Thanksgiving / Baby Moon

Happy Thanksgiving a few days late!

Todd and I had our first Thanksgiving solo. Since we were not flying back to be with either of our families (and friends), we decided to make a special weekend of it. Todd planned a really nice get away to Yountville. This is a small town in the Napa Valley....we ate thanksgiving dinner at a restaurant called Hurley's. Their claim to fame, according to Todd, is that they kill all of their meat fresh that day. I am not sure if that really happens or not:) But, the turkey dinner was really good. And, there were no leftovers, so we aren't eating turkey sandwiches everyday this week. On Friday was the Festival of Lights in Younteville. People were setting up all day only to have a torrential downpour at about 3pm. We ended up going to the outlets and each bought some shoes for 50% off! Then off to Calistoga. We had dinner at a place called Jole. The chef at this restaurant used to own Matyson in Philadelphia (one of our favorites) and moved to CA about 1.5 years ago and opened this restaurant. Our dinner was awesome (thanks to Bri and Erica for the gift certificate!!). On our way back to Yountville we drove through all of the 'festival of lights'. They looked beautiful and were a good start to the holiday season.

We passed this cafe named in my honor while we were exploring Calistoga.









I forgot my camera on our getaway. But I took a few pics with my iPhone. They are not the greatest but good for memories.












We came home on Saturday. While I put up Christmas decorations, Todd was doing odds and ends around the house. And, carrying everything up and down the stairs for me! He has been awesome throughout my whole pregnancy helping me with things like that.

We graduated from our birthing class and while we know a lot more about what to expect, I think that we both feel like we also know that you really can't plan for it. You just have to take the birthing process as it comes! Should be a crazy ride!


Only 7 weeks left until my due date. It is hard to believe how fast it is coming....although sometimes it seems time is slowly creeping past, most times it feels like time if flying. The baby is moving around like crazy - he is punching or kicking me in the ribs and rolling over. Sometimes I swear he is burrowing his feet into my ribs to keep warm. Or maybe he has long legs like his daddy and there is no where in my stretched belly to put them:)

30 weeks

So, here we are at 30 weeks! Todd always says that I should show a little smile in these pics...but I feel dorky smiling at myself in the camera. But then I look mad if I don't smile. I could never be a model....
















Dork - smiling at myself
















Angry - not really, but it looks like it

Todd and I decided that I will stop working two weeks before my due date...primarily because that is the best thing to do to maximize short term disability. But now that time is counting down, I think that it is going to be a really good idea. Now that I am 30 weeks it means I only have 8 weeks of work left. But with the Thanksgiving and Christmas/New Years Holidays I really only have about 6 weeks left! I can not believe how fast time has flown.

I just had my check-up today and things are going as they should. My weight and size are right on the mark up to this point (although Todd, in the most loving way, said that I may weigh as much as him by the end of this - and has taken to calling me 'baby sequoia'). The heartbeat sounded very strong and the baby is continuing to kick and move around. I am now starting to feel as the baby rolls over or runs its hand/foot along my belly - it's not a kick or jab but a drawn out motion. It is so crazy!

The mid-wife advised me to prepare to go past my due date. The research shows that most women go past their due date when delivering their first baby. For some reason this week, before she told me this, I had been having a feeling that I might be about a week overdue. I guess only time will tell. We learned more about positioning and moving around during labor this week. Todd practiced helping me open my pelvic floor but putting pressure on the hips....you should have seen the room of people practicing this move. It was quite entertaining and then Todd just kept tickling me:)

I have been full of energy up to this point (or at least mostly full of energy)...but that seems to be waning a little. My daily walks with Murphy are a little slower and going up the stairs to the house makes me out of breath....I called out of choir tonight because I was feeling really tired! And, Todd's parents are visiting this weekend, so I want to be well rested and ready to go! Also, Todd is playing the his club championship on Saturday so I want to be able to at least walk along on the back nine. In usual Sarah fashion, I am feeling a little guilty about slowing down....but I just keep telling myself, 'self, you are growing another human!' WOW!

We are planning to get a little work done in the nursery this weekend with the assistance of Todd's parents. Should be really fun!

back to my old 'do'

After nearly a year of growing my hair out, I decided to go back to my old haircut. I did not go as short as it was at some points over the past couple of years, but definitely chopped it. I sifted through the last few years of pictures and went armed to the hairdresser with pictures. I knew she was going to be a little nervous as in her words women get 'crazy with their hair when they are pregnant'. She is really sweet....so we talked and came up with a game plan. I feel much better with this new haircut...my longer hair was much more work and I was just not liking the way it looked most of the time. AS you can see Murphy is thrilled with it:)

Birthing classes

So, we started our birthing classes on Tuesday night. It was very interesting...we showed up armed with two pillows, a blanket, and a snack (my leftover burrito from dinner) as instructed and ended up sitting in really uncomfortable chairs all night. The instructor assured us that next week we will be on the floor using our pillows and blankets.

