Fun With Food!

I know... you're so excited to finally see pictures of Nathan eating!!

For the record, yes, he is eating "real" food. We skipped the baby food/purees/etc, and went straight to table food. And everything he does is self-fed. We don't actually feed him anything - we offer him food, and he decides what to eat and how much. Also known as Baby-led solids or Baby-led weaning! So far, he has had:

Banana - loved it!
Avocado - need to try again now that he has better control
Oatmeal - mostly plays with it
Steamed carrots - loves these!
Artichoke leaves - yum-yum!
Steamed sweet potato and white potato - need to try again
Shredded chicken - yummy!
Peas - we'll keep working on those... his daddy doesn't like them though, so we'll see!
Apple - yum!
applesauce - even better!
Kix and Cheerios - He likes the Kix better, but both are fun for him to eat
Steamed broccoli - need to try again - practice makes perfect!
Pasta - yummy!
Peaches - mmm...
Mango - I'm not sure he ever actually ate the mango, but he was licking the juice off his hands!

He has also tasted lemons and pickles, and gnawed on some celery. It's a fun process watching him learn and practice! And it makes me more conscious about what I prepare for dinner! It also makes me more conscious about what I order when we're eating out, since he loves to help himself to my plate... No more pad thai for mommy :-(


These are pictures from a couple nights ago.

Chicken and Peas

He loved the chicken! The peas... not so much!

Aaahhh....

Perfecting the Pincer grasp

Sleepy boy!

You have no idea how glad I am to finally have a camera!! Still trying to figure out all the settings and such, but loving it!

FINALLY!!!

I have my new camera!! It's going to take some getting used to, since it's bigger than what I'm used to and it has a lot of functions that I don't quite understand yet, but it will be fun to learn!

After much research and comparison shopping, I went with the Sony a200. It is actually the 2008 model, but reveiwers preferred it over the 2009 a230 model. It came highly recommended by some photoraphers that I talked with, and is supposed to be great for beginners!

So here are a few shots from last night...

Nathan wasn't exactly cooperative, but that's okay! We'll have plenty of time to play and get better shots... Maybe on a day when he hasn't had a shot, and he's slept a little better!

If just feels so good to have a camera again, and now I will be able to capture his cute and special moments!

Happy Halloween!

Well... I still don't have my camera that I bought 3 WEEKS AGO!!! I am getting extremely frustrated!

So here are a few pictures from our session at Target a few weeks ago. I hope everyone had a safe (and bountiful) Halloween!

Save The TaTas

Nathan and I did The Race For The Cure this weekend. What an incredible event! The survivor parade always brings tears to my eyes... I hope I am never faced with breast cancer, but if I do, I hope that I can have an ounce of the strength and courage that I have seen in those women!

And as you can see, Nate is very supportive of the cause as well!

And just in case you can't read that... it says "be vewy vewy quiet, I'm hunting ta-tas"

And I have a new addiction... babylegs!! Nate is sporting his first pair here. I can't wait to get him some more! I found some instructions for DIY, which is the route I will probably have to take because my hubby isn't too happy about me spending 12 bucks on those... oops!

Hope everyone has a great week!!

Post 100!!!!

So, this is my 100th post! A little overdue, but better late than never, right?!?!

I've had lots of great stuff to post about, but I felt like I couldn't do it until I updated on Nathan's surgery and our trip to Hawaii. So here goes...

At 5 weeks of age, my sweet boy was hospitalized and had surgery for Pyloric Stenosis. It was very sad and it really sucked. We spent a fabulous 3 days / 2 nights in The Children's Hospital at St. Francis. I do have to say that I was very impressed. The nursing staff was incredible, and Nathan was a trooper. It was so sad to see my little guy with an IV in his head (but not as bad as watching his nonstop vomiting during his ultrasound). And hearing him cry when they pumped his stomach... that wasn't fun either... Now he has a little scar above his stomach which is barely noticeable unless you know it's there. We survived and he was healthy enough to go to Hawaii a few weeks later!

