A Favorite Shot of the Girl

This is one of my favorite pictures of my girl. From our trip ALMOST 2 years ago to STJ.

She was just barely 3!

It was taken at Vie's Snack Shack on the far east end after a daytrip in a dinghy.

Mug Shot & Grumpy Asian Man

Is it just me or does this look like a mugshot series?

People keep getting upset with me when I refer to my darling little son as a grumpy old asian man. I swear ... sometimes I get this look (2nd picture). Now, you tell me is that grumpy old asian man or what???

The Roof is Leaking...

Even the baby has had enough!

The RAIN needs to stop!


As if it wasn't enough that I ran into my own house with my own car. Should have the car back this weekend, the house ... well we are still waiting on that work to start. But now, the roof/ceiling in the living room is leaking. I think I am heading for a nervous break down...seriously!

On a better note....the baby boy is doing better, well other than this 6 week growth spurt thing that apparently makes them want to eat constantly and be held. Docile boy has become grumpy. "THEY" say it only lasts a couple of days and this is day 2 ... but I don't remember this with the girl. Most likely because my memory is dull, not because it didn't happen.

Anyway, we went to the Pediatric GI on Tuesday and he was nice and not too concerned. Wants us to keep on the special (not the SPECIAL SPECIAL) formula for at least a month. That's good new to the wallet. For now. Went to see Dr. G, the regular ped, yesterday and he was happy with how he is looking. He's GAINING weight and he's less anemic. YAY!

In the middle there I had my 6 week check-up and all was well with that as well. I head back in May for my annual check-up and the boy heads back in 2 weeks for his 2 month check. I can't believe he's 1 1/2 months old already. Seems like a blink and an eternity all at the same time. How is that?

Update on Doc Appts & Car Accident!

So update on the boy. We returned to the doctor on last Thursday to find that there is still blood in the stool even after a week on the special formula. So now, we are supposed to try another special (REALLY special - as in order from the factory costs 3xs as much special) formula called Neocate. When we saw Dr. G on Thursday he wanted us to go that day for an abdominal xray to be safe. X-Ray was fine. He seems to be doing better over the weekend and today so far. We'll see.

We are going to see a pediatric GI doc on Tuesday and back to Dr. G on Thursday for another check of things. After all we've been through I am just a little hypervigilant, which is making me a little hyperanxious. So much so that I was in tears on Friday prompting my mom to come visit! She's been here almost every weekend since he came home!

Oh and did I mention my car accident? The one where I ran into my own house? Yeah, that's right. If you are going to have an accident do it right. Make sure you have your home owners policy and your car policy in full effect first! Car is getting fixed now, I should have it back by Friday. House ... well they are dragging their feet a bit, though the contractor promised the estimate would be in State Farm's hands by today. When will work start? I don't know, but I will feel like a total moron until its fixed. Hey the garage trim needed painting anyway, this way it gets replaced! I am trying to not be too hard on myself, I know my mind was just in 1000 other places. I am just lucky I didn't have a headon at 60 miles per hour because I was in a total fog that day!

The extra hours of sunlight should help & the fact that its gonna be near 70 this week! Come on SPRING!

Another Trip to the Doctor

Enjoy a picture of my chunky monkey.

So we took the little man to the doctor yesterday afternoon. He had been restless and his belly felt tight and enlarged to me. He wasn't really crying - not like colic or anything - but he was not himself. I figured ... with all we've been through better to get it checked out, right? So we call Dr. G and he says bring him on in. ITs so good to be friend's w/ your pediatrician.

So we take him in and they check him out. Everything seems ok from the physical exam but Dr. G wanted to test his stool for blood. So .. its positive. Now, I am officially freaked. Dr. G says the typical reason for this is a milk intolerance, so we are gonna start by changing his formula. As if regular formula isn't expensive enough, this stuff costs about twice as much! SMALL price to pay if it does the trick. We have a follow-up visit in a week, so time shall tell.

Oh and he's OVER 12 lbs! Growth is definitely not a concern.

Overindulgent ...

...but its my blog and I'll post whatever I want to ;)

Aren't they CUTE?

Daddy is responsible for (and proud of) the mohawkish like hair.

This Kid Can Sleep Through ANYTHING...

You'd think he'd have noticed and awakened when his diaper was changed ... But no, not so much.

Which One is Which?

Can you tell which picture is the girl and which is the boy? Ignore the pink :)

A Mere 3 Weeks Ago

I can't believe that only 3 weeks ago I was still pregnant. Its kind of weird after 9 months of lugging a kid around on the inside to have him on the outside. To be totally honest I didn't know how I would take to a boy. I was so used to being a mama to a girl that I knew it would be different. I did not expect to be so totally in love so quickly. He is the sweetest kid. Doesn't complain much at all, unless he's hungry and in that case he gets quite angry. That kids way of crying so hard that you think they are being tortured -- you know the cry where they almost stop breathing. Thankfully, being second time parents and all, we've figured this out and we try to get the food in him before we have a total crisis :)

So I am in love. In love with his tiny nose, his one dimple that only shows when he practices his smiles which aren't real yet, in love with the way he smells, the way he moans and yawns, everything I tell you...Totally in love. Sappy yes, but all true.

