Thanks for Visiting!

John and I are so lucky to have Josh and Madison, our brother and sister-in-law live so close to us.  They live in New Haven, CT which is a couple hour's drive from the city.

Their life is super intense because they are both medical students at Yale, so we are always honored when they take the time to come and see us in New York!

Here are a few pictures from their weekend visit a couple of months ago.

 Brooklyn Bridge

 A really fun game they brought to play--can't remember the name, but I think I won :)

 The Cloisters Museum.  It's within walking distance from our house!  

Josh and John

Last month my mom came and visited!  We went shopping, saw some sites, ate lots an lots of delicious food, and saw FOUR Broadway musicals!!!  And we didn't pay full price for any of them.  We either got last minute rush tickets or won the lottery. (Some shows save 20 front row seats for the day of each performance and allow people to put their names in a drawing to win the tickets for about $30 each, which is a huge discount from the full price.) The first night we got rush tickets to the Spiderman preview.  The next day we won lottery tickets to a new musical, Wonderland (the story of Alice and Wonderland with a cool twist.)  And that night we won lottery tickets again to see the Book of Mormon Musical!!!!  And the last one we saw was Rain, a musical tribute to the Beatles.  We tried as hard as we could to get rush tickets to How to Succeed in Business Without Trying with Daniel Radcliff, but that show is so popular right now, we didn't get in.  Actually we were really lucky to get into the Book of Mormon musical because it is hands down the most popular musical on Broadway right now.  There were hundreds of people who were there for the lottery and John one!

Here are some pictures.  See how fun New York is?

 Spiderman musical

 In the Subway (our cool rain jackets were Christmas gifts from my dad this year.  Thanks Dad, they have been VERY useful.)

 Getting some famous New York cheese cake at Times Square

 Mom cooked up some delicious salmon that we bought from the famous Chelsea Market.  My first time eating fish in like 7 years--I actually loved it!

An Irish session we sat in on at a pub.  It was just like being back in Ireland.  We were also really excited to see CillianVallely there, who plays the uilleann pipes in one of our favorite Irish bands, Lunasa.  By the time the session was over we had missed the last express train home so John, being his typical self, found someone with a car who was driving by our place on his way home and asked for a ride!  Mom and I were kind of weirded out to be riding home with a stranger but we got home in about 15 minutes!

Well I hope this motivates some of you to come visit.  We are pretty lazy about taking pictures so this is only a tiny representation of all the fun we have here.  And... we are VERY MUCH looking forward to Aunt Clea and Jody coming to visit us next month!!!!  We are going to make sure they have such a great time.  And of course we are also looking forward to having our parents (and any other family who can manage) come for the baby blessing in the fall. 

I am 24 weeks this week but the latest picture I have is 23 weeks!  We just have a hard time remembering to take pictures.

I only have a few minutes to post this so I'll just write a bit...

My mom came to visit a couple of weeks ago and it was FUN!  And she bought me some badly needed maternity clothes.  Oh--and she cooked Salmon for dinner one night and I ate it!!!

I have been feeling great lately, except for that super nasty ear infection I had a few weeks ago.  They couldn't give me the numbing ear drops because I'm pregnant but at least I was allowed to take oral antibiotics to get rid of it.  It was soooo painful.  It took twice as long to clear out than it usually does.  I eventually discovered that chewing gum was the best way to relieve the pain.  Lately my feet have started swelling.  I'm going to try eating less sodium and drinking lots of water and see how that helps.  And of course put my feet up when I can!

John is reading "Husband-Coached Childbirth" by Robert Bradley and has really been learning a lot about what goes on during pregnancy and labor.  He even teaches me stuff that I didn't know!  So cool.

Anyway, I'll have to write some more about what we've been up to and post a picture of John's new super handsome hair cut.  (Speaking of hair, notice how long mine is?  I can't decide whether to sell it, donate it, or just cut 6 inches off.  I hope I can decide soon because the length is really bothering me!)