At 8 weeks, Nathan took his very first plane ride, and his 2nd, 2 trips on a ferry, and 3 more plane rides home. We went to Hawaii for my hubby's best friend's wedding in Lanai. Nathan was awesome on the plane (all 5), and everybody just loved him. We spent some time on Lanai and some time on Maui, but mostly just a lot of rest and relaxation!! When we were in Maui, we went to the beach and I stood Nathan in the sand and let the water come up on his feet - he hated it!! Poor little guy was just screaming - I don't know if it was too cold or if it just startled him, but he was not happy! We also went to a Luau which was fun. Nate slept right through it... We really didn't do much else aside from the wedding functions, but it was beautiful out there and it was nice to just take a break!

So there you have it... Not my best post, but now I can move on, guilt free!

Nate's New Trick

We have been propping Nathan up on his Boppy during tummy time to encourage him to lift his head more, and this is what happened last time we did it...

The little stinker actually climbed over it! He really has some strong legs - just like his marathon mama!!

Nathan's Birth

So... I have this nice long detailed story of the day of Nathan's birth but it's at home, which doesn't do me any good while I'm pumping/blogging on my lunch break!

Here are a few photos of the big day to tide y'all over until I can get the whole story up!

Me, probably updating my facebook before all the excitement started

After 2 hours of pushing, and an hour of not pushing(but wanting to), I had to have a c-section

Seeing Nathan for the first time

First family photo!!

Randy taking Nathan to the nursery for his first bath

LOVE this pic!


Finally, some Mommy and Nathan time!

Don't Tell Tom Cruise...

Apparently there is an up-side to being depressed... free meds! I just got home from Walgreen's where I picked up my first prescription of Zoloft - which my insurance company pays for and is "safe" for breastfeeding. That's right... since Nathan was born, I have been suffering postpartum depression - I just wasn't ready to admit it to myself (or anyone else) until earlier this week. So for those of you who were wondering where I've been - I have had no interest in anything - blogging, running, eating... I have really just not felt like myself, and I hate it! I had a long talk with a good friend on Monday and she told me that it was time to talk to my doctor about how I was feeling - but most importantly, that it was okay. Some women bounce back from all of the hormonal changes very easily, and some don't - and apparently I'm in the "don't" group. I knew early on that I didn't feel right, but I thought it was because we were having breastfeeding issues. I kept telling myself that I would feel better once we got the breastfeeding worked out. Nathan was 7 weeks old when we finally got it figured out, and he is now almost 12 weeks and I'm still not feeling better, so I am opting to accept medical help. It will probably take a couple weeks for the meds to start working, but I am looking forward to the day when I can enjoy the things that I used to! So - to all my friends who I have been neglecting - I am SO sorry! It is nothing personal and I'm trying to get it straighted out. Over the next week or so, I will be trying to get everyone caught up on Nathan's birth, surgery, growth progress, vacation, and other happenings, so check back often! I think it will be good for my mental health to get everything out in the open!

I'm headed out the door for some sushi!!!! I haven't had any since before I was pregnant (not "real" sushi, anyway), so this is long overdue! I hope everyone has a great weekend!

Little Nate

It's a Boy!!

Nathan Charles
2:21pm
7lbs 15oz
21 inches

Not sure when I'll get some pictures up, but he is incredible!! I ended up needing a c-section, so my recovery is going to be a little harder, but he is worth every bit of it!

Gonna try to get some rest before LOST starts - will post more later.

Baby Time! (almost...)

Well... I had to go back to the doctor today because my blood pressure was a little higher than usual at my appt on Thursday. Thursday was 122/68 and today was 138/80. I also gained 2 pounds in the last 4 days... but I feel a lot better about my weight gain, now that I know it is mostly fluid retention. So anyway, my doctor feels it will just keep going up, and for the health of me and the baby, I have been put on bed rest until 5am on Wednesday, at which point, I will be induced. I'm feeling a little overwhelmed right now... I thought I would have a little more time to get ready. But it's nice to know that in 2 days I finally get to meet and hold my son or daughter!

