Jenny and Jun's Baby Shower

On Saturday, Jenny and Jun had their baby shower at their home near Baltimore...a very nice place at that! There were so many people there to share this wonderful time with them and the food was delicious. I had a chance to take some pictures, which I haven't done much of with this group for some time. Here are a few of the best:

Congratulations, Jenny and Jun!

Kate, Connie, Me, Jenny and Sandi

Jelani, Connie and Aliana

Sandi and Shawn


Bernard, Kate, Nuri and Lua


Yes, they are drinking beer from baby bottles!

Another Baby Shower!

Didn't I just say we have the greatest friends? My friends from work put on a little baby shower for us on Friday. I thought I was just going out to eat at my favorite restaurant, the Olive Garden. I was very surprised when we (Jenna, Leah, Teresa and I) went to pick up Shira (on her day off) for lunch, that she and Ben and Ryan were waiting for us with baloons, Olive Garden (take-out), ice cream and presents. It was a complete surprise, but a very thoughtful one at that.


Thank you so much for helping prepare us for this wonderful event, and for always being willing to celebrate! And of course, to those who contributed but couldn't be there, thank you too (Ben and Christina)!

(The pictures Ryan took have to be cleared before putting on the blog :-)

Our Baby Shower

Ryan and I are so lucky to have the greatest friends! Connie and Sandi threw a Baby Shower for us on Saturday, July 12th. Tommy and Amy came from Philadelphia and stayed the weekend. It was so nice to get to spend a little time with them. Robert and Theresia showed up and hung out with us for most of the evening. Jenny and Jun hurried back from their babymoon in Florida to be with us. Shira, Jenna and Hana from work came. And of course the Coleman's, Gremminger's (including Marissa which was a pleasant surprise), and the Songer-Johnson's all joined us! Thanks for showing your love and support...we can't wait to share our little bundle of joy with everyone.

It was a great time, and here are some pictures to prove it...

What is Montessori?

Whenever someone sees Gracie's room or the pictures of her furniture, they always ask why she will be sleeping on the floor, because that is the most noticeable difference between our nursery and 99.9% of nurseries in the US. We certainly don't mind explaining that we're planning to follow Montessori principals in raising our children. Then the next question is usually - "What is Montessori?" To the contrary of what many people think, it isn't a religious or cult-like phenomenon. It is quite simply, an educational philosophy.

For those of you who care to learn more, the Montessori philosophy has roots in every part of a child's life, not just in the classroom and not beginning at age five or six. It is based on the premise that children should be respected and receive "freedom within limits" in order to become independent thinkers. So what does that mean? I bet you are imagining screaming children running around, doing as they please. That's what I thought when someone first explained it to me. It is quite the opposite if well-understood and implemented properly. It actually leads to a happy, confident, intrinsically motivated, independent, responsible and well-disciplined child. I know, it sounds too good to be true. But it actually is possible. I've seen what children can do if given the opportunity. It is truly amazing!

Ryan and I both believe that education begins at birth and is a life-long process. So this philosophy actually fits well within our own ideals, and provides a framework to help us on our way to being decent parents and our children's first teachers. But I'm certainly not an expert on the Montessori topic, so here are some additional resources that may help those who are interested to learn more:

Montessori Connections
Birth to Three - Parenting
Birth to Three - Preparing the Environment
The First Year
Montessori Education - The Differences Between Montessori and Traditional Education
NAMC - Montessori Home Environment

The Montessori method is not our only plan for our children's lives - traditions, morals, religion and all the "normal stuff" play an even larger part, but that's nothing new to anyone and therefore doesn't seem to spark much conversation. And to answer the other FAQ we've been getting recently, our children will enter public school at age 5 or 6 and very likely fit in just the same as every other child. While you may be thinking, as my brother Evan put it: that we sound like Rick Moranis in the movie Parenthood, forcing his three-year-old daughter to study and learn constantly and not allowing her to just be a kid. But we don't have preconceived expectations for Gracie or any future children. It is quite the opposite, in that we don't believe in hurrying our children, rather simply providing opportunities to help them develop and learn at their own pace, while encouraging them to just be kids. Eventually, they will have the confidence and independence to become whatever they choose.