I am truly blessed with the two cutest and sweetest kids on the planet! Now, if the younger would just sleep through the night. This 2, 4 and 6 am stuff is KILLING me & the daddy!

A Snow Day for ALL!

The boy had his first real (as opposed to sponge) bath last night & barely complained at all.

Yesterday was valentine's day and also turned out to be a snow day for all. Hubby is able to work from home now once a week! YAY! Plus, anytime the weather is bad he can work from home. Pretty nice flexibility! I am liking this!

Daycare was closed yesterday so the girl was home. We started the morning with Valentine's day goodies and art projects. Who knew glitter glue, stickers and construction paper could entertain a little one so long. Then she and daddy took a trip outside to play in the snow. The boy and I stayed in and stayed warm.

On Our Own!

Its our first day totally on our own. It's amazing how quickly life gets back into a rhythm. Daddy went back to work today after working from home last week. Gramma went home after spending the weekend with us.

The girl and the husband were out the door by 7 am. So its just me and the boy. Its a bit lonely, since he spends most of his time looking like this (see picture) but it is so sweet. I am really (against my normal instinct) trying to just take it slow. Enjoy the moments. With the girl I was overwhelmed and in a huge hurry to get from one phase to the next. Now looking back almost 5 years later I see how fast it all went by. She will start kindergarten in September and I swear her little life is just like a blink now looking back. So I will try to breathe, relax, and enjoy the next 6 weeks or so!

I am still a bit emotionally overwhelmed by it all. To think that just weeks ago we still had no idea how things would turn out for us. To think that just about 10 days ago he was in the NICU. Its hard to believe he is home, safe and sound and just fine. After all the drama of the pregnancy, its hard to adjust to a seemingly normal, uneventful life. I am grateful for the lack of drama .. don't get me wrong .. it is just an adjustment. My emotions range from very high and super mommy to a little blue. Not a lot blue, just weepy. I think as the reality of it all sinks in ... what is and what could have been ... I work to adjust and understand it all. I have been holding my breath for the last 5 months or so, and its gonna take a while to completely exhale.

The Girl and Her Bro!

The girl enjoying a moment with her brother. She really thinks he's very cool. I can't believe it has already been 10 days. A week and 1 day since we came home! Unreal. How can time fly and stand still at the same time?

First Doctor's Appointment

Yesterday we had the first doctor appointment for the boy and he looks great. A bit jaundiced but the tests came back in the acceptable range (which is a good thing because unacceptable range would have meant 24 hours in the hospital again)! I don't think mama could have handled that.

Gramma headed home last night after a week here. I miss her! She is such an incredible help! And she does love her grandkids. And they adore her. She'll be back Friday, thank goodness!

Another picture...

Mom getting ready to bust him out of the NICU at G'town! I thought I was just going for a visit, but they said "you wanna take him home?" Um, HELL yes I do. Fortunately, for us, he was the healthiest little one in the entire NICU. I saw babies there that I wish I had not, just an incredibly sad mix of emotions as we were so elated that Max was doing so well, yet we were surrounded by such sad circumstances. All with the knowledge that it so easily could have been us in those parents' shoes.

No weeks to go ...

The boy has arrived! I am happy and relieved to report that the boy is home as of Friday evening, February 4th! He was born on Tuesday, January 30th at 4:50 am and weighed in at 9lbs, 2.8 ozs. He's 20 1/2 inches long! Not as huge as mom thought but ahead of schedule just as I'd predicted!!

I ended up going into labor at 1 in the morning on the 30th. I had felt weird/off all day at work, but pushed through it thinking I am just REALLY pregnant. Turns out I was moving into the labor phase. Did not stop hubby and I from going out on our date night. Dinner at Outback and a short trip to the bookstore. Finally, I had to throw in the towel and asked to go home. We got home around 10ish and from then on I just felt like crap. No regular contractions, nothing you know OBVIOUS that would have made it easy for me to figure out that I was indeed in labor. So after about 2 - 3 hours of whining and tossing and turning and not sleeping, I woke up the father of my children to say "I think I might be in labor" and he says "what do you want me to do about it?" I am SURE he didn't mean that the way it sounded. Still, he resumed snoring within 20 seconds of my pronouncement. SO, I unilaterally decided to call Dr. J-C. She said you know what considering this pregnancy, let's err on the side of caution and get you checked out. And so ... she sent me to the hospital.

So I wake Hung and say we gotta go. He's like "huh?" Again, how does this not register??? Men! Anyway, a middle of the night trip to Labor & Delivery was NOT our birthing plan. We were supposed to go on Feb 5th at 6 am. We had a plan. Ella would be at daycare! But as I predicted and knew, there was no way in hell I was making it till Feb 5th! So we rouse the little one and say we have to go to the hospital because the baby might be coming. She hopped to much faster than her dad and had a sweet twinkle in her eye.

