MN Recap & Other Stuff

We had a great trip to MN to see my family! I arrived last Monday, and was surprised that evening by a shower thrown by my mom's amazing friends. Many of the people at the shower have known me for a lot of years, either through the various neighborhoods we lived in or skating. Even though they are far away, I am so glad that they can be part of this time ... a number of the ladies have literally watched me grow up. In addition to the array of gifts I received that evening at the shower, some people had selected gifts off our registry and had them sent straight to the house, which means it's been like Christmas since we got home. Our house is quickly filling up with baby gear that we have no idea how to use!

Steve came up on Thursday evening and we all headed to Lake Ida for the long weekend. On Saturday my Wenck relatives came over for a visit and brought more gifts! We spent the day boating, floating, eating, laughing, and catching up. I don't get to see my Wenck relatives very often, but when I do, I'm reminded of how lucky I am to be surrounded by so many funny, down-to-earth, genuine people. I'm excited for our visit next year when I'll be able to introduce them to the first member of the next Wenck generation.

It was hard to leave on Monday evening, as always, but it was also good to get home. Higgins was especially glad to be back in his own bed! He lodged with my in-laws, and, from what I hear, spent the better part of his weekend acting as Mark's sidekick. They make a good pair.

Below is a picture of the baby's rapidly filling closet thanks to the showers and, in large part, to my mother-in-law who has been shopping since day one. We had everything stacked on the bed, and this morning I tried to make sense of all the items (it took a while). The clothes in the picture are only some of the items we have, if you can believe that. The shoes came from my Orcutt aunt, uncle, and cousin (the blanket underneath the shoes is a homemade treasure I received at my surprise shower), and the pink items get a posted picture because, well, they're just so cute and pink!

While we were in MN, our friends Jerrod and Kristi and their son, Cohen, moved into our neighborhood. We felt only a little bad that we couldn't help on moving day, but we were so excited to know they would be just down the street when we returned from our trip. Today Kristi and I went to Carter's to look for deals on baby clothes (she's pregnant, too). We found some good buys, but I discovered that buying baby clothes is no easy task. When I shop for myself, I find what I like and always select the same size. When I shop for baby, though, I have to think about size and style, and how they coincide with a particular season. For example, I couldn't buy a cute summer dress in a newborn or 12 month size because it will be winter during those periods in the baby's life. And although one item might be labeled 3 months, it can start fitting around 8 pounds, which may come well before 3 months. I realize this isn't a huge deal, and it won't kill me to use a little brain power while shopping, but it's a notable change in shopping habits nonetheless.

I need to wrap this up because you're probably getting tired (if you're still reading). But before I quit, I have one request. I'm soliciting advice on baby books. My sister and Steve both think we need one, but I was going to go the lazy route and skip it. I'm afraid I'll start the book and never revisit it to finish. So, I want to hear about what you recommend/what you used. Please refrain from promoting the all-out year-by-year scrapbook because it won't happen. Other than that, I'm totally open to your suggestions!

The Lake(s)

I just spent an awesome girls' weekend at a lake house in the area, and now it's time to head north for more relaxation. I'm flying to MN tomorrow morning for a vacation week with my family. Steve is coming up Thursday evening, and then we'll all spend the long weekend enjoying Lake Ida. Two lake weekends in a row! We come back next Monday night, and I head back to work on Tuesday, so I plan to take this opportunity to soak up my last bit of summer. See you on the other side!

A Word from the Doctor

I went to the doctor today for a routine check-up, and she said everything looks great. A few key points:

-The heartbeat is still very strong - in the 160s-170s.

-My iron is low, which explains all of the recent fatigue. There is lots of iron in my prenatal vitamins, but apparently my body is calling for more. I don't really see adding extra red meat to my diet, so I'll do a little research on fruits and veggies that are high in iron.

-The cramping I've been feeling is nothing to worry about. Because of my "small frame," the doc said I'm more likely to feel lots of tugs and pulls as my body stretches to accommodate the fetus. I should only be concerned if the cramping is accompanied by blood or fever. The former may be TMI, and the latter is difficult to determine in the brutal summer heat.

-My doctor feels that perhaps I'm a candidate for pre-term labor, so she'll continue to watch and be aware of anything happening to me that might indicate such an occurrence. Who knows?! As far as I'm concerned, everything looks good today, so I'm going to go with that.

-As requested, here's a current bump watch pic. Please note: I'm aware that I need a new hairstyle. I'm open to suggestions ... please help me. As you offer your stylistic thoughts, please bear in mind that my hair is thick, curly, and tends to be totally on its own agenda at all times. Also, any comments about the fact that my a$$ appears to be growing at the same rate as my belly should be kept to yourselves. I appreciate your kind consideration in this matter.

Anniversary!