So, keep the questions coming. We're happy to share ideas and eternally grateful for yours.

Have You Seen "Sicko?"

While most of you know I find it difficult to keep my opinions to myself, I usually refrain from posting anything that is politically charged. I try to save those discussions for when I'm least likely to offend someone. But I can't hold back on this one!


As a result of a discussion we had with Rory while he was visiting, Ryan and I watched Sicko the other night. I hope you have seen this movie. I know, Michael Moore is out-there and usually tells a one-sided story. I'm certain there was a little bias in this documentary as well, but every American should watch this movie!


The message stuck with me so much, that I had a dream about health care. So it was fresh in my mind when I woke up this morning. I couldn't stop thinking about it. I immediately thought of four instances where this broken system has affected my life, so I thought I should share them to spark some discussion and hopefully eventually some action. (I'll attempt to keep it short).


1. My brother is a full-time student and hasn't had medical insurance since my mom passed away because he was covered under hers, can't afford it on his own, and can't get a full-time job while finishing school.


2. My dad was a contractor and couldn't afford private health insurance. He had a bad hip from sports injuries, but just took ibuprofen for years to get through the day. The ibuprofen eventually killed his kidneys at age 48. Luckily he was able to get help, but was forced to live on dialysis for three years, and has since received a kidney transplant. But had he had insurance to get his hip taken care of, it never would've happened.

3. When my mom found out she had cancer, several doctors told her she needed a PET Scan to really figure out what, if anything could be done. She never could get the insurance company to approve it. I'm not saying that the lack of having this scan led to her death, but we'll never know if more could've been done to help.

4. My first job away from home afforded me "full benefits," by my insurance didn't kick in until April 1st. My appendix ruptured on March 23rd. Two days in the hospital and an appendectomy later, my doctor/hospital bill was over $25,000. My employer tried to convince the insurance company to help, but no luck there. I applied for Maryland medical assistance for this one instance, but I hadn't established residency and I made too much money to get help. I tried to get help in PA, but they said I wasn't a resident there anymore. That hospital bill has come back to haunt me more than once.

I feel for anyone who has issues with medical insurance. It's sad that we cannot keep up with countries like Canada, the UK and France who have excellent health care for everyone and even higher life expectancies. I only hope someone devises a way to fight the insurance business in this country!

Consumer Gives 2000 Honda Accord 5 Star Crash Test Rating

Thankfully, everyone is fine...but Ryan was in an accident today. A supplier representative was his passenger, and when I got there he was covered in coffee, but unharmed. The woman driving the other car had minimal damage and left the scene shortly after exchanging information. Ryan doesn't have a scratch, though he may feel a little banged up tomorrow. His car took the brunt of the accident, which is what it is designed to do, I suppose. We'll know tomorrow what kind of damage was done. We're just so glad no one was injured.

He was approaching a one-lane bridge and the woman in front of him was stopped. He thought she was going to move. She didn't move, and he hit the brakes. He clipped her left rear fender and swerved to the right, hitting a telephone pole. Both he and the other guy said he wasn't going very fast, but it sure looks like they were. You can see the damage below. I was quite amazed actually, that the car just buckled like that and no one was hurt.

Out $164 and In-Need of Shower

We smelled a strange gas smell the last couple of times we turned on the stove. It was really bad on Saturday and worse on Sunday. So Ryan called the gas company to see if someone could come check it out to make sure everything was working properly. We were not home when they came, so they shut the gas off "for safety." Washington Gas told us that we had to get a plumber to certify that there were no leaks before it would be turned back on.

So we chose the plumber who charged $89 to "test for a gas leak." It turns out, the $89 was just to come to our house and give an estimate. It would be an additional $600 to test it, and more to fix it. We said "no thank you" and sent him on his way.

After calling the gas company over a half dozen times, Ryan finally pleaded with someone to send the gas people back to turn on our gas, because he never really said there was a "leak" but something wrong with the stove. They finally agreed and said they'd only leave it on if all gas appliances were in working order. We thought...they probably aren't, but it is worth a try.

The gas people came back today, and we don't have a gas leak. However, they "tagged" the stove and said if we use it and it blows up, it is our fault not theirs. Note taken! So Ryan called the stove repair people.

