Lumberjack Days - Week 18

Right on Target!

So, either last Thursday or last Sunday marked the beginning of Week 18.  Because of the difference between my charting,  the obstetrician's charting, and the size of baby on early ultrasound, we have very different dates.  Anyway, it's easier for me to remember Sundays as the start of the week, so we'll go with that. 

Head to little baby butt, our baby is about 5 1/2 inches long and he or she weighs almost 7 ounces. This is roughly the size of a bell pepper.  Baby Center tells us that baby is busy flexing and stretching arms and legs and these movements will get more noticeable.  I definitely think I'm feeling some stirrings now, though it hasn't really been that obvious unless I stop to focus on it.  Last night, however, I woke up at 1am wondering if baby was doing calisthenics in there!  Myelin, a protective sheath, is forming around the nerves, a process that will continue until baby celebrates his or her first birthday.  Blood vessels are visible through baby's thin, translucent skin.  Also, the skeletal system is beginning to harden from cartilage to bone.
I've been feeling great!  My sister-in-law, Julie, tells me she can't stand happy pregnant people (she had two rough pregnancies), so sorry Julie, for rubbing it in.  The weather has been a little more bearable - down from the triple-digit heat indexes and back into the high 80s and low 90s.  David and I are staying pretty busy around here with work, visiting with friends, and crossing "places to visit" off our list.  Here's one more:

Last weekend, we visited Stillwater, MN for their annual Lumberjack Days Festival.  The town is quite cute with a variety of shops and restaurants and good small-town charm.  Lumberjack Days celebrates their forestry heritage and features several related events and wares.  You get your typical vendors and food tents, though since we were just across the St. Croix River from Wisconsin, there was an unusually large selection of fried cheese curds.  In addition, they had several lumberjack exhibitions and some special events for contest: chainsaw wood carving, log rolling, axe-throwing, log-chopping, tree climbing, and tree sawing events.  It was interesting to me that men and women compete around the world for these titles.  None of it looked easy.  In fact, I don't think any of the events looked like something I'd want to try, for fear of losing a limb or having to remove a very, very, very long splinter (has anyone seen the splinters that come off those spurs they use for climbing)?!  Yikes!

The Misery Blade

Chopping

Log Rolling

 

 

 

 

                                                           

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

All You Need is Love

And we wonder why Americans are so materialistic?  Materialism is modeled to infants!
Today I received a newsletter from one of those websites marketed to pregnant women.  I've only subscribed to two online pregnancy resources, but it seems I'm constantly getting these emails, both repetitive and contradictory.  Anyway, these weekly newsletters inform you of baby's growth, your pregnancy timeline, unique baby names to consider, exercise tips, etc for the duration of your pregnancy.
This week happens to mark Week 17 for us and the website's newsletter recommends I start a baby registry.  I was somewhat shocked that it's time for that already, but perhaps that further demonstrates my point.  It then goes on to list what they call "baby's essentials."  As I stated early on, we'll be traveling across several states to a new city with baby approximately every 3 months, so we'll need to be savvy and efficient with our baby gear.  I'm looking for the bare minimum in baby "essentials" to keep things simple and make moving fast and easy.  Besides a few basics, what in the world does a baby really need, right? 
Now, don't get me wrong, I know this is a huge industry, right up there with wedding planning.  And, if we were staying in our home (well, maybe not our city loft as we'd have to squeeze baby into the hallway somewhere between the bookshelves) and planning a nursery, I'm know it would be so easy to get caught up in the newest and the greatest and the cutest in baby accoutrements.  I've seen some really adorable nurseries created by my very talented friends.  I also happen to LOVE baby showers - even more than bridal showers.  It's just so much fun to buy cute pint-sized clothing and the softest bedding and the newest gadgets for mommies and the most colorful and creative toys.  All I'm saying is...pulling a U-haul behind our vehicle just for our baby's supplies is not really an option in my mind.   That being said, I'd be willing to downsize my already abbreviated closet and the subsequent trunk space needed in order to make sure we can get baby's essentials in tow.  I just want to make sure baby has what he or she needs, and at the same time, with this new-found responsibility to keep things simple, that we do a good job of modeling what we want to teach our child.  Happy balance.  Now, to figure out just exactly what an "essential" baby essential means.   

Dog Days of Summer

This week, David asked if I was interested in getting a dog...out of nowhere.  He knows that I’ve been ready for a dog for years! But with trying to sell our condo, this hasn’t been a possibility for us or else I would have been begging, trust me.  I believe we can thank our friends, the Falters, for putting this this sudden idea in David’s head.  They have the coolest Boston Terrier, Otis, who has won both of our hearts.   So, in this spirit, I’ve been out asking questions of dog owners and pet goods store owners whether now (only 5 or so months before baby is here) is a good time to get a dog. 
Responses are mixed, but what I’ve put together is this:  we can do it before baby comes if a) breed has a history of being good with children; and b) dog is of right age to accept new things or has the right personality.
Until I met Otis, I’ve had my heart set on a Golden Retriever, which is such a happy-go-lucky, loving breed, and is the kind of dog I grew up with.  I also think Labs, German Shorthair Pointers, and Australian Shepherd mixes are great dogs.  David found a Boylan Spaniel the other day and was really interested in it.  All of these breeds are medium to large dogs who are smart and playful and usually great with children. 

So, I’ve been looking online and am now considering a fostering opportunity for the remainder of the summer, to see if we can make it work or if we should wait until after baby is here and getting older.  The other major element of this is: we move every 10-12 weeks to a new city.  The dog would have to be good with new environments and I know not all dogs are.  I only know of one couple who goes through this with a dog - they travel all over the world - and have the sweetest, most well-mannered dog I know, Rocky.  Not sure that is an easy dog to find. 

