Time to Post Again

Well, I think my stomach just expanded over the weekend.  Yesterday morning I was sitting on the couch watching TV.  Decided to get up and felt pain and heaviness from my uterus.  I had to hobble to the bathroom. I thought it must be the round ligaments expanding my uterus, but I haven’t felt that much pain.  I’ve felt the round ligaments before and would just rub the sides of my stomach when they got sore.
I was a little worried it might be something else.  But when I laid down on the couch, it went away.  It was only when I stood or sat up. I had to skip the morning doggie walk and lay there for 2 hours!  The pain and heaviness slowly became a sore ache.  I think I didn’t feel normal til the late afternoon.  I guess that’s what happens when you’re 20 weeks pregnant (more that half way there) and still not showing significantly yet.  My boobs are still bigger than my stomach.  It looks like I have a thick waist right now.  When the baby moves I used to feel flutters.  Lately, I’m now starting to feel “thumps”

I also forgot to mention our trip to Carmel.  This was our vacation before the baby arrived.  We left Thursday Night on 10/13 and came back on Sunday.  Since Carmel is famous for it’s dog-friendliness, we took Rudy with us.  We’re starting to find that our dog gets carsick.  At first, we thought it might be the winding roads.  Nope, the dog just gets sick…I’m wondering if it’s because he has too much room in the back where he flops around.  Luckily Jay is always prepared and had Moving Blankets all over the seats and floor.

We stayed at this place called the Hofas House.  It sounds the way it looks.  Very Bavarian looking.  What you seeing the in cartoon postcard (that I will have to post later since the server seems to be having pictures loading issues), it is EXACTLY the way it looks…like a Gingerbread House.  When I checked in, they gave us a map of downtown stores and some doggie biscuits.  In the room they had a dog bowl for food and water and a doggie blanket.  It was stuffy when we got in the room.  I couldn’t find the thermostat. Where’s the air conditioner?!?  Apparently they didn’t have one.  Carmel doesn’t have air conditioning since the Hotels are usually old and the weather is usually cool.  So, to get some cool air in you have to open up the windows and open up the half door.  I felt like I was back in the dorm rooms.  But, it didn’t take long to cool the room once we opened the door and windows.  During our stay we left the bathroom window opened all the time and it kept the room at a good temperature.

Friday I took Rudy for a walk.  Even though he was on the leash, he seems very happy to sniff around at all the new stuff.  Took him back up into the room and then went to the lobby to get our Continental breakfast…not bad.  Today was Monterey Bay Aquarium.  We dropped Rudy off at Doggie Day Care in Monterey.  It was a place where he could move around and not be stuck in the cage all day.  We have never left Rudy in Boarding so it was like dropping off our child at school for the first time.  He was really scared at first, then got a little better.  The Guy there knew what he was doing to get Rudy acclimated…wait a while all three of us were in the same room.  After a while of being there, he told us a couple of times, “Ok, you can leave now”, but we didn’t budge.  We were both nervous of leaving him behind!  Previously, when I had to drop Rudy off in the morning to get his teeth deep cleaned at the Vet, he cried (softly howled) the whole time til I came to get him in the afternoon. So, off we went to the Aquarium.  It was good seeing it again.  It always seems so short once you walk around. They added a couple of things, like the Jelly Fish Exhibit (cool) and the Sharks Exhibit.  Still, it took us about a couple of hours to do the whole Aquarium.  We then went to lunch at a Seafood place (we both found not as good as the Fish Market and Very Pricey) and then went to pick up Rudy.  Boy, was he happy to see us!  We walked around Carmel the rest of the day.  For some reason, Rudy wanted to go into all the Art Galleries. Jay thought he must’ve been an Artist in a previous life.  We found a doggie store and let Rudy pick out his toy.  Couldn’t believe all the cutsie outfits you could fit your dog in….weird.  Ok, you might have thought we were weird bringing our dog and letting our dog pick out his toy, but buying these clothes for your dog was REALLY weird.  At Dinner, we went to this German/French restaurant.  Since we had Rudy, we had to eat on the patio.  Food was Pricey (as it seems to be in Carmel) but very good!  And, they gave Rudy a biscuit and a tiny hamburger patty filled with rice and garlic – for free!

