Updates and Random Stuff

Time is just flying by and I apologize for not writing sooner. Hard to believe it's been 2 weeks since our trip to NYC!

Katelyn and I have been busy doing our thing and I find myself really treasuring our time together and wanting to make the most of it before the baby arrives. I took her to Sea World today and we really had so much fun together. I have to say she was an angel child...absolutely no problems getting in the stroller, leaving an attraction, waiting for a show to start, etc. See if every day could be like this, life would be perfect :-) While we were watching the dolphin show (yes, the same dolphin show we see EVERY time with her hero Marina the dolphin trainer), she reached over and held my hand and leaned against my shoulder. So sweet!! Other than Sea World, we have our weekly routine...Mondays are MOPS days, Tuesdays are errands together, Wednesdays are preschool (expect today, she missed school because there has been a case of Fifth's Disease in her class and I have to be v. careful about my exposure while pregnant as I am not immune), Thursdays are playdates with her best buddy DJ, and Fridays are Library days. It helps the week pass by quickly. I have a friend who has a similiar routine with her 4 yr. old and just had another baby a month ago. She keeps the same routine and the baby comes along, ususally sleeping in her stroller. I'm hoping we can keep it up after my recovery from the c/section.

Katelyn is going through a pirate stage. We hear "ARRRGGHHH!!!" a lot now in this house! She finds books about pirates, pirate-shaped snacks, etc. Bryan also taught her a great joke: What is a pirate's favorite letter?
RRRRRRRR....
So, K likes to tell that one! She also likes to dress up like a pirate, but this usually includes high heels, beads, sunglasses, and a magic wand. A very confused pirate!!

She also loves to make up songs. Most of you are familiar with the chicken nugget song, barnes and noble song, and an ode to IKEA. Last weekend, we were driving home from Tampa and heard her making up a new song. Barney sings a song about manners that goes, "Please and Thank you, those are the magic words." Well, she changed the words to "No and time-out, those are not the magic words" and we were cracking up.

And on the baby front, I had another dr. appt. since I wrote. I am now 26 weeks and everything is going well. The baby continues to be VERY active (which I love!! Yes, even when it wakes me at 5:45 am on the weekends) and even kicked the nurse when she placed the heartbeat monitor on my belly. Someone told me if the baby cooperates during the heartbeat check, it's a girl. Well, this one has been a pistol EVERY time!! It will be interesting to see if this baby is a boy. The heartbeat has jumped back up to 147 and I'm measuring right on time. When I vented to my dr. about my extreme boob growth (I've gone up 3 cup sizes in my second trimester and am now a 38F bra, about to get into a 38G!!), she looked at me and said, "Well, you do look top-heavy. You could gain 5 lbs in each boob!" WHAT???!!! I'm pretty sure she was joking about the 10lb gain in the boobs alone, or at least I hope so!! It's so hard to find maternity shirts that fit right, bathing suits that are not obscene, and to top it off...they hurt!! This may be TMI, but they're lumpy, tender, and just so heavy. I'm hoping this will be a good sign and mean I have a sufficient milk supply this time around. Other than the boobs, I've been pretty comfortable and although it's starting to decrease a little, my energy has been good. Hard to believe in a week, I'll be in my third trimester!! Oh, and if anyone has a good heartburn cure, please pass it on!!

That's all for now!!

Weekend in New York City

My sisters, Mom, and I spent the weekend in NYC to celebrate Michelle's 30th birthday and have an early bachelorette party (I'm only allowed to travel for a few more weeks and Jenny is moving to Colorado this summer, so this is the only weekend we could all get together before the wedding). We left from Tampa on Friday morning and had a direct flight to NYC...soooo nice to sit and enjoy the flight without a restless, noisy Katelyn (she stayed behind with my dad on Friday, then Bryan picked her up for their weekend of fun...orange/blue game in Gainesville, Sea World on Sunday). Mom surprised us with a limo ride from LaGuardia to our hotel in Times Square...nice way to travel!! We did have a nutty limo driver, reminded me of "Big Pussy" from The Sopranos. We took us through lots of back roads in Queens, before crossing the bridge into Manhattan. After some confusion on where our hotel was located, we found the Courtyard Marriot and checked in. What a cute hotel...small and quiet with super comfortable beds and a free coffee/tea machine in the lobby (we took advantage of that machine!!). After checking in, we walked a few blocks to Grand Central Station and met mom's friend Dorothy, who works inside GC. This train station was very busy, but beautiful!! Looks like a museum inside and it's soooo clean. Dorothy, took us up an escalator to a little italian restaurant and it was delicious!! They also had the best deal going...appetizer, dinner, and dessert for $15.50!! I'll take that. And like I said, the food was awesome. Dorothy took us on a tour of Grand Central after dinner and you wouldn't believe all the hidden treasures inside this train station...a huge marketplace with fresh meats, desserts, cheeses, spices, etc. and a train museum. Very impressive!! From there, we walked to Rockefeller Center, then back to Times Square for a drink at a very trendy bar and popped in a few shops. The amount of people in Times Square amazed me. At times, you can barely move or cross a street. Ali and Jenny went off to a late-night comedy show, while Michelle, Mom, and I went back to the hotel. So tired!