The stove repairman also showed up today to let us know that there's nothing wrong with the stove. We used an oil-based cleaning product on it and it has to burn off (who knew SoftScrub was oil-based or that you can't use that on a stove...there's a picture of one on the back of the bottle). That house call cost us $75.

So the moral of the story is...don't call the gas company's emergency line unless it is an emergency. Come to think of it, don't call the gas company until you've exhausted all other resources. And if you have gas-heated hot water and decide to call the gas company, at least take a shower before you call them because you may not have hot water for a few days.

Playing Catch Up

Where have we been for the past few weeks? Well, here's a short recap:

June 13th Weekend - (No pictures? I don't know what I was thinking)
It was our last out-of-town trip before Gracie is born, and we spent it in Uniontown seeing family and celebrating Father's Day. It was a whirlwind trip as usual, but we got to see just about everyone.

June 20th Weekend - (I can't believe I didn't take one picture. I may have to steal some from Theresia :-)
Rory came to visit on Friday and we had dinner with he and Robert and Theresia. It was a nice evening, and good to have company after a long stretch of no visitors.

On Saturday, my Aunt Mary came to visit from NY for a little impromptu trip that should've been about 4 hours took her more like 7 and a half. We met up with the Gibbens boys and Theresia for dinner in Old Town Alexandria. Shortly after, we headed to our trusty old Irish bar for some music. It was a great time!

June 27th Weekend -
Ryan spent a great deal of time on the baby's furniture, getting it ready to be moved up to the nursery...it looks great, and is just about finished now.

Saturday evening we took a break and headed into the city for a little romantic walk around the monuments (and I was also craving a little photography time). We headed to the Capitol first, since we've never actually walked up to it. I had an opportunity to take some pretty cool pictures. It rained cats and dogs as soon as we got back to the car, so I didn't get to photograph anything else, but after I got completely soaked running from the car to a bathroom (seriously, I've never been so wet while completely clothed in my life), we completed a wonderful evening by driving around looking at an Embassy or two, getting a little lost on a gorgeous back road, finally finding our way to Georgetown and enjoying a late night coffee and ice cream...hmmmm...what a great evening!

The Capitol

July 4th Weekend -
On Thursday, we headed down to Annapolis for an overnighter to hang out and relax a bit. It was a much-needed break. We had such a great time. I wish we could do that a lot more often. We just walked around, without a plan, stopped and had cold drinks whenever we felt like it, and ate whenever we wanted.

Annapolis

On Saturday, our friends Connie and Jelani brought their new little one, Aliana, over to let us borrow their carpet scrubber and help Ryan finish up Gracie's furniture. Connie and I worked a bit and played with Aliana while the guys did their thing. Three of the four pieces of furniture are now where they belong. Thanks for the help guys!

Aliana...isn't she adorable!?!

This week will be dedicated to cleaning for my Baby Shower next weekend...I can't wait!

Gracie's First Pictures

Ryan and I had a 3D ultrasound done yesterday in Philly, compliments of our great friends, Tommy and Amy. They chose to get us a gift certificate at this particular place because they had such a wonderful experience and their images were so clear with their little one. It was well worth the trip and great to visit with them for the day. Thanks again, Tommy and Amy! It is an experience that will last a lifetime.

The technician confirmed that she is in fact a girl and shared his non-medical opinion that Gracie looks to be about 32 weeks, while I'm not quite 30 weeks pregnant. We came home with 80 images and a 20-minute video of the ultrasound. We were able to see her open and close her eyes, stick out her tongue and smile. It was so cool! We can't wait to welcome her home very soon!

...check out those cheeks...

Excellent Estate Planning Seminar

Ryan and I have been discussing the plethora of plans and precautions we need to take before or shortly after the baby is born. One of the necessary steps is estate planning. So when we heard about a seminar to learn the details of the options, we thought it may be useful to attend before choosing a lawyer and blindly spending money on the process.

We booked the session about a month ago and attended the Estate Planning Seminar this evening. I didn't really know what to expect, but Ryan mentioned it would likely be a waste of time and money, particularly once we saw how many people were there (well over 50 couples). We paid $30 for the two hour seminar and were the youngest people there, by at least 20 years.

