me!
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| 11 week US and triple screen |
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| 13 week belly |
Wednesday, June 15, 2011
Mexico
Buenos dias from Playa del Carmen, Mexico!
My sister, mother and I decided to take a short, 4-day break together to spend some time on the beach. I was looking forward to a relaxing, renewing vacation after all that moving. For my Mom, some time away from work and perhaps a chance to clear her head in order to make some future plans. I didn't think we'd need to worry about making good choices once we hit the resort, except maybe which beach chairs to claim or where to eat dinner. I figured if we could safely maneuver through the tourist corridor, out of the airport, and find trustworthy transportation to the resort, we'd be home free. Unfortunately though, on our first morning, we were wrangled into a sales presentation falsely advertised as breakfast in the VIP area in exchange for $200 in vouchers for the resort. Our concierge, Victor, even told us that he'd get $60 in commission for getting us to the "tour", so he made sure that he picked us up himself that morning. What a nightmare!
I knew what this was - a timeshare presentation - but I went along with it because Mom seemed intent on exchanging 90 minutes for the chance to do an excursion or go to the spa. But I was a little leery of this Victor guy. After 3 hours of our precious vacation time, during which the professional jerk of a sales guy made my mother cry, I'd had enough. I only wish I'd used any of the choice words going through my head at the time. They knew they had messed up and thankfully got us out of there without any further delay, probably so the other potential buyers wouldn't notice our obvious discontent. We decided to hit the pool and try to pretend that we didn't just waste half of our first day. All in all, the trip was fun, just the right amount of time, and all three of us got a spa treatment! Too bad neither my sister nor I could indulge in any of the colorful, tropical alcoholic beverages at our all-inclusive resort. Yes, that's right! My sister, Cristina, is the other prego I alluded to earlier. She is 3 weeks behind me and due January 17th! Surprise Mom! And Happy Birthday, Dad! We know how much you loved Mexico!
My sister, mother and I decided to take a short, 4-day break together to spend some time on the beach. I was looking forward to a relaxing, renewing vacation after all that moving. For my Mom, some time away from work and perhaps a chance to clear her head in order to make some future plans. I didn't think we'd need to worry about making good choices once we hit the resort, except maybe which beach chairs to claim or where to eat dinner. I figured if we could safely maneuver through the tourist corridor, out of the airport, and find trustworthy transportation to the resort, we'd be home free. Unfortunately though, on our first morning, we were wrangled into a sales presentation falsely advertised as breakfast in the VIP area in exchange for $200 in vouchers for the resort. Our concierge, Victor, even told us that he'd get $60 in commission for getting us to the "tour", so he made sure that he picked us up himself that morning. What a nightmare!
I knew what this was - a timeshare presentation - but I went along with it because Mom seemed intent on exchanging 90 minutes for the chance to do an excursion or go to the spa. But I was a little leery of this Victor guy. After 3 hours of our precious vacation time, during which the professional jerk of a sales guy made my mother cry, I'd had enough. I only wish I'd used any of the choice words going through my head at the time. They knew they had messed up and thankfully got us out of there without any further delay, probably so the other potential buyers wouldn't notice our obvious discontent. We decided to hit the pool and try to pretend that we didn't just waste half of our first day. All in all, the trip was fun, just the right amount of time, and all three of us got a spa treatment! Too bad neither my sister nor I could indulge in any of the colorful, tropical alcoholic beverages at our all-inclusive resort. Yes, that's right! My sister, Cristina, is the other prego I alluded to earlier. She is 3 weeks behind me and due January 17th! Surprise Mom! And Happy Birthday, Dad! We know how much you loved Mexico!
Saturday, June 11, 2011
Minneapolis or Bust
Well, we made it. I left on Tuesday morning and met David in Lusk, Wyoming. Poor guy had already put in almost 7 hours of driving at that point, and we still had 3 + hours to go. We convoyed to Hill City, South Dakota that day and spent the night at a little motel in town. Next day, we toured Custer National Park, Mount Rushmore, and saw parts of the Badlands. We crashed again at the Sioux Motel in Murdo, South Dakota and the following day, David's birthday, had breakfast at a small diner before our last leg to Minneapolis. We pulled up to Culver's (a popular burger and custard joint - a very welcoming sight for those of us from WI) at 5:30pm on Thursday. After a meal with our friends, the Falter family, we found our way to our apartment on Lake Calhoun. Now, before I go on, I've worked to try to put this whole thing behind me. It still makes me upset. Perhaps this post will allow me to finally let bygones to be bygones. Perhaps.
Our place is a block and a half from the Lake, which is a very popular spot. Running and biking trails, a marina, sailing, trendy shops, and beach. We were also excited to find a 2 bedroom so we'd have an extra room for David to work from. Needless to say, we picked it for the excellent location and the extra room. But when our key turned in the lock, exhaustion from the drive and our excitement about our new place soon gave way to horror.
