Well, my feet put on a good show for the doctor today. I thought for my 10 am appointment I wouldn't get to show my doc the full glory of my swollenness, but oh no! Even by 10 am, they were swollen and ready to show off. They certainly impressed! My doc sent me straight to the lab to get blood drawn to check for preeclampsia. Usually this is linked to high blood pressure. I normally have low, glorious blood pressure, but even for me it's starting to creep up there. At one point this week I was 115 over 85. Now, while that would be wonderful for many people, that was high for me. I usually hover around 100 over 50 or 60. So, we'll get the results tomorrow and see how it's all looking.

We talked a little about picking a birthday. The hospitals now won't let them schedule until I'm 39 weeks. That would be Feb 14 (Sat). Since that Mon is a holiday, the first date they could schedule without a medical reason would be Feb 17th. NOW - if my swelling continues and my blood pressure continues to slowly rise, then we've got a good reason to go get him a little earlier. I'm liking Feb 9th for George's birthday, so we'll just have to play that by ear.

I have one weekend road trip getaway planned for next weekend (Jan 8 - 11), but otherwise I am now homebound for the duration. We've got 6 or 7 weeks to go. I have a short list of things we still need to be READY to go . . . uh, like diapers, but otherwise we're pretty close to ready. Now we just wait. If you know me at all, you know that I am not usually a very patient person. The waiting will be excruciating!

XOX
Liz

George and I are blogging from Wadsworth, Ohio today where we're visiting Jeff's family and celebrating Christmas. We've enjoyed our time with big George, Jackie, the McGraths and the other Keggs. It always goes so fast though.

This week I have been suffering from a pretty nasty pregnancy side effect . . . CANKLES! What is this condition, you ask? For those not fortunate enough to experience it for themselves, let me explain. This is the swelling of the lower extremities such that you can barely tell the difference between your calves and your feet. Yes, my friends and family, this is the ohhhh so attractive state of my legs. I may also be defining a similar yet equally uncomfortable condition that I shall now call "arists." This is similar, but is an upper extremity condition where I have swelling between my arms and fingers, showing very little actual wrist. Ohhh yeah - GORGEOUS!!

So, now, let's discuss the GOOD of Ohio. We are leaving tomorrow, which is always sad. Wait - that's not the good part. Here it comes . . . We've had a really great week here with everyone. We arrived on Monday afternoon. Tuesday Jackie's friends threw us a baby shower. It was a very fun Curious George themed affair with about 20 of Jackie's friends, many who I have met before and would likely socialize with myself if I were living here. LOVELY gals. They did indeed "shower" me with love, friendship, tasty treats and yes - very nice gifts!

Wednesday we got the chance to meet Jeff's college friends Mike and Kacy for breakfast on their way through the Wadsworth area as they headed to see family further north. That was nice. We celebrated Christmas with the immediate family Wednesday afternoon. Then we headed to Dave's church for Christmas Eve service.

Thursday - today - we went to the McGrath house to see what Santa left Lee and Julia. Then we headed north to see the newest Kegg house and had dinner with some extended family. From there we split up . . . Jeff and I headed home, sadly, do to my previously mentioned conditioning that appears to worsen my the daylight hour. I needed to get my feet up. George, Jackie and Judi headed to Winnie's house to see more extended family.

Friday is a day of sleeping in and saying goodbye before the Colorado crew catches an early evening flight back home. It's been a lovely week. Thanks to everyone who helped make it so memorable.

Only 6 weeks and 3 days until little George arrives and I can share these stories with him too!

XOX
Liz

George is already a very well traveled man. I was thinking of all the places he's been since he was conceived. He's been to:

• Fort Lauderdale, Florida
• Emerald Isle, NC
• Napa, Calif
• Scottsdale, AZ
• Scottsdale, AZ (again)
• Annapolis, MD
• Chicago, IL
• Las Vegas, NV
• Cleveland/Wadsworth, OH (coming soon)

I think George should soon start his own travel blog! ;)

Last night George, Judi and I enjoyed a Cirque du Soleil show at the MGM Grand here in Las Vegas. I had a cup of coffee before the show. I was kinda worried about the little guy. The music was LOUD and kinda scary (fight scene), so I hope he wasn't traumatized pre-birth! ;) Tonight we head to another Cirque show, but it's all Beatles music, so he should enjoy it more.

Happy Thursday!
XOX
Liz

Click here to see some pictures from my Dec 13 baby shower.

So much has happened since my last post, I almost don't know where to start . . . Let me try! This weekend was my first (of two) baby showers. I am 30 weeks pregnant now, so showing nicely. The whole weekend was a dream.

The action really started on Friday (Dec 12). I got a text message from my mom in the middle of the night asking me to call her when I got up. When we connected I got the news that my aunt and cousin from NC had flown in - as a surprise to everyone - for the weekend. What a special treat!! How nice of them to come ALL this way.

I met Kristine and her two kids for breakfast (my favorite meal of the day) on Friday morning. Then around 11 am, two of my DC girlfriends arrived for the weekend. Layla and April flew here from DC to hang out for the weekend and attend the baby shower.

First we met Jeff at Lime for lunch on Friday. After a filling lunch of tamales and enchiladas, the girls came back to the house to settle in. Once the car was unloaded we headed back out for some neighborhood gallivanting. We hit the local toy/book store - Simon Says Read. It's such a great shop for a small selection of classic toys and a LARGE selection of children's books. I shop there often for neighbor kids birthday gifts, but soon I suppose I will be a regular in my own right! After the girls got gifts for their kiddos, we grabbed a coffee at Starbucks and headed to 29th Ave. Nail Salon for manicures. WHAT FUN!!

Not long after we got home Jeff came in from work. Soon it was time to get dressed and head out for our evening on the town. We spent the evening shopping, drinking and dining our way through Larimer Square, a section of downtown Denver. First stop was some light shopping/browsing at Cry Baby Ranch. Then we went to Corridor 44 for one quick drink. It's a very fun champagne bar that has the best selection of champagnes by the glass. Jeff and I suggested the girls try Gruet, a New Mexico champagne that we like quite a bit. I think they enjoyed it as well. After they had one glass of champagne - and I had a few sips - we hit dinner at Osteria Marco. This is such a great Italian restaurant with tons of small plates. We just nibbled our way through the menu. The best parts were the meat and cheese trays, including some pistachio mortadella and some house made ricotta cheese. YUMMY!! We kept it light though, saving some room for dessert. We left Larimer Square and headed to one of the newest (and most popular dessert spots in town - D Bar Desserts - where we all sampled some tasty treats. I tried the lava cake since the waitress highly recommended it. They were on the cover of the Denver magazine this month for their cake and shake. Layla tried that. It all looked delic! We got home around 10:30 pm. Now that's a busy day and a late night for little 'ole me.

Saturday proved to be just as busy! Jeff and I got up early. We had adopted a family from a local charity for Christmas. Saturday was our drop off day. We stopped by Mom's first to pick up the things she'd bought our family. Then Jeff and I headed to their house to drop off our wrapped gifts. It was such a nice feeling to help this young family. Jeff and I aren't doing a whole lot for each other this year for Christmas. With a baby on the way and some unpaid leave we will end up taking, we pulled in the financial reigns, but it was certainly a nice way to spend some of our Christmas budget! The family spoke no English (Spanish), so we couldn't really communicate with them, but they did have someone write us a very nice thank you note, so they gave us that. I hope they have a very merry Christmas!

After we left there, Jeff and I ran into the grocery and picked up a few items for dinner. We were having seven people for dinner Saturday night and needed a couple extra items. Then Jeff went with me to see my friend Erin who gave me a cute hair style for my party. That was fun and very nice of Erin - who wouldn't let me pay. Then we came home and I quickly changed to get ready for the shower.

