Happy Holidays!

Well, this past week has been quite a whirlwind. Between traveling to see family for the holiday & continually getting the house in order, and juggling home with work life it's been quite an eventful week.

Merry Christmas to all! The Mr. and I hosted a pre-Christmas celebration at our house for his parents and a few close friends. Thanks to the family for going above and beyond in helping a pregnant hostess and providing our main course, the bread and a wonderful dessert! We feasted heartily on fresh crab and practically had to roll away from the table. Good times.

On Christmas day we drove to have Christmas Brunch with Nanna & Poppa, and to our surprise my sister was able to make it to enjoy in the feast and festivities. We thought we might miss her. Mason ended up with a wicked case of the hiccups and was moving around quite forcibly so everyone got a chance to feel him. Here's a shot of Nanna & Mason bonding.

Then it was over to Papoe's house for some presents and company. There was much discussion of how a baby manages to get their feet into a Mom's rib cage and hang on for dear life. Well, up until this point, I hadn't had the pleasure. I think Mason was eavesdropping on our conversation & thought he'd try it out because the very next day I got a distinct tickle in the ribs. I wouldn't say it's painful, but it's not the most comfortable of positions to be in. Fortunately, Mason was only testing the theory and didn't keep his tootsies up there for long.

I think the Mr has begun his nesting process. We sort of had to, but so far he's managed to replace our master bath toilet & change out the valve with some assistance from Grandpa B. He's also tackled the major task of rummaging through the remaining boxes in the nursery and the office to clear room for Mason. Today, he's completing some painting projects in the kitchen. And last night he assembled the crib. Here he is in action.

Everything is coming along swimmingly and we're both so excited to welcome Mason to our home. Oh, and I guess this entry wouldn't be complete without a photo of the finished crib. We have yet to buy the mattress, but I'm sure we'll have everything settled in plenty of time for Mason to enjoy it.
I hope everyone is doing well & we wish you all a Safe & Happy New Year.

P.S. If you enjoy a little too much champagne at the parties... just call AAA. They've started a program to be a designated driver and will tow you and your car home with a call to road service. Sorry for the business plug, but I thought it was a wonderful feature.

What a scare! Glad that ride's over.

The past couple of days I've been having some lower abdominal cramping & it's gotten worse as the days go on. So, once again I call the advice nurse this morning for some... advice.
Well, Santa Rosa Labor & Delivery didn't want me to drive all the way from work in Vallejo, so they arranged for me to go to Vallejo L & D.
I arrived and was briskly taken to an observation room for monitoring. I had no concept of time while I was there as the clock was hidden behind the privacy curtain, but it ended up being about 2.5 hrs of waiting. The nurse midwife on duty took some samples and ran some tests to confirm that I wasn't in danger of pre-term labor and that I wasn't having any contractions.
Finally, after I had dozed off 2 or 3 times, she came to share good news of a really healthy baby Mason & a perfectly fine Mrs.

Meanwhile, the poor Mr. was worring away and I'm sure leaving a worn spot in the carpet at work in Santa Rosa. I know it must have been quite a scare for him being in the dark for 2.5 hrs, but he managed to make it through just fine.

One bonus of being strapped to monitors for 2.5 hrs was that I got to listen to Mason's heartbeat the entire time. As well as his protests for being under careful watch. "Bump, thump, boom." Something else that was quite amusing to me and some of the other ladies being observed was he got the hiccups. I'm glad I had the distraction & that everything turned out just fine.

Let it Show, Let it Show, Let it Show

These photos were taken at my work's Holiday Luncheon. Mason & I have grown quite a bit and I feel as if I may burst at any moment.
Wishing all of you a happy, healthy, safe Christma-Hanu-Kwansa-kkah & New Year!

75 days and counting...

There are 75 days left until I'm full term. We had a visit with the Dr. yesterday and she said everything is right on track. Even she can't believe that it's almost time. I'm 29 weeks along and the belly should be measuring 28-30cm now. The measurement from yesterday was 32cm. Such a big boy!
As has been normal for me, my protein & glucose levels are good and the blood pressure is excellent! It was 116 over 70 yesterday.
I'll continue with pre-natal care for the next two visits at 3 weeks apart, then move on to a 2 week visit, and then from then until Mason arrives I'll visit once a week with the Dr. That's only 4 more appointments until he could be big enough to deliver. YIKES!

I hope this finds everyone well for the holiday's. I hope to be able to update more regularly now that the rush of the move has subsided.
Of course we still have boxes piled high, but it's with less urgency that they become unpacked. Time and patience will find a place for it all.

It's been a while...

Sorry ladies & gents for not posting an update sooner, but our little lives have turned upsidedown.
We are finally, FINALLY, completely out of the Petaluma house! All of our stuff has been schlepped over to Rohnert Park and even though we are making a fair dent, it seems to be multipling with every turn of the corner.
Over the past weekend we made two trips to Goodwill with donations and good Brother K ran a full load to the dump for us. Having the extra space enabled the Mr. to organize and clear out the garage, only to make room for us to sort the oodles and oodles of boxes in the living room, office and nursery. I was able to organize more of the kitchen and you can actually make out some counter space there. Our hall "linen" closet, has now been converted to a much needed pantry. It's not in the most convenient of locations, but it serves it's purpose.
This coming weekend we'll focus on finishing up the kitchen re-organization (as I continue to unpack, I have to rearrange to make room for forgotten necessities), and the Mr. will begin tackling the office. We have entirely too many paper records that just aren't needed, so I'm sure we'll be dreaming of the magical hum that is the shredder come next week.

**Mason Update**
The third trimester woes have begun and I'm retaining some unwanted water weight. The progression started off slow with swollen ankles every other night or so, but would recess with some good nights sleep. Then, in the wee hours of last Thursday morning I awoke to a strange sensation in my face. My cheeks, jaw line and lips had puffed up and were quite uncomfortable. I was surprised by the overnight development, as it seemed to come from no where, so the advice nurse was called for, what else... advice. I wasn't having any other strange symptoms, but it seemed best that I make a visit to the Dr. to rule out anything serious. So, while waiting for my appointment, I slept. Not just a little snooze, but a really deep sleep on the couch. So deep, that when I woke up, didn't realize that time had passed, and wondered what happened to the television program I was just watching. Off to the Dr. I went and it was determined that Mason & I are both in good health and I probably just had one shake too many of salt the previous day. Since then the swelling has been manageable, and I feel fine. The fatigue is back with a vengeance, and Mason's increased growth has made maneuvering around the house an adventure. Let's just say that he may come out with a slight dent in his forehead from all the doors I run into with my belly.
I have to get back to earning some dough, so I will wrap this up. Happy holiday's to all of you & best wishes for the new year to come!