Back to the grind

It has been a busy few weeks!  Mary Rose has been changing a lot since consuming a dairy-free diet and reaching 3 months yesterday.  She has few days with gassy belly pain and lots of playtime, especially in the mornings.  She is trying hard to sit-up, touching her toys, almost laughing and gaining weight fast (she is over 10 and a half pounds).  She is still a very light sleeper and often wakes up when we put her down.  She still wakes every 2-3 hours at night and is a mess when she is over tired.  This week, we start cloth diapers (Fuzzibunz one-sized) and I realized how much the diapers will affect her clothing options.  The cloth diapers are puffier than disposable, so she will wear bigger clothing on cloth diaper days.  She is also going to her babysitter's house this week, for the first time, and spending her first big chunk of time alone with Brian while I work Saturday morning.  We even have a double date Sat. with two babysitters for the babies, so hopefully it will go well.

Brian took his last work trip for the season at the end of October.  He started in New Orleans, where he ate at Emeril's new restaurant, and stopped in Baton Rouge before flying to Texas.  He was able to visit friends while working in San Antonio and Austin, then stayed with his Grandma Pruitt in "the valley" of south Texas.  Instead of staying home with the baby and no help, I took Mary to my parents' house in Minnesota.  I was nervous about traveling with her and flying alone.  She played and napped as we drove to Boston.  We stopped at friends' for feeding and a break and she fussed as we left Brian and went through security.  I put her in the Bjorn and she slept/fed until we got off the plane!  She also did well on the way home, plus we were lucky to have my mom fly back with us.  My parents were thrilled to take care of her while I tried to get some sleep, and I was able to see most of my friends (and some of their babies).  We took her to the Mall of America, so I could get clothes.  My mom found her dresses while I met friends at the zoo (Mary Rose slept the whole time!)  It seemed to go so fast and I did not get through sorting enough old keepsakes.  I even saw a lot of my brother, who seems to enjoy his niece.  My fun excursion was to a concert (thanks to Tim's girlfriend) by One Republic and Maroon 5 with old friends.
My mom took care of the baby while I returned to work last week (I only do 2 days, but they are long, as I drive 30 miles.)  I was worried when I realized that I left my breast-pump plug at home, but I was able to use my PNP student's battery (it did not work well, but helped.)  I felt like a poor preceptor, as I struggle to keep my patient visits and noted organized and take forever to pump.  Oh, well, it will come to me with time.  I am more nervous about this week, driving to work with Mary Rose and having her with the nanny. 
For Halloween, we put our baby in a hot dog outfit for a baby party (and mass.)  It was neat to have trick-or-treaters for the first time, but hard to keep away from the candy (contains milk.) 
Brian has been a little frustrated without cable lately, as it has been harder for him to follow TCU football, which is currently among the top 5 college teams.  He was able to watch the last game at another alum's house, 30 minutes away, and celebrated a landslide victory.  I still enjoy Netflix, where I watched Father's Little Dividend (much like our life,) Holiday (witty,) and have not finished I Confess. 

Brrrrrr!

It has gotten cold out!  This is making Mary Rose's clothing issue even harder, as she needs to layer pieces.  She is finally starting to gain a little weight, though, since I have been off dairy.  She is over 9.5 pounds.  She has a lot more "happy time" and less painful screaming.  I think there are a few foods affecting her that I haven't identified, yet, but they seem to affect her tummy less frequently than before I went dairy-free.  She can clear a room when she passes gas, though!  It is great to see her smile so much, but a pain for me to check everything I eat.  So far, I have been very strict, avoiding foods that contain any milk or butter, and will test products slowly.  This limits my breads and granola bars, excludes bake goods and has me cooking with special margarine and soy cheese (ick).  Rice cream is not so bad, and may be better with chocolate (I have been off it 2.5 weeks and am ready to try it again).  Anyway, Mary Rose is getting great head control.  We found a grandmother who lives near my clinic to watch Mary the days I will be at work.  This will be great, as it is personal (she will be the only child there) and flexible, plus, I can pop over to nurse her at lunch!
We have had a TON of rain this month and a few frosts.  The rain brought down most of the leaves before the peak of the colors and washed most of the local pumpkin crop into the Connecticut river!  It is hard for me to remeber that Brian is not used to raking, as Houston does not have "fall" and his other residences were rentals.  I am sure it will keep us busy!
I have been trying out some fitness classes and gyms to get some tone and endurance back (and hopefully to fit back into a few of my old pants).  I tried Zumba, which is very aerobic.  I liked the salsa and meringe components, but prefer a dance class.  I hope to join the Dartmouth gym next month.  Brian is finally altering his suits to accommodate the weight he lost when we moved to New England. 
Brian spent this week traveling for work, the longest he has been away since he became a father.  He starting in Monterrey, where he was able to see the hotel where his great-grandfather had worked.  He spent the second half in Houston and spent time with his family.  I was grateful to have my mother visit during this time, so I could get a break, some sleep, and run errands.  She even cleaned and cooked (with meals to freeze, too).  It will seem quiet next week, without her, but I will be traveling to Minnesota the week afterwords.  I am going home while Brian travels Texas for another week. 

