Thursday, March 31, 2011

Road Trippin Day 3

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Our last day on the road started out in Boise. We got to meet our friends Leslie & Lucas for breakfast and good conversation. I'm awful and forgot to take a picture, but we all had lots of fun. Olive got to play with their two pups while we ate and she couldn't get enough. I'm trying to tell Grant we need another dog... they'd entertain and wear each other out so well! (he hasn't bought it yet..)


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Boise is beautiful - blue skies and surrounded by mountains!


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This is just after we crossed into Oregon...the overpass had a little Oregon vignette that I tried to catch - as you can see the rain welcomed us home. 

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Look at that beautiful scenery...the green is starting to creep in. 


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We stopped in Pendleton for lunch and I did what I do best in the car... sleep. Yes we are bad and take pictures while we drive. We don't look...just click and click and hope one turns out... 


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I still can't believe we are home! 

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I think this is more as we are coming in to the Gorge?

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This is so quintessential oregon - dreary with the clouds in the hills and tons of evergreens! Feels so good! 

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I just liked this picture. So many trees to see! Shortly after we rolled into town and got 'checked in' to our apartment we each met up with family and had a bite to eat. The next day we had a party at a local bar which was SO MUCH FUN! We had tons of friends and family come through - it was awesome to catch up and see so many faces we hadn't seen in a year. 

Its continued to be a whirlwind since then - our truck and belongings arrived days ahead of schedule so we went to get all that picked up Tuesday and on our way out the door we got a call from the relocation company saying that we had an offer on our house in Missouri! After a counter or two we accepted! I am in complete shock that our house is sold. The way it works with the relocation company is that they buy the house from us and then the buyer buys it from them. SO it closed for us at midnight last night and we are free of it! We are so excited to have one less move in our future and were happy to tell my parents we don't have to crash at their house...I think we were all a little nervous about that living together! We also will get to deliver our baby in our own space and we get to have a nursery now! YES! We have until the end of May in this apartment in the Pearl and are currently discussing where we think we want to go next. Grant is sold on downtown living, loving that we walk everywhere and have public transit at our fingertips. I'm a little less enamored, but only because of Olive - taking her out isn't so bad now, but I can imagine it getting more difficult as we both have jobs and a baby in the mix. We shall see where the next few months take us, but we are so happy with where we are at! 

Monday, March 28, 2011

16 weeks!

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4 months! Aren't you impressed?! We made it to Oregon safe and sound, but I haven't had time to finish our road trip posts. We've been on the run since we got here and have loved every minute of it! I thought I'd keep my prego posts on time and go back to the road trip later this week as we get more settled.

Soo...this has been the week of heartburn. I've had it throughout my pregnancy, but for the better part of this week it has been constant and it doesn't matter what I eat. Could be because we ate out for every meal or my newest hypothesis - that I had orange juice with breakfast everyday starting me off on an extra acidic step. Today is the first day I haven't popped multiple Tums and also the first day in a while without the morning OJ... coincidence?? Other than the heartburn, I've felt pretty awesome. The fatigue and nausea are gone and I don't feel quite so bloated. I still feel like I'm big for how far along I am, but it also doesn't seem like I've gotten much bigger the past few weeks. You know what has gotten bigger?? My chest - OMG! I put off buying new bras for as long as I could, but when my nipples wouldn't stay put I thought it might be time to make the leap. Lets just say the lady suggested I go up two cup sizes from what I was wearing and told me to come back in a few months because I'd probably go up from there. I was a little floored, but the new stuff fits much better!


I haven't bought any new maternity stuff - its all too flowy and poofy for me. I decided that for the time being I'm just going to buy normal clothes a few sizes up. I feel like I look more pregnant and less chubby when my tops are tight and the maternity stuff doesn't hug me that well. Those jeans are my one and only pair of maternity jeans and I like 'em OK. They have the full belly band and stay up pretty good, but I would like to get another pair that doesn't have the full band...it gets kind of annoying throughout the day. I still use my bella band most days, but its not my fav. I find that it migrates up a lot and I look down to see my underwear or butt crack hanging out for the world to see. I definitely feel like maternity pants are the way to go for supreme comfort and stay puttedness. 