Showers and such...

Wow! I have had quite a week... it all kicked off Saturday morning, when I went to a baby shower for my friend Tiffany. She is due about 3 weeks after me. It was fun and nice to get out for a bit! After that, I had a little bit of time to run some errands before going to my baby shower! It was hosted by Randy's sister, Diana, and their sister-in-law, Kathy. I had a great time! The slide show below are pictures from my mother-in-law's camera. I do have others, but I don't have the energy to sort through and organize them all right now, and hers were pretty simple and to the point. Not exactly very flattering pictures, mind you, but you get the point! Since I had already had a busy day, and this shower didn't start until 3, I was pretty swollen which makes me look even big than I am, and the pressure makes my skin red. Pregnancy is fun!!




After the shower, we had dinner out with Randy's family to celebrate his upcoming birthday, his dad's birthday that just passed, and our impending arrival. Dinner was at The Brasserie, which I love! It's a little pricey, and we probably won't ever go there on our own, but when we're being treated to dinner, we certainly won't turn it down! I had a Beef Tenderloin Salad. So yummy! It had mixed greens, tenderloin, grapes, apples, Gorgonzola cheese, and balsamic vinaigrette. Mmm... I'm just making myself hungry thinking about it! And since everyone else was drinking wine, I asked the bartender to make me something fruity (no peach) and alcohol free. I'm not exactly sure what I got, but it was a pomegranate something or other. Also very yummy!

Anyway, I basically left home at 10am on Saturday, and didn't get home until midnight. It was a very long day, and it made Sunday even harder! We got up and went to church (at this point, if we don't show up, people will assume I'm in the hospital and we don't want any rumours floating around!). After that, I headed over to Coach Kathy's house for my running group shower!! Talk about knowing how to throw a party... Chicken Cordon-Blue, stuffed mushrooms, cake, pie, more cake, punch. The food was all incredible! It was so nice to just sit around and catch up on every one's recent and upcoming races!! It sounds like everyone is doing so well with their training! And then, of course, the gifts... that part is always fun too! I don't have pictures yet from that shower but I'm working on it. It's nice to have such awesome friends! I do love all of my gifts, but I have to send a special shout-out to Lisa and Chrissy and for giving me a gift for me and not so much for the baby - they are treating me to a spa treatment of my choice after the baby comes. I thought it was very sweet and thoughtful! My guess it that I will use it for a massage after my first attempt back at running - I have a feeling I'm gonna need it!

The rest of the week has been pretty normal. I'm just feeling more tired than I have been, so by the time I get home from work, I'm ready for dinner, a nap, and then off to bed. Yesterday, I had an appointment with my doctor and she confirmed that things are starting to progress. I have started dilating, and I'm almost at 2cm, and she can feel the baby's head. Now I understand why I have to pee every time I stand up! My weight gain is up to 157. Not too happy about that, but as long as the baby and I are both healthy, I'm not going to stress about it. I know it will come off pretty easily, so it's okay! She is a little concerned though, because my blood pressure is a little higher than it has been. Still in the "normal" range as far as that goes - 122/68, but higher than usual. The blood pressure, combined with the swelling that I've having, are early warning signs of pre-eclampsia. I haven't actually been diagnosed yet, but she wants to keep an eye on it, so I'm going back Monday for a blood pressure check. I guess that is, assuming I make it to Monday! Since we're expecting a big snowstorm this weekend, and Randy's birthday is this weekend, it would be our luck to end up in the hospital! We're hoping he/she holds off until April 2, which was Randy's grandma's b-day (and she lived to be 96!). But we'll take whatever we get and just be thankful for a healthy baby!

Okay, now that I've written a short novel, I should probably get off here. If anything happens, I'll keep y'all updated! For now, I'm just resting as much as can, and taking it easy. But I'm ready to get this pregnancy thing over with and meet my baby!!

Nursery Photos!!!!!!!!!!