The shower was wonderful. The girls had pulled out all the stops to make this a wonderful event. It was at Kristine's house. She'd moved all her living room furniture to make room for rented tables and chairs for about 20 people. They had brown linens and the silverware was tied in personalized ribbons. Tanna Rae made the floral centerpieces out of toy trucks. CUTE! Tanna Rae had also drawn some giraffes and a stork that were hanging on the wall. ADORABLE - they're hanging in my nursery right now. The buffet spread was amazing. Sarah picked out the tastiest cake ever - chocolate and coconut. The gifts were amazing as well - TONS of big items from friends who were there and others who couldn't make it. We got a car seat, a high chair, a bouncy seat, a swing, an exersaucer, our small stroller, crib sheets, a diaper genie, tons of clothes, lots of books, etc. I was so touched by everyone's generosity.

Somehow, in a few different loads, we managed to get everything home. It stayed in the living room for 24 hours. We had other plans! Jeff and I relaxed for a little while, but soon there was work to do. We were cooking for 7 people: Mom, me, Jeff, Katie, Susan, April and Layla. We had strip steaks, gratin potatoes, asparagus and salad. Lots of wine was consumed (by the others) and we had a great time talking and eating.

Sunday morning the wind down started. April, having been away from her 9 month old for the first time, took an EARLY flight home. I didn't even hear her wake up and leave. When we finally did wake up, we saw ALL the snow. Denver got a few inches and the roads were icy. We left early to take Layla back to the airport. Then Jeff and I came home and settled into a nice relaxing Sunday. Before we got too lazy, we put away all the baby gifts, so our house was back in order. Then we hit the basement where we watched some football and napped on the big sofa. After a few hours of rest we got up, made a frozen pizza for dinner, and put together a few of our new baby gadgets. We got the swing and the high chair assembled. Jeff figured out the diaper genie. We made good progress. I worked on thank you notes until late in the evening and got a good number of them done. I have just under 10 left to write.

Today, Monday, we woke up to COLD weather. The high today is 16. I think it was 10 degrees BELOW zero as we were taking the trash out. Brrrr. I met Jeff for lunch at Mezcal and then he went with me to the doctor for my 30 week appointment. George is still measuring big - by about a week or so. He's also still breech. He's been in a breech presentation the whole time. The doctor thinks he's very likely to stay that way. What - who wants to be upside down all this time?!?! ;) So, she said that a C-section is looking more and more likely. I'm fine with that and Jeff is too. The heart rate was looking good still - 150s. We made all my appointments for the rest of the pregnancy. So, I am set there. I got the green light to head to Vegas this week and Ohio next week. My doctor wrote me a note to board the planes in case I get hassled by the airlines. She says it has happened to her - she was denied boarding once. So, I should be set there.

Things are coming along nicely! I'm looking forward to my Vegas trip - where Mom is joining me. Then we'll be in Ohio for my other shower and Christmas. What a fun week that will be. I hope everyone is doing well and is getting ready for the holiday!

XOX
Liz

I can't believe the weekend is coming to an end.  I feel a little robbed.  I did get a lot of stuff done yesterday - just straightening up around the house.  Today Mom and I are going to get breakfast and see an early movie.  Something light and fun - Four Christmases.  Jeff and Matt will be busy watching football.  

Yesterday the girls spent the day together.  We had lunch and then went to see a comedy show downtown.  It was fun.  

My first baby shower is next weekend and that's exciting.  The gang (Mom, Kristine, Sarah and Tanna Rae) have been very busy planning the event and I cannot wait.  It'll be fun to see everyone and hang out with the girls.  One of the best parts about the event, two of my friends from DC are flying to Denver to attend!  Layla and April get here Friday morning.  It will be GREAT having them in town and spending some time with them.  Yeah!!  I just made dinner plans for us for Friday night.  FUN!!

George is still hanging in there.  He's moving around about the same and last night he got to hang out close to AJ - his new buddy.  George has three more trips planned before his big debut.  Mom and I are headed to Vegas together to do some work stuff for me.  Then we're all heading to Ohio for Christmas.  In mid-January we're taking a small trip (via car) to the mountains for a few days with friends.  I hope the altitude treats us right.  I will be on water duty that week for sure - hoping that I don't have another case of altitude sickness.  We'll see.

In January we've got three baby classes on the calendar as well.  One is a hospital pre-registration class.  One is a breastfeeding class.  And then Jeff, Judi and I are all going together to a "totsaver" class to learn about infant CPR, burns, falls, etc.  

All the trips and classes and festivities will keep things moving along QUICKLY!  February will be here before we know it.

XOX

Liz

George and I have had a very busy week. Monday was a doctor's appointment. Mom went with me. We had an ultrasound where they checked on George's size. He's measuring a little big, but nothing the doctors are worried about. I, on the other hand, AM worried about a big baby. The good news - they say he may sleep through the night sooner. The bad news - I've still gotta get him OUTTA me. ;) He was just shy of 3 pounds. He's in a breach position, which isn't unusual at this point, but just something to keep an eye out for. We started talking about a possible C-section since he's breach and he's big. We'll see how things TURN out - literally.

Tuesday I left Denver for a few days of work travel. I started in Annapolis for about 24 hours. I love that town, but it was too quick to do the things I love - see friends who are close and also eat whole blue crabs. Oh well. Then today George and I hopped another plane for Chicago. That's where I'm blogging from now. It's snowing here and it's snowing at home, so I hope my flight back to Denver tomorrow is smooth sailing. We'll have to wait and see.

My friend Katie had her baby this week. This is VERY exciting!! Katie and I are already talking about an arranged marriage for Jane Alise, her little girl, and George. And check out this girl - she's STUNNING! George would be a very lucky man.

It's just a few short weeks from when you'll see a picture very similar to this one with me and my little man. I will have a house full of men . . . Jeff, Otto and George. Ohhh what a handful! At least Otto is easy. ;)

XOX
Liz

BUMP WATCH . . .
28 weeks pregnant

Well, it's been a rough weekend. It was still pretty decent. I just wasn't feeling well. It was a combination of upset stomach, acid reflux, sleepiness, etc. I couldn't really put my finger on it. I was just uncomfortable. It doesn't help that just when you feel bad, the little guy delivers a swift kick to your stomach. Ugh!

It started Wednesday afternoon. I was worried I wouldn't be able to enjoy the Thanksgiving feast! Mom came over and helped me cook my contributions to Thursday's dinner. I couldn't have done it without her. Thursday I actually felt much better. I enjoyed a modest portion of Thanksgiving goodness, including a glass of champagne - yes, I splurged after talking to my doctor about it.

Friday morning I got up and ventured to Target at 6:30 am for some black Friday specials. I got a few good deals. Once I got home, it kicked it again, but much worse. I crawled back into bed and stayed there until after noon. Even then, I just moved to the sofa. The gang got together for pizza Friday night but I stayed on the sofa instead. Jeff brought me home a slice of cheese pizza.

This morning I was feeling better again. Things were improving. Then around noon, Jeff started to drift into his ickiness. We were doing some Christmas shopping together and he got really tired. Then achy. Then kinda red in the face. We headed home where he proceeded to the sofa. He forced himself to join me at Judi's for dinner (YUMMY turkey - and he missed it all!!). He stayed on the sofa while Judi and I ate the best turkey ever. YUM!!

We got home and I made him some ginger tea while he got in the bath. I hope it passes through him as quickly as it did for me. Then again, I had a flu shot this season and he didn't. We'll soon see!!

I passed the test!! I do NOT have gestational diabetes!! WoooHooo!! Bring on the pumpkin pie and save me some eggnog too!

It's been a while since my last post so let me bring you up to speed. Last Monday, before my doctor's appointment, I went to the Lab to take the gestational diabetes test. It's actually a screening to see if you need to take the three hour test. Then Mom and I went to see the doc. Things at the doc were good. My blood pressure is still amazingly healthy. I was 90-something over 50-something. Gorgeous! Everything was looking good. I posted about most of this last week.

Well, on Thursday afternoon they called to tell me that I failed the one hour diabetes test. So that means I needed to go back to the lab to take the three hour test. UGH! It's not the test itself that worries me. It's the potential results. I went in yesterday to take the test.

