Untitled

Thanksgiving was great! We had a relaxing day having brunch with my dad & step mom, and then a nap in the afternoon. Dinner with my mom, brother, Kelly and her family later was wonderful as well. And we won both rounds of Scene It! so who can complain! It's amazing how fast the holidays are upon us. I feel like we have a good head start on things - 75% of our shopping is done, and I think I may start wrapping this weekend. We know what we're going to get for the other 25%, but just have to wait for payday to purchase it. We should be done fairly soon.

On the baby front - our observation visit with the daycare provider went well and we set things up to move forward next fall with the day care. It feels good to have this wrapped up, and honestly, Miss Donna (as the kids call her) is so wonderful with the kids that we don't have any doubts. I'm sure that it will be hard to leave Peanut initially, but for now, all is well. Now we just need to find a pediatrician. And register. And set up the nursery. And let time do its thing so Peanut can grow! One thing at a time....

We should be setting up the nursery in January after the holidays. We're having new carpet installed in February, so that gives us a good month to paint and so what we need to do to get ready. Here is our inspiration for the nursery. I love that it's fairly gender neutral, and it matches our baby bedding perfectly. I like that it matches, but am dead set against everything being all matchy-matchy. I do not need matching valances and a diaper stack in the same pattern. If anything, I think (and this is just my own personal taste) it looks nicer when things blend and there are a few "stand out" pieces that have the detail. So when we eventually do register, don't be surprised to see that I don't have a matching diaper pail. It just isn't me. I'm more about color coordination than a true "theme".

Wish we had more exciting news to post about! Dave is ultra excited about WVU's ranking and the upcoming game this weekend to seal the quest to play in the Sugar Bowl. We had a good laugh at the Muddy Night Football game by the Steelers last night.... how embarrassing. And at the risk of upsetting my mother in law, dare I admit it out loud, but I'm not as concerned with our season as I am with wanting the stupid Patriots to not go 16-0. Please someone, kick them off their high horse!!! What happened to the old saying "Cheaters never win?!?!?"

My how Peanut has grown!

On Friday I went to Magee hospital to have my 1st trimester screening for Down's Syndrome. (Often called an NT scan). Peanut was doing great - heartbeat was around 177 beats per minute, and though sleeping at first, Peanut them proceeded to move about while on camera. We got a ton of pictures and you could see fingers, feet, the baby's facial profile... just amazing!

The tech said the measurements were good and didn't seem to indicate Down's. The blood work will still need to be analyzed and I'll know for sure at my next OB appt on Dec 5th. But the test is 85% accurate, so we're happy with what we saw and were told.

The only "bad" news was that I have 2 large cysts on my left ovary and 3 on my right. These are from the IVF drugs, and then from the pregnancy hormones not letting my ovaries "rest". My ovaries were so close together, the tech thought I only had one. I didn't ask what I should do because it isn't really her job to say - I'll have to ask my OB that. But I'm feeling great and Peanut is good, so that is plenty to be thankful for!

Our visit to the in-home day-care provider on Sat went very well. We really like Miss Donna as well as her views on parenting and such. We are going to observe her in action with the kids on Wednesday, and if everything goes well (which we suspect it will) we'll give her our word that we'll be using her services next September. It will be nice to have day-care all tucked away!

Hope everyone has a blessed and safe Thanksgiving this week!

Forward Progress

I feel like we're making lots of forward progress. Last night we found the carpet we want for replacing the current carpet in the bedrooms and hall / steps. While the prices at Pr!zzant's were way too high, we found the pricing at Rusmer Flooring / Carpet One to be perfect. They had a lot more high end items, but worked with us on what we could afford as well as not wanting superior carpet since we'll be moving in <5 years. We settled on a great mossy green color; it'll look great with our buttery yellow walls in the hallway, and with all the wood trim in our house, it makes a nice contrast to show off the wood. We're looking to buy it this month, but wait to have it installed until February so I can paint the nursery and touch up some baseboards with varnish. And best of all, the place will remove and haul away our old carpet as well as move all the furniture, so we can just sit back and let them do their thing!