We have a baby Halloween party to attend, and have found a great costume for our baby.  However, she is so tall that we will have to let out the bottom seams or buy a new one!

Tummy Troubles

Mary Rose continues with severe gas problems that keep her from sleeping and cause her to cry out in pain.  We are finding ways to calm her and help her fall back asleep after waking from pain, but it is agonizing that we cannot take her pain away.  I tried to changing my diet by excluding dairy, nuts and chocolate and after a week, things seemed worse!  I know it takes two weeks to get the proteins out of my system and hers, though.  I called a lactation consultant, who thought I may have an abundance of foremilk (the milk that comes out in the first 2 minutes of nursing is sweet and low-fat).  So, I started nursing her on one side per feed and there was a dramatic difference!  So, I went back on all the foods I had eliminated.   That was a mistake, I think, as her improvement only lasted 3 or 4 days.  Last week I went off dairy and chocolate again; I do suspect dairy is the culprit, even if her doctor doubts that it is the cause.  I am also trying to avoid foods that say contain milk on the ingredient list, like some breads, fig newtons, etc.  That is hard, but better than avoiding wheat or soy.  She had a bottle of part breastmilk part formula on Sunday and she was much worse, which would fit with a dairy intolerance.  She is happy for a short period in the mornings, when I get to see her smile, coo, and gain head control.  She is big enough for the Bjorn carrier and sleeps in it if I stay in motion, so that is a great help in getting us out of the house.  I have been attending a new mom's group in town and it is great to have a social event and talk with other moms.  She is long and skinny (75% length and 10% weight) so we have a hard time finding clothes that fit her, now that she needs her legs covered with the cooler weather.  She wears a few newborn things still, because she is not wide enough for many of her 0-3 month outfits!  Brian thinks her size makes her more cute.
Brian had his first work trip last week to new destinations - Halifax and Toronto.  It was weird to have him in a time zone 1 hour later than eastern!  He did not take advantage of sleeping a long time while he was away.  I had a hard time while he was gone, as she is so hard to put down, but we did have the help of 2 or 3 friends.  Brian has two more trips, each a week long.  I will have my mom here next week to help me while he is in Mexico and Houston.  I know he must really miss Mary Rose while he is gone.
I was away from Mary for almost 2 hours last weekend, while Brian and I went out for a celebratory dinner in my 30th birthday.  I don't really feel like 30, more like 28.  Maybe I feel like I missed the last few months.  We went on a long hike on my birthday, Mary Rose's first, and had people over for drinks and cupcakes.  Our social scene is changing as more babies are born into our group of friends.

I am starting to think more about work, as I return in 3 1/2 weeks.  I am not looking forward to it, partly because I have not had peaceful or fun time with the baby, yet.  I had hoped to be taking her places, getting more done around the house, enjoying her development.  But, at least I feel like I am able to comfort her more than daycare.  I am still working out child care for my two days of work; I am on numerous wait lists.  Many places do not take infants or part-time children, and I need two specific days.  I have a lead on an older woman who lives near work looking to care for one child, so I will meet with her soon.  It would mean driving 35-40 minutes with her each way in the winter (the woman could come here when the weather is good), but I could try to breastfeed at lunch.  I am still not interested in work, though, as I see the email updates and don't really care.  Oh, well, it will be good for me.

It's a Girl!!!

As many of you know, Brian and I are proud parents of a beautiful little daughter.  Mary Rose was born on Saturday, Aug 7th, weighing 6 lbs 9.5 oz and 18.75 inches in length.  I started feeling some cramps in the late morning that day, which became more intense and regular as we ran errands.  By noon, I was in bed trying to rest (and feeling nauseous) and we left for the hospital at 5:30.  The pain was all in my back and the contractions frequent by that point, as I was pretty dehydrated.  After the nurses struggled to get an IV into me, I felt so much better.  She still needed help turning her head face-down as I was pushing (that was causing the back pain).  She was born at 9:10 pm and we were in such shock that we almost forgot to check her gender (Brian did not count her toes until a week later)!  The hospital time was a whirlwind, and it was great to have people giving you fresh clothing and food while there.  The emotions overcame us when we brought her home and felt the awesomeness of our new family.  Brian was just accepting that he had a daughter (he was convinced we would have a boy).  It was hard not to stare at her all the time in that first week!  She slept a lot, but was also a slow and poor nurser.  She has a high arch to her palate and does not open her mouth wide, so breastfeeding is not optimal.  Grandma Dougherty visited for 2 days after Mary Rose's first week, and we loved getting some help with food, chores, and fussy times.  She is not gaining weigh at the preferred rate and stayed jaundice for a long time, so we had to do some fancy supplementing of the breastmilk and had a lot of doctor visits the first 3 weeks.  She also had not been able to complet the hearing test until the 3rd attempt, as her ears are small.  She is having some difficulty with belly; her stomach does not seem coordinated, she has a lot of reflux, and she has pain with her noisy digestion.  Hopefully, she will outgrow these things (part of it may be from her poor latch onto me to eat).  I have been racking my brain to eliminate things in my diet which may upset her stomach or give her gas.
Brian and I had our families out to visit and help us with Mary Rose's baptism.  It was a bit hectic having people around for 2 weeks, but we did not have to cook or clean, and the baby always had hands to hold her (she does not stay asleep on her back).  Brian and I met at a gathering at the house of Father Richard Gross, who was able to preside at our wedding, and we were able to have him celebrate the baptism.  It was great to have friends and family show their support to her.  We have been overwhelmed by the generosity of others during this time; I have yet to buy her any clothing!  My mom's assistance also helped me get to a lovely baby shower at my clinic.