I fasted in the morning - no food before the test. I get there and they take my blood as a baseline. Then I drank this super sweet syrupy stuff . . . think McDonald's orange drink, concentrated. You chug about 12 ounces of that and then the clock starts ticking. Every hour for the next three hours they do another blood draw to see how well my body processes all the sugar.

Since the doctor offered to let me pop in and listen to the heart rate whenever, I decided to do that in between blood draws yesterday. The lab was just across the street from the doctor's office. So I headed over there. They put me on a fetal heart rate monitor for about 20 minutes and then went to show the results to the doctor. There was a moment of panic because the baby's heart rate looked low. My doc ordered a biophysical on the babe. This is basically an ultrasound, but they're looking for specific movements.

They said the biophysical could take up to 30 minutes, depending on how cooperative the baby wanted to be. Well, George didn't disappoint! He was perfect. Within a few short minutes he passed all the tests. His heart was beating strong. His chest was raising and falling - he was practicing his breathing. He kicked several times. And he moved his arms while simultaneously moving his torso (one of the things they were looking for). We listened to his heart beat and he was safely in the 170s.

They showed all the results to my doctor who said that the initial heart rate monitor must have been picking up my heart rate and not George's. Everything looked perfect! I even got a new pic of the little guy. Check out this mug:



Everything else is moving along nicely. The blinds for the upstairs have arrived and now we're waiting to schedule the installation. Yippie!! I got a baby gift in the mail today - that's always fun. I also picked out a baby book for George so we can start recording some of our baby moments for him to see.

Next week is another big ultrasound - yeah! This time they want to see how big he really is. Me too! I guess we'll get an estimate on weight. I'll post again later today or whenever I get the diabetes test results back. Stay tuned.

XOX
Liz

The curtains are up!

Here are the pics of George's bedding . . .

Baby bliss is upon me! I had a doctor’s appointment this morning, at 26 weeks. Everything is looking good, but George is measuring a little big – coming in at the 28 week mark. Oops. ;) I didn't gain that much weight though, so it's all babe. The good news with him measuring big – the doc isn’t worried at all AND I get another major ultrasound at my next appointment to check his size/weight. My doc says - why not. We can justify it since he's kinda big and then you'll get to get another good look. She said they’d prolly even turn on the 3D option so I can check out his mug. FUN! So, I will do that on Dec 1st. December?!?! REALLY?!?!? It’s crazy how fast time is flying by.

Ohhh - the doc also said babies born about now have a great chance of living long healthy lives outside the womb, so that's another milestone that's THRILLING to cross!! He could come out any day now and we'd prolly be OK. Now, we'd do everything possible to keep him in there until at least 34 weeks, but it's progress.

In other fun baby news . . . the bedding Mom ordered arrived today. I just put it on the crib and it's sooooo cute. I took a few pics on my cell phone, but it's acting up, so I will have to post those later. LOVE IT!!

We ordered blackout blinds for the baby's room this past weekend, so we should get those around early December. It's all coming together so nicely. WOW!

The trees are up!

We didn't hang the trees yet. I needed to repaint one wall in the room. And, the big tree is just a hair too big, so it needs a little trim. Hopefully we can do that in the coming day or two.

In other great news . . . Mom ordered the bedding and window treatments for George's room!! YEAH MOM!! I can't wait to see it in person.

I went to Home Depot this morning and started the process to order new blinds for the room. We need blackout and cordless for that room. There's a street light RIGHT outside the bedroom and the crib is near the windows, so those two features are critical. I think it'll be 3 weeks before it's all done, but at least it's started.

It's all coming together!
Liz

So yesterday Jeff painted the trees brown. Otto is still keeping a watchful eye on the entire process. Today we'll hang the trees in the room. I'll post more pics when they're hung in the room.

Yesterday I found some new bedding I like. It's the Safari line from Baby Gap - who knew they had bedding?? I'm just trying to decide (again) if I need a whole bedding SET or if I should just keep things the way they are with mix/match pieces. I like how this one incorporates the blue & brown color scheme while still introducing some new colors, like green, yellow and orange. Who knows what I'll decide.

THE CRIB IS ASSEMBLED!!

Otto is also ready for the baby to arrive. One friend said, 'Otto’s look says “get near this crib and I’ll kick your ass!'" I know he's going to be great buddies with little George!

LOTS has been going on, baby-wise, since my last post. I went to the doctor on Monday. Everything is still looking good. Heart rate was in the 150s. Little George was moving a little. Big George and Jackie were in town, so Jackie went in with me and met the little guy. She got to take a few pictures home with her as well. NICE! While at the doctor I got a flu shot, per their suggestion. They also fitted me for wrist splints. Apparently, I've started retaining water. My feet are swelling, but more bothersome is the morning pain in my wrists. They ache and pop when I bend them, so the doc suggested I sleep in splints. I tried them last night. They're very uncomfortable. I ended up taking them off. I will try wearing them again tonight.

The contractor finished George's room last week. It's looking good. Big George and Jeff cut out the trees this weekend. They look GREAT. Now, we need to paint them. Once the furniture is here, we'll hang the trees above the chair rail. I can't wait to see it all put together. I assembled the closet organizer and got the baby stuff we already have put into the room. We also got the new cushions for the chair in the baby's room, so that's all set in there and is looking great. It's an IKEA chair we've had forever that is sooooo comfy. It bounces a little, so should be great for nursing and rocking George to sleep. So, things are moving along nicely there.

We had a great weekend with George and Jackie. They got here on Friday morning. They joined the Stapleton Halloween madness. The boys went to our first Nuggets game of the season. We have a 10-game pack, and that kicked off last Saturday night. The Nuggets lost to the Lakers, but I think the guys had fun regardless. Monday morning we went to the doctor to check on George. All is good there. Tuesday they flew home. Jackie learned to text message this weekend, so we practiced a little more Tuesday afternoon!

My neighbor Sarah is VERY likely to go into labor today. Sounds like the process has started and now we're waiting the arrival of George's friend and school-mate, AJ! HOW EXCITING!! It makes George's arrival more and more REAL!! With that happening, it's time to start cooking for them. I found a few new recipes we'll try, including a chicken-sausage and white bean casserole with sage. Yummy! It's 45 degrees today, so it sounds like the perfect time of the year for this one.

Stay tuned for AJ pics!
Liz

I talked to my doctor today. It dawned on me (now at 23 weeks) that I didn't successfully have ANY tests/screenings during this pregnancy. The first trimester screen was unsuccessful and they didn't offer (and I didn't ask for) a tri-screen or a quad screen. NOTHING! So I realized that yesterday and called to ask. It's too late for any of that now, but they assured me they would've uncovered any issues with the 20 week ultrasound. Oh well. It's not that I would've done anything with bad news at this point anyway, but it would be good to know if I need to mentally/emotionally/physically prepare for any major issues. Oh well. The good news is - I did confirm with the nurse that we can have another sneak peek on Monday morning, when Jackie will be with us. So she can meet baby George next week!!

We met with the nanny again last night. We all agreed to the terms and are now just waiting for Gwen to sign her work contract for '09 and then we'll sign with Wendy. CRAZY to have that locked up at this point, but it's nice.

I hope the bedroom will be done today. They have some paint touch up to do, some carpet to reattach and some door hardware to install and then I think we'll be done. It sounds simple, but it's really still a lot of painting. We'll see if they can wrap it up today. I will post pics when it's done.

XOX
Liz

Tomorrow they're painting George's room! I hope they'll move our filing cabinet and also hang the main bracket for the closet system. On Monday the trim guy is coming to hang the doors, crown molding, chair rail, and french doors for my office too. It will a busy few days but it's coming together.

Tomorrow night we head to birthing class with the Klebbas. Should be interesting. We're taking the class earlier in our pregnancy than most, but we wanted to have it all done before the holiday madness. It's Friday night and most of the day Saturday. We need to go with two pillows and a blanket. Sounds scary! I'll report back on that later.

