A+ Traveler

Just wanted to report that Mason is a fantastic travel buddy! We made it from Salt Lake to Nashville without a hitch -- even with a two hour delay (which meant we ended up with something like a 5 hour lay over in Denver). Mason got a cute certificate for his "first flight" from our very nice flight attendant - you know that is going in his baby book! Who knew traveling with a baby could be fun? He was a hit with all the other travelers - we made lots of friends over the course of the day!

Dad & Mason's favorite activity....

Fam pictures!

Huge thanks to Britt for taking our family pictures! Not only does she have a sweet camera and sweet locations but she also has some sweet skills. :) Here are a few...

Happy Birthday Matt!

(Yesterday)

We love you honey!

PUPPP - its not a cute doggie

I've had an internal battle about this post for several weeks now - a battle of whether the post should exist. I've concluded it is too bizarre of a story to not share it. Sorry Matt, here it goes!

A few days following Mason's arrival my stomach was itchy. Nice way to start a story, right? This is just the tip of the iceberg. This is going to be a long post - you guys know me, I can't leave out details! Continue reading if you want to - this is good catharsis for me :)

I should stop and insert a warning -

this story involves x-file type medical stuff - I dont think it is gross, but maybe someone would (it involves a rash... but not because I'm a dirty kid). Read at your own risk.

So, back to the itch. I was busy, I ignored it. I mean, my body had been through some trauma, I expected some weird things that would be unexplained. The next week came and the itch increased. May I also note that I wasn't inspecting my post-pregnancy body at this point - who would be? I continued to try to ignore it and chaulk it up to my skin trying to readjust to life. The third week came and the itching became unbearable. When I did glance at my lower abdomen, it was flame red... from the scratching, naturally? Still busy, I tried to ignore it - it'd go away, right? Week 4, with the itch keeping me up at night and after googling "postpartum itchy rash on lower abdomen", I decided it was high time I go to the doc and get something for the madness. I got the first available appointment (which happened to be with the PA) and took my hives to the doctor (ah yes, they were large red welts on my lower abdomen by this time). She looked at it, figured out I had ruled out lotions, detergents, belt buckles, etc. and sent me away with a round of steroids and some creme. "I don't know what it is, but it should be gone within a few days. I'll give you 10 pills just in case - but go ahead and chuck the rest once the hives disappear." I took all 10 pills over the next week and a half and the result? IT SPREAD! Suddenly I was itching on my legs, arms, and back too! I don't mean just itchy, I mean this is the worst imaginable itch. Chicken pox times a billion. Keeping me up at night in between feedings itchy. Intolerable.

As I've mentioned before, I am a Google maniac. Google has saved me numerous times and it didn't fail me this time either. After one or two searches I found my diagnosis! A pregnancy rash called PUPPP: Pruritic Urticarial Papules and Plaques of Pregnancy. Sounds disgusting, right? Be warned: when you google it, the worst possible pictures appear. I promise I don't look entirely like a burn victim. In fact, to the average onlooker, you can't even tell anything is wrong with me. This rash stays under wraps :) Needless to say, on Black Friday I ran to Good Earth and bought all natural remedies that other women had had success with - Dandelion Root, Nettles Tea, and Grandpa's Pine Tar Soap (which smells AMAZING, btw. Roll yourself in road resurfacing tar and you've got the fragrance). On Monday morning I called my doctor's office and told them I needed to see my doc that day, I told them I was a mess - but still in good spirits. Getting grumpy about it wouldn't fix it, so why waste the energy there!

My doctor confirmed it was PUPPP (I was SO relieved when she knew what PUPPP was) and was surprised when I told her it only spread while on the steroids. She gave me a MUCH higher dosage (x 4) of the same med and told me most postpartum cases resolve by 6 weeks at the latest. I took the meds over the next two weeks and the hives left my stomach but nothing seemed to change elsewhere- in fact, when the meds ended, my legs flared up! So, here I am, 7 weeks post partum and still battling this bizarre reaction. I went to the dermatologist today and he was completely fascinated by my case - I actually wasn't even seeing him for the PUPPP, it just happened to come up and that is all we ended up talking about. He was shocked that the rounds of prednisone (the steroid) hadn't made it go away and he oozed sympathy at me. When I told him how much prednisone I had been on he gawked and said, "Oh my goodness, I couldn't imagine what you might have looked like if you hadn't had the pills. Maybe one huge welt!" He also implied he knew that a year from now I'd probably be ready to have another baby and that he would call me crazy and try to remind me what I had experienced. "I don't know how women do it. You're tough", he said as he shook his head and wished me luck enduring the rest of this monstrosity. The conclusion of our chat was that I just have to wait it out. :( He told me to go roll in the snow if it gets bad (cold helps) and to scratch it and show it to people if I need sympathy (it turns flame red and looks really terrible when scratched).