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OH! We got our BOB this weekend! We went to REI, because we heard last year's model was on sale. Unfortunately, they were all out, but we figured since we were there we might as well just get it. Plus it was our first real baby-related purchase. I had been set on getting the orange one, but once we were there I hemmed and hawed about what color to commit to...felt like such a big decision! I ended up going with classic black and am so happy I did - I LOVE IT! Since we walked to REI (its a few blocks from our apartment) we had the guys put it together and we got to push it home! It was kind of fun...made us feel like real parents. Not that pushing a stroller makes you a parent, but ya know what I mean?! Plus we got to see first hand how maneuverable it is!


Baby is continuing to grow approaching avocado status this week! He or she has fingernails and toenails and is covered in lanugo and is also working on growing ear bones! And for the cardiovascular physiologists out there...his little heart is now pumping about 25 quarts of blood each day! THAT IS CRAZY! I've been waiting and waiting to feel this little one move around inside me. I want to SO BAD! Sometimes I think I feel it, but its hard to know for sure. The books and websites say anytime between now and 22 weeks is prime time for the first feelings. I'm hoping and paying close attention!

One of our other big prego goals for this week is to find a new care provider in Oregon. We want to find a midwife who we feel confident in and who has experience in home birth. Luckily we have friends who have used midwives in the area so we have some good places to start. One place we are considering is this birth center - they also do home births. We like that they do both, because we may be living with my parents when this baby makes his appearance.. so the option of a birth center may be nice. I also like the sound of this place. We're hoping to meet/interview people this week and go from there! Maybe we'll even get to hear the little one's heartbeat and schedule our mid pregnancy ultrasound soon!

Whew! I think those are all my pregnancy and baby related updates...be back next week with another one! 

Friday, March 25, 2011

Road Trippin Day 2

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We made it to Boise! We drove through the rest of Wyoming, a bit of Utah and made it into the southeast corner of Idaho by early evening. 

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Grant tells me I slept through the most beautiful part of our drive - the mountains of Utah. It was a good sleep and I was cranky so I think we're both happy I missed 'em. I also slept through seeing some fighter jets practicing their maneuvers outside of Ogden! 


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Olive continued her good behavior - you can tell she isnt' loving life, but she just hangs out back there. Checkin' everything out. She LOVES hotels - all the new smells and she gets to sleep in the bed with us so she has that to look forward to at the end of the day. 

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We are looking forward to spending our morning with Lucas & Leslie and then making our way HOME!! Today should be only 7ish hours compared to the last two days of 12 hours...very much looking forward to that! 

Thursday, March 24, 2011

Road Trippin Day 1

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We got off to a late start yesterday, but made the trek all the way through Nebraska and into Wyoming just before midnight! Grant's 30th birthday is today and I wanted to do something special so I got him 30 things. It was so fun to have him find all 30 gifts and open them. I'll do a bigger post on all the things, but it was fun!

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A United Van Lines truck took our stuff... wonder if its in this one?? See my nasty baby toe? I broke it the other day and its VERY bruised and sore...we are an accident prone family!

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It was a very pleasant day... Olive behaved wonderfully and we had lots of low key conversation while trying to enjoy the sights of western Nebraska.

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Now we're off to Boise! HAPPY BIRTHDAY BUBBA!!

Tuesday, March 22, 2011

moving day

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The movers came to pack us up yesterday and it was a CRAZY whirlwind! They packed up our entire house in 4 hours! It was such a stress reliever to not have to pack, but was also a bizarre experience. Took away much of the emotional, prep work that goes into moving. It made it all that much more sudden. 

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They will come this morning to load it all up and drive it away. We'll spend the rest of the day cleaning and patching/painting the walls. Its definitely bittersweet to leave this little town with some amazing people and this silly house we love. We took one last picture out front to commemorate our first house... 

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march 2011, grant, nicole, olive, & baby bump

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april 2009, grant & nicole... alot can change in two years! 

Monday, March 21, 2011

15 weeks!

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I'm mildly obsessed with this picture...it has ALMOST all of my favorite things in it. If only Olive were in there! We took this at the dog park this morning. The movers were hastily packing up the house and someone called to do a walk through... the house has never been MORE messy, but sure come look at it!  We rushed out with Olive and enjoyed the sun while she played to her heart's content. 