Liz

I am making such progress in George's room. This weekend I had some help as well. I have a slightly craft, artistic neighbor in Naul Manthe. He may not like me sharing his creative side with the world, but I have seen his "work" on birthday posters for his kids and so I asked for his help.

First, Mom and I went to Lowe's and got a large piece of MDF board. This is medium-density fiberboard, a type of particle board made of small particles of wood. I had to have it cut into two pieces to fit into my car. Naul then drew trees on the board! They are very cool - inspired from an episode of Color Splash I saw on HGTV. Now, Jeff is going to cut them out with a jigsaw and then I will paint them chocolate brown. After they're painted, Jeff will hang them on the wall and then we'll touch up the nail/screw holes. CUTE!!

Also over the weekend I designed a whole Elfa closet system with the help from Lori at the Denver Cherry Creek Container Store. It is sooooo cute and an incredibly useful way to maximize the closet space. As soon as they're done with George's room I'll be able to assemble it. While at the Container Store I picked up a bunch of mini hangers. I came home and started hanging up some clothes Kristine gave me. I need more hangers already!

The plan is that George's room should be done this week. We'll see. I certainly hope so. I am anxious to get all the pieces into place and see how it looks. I believe they are going to texture today or tomorrow, so it should be done pretty quickly. Look for pictures soon!

Crib Shopping . . . We picked out the crib, got all the measurements and then came home and sized up the room. The nursery is rather small, so we wanted to make sure everything would fit comfortably. George still needs some floor space to run in circles! :) First thing tomorrow morning I am calling the store to order the Sorelle City Lights Crib and the small (3 drawer) dresser. We're going to use an existing chair in that room for now, cause we're afraid the chairs we like at stores are too big for our small space. After we get the other furniture in the room we'll decide for sure about the chair.

Also today I took a first stab at registering. I am sure there is LOTS to add and delete from the list, but at least I got it started. Kristine and I spent a few good hours at Babies R Us and found some cute things. Hey - just another thing off my to-do list!!

Well, after that ultrasound I guess it's time to get serious about getting ready for George. There's a lot to do in the coming weeks, including finishing our loft into a third bedroom - a nursery - for George. We need to buy furniture - a crib, a dresser and a comfy chair for rocking/nursing. We also need to register - the fun part! I've started the hunt for a crib and I have found a style I like - something a little on the modern side. This week we started construction on our 3rd bedroom so George will have walls and his own closet for the MASS of stuff that we're bound to quickly collect. See the pic below for the framed room. And today I am going with a girlfriend to start the registering process. While I think it's good for Jeff to see the quantity and types of things a baby will require, he also isn't really too interested at this point. Maybe it's better to leave him in the dark a little longer. ;) A girlfriend is a good route cause not only do they know what you need - they have very specific advise about which ones to get and which ones to avoid.


George will be here before we know it!! Let the nesting begin!

The 20-week ultrasound went off without a hitch! I was a nervous wreck going into it. I just worry a lot, but I suppose it's just the beginning of my worrying years. Anyway, they found nothing wrong, Everything is right on track! The babe is 12 ounces right now. Heart rate was 146. We saw all the fingers and toes, all four ventricles in the heart, all the bones in the legs, and yes, we found out the gender as well. We're having a boy!!

So, lookout world!! George Vincent Kegg is on his way!!

XOX
Liz

The babe is still hanging in there.  Today I went for acupuncture and as soon as the needles were in, the babe started kicking up a storm.  It was prolly the most intense bout of kicks I've felt so far, especially in the middle of the day.  I got a good chuckle out of it.  

Mom is getting all packed up as I type and in just a few days she'll be here in Denver!!  CRAZY!  Safe travels momma.

XOX

Liz

This HAS to be the baby moving. It's still kinda strange . . . feeling mostly like a bubble popping on the inside . . . or actually like a little kick or somersault. I am 18 weeks going on 19, so it's about that time. CRAZY!!

I THINK I felt the babe moving last night. It's so hard to tell though. I've had a few moments of - was THAT it?? - before, but this felt a little more certain. Everyone says it'll mostly happen at night when you lay down in bed and get comfy. So, every night I have been getting totally ready for sleep and then really concentrating on whether or not I can feel anything. Last night was a little different than before. I took some slow deep breaths. On the exhale I would try to hold it for a minute - being completely still - and see if I could make anything out. And, there it was. It was like a little hiccup or a little kick. It wasn't too strong. Maybe I felt it three or four times. But I felt something!!

We went on our tour of St. Joe's hospital tonight. It was nice. The whole Labor & Delivery section of the hospital was redone in the last 4 years or so. As a "guest" I would spend time in two different rooms. You labor and deliver in one room. These are huge gorgeous rooms with all the amenities. The baby's station pulls out of a cabinet, like a mini murphy bed. There's even a warming machine that swings out of an overhead cabinet if that's needed. Only one room doesn't have a jacuzzi tub and that's a handicap accessible room. The beds are crazy convertible to enable moms to deliver in a VARIETY of positions that I hope I never experience. ;)

Then, a few hours after baby is born they move you to a recovery room. Those rooms are smaller and not as sparkly new, but nice. There is a murphy bed in each room for Dads, so that's nice. He won't have to sleep on a recliner.

The NICU is a level 3 facility, which I guess is pretty high. They don't transfer babies out of there. This hospital gets a lot of high risk pregnancies from lots of nearby states, so that's good to know. They're ready and equipped to handle any problem we might have, so baby and I could stay at the same facility.

Hey - you can all take a virtual tour of this facility online. Click here to go to the hospital's Webpage and take the tour yourself!

We were the least pregnant people there tonight. While many people were CLOSE to delivering and just getting the lay of the land, we were in a fortunate position. We can choose between two hospitals, so we were almost interviewing them. That's kinda nice. We'll see our other choice in a few weeks when we go with the Klebbas for our first childbirth class.

Although mild, tonight I am nursing my first case of heartburn. Fun stuff!

XOX
Liz

I went to listen to the babe today. The doctor offered - anytime I wanted to come in for a listen - so I took her up on it! I called yesterday and made an appointment and they got me in first thing. It all sounded good. Heart rate was in the 150s. Now I gotta wait two weeks and two days until the next appointment . . . the big ultrasound appointment!!

In the meantime, someone tell me I'm crazy . . . . you know the nursery I love?? Well, I found some similar sheets by the same maker at Target - the DwellStudio School Book set. It's $55 for the three piece set. However, I REALLY like the Dwell Alphabet Set MUCH better. The colors are brighter. I like that it's got large letters (vs. numbers in the Target version). However, it's $320 for the Alphabet set. That's crazy. Tell me I'm crazy! For that price difference I could buy the bookshelf I want for that room or another whole piece of furniture. I need to get over myself. ;)

XOX
Liz

Well, I am still in love with just about everything from that nursery I saw over the weekend (see Saturday's post)! IF IF IF we have a boy I think we'll go for that look. Actually we could probably do it very nicely in pink too. Anyway, we can do just about everything except the wall mural fairly easily. The crib and dresser we can get at Babies R Us. The bedding - we can get something VERY similar at Target. We've got a West Elm in town where we can get the bookshelf. The rockers they sell everywhere these days. And voila - we're very close!!

Maybe one day we'll add a fancy mural if we can find someone talented enough to execute it. Last night I had a great idea though. Instead of replicating that WHOLE wall mural, we could do some wall art. We ordered a few pieces from this company last year around the holidays. Look at Wonderful Grafitti's Website. They will make quotes and other custom things into STICKERS that we can stick on the wall and remove when we're over it. So now we'd just need to decide what to say. Hmmmm. I like that I'm not so undecided anymore. PROGRESS!!

XOX
Liz

PS - I think I WILL call the doctor and go listen to the heartbeat this week. I'm not worried really. But why not go listen if she offered?? ;) I'll let you know more later.

LOVE this nursery!! CLICK HERE to see it. They tell you everything you need to know to execute it on your own, but it looks MUCH harder than they make it sound. I guess I'd need to find a graphic artist and then a good painter!! Hmmmm.