Having help around last weekend, we were able to have the new grandpas complete a lot of house projects - shoe molding in the dining room (there was a crack along the floor), re-staining the front steps, fixing doors and even helping us with our wills.  Now we can focus on some fall maintenance, like the endless raking!
While Mary Rose is our primary entertainment, we did sign up for netflix and would appreciate recommendations.  I am able to watch some things in snip-its while I nurse.  We also got a web-cam for Skype, so we can keep our families up to date on her smiles and skills.

                                  August 17 - 40 weeks

9

36 weeks - July 22

Baby Estrada is already in the 9th month of growth and I am over now 25% more Kate!  We are starting to get more prepared for birth, with a carseat, half-packed beg, and discussions about labor in birthing class.  The birthing videos make the men cringe!  I am doubting that I will go past my due date; at my midwifery visit last week I surprised the provider.  The baby is definitely in place between my hip and my body had already progressed through some of the early labor stage.  Plus, the Midwife did not think I would have a large baby, but ours was bigger than average already!  This week at work, I was holding a baby that weighed under 4 pounds, and it was strange to realize that the baby inside of me is bigger than that!  Physically, it has become harder, with the baby compressing my sciatica nerve (it has no room in there) and my feet are always too swollen to bend.  The swelling makes activity and work hard, but I have been trying prenatal yoga.  The first week of August sounds like a great time for the baby to see the world.
We have nearly finished the furniture for the nursery and are ready to look for a gliding chair.  We purchased patio furniture and can't wait to eat on our deck!  I am trying to figure out when my corn is ready in my garden, while the peas are starting to dry out.  We have even had a handful of raspberries grow (but I still went picking at the local farm to get MUCH more).  I am having some trouble cleaning, due to the bending, but have more to do, as I keep dropping and breaking dished and jars.
We had a wonderful time this month with friends from Boston and Nashville when we rented a cottage at a lake near our house.  We had great BBQ food, beach and kayak time (the water was soooo nice on my sore body), reading, and card games.  It was a great get-away weekend, nice and close to the hospital.
I have had a long week of work and am looking forward to putting my feet up a bit more in the last 3 weeks of work.  I am still trying to figure out my schedule for returning; the daycare I love is not likely to have an opening on Mondays.  Brian is still working very hard on school projects, and has a big work weekend at the end of the month.  I know he has a list of activities and projects that he would like to get through before the baby is born, and I have to remind him that the baby could come anytime!

Fireworks make my belly dance

Apparently, the sound of fireworks makes the baby move a lot!  They baby is getting into longer sleep/wake cycles now that we are getting close to birth (6 weeks until the due date).  My weight is still on track but the baby is so big it is hard to bend over.  The baby also has a new habit of pressing the head into my bladder muscle and giving me a sharp pain.  Also, non of my shoes fit with the heat; my ankles swell huge!  We have started childbirth classes this week and it was good to have Brian hold a bag equal to my weight gain.  I have tried a prenatal yoga class (and needed help, as I was furthest along).  Brian's friend, Lucas, put together our crib while we worked!  It is so nice to have done, and my boss lent us a crib mattress.  We also picked up a dresser at a yard sale hat I have to repaint.

As we continue to put up decor in the first floor, Brian and I had an exhausting fight with a floating shelving unit.  It looked really nice in the box, but was a poor design and caused far too much frustration.  We finally covered the crack in the floor in the nursery and hung shades, so I think we are finally done with the big house projects to cover this summer.  My garden is completely out of control and the raspberry bushed have produced 2 delicious berries, but the plants and yard are drying up in the heat.  I wonder if we will ever finish putting up photos and small things.
Brian and I went to an really old-fashioned town celebration and saw our first oxen pull.  After seeing the teaming in their yokes, it makes you appreciate being able to bend your head without dragging your partner down.  Brian's friend was in town over the Holiday week, and we enjoyed firework in our town and another.  I have spent most of a week living out of the bedroom, where we put in a window air conditioner, trying to get through the record breaking heat wave.  Work is no better than home, with just a few window units to cool the clinic.  That is better than Brian's 3rd floor office with little air flow.  I don't think anyone was very productive this week, and next week looks marginally better.  It did cool off Friday evening and Saturday, which helped us in celebrating 30th birthdays.  Brian turned 30 on a wet Saturday and we went to his favorite coffee shop to try the PB and bacon sandwich (too fatty for my taste) and lunch with friends at the local Harpoon brewery.  It was a bit funny to have 3 pregnant moms at a brewery, but it was enjoyable.  We even went bowling and plan to golf tonight (in the tradition of Dougherty mens' birthdays).  I guess 30 may be an easier milestone to accept when you have some accomplishments under your belt and have new roles like homeowner and father.
Brian is trying to get ahead in his summer classes while I am trying to nail down daycare.  I found one I like between home and work, and hope they will have an opening in the fall.  It is hard to plan my schedule at work with that as an unknown, but things will work out.