To our surprise, it was well worth our time. The presenter was easy to understand (not over our heads or too elementary) and extremely knowledgeable (a lawyer in the firm, the son of the owner to be exact). It was generally money well-spent.

I truly thought we could likely do everything on our own, but after learning about all the choices, forms, and consequences of not doing things appropriately, I'm sold that it is a necessity. They didn't really try to sell their firm (though the papers we received do), but explained that no matter who you choose to help you through the process, it is essential to receive the guidance of a lawyer. It made perfect sense and I'd highly recommend it if you live in the DC area, whether you're single, dating, married, with kids or not. The only issue is that they don't go into the details of the process if you have minor children (they only discuss adult children, because 99.9% of attendees are old). But you can let them know if you'd like to set up a free individual consultation (where they give you a plan and a flat rate), which we did. It is worth the $30 if you have 2 hours. There are a variety of locations to attend a seminar.

Here's the link to learn more: http://www.mikecollins.com/seminars.html

Lovely Baby Shower

With all the action this past weekend with my grandfather in the hospital, the Rice ladies (my grandma, aunts LeeAnn, Robin and Dawn and my seven girlie-girl Rice cousins) managed to carry through with the Baby Shower they had planned for me (and Ryan).

Ladies on both sides of my family, distant cousins, the unforgettable ladies I worked with at DOTS for six years (from when I was 16-22), ladies who worked with my mom for over 20 years, and family friends all joined us for lunch and presents. It was such a nice get together. It really made me miss being home, miss sharing in their lives, and made me realize just how many people are as excited to welcome this baby as we are. I'm so grateful for each and every one of you!

We received more girl clothes than I ever imagined possible, so I certainly hope we really are having a girl and that I have enough energy after she is born to change her clothes three times a day to ensure she wears them all (look forward to many pictures of her in cute outfits). We also received some homemade gifts (from my grandma, Aunt Paula, and my cousin Monica), lots of baby-care products, keepsakes, and necessities from the registry.

The one gift that really got me was my mom's baby blanket (also used for me) that my Grandma Cappy (my mom's grandma, my great-grandma, and our little girl's great-great-grandma) gave to her. My grandma had it wrapped with a note to let me know what it was and where it came from. I cried so hard I couldn't even tell anyone what it was. Not that I need another excuse to be emotional as it seems to be my favorite pastime these days, but it made me cry periodically throughout the day too. My mom would've been 50 this year, in October, but the blanket sure doesn't look it. Perhaps that was one of the reasons I cried. It is very special to have something of my mom's to give to our little girl. I'm so thankful to have it.

Thanks to everyone for sharing in our special event, for showering us with love and support, and thanks to the "Rice ladies" for all your effort. It was so nice of you to go to all that trouble. We love you all!



I'll post more pictures once I download them from my camera. Here are a few to tide you over:

Gram and her girls...

Get Well Soon Pap!

My grandfather was admitted to the hospital last Sunday with chest and stomach pain. After nearly a week of scaring the family with a seemingly unidentifiable ailment, the doctors narrowed it down enough to be relatively sure it was his gall bladder. So Friday afternoon at about 2:00pm, his doctor came in and said he would have his gall bladder removed that day.

As it turns out, it was in fact his gall bladder. It was actually gangrenous, so was the likely culprit of all of the severe symptoms. He's now thankfully resting and recovering and should be able to go home in a few days.

As a result of all of the tests he had last week, they also figured out that he is otherwise more healthy than me. We're glad you're getting well Pap!

New Windows

Our stimulus checks went to good use today, as we decided to put the money toward new windows for the house. Ours are 32 year old contractor-grade windows. Several of them don't open right, don't stay open, don't lock properly and/or have a broken pane. I would highly recommend to anyone who is purchasing a house to check out the windows very carefully and ask for new ones if you can. I sure wish we would have when we had the chance.