20-week Ultrasound

We're having a GIRL!

I would post the picture that proves it, but I want to save her from future embarrassment.  :)

Halfway There

20 Weeks!  I can't believe I'm here already.  A couple of months ago it seemed so far away.

Not much is new here, except my tummy has been growing a lot in the last couple of weeks.  I finally broke down and bought some maternity jeans at Old Navy and they are so comfortable it feels like wearing PJs.

I've been getting over my dependence on cream cheese and Kraft macaroni and cheese (did I mention that one?) and trying to eat healthier.  I read somewhere that the baby will be able to taste foods that I eat soon so it's for the best.  We have been having lots and lots of fruit lately.  John loves fruit so much and has been buying tons of it now that a lot of fruits are coming into season.  I have really been enjoying oranges and grapes.  I've also gotten over my aversion to vegetables (even broccoli!) so we've been having more of those as well.  Especially zucchini and green beans.  I really want to eat more beans and lentils... but I need some recipes.  Does anyone have any ideas? I really like my recipe for lentil soup but that's about it.

It seems like I haven't felt any baby movements yet, but I'm sure they're happening and I just don't recognize them yet.  I do at times feel a lot of gas bubbles down there, but I'm pretty sure it's actually gas!  (Sorry... TMI.)

Well, they say that colds are more common during pregnancy and boy do I have one now.  I had to cancel all of my babysitting last week after Monday and today I woke up with an ear infection in both ears.  I'm doing my best to stay healthy but I guess there's only so much you can do!  John told me the other day (while I was in the process of vomiting) that being pregnant is like having HIV--your immune system is weak and you get sick all the time.  I just have to remember how lucky I am that I don't have HIV... just a baby and that is WAY better!!!

Anyway, we are going to find out TOMORROW if our baby is a boy or a girl!!!!!!  I am so excited.  I have been looking forward to this day like it is Christmas.  Most people have guessed that it is a boy but on Thursday the midwife listened to the heartbeat and said that it sounds like a girl.  So we'll see!  What do you think???

This was at about 19 weeks

18 weeks

I am 18 weeks now.  The time is going by fast but slow.  I am so excited to have a baby but there are so many things to do before it comes!

My Capn' Crunch cravings have died down quite a bit, and now I have moved on to cream cheese.  Mmm it is so good.  After spending too much on bagels and cream cheese at the bakery, I finally broke down and bought a container of it and a bag of bagels.  I don't know if I have ever bought a container of cream cheese before, aside from the few times I used it for baking.  It is weird that I have been enjoying food that I never was into before being pregnant!

Which reminds me... I ate some fish!!!  And it actually tasted good.  It was Sole, which I had never heard of before.  I had it at the home of some kids I babysit.  Their mother made it and offered me some, telling me it was safe to eat during pregnancy.  So I just closed my eyes and stuffed it in my mouth before I could change my mind and YUM!  What a surprise.  I squeezed some lemon on my next bite and it was even better.  Anyway, I am excited to try some more.  It will be hard to talk John into this because he is against eating seafood of any kind.  Mostly because he almost died of dysentery after eating some bad seafood once.  And also because most of the food poisoning cases that get reported to his office at the health department are from fish.  I'll just have to be really careful!

Anyway, enough about food.  I have really been enjoying the second trimester so far.  I have had so much energy compared to the first.  With all that extra energy I've been filling up my schedule with as much babysitting as possible to earn some extra money.  I have really enjoyed doing this for two reasons.  First because people in our neighborhood pay me $15 an hour to babysit and we really need the money, and second because I have been getting some really good experience taking care of kids.  I like to mix things up, so I usually try to babysit kids and babies of all different ages during the week.  So far, my favorite age group is from 6 months to about 18 months.  Up until the time when they start having tantrums.  It has been interesting to observe the different parenting styles.  I'm not a child psychologist, but I am starting to see the effects of different styles in the behavior of the children.  I've got to figure out how to deal with temper tantrums before my child starts having them!