8 months!

         32 weeks - June 24

Vacation, all I ever wanted!

My belly seems so tight most days, I wonder how my body can continue to accommodate a growing baby!  I am really feeling the extra weight, as my feel are always sore and swell in the heat.  I cannot bend very well any more.  I am getting better at identifying the baby's position and what he/she is moving.  Brian cannot believe the strength of some of the movements!  I think the baby has had hiccups a few times this week, with a long pattern of rhythmic movements from the head.  Brian has kept me entertained with several silly statements lately, like "you are excited about kites because of your condition."  I didn't know lite-watching was enhanced by pregnancy!  The crib arrived this week, but we still need to get a dresser (there is no closet) and a car seat.  I really want a glider chair, rug and shades, too.  The room is so close to being ready for furniture!

The wood floors look beautiful, though I am still finding dust from the restoration work. We still need to finish the floor trim and add a piece to the floor in the dining room.  The nursery transformation is almost complete!  The room was so bad before, that we do not have a good picture, but this one gives you an idea of the room before we moved in to its current state.  I feel like I have a huge list of house things to do in the next 2 months.
My garden is out of control.  I am not good at following the spacing rules for plants, and now the peas are a lovely jungle with corn towering behind.  Brian has to move the peas to mow, but the harvest is delicious!  With less TV now (we somehow get the network channels), we should be catching up more on other hobbies, but too often I am resting or cooking or cleaning or looking into daycare.  Brian is preparing to start a new class.  I expected to drop a day at work starting this week, but I have picked up 2 days, and the days seem long now!  I will be treating kids at local camps over lunch on Wednesdays now, so at least it will be variety.

Our big fun this month was our anniversary trip to the New Hampshire and Maine seacoast.  We had a wonderful 4 days, starting in Portsmouth where we explored cute shops and cafes.  We enjoyed Strawbery Banke, a historic neighborhood preserving homes from the 1640's to 1950's (when it had become undesirable).  We had a very casual tour of the Smuttynose Brewery.  The weather became warmer (sometimes hot) for the next 3 days, as we headed towards Kennibunkport for a cute bed & breakfast.  We loved driving along the coast through the tourist beach towns (not as cheesy as expected).  York was nice, full of historic buildings and a square with candy shops with homemade fudge and taffy and an arcade that Brian sadly passed without stopping.  Kennibukport was clearly different, with commercial areas further from the beaches containing expensive stores.  Our inn was a remodeled Victorian inn, a short walk to the beach and an easy bike ride to town.  The ocean was very cold, about 54 degrees!  The inn had tea and pastries in the afternoon, followed by cheese and brandy.  We enjoyed whole lobsters.  We found a great little Franciscan monastery and guest house that would be great for lodging on another visit. We did not want to leave, but had plans to stay with friends in Portland.  We passed the Bushs' summer retreat, which is gorgeous and huge, and saw the first lighthouse in North America at Cape Elizabeth.  We even got to Toy Story 3 in Portland, hoping it would be shown in 3D in a city.  We were wrong.  We loved the film, but wondering if we will ever get to see a 3D movie!

