Pickles and Ice Cream

So, I came home from work today and was STARVING. It was a long, painful day at work- and Jeff had to go to PT after work, so it was going to be a while before we ate dinner. I decided to have a nice big bowl of ice cream to lift my spirits and tone down my growling stomach. It really hit the spot, but I finished the ice cream and thought, man I am still pretty hungry and could go for something salty. Well, we have a few homemade pickles from north dakota left- these are the best pickles ever! They are kinda fizzy and spicy, and just so yummy. So I grabbed a few pickles to snack on. As I sat on the couch with my pickles it occurred to me- I just experienced the ultimate pregnancy cliche- PICKLES and ICE CREAM! It took me 8 full months to get there- but I am officially a pregnant lady eating pickles and ice cream- not together, but i think it counts if they are directly following one another.

A great after work snack- I recommend it to pregnant and non-pregnant people alike- filled my tummy and made the baby happy!

Baby Shower!

This weekend, our good friends Trina and Geoff had a lovely baby shower for us. It was a great evening, filled with great friends, and lots of food and drink- of course I was drinking the alcohol-free wine- bummer- just 5 more weeks to real wine again!!

The boys lucked out- Geoff made sure the only games being played were college football on TV, so the men in the room had a great time, too. I think little Miss Kaiser has all of the things she will need- thanks to all of our wonderful family and friends showering her with wonderful gifts. We are truly lucky beyond words- to have such wonderful people in our lives. It makes it easier to take on such a big life change, when we can count on our friends and family for love and support.

Only 5 short weeks until my due date- I can hardly wait that long. I am so excited and anxious to meet our little angel, and snug and kiss her!

We voted today

Jeff and I voted today. Gotta love the mail-in ballot- all of our voting was done from our dining room table. Now we have the perfect line for the next annoying person who calls or knocks on our front door to give us voting advice/ literature- we already voted- too late!

Everyone get out there and vote- it is your right (and you cannot grumble about the results of the election unless you did your part and voted!)

Happy 1st Birthday Alex!

Today is our nephew Alex's first birthday. They are having a bash at their house to celebrate- wish we could be there. We have to miss the party- my ability to sit in a car for 8+ hours straight is gone. Alex is a happy, sweet, laid-back little guy, we are hoping his new cousin takes after him a bit. Have a fun party guys- send us some pictures!

Sex Drive

Saturday night Jeff and I had date night. We went downtown, ate a nice dinner at Marlow's and caught a movie. We went to the new move called "Sex Drive." It was a corny, silly comedy- much like the American Pie movies. We both liked it- it was a nice night out. We dont go downtown often enough anymore- we are going to make a point of heading out down there more often in the next month, while it is still easy. I am feeling a little self-conscious in public with the big belly- I look ridiculous no matter what I wear, and I get some silly comments and looks. The guy at the movie theater who took our tickets said it didn't look like we needed to see the movie "Sex Drive"- he thought we had it figured out. And then added- "no accidents please" ha ha- very funny.

Farmer's Market

This has been a beautiful morning. Jeff, Casey, and I went to the Cherry Creek Farmer's market. We bought lots of fresh fruit and veggies, sweet corn, and brats from the Bavarian sausage guy. We grabbed yummy breakfast burritos and sat in the sun eating breakfast while a man played accordion and we people watched. Casey was well-behaved and friendly with other dogs- it was just a lovely morning all around. It is sunny and warm today, and just a perfect day to hang out with my boys. My idea of how to start out a saturday...

Long week, ugh

This week has been brutal, TGIF! Jeff was out of town all week, so I was responsible for myself and the dog all week (5:30 am walks...) on top of a killer week at work. I am not as young (or thin) as I once was and I am dead-tired. Jeff came home on thursday, and man are Casey and I glad. We missed him a lot, and he bought pink roses for me and baby. Today he had the day off, and he did one million errands- pulled up the garden, winterize the swamp cooler, cut the lawn, did our laundry... a regular house-wife. I came home from work tonight after a crazy day at work, and so many things were taken care of, it was nice. Tomorrow my plan is to sleep in and go to the Cherry Creek Farmer's market with Jeff and Casey- fun!