The place had been inhabited by two girls for two years. It looked like it hadn't been cleaned in just as long. In fact, it looked like a frat house after a party. Just disgusting! Layers of dirt, old food, and even dried vomit. Yep, that's what I said. We dumped our things, packed a bag, and asked our friends if we could spend the night at their house. When we couldn't find another apartment to rent the next day, we called the landlord and explained the situation. He generously (sarcasm) took $100 off the rent for us to clean it. After 6.5 hours of cleaning, including an hour in respirator masks as we scraped mold and dust from the bathroom fans, we called him again, to tell him the garbage disposal was broken and the dishwasher was leaking water all over the floor. He took another $100 off the rent and said he'd call a plumber. Maybe we should have had an inkling of the challenges to come when the keys barely arrived in time and our friends were unable to preview the place before we got there. It's sparkly clean now, and after a little furniture rearranging, it's starting to feel a little more comfortable. Breathe.
Despite this, I am looking forward to summer in Minneapolis. When you're on the floor cleaning someone else's vomit off the bathroom garbage can, it can only get better, right?
Our place is a block and a half from the Lake, which is a very popular spot. Running and biking trails, a marina, sailing, trendy shops, and beach. We were also excited to find a 2 bedroom so we'd have an extra room for David to work from. Needless to say, we picked it for the excellent location and the extra room. But when our key turned in the lock, exhaustion from the drive and our excitement about our new place soon gave way to horror.
The place had been inhabited by two girls for two years. It looked like it hadn't been cleaned in just as long. In fact, it looked like a frat house after a party. Just disgusting! Layers of dirt, old food, and even dried vomit. Yep, that's what I said. We dumped our things, packed a bag, and asked our friends if we could spend the night at their house. When we couldn't find another apartment to rent the next day, we called the landlord and explained the situation. He generously (sarcasm) took $100 off the rent for us to clean it. After 6.5 hours of cleaning, including an hour in respirator masks as we scraped mold and dust from the bathroom fans, we called him again, to tell him the garbage disposal was broken and the dishwasher was leaking water all over the floor. He took another $100 off the rent and said he'd call a plumber. Maybe we should have had an inkling of the challenges to come when the keys barely arrived in time and our friends were unable to preview the place before we got there. It's sparkly clean now, and after a little furniture rearranging, it's starting to feel a little more comfortable. Breathe.
Despite this, I am looking forward to summer in Minneapolis. When you're on the floor cleaning someone else's vomit off the bathroom garbage can, it can only get better, right?
Tuesday, June 7, 2011
Sunday, June 5, 2011
Almost there...
Last Thursday, David and I went in for our 2nd OB visit. It was our wrap-up visit for Denver and a time to ask any last-minute questions before we move on to Minneapolis. David, always the one to go for no, asked - no, let's be honest - chanted that he wanted an ultrasound. Our provider agreed and we were able to do a trans-abdominal test. It was amazing to see the major changes in size, anatomy, and activity in only a few weeks! Baby was so active, kicking, boxing, doing summersaults! It was so fun to watch our baby move and wiggle. Thankfully, the clinic agreed to squeeze us in for a sequential screen today. This is fortunate since our new insurance which will provide out-of-state coverage, won't take effect until July. This way, we'll at least cover our bases until we can establish care in the Twin Cities. Good news is, so far things look great and baby seems to be healthy and growing appropriately. And, another plus is that for the last 4 nights and counting, I've not had any obnoxious nausea keeping me on the couch! Eating is still touch and go - seems that if I stick with my cravings, I do well. Tonight, it's french fries and edamame. Oh well.
It was Katie's baby shower on Sunday! Great job, Court and Lindsey, for putting on a beautifully done shower. And so much fun to see my cooking club girls again before I leave. You know, I'm not always great at expressing myself in the moment. Now that I have had a chance to reflect a little bit more, I just want to say how much it means to me that I've had such a superior group of friends in Denver. It has really made such a difference to me in the short time I've known you all. I'll miss the conversation each month - and the really great food! Christina, I'm still thinking about those strawberry shortcakes! YUM!
Lots of progress today on the home front. I finished storing our things, the car is almost completely packed, and I've finished running last-minute errands. I've got a few items to check off the list tonight, but all-in-all, I'm happy with what I accomplished. Looking forward to leaving the cleaning to a maid service. The plan is to leave Denver by 10am tomorrow morning and drive north to meet David just west of Casper, Wyoming.
It was Katie's baby shower on Sunday! Great job, Court and Lindsey, for putting on a beautifully done shower. And so much fun to see my cooking club girls again before I leave. You know, I'm not always great at expressing myself in the moment. Now that I have had a chance to reflect a little bit more, I just want to say how much it means to me that I've had such a superior group of friends in Denver. It has really made such a difference to me in the short time I've known you all. I'll miss the conversation each month - and the really great food! Christina, I'm still thinking about those strawberry shortcakes! YUM!
Lots of progress today on the home front. I finished storing our things, the car is almost completely packed, and I've finished running last-minute errands. I've got a few items to check off the list tonight, but all-in-all, I'm happy with what I accomplished. Looking forward to leaving the cleaning to a maid service. The plan is to leave Denver by 10am tomorrow morning and drive north to meet David just west of Casper, Wyoming.
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