We're also closing in on a day care location for Peanut. Thanks to a recommendation from a friend, we discovered an in-home day care that is right around the block. It's so close, our backyards are only separated by the alley way behind our houses. (Heck, we could sled ride into her backyard if we wanted to!). She is licensed by the state, has all the certifications, and is very affordable. My friend takes her 18 month son there, and will be taking her infant (due in March) there as well. Because the day care can only watch up to 6 children, 2 of which are infants, we kind of want to make a decision soon, knowing that my girlfriend will be taking 1 of the 2 infant spots (both are open currently).

But the things my friend told me about this woman's willingness to work with your "rules" and the attention she gives the kids, I am really excited to meet with her this weekend. And since Dave often does in-home inspection for his social work job, he knows just what to look for when we're there. Once we observe her with the kids next week, we should be set. The woman has graciously said she would hold the infant spot for us to start next Sept. as long as we give her our word that we'll be using her. And if this falls through for some reason, I do have a few other places to check into as well; I've heard good things, and while they are a little more than this option, and not as close, I can still consider them as options!

Last night we outlined our budget for 08 as well. We should have the last credit card paid off by next year, which will make Dave over-joyed! We've put in funds for daycare, gutting our upstairs bathroom and re-doing it, and paying off the carpet in 6 months. Plus we'll have a good start again on some savings. I just need to talk to my HR rep about how I'll be getting paid through my maternity leave.

So forging ahead! I am still feeling awesome, and am 11 weeks today! Our 1st trimester screening (blood work & an ultrasound) is on Friday. They'll check to see that Peanut isn't showing signs of Down's Syndrome and calculate my odds to see if they are higher than average. It's all a big statistical formula based on the baby's age, my age, blood results, and ultra sound measurements. But we won't find out until early December at my next OB appt. With the lack of Down's in our family history, and my age being under 40, I **should** be okay. And heck, I'm just looking forward to getting another look at Peanut!

California Trip part 2

After the Women's Conference was done and I had my work meeting on Wednesday, I eagerly left the Queen Mary with my girlfriend Jen and we started driving towards Napa. We drove for a few hours Wed night and the finished the drive on Thursday morning.

We arrived in Napa mid afternoon and the weather was perfect! Sunny and low 70s. And fall was definitely in Napa. I'd previously only been to Napa in late spring / early summer, but fall was so different! The vines were turning red and yellow, and with the green of the hills and the blue of the sky, it was just amazing! We stopped at a few wineries and checked into our bed and breakfast in downtown Napa. I'd highly recommend the spot - The BlackBird Inn - as the price was really affordable, the rooms were great, and the location can't be beat!

Friday morning began with spa treatments at a great spa across the street. I had a 45 minute head, neck and face treatment. As some of my family knows, I am a sucker for touch, on my face and head especially! After that treatment, I had an hour long facial. Then I had a pregnancy massage for an hour. The morning was topped of with a spa pedicure (to which my polish is still perfect, weeks later! Hurray!).

We set out for lunch which was at a deli in Napa where you can grab delicacy items and then eat them at picnic tables outside in the vineyard. Lunch was large shrimp and capers in a special sauce, some great flat bread & hummus, and a great Thai noodle salad. We visited a few more wineries that afternoon and then headed to San Francisco for dinner in the evening. It was quite a full day, but we had an amazing time! The picture of the sunset was on our way to San Francisco, and the picture below is of Jen & I are the gate to Chinatown.

California Trip Part 1

I've not been able to update as often becuase when I got back from my trip to CA, work just kind of exploded! So on top of pregnancy appointments and work and trying to visit family and trying to keep our home orderly, the blog fell by the wayside.

Before I get started, just a quick PG update (that is pregnancy, not a rating system!)... I had my first visit with my regular OB this week, and she was very pleased with my progress. I got to hear Peanut's heartbeat on the doppler (which is like a high tech stethescope on my belly). It was amazing to say the least!! Totally reassuring, and a good stroke of luck to hear it this early. The majority of women don't hear it until their 11th or 12th week, and I was just under 10 weeks. I am glad Peanut is growing, but hope this doesn't mean I'll be giving birth to an 11lb baby!!