I know you've all been on pins and needles waiting for this moment... I finally have pictures of the baby's nursery! Okay, technically I had them a few days ago and have already posted them on my facebook, but I haven't had a chance to do a new blog until now. So without further ado...

Valance - I need a different curtain rod. You can't see it very well in this picture, but this one sags in the middle.

Quilt

See... I told you it sags!

Rug - I love the little whale!!

The cute little rocking chair to left was mine when I was little. Maybe it will bring Randy some "girl" luck!

That's it for now. I have 2 showers this weekend, so I'm sure I'll have lots of pics (and hopefully lots of fun stuff) to share next week! Have a good weekend!!

I Should Have Known!!

If you'll try to remember way back to Christmas, when Randy and I went to Dallas and stayed with his aunt and uncle... (or you can read this post). This is the same family that sent us the Boppy and 2 covers yesterday. So it's pretty safe to say that I'm not surprised that these are the 2 covers they sent...




They are too cute! If I hadn't been so tired, I would have washed them and put the Safari (jungle looking) one on the Boppy last night. The Zoo (blue) one is reversible, which is so fun! I just love getting gifts for the baby!! It's so much fun!!

LOST is on tonight, so I'm not sure if we'll get the curtains up, but we'll see. I'd like to, since I feel like I'm starting to run out of time. Not to mention that I'm in for quite a hectic weekend, with my friend Tiffany's shower, 2 showers of my own, and a birthday dinner for Randy and his dad, but hopefully staying busy will keep my mind off the fact that I'm just so tired of waiting! 25 days.... I can make it... Really...

Crib Pics and "Mystery" Gift

It's a good thing that I don't love my husband for his "handiness". Tools are just not his thing, so he had it in his head that he needed our engineer neighbor to help him put the crib together. And on Saturday, I finally got tired of looking at the unopened box in our nursery. And I opened it...



Turns out, all you need is a screwdriver. It comes with everything else, and it was actually very easy to put together. I was able to most of it by myself, until I got to the end and the center part of the crib needed to be lifted to be screwed on to the front and back. (At which point I had a hormonal breakdown and started bawling uncontrollably - then Randy came to help!) Here is the finished product...



At this point we still needed to get a mattress for it and wash the bedding and whatnot. We went later that afternoon and got the mattress, and then went to dinner with some friends. We got home and I went to bed, and I guess Randy felt bad for not helping me earlier, so he washed all the bedding and put it all together. I was so surprised on Sunday morning! I don't have pictures yet, because I'm still waiting to get the curtains hung, but hopefully we can get to that tonight or tomorrow.

And today, I received another baby gift in the mail! This one is from Randy's aunt and cousin who live in Dallas.



I feel bad for opening the box, but I didn't know it wouldn't be wrapped! I'll still let Randy open the other 2 packages, even though I'm pretty sure they are covers for the Boppy. I will still be surprised as to which covers they are, so that's fun!

Ok - I gotta get out of here and get to my aqua class. It seems like such a waste of a beautiful day to go to the pool, but it feels so good! Maybe I can get Randy to take a walk with me after dinner... Later!

Tipping the Scales

Another exciting visit with the doctor today... This one went much more smoothly than the last! My only problem is their scale! They have one of these types...



... and it must be broken. The bottom slider thingy (that's a highly technical term) goes up in increments of 50, and I've always been on the "100" setting. Today, they had to move it up to 150... 151 and 3/4 to be exact. I was hoping to avoid that, but oh well. It probably doesn't help that since Saturday, I have had an incredible appetite (and room to store it). Guessing maybe the baby has started to drop?? Before Saturday, it only took a few bites before I started getting full. And then BAM we went to Steak & Shake for lunch, and I had a Frisco Melt, an order of cheese fries, a cup of chili, a root beer float, and I still had room for more! I didn't eat any more, but I still had room! A week before that I would have struggled to finish just one of those things. Woohoo!!! I guess this means I can go back to the Extra-long chili cheese coney on my next trip to Sonic!

Anyway, enough talk about food - I'm making myself hungry. I'm headed off to my aqua aerobics class, and then home to take care of my sick hubby. Later!