So, here are the bizarre facts: PUPPP only occurs 0.4-1% of all pregnancies. It happens most often in first time pregnancies. Of those who get it, 70% have male babies. Some biopsies of the hives have revealed male DNA in them. *cue the spooky music* Most women get it during the pregnancy and it resolves by itself shortly after birth -- then there are a few lucky ones, like myself ,who get it postpartum. I apparently am even luckier because my case is lasting much longer than the average. Good news: having it once doesn't give you any higher chance to have it with subsequent pregnancies. Although it has been quite the experience, it hasn't caused me to ward off having additional children. :) I will just be happy when my body is back! Yes, I know your body will 'never be the same' after having a baby, but trust me, at this point, a body without the insane itch is a body I'll cherish!

Be grateful for what you've got.

RIP Fishy

Our Beta fish passed away today. I can't recall just how long we'd had him, but it had been years for sure (since 2005? 2006?). He was from our original aquarium group - the one we had in Wymount housing 'illegally' and thus had to hide. Good times! His friends (a few tropical fish) found other homes this summer when my nesting madness prompted me to get rid of the acquarium. A nice woman responded to my Craigslist posting within 30 minutes and the fish were gone within 2 hours - how about that for speedy? At that point he moved into his own little easy-to-maintain bowl. He had been struggling to live for the past few days now and finally gave up the fight this afternoon. Probably contrary to what my Mom would say, I am sure he just died of old age. When she was here the week before Mason was born it would be 50 something degrees in the house in the morning bc I would sleep with the windows open... one morning she looked at me and pointed at the fish and said, concerned, 'you do know he is a tropical fish right?' He handled my temperature extremes well :). Anyway, I'm sure we'll be buying another one when we return from Christmas... no home is complete without a fish!

6 weeks!

Mason was 6 weeks old yesterday... wow! I cannot believe it has been 6 weeks already. He is growing so fast and getting more personable by the day, it is SO fun. He is definitely our morning person - I will have to post a video of him when he first wakes up. Too cute. I can also announce he is proudly into size 1 diapers now... hehe, what a big boy!
Mason and I are enjoying our days together (that FLY by!) and the evenings we get with Dad when he isn't working late or at school. We are anxiously counting down to the end of this hard semester - and of course, Christmas break! I love the holidays!

.................

This is kind of a short-not-much-to-it post, but I will leave you with another picture of our little man

Like Mother Like Son

This looks more like a picture of Dad's hairy arm rather than Mason's cute self, but Mason LOVES his bath! In fact, he always sits rather pleased in the water - smiling, cooing, quietly content! I even sprinkle some water on his face and he just grins! THEN...I take him out of the water... and he gets so upset with me! haha Matt always comments that he must have gotten his love of water from me - next thing you know I'll be teaching him how to swim with his cabbage patch doll (hopefully his doll's head won't dry up and fall off like mine did! Sad day.).

Thanks to Give!

Never too late to blog about a holiday! With Mason being a little guy we planned on staying nearby for the holiday and were kindly invited to join the festivities with Matt's coworker's family. They were wonderful! I couldn't have asked for a more inviting group - we felt right at home! The food was delicious and we even got our first introduction to the game "ticket to ride" -- one we will have to pick up! As we think of 'thanksgiving' this season, we have so much we are grateful for - I won't even begin with a list because it could go on indefinitely!! May all of us never forget how many blessings we truly have.

HANDS!

This picture might not seem significant... but it shows that Mason actually has HANDS! At 4 weeks old I finally got brave enough to clip his nails... whew. Better late than never :) I can happily say he seems to thoroughly enjoy his new exposed digits!

