6 months down...3 to go

  During our 6 month appointment yesterday Ky and I got a thumbs up from the doc that we are right on track and Baby Reding is doing great.  She listened to the heartbeat yesterday which actually increased from 146 to 152 when she was touching my belly...she informed us that this was good because it means the baby is responding to stimulation.  We absolutely love our doctor and I would highly recommend her to anyone that is looking to get pregnant or expecting.  She is very warm and straight forward, I want to hug her everytime I see her which makes me that much more comfortable with this amazing (and nerve wrecking) experience.
We were given information on cord blood banking, labor classes at the hospital and what to expect in the coming weeks where after our next appointment at the end of July we will be going every 2 weeks.  We are definitely getting more excited as October seems to be getting closer and closer.

One unwelcomed pregnancy side effect I discovered in the past 2 days are my new cankles!  Not cute at all.  Dr. Duhamel said this is pretty common with water retention during pregnancy.  Looks as though my heels will begin collecting dust in my closet sooner than I thought...good thing I live in San Diego and flip-flops are a common staple in most wardrobes.

                                          Bump at 23 weeks

Blackberries and a Street Fair

Picture perfect sunny and 75 was the setting for this year's OB (Ocean Beach) street fair that is just 3 miles from our house.  After a morning filled with not-so-fun errands and spending too much on "must do" items such as a visit to the vet and getting new brakes and an oil change Ky and I headed down to the festival.  My girlfriend Erin joined us for the afternoon where we ended up meeting up with a bunch of our friends. 

I love seeing all the creative crafts that people come up with, from pictures, jewelery, clothing etc.  I found myself drawn to any and every baby booth for obvious reasons this year; and even found a tank top that read "Surfer Baby on Board."  It came in pink or blue which made it much easier to not purchase.  See not finding out the sex is not only exciting but definitely helps me save money too!  I love a great bargain, but I also love going "shopping" and leaving with nothing...it eliminates the guilt factor and I don't feel that I am missing out on anything.

There were plenty of yummy treats at every other booth which was why I made sure to eat lunch before leaving the house.  Erin and I did induldge in a Snickers covered apple (a.k.a carmel covered with Snickers) along with a homemade rice crispy treat and giant chocholate chip cookie.  Looking back now I wish I would have had a nice camera phone to take some more pictures, especially of our mouth watering treats. 

                                 Kat sporting her "non" baby bump and my growing bump

The sunglasses crew

Parker taking a snooze

My cell phone dilemma has been on-going for the past 5 months now and to say this has been frustrating is an understatement.  95% of my calls need to be made driving to and from work, at work, or sitting in my car in the driveway.  Ky's phone was an option at times until his recently began losing reception as well.  Of course you are probably thinking get a new phone, talk to your carrier, etc.  Not only would I need to buy a new phone but they also want to charge me an additional $10 a month for upgrading to a new phone.  I couldn't justify spending more money monthly and began researching other carriers.  This search led me back to square one, as the other carriers charge $30-40 MORE per month for my exact same plan.  Luckily my negotiating skills came in handy and I was granted a corporate discount along with an additional discount for being a valued customer for the past 10 years knocking $40 off of my current bill.  That saves me more than the additonal $10 more per month they were looking to charge me as well as a 70% discount on a new phone.  Looks like I will be leaving the blackberry world in the very near future, it's been a great run but the ship has sailed and a smartphone is on the horizon.

Little Miss Parker

Last week I had the pleasure of dining out with my girlfriend Kat and her sweet baby girl Parker Rose.  As Kat has told me it isn't often that she gets to eat a meal while Parker naps, and luckily she fell asleep on our way to my favorite Thai restaurant so we could indulge in some grown-up conversation.  This was Kat's first Thai experience, and I am happy to report that she is a fan, and more Thai dates will be in our future. 

Kat and I had talked about how fun it would be to get pregnant at the same time on several occasions, and sure enough when Kat was on the tail end of her 6th month we joined the club.  Parker was taking up too much room in her belly and I was anxious to have even the smallest belly.  Now the roles have reversed; as Kat is fitting back into her pre-pregnancy clothing (high five after only 2 months) I am exchanging mine for a full maternity wardrobe.  It has been so great to have Kat updating me on items that we need, don't need, might need and tricks of the trade along the way.  There is plenty to think about which is probably why I have been so forgetful lately.