Bring on the gifts!! **Updated**

I just recieved a gift from someone who can't make it to my shower!! I can't wait to get home tonight and see what it is! I could be mean and open it now, but I really don't want Randy to be left out. My aqua class tonight will not be over soon enough!!

**UPDATE**

And the winner is...



I can't wait to put our baby's hand and foot prints in this awesome frame!

Yippee!!!

I got home last night and found this awesome invitation in my mailbox...



I'm so excited, I can hardly stand it!! It's much cuter without all of the important info blacked out, but since I don't know who reads this blog, I'd prefer to keep our personal info, well... personal.

This shower will be mainly comprised of the women in our families and my long-time girlfriends and coworkers. I'll be having another shower the following day (the 22nd) for my running group. I don't know where Coach Kathy is on that, but if you're interested, be sure to let her know!

So yeah, other than that, nothing too exciting going on. I'm sick, again, thanks to my loving hubby. I definitely don't have it near as bad as he does, but he isn't dealing with all of my pregnancy issues, so it kinda works out. I do feel bad that he isn't feeling well, but he can't expect me to baby him when I feel crappy too!!

A few exciting things coming up, though... I'm going out with the girls Friday night! Woohoo! It's my friend Krista's birthday, and it's a fairly new club, so I'm looking forward to it. I may not make it past dinner... but it will be fun to get dressed up and get out for a bit!

Saturday, our church youth are having their huge annual garage sale. I need to go home and gather up all the stuff I want to donate and take it to the church. Gotta make room for the baby and we just have too much junk! Anyway, the garage sale is a pretty big fundraiser for the youth and they always have a little bit of everything, so check it out! http://www.faithumctulsa.org/

And Sunday, we're starting a new evening service called Vespers. Here's some info...
(click on the picture to make it bigger!)


I guess that's all for now! <3

Doctor Drama...

Yesterday I had yet another prenatal appointment. They are every 2 weeks right now. It's sad that I see my doctor more frequently than I see my friends!

Anyway, up to this point my appointments have been very routine. Sign in, pee in the cup, step on the scale, check my blood pressure, listen to the baby's heartbeat, measure my growth, and then I'm out the door. This is what I was expecting yesterday. My doctor had other plans...

Apparently, near the end of pregnancy, women have to be tested for Group B Strep infection. And I guess my doctor figured that while she was down there, she might as well check my cervix to see if I had started dilating yet. I haven't, which is good since I still have a few weeks until I'm considered full term.

I do understand that near the end of the pregnancy, that there are routine checks down there, but I wasn't prepared for it to happen yesterday - and I figured the strep test was just like every other - in the the throat! It's never fun to go to your doctor and unexpectedly be told to drop your drawers... Especially when you can't see below your belly button and didn't have adequate notice for any type of maintenance. For the other preggos due after me, be forewarned - keep on top of the maintenance!! I know the doctors don't care, and they've seen it all, but still... I would have felt better if I had been given some time to prepare!

So after my poking and prodding, I treated myself to lunch at Queenie's (complete with Banana Caramel Cake for dessert! Yum!!) and headed back to work. I did my best to not think about the appointment and just look forward to the next one. And I was doing pretty good on that until this morning when my doctor's office called. There were some white cells in my urine so they sent it to the lab to be checked. And now they needed me to give them a pharmacy to call in a prescription for my UTI... That's right... I have a UTI. What?!?!? I have NEVER had any issues like this, but apparently its more common in pregnancy. So off I go to get my antibiotics. I picked them up right after lunch and went ahead and took one since they are supposed to be taken with food. About an hour later, I get ANOTHER phone call from the doctor's office. Stop taking those antibiotics, we're calling in a new one. My Group B Strep came back positive! Good grief! I'm glad they caught both now before they caused any problems, but seriously... can't we just have one problem per day????

Catching Up

Hi... My name is Candice and it has been 2 weeks since my last post...