So the trip to California...... exhausting but really fun. Saw so much and experience a lot. I'm going to post more pictures than "stories", but have to talk about my run in with royalty. Or at least the closest thing to royalty that I'll ever experience! But the women's conference I attended the one day had former Prime Minister Tony Blair as one of the guest speakers. His talk was very empowering, and quite interesting. After his speech, we had a break. I went out to the car with a few of my co-workers; we were dropping off some things and walking back towards the auditorium. We saw a cluster of people walking in a group, all in suits. I instantly recognized the pink tie that Mr. Blair was wearing, and we all stopped in our tracks and whipped out the cell phone for pictures!

Well, one of my co-workers was brave enough to ask his secret-service men if we could snap a photo. The man looked at Tony Blair unsure, and Mr. Blair spoke up and said "Sure, but would you like to be in the picture with me?". Well, I think not even a full second elapsed before we all let out a well synchronized "YES!"

It was really cool to shake his hand, thank him for his inspiring words, and wish him good luck in his future endeavors. Personally, I was so tongue tied and star struck I think I didn't manage more than a few sentences, but it was still awesome!


This trip to Long Beach (where the conference is) we stayed not in a regular hotel, but in a floating one - upon the Queen Mary. And I have to admit, while the idea of this seemed cool, compounded by the fact that it one of the most haunted places and it was nearing Halloween, it was surprisingly disappointing. Call me a hotel snob, but traveling for work has gotten me used to free Internet, rooms that have been updated prior to 1950, and more importantly, a normal way to flush to toilet. Updated plumbing is not over-rated by this traveler!

See the white knob sticking out of the wall above the toilet - well, that is how you flush the toilet. Except that you have to push all your body weight onto the thing becuase it is so hard to move! I have no idea how these little people in the 1930's did this. Oh, and the 4 knobs in the bathoom shower - one is for hot fresh water, another for hot salt water, a third for cold fresh water, and the last for cold salt water. Can you say mix-your-own-shower? Weird...

Here's my room - people could totally see in through the windows from the outside parking lot, so I had to draw the curtains making it even darker in there!!

No ghostly encounters or even weird feelings upon being aboard. Though there are some really spooky parts of the ship! One of the things I found most unsettling was the maze to get from the main areas to the passenger rooms (pics below). Aside from the bad carpeting which was spotty and outdated, and the heavy wood paneling everywhere, I just kept expecting to round the corner and see a scene from the movie "The Shining" take place. It wasn't hard to envision those twin girls standing there saying "Red Rum!" or the little boy riding his tricycle through the halls. Just plain creepy!

Totally creepy hallways!!! RED RUM!

I did take a haunted tour of the ship; while I had hoped it would be a walking tour full of history and info about ghosts sitings, it was sadly just a haunted house on board the ship. So way more hokey than factual. But I did get to see some of the places that regular passengers do not get to see - being 36ft below sea level in the hull of the ship was downright creepy! It was dark and large and scary!


The first morning of my stay, I woke up early to shower and prep for the conference. I went into the bathroom and turned on the shower. Well, not even 3 seconds later a loud booming voice comes over the room (via speakers) "Emergency! Emergency! You must evacuate the ship!" My instant thought is "Good lord, what did I do?! I just wanted a shower!" So I grab my wedding rings, jewelry and purse and leave immediately. In the hall, I run into my coworker who is pretty much as panicked as I am. (Funny that we're acting like the ship is going down, but yet it is docked!) We have no idea what could be happening, and now the fire doors are shutting, trapping us in the maze. And oh, by the way, while my co-worker is in her work clothes, I am in my PJs!! That's not embarrassing....


So we all assembled at the registration desk, and there are only about 5 other people. I'm thinking that there HAS to be more than 7 of us on board, but where is everyone? Am I dreaming? Well, some had even gone outside to the parking lot! Turns out that the smoke from the CA wildfires south in San Diego had set off the smoke alarms, but the ship never issued an update that it was a false alarm.... Ugh.....


More on the CA trip later, with prettier pictures of Napa and the CA coast from my travels.