Tribute to my handyman

You may be asking, 'what is this picture?' It is a robe hook, of course! This isn't just any robe hook... this thing has basically become legendary in our home. I asked for this little item at some point in the early summer... it finally got ordered weeks later... then made it to Matt's desk... then it sat in his truck... then rested on the stairs... then lingered on the bathroom counter... until this past Saturday when it made it on to the wall! So, maybe this item took a while to get... but I wanted to say thanks to my handyman! He rocks :)

Babywearing

Shout out to Vanessa for my awesome ring sling! She makes them - if anyone wants one, let me know and I'll get you her contact info. Although I have my hands on him in the picture... the sweet thing about this is that they don't have to be there! It is really great to tote him around from time to time - getting things done and fulfilling some needs at the same time. Not to mention who doesn't love cuddling?? I look forward to all the variations of holds we have to experiment with as he gets older - so fun!

Life as I now know it

A few things that have changed/occured in the last few weeks:

Sleep comes in periods of naps - a 'nights sleep' currently doesn't exist (I can't quite call 4 hours a nights rest).

I get concerned when I wake up and find I've been asleep for longer than 4 hours.

Mason has become increasingly adorable :)

I feel lucky if I shower before 3 pm... and even luckier if my hair gets dried (not styled, just dried).

Sometimes I realize I have no idea what temperature it is outside (for the past few days) - a sure sign it is time to get out.

I am completely taken by the "I just pooped/released gas and feel so good" grin he gives me when I am changing him - even at 3:30 AM.

I now schedule everything for the later afternoon because it gives me the best chance to be dressed (not necessarily showered, just dressed).

Conversation topics consist mostly of diapers, nursing, napping...

I am completely amazed at how quickly babies grow.

Time flies! Before I know it it is 4 PM and I wonder where the day went.

I laugh hysterically when he poops on the wall while Matt is changing him... or anytime he poops while Matt is changing him.

I smell like baby lotion, and I love it.

When he does decide to go down for a nap, I accomplish more work than imaginable in the shortest period of time - I basically put super heros to shame.

It has been a whirlwind in the Spann home - busy would be an understatement! I try to get the most done I can each day, but often that just boils down to the essentials. On top of that, I got terribly sick this past weekend - not fun! I got some sort of a stomach bug late Saturday night and was up all night with a fever - and with Mason (I think he was affected by me not feeling well) and then ended up with a scary episode of fever Sunday night. SCARY. I started feeling chilled, we checked my temperature - it was normal. I then started shivering... and shivering... and shivering... uncontrollably. We rechecked my temp (3-5 minutes later) and it was up to 101.5! At this point my entire body was locking up and I couldn't stop violently shaking! Matt called the doc and we then rechecked my temp (another 3-5 minutes) and it was up to 102.5! Good grief! Thanks to prayer, a blessing, and iboprofen, I finally stopped shaking and my fever came back down to 100 within 2 hours. An amazing tender mercy: Mason slept through the entire ordeal! Not only did he sleep through it, but he slept long enough for me to rebound and be able to take care of him (he slept from 6-11:30). Glad that is over!

Grannie Kay (Matt's Mom) is in town this week and she is showering Mason with adoration! We also went on a little shop-a-thon the other day and got him a swing and a mobile! My Mom had told me I needed a swing and I was skeptical... but after a week and a half with Mason on my own, I now see the value of a swing and having two free hands for a few minutes! And of course, here are a few pictures :)

Two Week Appt

A quick post while the little guy is napping....

We had our two week appointment yesterday and he did great! He is eating as well as we thought he was -- by the two week appointment they just aim to get them back to their birth weight (they drop up to 10% of their weight in the first few days) -- well, no worries there, we are already up to 8 lbs 3.5 ozs! Woo, what a heavy weight! They also measured him at 21.5 inches... which, I'm finding it hard to believe he has grown 2.5 inches in 2 weeks. Oh well, he is healthy and strong and we're happy!
This picture is a little blurry, but I was pleased to catch one of his smiles on the camera... what can I say, I'm smitten.

The Trifecta

I can proudly announce that Matt and I were officially inducted into parenthood this past week with 'the trifecta'. Thank goodness for wipes, pee pee tee pees, washing machines, highly absorbant burp cloths (cloth diapers), and a good sense of humor! In one hour last week I managed to get spit up on, have him pee during a diaper change and get it on his clothes, and have a major poopie go free flying and 'break in' his pack and play. Matt has also experienced the trifecta - several times over! It seems like Mason knows his Dad is changing him and sees that as cue to let it all fly. ha! The great news: Matt's gag reflex seems to be strengthening with each new episode - there is hope!