Music City, USA

Whew, the baby has moved vertically and under my ribs and it is less comfortable to sit, bend, etc.  I feel like the baby's movements are a bit less intense in this position; I guess there is less room in the womb!  We are right on track growth wise.  We started childbirth classes!  Tonight is our second session. We started with the post-partum and parenting classes, due to the due date, and it was pretty dull for me, but I think it gave Brian a better sense of what to expect that first week after birth.  I do not see a lot of interaction occurring among the couples (there are 2 other sets), but hope that the birthing section may net us some support.  Hopefully, there won't be anymore videos where the audio is unintelligible to waste our time.  We are also trying to figure out Baptism timing and visits from our families, which is hard when we are not an easy destination, my sister starts grad school, Brian's sister is starting a new job, and Brian's brother recently became engaged!
The house is changing!  We are having the hardwood floors re-finished today and tomorrow.  We have maple and birch in the hall, closets and dining room and fir in the nursery.  Apparently, fir is no longer common for floors, so we cannot patch the old pipe hole for awhile.  It is hard not to have the use of the oven and to try to stay out of the house; especially since it may rain all day tomorrow.  Also, they do not have time to put up trim int he nursery, so we will have to do it (which will take us much longer than it should).  We had a carpenter here last week, to reinforce the basement staircase and add a hand-rail.  While it is still steep, I feel much safer carring down the laundry.  We are still hanging a few items on the walls and I am antquing a dining hutch.  Our lawn is still sad - not enough grass seed sprouting, patchy green, and I think there is an insect taking over the raspberry bushes.  At least I finished painting the nursery.
We had a great, busy trip to Nashville for a wedding.  We took a 5 am flight (we stayed in Manchester the night before it) and went straight to Target when we arrived.  Brian visited a few former co-workers  and I visited some friends for pedicures.  It was strange to hear the flood stories and see FEMA trailers around town.  Most of my friends had water in their basements, but one had such
major damage that she cannot live in her condo for a few months.  We had dinner with our godson, his parents, and sister before heading out to the post-rehearsal dessert party at a trendy restaurant.  I was tired!  It was funny to see our old haunts and places too trendy for our country life.  We breakfasted at a place known for family-style Southern cuisine, where there was plenty of fried chicken, country ham, cheese grits and the only fruit was baked apples.  It was an artery-clogging experience.  Brian was able to play tennis with some friends and we sampled more friend chicken the "the Coop," which is far too spiced for hot pregnant women!  The wedding was exciting; Brian now has a yamaka with guitars imprinted on top and we have great pictures from the photo book at the reception.  There was so much food and a great band, but it started so late that I was easily drained.  There were plenty of people to see and so many that we did not get to fit into the short agenda!
Brian is busy knocking out a long paper to finish his Mexican history class and I am enjoying my work schedule slowly shrinking.  He will not have a long break before his next class, but it will be one just for students in his master's program.  I have several patients I am working with now with chaotic home lives leading to behavioral or emotional problems.  Soon, we will have rounding at nearby camps to work into the routine at work.  While Nashville was definitely vacation, we are looking forward to a more relaxing trip next week to the New Hampshire/Maine sea coast for our second anniversary.

Week 28

                    28 Weeks  - May 29

Some like it hot. . .but 90's in May?!?

Kick, kick!  I am feeling movements on somewhat of a schedule now.  I slept late recently, but the baby didn't, so I had some weird dreams about obstetrical tests involving spinning my hospital bed so fast that it spins vertically.  I have usually been sleeping pretty well, but this weekend, the baby stayed up all night!  I feel enormous, but know I have 3 more months to grow.  I think I am nearly 20 pounds up.  This week, I get my second round of blood tests and get to do the glucose test (where I drink orange flavored sugar and sit for 1 hour before they take my blood).  Fun, huh?!?  Now that I am in the third trimester, the midwife visits occur more frequently- every 2 weeks for 2 months.  We start prenatal classes in June.
We are finally getting to work on our lawn and outdoor projects.  My dad was here briefly and installed a gutter.  I planted raspberry bushes and hope the heat will not kill them!  Brian is working on turning the weed lawn into a grass lawn and enjoys watching the dandelions wilt.  At least it is green!  I am still working on the window trim that my dad built for the nursery and painting details.  Sadly, we still have several things to hang on the walls.

We have been busy home-bodies this month.  Brian is busy with class, work and softball.  He took a weekend trip to Texas to see his sister's college graduation, where he spend more time in transit than at his destination.  I guess time with friends and family is worth the trip!  I have been working a lot and very busy when I am at the clinic!  I will be slowing down in the next week or 2, as we will finally have more staff back in town (we have been working with half staff).  I hope to get more house stuff accomplished and more exercise soon.  While Brian was gone, my dad was in New England for my grandmother's 90th birthday and he made it out to our house.  Besides his many trips to Home Depot, we went to see "A Little Murder Never Hurt Anyone" at a tiny community theater by my clinic.  It was a neat play, but I was by far the second youngest person in the audience.  I dragged Brian to the documentary Babies, where he enjoyed seeing little ones fall down or get hit by older siblings.  It definitely reminds one how few material things a baby needs to thrive.  We also have been considering getting rid of TV service as our cable bill rises and we hope to have better things to do this summer (though I am sure we will sign back on in the fall).  We would love tips on how to watch good news and weather forecasts.  The best thing we have watched lately was an evening lighting storm that occurred within a cloud.  It was fascinating, as we rarely get lightening and thunder.
We have been thinking of our friends in Nashville and the flooding as we prepare to visit next weekend.  It is amazing how hard it was hit.  I am hoping our crazy heat wave here does not lost long; my body holds heat too much now!  I guess we will have to get some window air conditioning units at home, but work is hard with the heat and the smell of cows and fertilizer wafting through the windows.

