IT'S A........

Spoiler alert, spoiler alert! For any of you out there that for some reason want to be "surprised" at the birth (instead of now), do not read this post! Of course, I still don't understand why folks won't want to know the sex of my child, but to each his own. You have been warned.

This morning we had our 18 week ultrasound. It was really cool! For about 20 minutes, we got to see every little part of the little tyke. I just can't believe that, with me only kind of starting to "show," that the baby is so big that we could easily make out all parts it. We saw all the heart chambers, arms, legs (they even measured bone size), feet, hands and all 10 fingers and toes! It was also really amazing that we could see every little vertebrae on the spine. Wild. The ultrasound technician even measured the circumference of the head. Really, truly incredible to see that much detail of our child.

Of course, she also checked out another part that was very telling. We had her write it down and put it in an envelope so that we could "discover" the sex while it was just Mike and I together. So, once we were back in the car, we opened up the envelope and found out that it is a (are you on the edge of your seat yet?).......BOY!! Needless to say that, since I have been absolutely convinced the last few months that it's a girl, I was a little shocked. However, I immediately started thinking of all the wonderful things that having a son would bring to my life. Very exciting!

Oh, and after all the cool things we saw on the baby today, the only pictures we got were freaky head shots that definitely make it still look more alien then kid. So, enjoy the picture and I hope it doesn't give you nightmares!

Snow Play and Snuggles

Last weekend our new friends Lisa and Harley joined Mike and I for a weekend of fun in NH. We drove up together Friday, had some bonding time in the car, then let Harley love on us.

My new snuggle buddy...Harley!

Saturday, we all got up and enjoyed a leisurely breakfast, a la chef Mike. Then, we dropped Mike off at the mountain for an afternoon of snowboarding while Lisa, Harley and I set out on a snowshoeing trip.

We set out on a flat trail that I had explored last fall. The area is a big cross country ski area apparently. So much so, that they "groom" the trails for them. I had no idea trails were groomed for cross country skiers! Anyway, we set out on an non groomed portion of the trails and soon hit the groomed portion. While it was completely acceptable for snowshoers to be on the trail, we found out after hiking a ways that pets were not allowed. We were too far into it to turn back, but a couple of folks did stop and let us know Harley wasn't allowed (poor Harley). However, we also did have a few folks that just stopped to love on him so at least we didn't anger everyone!

After getting to the trail we'd set out for (non groomed), it was actually a good thing that one skier had been through that way or poor Harley wouldn't have been able to get through the snow (and we would have been VERY slow going on our snowshoes)! He was deeper in than his legs when he went "off track." Lisa, Harley and I had a fun time AND got a great workout!

Harley and Me

Lisa and Me

Lisa in the snow

After our snowshoeing adventure, we picked Mike up at the mountain and headed back to the condo for a snack and a rest. After a while, we all rallied, showered and headed out for a much needed hot meal at one of our favorite "local" places, the Country Cow (or Cow Palace as Lisa likes to call it). Apparently, they've obtained their own vehicle. We HAD to return the next morning on the way out of town to snap a picture.

We had a great meal, returned to the condo to watch a movie and then all slept very soundly that night. Sunday morning, Mike and I took Lisa to our favorite breakfast place - the Sugar Shack! Pancakes! Yum! Then it was back to the condo to clean and pack up. But, we did get a (self-portrait) group shot of us before heading off.

Speaking of Furry Friends

Last Sunday, I finally got to spend a little quality time with a new friend, Lisa. She's a recent transplant from Texas and a very good friend of one of my best friends, Amy. I went to her place in Cambridge and finally got to meet her furry baby, whom I've heard a lot about, Harley.

Harley's now one of my new best friends. He's a super sweet dog...he even likes to give out hugs!

Sweet Kitties

My wonderful unemployed husband (aka house boy), just sent me these pictures of my adorable furry babies. Oh I wish I could be at home snuggling with them instead of working!

But I'm lucky to have a good job in this economy so back to work I go!

V Is Coming Back!

I was really excited to read this headline today - they're making a pilot based on the 80's mini series V!

How many out there were privileged to have seen this show? I was only about 7 or 8 when this was televised but I remember LOVING it! The lizard people (aliens) were disguised as humans trying to take over the earth. There were really cool special effects like people eating live mice (which I think I remember were made out of chocolate) and skin peeling off of faces to reveal their "true" lizard shape. My brothers and I were big fans of the series.

And man was Mike Donovan, Marc Singer (on right) cute!?!?


It'll be pretty interesting to see how the pilot is done and what kind of special effects they'll be able to pull off now!

An Anti Climactic Visit to the Doctor

I suppose I should really ask more details before I go in for a doctor's appointment, because I really don't know what to expect each time. This morning, I had the second part of our "screening" (for chromosomal problems) followed by an appointment with the doctor. The first part of the screening involved our first ultrasound and the follow up with the obstetrician was the first time we heard the heartbeat. I assumed we were having another ultrasound today, which is always something to look forward to.

We got to the hospital at 8:40 am. After sitting in the waiting room for "Maternal Fetal Medicine" for 20 minutes, we were taken back in for a blood draw. That was it. That was the second part of our screening. Pretty unexciting. Then we headed up to the waiting room for the obstetrician.

The time for our appointment came and the nurse stuck her head into the waiting room and announced that my doctor had been delayed in the OR but would be here in about 15 minutes. That's fine, it happens, so we waited. 15 minutes came and went and the nurse came back in to announce that my doctor had been called back into the OR and they didn't know when she would be back. Of course, she was the only one expected in the office for the practice that day so we went to reschedule. Pretty much a lot of waiting for nothing.

So, at 4:15pm we were back for try 2. We were called from the waiting room into an examine room and waited. And then waited some more. In fact, we waited about an hour and 10 minutes in that little room, which was starting to become claustrophobic, for the obstetrician. Then, she popped in, put the Doppler to the belly, let us hear the heartbeat (which was beating at a rate of 140) and that was it. Again, pretty unexciting.

The first time we heard the heartbeat, the office was squeezing in a lot of patients because of the snowstorm coming in that afternoon so it was really rushed and this time, we were so darn tired of waiting that it we were kind of like "that's what we've been waiting 2 and a half hours for today?" Not to say that it's not cool to hear and also reassuring that the little tyke is still pumping away in there, but the circumstances made the experience pretty anti climactic.

Our next appointment is in a couple of weeks. That will be the 18 week ultrasound where a lot will be checked, but of interest to most folks, we'll try and take a peak at the sex. Hopefully, that experience will be a little more exciting and we'll be able to savor the moment a bit more. So, stay tuned!

Dream, Dream, Dream!

I have been having crazy dreams over the last several months. They've been wild, sometimes stressful, often weird, always very vivid and also extremely frequent. Apparently, this is something that happens during pregnancy. Here's an excerpt I found:

"The changes in hormone levels bring on a feast of dreams in pregnant women," says Garfield, who is author of Creative Dreaming and co-founder of the Association for the Study of Dreams. "In addition, pregnant women need to sleep more, and the more you sleep, the more you dream."

Women also seem to dream more during pregnancy because they are more likely to remember their dreams.

"Twenty to twenty-five percent of your sleep is a dream state, and women who are pregnant are more likely to remember more of that percentage," says Garfield.

Garfield explains that dream recall is related to recency. For example, if a baby is moving within the womb and causing the mother to wake, or the mother is waking up to go to the bathroom more often as pregnant women do, she is more likely to remember a dream she just had than if she slept through the night, remembering only the last dream she had before waking in the morning.

With increased recall, a pregnant woman is able to remember the vividness, detail, and color of her dreams.

Cool, huh?