It is hard to believe that we've had Mason for 2 weeks already, 2 weeks! My Mom left on Saturday morning - much to our dismay :( - but I guess after three weeks she maybe needed to be home - I am sure Dad was happy to have her back! So, today is actually day one on my own with him, and we're getting along just fine! It is amazing to me how quickly the day seems to pass. I had heard other new mothers say the same thing, but seriously, you think you'd have time - ha! Mason keeps me extraordinarily busy considering he is eating every 2-3 hours during the day (3-4 at night) and tends to have a long stretches of wake time (who said newborns were always sleepy??).

A note on our furry son -- Sammy is handling the transition quite well! He has sniffed Mason maybe 2-3 times and is extremely passive/disinterested. We are happy about this! However, he does manage to still get attention from us (see picture...apparently there is room for two on my lap!) one way or another.

Another positive note: my wedding ring fits again!! Yay!! I had to stop wearing it around 36-37 weeks and had been wondering when it would fit again... alas, today was the day! I am still waiting to weigh myself... I figure I'll put it off a while longer and hopefully be pleasantly surprised. :)

Good night!

VOTE!

Although we planned on early voting and didn't, we did manage to vote today! It feels good to make your voice heard, even if you're in a state that typically has its mind made up long in advance. :) Every vote counts!

The point: if you haven't yet, get your tush to the polls!!

Lots of firsts!

As typical of the first child, our picture pile of Mason grows by the day! Here are a few firsts to be noted....

First "outfit" (heading home from hospital)

First Outing

First Bath (very happy, as you can tell)

First Halloween!

Pretty much, we've just been finding our groove and enjoying ourselves this week! Sleepless nights included! We've graduated from having him in the bassinet in our room - to his crib in his room with a monitor - to his crib in his room without the monitor. It is a learning process :) Although so much has changed in such a short period of time, it still seems unreal that its been about a week already. Crazy!

As for me, my recovery is A-O-K. I felt like I had been in a train wreck for the first 2 or so days -muscles I never knew existed were sore!- but that has recovered now and I'm even able to sit on a hard chair for short periods of time :) My parents deserve a ton of recognition for taking care of everything so we have the time we need to get settled - they've got us spoiled!

Well, Mason calls! Until another time...

Our Little Mason!

Well, I am finally sitting down to blog, whew! I can't believe what a whirlwind these last days have been and how fast they've gone. We are SO elated to be home now and have our Mason with us! It seems so unreal how life has changed so drastically in such a short period of time - and we can't imagine it any other way.

Drumroll please.... here is the story! I am not sure how lengthy this might end up being -probably depends on how soon I get distracted- either way, happy reading! :)

Friday afternoon I went in for yet another checkup and my doctor went ahead and stripped my membranes (a nice way of saying she encouraged my body to figure out it should go into labor). It is very hit or miss as far as whether it actually does anything for you, but is worth a try! I cramped the rest of the afternoon and evening (as the doctor warned) - but not before Mom and I managed to get pedicures done! Turns out it was just in the knick of time.

That night I continued to feel crummy, but finally got to sleep around 11. A little after midnight I woke up to a sharp cramp... fell back asleep... woke up to another cramp... and so the story begins. I woke Matt up a little after 1 and he suggested I possibly get in the bathtub since water is my best friend. Yup, that is where we spent the rest of our evening - from 2 AM to a little after 7 AM, me in the bathtub and dear Matt sleeping on the tile floor in the bathroom next to me. I finally got out (tired of the warm-cold-warm-cold process, mental note to one day invest in a temperature-regulated bathtub) and bundled up in bed but my contractions starting getting really close together. At 9:30 we headed to the hospital... only to find out I was a mere stinkin 2.5 centimeters and the contractions had become really inconsistent. Sad day! I continued to labor through the afternoon at home and we finally headed to the hospital around 6 PM, praying we would have a better progress report. It was better... barely! I was 3 centimeters... yeesh! How about that for hours and hours of labor? So, in typical fashion, the hospital kept me for an hour to see if I'd progress and they could keep me. One hour later: 4 centimeters! From then on I progressed about a centimeter an hour until I hit 7 - then Matt says I went from 7-8.5 in no time at all and continued coasting along.

I pushed for 25 minutes and at 1:15 AM October 26, 2008.... Mason came to us at 7 lbs 19 inches and perfect.

This story cannot be complete without paying tribute to my support group. Seriously, I don't know how I could have done it without them. Through each contraction I had my devoted Husband and loving Mother and Father at my side encouraging me and cheering me along.