Nursery

     24 weeks - April 29

Brian felt the baby!  My sister got to feel it before he did, but he got a few good, rhythmic kicks.  I think it was because he played guitar for the baby.  I have trouble falling asleep at night with the movement!  Clearly, most people are able to see that I am pregnant now.  My extra heartbeats are not problematic (just annoying).  I may have more because of pregnancy, and feel them more with the increased blood flow, hormone changes, and the womb moving my heart's position.  We are starting to look into daycare, there are wait lists that and it can take a year to get a spot in the place. 

The house has had a major change in the nursery and some updates, thanks to my mom and sister.  Michelle scraped the horrid, old (and tough) wallpaper from the nursery and removed the sad trim. We patched up the walls and painted a bright shade of yellow and whitened the ceiling.  I still have more design to paint before we start work on the floor and trim.  All the windows let in light since my mom cleaned them; it looked like it had been several years between cleanings.  We have barley started work on the yard, a lot more grass and plants are needed.  Apparently, the lawn had been green in the fall because of weeds, not grass.  My peas and carrots may not have thrived since the crazy snow storm 2 weeks ago (it has been hot since).  Brian borrowed an electric mower and looked like a real home-owner.  My mom and sister brought the wedding gifts that had not fit in our car after the honeymoon, so we are more prepared to host events.  They also brought art and wall decor and Brian is anxious to have the rooms settled.

Brian was busy with an admitted student visit weekend when the ladies and I took an impromptu day trip to Montreal.  It was fun to re-visit some of the Honeymoon sites and attend mass in the fancy Basilica in French. We just walked around the 'old town,' had lunch, and enjoyed maple treats.  It was a tiring day!  Brian and I were very happy not to go out of town last weekend for once.  I had a local conference at a lake resort, so we stayed at the inn together and enjoyed the scenery.  We also went to a fancy Kentucky Derby party that was hosted by Kentuckians.  I enjoyed non-alcoholic mint juleps (the foreign people thought they were mint tulips) and brought out the big hats and bright dress (which is still way too big for me).  It felt like we were down south again with the sundresses and seersucker. 
I am very busy this month with work and conferences, while Brian is slowing down.  This should set us up for some fun June travel - we plan to go to Nashville and around New England.  I am glad to stay in town for awhile!  Brian had his first school paper due last week, and aced it, of course.  Hopefully, he will do as well in classes that are less interesting. 

April travels

I cannot seem to get used to feeling this baby moving around inside of me.  It first felt like digestion and gas, but now is more specific in location and intensity, usually coming for 10 or 20 minutes.  Brian has not felt the baby, yet.  I feel like I am growing 10 pounds a week, and parents at the clinic have begun to ask about my pregnancy.  I have been having some funny heart beats, which may be due to the extra blood flow (and I am probably more sensitive to heatbeats than most).  I am going to a specialist to check things out.

We had a baby shower!  I realized I had never been to a real baby shower (besides group ones at Maggie's Place).  Brian had to go to Houston for work, so his family threw us a shower.  It was beautiful!  We had a diaper cake (make of diapers, not food) and a real cake, games, and babies clothing decor.  We have a lot of mint green and yellow!  I feel a lot more prepared, now that we have some baby stuff.  Now, I just have to show Brian how everything is used.  My trip to Houston was short, but nice, and Brian was busy working a lot.  I took a short trip to Connecticut this weekend to see Bing and Stacey (old friends from Nashville).  I am exhausted, but have been trying to see them for years!  Mystic is a neat little town, and I was able to stop at the big stores for house things.
The house had changed quite a bit in the past two weeks, as our furniture started to arrive.  We have a couch!  We have a solid coffee table and side tables, and lamps, so it looks like a real living room.  We were bale to finally put the futon in the den, so it has more than just a keyboard (and now has sleeping accommodations for guests).  Brian has been organizing and we hope to do a ton of work with my mom and sister coming to town for a week.  They are driving out to bring things that Brian and I could not move with us when we got married.  Plus, they are going to help work on our house!  Brian will be busy working a weekend event for admitted students and writing his first academic paper in years. 

We will find out in August!

Everyone keeps asking us if we are going to find out if the baby is a boy or a girl.  We decided to find out the baby's gender at birth.  The baby cooperated with us, but not revealing too much during the ultrasound last week.  I think it is a healthy 9 ounce baby, based on the tech's reaction and the strong heartbeat.  We had a great view of the spine, but were not able to see the facial profile well.  Brian has chosen to use the nickname Taquito, at least until birth.  We are a little less overwhelmed by choosing baby stuff after hours at Babies-R-Us in MA and the Walmart website, but still amazed at how much there is to purchase.  I am growing nice and steady and fit very little of my old clothing.  I am now half-way to my due date!

April 1, 20 weeks
We are still preparing to start work on the nursery, but have starting thinking about the outside of the house.  I started my vegetable garden indoors and was surprised by some flowers blossoming outside.  I realized we had no hose or rake!  We have two big bare spots in the lawn, one from shade and the other from removing the old oil tank.  We have to figure out how to tighten gutters and do a few other tasks.