34 weeks down- 6 to go.
We went to the OB today- nothing exciting to report. I am just a run-of-the-mill pregnant lady- too boring to get an ultrasound. She wasn't sure, but thinks baby is already head-down and ready to go. It is just a matter of growing her a bit larger before she is ready to see the world. The down-side of things going so well, I may not even need another ultrasound at all- guess I should be thankful, but I like to see her on ultrasound. My weight gain is on track- I finally cracked the 20 lb mark, so everyone is happy with my size (not my aching back, though). You would think that given free reign it would be easy to gain a ton of weight, but my metabolism is rev'd up like a 14 year-old boy's right now.

I did have blood drawn to test my varicella titers- after yet another exposure to shingles. Working with immunocompromised children, I never realized how often I get exposed to chicken pox and shingles- but I have had blood drawn now to hopefully prove once and for all that I still have immunity. As if the memory of being almost 16 yrs old with chicken pox all over isn't vivid enough- I will now have it on paper that I am safe.

Overall, I feel well, just a bit tired again, and heavy. No puffiness yet, nothing really to remark on. Just getting geared up for little Diva baby's impending arrival. The name issue is still a stuggle. We are officially past all of the close friends & family having their baby girls, so we are free to committ to our own name fully without having to change it. We just cannot come to a consensus. All suggestions welcome.

The babies are coming...

Congratulations to Laurie and Joe- yesterday they brought a gorgeous baby girl into the world! Her name is Ella Marie- a very fitting pretty name for a precious little girl. Laurie is a great friend of mine who has been my "pregnancy buddy" throughout this time- and I am so proud of her for making it through a tough couple days with style and grace. She took the hard road- labor and pushing followed by a c-section, but in the end has a lovely young lady to love. They are truly the nicest family, and deserve nothing but wonderful things, my thoughts are with them as Laurie and baby both recover from a tough couple of days. If you know Laurie and Joe- you can check out their website for photo of Miss Ella and a bit more information about their daughter.


Now, I just wait for our day...

Hunting Widow

So, the hunters have arrived. Wednesday night we had my uncle Ricky and Bob come to visit- it was great to see them and we had a wonderful evening. It was especially nice for Jeff- because he had someone to talk hunting with and get him geared up for the big elk hunt. The guys stopped by Cabela's (of course!!) on they way out here and brought us a great surprise. Check out the camouflage baby outfit- complete with eyelet lace trim on the cuffs and bootie. It is pretty cute! I can just picture these two grown men in cabela's picking out a baby outfit. It is perfect- and in the 3mo size so she will be able to wear it this winter/ spring. I am thinking she is going to have a grandpa who will be mighty proud to see her clad in camouflage from one of his favorite stores! Not to mention a daddy who will no doubt proudly tote her around in her new hunting duds.

So, Jeff's dad and Russ drove straight into winter park (after a while at Cabela's as well) and Jeff met them up there last night. He will probably not come home until next weekend, so I am a hunting widow for the next week. I am planning some projects and lots of rest- nothing too exciting for me. Work has been a zoo, so it will be nice to just go to be really early and rest up. I was hoping to drive up to winter park for dinner on saturday, but there are supposed to be some snow storms, so i am going to wait and hear about the weather. My OB said there is no problem with me traveling to altitude, but think twice about getting stuck on the other side of Berthoud pass- not really a convenient place to be having the baby. I am not too worried about her trying to be born this month, but none-the-less will cut out any unnecessary blizzard driving.`

Diaper bag- feedback needed

Help! Feedback needed!

So, I have been carefully trying to decide on a diaper bag. You know how I am with accessories, and it has to be just right. I have the added challenge of picking out a diaper bag that is useful- but I dont know anything about what makes a diaper bag useful. I also want a diaper bag that is not seasonal or too feminine- more of a classic. I would like Jeff to feel somewhat comfortable carrying it around as well- so pink and super girly is out. I found this elegant diaper bag by Oi Oi- it is black and white with red trim inside and comes with a red changing pad and red insulated bottle thing (who knew?). I think it is pretty nice, but need some feedback- what do you guys think? Is this the bag? What am I looking for in a diaper bag anyway? What would you think of a guy carrying this around? I still have to show it to Jeff and get his feedback, I kind of think he wont mind it since the color is pretty neutral- but I was considering solid black or brown. Does anyone have any hot tips on nice diaper bags- where to look, what type to get?
Thanks for you help!

