Fruit Fetish

Maggie has been obsessed with bananas for a long time - she can hear you peel a banana from 3 rooms away and she'll come running hoping for a slice. Now our fruit loving dog has found a new favorite - apples. Last week I let her eat the last few bites of my apple and boy was she a happy camper. Tonight I gave her round 2 and she loved it just as much!

Sorry about the picture quality. A video camera is on our list of items to buy before Fletch's arrival, as obviously my regular camera doesn't quite cut it.

Mia & Lily

Here are some recent pictures of our two youngest nieces, as promised. I watched Mia & Lily the other night for an hour or two, and they looked adorable in their matching sweaters, so I had to take advantage of the photo op. Unfortunately, my camera's shutter is not made for capturing an almost 3 year old and a 6 month old. Therefore, Mia's making goofy faces and Lily's not really smiling. Oh well, at least you get the idea of how darn cute they are!!

A Real Bedroom

Well, it took 1 year and 4 months in the new house, but we finally have a real spare bedroom!! We painted the 3rd bedroom Friday night in a cool dark slate color, and yesterday I got the bed moved in and everything all set up. It looks great! We're ready for visitors....Kelly? Alison? Kory & Caron?This means that the nursery-to-be is finally empty so now it's time to start figuring out what we're going to do in there. Can't wait!!

Ultrasound #3b

I went back to the doctor Thursday and all is still well. He did a more skilled ultrasound. I heard the heartbeat again, which was 158 this time (still a "chick's heartbeat" according to my doctor). He printed off some good pictures for me too - definitely looking more and more like a baby!! I didn't eat candy before I went this time, so Fletch was much more mellow.

This one is cool because you can see Fletch's spine and ribs:

The next 2 are the 3D ones. This one is the profile of Fletch's head, and you can see the skinny little body and skinny little arms:This one is a 3D one from behind with the baby looking to the right- you can see Fletch's spine again:
I got a blood test done which will tell us if Fletch has Down Syndrome or Spinal Bifida. I should find out the results early next week and will keep you posted.

I also got my belly measured for the first time. It measured at 15" or 15.5", which is apparently right on schedule, as you should be about 1" per week and I'm 15 weeks along. When I'm not dressed, I now have a very visible baby bump, but unfortunately when I have winter clothes on, it just looks like I'm a little thick in the middle. :(

My big ultrasound, where they do all kinds of tests and measurements to make sure everything is normal is scheduled for March 16th. Looking forward to it!

Funny Mia

Had to get back online to tell a funny Mia story. All of Jason's family was over earlier tonight and Mia wrote on one of our Wii remotes with a pen. Not a big issue, but to teach her right from wrong Cyndi told her she needed to tell Jason and me she was sorry. Well, she was all upset and refused to apologize, so off to time out she went. She had to stay there until she was ready to say sorry. A few minutes later, she comes back and gives me a big hug. After a few minutes, I said "do you have something you want to say?" And she said, in the most pathetic almost 3 year-old voice she could muster, "I can't because I'm sick." Like she magically just lost her voice and was no longer capable of saying she was sorry.

I mean, how do you keep a straight face when they do stuff like that?!? What a riot.

I meant to take some pictures of the kiddos tonight because it occurred to me that I haven't posted pics of them in awhile, but of course forgot. Next time, I promise!

Ultrasound #3a

Well, we had a doctor's visit today and it went well. I'm 14.5 weeks along, and I have gained 3 pounds, which they say is good (I'll take their word for it). However, right after we got there my doctor got called to deliver a baby and had to leave - I know, can't believe that's more important than my check-up. :)

The nurse practitioners came in and said "we're going to try to do your ultrasound!" Funny stuff. They are certainly not experts, but we were able to see the healthy beating heart. The baby has gotten MUCH larger since the last time we saw him/her. AND the candy I ate before I went there apparently had an effect because the baby was bouncing all around. It was adorable, he/she was sitting Indian style, then would bounce up and down on his/her bum and then straighten his/her legs. It was amazing to watch! They say I should start feeling that in a few weeks.

No pictures yet since it was an amateur version of an ultrasound, but I'm going back to see the doctor Thursday so hopefully I'll get some then.

Because we are not finding out the sex of the baby, and because I don't want to refer to my child as an "it" but it is a royal pain to talk about him/her in both sexes as in the paragraph above, our baby will henceforth be known as "Fletch." Until birth, that is, then Fletch will be granted a real name.

In other news, my neighbor who is almost 20 weeks along found out yesterday she's having a boy!! Fun times!

Bella Band

Today I tried out my latest pregnancy purchase, as recommended by Lisa as a must-have: the Bella Band. Today my work pants didn't button comfortably, so I put on the band and off I went to work with my pants inconspicuously unbuttoned.

My belly is definitely growing, but I still think I look bigger than others actually think I do. I feel like this is me:

Pretty Todd

My brother-in-law is a District Manager for Jiffy Lube. They are currently doing a promotion to support the American Heart Association, and as part of that promotion all of the men at one of Todd's stores wore red dresses on Friday. What a site for sore eyes! They made the news, though I'm not sure that's the way Todd wanted to make his celebrity debut. Todd is the 4th one from the left in the picture above - pretty, huh? Here's the link to the news story:
http://www.ksdk.com/news/local/story.aspx?storyid=166778
He's also the one on the left in the picture at this link. We're so proud. :)

Pregnant People Everywhere!

This is a great time for me to be pregnant. My best friend Alison in New York is due 2 days before me, and Jason's best friend's wife Melissa (and also a very close friend of mine) who lives a stone's throw away is due May 1. I have three other close friends that are due in July, August and probably October (that's a new development). I also have four ex-coworkers who are pregnant as well as three friends of friends. Crazy - something's in the water around here!

It has been really great to compare notes to everyone though - it makes these obnoxious headaches I'm having seem somehow more bearable when I find out my friends are having them too.