Matt was so absolutely amazing, I cannot brag enough about him.

He completely held it together through the entire ordeal and was beyond words wonderful. He is a rock. Did I mention I went natural - aka un-medicated? That's right, no epidural! I had the desire for this type of birth since day one and we took Hypnobirthing classes to prepare - but there is no doubt in my mind that this birth was so successful because of this support I had - plus lots of prayer and faith! Although in those final hours I started to question my sanity (I did labor for about 25 hours after all!), the absolute euphoria following his birth is so indescribable... all I can say is, every bit of it was worth it.

So, here we are, at home and getting settled into our new phase of life! Matt and I can't help but pause all the time and just stare at Mason in awe! We are completely and unabashedly in love.

Still here...!

That's right, I'm still here -- Mason is still in the oven and we're still trying different things to get him out! We're hiking, walking curbs, eating pineapple & eggplant parmesean, bouncing on balls, etc. Haven't heard of walking curbs? Neither had we! But, it seems to be a popular suggestion so Mom has had me walking up and down any curb she can find! As if a 40.5 week pregnant woman doesn't look awkward on her own, you should see me waddling on a curb! See picture below.

My next doctors appointment is tomorrow afternoon, so we'll see where that takes us. I believe I'll be scheduling the induction then and perhaps letting the the doc work a little magic to encourage my body to go into labor... :) Heres to hoping! Oh, and for your viewing pleasure, here is a picture of me in a labor and delivery room Monday... when we thought I was going to be induced! I guess Mason had other plans!

On the bright side, the extra time has allowed us to get a lot of things done -- thanks to Mom and friends, the nursery decor is coming together! Mom has had a flow of creative ideas and everyone has really come together to help out (including Matthew, who I think was tickled to have 'art and craft' time). We even have a Mason jar being imported from Tennessee via Dad to make a clever lamp for the room! Not only have we been working on the decorations, but nursing covers have also been in production... aka "hooter hiders". Go ahead - laugh!, everyone does when they hear the name! Although not necessary, they are a clever invention that makes nursing perhaps a little easier? When Mom saw them in a craft store she couldn't believe the price tag considering the construction and quickly said, "I can make that!" And wala, the tata tents/boobie bonnets/insert your own clever name, were made! She'll be accepting orders for Christmas. :)

40+ weeks!

Well... (Part II)

Although we were sent to the hospital being told we needed him out by 3 PM, here I am, back at home! The tests at the hospital ended up inconclusive and so they decided to just send me home until my contractions got going on their own. No complaints here bc I would reaaaally like to avoid pitocin and am much happier at home. The monitor showed I am having some regular contractions, but I'm not noticing them. Mason also appeared to be strong and healthy!

.... I'll be bouncing on my ball and walking if anyone needs me!...

Well...

WE ARE ON OUR WAY TO THE HOSPITAL! It seems Mason also wanted to prove everyone wrong about him coming in another week or two! My water has been trickling out since yesterday and I was ordered to the hospital by the doc... heeeeeeeere we gooooooo....!

0 days?!!?

The question is: what are you waiting for Mason!? Although more people will say things like "you've got at least another week", I choose to be the optimist and believe he is going to come any moment now - nothing wrong with that, right?! My Mom is here and we've got plans to do all we can to make this happen... starting with Eggplant Parmesean for dinner today that supposedly induces women within 48 hours. Walking, Castor oil, and a trampoline are all in the near future as well. Hopefully Mason will decide the time is right, since we think it is! Now if I can just get my hospital bag packed...

Visiting!

It has been fun getting to see some folks from Freshman year in these past few months -- including Manda, Becca and Jenny during Conference weekend, Stacy at my shower, and Shauna this past weekend! Thanks goes to Kelly Clarkson- she lured Shauna to my neck of the woods! Considering it has been 6 years since my Freshman year (whoa), it is pretty cool to see how things have changed for all of us - and not changed at the same time! Here are some lovely pictures of Shauna and I on Brigham Square, highlighting the fact that I am about to pop any day now!

Jack in the box

Well, here we are, counting down -in the SINGLE DIGITS! I liked the comparison Tia used for this countdown - like a jack- in- the- box that you turn, and turn, and turn, and then...! If only it were more of an exact science. The clothes are washed, the diapers are stowed, the crib only lacks one thing - the baby! Although Sammy fits quite nicely in many of the baby items (he is somewhat attached to the diaper changing pad...), I am certain that Mason will fit the ticket better! I've been checking out different things that supposedly induce labor - anyone have some of their own family secrets for bringing about the anticipated event? I'm all ears :)

Corn Delight!

