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
Monday, December 29, 2008
Thursday, December 25, 2008
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
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
Thursday, December 18, 2008
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:
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
- 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)
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
Monday, December 15, 2008
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
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
Sunday, December 7, 2008
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
Wednesday, December 3, 2008
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.
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
Monday, December 1, 2008
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