Some of you may remember me as a dedicated runner and blogger! I have to say, days like this really kill me - I would have loved to go for a run this morning. The temp was nice, there was a great breeze, it was nearly perfect! Of course, work must come first - and being almost 34 weeks pregnant doesn't help a whole lot either!
With only 6 weeks left until the baby is due, I figured I'd better get back on track with my blogging since I probably won't have a whole lot of energy for a while after he/she gets here.

On Saturday, we went out to Fuji's for dinner with a group of friends. I did order a couple of sushi rolls (fully cooked, of course...) and then drooled over everyone else's raw choices. I'm not sure what Randy ordered, but it looked similar to a Rainbow roll... I could have killed him!! And all of the bottles of Saki around the table... and the dirty martini's at the table across from us... I do not recommend eating out when you're pregnant! Everybody else gets what you can't have and then rubs it in your face!! Okay, technically, nobody was rubbing anything in my face, but just seeing it all was torture enough.

We ordered/bought our crib on Sunday! Woo hoo! They said it would take 7-14 days, so now we're just waiting for that so we can get that set up and take some pictures of the baby's room.

Monday night we finished our childbirth class. So I guess that means I'm ready, right??? Not so much! Yes, I understand what will happen and I know what to do and everything, but is anybody ever really ready for childbirth?? Anyway, throughout the 4 week class, each of the dad's have had the opportunity to wear the Empathy Belly. (And by opportunity, I mean that they were threatened with bodily harm from their wives if they didn't do it!) So Monday was Randy's turn! Here are some pics...



On Tuesday I did my preadmissions paperwork at the hospital, that way I don't have to spend an hour on paperwork when the "real thing" happens! Then I did a 3 hour breastfeeding class - who knew it was so complicated?!?!? During both the childbirth class and the breastfeeding class, they used some pretty cheesy videos from several years ago. The best was during the breastfeeding class. It was during the segment on pumping at work - this mom goes into a little room and locks the door, pulls out her pump, and then pulls out a picture of her baby. Breastfeeding porn! Seriously, the first thing I thought of was all the TV shows/movies where somebody goes to donate sperm... Again, who knew breastfeeding was so complicated?!?!?

Grr... just got a phone call that my pool class was canceled tonight... how annoying! On the plus side, it means that I get to go by RW tonight and see my people!!! Yay!!!

And on another positive note, I just got a message from Babies R Us that our crib is in!! Woo hoo!!

So anyway, I guess that's enough excitement for today. Later!

Long Overdue...

For a new post, that is!

With my due date looming just 58 days away, I have so many things going on in my head! We started our childbirth classes a couple weeks ago, and that has been good. I have learned a ton already, and we still have 2 more weeks to go. I also saw my doctor today (I'm going every 2 weeks now, so I've been twice since my last post). Everything is still going well. My total weight gain is now up to 30 lbs - YIKES!! I've gained 4 lbs since my last appointment - 2 weeks ago! I was hoping I wouldn't go over 150, but since I'm at 144 with 8 weeks to go, I don't think that is even a possibility. But my doctor isn't concerned about it, and seems to think I'm right on track, so I guess I'll try to let relax!

I still haven't made any progress in the baby's room. I'm thinking about giving up TV for Lent again this year, and maybe that will encourage me to work on getting everything ready. I've decided not to stress about it though. The baby won't care where he or she is sleeping and whether or not the room is perfect. And the baby will still be coming whether I'm ready or not. Of course, having a baby shower would help too! Then I would have stuff to organize and put away! I'll be having 2 in March. One for my running group, and one for everyone else. I'm so excited!!!