So we loaded up the car and headed off to Alexandria. They were waiting for me when we arrived and got me all hooked up. The nurses did not seem all that impressed so just as I was convincing myself I wasn't really in labor after all, a nurse comes in and says "we're gonna prep you." Apparently I had what they were calling a "regular" pattern of contractions and Dr. J-C had decided to do the deed. She arrived at the hospital around 4 am and I was in surgery by 4:15. Luckily I had called my mama at 1ish and she immediately came arriving after I had been rolled into the OR. If she had arrived 5 minutes later daddy would have missed it all as he would have to stay with Ella.

Dr. J-C delivered our nw little boy at 4:50 am and he came out screaming. First sigh of relief. I just remember Dr. J-C repeating, "he looks good, Amy. He looks good!" almost as if she didn't believe it herself after all we had been through. He looked great and all of his vitals were strong. He was taken to the NICU for observation. After an entire day of good reports and really no major concerns, the neonatologist decided to throw us for a HUGE loop and decided that he might have a malrotation of his bowel and wanted to transfer him to Georgetown U. Hospital's NICU that night for a surgical consult. We were completely shocked and stunned at the thought of him needing surgery after an entire day of being ok. Needless to say that was not a good night.

They came to get me (still recovering from major surgery mind you) so that I could be with him until he went. I was able to hold him for about 1/2 an hour before the transport team arrived to take him to the Georgetown Neonatal Intensive Care Unit at about midnight. Hung, after being up from 1 am when I awoke him, was now 24 hours later heading to Georgetown to be with Max to make any decisions regarding his care throughout the night. If he did have a bowel obstruction or malrotation, immediate surgery would be necessary. Happily, after 3 days of observation and many, many tests at Georgetown they ruled out surgery. It appears everything is working as it should. He was able to come home yesterday. As soon as I was released from Alexandria we went straight there to get him.

He's home, happy, and very, very mellow. Seems like my theory that all the excitement in the womb will make him less likely to cause trouble on the outside is panning out ... so far! The girl is thrilled with her new brother and the dog even seems to like him.

1 Week To Go!

Believe it or not, at most I have one week to go! This is what we call the FINAL countdown. I swear it feels like I have been pregnant for 20+ months. I had a wonderfully relaxing weekend with my mom and my friend who was in town visiting from the Philly area. We did a whole lot of nothing. We did manage to see a movie, Catch and Release. It was cute, not great but a good way to spend an afternoon.

Otherwise, not a whole lot going on. The boy's room is ready. We (gramma & I) got the letters on the wall Friday night. Its very cute! Now, we just need the boy.

I am working today and Wednesday in the office, from home Tuesday and Thursday and then I am taking Friday off. By Monday this should be all over, or just beginning as they say. Tomorrow I have visits to my ob and my perinatalogist. Last round! Who hooo...

My Cutie Pie

Me @ 37 weeks & Snow..

Ready to go #1!
37 weeks on this DAY (back on Sunday, January 21st)! Only 2 to go. That is if he doesn't decide to come early. You know your baby belly is HUGE when it makes the rest of you look relatively small. My legs look pretty normal ... but I think its just relative to the BELLY!







Ready to go #2!
The girl & the daddy hit the slope!

Back to the 5th of February

Amnio came back...Lungs not mature enough yet. So we are back to the 5th. Though my doc says ... you are not going to make it till the 5th, so we'll just bump whoever we need to when you go into labor. GO INTO LABOR. Doesn't this totally defeat the purpose of the SCHEDULED C-section?

I know patience is a virtue and I surely want to wait if he's not ready, but I AM SO READY.

At least this gives me the time for the new diaper bag to arrive ... its scheduled for delivery on Monday. Hopefully, it, unlikely my new kid, will cooperate :)

Baby Boy

Ok, so today I went to see my ob for my routine check and she found me a bit closer to delivery than she anticipated. 3 cm dialated. That and the perinatalogist report that the boy is huge compelled her to try to move my surgery. For now, I am scheduled for Friday (this FRIDAY) at 12 noon. The 26th. Because it is 37 weeks not full-term they do require an amnio, which they sent me for this afternoon. So I will know 100% until tomorrow when those results come back if the lungs are mature enough. If not, I am not sure what they will do.

I didn't think I'd make it to February 5th but FRIDAY seems so soon ;) NEVER satisfied. I am ready. DONE ...

Diaper Bag

I think I will like this ... they call it the un-diaperbag...

Thank you

Babystyle.

Corrine Bailey Rae...

...is my new favorite singer, with my new favorite song, Like a Star. You can listen on her myspace page ...