We enjoyed a weekend in Kent, CT, a small town centered around a boarding school.  Two of Brian's old co-workers work there (and are expecting in June).  It was neat, but we learned that western Connecticut is slow roads with few places to stop for food or restrooms.  Brian really enjoyed the trip, as this month has been a hard push to finish the decisions for Dartmouth's admissions.  Things will not settle down easily, though the mailing are finished, because Brian has to plan a weekend for admitted students and has become a student himself!  This was his first week of class as a Masters of Liberal Studies student.  He is taking an undergraduate course on Mexican history and he admitted some of his classmates to the college.  I am still working 3 or more days a week and starting to plan my maternity leave.  Luckily, my clinic is very flexible in the fall.  I can't imagine working 40 hours a week as a mother, home-owner, and wife.
I have become a sponsor for the Dartmouth RCIA candidate, so I have been learning more about my faith and the process of becoming Catholic.  We are excited for Easter and enjoyed a night of friends and dying eggs.  We tried Contra dancing, a type of New England folk dancing that is similar to Irish Ceili dancing.  I am VERY thrilled with unseasonable weather (well, the warmth, not the flooding).

Family time

                                                16 weeks  -  March 4th
Here is the latest picture on in our series, taken at 16 weeks gestation. I think I felt the baby move the last few days, but it is hard to distinguish from digestion at this point. I am now 17 weeks and still gaining weight fast. I timed my trip to MN well, as my pants no longer fit and we have nowhere to buy maternity things here in VT. My trip reminded me of my trips home for wedding preparations, as I was busy shopping and sorting maternity and baby items. Thanks to my old roommate, Colleen, my mom's bargain finds, and a great consignment store (Bellies to Babies), I have a whole new wardrobe that is comfortable. It is not easy to find petite maternity items! It is also hard to determine what I need for summer, as I am very warm now but Vermont was very cold and wet last summer. I had a few old friends together for a baby shower, hosted by my sister. I am so overwhelmed by the idea of baby items. I would love advice on things like strollers (what types or types are useful), cloth diaper brands, breast pumps, etc. Does anyone know if the Babies R' Us registry has become easier for consumers?

We have had some fun travels lately, without any problems like Christmas. My parents and sister spent a week in Ft. Myers Beach, FL, so we joined them for a few days. The weather was chilly and wet most of the time, but I always enjoy the beach. Brian was busy reading applications while we were there, and he was the only one used to watching the winter Olympics from a warm place. We found a great ice cream place, where the employees came to expect our nightly visit! Oh, Brian had never seen tether-ball (except in Napoleon Dynamite), so we had a tough game in the sand. I think that I sprained my heel during the game; I forget that my body is extra stretchy now.

I enjoyed my trip to MN, while Brian began the final push at work to complete decisions on applications for the Dartmouth class of 2015. I barely see him! Luckily, the decisions are announced soon. I have had some complex patients lately, balanced by a few new babies (we don't seen many newborns). We have not started to set my maternity leave, yet.
We were addicted to the Olympics for 2 weeks, watching plenty of locals win medals skiing, and curling. Hopefully, I will get more done with the competition over!

Getting bigger all the time!

It is almost time for another picture, this one is 3 weeks old and I have grown! My wardrobe has become hard to manage as my belly expands and my clothing options shrink. I have gained 3 pounds in 3 months.  I am waiting to feel the baby move, which seems kind of surreal at this point but may happen in the next 2 weeks. I am now 15 weeks along, which means I am in the second trimester and feeling less stomach problems and fatigue. I still wake a few times a night, but no longer need to eat in bed.
  We had friends and Fr. Francis from Dartmouth over this weekend for a house blessing (and viewing the Vandy/UK                 12 weeks - Feb. 4              basketball game).  He had a set of  readings and prayers  for the occasion and then sprinkled holy water in every room.  This event prompted us to finally put a few photo frames and paintings out. We have a long way to go in decorating, but we have made some progress picking family room furniture. The current occasional table fads are not for us - coffee tables with hinged tops that lift for dining and lots of glass. We will have to figure out what to do with the floor and walls in the baby's room. I am
excited about our new vacuum cleaner (how domestic, I know)!  After years of a lightweight, bag-less vacuum that Brian did not know how to maintain, I was sick of it! It is so much less work to have a vacuum with power, hoses, accessories, and a bag that I can remove without coughing. I never thought a vacuum could excite me!
For Valentine's Day, we bought ourselves nice ice skates in time for the annual Dartmouth Pond Party. Casual figure skates are so nice now - lined and strong, like rollerblades. Brian realized that he had never worn the right size skates, and was much more stable on the ice! We did not have any accidents this year, we just enjoyed visiting with friends, roasting marshmallows, and eating Sugar on Snow (hot maple syrup on shaved ice).
We have both been very busy working this month. I am following a lot of my own patients, including a few newborns (we don't see many babies in the practice) and working a lot of Saturday mornings alone. Brian has several projects in process along with reading applications. I know he enjoys working from home a few days a week, but it is hard to remember that he has another month of reading files before decisions are completed. Brian signed up for his first course for his Dartmouth graduate program, which starts in a month. We are really excited to meet my parents and sister in Fort Myers for a few days this week to relax on the beach (though Brian will still have to work while we are there). It will be nice to see my family, as I did not see them much at Christmas. We thought we would be craving warmth in Feb, but we have had just one day of snow in the last six weeks. It has been 40's most of the month, with more sunshine than we saw all summer! It seems hard to believe it is Vermont!