Saturday, we went to breakfast.  We again had to eat on the patio since we had the dog, seems to be normal…if there is a patio, you can bring your dog.  It took FOREVER to get a seat since we could only eat on the patio.  Ordered breakfast.  I got a side of sausage for Rudy…hee,hee,hee. We were surprised at how well he was doing since he’s more comfortable around other dogs than other people.  He pretty much sat quietly – it helped that we were feeding him while we had our breakfast.  Walked again downtown and found another Doggie Store.  Bought him another toy.  Walked to a Deli and picked up lunch then walked to the Beach.  It was 5 blocks down the hill.  Rudy got excited when he was in the sand, but then started backing up once he saw the waves.  Jay picked a spot. It was near this couple that had a few blankets around and a makeshift table.  As we were eating our lunch, around we noticed that more people started showing up near the couple.  Also the couple was placing baskets of silverware and cloth napkins at each blanket…curious…then a Musician starts showing up and sets up near us.  We find out we are going to be crashing a wedding!  Who knew?!?  Nobody was dressed up.  We left before it got too uncomfortable.  As we climbed the hill, I had to rest at every single block – luckily they had a bench at every stop.  Later, our neighbor, her boyfriend, and her dog, Choto, were down in Carmel as well and met us for Dinner at Forge in the Forest.  We sat at the Patio again.  This time the Patio was called “The Dog Pound”.  This restaurant had a special doggie Menu.   You can get a  Plain Ol’ Kibble, Hot Diggity Dog, Quarter Hounder, Hen House Chicken Strips, or the Good Dog (which is a 6 oz Grilled New York Steak!)  We both ordered the “Quarter Hounder” for our dogs, which was hamburger.  Choto is tiny and only ate ½ of his.  Rudy at all his in 10 seconds flat, then ate Choto’s when we all told him it was OK and kept pushing the food towards him.  Funny Dog.

Sunday, did our finally morning walk and checked out.  Store owners were pretty nice during our stay in Carmel and  kept giving Rudy Milk Bones.  We found out Rudy does not like Milk Bones. Either he spit them out, or didn’t want them.  Basically the Dog got really spoiled, but it was all fun!  (and the threw up again on the way home)

3rd Dr's Appt

I went for my 3rd Dr.'s Appt yesterday. He gave me a review on the ultrasound. He said that everything is good. The baby's growth is on schedule. Did not see any issues. It was good to hear. I also gained 1 1/2 lbs! He wasn't really concerned about it since the baby's growth and the uterus growth were where they should be in size at 19 weeks along. He also changed my due date again...now it's March 14th. This baby seems to be coming earlier and earlier everytime I go to the hospital!

I didn't show them in my last post, but here are the pictures from the second ultrasound. Hopefully you can figure them out. I know Jay and I had a hard time trying to tell what they were.

Toys

This has happened ever since the 2nd Ultrasound. Jay and I will be watching TV and a specific commercial will come on. I’ll hear, “YES!” or “AWL YEA!”, next to me. I look over and Jay’s got this excited look on his face. What are we looking at? Boy Toy commercials! Anything that has to do with Soldiers, Pirates, etc. I can tell he can’t wait to play with these toys. Well, I can’t blame him. I’d probably be doing the same thing if the baby was a girl… Easy Bake Oven, Barbie Styling Head, oh and Skip-It’s are fun! At the time, mine had a Lemon on it instead of the pink ball with the star you see below. Hours of fun!

Ultrasound #2

Jay and I went to our 2nd ultrasound last Monday. This time I brought the video camera.  Jay thought it was a little weird, but I’m glad I did.  The 2nd person who did the ultrasound was an older Asian man.  He wasn’t as good as our first technician.  Most of the time he was moving so fast we didn’t know what we were looking at.  And the pictures he gave us weren’t that good.  I couldn’t tell what I was looking at.  

Apparently Jay Jr. was also being “stubborn”.  He just kept sleeping no matter how much the technician tried to shake my belly and saying, “wake up, baby”. (I know another person who loves to sleep…like father like son….) And, the baby wouldn’t get in a good position for the tech to see.  The baby decided to stay cramped in the corner.  The baby finally turned, the tech goes in to get a better look at the heart, seconds later the baby decides to turn back.  Jay Jr. just didn’t want to be bothered.