Like A Star

Just like a star across my sky,
Just like an angel off the page,
You have appeared to my life,
Feel like I'll never be the same,
Just like a song in my heart,
Just like oil on my hands,
Honour to love you

Still i wonder why it is,
I don't argue like this,
With anyone but you,
We do it all the time,
Blowing out my mind,

You've got this look i can't describe,
You make me feel like I'm alive,
When everything else is au fait,
Without a doubt you're on my side,
Heaven has been away too long,
Can't find the words to write this song,
Oh.,.. Your love,

Still i wonder why it is,
I don't argue like this,
With anyone but you,
We do it all the time,
Blowing out my mind,

I have come to understand,
The way it is,
It's not a secret anymore,
'cause we've been through that before,
From tonight I know that you're the only one,
I've been confused and in the dark,
Now I understand, I wonder why it is,

I don't argue like this,
With anyone but you,
I wonder why it is,
I wont let my guard down,
To anyone but you
We do it all the time,
Blowing out my mind,

Just like a star across my sky,
Just like an angel off the page,
You have appeared to my life,
Feel like I'll never be the same,
Just like a song in my heart,
Just like oil on my hands

Just for fun...let's go to the ER!

And for extra bonus points, let's do it in Richmond :) So I took a brief weekend trip to my godmother's for the weekend. The Girl and I decided to go visit ... its only an hour a 1/2 (just 1/2 an hour further than I should have been from my hospital at this point in my pregnancy) BUT what could possibly go wrong. Well, yesterday on my way into the house after lunch I decide let's slip and fall in the garage.

At first, I thought I was fine. Went in, sat down. Didn't feel any excruiating pain. Then I tried to stand up. Um, not so much happening. Severe pain in my lower belly and pelvis area. OUCH. I was pretty sure I had just pulled some muscles. I did a lovely split on the way down and didn't really hit the ground hard at all but the muscles were definitely stretched in ways they had not been in years, if ever! Still, my godmother a nurse for 27 years at MCV hospital insisted I call my OB's service. My OB is on vacation until the 21st. Which is actually a good thing because I am pretty sure she would have yelled at me. The OB covering for her recommended I go right away to be monitored. SO poor hubby who is in NOVA at the time gets a phone call that I am going to MCV L&D. We decide as a precaution its probalby good for him to come with me.

So by 5pm my mom and godmom have me in L&D at MCV. First let me say, the people there are EXTREMELY nice. Very competent and slightly horrified when I started giving them the medical history of this pregnancy. I think they thought I was a bit nuts until they finally got someone from Alexandria Hospital to fax over my medical records. At least I made their Sunday evening interesting. So, the standard protocol is 4 hours of monitoring the baby and contractions. IF nothing, then you can go home. My blood pressure was a bit up, but I think it was just because of the stress/anxiety of the situtation as throughout the pregnancy my BP has been perfect and the urine dip was negative for any protein that would indicate preeclampsia - pregnancy induced hypertension. See how much I've learned?

So they watched me from 5 until a little after 9pm and all was fine. A few minor contractions that tapered off and some severe pain still but nothing that is impacting the baby. They said his tracking made him the happiest baby there at the time. He was perfect. Perfect heartrate, perfect movement. They checked me via ultrasound too just to make sure I didn't tear anything or damage the placenta. Around 9:30 I was discharged and we made it home around 12 midnight. Of course, my car is still in Richmond but we'll figure that out later!

I am still in a lot of pain when I walk or go from sitting to standing or standing to sitting. But its just muscles. They will heal. I am so ready for this baby to come, but no I didn't try to shake him out!!!

Baking 101

Baking with mom! The girl and I are doing our best impressions of Julia Child, making some banana bread. One of her favorite things in the world is cooking!

Baby Update

Well, we had our weekly doctor appointments today and all is still well. Not to be excessively graphic but Dr. J-C examined me and found me 1 cm dialated ... as she put it "I can feel the head so you are at least a cm" ... nice! NO wonder I feel like there is a skull resting on my bone down there! Then off to Dr. G who measured not once, not twice, but three times. Apparently this baby boy is BIG. First measurement was putting him at 9 lbs 5 oz give or take 1.5 lbs. Second put him at 8 lbs 4 oz, again give or take 1.5 lbs. STILL big!

He is going to recommend/make clear that delivering him even earlier is a totally viable option. 1 - He is huge, 2 - I've been through enough and am ready to be non-pregnant, and 3 - the steriod injections should have nicely matured his lungs! I am alllllll for that. SO maybe he can talk my OB into a week earlier. We'll see...I am not holding my breath!

Otherwise, much of the same. I am 35 weeks, 2 days and definitely counting. Only 3 weeks and 5 days to go...that is if we don't move the surgery up!

It's Even MORE Official Now...

What a beautiful view!














Nice Bedrooms!














And Lovely Furnishings!

Isn't that a LOVELY view? I know I shouldn't get too excited cause we all know stuff can come up for for now I am excited. We have booked our next trip to STJ. House, Car, Airfare! Even the water taxi from St. Thomas over. I am a planner if nothing else. Hubby, myself, my mama, and the kiddos will be heading to STJ over Thanksgiving 2007. Only 313 days to go.

Check out our home away from home for 8 nights, Drake's Lookout.

Or ... see how truly obsessed I am by checking out my countdown to STJ!

The Kiddos' Rooms...