Anyhoo... 15 weeks! Isn't that HUGE!? It feels like a big week for some reason. Very official sounding. This is also the week that we become Oregonians again. We've been telling the baby and Olive about Oregon and how they are going to LOVE it. I've been feeling awesome - my nausea is pretty much completely gone and I've been sleeping like a champ. We had a midwife appointment this week and we very briefly heard the baby's heartbeat - its a mover and a shaker so she had a hard time catching it for long. I still haven't felt it move, but I'm HOPING it happens soon. That will be SUCH an exciting development. 

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The bump is still out there! We were so fortunate to have TWO going away parties (SO MUCH FUN!) thrown for us this weekend so there was lots of talk about the bump. I've started getting a few comments that I'm carrying high...I think we'll have to see what the next few weeks bring. My belly button is starting to look different. Just slightly more stretched out and pushed forward...I wonder if my innie will become an outie...

Our kid is continuing to GROW to mammoth proportions - AN ORANGE! Doesn't that sound so substantial? This week the babe has legs that are longer than his arms and is working out his lungs by 'breathing' amniotic fluid. The eyes can also sense light now, they are still fused, but if its bright baby will move away from the light. One of our first goals when we get to Oregon will be to find a midwife to take over our prenatal care. Excited to get that figured out and to make plans for the big 20 week ultrasound. We are still not going to find out the sex, but man I'm curious! 

Friday, March 18, 2011

PS

Grant is recovering from surgery very well - he will have a pin sticking out the end of his finger for 4-6 weeks and we had a bit of trouble getting his pain under control that first night, but he has since been progressing very well! He was so funny and groggy right after they woke him up... I should have recorded it!

Dreaming



Last week I was dreaming of all the fun we can have in Oregon this summer and it made me think of Alicia Paulson's blog. She always does the most fun, quintessential Oregon things and has beautiful pictures too. I hopped over and started making a list of all the things we needed to do this summer. Its going to be a sweet summer - our first back home and our last as a couple. My goal is to do something fun and exciting EVERY week. I made this list and asked Grant if he accepted his mission to help is prego wife accomplish it all. Mission accepted.

  1. Hike in the Gorge and maybe go to a concert?
  2. Visit the beach and tidepools (its been over a YEAR since we've seen the ocean!)
  3. RUN - downtown, on trails, on the beach, wherever
  4. Hike and be in awe of Crater Lake
  5. Hunker down by the fire at Timberline (this may have to wait til next Winter)
  6. Go to the Oregon State Fair
  7. CAMP - as much as possible, in Eastern Oregon, in Southern Oregon, at the Coast
  8. Go to Saturday market and get a tie-dyed onesie for the baby
  9. Go to the Farmer's market to get as much fresh, local food as possible
  10. Spend summer nights at Krueger's farm
  11. Pick berries and freeze them for winter
  12. BIKE - all around town as much as possible
  13. Go to an outdoor concert, maybe at McMenamin's?
  14. CANOE/KAYAK - blue lake even rents canoes!
  15. Picnics - lots and lots of 'em
  16. Consuming as much ethnic food as possible...good Mexican is hard to come by in Mid-Missouri!
I AM SO EXCITED to do all this fun stuff & prep for baby and see so many people we've been missing! The mover's will be here Monday and we leave Wednesday. The hotels are booked and the route is mapped...OREGON HERE WE COME!

Monday, March 14, 2011

14 weeks!

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Nothing too exciting to report this week, but we are trucking along in second trimester land! I've been feeling lots of twinges and pains in my belly and I keep wondering when I will get to feel our little one move around. I probably have several more weeks, but I CAN NOT WAIT for it to happen! I'm thinking I might be a teeny tiny bit less bloated this week and that my nausea has at least partly subsided. Both very exciting developments. I spent a good portion of last week doing research and pricing of baby gear to get a better idea of what we need and what we will need to spend. We were very pleasantly surprised that we shouldn't need as much as we were thinking and we can still get my most wanted baby items, namely cloth diapers, the BOB, and an Ergo Carrier! I am super excited to get to Portland so we can start doing some baby shopping - we've been putting everything off until after the move. 