I must say, I am REALLY missing my running group. I had to drop back from 3 days a week, to one day a week because it's just too uncomfortable - and because my prenatal aqua aerobics is on the same days that my group meets. I am absolutely loving the aqua class, though! It feels so good! But seeing my friends only once a week is hard! I feel so out of the loop! And pain - good grief. I've run a marathon for crying out loud - 26.2 miles. And sadly, that felt better than last Saturday's 4 mile walk... Special thanks to whoever that runner was that came and picked me and Kathy up on the side of road! I don't think I would have made it back those last 2 miles! I think from now on, my limit is 2 miles! While I'm not looking forward to the cold weather tomorrow, I am looking forward to seeing everyone at the Poker Run! I won't be running, but perhaps I will be a dealer! I'm thinking about bringing a special little friend with me to keep everyone encouraged and motivated - especially since the marathon group will have already run 9 miles before the Poker Run starts!

I'm also looking forward to Valentine's Day! Personally, I think the "holiday" as a whole is pretty lame, but I love finding ways to surprise my husband. His favorite dessert is Chocolate Mousse, so I'm going to make him some. I don't get caught up in wanting flowers, jewelry, chocolate, etc, but I love surprising Randy!!! I am probably one of very few people who really doesn't need presents (for anything - birthday, Christmas, Anniversary, etc) to be happy. As long as you acknowledge the day and spend time with me, I'm good! But I am always on the lookout for the perfect card/gift for others!!

Ok - I'm starting to ramble, so I'm going to get off here. I'll try not to go so long between posts next time! No promises though...


P.S. Does anybody know when I'm going to be able to breathe again?!?!?

Baby Harper Prayer Request

Sorry, guys! I know I promised a new post with awards and such, but when I was reading all my blogs this morning, I got some bad news.

One of the blogs that I read, Kelly's Korner, is about a couple in Arkansas who had been expecting their first child, a baby girl who they had named Harper. Kelly (the mom) went past her due date, and was induced on Friday morning. Baby Harper was born Friday night, but she is having some heart and lung problems and was Life-flighted from Fayetteville to St. Francis here in Tulsa.

For more about Harper's birth and journey since, I suggest starting with this post, Harper's Birthday Part 1, and working your way through the newer posts.

Most importantly, please pray for this family. I can't even imagine what they are going through, but having to do it in another city/state must be even harder.

You can also view Kelly's dad's blog for additional updates - http://fbcflippin.blogspot.com/.

90 Days and counting...

I know I'm a little behind on updates, but there hasn't been much to tell. Work, home, attempt to sleep. That's pretty much all I do. I've also attempted a couple of runs, which haven't gone well, so I've decided to stick to walking. I'm hoping to start some prenatal aqua aerobics this week, which will hopefully help with the sleeping and the random aches and pains I've been having.

Yesterday, I hit the 90 day mark. And I have to admit that I had a bit of a freak-out. There is still so much to do, and so much that I'm not ready for! The fact that my child will be here in 3 months (or less) excites me and terrifies me at the same time. I can't wait to meet/hold my son or daughter for the first time (and find out what the heck it is so we can give it a proper name!), but what if we're not ready??? What if I'm no good at it? What if he/she comes early and we don't have all the necessary gear yet? What if I go into labor at work and my husband doesn't make it to the hospital in time? I have so many things going through my head that I could go on all day... I know everything will work out the way God wants it to, but it would be nice to be in on that plan!

Anyway, enough of that! A bit of good news... Randy's step dad is making some good progress. The link to his website is still at the top of my page, and if you go to the "journal" page, you can see all of the updates that have been posted. He's still not out of the woods just yet, but he is in far better shape than he was a week ago. When he is off sedation, he can wake up and respond to verbal requests to wiggle his fingers/toes, but he can only be off the sedation for short periods because he starts to get anxious and his blood pressure goes through the roof. He also still has too much pressure on his brain, so they are talking about putting in a shunt, and he is having some problems with his breathing so they aren't ready to take him off the ventilator yet. He is definitely making progress, but it seems like for every step forward, there is another step back. We appreciate everyone's thoughts and prayers! This will be a difficult journey for Tom, but on the plus side, he is at the hospital where we will be giving birth, so we're starting to learn our way around!

It's time for lunch, and I'm starving, so I'm off for now. I will post again soon so that I can acknowledge and thank Suzi for the awards she has bestowed upon me, and pass them along to other deserving bloggers! I have so many good ones to choose from, so it should be fun!