As long ago (back in OCTOBER) promised ... here are a few pics of the new and improved rooms. The girl decided to move down the hall to the room she could paint pink & the baby's room is just about finished. We need a bit of art!

The Girl's Room






























The Boy's Room

2 More Doc Appointments Down

Yesterday took care of two more doctor's appointments & all is still well. Baby boy still has the fluid in the belly. No more, no less - subjectively speaking. He is still happy as a clam. Dr. G is very happy w/ his nonstress testing and movements. Go baby!

4 weeks, 4 days to go.

Happy New Year!

The Preggos & The Bartender Enjoy a Bite














The Katrina House comes down!















A Shot from Dance Camp Performance!
















Well, happy new year all! In my effort to start the new year out right, I have been on a straight up cleaning, organizing, decluttering frenzy. It could be the nesting instinct kicking in, since we have 4 weeks and 5 days to go. NOT that anyone here is counting.

We spent our 2nd 3 day holiday weekend a bit more low key. Friday the girl had a dance performance at the Little Gym for her winter dance camp. I was EXTREMELY impressed by how much the teacher had been able to get them to learn and do. Still, it was SO funny. Too too cute. They did a dance to "Hot, Hot, Hot" that resulting in mom snorting into the video camera mic!

Friday night we had a great dinner w/ Dr. G and his lovely wife. The girl was a peach. Very well behaved and very engaged in the convo.

Saturday, a hair appt followed by a pink elephant party which was a lot of fun. Saturday night we didn't do much of anything.

New Year's Eve Morning aka Sunday morning, up and cleaning by 8. De-decorated the house. All Christmas paraphenalia is in the basement, nicely sorted and packed away. Then I hit the laundry room cabinets, the office, the girl's toy drawers. Purged, sorted, organized! New Year's Eve was spent at P&Bs with their 4 year old little one and Dr. G and C. It was a great time. Very low key. Hubby was the designated bartender and I have never seen so many buzzed on pink drinks in my life. Cosmos - the original w/ cranberry juice and a fancy pomegranate version for the new year. We ate tons of B's famous dumplins! YUMMY. Played a game called Table Talk, which was a lot of fun - just convo starting questions. Eg. What's more important common sense or intelligence? and so on. The girls constructed their gingerbread houses and were thrilled. My girls collapsed soon being deemed "the gingerbread house that katrina built" but she coped quite well. Her only comment "oh well I guess I have to eat it now!"

We all made it to see the ball drop even the little ones. We were home around 12:45. Slept in until almost 11 yesterday! More cleaning, a trip to Walmart and then Hubby's family gathering for New Years Day. More GREAT food. I think I gained 5 lbs in 2 days. But it was worth it.

Today I have two more doctor's appts. OB first then the Peri. Did I mention we are under 5 weeks?!?!?!

We're going back...

Ok, so we all know the trip to STJ for '06 was cancelled. Well, I could NOT stand it anymore. So frequent flier tickets for the time span I was eyeing became available. There was no resisting. We'll be heading back Thursday, November 15 - Friday, November 23rd, 2007. Yes, this means we'll be spending Thanksgiving on island! 8 glorious nights, 9 wonderful days. Plus, we'll be overlapping gramma's birthday as well as it lands on Turkey Day in 2007!

And the best part is I won't be prego so I can enjoy all the Rum Punches and Painkillers I want!

Busy Holidays!!!

Before I forget all the fun things we have going on this holiday season & before I complain about being tired one more time ... let's reflect on our holiday schedule!

Friday, December 22: Gramma came to town and she and I shopped old town for the afternoon and then headed home to the girl and daddy. Then we had a surprise visit from hubby's brother and 3 year old nephew for some play time. (My sister in law had been mega shopping for 2 days straight and my brother in law couldn't take it anymore. But he brought us goodies so that was ok!)

Saturday, December 23: Kathykins, Maggie and Jeff (Godmother & Brood) came to town for a little Christmas Adam (that's what we call the day before Christmas Eve) cheer. My mom's homemade lasagne, nice salad, garlic bread, chocolate cake. Yummy goodness. We invited the 3 cousins over as well and they really seemed to enjoy themselves. Plus, we did a bit of early Christmas present opening.

Sunday, December 24th: KK & her hubby and mama came over with a wonderful roast and sides. We enjoyed a YUMMY dinner, more presents and dessert!

Monday, December 25th: Neither Gramma or I made it out of our PJs (even when we had to run to Exxon for batteries and milk). We opened gifts, watched the girl's amazement. She was MOST thrilled that Santa wrote her back. She left him a note asking why he only comes when she's asleep and he answered her! Imagine that. She, of course, got way too many presents. A new dollhouse, a dinosaur, a talking microscope, a new coat, new stuffed kitties, and on and on. Mama (that's me) got a LOVELY new jewelry box - very large to consolidate the 3 smaller ones I have things in now & with room to grow (Hint to daddy). Daddy got spoiled too ... lots of boy toys. Electronics, games, camping stuff, weird things that only boys enjoy. All in all Christmas day was the most relaxing of the whole weekend.