Any thoughts on fostering or perspectives from the doggy owners out there?

16 Weeks and Growing!

Our little sweet pea is approximately 4 1/2 inches from crown-to-rump this week.  He or she weighs 3 1/2 ounces, about the size of an avocado.  Lanugo (fine hair) now covers baby’s head and hair patterning has started on the scalp, though hair is not recognizable yet.  Nails are well-formed on the fingers and toes.  Legs are longer than arms and both the arms and legs are moving.  Beginning at this point and moving forward, we should start to feel baby moving, though I hear some first-time moms don’t feel anything until 20 weeks.  I’ve been focusing very hard, trying to feel any movement - sitting, laying, standing.  I think I’ve felt some flutters a few times, though it's hard to tell with pulsating blood vessels and a slower GI tract in there.  When baby and I get better at this, I’m sure I’ll realize the feeling has been there for a while.

I’m growing too!  I’ve noticed my waistbands are uncomfortably tight and I have to walk around unbuttoned.  I've got a Be Band that I use regularly now.  Despite what I think is an obvious change, I still get asked if I realize that I’m shopping the maternity section.  I just found a few pregnancy clothes online that I’m looking forward to getting in the mail, especially the running shorts from Athleta.  I’m feeling a little swollen in my running shorts and fitted tops - it’ll be nice to be able to hide the extra and not feel the pressure on my belly when I’m out running the lake trails.
News Flash: David has been running with me!  I am so excited about this! 

Week 16 is also another turning point - no more lying flat on my back while resting or sleeping or exercising.  This position can put extra pressure on the aorta and inferior vena cava, reducing blood flow to the baby.  I’ve been aware of this and practicing side-sleeping for several weeks now.  Even with an extra pillow, I wake up to David telling me to turn over.  It is a weird feeling once I realize I'm doing it.  Kind of like I'm breathing shallow breaths and it panics me when I realize I've been sleeping that way for who knows how long.  Because of this, I’m considering one of the insanely over-priced pregnancy pillows I’ve seen online which promise to keep you comfortable in the side-lying position.  I hate to spend that money on a stinking pillow though.  However, many of them now come in a shape that can be used for nursing once the baby is born, which to me makes the price a bit more bearable.  Being my mother’s daughter, I’m sure I can find some discounts or coupons or something to help.  My mom just shared with me that she bought my baby crib using green stamps - something I have never heard of, but apparently was a point system back in the 70s and 80s for rental cars and hotels in order to earn rewards.  You had to paste the stamps on the postage card and mail it in to redeem your points for a bike...or a crib, for instance.  Kind of like modern-day credit card rewards, which fortunately keep track of themselves.

This was actually taken in week 17, so we bought an extra large avocado!

Week 16 - Side belly shot

In other news, the 2011 Girls Weekend is booked and organized.  I just need to find my airfare.  Girls Weekend is a get-together with my favorite girls from my alma mater - St. Norbert College.  There are nine of us total and we've been doing this since 2003.  Now that we live in different parts of the country, the locales get more interesting.  This year is a Fall Wine Tasting weekend in the Shenandoah Valley.  It will be beautiful!  And no, I won't be tasting.  My girls are lucky that they will have a dedicated designed driver at their disposal.  I've just been reminded that I'll be 34 weeks at that point.  Keeping my fingers crossed that baby and I stay healthy enough to travel.  I haven't missed one yet!

apple d'amour

 

Our growing baby should now measure about 4 inches long, crown to rump, and weigh about 2 1/2 ounces, which is about the size of an apple. Baby is bringing in amniotic fluid through his or her nose and upper respiratory tract, which helps the air sacs in the lungs begin to develop. Baby’s legs are growing longer than his or her arms now, and he or she can move all joints and limbs. Although eyelids are still fused shut, baby can sense light.  Baby Center tells us that if I were to shine a flashlight at my tummy, the baby would likely turn away from  or move in response too the light. Baby is also forming taste buds this week.

We spent 1/2 of this week at Green Lake, Wisconsin, for our annual Nigrelli family get-together over the 4th of July weekend.  Green Lake is one of my absolute favorite places in the entire world.  This year, we didn’t have access to our old cottage, which we’ve stayed in every summer for the last 18 years!  So, we rented a different “cottage” which was located near Lawsonia Golf Club.  This place actually had fewer bedrooms than our 800-square-foot cottage from our childhood, but easily kept all 11 of us within its walls, whereas our old cottage would only sleep 8 if you were lucky and didn’t mind sleeping behind canvas shades or pleated doors.  With the weather at a balmy 86 and heat index over 100 degrees, it was quite nice to have real air conditioning instead of all windows and doors open and the fans blowing.  That said, there really is no substitute for “our cottage”. 
Still, we enjoyed all of our Lake favorites: two (!) rounds of golf this year, lots of boating and swimming, great meals, ice cream parlor by boat, the annual Bocce Ball Tourney, and fireworks on the water. 
Congrats to Dominic and Mary, this year’s Bocce Team winners, though, if it weren’t for the vicious mosquitos that made it impossible to shoot without swatting and jumping, I’m pretty sure David and I would have had that one in the bag! 
Also, a special thank you to Hallie, who created two baby announcement puzzles for the family to put together!  You did a great job, Hallie!  Thank you for helping Cristina and your Dad and David and I share our news!

 

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

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! 

11 week US and triple screen

13 week belly

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!

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?