Today is our 5-year wedding anniversary, and because of two leap years, it falls on the actual day of the week we were married. Coincidentally, today also marks the first day of my 5th month of pregnancy ... how far we've come! Being a bride ranks right up there as one of my favorite things ever; I wanted my wedding day to last forever. I would relive it again and again if given the chance! Tonight we're headed to Bob's for a famous steak and big carrot ... yum.

Thanking My Lucky Stars

I know most of you are excited today because it's new iPhone day, but I'm excited because the scores are in and I passed my certification test! Although I'd been waiting on pins and needles (probably part of the sleepless nights this week) for today to come so I could get online and check my scores, I was slow in doing so this morning ... I'm sure you all know that feeling when you want to know, but you also don't, right? It's like I only wanted to know if the news was good. I REALLY didn't want to take the long, draining test again, and I didn't want to have to call the certification officer in my district and beg her to grant me probationary certification in order to keep my job. But, all is good ... now I feel officially done and ready to pursue the next part of my career. Thanks to all of you who were rooting me on!

I can't sleep.

I was sound asleep, and then I got up (reluctantly) to go to the bathroom and get a drink (I realize that by doing one I'll have to do the other, but I was so thirsty ... you would think those problems would just balance each other out and I could've kept on sleeping). Anyway, now I can't sleep. Higgins is more than a little miffed that lights are on at this hour. It's like he feels obligated to be awake when anyone else is. Those of you who've visited and stayed up past his usual 9:30 bedtime know what I'm talking about. I'm not in the mood for paragraphs, and I have a feeling this will be super random, so bullet points will have to suffice.

-More than one of you mentioned that the bright pink was just too much, so I've toned it down a shade. I just had to make my "it's a girl" point.

-I'm out of control. I hate being out of control. I can't control what my body is doing. I can't control my emotions (seriously, ask Steve). I can't control this feeling that perhaps I'm not ready for motherhood after all, and I certainly can't control the fact that I have to be. I could've controlled it at one time, and didn't, so here we are.

-I made a new friend tonight! Long story, but our moms met at the airport after visiting our respective homes a couple of weekends ago. Turns out we both grew up in MN, and we live within walking distance of one another. What are the chances?! She invited me to be in her book club, about which I'm very excited because such an opportunity hasn't come up since I left my great KC book club. It gets better because, not only do they read, they meet to discuss over Saturday brunch. Now that's a group I can learn to enjoy.

-I've made my best attempt at registering for baby gear. Please tell me I'm not the only one who was totally overwhelmed. Do we really need one of those huge strollers that looks like it would hold me? I mean, who ruled out the good ol' umbrella stroller? And how many varieties of swings/bouncers/jumpers/etc. does one baby need? In looking at the list (which may or may not be finalized pending the approval of some VIPs I recruited to give me honest opinions), I can't help but wonder how much of the stuff will just end up sitting in my garage. Does shopping at Babies R Us make anyone else wonder how we made it through childhood alive?

-I noticed that CMT has decided not to air another season of Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders: Making the Team. I can't be sure that CMT actually made this decision, but I did a fair amount of research and the show is nowhere on the station's website. I know I'm not the only disappointed person here. If you know something about this that I don't know, I implore you to share with the class.

-For the first time in a long time, I had a good gift idea today. It's for Todd's birthday, which hasn't happened yet, so I can't say what the gift is. However, I'd fallen into such a rut of buying boring, predictable gifts, and I was so proud of myself for having a decent idea today. I think it'll be a hit!

This typing has made me a little drowsy, so I think I'll try bed again. Hope you are all doing well. Sweet dreams!

Where We've Been ...

Finally, a short update. Many of you have been asking about one of my recent posts in which I made a statement about "scary baby news" ... I'm ready to clear that up for you. A few weeks ago, we received some results that pointed toward severe genetic defects (most babies with such defects don't make it to term, and those that do rarely live past 6 months). I'm not going to spend too much time going through the horrifying details, but after meeting with my doctor, we've been preparing for the worst. We met with a perinatologist last week and I had an amniocentesis (a totally uncomfortable experience that I wouldn't recommend, except that its results are so accurate that we couldn't go without). On Thursday afternoon the perinatologist's office called and said that the results came back totally clear of any genetic problems, and that our baby GIRL should be just fine!

Hearing that news was a huge relief, and after a month or so on this emotional roller coaster, it feels a little odd to have that weight lifted. We've spent so much time worrying, and in one phone call it all simply went away. We'll continue to monitor the baby's progress - especially the development of the heart and other organs - closely through ultrasounds (with my doctor and the perinatologist), but we think we're out of the woods as far as problems that can't be fixed.

So, in short, that's where we've been. My sister is in town for the long weekend, so I need to get back to my quality time! Hope everyone had an enjoyable 4th!