Long time no post. No news is good news, right?!? I have been BUSY with work and play. I traveled last week to Arizona and worked HARD! I was on my feet for at LEAST 15 hours each day. It was crazy but a very successful week. When I got home it took me a few days to bounce back. I think the first night I was home I was in bed by 8 pm. SAD!

Then there's LOTS for Jeff and I to do to help Mom get ready for her big move to Denver. We've got a contractor in her condo now doing some tweaking to the new pad. So, we're making some decisions there, buying some materials, etc. Hopefully that will be all wrapped up by the end of next week, so we can get the carpets cleaned and have everything ready for her arrival!!

Next week the same contractor starts the Kegg baby room!! ACK!! So, I need to seriously start thinking about what to do in a baby room. Do I want a chair rail? Do I want built-ins? What should I do?!?!

I'm 17 weeks now. No baby movements yet that I can detect. Totally normal, I know, but that doesn't mean I'm not anxious about that. I've thought about calling the doctor to go in for a quickie listen to the heartbeat, but I am trying to not be overly paranoid.

Our five year wedding anniversary is next weekend (Sept 27th). We always had big plans for the 5 year mark. I was thinking a week in Europe somewhere or a luxury cruise. We just didn't get it together. As of now, we've got a triple date planned for next Friday night and then a solo dinner reservation for the actual anniversary at a NICE place in the Boulder area. Hey, I'm an excellent designated driver these days, so we might as well take this opportunity to do some fine dining a little further away from home.

That's all for now. Next doctor's appointment is at the 20-week mark. It's scheduled for Oct 9th. Mom is going to go with us to see the babe and find out the gender. FUN!

XOX
Liz

What a day! I was soooo worried about my doctor's appt. It'd been too long since I'd seen the babe and I can't feel it moving yet, so I was a little nervous going in today. Everything went really well. We listened to the heart rate first. That sounded good - in the 150s. Then my doctor did a quickie ultrasound. She made a GUESS at sex, but we're not sharing until we know for sure. That will be on Oct 9th, so you'll have to wait a few more weeks for that news.

We met with the potential nanny last night. That went well. She was very experienced and very nice. She's conservative - like us, loves to cook - like us, and loves Diet Coke - like me! A good fit. ;) She's taken care of infant multiples before, so she's used to having two babes at once. That's all good stuff. Tonight we're having dinner with Dave & Gwen to discuss next steps.

Talk to you soon!
XOX
Liz

Long time, no post! Things are slow in the baby news department, so I haven't been posting as often. Hey - no news is good news in this department!

Today was interesting though. The girls advised we start looking at cribs. They can take 8 - 10 weeks to order, as would a chair for the babe's room, so we need to start looking, know how much they are, see what features we want, decide what color scheme we may want, etc. There's a LOT more to think about than what style looks cute - which would have been the basis of my decision. So we went to a baby store today - I think Jeff's first time ever - to check this stuff out. Jeff handled it very well. I was happy to see his interest in this stuff. Yeah Jeff!!

Anyway, we left there liking three different ones - just a good starting point.
The Bonavita Metro
The Munire Deco
The Baby's Dream Kathryn

Who knows what we'll end up with, but it was nice to see there were things we liked and we weren't totally blown away by the cost.

In other baby news, we have been talking more about the nanny situation with the Klebbas. That's progressing really nicely and we're scheduled to meet Wendy, the potential nanny this Wednesday night. Again - strange to be making these plans SOOO early, but it will be nice to have this potentially settled and out of the way. I hope everything works out.

Well, this is week 15! I have a doctor's appt on Thursday afternoon. SEVERAL things I've read said that a doctor MAY be able to determine the baby's sex by now. SOOOOO . . . fingers crossed that we learn something this week. The baby Website says this week . . .

My growing baby now measures about 4 inches long, crown to rump, and weighs in at about 2 1/2 ounces (about the size of an apple). It's busy moving amniotic fluid through the nose and upper respiratory tract, which helps the primitive air sacs in the lungs begin to develop. The legs are growing longer than the arms now, and the baby can move all of its joints and limbs. Although the eyelids are still fused shut, it can sense light. There's not much for the baby to taste at this point, but it's forming taste buds.

The big plans for the weekend - in addition to looking at baby cribs - is to clean out the loft so it can be ready for construction when the contractor is ready to start finishing it into a 3rd bedroom. April and Rob are coming to dinner tomorrow night. We're looking forward to seeing them again as well.

XOX
Liz

My good friend Suzanne asked a good question . . . you saw all the girl names, but what about a boy name?!?!? Well, the "drama" is around a girl name only because we don't know what we'd name a girl, whereas we're already 100% on a boy name. If we have a boy, we plan to name him George Vincent Kegg. George is Jeff's dad and Vincent is Jeff's maternal grandfather. Makes sense we'd name a Kegg son after the Kegg family.

It has always been the girl names that have been difficult. It would be nice to name a girl after someone from my family, but I just don't see that happening. No offense Mom or Dad, but I just don't LOVE any girl names from our families . . . Elma, Pearl, Luvina, come ON!! Elizabeth will definitely be the middle name - mostly because of Honey, but also because this will be a fourth generation Elizabeth . . . Elizabeth Jackson, Judith Elizabeth, Elizabeth Kathleen, and now _____ Elizabeth. I like that it flips from first to middle name.

But the question was good timing. Last night a light bulb went off with my NEW favorite girl name. Don't go monogramming anything yet, but I am REALLY liking . . . . drum roll please . . . .

Lauren Elizabeth Kegg.

We'll see how things shake out. I have light bulbs with girl names about once a week. The other one this week I liked a lot was Kate Kegg. Who knows what we'll end up with. But that's the baby name news for now.

XOX
Liz

Alright - maybe I'm ready to believe in acupuncture! Yesterday it seems all the things I was treated for last week kicked back in . . . pain in my lower back, headaches, and today - nausea too. YUCK!! Luckily I am scheduled to go back tomorrow afternoon. I need some help again.

Today I headed to my doctor for a quick chat and visit. We were scheduled to review the results of my first trimester screening. Clearly there was nothing to talk about there since I had no results. Oh well. We agreed I wouldn't reschedule that test, but instead we'd look forward to a quad screen when I'm 16 - 20 weeks along. I did get to hear the heartbeat - it was in the 150s - and then she let me see the little shrimp as well.

Yeah - now it's the size of a shrimp. Here's what the Website says about week 13 . . . Fingerprints have formed on our baby's tiny fingertips, the veins and organs are clearly visible through the still-thin skin, and its body is starting to catch up with its head — which makes up just a third of its body size now. If we're having a girl, she now has more than 2 million eggs in her ovaries. The baby is almost 3 inches long (the size of a medium shrimp) and weighs nearly an ounce.

Good stuff!
XOX
Liz

It's a STRANGE day. The high today was 57 degrees - in Denver. Chilly. It rained on and off - mostly on - all day. We were supposed to go camping this weekend, but after seeing the weekend forecast, we stayed home. It's a good thing. We just saw the news and they showed a picture of Loveland Pass, where it's 12k feet or so. It SNOWED in the mountains today. There were people snowboarding down the mountain. Yeah. Instead, we made hot tea, cooked biscuits and sausage gravy for breakfast and got the fireplace lit for the first time this season.

Thursday night we made dinner for our camping weekend - a big batch of our green chili. It's a PERFECT night for that. So in about 15 minutes we're heading to a neighbor's house with green chili, cornbread, and all the fixins to share. It will be a fun night. I think some Olympics and maybe some cards are also in the plan for this evening.

Oh - and no news on the babe front. It's just chillin and hopefully growin! Today I am 13 weeks.

XOX
Liz

Today we got our first gift for baby! It's a peanut bib! CUTE!! Kristine brought this back from her NC vacation. Something for my peanut.