Where is the snow?

Crazy 2 weeks! A week ago, I had some concerning symptoms with the pregnancy. So, Brian met me at the midwifery clinic so we could try checking for the baby's heartbeat. It was a reassuring sign and we were relieved. We had an ultrasound where we saw the baby move, and what a mover we have! It looked like the baby was doing sky-diving tricks in the womb. It is hard to believe that all this is going on inside of me. So, the baby appears healthy and I have had no signs since (besides an expanding tummy). We have our 13 week appointment Thursday, so I am almost in the second trimester.

Brian and I tackled the dirtiest part of the house - a bathroom light and fan that looked as though it had been undisturbed since it was installed in 1965. People, clean your fans! Now it seems to work better. Brian made a big improvement in the shower by changing the leaking shower head. I was very proud of my handyman. We are on a quest for family room furniture, so can update on our "recent college graduate" look: futon (not comfortable as a sofa), IKEA recliner, and a cheap glass table. After a day of shopping in our neck of the woods, we found the sofas were all over-priced. We took a long trip to a shopping area in Salem, NH last weekend and are debating a very long Ashley sofa and a higher priced Pottery Barn sofa. We have yet to find tables we agree upon! If only it were 1960 and I could pick everything out with a decorator.

We enjoyed a Dartmouth hockey game where students threw tennis balls into the rink to celebrate a goal. I am still too tired to do much else, and Brian is very busy with work, so we are excited just to eat together.

Over 10 down. . . 30 to go!

I am 11 weeks pregnant now and we wanted to share our early pictures with everyone.  I am getting a bit more energy back, but miss using Ibuprofen to relieve sinus pressure.

 












4 weeks - Dec 10, 2009

         







8 weeks - Jan 7, 2010
Not too much visible change, but some things fit differently (or not at all).  Also, I cannot really exercise, so that may accelerate some changes!

And we're back!

A belated 'Happy 2010' everyone!

First, our big news: God has blessed Brian and I with a new life in my womb!

The baby is due in the middle of August, so I am almost through the first trimester. I have been very tired - too tired to blog, apparently - and eating about as often as an infant. I have not felt well, but could be much worse! I am getting weary of sleeping in 3-4 hours at a time.

The hardest time I have had was trying to get through our days at the airports while traveling to Texas for Christmas. I do not have the gumption to relay the travel tribulations again, which is the other reason I have avoided blogging. I can only say that I was glad that Brian and I were together for most of the tough parts of the travel and it was so exciting to tell our parents our big news in person. A grandchild was exactly what my parents wanted for Christmas, and Brian's were happily shocked.

With my limited energy, we have not done much in the house in the last month. We painted the office and set up the bookshelves, but still have nothing on the walls. Christmas decorations helped pick up the decorating slack for a while, but not things are looking barren again. The future nursery is the only room we have left to really make over, and it may be awhile. We are increasingly aware of our need for furniture and lights. I hope we have time and energy to make these purchases; they will likely require a trip to Manchester or Boston and a truck rental.

Our wireless doorbell has a strange quirk. In December, we found that it would not work, so we replaced the batteries. When that did not produce a functioning doorbell, we took it to Radio Shack, where a helpful clerk could not identify the defect. He suggested that the speaker was broken, as the wiring was correct. So, we placed the ringer button next to the bell piece and it now rings on its own, randomly, about once a week! It is pretty creepy. We cannot figure out why it rings when it does, or why it does not work when the button is pressed.

As for happenings, we have not been very social lately. We hosted a small but lively Holiday party in December, complete with Charades and a gift exchange (the Snuggie was the hot item). We are so excited to host again next year. We also attended a small New Year's Eve party that required formal dress! Brian headed off to Phoenix to meet his father and some friends at the Fiesta Bowl to cheer on TCU against Boise State. While TCU did not win, Brian enjoyed the spectacle and camaraderie.

Both of us have been busy working, as he is spending some days reading applications from home and I am working 3 days a week and several Saturdays. We are looking forward to some short winter get-aways and have starting planning the summer trips already (tentatively).

We can recommend the Disney movie "the Princess and the Frog" as a future classic. It had hints of Alladin, Beauty and the Beast, and the Jungle Book. Of course, Brian enjoyed the "frog' aspect, but the movie frogs were much cuter than his beloved horned frogs!

House pictures. . . improving!

New carpet in the family room and stairwell!  A bathroom that is now green.  The landing with new carpet.  A fresh dining room and the master bedroom.  If you would like to compare our changes, look at November 2009!