Warren Miller- Children of Winter

It's that time of year again- Warren Miller Film time!! This year's film is called "Children of Winter" and it looks awesome. Click on the movie title to check it out on youtube. They are hitting many great locations including Japan, Austria, Iceland and a bunch of colorado sites as usual including Leadville, Steamboat, Silverton and Crested Butte.

I always get so excited for the Warren Miller flick- it gets me psyched up to do crazy stuff on my snowboard. And we usually go with a great group of friends, so it is twice as fun. Last year was the first year we didn't go in all the years I have lived in Colorado- because I was still recovering from surgery. This year I am not letting a "little" thing like being 39 weeks pregnant stop me. I just will spend half of the movie in the insanely long potty lines. (I call an aisle seat!). We are not the coordinators this year though, just in case we cannot make it due to labor or something- thanks to Jason for getting the tickets this year! We are going friday 11/21 to the 6:30 pm show- contact Jason if you want to join in.

Bring on the hunters

Its that time of year again- I get to be a (pregnant) hunting widow for a week starting on thursday night. Jeff's dad and Russ are coming out elk hunting (run elk, run!) and are taking away my hubbie for the week. They were all smart enough to chose a very early season this year, so Jeff doesn't miss out on any important events (like the birth of his child). The guys are not exactly roughing it this year- they will be staying in our condo- hot tub and hot showers daily! I am hoping they will have a great time and decide this is a great place to hunt. I would like to say I hope they shoot some elk, but........ no comment.

We are also having another group of hunters- my uncle Rick and his friend Bob are going to stop by for a visit this week on their way up to the mountains looking for elk. The are camping up by Walden, so probably not a hot tub in their future. We are looking forward to seeing the guys- it has been quite a while since I have seen them.

Now, what to cook for a bunch of hungry hunters...... elk chili maybe???

Contractions, already?

So, last night was a weird night for the baby and me. About the time I went to bed, she started with the hiccups. This is the first time I have felt her do it, and I felt really sorry for her- they were really strong hiccups and lasted for more than an hour- it was weird at first, then mainly just annoying as it got closer to midnight. They say it doesn't bother the baby, but it sures seems like it would... I wouldn't want to hiccup that much! My friend Anne's little girl had hiccups frequently during the pregnancy and continued them now as a newborn. And I was talking to the mom of one of my patients who said one of her twins had hiccups all the time in utero, and after they were born she was able to pinpoint which one, because she continued to hiccup as a baby. Kinda silly!

Well, that wasn't the weirdest part. About 1-2am I was awakened by the tightest squeezing of my huge belly, I was groggy at first- but then recognized it as a contraction! Yikes. So, of course this freaked me out- I dont want to have contractions now! After it stopped and I calmed down- I recognized this as a Braxton Hicks contraction, which is common and no big deal. Didn't keep me from worrying and counting the minutes until the next one- after all what if I was in labor? After about 15 minutes, the only thing going on was my heart pounding - so I woke up Jeff and told him what happened. He seemed unimpressed when I said "I just had a contraction". I think we need to work on that one- when the real thing comes I need the guy to REACT! Start timing them or something at least! Anyway, Braxton Hicks contractions are common during pregnancy after 20 weeks and dont actually mean anything- ie I am not going to have the baby early or anything. They are considered painless (hmm??) "practice" contractions that dont go anywhere. The closer you get to the end of your pregnancy, the more often you feel them and they get stronger and longer. I am not sure I buy the painless thing yet- I am not sure it really hurt last night, but was a bit scary and didn't feel wonderful.

All I know - my one contraction has left me a little freaked out. I have never felt anything like that before. It is getting very real now, someday I could wake up to a much bigger squeeze that could mean she is on her way. LOOK OUT!