In other news . . . I know this is strange and REALLY early, but yesterday I think we resolved our daycare needs!! We have been speaking with Dave and Gwen about doing a nanny-share with them. For two families to share, the price is comparable to daycare and it's usually a much better quality of care. We figured late this year or early in '09 we'd call agencies and start the search. Well . . . yesterday, Gwen's neighbor emailed Gwen letting her know that in the spring of next year she'll quit her job and start staying home with her kids. So, they're letting their nanny go. Gwen has met the nanny many times and LOVES her. We'll start talking about it casually and Jeff and I will meet her ourselves, but this could be perfect! Stay tuned.

XOX

Liz

So yesterday I told my boss Eric about the pending babe. Then this morning I shared the news with the rest of my colleagues. Everyone was really supportive and excited for Jeff and me. So that's all done. It's still scary to tell people. It's as if I'm jinxing it. Now I'm waiting for something bad to happen. Sad, I know.

This afternoon I went to an acupuncturist to see about helping with my pain. It's a cousin of a good friend of mine. After one treatment I still have some issues, but I will give it another few sessions before I pass judgement.

Tonight is more chilling on the sofa with Jeff, watching the Olympics. Tomorrow night we hope to go to the Rockies game, weather permitting.

XOX
Liz

Today was an unproductive baby day. Where should I start . . . . well, I went in for a 1st Trimester Screening. Today I am 12 weeks and 2 days pregnant - due on Feb 21. Even after several jabs in my stomach the baby wouldn't move into the position needed for them to complete the screening. Sooooo - no test results for me. The babe was moving all over the place - just not into the right position. Heart rate was 162. Things are still looking good. Anyway, after the ultrasound tech had no luck the perinatal doctor came in and chatted with me for a few minutes. Said she understood I was just trying to get more info, but I shouldn't have a reason to worry about Downs or other chromosomal disorders. She suggested I wait until 16 - 20 weeks for a quad screening instead. That would tell me the odds of those things PLUS some other stuff too. So, I guess that's what I'll do.

So, on Saturday morning I woke up with stabbing pain in my lower back. I thought it was strange, but whatever. Then when Gwen came over she said she'd had similar issues. I looked it up online and someone suggested it could be nerve issues. Sunday it was worse. Tylenol (the only pain reliever I'm allowed to take during pregnancy) helped numb it a little but it was still bad. I almost called the dr, but decided to wait it out. This morning it was bad again, so I called. After some phone tag with the nurse, I just stopped by their office - I was in the building already for that screening. They didn't see any connection to that pain & pregnancy. She suggested Tylenol, heat, rest, and maybe a massage and/or physical therapy. Basically - suffer through it. Ugh. It's bad. Sitting, laying down, and standing up are all alright. It's GETTING into or out of any of those positions that's painful. Stabbing pain. Eyes welling up with tears pain. OUCH!!

This afternoon I had a dentist appointment. Geez - I have been in doctor city today! All good news on the dentist front. No cavities. There were no x-rays or fluoride treatments for the mom-to-be, so that got me off a little cheaper than usual. ;)

Now, it's time to listen to my doctor's orders . . . rest!

XOX
Liz

The babe is 2 inches! I saw my peanut today. I've turned the pics (see below) so you're looking at it more straight on. The first pic is my martian baby - the one on the left. It's looking right at you. The head is on top. It was moving during this picture, so it's got its left hand up by its head. The right hand is down by it's belly. The face just looks kinda martian-like to me. ;) The right one is a side shot. Again the head is on top. If you look REALLY close, you can make out its spine!



Today I measured 11 weeks and 6 days. WOA!! I'm starting to worry that I will have a 30 pound baby!! Its head to rump measurement was 5.17 centimeters. That's just over two inches. They're still showing a due date of 2/22. That's not a bad due date but I got some interesting news from the doc yesterday . . .

Because I will take a blood thinner throughout this pregnancy, they will want the delivery to be a fairly controlled process - for my safety. Sooooo . . . she said once we get closer, we'll pick a birthday and schedule an induction. That's kinda nice actually, because then I know I'll get my doctor versus someone who happens to be on call at 2 am on a Saturday.

At the office yesterday I made FIVE new appointments. They start on Monday when I go to a Perinatal specialist for a 1st Trimester Screening. This is a combination of a maternal blood test and a special ultrasound which identifies if our babe is at risk for certain chromosomal disorders, like Downs syndrome and Trisomy 18. So, I am doing that Monday morning.

I'm seeing my regular doctor again on Aug 18 (to review the 1st trimester screening results), Sept 4 (before I go out of town for two weeks), Oct 9 (this is the 20 week ultrasound when we'll find out the sex), and Nov 3. If there are any mother-in-laws out there who want to come for a doctors visit . . . now's when you can book a trip. Maybe that November visit would be a good time to come. Maybe the baby's room will be started by then . . . well, at least walls would be up. ;)

I also got the OK to travel to Ohio for Christmas, assuming everything with the pregnancy is going fine up until then. So, I will start looking at airfare to finalize my ticket shortly.

Our pregnant friends, Dave & Gwen, are coming for dinner tonight. We're going COMFORT FOOD with Judi's meatloaf and a potato casserole. For dessert a strawberry shortcake casserole. YUMMY! Tonight Gwen and I will look at the hospital's birthing classes while the boys watch pre-season football. Just another day in the Kegg house!

XOX
Liz

Not a lot new on the baby front around here. I'm still taking it easy and looking forward to the end of the first trimester. That's coming soon. Based on last week's measurements, today I would be measuring eleven weeks. What happens at eleven weeks?

The baby, just over 1 1/2 inches long and about the size of a fig, is now almost fully formed. The hands will soon open and close into fists, tiny tooth buds are beginning to appear under its gums, and some of the bones are beginning to harden. It's already busy kicking and stretching, and its tiny movements are so effortless they look like water ballet. These movements will become more frequent as its body grows and becomes more developed and functional. I won't feel the baby's acrobatics for another month or two — nor will I notice the hiccupping that may be happening now that the diaphragm is forming.

What else with me? My pants are starting to tighten. I bought a few pairs of pants yesterday that are a touch bigger that I can hopefully grow into for the next few months. I'm still suffering from nausea, but hopeful that will come to an end soon.

We started a list of girl names. It's posted to the fridge and we'll add and delete names as we progress. Who knows if we'll even need to use one of these. It's just nice to have a starting place. Right now the list is . . .

• Hannah
• Paige
• Emily
• Lucy
• Judith
• Sophia
• Rachel
• Megan
• Jane
• Mia

So, Jeff and I are headed to the doctor Friday afternoon. Look for more news then!

XOX
Liz

Today was my last visit at the infertility doctor. Jeff was able to go with me today. They were very sweet - saying congrats and hugging us goodbye. We didn't mess around too much with them, did we? We figured it out quick and here we are - a little over ten weeks pregnant. CRAZY! So far, we're VERY lucky. They asked us to send them a birth announcement and stop by with the baby later.

The ultrasound wasn't as crystal clear today. The bigger the babe gets the harder it is to see with this type of ultrasound. So, they tried the thing on my stomach too. The fun part about that . . . we got to HEAR the heartbeat! Amazing!!

Today we saw the spine again. We saw the definition of the jaw bone - which you can sorta see in the pics below. And - this was the coolest part - we saw the TOES!! Cute. The babe wasn't moving as much today, but it did wave at us and kick its legs. Cute. Cute. Cute!!

Next week it's back to see Christee (my OB/GYN) and her nurse Julie. They were sooooooo nice and compassionate with us during our first two pregnancies. I can't wait to see them again, this time hopefully for a positive experience.

Soooooo . . . the stats . . . It measured 10 weeks and 3 days. It was 3.68 centimeters long, so about an inch and a half. The heart rate was 162. A girl?!?! We better get to thinking of some girl names!! See if you can see the toes in this first picture - on the far left side of the babe. In the bottom picture you can see the jaw bone - it's a brighter white than the rest of the babe.

Tomorrow's another ulstrasound! I'm anxious as always. Seems like I've told a lot of people this week our big news, and so that makes me more nervous that things will be OK. Come back tomorrow for more!