Next week marks 24 weeks/6 months and we have our monthly check up with Dr. Duhamel.  Time seems to be flying by now and it is hard to believe that Baby Reding will be here in 3 short months.

Belly Pics

For weeks, actually months, I have been telling Ky that I can't wait to have a baby bump, and low and behold Baby Reding finally decided to "pop" on my 19th week (5 months) when I shared the news at my office.  Of course now I am finding it harder to bend down and do simple tasks, Ky just laughs and says, you wanted this, he was right.
Along with my bump though has come much more movement and the first set of hiccups that I felt on Monday the 13th.  I loved those 2 minutes of feeling the little "nugget" (as Kim refers to Baby Reding).  Last night I actually saw my belly move for the first time as well, although slight, and of course Ky wasn't home to witness it, it was still pretty incredible.

Here are some pics of my growing bump from weeks 19-22.


                      Week 19

Week 20

                                                                                                    Week 21

Week 22

And Ky showing off his support for our "expanding" family :)

Memorial Day Weekend with the Anderson's

During the week of May 23rd we had a visit from our favorite friends from Oregon Cindy and Eric!  They decided to head south for a long weekend with the kids and show them the sights of Legoland and Sea World...places that will soon be on our list of "things to do" after Baby Reding arrives. 
Luckily we were able to spend time with the Anderson's everyday, which of course only makes us wish they lived closer.  Thursday night we had a BBQ at the Encinitas house with the gang and Ky's brother Kirk.  Yummy carne asada was grilled up with some homemade guacamole made by yours truly.  No trip to San Diego is complete without a visit to Pizzicato which we enjoyed on Friday night with the newlywed Kaufmann's joining us as well.   Last October we went to Florida with the Anderson's and Kaufmann's which was by far one of the best vacations we have ever taken with friends!  Something tells me we may have started a tradition.
Sienna (2 yr) managed to wrap Ky around her finger while they were in town, and he didn't seem to mind one bit.  The kids are so sweet and fun, makes us all the more excited for our days ahead.

Saturday was spent down on Mission Beach at a BBQ, although it was a bit overcast we all managed to get a little bit of sun.  We continued the festivities later that evening back at the DoubleTree Hotel where Cindy, Eric, Brock and Sienna were staying.  Pool time for the kids and wine for the adults, minus me.  I finally managed to drag Ky out of their hotel room at 11:45pm, kicking and screaming.  We met up once again Sunday morning at the Encinitas Cafe (one of our favorite breakfast spots) on the 101 to grab a bite and say our good-byes.   We always have a blast with them and look forward to seeing them again at the end of August back in Oregon.

Ten tiny fingers and ten tiny toes

Last Tuesday Ky and I had our 20 week ultrasound.  I was beyond excited as I could hardly wait for our 3pm appointment.  Not gaining much weight and still waiting for my belly to pop; I look forward to any and all doctor appointments to reassure that our little bun is still baking in the oven.
Our appointment was an hour long and I didn't want it to end.  I could have easily stared at the monitor all afternoon and evening watching the baby move around.  Gail, our ultrasound technician was quite diligent in her anatomy scan of Baby Reding, making sure to count all body parts reassuring us that we are right on track.  She asked that we save all questions until the end of her scan to ensure that she doesn't miss anything which we certainly appreciated.  Following her scan (and me going to the bathroom 3 times) Ky had a list of questions he had jotted down to ask.  I was highly impressed at his attention to detail, just another moment that reassured how incredibly lucky our baby is to have Ky as their Dad.  The baby's heartrate was 150 BPM, which we have learned through our appointments, is a good number.

During our appointment I was instructed to take out my belly button ring so Gail would be able to scan over my belly button as well.  I haven't seen my belly button without my ring in 15 years.  Jen and I got them together on a family vacation to Florida when we were 16, and until she was pregnant with Griffin and Jackson, she too had kept hers in all these years.  The real question is if we will put them back in after the babies??