Next morning, we were up and showered early (only took the 5 of us an hour and a half to get showered and dressed) and walked to a great breakfast diner, "The Red Flame," recommended by the hotel concierge. Food was good, quick, and cheap!! As we were waiting for theater tickets (saw "Cry Baby" based on the Johnny Depp movie a few years ago), Mario Lopez (AKA "Slater") walked by. He is tiny!! So short! That was our celebrity sighting! We took a double-decker bus ride through downtown NYC, stopping at SOHO to do some shopping and Central Park for drinks at Tavern on the Green. We had dinner at John's Pizza then to the theater to see Cry Baby (my review...just okay. Granted, they were still just "previewing' the musical, so it's a little rough, but the production was small and reminded us of a high school musical).

Sunday, we had a few hours before catching our flight home, so it was back to Red Flame for b-fast, then back on the bus to hit spots we missed yesterday (Greenwich Village and Ground Zero). It was a wonderful trip and so nice to get away.

Happy Easter!

We hope you had a wonderful Easter.

With my folks in Germany on a river cruise, we had a "no parents allowed" Easter dinner at my sister Michelle's home in South Tampa with my sisters. We all brought different dishes and enjoyed a nice afternoon together. Katelyn selected her own Easter dress this year and we found a sweet Easter bonnet that she actually wore on and off throughout the day. On Easter morning, she was a little disappointed there was no live bunny in her basket (guess we weren't clear enough on the whole Easter bunny thing...), but enjoyed the gifts in her basket. The highlight for her was hunting for Easter Eggs in Michelle's condo. I was very proud of her behavior all day, especially while we sat around the table and ate and chatted. She entertained herself with toys and sat with Ali for ages, never bothering us. Nice to be able to enjoy the day!!

21 Weeks Along :-)

More than halfway through this pregnancy...wow!! Actually, I feel like time is crawling, but now that we're barely over the halfway mark, I'm glad for the time. I feel like we have soooo much to do converting our guest bedroom/playroom into a nursery, getting the baby clothes/supplies down from the attic, setting them up, cleaning them, etc. Bryan doesn't seem to be in much in a hurry and when I buy a little something we need for the baby (so far just bibs and a pack of lap pads), he does get a little irritated. I can't help it...guess it's a mom thing to get things ready and organized.

We FINALLY took a picture of me pregnant at 21 weeks (I feel huge) and this is the only pic we have of my belly. I'll try to do a better job of remembering to take pictures more often as my body changes.

Speaking of body changes....I should change my name to Dolly Parton!! Dear Lord!! My boobs only went up one size when I was pregnant with K, but this time around it's ridiculous!! I just bought a nice new bra at Kohl's (size 38DD...up from 36D...gulp) and already that bra no longer fits. I don't even know where to buy the huge ones. I think I'm a 38E right now!!! And I'm only at the halfway mark. They might have their own zip code in July when I enter the hospital.

All went well at my dr. visit this week. Baby was extremely active and difficult to get a good read on the heartrate. The nurse had to keep chasing it and eventually just settled on 137, as it kept fluctuating. We are on target for a July 30 due date, based on the measurement of my belly. Good visit :-)

Funny Comment from Katelyn

I had to write this down and share it before I forget..
Yesterday, Katelyn was talking to my belly (about a week ago, she leaned down and said, "Hi Baby," and the baby kicked. I told her it kicked and she said, "mommy, that is not very nice!"). She looked at my belly button and told me that is where the baby will come out. Then very sweetly told me, "it will hurt a little bit, but we'll put a band-aid on it!!"
If only it would be that easy...

Surprise Trip to Sea World!!

Sea World is one of the best parks we've ever been to. We received free passes about 2 years ago and have been hooked since. They have a great deal where you can pay for one day and come back all year, no blackout dates (unlike Disney!). Well, we decided to renew our annual passes and Katelyn has been begging to go back. I woke her up yesterday morning and surprised her with the news that we were going to Sea World that day. You should've seen her face!! She was so excited! Her mind started racing and she started listing everything she wants to do once we get there. First thing on her list (as always), is a trip to the dolphin show. This show is amazing and there is a female trainer called "Marina" who is featured in the show. K is just so taken with her. We hear about Marina often and this trip we were able to meet Marina after the show and get K's picture taken with her. To put it in perspective, it's like me getting my picture taken with Bono. She was thrilled!! And sweet Marina took her time with Katelyn and talked to her a bit. We might have a future dolphin trainer on our hands...

Now that we have our passes, we'll be going often. I'm looking forward to the spring break crowds to leave at the end of the month. I have to admit, I'm slowing down now and can't keep up Katelyn's pace all day. My feet really swelled by the end of the day and I was exhausted when I came home that afternoon. A big benefit to having an annual pass is not feeling like you have to stay all day and a few hours at the park is plenty. Sea World, here we come :-)

Ultrasound :-)

A big sigh of relief....all is well with our baby! We had our 20 wk. ultrasound today at Winnie Palmer Hospital (has to be the most awesome hospital...totally dedicated to pregnant women and babies and is very new). Our baby is now 11oz and 8 in. long and everything looks good (they look at everything...internal brain structure, fingers and toes, kidneys, the cord, heart, spine). The ultrasound took about 20 min and most of that time was spent trying to get the baby to cooperate. We had to get a good look at the 4 chambers of the heart and the baby was curled up, facing away from us. After lots of poking, tapping, and pressure, the baby finally flipped and we could clearly see the 4 chambers. It was very quiet in the room until we got a good view, even got a little tense. What a relief to see everything is okay :-)