My Wonderful Week Off

Last week was my much needed vacation from work. Ella and I took the high-speed ferry from Milwaukee to Muskegon, MI, where my parents picked us up. The ride was smooth and Ella enjoyed running around the boat...for 2.5 hours. I think we sat for maybe 15 minutes total. During our 5 day stay in Northville, I was able to see some friends and family who I hadn't seen in a long time. It was so nice to be "home." Ella really enjoyed swimming, riding her bike, and walking with "Puppa." "Gigi" made wonderful breakfasts and allowed me some much needed relaxation. Ella and I boarded the ferry for our ride home and had a whole new experience. It was really windy and wavy, which made it slightly dangerous to walk around the boat. So after 1 or 2 tantrums, Ella had to sit on my lap for 2.5 hours. We read books, played with stickers, and ate LOTS of snacks, or "nacks" as Ella calls them. Joe was waiting for us in Milwaukee, and we were both excited to see him.

When we got home, I had a big surprise waiting for me. While I was gone, Joe had painted the entire family room, which included 1970s panneling and a dark brick fireplace. I was a bit confused however, since we had planned on completing that task while Ella was up at her other grandma and grandpa's house the next day. Well, little did I know, Joe had been planning a special weekend get-a-way for quite some time. There were many "parts" to the surprise. I was told to pack for 4 days. The next day we left for Stevens Point, where Joe's parents live, since Ella would not be joining us the whole trip. We stayed overnight and left for Green Bay the next morning. We stopped over at Joe's sister and brother-in-law's house for the night. We enjoyed seeing a movie at the theater...a rare treat these days. We saw "Step Brothers" and it was hilarious...if you like that kind of humor! The next morning, after a nice breakfast, we headed to Door County, specifically Sturgeon Bay, where Joe had made reservations at a beautiful resort. We walked around the small downtown area for a little while, until Joe told me I had to be somewhere at 2:00. He had scheduled a pre-natal massage for me at a spa! What a wonderful husband! It was, of course, amazing, and I didn't want the massage to end. We enjoyed a nice dinner at a restaurant over-looking the bay and then took a dip in the pool later on that night. We headed back to Stevens Point the next day to pick up Ella (who I was really beginning to miss!) On the way, we stopped in Appleton to have lunch with Paul and April, which is always a treat. Since they moved from Milwaukee, we don't see them as often, so any chance we get, we take it. It was the perfect long weekend, all planned by my sneaky husband.

As far as baby news goes, I am experiencing heart-burn, brought on by...anything! I am also starting to get sciatic pain. I'm still sleeping okay (despite getting up in the middle of the night to go to the bathroom.) I'm definately feeling pregnant now, especially being on my feet all day at work. I'm trying to take it easy, as much as I can, leaving the heavy lifting of patients to my PT partner (sorry Jessica!) This little guy must be practicing karate or tae-bo, because he moves NON-STOP! He's starting to drag either his elbows or heels and it feels crazy. Time is still moving fast and October is rapidly approaching. My 29 week appointment is on Monday. Less than 90 days to go...and I haven't even started to paint his room. Maybe tomorrow...

The following pictures are from Door County, April and I at 27 & 28 weeks, and my 1 completed baby room project. I'm not going to post our Northville visit pictures since my dad posted them on Snapfish, and they were all taken with his camera.

Orange Crush

There was a time when I absolutely loved Orange Crush, or really any orange soda. After completing the gestational diabetes screen yesterday, I don't think I'll be drinking any orange soda for a while. First of all, I had to go the outpatient part of the hospital and check in. After waiting for a few minutes, a nice lady brought over the small bottle of orange yumminess and poured it into a cup. I had 5 minutes to drink it. It was kinda flat, warm, and WAY too sweet. When I had finished chugging, I then had to wait an hour until my blood could be drawn. (All part of the testing process.) After reading my book, looking at a magazine, and watching Martha Stewart give tips about how to have a home and share it with pets, it was finally time for my blood to be drawn. For those of you who don't know, my veins are IMPOSSIBLE to find. The lab tech stuck me once in my arm without success. Surprise surprise. She tried my hand instead, which worked, although my blood was slowly creeping through the tube. We finally got enough, and that was it. I kinda felt sick after all that. Then I had to go out in the 90 degree heat. Luckily, our air conditioning has been working like a charm!

Tomorrow is our big boating adventure. The ferry departs at 12:30pm, and with the time change, arrives at 4:00pm. We then have a 2.5 hour drive back to Northville after that. It's gonna be a long day, but hopefully a little fun. I've packed tons of snacks for Ella and some little books that she's been reading lately.