XOX

Well, we had a little scare on Thursday and Friday. I think only Judi knew the whole story. Let me cut to the finish first - everything is FINE! I'm fine. The babe is fine. All is well.

I had such a dreamy day on Thursday. I had breakfast (sort of) with my girlfriends. My new oven was delivered. My house was SCRUBBED clean. And then I saw the peanut! It was soooo mobile and active and the heartbeat was strong. It was all really good stuff.

Well, around 5 pm on Thursday I got a very concerned phone call from my doctor's office. Apparently some blood work came back with "critical" numbers. My platelet count was LOW - scary low. They were calling to see if I had broken blood vessels on my arms or on my face. Had I had any nosebleeds. Was I bleeding from ANYWHERE?!?! No, no, no and no. I felt fine and saw no weird blood issues. But the numbers were bad and they were concerned. I was to call them overnight if anything odd happened and I needed to come back to their office first thing Friday morning for more tests.

Friday they took SIX VIALS of blood to run a whole series of tests and they told me to NOT go camping this weekend, as was our plan. : ( SAD! But, if I was this critical, we agreed I should stay put. Sooooo . . . they got me an appointment with a hematologist (blood dr) for the afternoon and I was to take it REALLY easy and wait and see what she said. Late afternoon the dr called back and said oddly the results from today's blood work were totally normal - not a thing wrong. They were confused but didn't know what to do. They advised I go ahead and see the specialist.

Jeff went with me, as this was getting more concerning. The blood doctor was convinced it was a lab error, which had been one theory from the start, but a strange error. The office had asked them to re-run the tests and when the results are that off, they look at the blood under a microscope and triple confirm the results. They'd done all that. Still - it was looking more and more like that was the issue. The blood doctor took one more sample and we sat for a minute while those tests were run and ALSO came back normal. She said GO CAMPING!!

On our way home, the nurse called from my doctor's office and said she'd been in contact with the original lab throughout the day and they finally admitted to their error. Strange. We loaded the car and had a wonderful weekend in the mountains with Otto and our friends the Meskimen.

To put this to scale - my normal platelet count was around 350. I think it translates to 350,000. The critical test result said I was at 21, or 21,000. A pretty serious difference!

Anyway, all is well. I'm home and still feeling the icky pregnant feeling I've had for a while. I go back for one more ultrasound with this doctor on Thursday morning and then I am switching over to my regular OB/GYN for the rest of the pregnancy.

Talk to you soon.
XOX

I'm having SUCH a great day. First of course - the doctor's visit. It went SOOOOOO well. It was just me today. Jeff had a big day at work. My appointment was at 10:30 am. I was weighed, blood pressure checked, and took two blood samples. They're checking my progesterone again (as they're thinking they MIGHT be able to lower my dose now - YEAH!!) and they also want to see how the blood thinner is doing. I wish we could reduce that too. Those are the worst things I take - not pills. After that was done I went into the ultrasound room.

The walnut - now an upgrade from a peanut - is looking great. It was SOOOOO active today. It moved and moved and moved. It was fantastic. It had the pads of its feet together touching, so we saw little knee caps. LOVED it. Baby's dancing in there. It better enjoy it while it can. Space is gonna get tighter soon. Even the nurse, who is an ultrasound technician - she sees these ALL DAY LONG - told me she got chills. It was all fantastic. The heart rate was 171. Girl?!?!

After my appointment I made the requisite phone calls to Jeff and Judi. They were excited. Judi's looking forward to moving here even more now, so she can go to the doctor with me when Jeff cannot. I emailed out the pics immediately to a few people. Then it was back to work.

Other GREAT stuff about my day . . . my new oven came today. LOVE it. Electric oven with a gas range. We'll really enjoy having gas. Our friend/carpenter Matt came and rehung the pantry door. I picked up newly cleaned and hemmed curtains for the living room. And the house is getting a MUCH needed cleaning even as I type. Ahhhhh . . . soon life will go back to normal - for now. In the fall we'll start another wave of improvements as we finish off our third bedroom - hopefully for a little munchkin Kegg!

Here are today's pics:

Tomorrow I will have more baby news. I have another ultrasound tomorrow at 10:30 am. Not sure what else we're supposed to see tomorrow - maybe just longer arms and legs. CRAZY! It should look more baby-like too I think. All that we'll know tomorrow.

In the meantime there's still a TON of work to do at the house. We're waiting for the baseboards to be finished so we can put our house back in order. We have new house cleaners coming tomorrow (YEAH!!) and so we need to get things back in their place before anyone can clean. We may be doing the work ourselves tonight if it's not done today. Ugh.

More tomorrow.
XOX

No baby news in the last few days. For me, no news is good news! It's just been a few nice meals without a glass of wine. ;) Today was a very productive day though. Jeff and I are staying at a hotel while our hardwood floors are being installed and finished. We went over again today. The floor is GORGEOUS, but the house sure does smell.

On Friday I ordered a new oven for our kitchen. Yeah - we're finally moving to gas. We selected the Jenn-Air dual fuel double oven in black. So, last night after dinner with the neighbors, we went to our garage and took a few pictures of our old Whirlpool. At 10 pm I posted the photos and a description on Craigslist. By the time I woke up I had three emails. My 3 pm today we were loading the oven into someone's van and counting our cash.

Also today we went to Circuit City and found a GREAT deal on a new TV for our living room. Not only did I want to upgrade "my" TV to a flat screen, but our old one - Jeff has owned for about 10 years - was starting to lose its picture. Soooo, Circuit City was selling a floor model of a 40" LCD Toshiba because they were changing the model style. So, we ended up with this GREAT TV for what appears to be about half price. SCORE!

All in all a very successful day - topped off by perhaps the best pizza we've had in Denver. Jeff enjoyed his with a cold beer. For me - lemonade. ;) It will all be worth it. Tomorrow we pick Otto up from the kennel and then head to an all day music festival . . . outside all afternoon . . . in 100 degree weather. Today we picked up one of those water bottles that has a fan on top so you can mist yourself. FUN!

Today I am blogging from Panera Bread. I'm having lunch and working here while we continue to stay out of our house. The first coat of finish went on the hardwoods yesterday. Jeff and I stopped by and checked it out. It's GORGEOUS! Today they're doing at least one more coat. We'll move back in Sunday night.

Last night after we saw the floors we went to a Rockies game. The Rockies won against the Pittsburgh Pirates. It was a good game. The tough part was . . . I couldn't eat a Rockie Dog! :( It's really the crowning moment of any Rockies game. It's a footlong Hebrew National dog with peppers and onions. I always add ketchup and relish. Last night I tried, but just couldn't do it. In fact, after eating about 1/4 of it, I had to ask Jeff to take it to the trash.

So, it's now proven. I feel fine until about 3 in the afternoon. Then I can feel the "morning sickness" starting to sink in. I have a few crackers, thinking that might help, but it hasn't worked yet. At dinner time I can eat just a very little amount of anything and then I'm just done.

Tonight is Mexican food with the neighbors. We'll see how I manage with that. Until then, I will stock up on those mini Ritz peanut butter cracker sandwiches.

XOX

Last night was pretty brutal. I was NOT feeling good. I really wanted to go out to dinner to celebrate the very positive ultrasound, but I just wasn't feeling up to it. Maybe Jeff and I will go out tonight. Instead I napped from 6 - 7 pm and then I woke up and had some Saltine crackers for dinner. Good times at the Kegg house! ;)

I still can't believe that there's a LIVING thing inside me. It's quite bizarre. Ohhh - and for those who are interested, I have a new favorite girl name . . . Sophie. What do you think?!?!

Today the work on the floors continues. I anticipate another fairly loud day. If it gets bad, I'll go to a friend's house to work (or nap). Tonight is our last night sleeping at home for a while. We'll be at a friend's house tomorrow night (they're out of town) and then Friday we check into a hotel for the weekend. Otto goes to a kennel.