So much for optimism...

In a matter of hours on Friday, I went from feeling optimistic about the new year to feeling completely helpless. Friday had been such a great day! I had gone to the doctor and everything was going well, I'd gotten a haircut, and after I got home from work, I had a very nice nap! Randy and I were getting ready to leave the house to go to Chili's for dinner (Christmas gift card!), when a bomb was dropped on us.

Randy's step dad had collapsed at home had been rushed to the hospital in an ambulance. The EMSA tech thought it was a stroke. I had a brief moment of freak-out because my grandfather had a stroke in 2002 and didn't survive. But I needed to be strong for Randy. So I start gathering some books and magazines to take to the hospital with us and as we were getting ready to leave, we received another call. The CT scan revealed that it was a ruptured brain aneurysm and Tom's chances didn't look good. We left home fully expecting to arrive at the hospital to say goodbye. However, the pain medication that he had been for the headaches he was having (which he thought were due to a pinched nerve), had luckily not thinned his blood out. The doctors were able to drain the spinal fluid off of his brain Friday night, and then Saturday morning they performed an angiogram to find the bleed, and put in some coils to stop it.

Tom is currently in a coma, but he has remained stable and is making some progress. The next week will be critical because he will likely start to experience vasospasms, and he is also likely to develop pneumonia. The doctor said that on a scale of 1 to 5 (with one being the best) Tom was at a 5.

Please keep Tom, and the rest of Randy's family in your prayers, as this may be a difficult journey.

A family friend has set up a website for updates on Tom's recovery. I have put a link at the top of my blog, if anyone is interested.


Thanks!!

Happy New Year!!

It's the start of a new year, and I'm feeling optimistic. This year has lots of good stuff in store! First and foremost, the birth of our first child - due April 12 - Easter! A few weeks after that (if all goes well) we'll be heading to Hawaii (with Baby in tow) for my hubby's best friend's wedding at the end of May. I've never been to Hawaii, so I can't wait! Hopefully, by the time we get home from Hawaii (or shortly thereafter), I will be cleared by my doctor to start running again, and I will begin training for a fall marathon (preferably Greece in November) and a 50K (Sunmart in December). I don't make resolutions, but I do make goals!

My short term goal, for the next couple of months is to get the baby's room ready. I bought some more stuff today, and I think the room will be so cute! I just have to muster enough energy to actually do it! The room was already painted a yellowish color when we bought the house, and I think it will go pretty well with the bedding we bought, so at least we won't have to paint!

In other baby news, I had an appointment today. Nothing special - just checking the baby's growth and heart beat. So far, so good! We scheduled my one-hour glucose test which will be in 2 weeks, and then my next appointment 2 weeks after that - on Groundhog Day! I'm hoping for an early spring - winter is not fun! So far, I've gained 20 lbs since my first appointment on 9/4 (which puts me at a grand total of... 134!). I should be gaining about a pound a week at this point, and if everything goes according to plan, I won't go over 150. For most of my life I struggled to be over 100 - so 150 seems crazy to me, but as long as the baby and I are both healthy, I'm not too worried about it.

So that's about all the excitement I have going on for now. Here are some pics from my last days of 2008.

Me and Randy with his cousins in Dallas.


Me, waiting patiently:
A) to open presents
B) to take a nap
C) to go home
D) for the baby to come
E) all of the above!



Me and Randy getting ready to open presents.



Mom, Randy, and Me at Race Into the New Year

While I did have to twist Randy's arm to get him to come, I DID NOT inflict the damage that required the sling. And to top it off, my non-runner husband pulled off a 30:17 5K. It took me several months of training to do that - and he did it with no training/practice at all! I did manage to be under an hour with a 48:44, which is sad compared to my PR of 27:15. But this was my first time racing for two, so I'm not too worried about it.

Special thanks to Roman for keeping me company and keeping me entertained during the run!


And yes, I did shamelessly steal the last 2 pics from the RunnersWorld blog! You should check it out!!