The pictures are from this week, 26.5 weeks and counting. According to some books and websites, I am now in my third trimester...can you believe it??? I can't.

Expanding Bellies

Here is a picture of my friend April and I over the 4th of July weekend. April was 24 weeks and I was 25 weeks along. It's been really nice having someone almost exactly as pregnant as me to go through this with. Even thought April lives in Appleton, about an hour and 45 minutes away, we still e-mail almost daily, exchanging thoughts, fears, ideas...just about anything! We're both having boys, which makes it even more special!

I have started a few projects for Nathan's room. We bought the paint for the walls, which I will begin to tackle this week perhaps. I am going to try and make my own circle wall decals instead of stenciling...we'll see if it works. I am also painting a lampshade in polka-dots with complimentary colors, again, we'll see how it goes. I painted a square mirror in a lime green color as an accent for one wall.

We have begun to transition Ella's room as well. All of the red accents and been painted purple and the valances have been changed. We moved her old dresser into Nathan's room, and moved in my old dresser and we also moved out a hutch and moved in a toddler bed. We might try starting to take naps in the bed and go from there. I'm a little nervous about the whole process. Ella has also begun to get extremely attached to me, getting VERY upset if I leave her anywhere, like the church nursery this morning for example. I guess that's part of an almost 2 year old's behavior, but man, it's sure hard on me too!

Next weekend, Ella and I will be taking the high-speed ferry across Lake Michigan to visit "Gigi and Puppa." I sure hope this mode of transportation goes more smoothly the our last airplane ride!

A Visit From My Parents (and 24 Weeks)

This past weekend was quite eventful. My parents, "Gigi and Puppa" to Ella, came for a visit. They brought lots of books and toys for Ella, which added nicely to Ella's "playroom," which someday will be our 3-Seasons Room again. My mom and I did some shopping and found a new comforter, curtains, pillows, and lamp for Ella's room. In a few short months, Ella will be getting a "big girl" bed and needed some pretty things to go with it! We took my parents out to lunch at Mo's Irish Pub to celebrate their 35th anniversary, Joe's new job, and to thank them for sending my piano and my old bedroom set for Ella. The visit went by fast as usual, but Ella and I will be taking the high-speed ferry from Milwaukee to Muskegan in 3 weeks. We're very excited!
Well, there it is...my 24 week belly. This little guy is growing fast. He weighs a little over a pound and is about the length of an ear of corn. Why do books and website always compare my child to food? He's super active and I feel him moving around all day. We decided on a name...Nathan Gerald Dietrich. Joe and I both had agreed on Nathan when we were picking names the first time around, so we stuck with that, and Gerald is Joe's late grandfather's name. I picked a color for the nursery, with the help of my mom and my friends, and plan on tackling that job very soon. The bedding arrived, so things are coming along. I went to the doctor yesterday for my 24 week appointment. My weight and blood pressure were good, and the doctor was able to find the heart beat almost instantly. Sounded strong! My belly is measuring a bit small (really??), but I was reassured that this is normal for 24 weeks, and by 28 weeks, things should be right on track. If I still end up measuring small, or large for that matter, my doctor would schedule an ultrasound to check things out. I don't think it will come to that. In 3 weeks, I have to do the gestational diabetes screen, where you get to drink what can only be described as extra sugary, extra carbonated Orange Crush. Not good on an empty stomach. With Ella, everything turned out normal, so I'm expecting the same this time. (Fingers crossed.) After my next 4 week appointment, I will start going every 2 weeks. I can't believe it's getting to that point. I'll keep saying this, but this pregnancy is going by so fast.

Ella's vocabulary is growing every day. She repeats everything and is stringing 3 words together. It's so cute, especially when she says, "More please, mama." She is also starting to get a little more interested in the potty, and actually went on the potty 2 days in a row. Could be a fluke, or we could be starting a new adventure. I'm not going to worry too much about it at this point, especially with the new baby coming. That will be a big enough adjustment, I'm sure!

My 2 friends who are pregnant and due shortly after me, recently found out they are both having boys! There are 3 others, who shall remain nameless at this point, who do not know yet the gender of their babies...so I still have hope for sharing Ella's old clothes. I have so many cute outfits that I want to pass along.

Our friends Paul and April are one of the couples expecting a boy. Paul is Joe's best friend for over 25 years and Ella's Godfather. April is due 1 week after me, Paul and Joe were born 12 days apart. These little boys have no choice but to be friends, and I'm sure they will get into lots of trouble together! :)