We learned a lot about the woman's pelvis, the hormone relaxin, and how the baby moves into position for delivery. It is so cool how all of that works and it really just happens....or we hope that it all happens as it is supposed to. The most memorable part of the class was watching the videos of three births. None of the women were given any pain medication. They were not trying to make an endorsement for natural child birth, I think that it was just less complicated than getting into the details on medication. Which we will also do in class next week. At this point I am planning to go without medication unless I am truly suffering. But, we will know more next week. Half way through the video I looked at Todd and said "holy shit, that looks awful!" The ladies faces were all swollen and they were moaning and writhing. Woah!! But then I was tearing up as the babies were born. I can't imagine how it will feel to hold our new little baby boy! I can't wait (really, I can wait another 11 weeks. There is a lot to do in that time!!!).

In other news, we have officially hired a dog walker. Not for daily walks, which Todd and I still do religiously. (Mine are a little slower than they used to be!) But for those days when we have to stay in the city later and driving back home is not an option or economical (crossing the bridge a couple of times a day can get pricey). I had my choir concert on Monday, Todd had dinner with our friend Pete and his parents, and then we were at birthing class on Tuesday...so Murphy got the royal treatment. Mary Lyons picked him up and plopped him in the front seat of her car, as were not sure how he would be in the car with other dogs. She then made the rounds to pick up the other dogs and proceeded to the trail for an hour of hiking. Then made her rounds again and dropped everyone off! Murphy got a great report both days. He was a gentleman with all of the other girl dogs and loved hiking...as we already know! He really seemed to love it...Todd said that he could tell Murphy was in a really good mood because of his hike!

30 weeks is fast approaching.....belly pics to come next week!

recap - 28 weeks

My sister made me promise that I would post this picture:)






Things have been crazy lately. Let me give you a little recap....

The crib mattress arrived this weekend...so now we just have to build the crib and put the room together. We also had our kitchen table and living room chairs delivered. Our house is really beginning to come together:)

I am continuing to chip away at my PhD application - it is due 12/03/2009 - so I really have to get moving. With that being said, things are coming together. I have all of my requests out for letters of recommendation and am in the midst of putting together my essays.

We just finished our stroboscopy course at work. For those of you who are wondering what the heck that is....it is how we take videos of the vocal folds (vocal cords/voice box). We have speech pathologists and physicians come from all over the US to be trained on how to do this procedure. I do a lot of the planning in addition to teaching during the course. It was a big success. And, thank God it's over:)

The weekend prior, I was at home in Rockford, IL for my baby shower. My Mom, sister, Nana and future sister-in-law did an amazing job planning everything!


The house looked great and my Mom was meticulous about every detail. She made individual cakes for each person (thanks Dad for helping with the frosting) and they turned out so cute...check them out.


It was so much fun to see everyone and everyone was so generous. We have so many cute new baby outfits and lots of gift cards to get the necessities! Thanks everyone:) love you!!

Not only was it nice to see everyone at the shower. My brother and Amy made the trip from Nashville for the weekend. They came for the shower and to take care of some wedding stuff (it won't be long). I am so happy they were able to make it to Rockford...it means a lot to me.

One aside, that is not about the shower but happened in conjunction with the shower....with all of the flying and being on my feet I developed cankles (your calves and ankles become one - i.e. swollen). It was really a beautiful sight! You will be relieved to know that this problem has since resolved! My calves and ankles have parted ways....my feet are still a little puffy - but no more cankles:)

Another fun activity...while I was home I got a mini-makeover. My mom is a new Mary Kay consultant. She is really excited to be doing this....check out her website.

http://www.marykay.com:80/lilmarx/default.aspx

If you need a little pampering (and are in Rockford) just let her know. If you are not in Rockford and want some products....just let her know:)

This weekend marks our first Halloween in our new house...I will keep you posted if we have any trick or treaters....guess I need to go out and get some candy, just in case!

Happy Halloween!

25 weeks

Here I am at 25 weeks...it is crazy how my belly is growing. I go to choir each week and the girl that sits next to me says she can see a difference every time. It seems like a lot of people are telling me that I look really small for how far along I am....I have to disagree. I have gained the recommended amount of weight and I don't want to be a house (even though I feel it some days). I looked through the previous belly pics and what a difference.....I have my next appointment on Thursday. We have a course that we are hosting at work next week, so after that I am on the hunt for the perfect childcare situation. It is really hard to know what to ask...but I am learning as I go.