Today, Wednesday, December 27th: Daddy & I have a date night! Which will entail as little physical activity as possible!

Friday, December 29th: We are going for a nice dinner with our friends Dr. G (our pediatrician not to be confused with Dr. G of perinatology fame) & his lovely & also prego wife. She's due in May! Part of the baby boom!

Saturday, December 30th: Mama (again me) will be going over to a girlfriends for a Pink Elephant party. I am not 100% sure what that is ... but I am game!

Sunday, December 31st: We'll be spending New Years Eve with our friend P & B, Dr. G & his lovely prego wife, and the kids. The girls will be constructing gingerbread houses. I know that is more of a Christmas thing but they are 4 and don't care!

Then it will be JANUARY. And the final countdown can truly begin. I should stop complaining about being so darn tired as it is all my own doing. Here's hoping for only the best in the New Year!

Another Doctor Appointment Down...

...only 9 more scheduled appointments to go! Now that we are moving into the final stretch of things, I visit my OB 1x a week and my Perinatologist 1x a week for sonograms and fetal monitoring.

Yesterday, I did my 1/2 hour in the chair at the perinatal center at Alexandria hospital and the baby did fantastically. Sono showed the same. Beautiful lungs and practice breaths, still fluid in the belly. Doctor G. assures me this is nothing to worry about, non life threatening. He said the baby is behaving as if he could care less that the fluid is there. Which is a great thing. Baby boy has been EXTREMELY active and I am still in doubt I will make it to February 5! That's 5 weeks and 4 days! Seeing in my opinion will be believing. I am looking forward to that GIANT sigh of relief. Probably loads of tears of relief too!

So ... a week ago they measured and there is a good reason I feel MORE pregnant now than I did at the end with the girl. She weighed 6 lbs, 15 oz at birth. This guy is already over 7 lbs! TGF C-sections! They will measure every other week to make sure nothing is too out of control. Of course my mom - who delivered an 11 lb, 4 oz and an 11 lb, 14 oz baby has no sympathy! Not really, she feels my pain.

I am ready. When he is ready I am ready! Is it February yet???

Christmas!!!

A new dollhouse from Santa!















Cookie Making is fun!















Gramma Mezo and all the Cousins!















A present for mama - note "not for Daddy"















Sous Chef Girl w/ her new hat from KK















Dino Construction with Daddy

My New Microscope - it talks.

5 things you didn't know about me until now

Summer tagged me so I must play along! 5 things you didn't know about me until now... though I can't promise you don't know these .. I am pretty much an open book.

1. My entire life I always thought I would grow up to be a lawyer. I even still entertain thoughts of going to law school for the fun of it. My husband says my argumentative skills are going to waste.

2. I weighed 11 lbs, 4 ozs at birth. Which is why my mother offers ZERO sympathy when I whine that this boy in the belly is already over 7lbs. Looks like he'll weigh in around 9-10 lbs when all is said and done. A good lb or two smaller than me. My brother was 11 lbs, 14 oz. My mother is 5'2. Yes, we were delivered the old fashioned way. HOW I do not know!

3. I am the only member of my family - including aunts, uncles, cousins, brother, mom, dad, grandparents - to be born south of the mason dixon line. Hence my rebel status :)

4. I have a masters degree in Social Work. Though many would think it is going to waste, all the psychology and clinical training required for that masters comes in handy every day.

5. When I was growing up I lived in Jamaica (Virginia) in a little country house with horses, a goat, ducks, chickens, guinea hens, a dog and cat!

And the Bonus #6...Though I don't look so huge from the front (see above)...

It's ALMOST Christmas...

How did this happen?? Only 3 more days. The girl is of course more excited about Gramma coming than Santa, but still ... Christmas morning should be a lot of fun this year.

Merry Christmas all!!!

Stealing from Summer...

So where have you been? I had been more places than I thought. This is all the states I have actually visited, not including plane stops. Just like Summer. I will get to add Utah to the list this Summer - conference time! And Colorado will be added in late 2007 as we go for our pre-con site visit in Denver.

8lbs & Banking Cord Blood

8 lbs ... no that is not how much the baby weighs already, that's how much I have gained. I feel like I've gained about 50 lbs. Though in reality 5 lbs is baby, 5lbs is other baby incubating materials. I've really lost 2 lbs. How is that for rationalizing? Trust me, I could care less how much I gain or don't gain, I just want a healthy little one.

I visited Dr. J-C this morning, however she was off to the hospital to deliver a woman who had called at 9:30 am saying she "thought" she was in labor. To be cautious, Doc sent her to the hospital. They checked her ... she was 8cm! So needless to say, she needed to go. So I saw the nurse and everything seems fine.

I head out around 1pm to go to see Dr. Ghidini for the fetal stress test and the weekly sono.

7 weeks from yesterday this will all be over! Or as some might say, it will have only just begun!