Baby is continuing to grow and is now comparable to a lemon! Apparently he is spending a good portion of time these days peeing to give his kidneys a good workout. Baby is also now capable of thumb sucking - doing all he can to develop bad habits before we can stop them! 

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That is all I have in baby updates, but you should all keep Grant in your thoughts tomorrow. He broke his finger this weekend and will get surgery to repair it tomorrow. It is a very minor procedure, but he isn't looking forward to it and the timing is kind of crappy. He is doing a very good job of staying positive though!


Monday, March 7, 2011

13 weeks!

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Movin' right along over here. Officially into the second trimester - YAY! Time is starting to feel like its flying by. Can we just talk for a minute about HOW BIG my belly is? This is it relaxed. Not pushed out or sucked in. If I wanted to I could suck a lot of it in, but then I couldn't breathe and really, there is no fun in that. We've now confirmed twice that there is only one babe in there, yet people ask on a semi-regular basis if I'm carrying twins. I'm all about a big prego belly - I like that its all out there and is something I've dreamed of for, um, MY WHOLE LIFE, but it worries me. Will I level out? Am I eating too much? Will I gain so much weight that I will never lose it and forever be unhappy with my body? 

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Most of the time I just don't worry about it. I eat when I'm hungry, which is CONSTANTLY, and hope for the best. Maybe in the coming weeks my queasiness will subside and I won't have to eat so much and the belly will calm itself? I will also say that it looks bigger depending on what I'm wearing and my bloat factor is still pretty high. I try to drink enough water, but I still am retaining A LOT. I've come up with about a trillion reasons why my belly is SO big... I used to be kinda little and it had no where to go but out? I had weak abs so as soon as everything started pressing up it just went out? I've always had a little belly and it was finally freed from being constantly sucked in? Lets all hope its a combination of these reasons and I don't end up as big as a house, requiring Grant to roll me from Missoura to Oregon.

Our little one is basically a GIANT these days. Almost three inches long and getting close to an ounce in weight! He is working on his vocal cords this week, which I'm told to be glad we can't yet hear. A few more months and we'll probably have plenty of experience with all the sounds they can produce. In general baby has been good. He hated night shift - making mama feel like her world might end, but I've felt better since being back on a normal sleep schedule. I want to feel him MOVE SO BAD! And yes, can you tell I'm convinced its a boy. I'm almost to the point where I can't imagine it being a girl. I get tired of saying 'it' so we've been going with 'he'...which will probably get me in trouble someday if it is a little girly in there. I wonder if I'm right or just totally off on that one? Six more months and we'll know!

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Its been all prego all the time over here, but I thought I should also update you guys on our move. It has been the most amazing and bizarre experience working with a relocation company to organize our move. They just do everything! Its like we just have to answer the phone, give them a few specifics and within days our house is on the market (there is a sign out front!), we have a place to live in portland, and we don't have to do any packing. Its kind of insane. Two weeks from today the movers will come to pack us and two weeks from Wednesday we will drive off into the sunset toward our homeland. I will be sad to leave but OH SO EXCITED TOO!! 

Thursday, March 3, 2011

12 week Ultrasound!

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Umm...we have a HUMAN in there! OMG. I was so relieved and excited to see that our babe had progressed from bean to baby in just a month! I apologize for the quality of these - I had to scan them and they just don't take well. 

12 week ultrasound

This is a zoomed out pic of the whole baby. It was wriggling all around in there. When we first started his little arms were swung up above his head then he was waving them all over! 

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Here's a little pic of the hand. In the real version you can count all 5 fingers!

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I could not get over the amazing amount of movement. Babe kept pushing off and bouncing, turning, waving and I can't feel a thing. That is insane to me! 
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We got lots of good news at this visit - 1. baby is growing right on track. measuring at 12 weeks 1 or 2 days when I'm 12 weeks 3 days. 2. heart is still goin strong - 154 beats per minute. 3. skin thickness and nasal bone point to a very low risk of down's syndrome. 

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I so wish we had a little video of it bouncing around in there. BLEW my mind. I think the pregnancy just became real for me today. A very good reward after feeling like crap working the past three nights. Baby doesn't like night shift. Thankfully only three more shifts til the big move!