Also up for the next few days . . . Thursday night we're headed to a baseball game and Sunday we've got tickets for the Mile High Music Festival.

XOX

Today was an amazing day in the baby development department. Jeff and I saw arms and legs!! We also saw the heartbeat again - 171 beats per minute today. We saw the spinal cord. We even saw it move already!! The nurse was even surprised by this. Crazy stuff going on in there.


Can you make anything out?? The upper right corner is its head. Just below that you can see the "paddles" that are the beginning of its arms. At the bottom - the bottom left cover - you can see the beginnings of legs.

Today I measured 7 weeks and 6 days. So tomorrow will be 8 weeks. Here's what the baby Website says goes on at 8 weeks . . .

Webbed fingers and toes are poking out from the baby's hands and feet. Eyelids practically cover its eyes. Breathing tubes extend from his throat to the branches of his developing lungs. And, its "tail" is just about gone. In its brain, nerve cells are branching out to connect with one another, forming primitive neural pathways. The baby — about the size of a kidney bean — is constantly moving and shifting, though I still can't feel it.

It's only noon and I'm already tired. Today Jeff and I are doing a MASSIVE clean out of our first floor. We're having hardwoods installed and they start tomorrow. That means we have to empty bookshelves, the china cabinet, the TV console, the refrigerator, and the floor of our pantry and entry closet. We also have to totally clean out my office which will likely be the biggest headache. All this so the guy can remove the furniture tomorrow and start ripping out the old carpet and kitchen flooring. It will be really nice when it's all done, but the next week will be tough.

We're having the floors coated in a polyurethane finish, so pregnant or not, Jeff, Otto and I all need to be out of the house for a few days while that settles in. The smell is too much to deal with. Ohhh - and we went with hickory floors and we selected #2 which has the most variance in color/grain. We're excited.

It's ALSO our week to cook for the neighbors. We're doing picnic spiced chicken and an antipasto pasta salad. It's supposed to be good straight out of the fridge. Given how hot it's been here lately, we thought cold chicken sounded good. And, it's a recipe Jeff's been wanting to try.

So, it's back to work for me. I need to do an expense report before we disassemble my printer and then I need to go make the spice rub for the chicken.

XOX

I am home!! Yeah. It's always so nice coming home - whether I was gone for one night or twelve. So, what's even better. I'm now home for the duration of what could be my first trimester. I don't travel again until September! That will be sooooo nice. It's really a good thing too, especially if I keep feeling more and more ill. The landing today into Denver was REALLY bumpy. It was rough. When we finally touched down, the woman next to me said, "thank goodness!" I'm thinking - "Lady, you have no idea." I was seriously wondering if there were baggies in the seat pocket in front of me. Luckily for everyone on board that wasn't necessary.

So I'm home. This weekend will be a little hectic. I was welcomed home to the smell of hardwoods. We're getting new floors this week and I'm thrilled. The wood itself is piled up in the living room so it can acclimate to our house. The guy starts installation on Monday afternoon. We've got to spend a few days away due to the sound and the smell when he finishes it. We picked hickory and it'll have some great character.

I'm rambling. Tonight Jeff went to Boulder to hang out with Matt and a friend who moved away a while ago (he's just in town visiting). So, I called my other pregnant friend, Sarah, and we hit the movies. Popcorn for dinner. Not much protein there, but it hit the spot! We saw Get Smart. It was cute and funny. Now it's time to get some shut eye. Good thing I've got Otto here to protect me while Jeff's still away. ;) Nighty night.

XOX

Thursday, July 10

It's so weird - who you tell and how. I am at a resort inspecting the property for an upcoming work function. So, I'm the client here. We had a VERY nice lunch today at an Italian restaurant and someone thought it was a good idea to have a nice bottle of red wine to go with our meal. They were also HIGHLY recommending the seared tuna. Now I LOVE both of those things - red wine and undercooked fish. Clearly they're off limits to me at the moment. Sad. I'm not one to lie or beat around the bush, so I just told them what was up. Whatever. I really don't mind talking about it and letting people know I'm skeptical, given some history, but hopeful. It's a bit awkward, but oh well.

After lunch it was my duty and obligation to inspect the spa here as well. I had a lovely prenatal treatment. It's prolly a bit early for having to go that route, but I'm ever cautious at the moment.

Now it's time to make a plan for dinner and then it's early to bed.

XOX

Wednesday, July 9

Well, I was thrilled to get a call from the doctor's office yesterday. While they did add another pill to my daily cocktail (just an aspirin), they also gave me the progesterone test results. My levels are still great which means I don't have to take a second progesterone supplement each day. Yeah! The blood thinning shot I take at bedtime (in my tummy) is clearly my least favorite of the daily drugs, but the progesterone is a close second. So I am spared a daytime dose of that one. Yeah!

Today I traveled to Phoenix where it's a HOT 110 degrees. Actually, it isn't as bad as I was expecting. I was happy to see a can of Pringles in the minibar of my hotel room. I'm not sure what it is about pregnancy and Pringles, but I know many mommas who agree it's a pregnancy necessity! The travel's made me tired though, so I think it's nap time.

XOX

Monday, July 7

It was a big day around here for the Kegg family. It was Jeff's very first day at a new job and it was my first ultrasound for this pregnancy. With Jeff's new job, I asked Kristine to come with me. She was thrilled to do so and I loved having an old pro with me - someone who's seen the good ultrasounds and the bad ones too. Luckily today was a good one!!

Before the ultrasound I was weighed (I didn't look), tested my blood pressure (low and wonderful as usual) and then they took some blood to test my progesterone. Afterwards it was off to the stirrups. Fun stuff. I was scared. The whole process. As soon as it came on the screen, we could see it right away! Not only was the babe bigger than any ultrasound pic I've seen before, BUT WE SAW THE HEARTBEAT!! 133 beats per minute - a fighter in there. I was told anything over 100 would be good. I was happy. They are currently calculating a due date of Feb 28, but it may work out to be a few days before that. We'll see as things progress.

Here's the babe:

The ball on top is NOT the head as it really looks. That’s the yolk sac. The babe is the rice shaped bit on the bottom half. Next week we may be able to tell which end is the head and which is the “tail,” but we’ll see that for sure at week 8.

Sunday, July 6

Sooooo . . . in about 31 hours I'll know something more concrete. The waiting is killer, but there's nothing to do but wait. I go through these physical spurts where I feel great - and therefore start to worry more. Then I have moments where I feel a little ill and I'm thrilled about that. I know it's all common stuff. I just wish tomorrow afternoon would come on already!

Right now I'm just at 6 weeks along. So tomorrow I anxiously want to see a heartbeat. I think I'll be devastated if I don't see it. Crazy stuff is supposedly going on inside me this week.

This week's major developments: The nose, mouth, and ears are beginning to take shape. There's an oversized head and dark spots where eyes and nostrils are starting to form. Emerging ears are marked by small depressions on the sides of the head, and arms and legs are now protruding buds. The heart should be beating about 100 to 160 times a minute — almost twice as fast as mine — and blood is beginning to course through the little body. The intestines are developing, and the bud of tissue that will give rise to lungs has appeared. The pituitary gland is forming, as are the rest of his brain, muscles, and bones. Right now, the baby is a quarter of an inch long, about the size of a lentil bean. I'm learning all this from www.babycenter.com.

Wednesday, June 25

This morning I had to get up and head to a lab for some more blood work. Shannon was there as I was leaving for the doctor's office and she gave me a sly smile. He heee. I was thrilled to have this place just do a finger prick for the blood work. That was easy and nice.

Mom arrived at the beach house today. It will be nice to have her join us for a few days. Otherwise it's much of the same - some evenings in the pool, lots of reading, afternoon naps. It's all the things vacation should be! Love it!

The doctor called Wednesday afternoon to say the blood work is still great. I'm to keep the same dosage on the blood thinner. She said I didn't have to go to the lab on Sat in NC, but I could wait and go again on Monday when I'm back in Denver. Perfect!