Finally we see some movement!  We got a view of the top of his head.  Next thing we know we see this arm move and see his fingers patting his head!  He seemed like a baby to me now…last ultrasound he seemed more like an alien.  The first time you see your ultrasound is more of a shock that something is inside you and moving!  He kicked around a little more, and then was done.  Even though the tech didn’t get to get some good views, he said everything looked good.

A couple of days later, Jay was dozing on the bed.  How did I find him?  With this hand touching his head….

Baby Names

Ok, we're getting confused with names...of course everyone has an opinion..but I thought this might be a little fun. (For Entertainment purposes only: We may or may not use this poll in our decision making..)

Baby Hann's Name
What should Baby Hann's Name Be?
	Wesley Dee	0
	Calvin Dee	0
	Nathan ???	2
	Calvin Wesley	1
	Samuel Calvin	0
	Caleb Wesley	1
	Caleb Calvin	1
	Wesley ???	0
	Other	1
	This Poll by profsprout
Click here to view current results

Weekend News

We've had a pretty interesting weekend over here at the house. Friday, someone set the Port-a-Potty on fire, which is located near the school. Then yesterday, there was a hill fire behind our house around 5 pm. It looked really close. Luckily we have a street and the school to protect us. We decided to go out our back gate on to the school track and be lookie loos. There were two helicopters dumping water and a plane dumping that powder stuff whizzing over the school yard. We were able to see 3 firemen and a fire truck up on the mountain. We could also see the flames by the electrical towers. I think by the time we found out what was going on, it was mostly out by then. It looked like they put it out really fast.



Our neighbor, Debbie, was out with her dogs Tasha and Daisy. Rudy went out to greet them and Jay went over and was bending over and petting Tasha while she rolled in the grass. Another big dog that we know, Hoss, was also out. He came over to greet Jay. Jay said, "Hi Hoss" and was rubbing his head. The next thing he knew, Jay felt something wet running down his back! Hoss peed on him! Jay had just taken a shower mintues ago. Jay told me not to put the wet shirt in the hamper or in the house in case Rudy wanted to mark it too, so it went directly into the washer! And, of course, Jay took ANOTHER shower.

Maternity Clothes

Ugh! I had to buy more clothes on Thursday! I was sitting in my cube working on my computer, when I started to notice how the wide band maternity jeans were cutting into me! At lunch time, I ran out to Old Navy..this time to get the full panel Jeans..changed in the bathroom at work and felt so much better..They're still loose, but I'm sure I'll grow into them. I also bought another short sleeved T-shirt at Motherhood Maternity. This weather has been so strange here..it's been going up and down from mid 70's to mid 80's. So, far I've worn short-sleeved T-shirts and a long sleeved T shirt. Everyone outside my department doesn't seem to notice I'm wearing maternity clothes. Either they think I'm wearing weird long shirts or they think I'm getting heftier! Ha! Ha!

Well, my top side is bigger (..I think it's hiding my stomach.) Course you never want to approach a woman and be totally wrong! Saw that happen to an old co-worker. Antother co-worker asked when the baby was due. She had the baby quite a few months ago...Yikes!

Work

I finally told my boss, the bigger bosses, and other people in my department about the pregnancy. It went better than I thought. 3 people in my department already knew (they figured it out after I did not eat the raw sushi) Got a hug from my old boss, who is now the VP of our department and the Director told me to take as much time off as I can. Probably the one who was not totally thrilled was my direct boss. Cuz right now I'm the only one working under him. When I told the Director I was worried about taking too much time off, he told me not to worry about it and let them worry about who's going to do my work while I'm gone. So that was good to hear.

So, it's looking like this, I take the short-term disability (~6 weeks -75% of base pay, not including my bonus in there) then 6 weeks of Family Leave (55% of gross pay) and then I have the option of taking up to 6 weeks of Paid Time Off (my Vacation-full salary). I'm not going to get my full salary for the disability and Family Leave...so I might as well try for the additional 6 weeks of Paid Time Off cuz I get my full salary back. Wow! That's 4 months off! Better than I hoped. Not so good on the cutbacks...oh well, can't have everything. At least I have tons of Paid Time Off I've been hoarding. After the six weeks of Paid Time Off, I'll still will have more than 23 days left!