John ad I have been trying to get out as much as possible lately.  We're still trying to do some fun New York touristy types of things.  For those of you coming to visit soon... we have lots of fun and free (or cheap) things for you to do!

Well, that's about it for my update.  Three more weeks until we find out the gender of our baby!!!!!!  I can't wait.  I still think it's a boy but it will be great to know for sure.

18 Weeks!

Bonus Pic: John in the Subway reading the Primary manual

Cap'n Crunch and Other Things

I am 16 weeks already!

Time seems to be going much faster now that I'm not sick all the time. 

I feel like I have pretty much recovered my appetite and I have started cooking real meals again!  And I am very proud to say that I made it back to my pre-pregnancy weight!  I lost about 7 pounds while being sick and it has taken me a long time to get it back but I am finally there.  

I have been craving Cap'n Crunch every single day.  I bought a small box a couple of weeks ago and it lasted for quite a while, until John took it out one day and poured himself a HUGE bowl, and then there was no more for me.  After about three days of not having any, I became so desperate that I rode the subway all the way to Target in the Bronx and bought two BIG boxes.  One Cap'n Crunch, and one Cap'n Crunch with Crunchberries, because I couldn't decide which one I wanted more.  And because I'm pregnant.  

John likes to talk to my tummy and tell the baby about his day.  It is so precious... I wish you could see it.  :)

So anyway, here are our first ultrasound pics!  They are from February 3, when I was 12 weeks.

Sadly, John was unable to make it that day (my ultrasound appointments are separate from the regular visits) but I had a good time anyway watching the little baby jumping and moving around inside of me!  I can't believe it moves so much and I can't even feel anything down there yet!

And here are some pictures of my profile:

11 weeks

15 1/2 weeks

I made sure to wear as tight a shirt as possible to show off as much bump as possible.  (...and I may have waited until after eating a big dinner too...)  So I look kind of big, right?  

An Important Update

I'm sure everyone's already heard, but just in case you haven't... we're having a BABY!

14 weeks today!

It's taken me a while to get it up here... I am so lazy about blogging these days.  :)  Reading other blogs of pregnant first-timers has really helped me get through the nausea.  And lots and lots of baby pictures.  Doesn't matter whose baby it is.

Anyhoo, so maybe I'll write about my experience.  Or maybe you want to be spared the details?  Here's one funny thing.  Before getting pregnant, my whole life--I never had a sweet tooth.  Never cared much for candy.  Now, every time I see someone eating candy, or see it on the shelf at the store, or in an ad, I want it.  Candy that I would never, never eat before--like swedish fish--I have been eating in handfuls.  Last night I even dreamed about candy.

I've also been eating lots of potatoes.  French fries, mashed, baked, you name it.  Mmm... maybe I'll make potato salad today.  That sounds good.

I did have a bad case of nausea for about 6 weeks.  Some days I wanted to die.  (Not really.)  But then one morning, about two weeks ago, I woke up and it was gone.  Completely.  I am SO LUCKY!  I haven't totally gotten my appetite back though.  For example, I can't eat broccoli, dark chocolate, mint-chocolate, pizza, and especially avocado and ESPECIALLY guacamole.  Thinking about it makes me sick.

For those of you concerned about my veg diet, I have been eating chicken noodle soup.  And I have tried, with all my might, to eat some actual chicken.  I haven't been able to yet.  ANY IDEAS???  I think it will be good for my baby to have some meat.  Maybe someone can grind it up and hide it in something else and I'll eat it without knowing... that might work.  Anyway, everyone says that it's ok to have a vegetarian pregnancy if you eat right.  So we'll see.  I'm ok with eating meat though.  If only I could do it.

So here are the books I'm reading... I am very interested to know which book YOU would suggest, or if you are against reading any of these:

HypnoBirthing
Natural Childbirth the Bradley Way
Fit Pregnancy for Dummies
What to Expect When You're Expecting

John and I are super excited.  Our due date is August 18.  I don't know if I can wait that long!