This Friday I am headed back to Rockford, IL. My mom, sister, Nana, and future sister-in-law, Amy are throwing me a baby shower! It should be a lot of fun...I can't wait to see everyone! I also am happy for my Nana to see me pregnant, I think it will make her really happy (my mom too, of course).

So, now for the update on the house...I have had many requests for pics. And, while we are not done decorating - I thought it would be nice to share some pics of the work in progress (now that it is not so embarassingly filled with boxes and other crap!)

Here is the baby's room. He already has quite a collection of stuffed animals - from my Opa, Mom mom, Nana, and my coworker Lydia. I have also added my Jiminy Cricket to the mix. We found a crib, as I mentioned in the last post, but it is on back order. It will not arrive until the end of the month. So this is the rooms sans the crib. You can see the brown and white bedding on the shelf in the background. We will see if the rug on the floor stays or goes as things begin to come together. This will be the last picture of the nursery until it is finished. I know that you will all be holding your breath....

Here is our bedroom. There are built in shelves on each side of the bed and then drawers and shelves across from the bed. So, the only furniture in the room is the actual bed.


The kitchen is next....it is not a big kitchen by any means. But for what is there, it is great! There is a really nice 6 burner, gas range and subzero fridge - just to give you the highlights.


This is the dining area....we ordered our table and it will be delivered on the 24th...we can't wait. Although, I think that Murphy rather likes the open space. He dragged his bed over so that he could watch me cooking in the kitchen. I love the company but he is just using me for dropped food:)


Breakfast bar/window connecting the kitchen and living space. It makes the kitchen feel a lot bigger.

Family room....so I may have mentioned this earlier but now that you can see the room, it is probably a better story. The TV is above the fireplace and the couch is facing the TV. Todd and I debated the best place to put the chair...I voted for the current position while Todd voted to have the chair face the TV, stadium seating style. This is the short term compromise...no stadium seating but we will get swivel chairs - so you can watch TV and talk to other people sitting with you in the room.

Can't wait for visitors:) You are all welcome! (I did not show the guest room - we have a guest suite downstairs.) Come visit California!

Setling in....

First of all, I would like to thank Kelley for the facebook message. It lit a fire under my butt to write this blog tonight. I have been meaning to write for the last couple of weeks....but time has been getting away from me. Work has been crazy, that is an understatement, and I am still getting used to the new schedule with commuting, unpacking, etc.

Murphy getting settled in! Life is so rough.

We are getting settled into our new place....we spent nearly the whole weekend looking for a kitchen table, chairs, and two swivel chairs for the family room. Todd would like to have the back of the chairs to the couch, stadium seating style. I talked him into swivel chairs instead. That way we can actually talk to our guests. A weekend like this makes me think of the movie 'Old School'. Will Ferrel says "Well, um, actually a pretty nice little Saturday, we're um, we're gonna go to Home Depot. Yeah, buy some wallpaper, maybe get some flooring, stuff like that. Maybe Bed Bath And Beyond, I don't know. I Don't know if we'll have enough time." Let me tell you guys....we had a big weekend! We ended up finding a kitchen table and chairs, two swivel chairs, and a crib. Very productive, we barely had time for it all. We even hung some pictures. Hanging pictures is the hallmark of getting settled into a new place. So, even though we will not have our new furniture yet....I think the house will be ready to make its debut this weekend. Please stay tuned for pics....

Another, getting settled in moment. Todd and I were exhausted from our big weekend furniture shopping and hanging pictures and sat down on Sunday night to watch a movie. Todd suggested that we have a fire....he also said, we need to get the fireplace cleaned, but one fire should be fine. Well, about 15 minutes later, the house was filled with smoke 2-3 smoke alarms were beeping and my eyes were burning. Something was not quite right with the flu...I guess we need to get it serviced before we try another fire! oops! Basically our house still smells like campfire. It's kind of nice, if you like that stuff.

Baby update....I had a fetal echocardiogram (sp?) and everything looked great! No heart defects. I had to have my blood glucose test done last week....although my practitioner did not warn me. And, of course a drug rep brought in donuts! Needless to say, I ate a donut at about 9am and then figured I deserved 1/2 of another as something sweet after lunch. Then I proceeded down to the lab only to find out that I had to drink that syrupy, sugar water and then come back in an hour to have my blood drawn. Hopefully, I did not screw up the test. There has been no word yet, so I am assuming that is good news. I will keep you posted! The baby is moving more and more all of the time and my belly button is getting really deformed. Expect some belly pics in the next couple of days (not of the belly button, I will not gross you out with that).

It may be a record more than one post in a week......let's see if I can live up to the challenge!

That's all for now.