We have also decided to bank this baby's cord blood. Many say its a rip-off scheme, but its not something I am willing to risk not doing and then wishing I had. Its about $2000. $1800 after the special discount! But they let you pay it over a year and then its just $125/year to store it. Right now it has been used to treat about 40 different things, cancers, inborn errors of metabolism, etc. Considering all we've been through with this pregnancy and the fact that our children are of mixed race (i.e. hard to find a match in a public bank), I think it is worth it. I hope it is an insurance policy we NEVER have to use.

Coincidence or Something in the Water? You Decide!

First it was just an interesting coincidence that while I was expecting a new baby one of my friends was in the process of adopting a new baby. Then, it was just a little odd but not completely over the top that my hubby's best friend from junior high through high school is expecting a baby in March. THEN, we found out his other extremely close friend from that time frame is expecting a baby in MAY. And today, I get an email from one of his friend's (now also my friend) from junior high ... she's expecting a new baby. It is a baby boom.

I would suggest not drinking the water and/or ending your friendships with my husband if you do not want to reproduce anytime soon ;)

Are people REALLY this dumb?

Today while stopping off on the way in to the office at Dunkin Donuts I witness the following.

FFX co. cop parked in the "FIRE/DO NOT PARK HERE ZONE" (Yes, the cop is in the car not inside getting a donut). A young professional looking guy in a silver audi pulls up, hits the hazards and runs into the store. The cop gets out and begins to give him a ticket. Guy comes out, donut and coffee in hand, and says to the cop "What are you doing?"

Cop: "Well, sir, I am writing you a ticket?"

Yuppie: "What?"

Cop: "Did you not see my MARKED car?"

Yuppie: "Sure, but I didn't think you'd give me a ticket."

Cop: "Did you see the sign?"

Yuppie: "Yeah but I was only in there for a minute."

The cop just shakes his head and snickers...and hands him the ticket.

Seriously, I can understand you park there run in and when you come out a cop is there waiting...but to park IN FRONT OF THE COP CAR and get out and run in...people, seriously!

So yesterday ...

So Yesterday I went for my first fetal stress test & my 30th weekly sonogram. The stress test is really nonstressful. You sit in a recliner. They strap you to a fetal heartrate monitor and a contraction monitor, bring you a glass of juice and ask you to push a button everytime you feel the baby move. Simple enough. If the baby is active it can take as little as 20 minutes. Basically they are just looking to see if the baby has any heart rate anomolies or any issues related to movement. They are also looking to make sure that I am not having regular contractions. So I sit, drink, and push the button for about 1/2 an hour. Baby looks great. Heart rate good and steady. I do great, only 1 contraction which at this point is normal as the old uterus starts practicing. Lucky for me ... it won't need this practice because c-section makes perfect :) Blood pressure is 116/65. Looks great.

Well, each week from here on out after the stressfree stress test I go back to the sonogram room for a scan. Supposed to be brief to measure amniotic fluid & just peek at the baby. Dr. Poggi comes in and looks around. Amniotic fluid is good, lungs are good, but there is seemingly MORE abdominal swelling/fluid than before. Its all getting really subjective now asa the baby's rate of growth increases, so is it more relative to the baby's growth, who knows. But it looks like more. She says she'd feel better if Ghidini looked at it. Ok, fine by me as I love him and I'd feel better that way too.

Still, my heart races a bit because the last time someone looked at a sonogram and left the room to get someone else the word "catastrophic" came up shortly there after. Anyway, in comes Ghidini with his sunny disposition. He takes a look & is honest, says he can't really explain it. Further accumulation would be contrary to his expectations and all literature and that it is definitely not negatively impacting anything. Ok, so why is it there? No idea. Great. SO frustrating.

They say they will, of course, meet with the neonatologists and offer them a complete history of this pregnancy, they will be there at delivery, that he expects at best they'll do little other than an ultrasound of the baby at birth & send him home w/ me at 3 days with close follow-up. At worst, they will want to drain the fluid and still possibly send him home at 3 days. I think they really don't know until he is here. Which brings me to this ...

7 weeks and 4 days! I think I can I think I can I think I can.

The New Plan...

So I've been thinking about our next vacation. I found out via Destination St. John's lovely Lori that we are not wed to the house we originally booked, so I have found a new contender. Possibly the lovely Calicaribe. That's the pool. NIce, eh?

The plan for now (I am waiting for Delta's FF tickets to open for this time frame) is to leave the day after Thanksgiving 2007 or Friday, November 23rd - returning on Friday, November 30th. I have found after several trips to STJ it is best to avoid Saturday and Sunday departures or arrivals. Our last trip we arrived on a Tuesday and it was fantastically quiet and easy to get where we needed to go.

So I am hoping the FF tickets will be easy to snag and then we'll set it all up! I need something to look forward to after all that we've been through in 2007. We'd have to pull the girl out of school for a week, but I think she'll survive. Its ONLY kindergarten. So she'd be 5.5 and baby would be almost 10 months old.

8 weeks ... and yes I am COUNTING

8 weeks from today (at the latest) we should have a baby boy. 2 weeks till Christmas and then only 6 weeks more ... am I counting? YES!

A Christmas Retrospective

Look what we found under the tree!