Although we went for the corn maze, I think the giant corn pit won my vote as the coolest event at CornBelly's (the huge pipe slide might have been a close second but I didn't get to slide down it bc of my 'maternal' state)! This might be partially due to the fact that we are apparently no good at mazes. :) After finding clues 4 and 5 repeatedly, we finally made it out of David Archuleta's head... whew!!

Believe it or not, that is me there in the corn - Matt even managed to bury little Mason!

Ellie showing off her corn angel abilities

I kept finding corn for the rest of the evening... including this nice pile of kernels I found as I was getting ready for bed that night!!

Camp Out!

Or Camp-in?  Whatever you want to call it, we had a sweet Young Women's 'retreat' a few weeks ago!  We stayed in this adorable cabin up Provo canyon and had a BLAST!  How could it not be awesome with amazing bbqed turkey breast (can I say 'wow'? SO GOOD), camp songs, a 'faith walk', games, testimony meeting, fabulous breakfast, and more!?  Thanks to Matt (and Brother Hines) for being troopers and staying in a tent on the lawn -in the cold- as our protectors :)  And thanks to the ladies and young women for giving up the only bed to the two pregnant women!  

Cute Cabin!

There is always room for one more!

We've got skills :)

The home stretch!

36.5 weeks - wow! I feel like a broken record, always talking about 'time' lately - how it seems like it will creep by and fly by... but really, truly, it is amazing how slowly and yet quickly time is passing! We are so excited for little Mason and we know he will be here so soon!

As you can see, there is definitely a baby in there... and I'm suspecting he'll be a good size! With my Mom's kiddos being mostly in the 8-9 lb range, I'm just trying to prepare myself for what may lie ahead :) As far as the doctor's visits go, everything is checking out a-o-k! No troubles with protein, the blood pressure is fabulous, and swelling isn't an issue either (my ankles will often feel or look puffy by the end of the day... but nothing big). And, if those babycenter and american pregnancy emails are telling the truth, word is that I won't be noticing much of a change in my measurement and weight in these last few weeks? I like the sounds of that! We'll see if the pictures tell otherwise!

The nursery is also just about complete! All I lack at this point is wall decor... which... hopefully I'll get around to doing! If not, I promise to post some pictures soon anyway. Ah, nesting at its finest! I don't think I have much else to report... just that we're excited and anxious! Till next time...

33 weeks! Yay!

Ah, a few days late on the picture again, but hey, better than nothing ! Here I am at 33 weeks(should have been taken at 32 weeks)... as you can see, I'm on the out-n-out as Mason continues growing at a generally rapid pace - he is gaining something like a half a pound a week at this point! I still can't believe how soon he'll be here - and yet not soon enough. :)

So, the other week Matt and I were in Wal-mart together when suddenly he says, "I have a surprise for you... stay here!" and wanders off into isles. I was completely clueless... and usually I am really good at guessing surprises :) Several minutes later he returns triumphantly with a body pillow in tow! He was beaming as he told me that 'everyone' said I needed one so he was insisting I get one. Unfortunately, the Wal-mart pillow had seen its day (it was the only one he could find - and he found it on the floor somewhere... it looked a little rough) so we opted to pick the pillow up another day elsewhere. Well, we finally got one and... I think I need to take a moment to say: I LOVE MY BODY PILLOW! I can't remember the last time I got as much 'good' sleep -- I woke up less than 5 times the first night and only one of those required a trip to the little ladies room (this is quite a feat!). Hallelujah!

Besides sleep-deprivation (which I realize this is just the beginning of many years), I have been feeling really good! I've got the what I'd call 'normal' aches and pains - ribs achy, feet hurting at the end of the day, etc., but all in all it really has been good. I had a check up this past Friday and had a little elevated protein, but not enough to be too worrisome -- just enough to keep an eye on. My blood pressure is still great and no swelling is going on, so we'll keep our fingers crossed that all continues well! Only a few more weeks little guy...

We are continuing to get closer and closer to feeling like we've got what we need to get this operation started -- we just got our stroller and car seat and the crib is on its way! Here is a picture of the 'travel system' (stroller & car seat)... as you can see, Sammy thinks its for him! We also have the painting done and the blinds are ordered! I look forward to posting about the process of the room and showing the finished product!