Here at 1.5 years old (after tears) agreeing to sit on the doggie.



















2.5 LOVING the tree



















3.5 trying to look sweet...

Daniel Craig

I was a nonbeliever. Bond can't be blonde and blue-eyed. I wanted Clive Owen (and still think he would have made an excellent choice). But Mr. Craig pulled it off. Complete and total hotness. Not that I would EVER objectify a man. I don't usually like action flicks. Not really into Bond. But this was a damn good story. 2.5 hours long and I would have sat through another hour without a complaint.

4lbs, 6 oz. & February 5th

I had two doctor's appointments this week - Tuesday with the perinatologists for a sonogram and Wednesday with my ob for a routine check (and to officially schedule the c-section for February 5th). All is looking ok.

Baby boy is only up 2 oz! That's a good thing. He's still growing and is 90% for size and weight in utero. How they know this I have no clue. There is still persisting abdominal fluid which is freaking me out but doesn't appear to be worrying the docs too much. I am not sure if they are not too worried because they know there is nothing they can do about it but wait till he is on the outside or if its truly not a big deal. So .. I worry. Its what I do now. I don't like anything that is not normal, but relatively speaking I guess for this baby its ok. Lungs are looking great. He's very active and got another 8 of 8 on fetal movement.

So from here we are going to the OB every other week until January, then its every week. Perinatologists want to see me weekly from here on out. In theory, 8 weeks of doctor's appointments to go. I based on nothing but my own gut do not think I will make it 8 more weeks. I think we'll be meeting this baby in late January. But that's just me! I feel more pregnant NOW than I did at the end with the girl! Boys!

A Fun Holiday Questionnaire

1. Egg Nog or Hot Chocolate? Oh both...Love egg nog if it involves RUM and is nice and cold. Warm egg nog NO! Hot chocolate is yummy goodness!

2. Does Santa wrap presents or just sit them under the tree? Santa wraps using his own special wrapping paper, unless said present is HUGE and then it just goes under the tree with a big bow.

3. Colored lights on tree/house--colored or white? WHITE. Only. Though when we go Christmas Light looking we enjoy the colors!

4. Do you hang mistletoe? Nope.

5. When do you put your decorations up? Usually the weekend after Thanksgiving or the first weekend in December. This year we started WAY early because I am only gonna be marginally mobile for a little while longer. As it was getting the lights on the tree was a challenge. MEN + Lights = DISASTER!

6. What is your favorite holiday dish (excluding dessert)? My mom's sweet potatoes - they are caramelized goodness & my gramma's homemade noodles (which I now make because she's no longer around). And anything my Godmother makes!

7. Favorite Holiday memory as a child? STOCKINGS! Love love love the stocking. I still whine if mine is not properly filled!

8. When and how did you learn the truth about Santa? I was about 8 I think...I think I suspected but held onto the fantasy cause it meant more presents! Then a present appeared under the tree before Christmas from Santa. MOM was found out!

9. Do you open a gift on Christmas Eve? Usually just 1!

10. How do you decorate your Christmas Tree? White lights and ornaments that signify something. I try to get an ornament everywhere we visit so there is a cowboy hat from San Antonio and a Cactus from Arizona, my favorite is the really sparkly Fleur de lis from New Orleans. There are also a couple of Ella's Christmas pictures framed from year's past and a few I made as a kid. Its like an adventure every year. Ella spent the entire time we decorated this year unwrapping an ornament and exclaiming "OH MY GOODNESS, THIS IS BEAUTIFUL" and then proceeding to hang 4 per branch.

11. Snow! Love it or Dread it? I love to look at it. I hate it when it keeps me immobile. As long as we can go and do I am ok. If I am homebound for more than a day I hate it!

12. Can you ice skate? Have you ever fallen on the ice? Um, NO. Never tried but I am pretty sure still no. Plus the center of gravity is a bit off these days. I don't think I have fallen on the ice.

13. Do you remember your favorite gift? The one that is most memorable was a crayola color craft center that I got when I was about 7 or 8 from my godmother. I LOVED IT. It had everything ... scissors, paint, crayons galore. I was also truly ecstatic when I got my first walkman - it was the yellow sony one ... anyone else have one of those?

14. What's the most important thing about the Holidays for you? Trying to not become overwhelmed and trying to take the time to catch up with old friends and my family. Plus, making it somewhat magical for Ella. It really is way more fun with a kid!

15. What is your favorite Holiday Dessert? Pecan pie!

16. What is your favorite holiday tradition? Decorating the tree with Ella. Can it be a tradition if we've only done it a couple of years?

17. What tops your tree? A big gold bow.

18. Which do you prefer giving or Receiving? Giving when I get it just right and find the perfect thing for someone. Receiving when I get something and I realize that someone really knows me based on what they got me.

19. What is your favorite Christmas Song? I love the new Sarah McLachlan Christmas CD - Wintersong - her voice is so beautiful. Love Ave Maria too. Jingle Bell Rock!

20. Candy Canes! Yuck or Yum? YUM! Love Peppermint!