We wanted to make one big upgrade each year. Last year was buying the house...that was the biggest upgrade! After a great deal of research, we decided that new windows would be beneficial for several reasons: saving energy, reducing the chilly breeze in winter, and we figured no one else would be as dumb as we were and buy this house with bad windows when we decide to sell it. Much deliberation led to our decision to get Barrington Soft Lite windows. They aren't the best you can buy, but we don't plan to live here forever so we went for value and quality, plus these were the closest match to our current windows, which is a requirement of our HOA. The next step up is pretty much buying for the brand, which doesn't make much sense for our situation.

We have 10 windows in our townhouse. We had 5 of them replaced today. We chose to do the four in the front of the house and the one in the baby's room. The plan is to get the other 5 replaced before the winter weather arrives. It didn't cost any more to have just a few replaced now and a few later. This way we could make sure the house looks uniform from the front and fix the baby's window (it was one of the ones that was broken) so we could finish redecorating the room, and save some money to do the second half of the house later. I suppose they figure that no one only replaces half the windows in their house so they don't care if they have to come out twice. Any chance we'd receive two stimulus checks in one year? Fat chance I think.

Memorial Day with the Gibbens Family

Over Memorial Day weekend, Ryan and I drove to Okeechobee, FL to visit his family. His parents both live there, as does his youngest brother Travis. His sisters, Stacey and Sarah drove down from Georgia to spend the weekend there too.

The drive down was a piece of cake. We had a great visit. Friday we split the day between his mom and dad. We had lunch, went to see the new Indiana Jones movie and ended the evening chatting it up. On Saturday, we spent the day with his mom. They went golfing most of the morning (I got to sleep in), and his mom had a little baby shower for us in the afternoon before we headed to dinner. It was really nice. We played a few of the best baby shower games and they showered us with great presents to get us started. On Sunday, we spent the day with his dad and Annie. We had a cookout, and they too showered us with baby gifts. The guys played pool in the afternoon and we ended the night a little early to make sure we got enough sleep to drive back on Monday. We left at 4:30am and arrived home last night sometime between 9 and 10pm. The drive back was more taxing on me at least, but it wasn't as bad as I'd expected.

Thank you all for such a nice visit, and for the wonderful baby presents! Everything will definitely be put to good use.

Once we figure out how to download the video from our new video camera, I'll post some here.

Test Kitchen, Furniture and More

We've been so busy the last few weeks, but I wanted to play a little catch-up before our trip to Florida on Thursday. When we get back, we will want to share pix and have a few more busy weeks coming up...so here it goes:

Ryan has been experimenting and getting really good in the kitchen...no complaints here! I'm starting to enjoy dish detail in return for all his hard work (we used to take turns cooking and doing dishes). My Aunt Jan and Uncle Jeff bought us the America's Test Kitchen Cookbook for our wedding. To be honest, we got stuck in a rut of the same 5 dishes each week. We didn't really use that cookbook much until my dad explained how useful it really is...then we started to try it out.

This cookbook has seriously turned our day to day chore of cooking (and too often eating out) into an enjoyable experience almost daily. We look forward to the experience of making and eating our own food now. Ryan is much better than I am with the recipes, and has recently made some of the best food I've ever eaten - honestly. He made a traditional Italian meal, completely from scratch last Thursday. The ravioli were fantastic, but the biscotti were absolutely amazing. On Sunday, he made peanut butter cookies that were "oh my goodness" good. So for anyone out there who even somewhat enjoys cooking, and would like a little help making the experience and the food a little better, you should try this cookbook: http://www.amazon.com/Americas-Kitchen-Family-Cookbook-Revised/dp/193361501X/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1211389191&sr=8-1

My dad came back to visit for a few days to finish the baby's furniture. He and Ryan slaved away for hours on end to finish it all and each piece is simply gorgeous! The dresser is over 300 pounds. The best part is, they all match! You have no idea how big I am on every piece of furniture matching or complementing another, so I'm in heaven. It was so great to have my dad down for a few more days. I hated to see him go. Thanks again Dad, I know how hard you worked and I appreciate the effort and the furniture more than you know...and so will our little girl. Ryan is going to finish painting the pieces, then I'll post the pictures of them. It may be a few more weeks before he gets them done because we have so much going on over the next couple of weeks. Only a few finishing touches on the baby's room too - and we'll put it all together and take some pictures for everyone to see.

As for me? I've been trying to keep the house in order and running errands. I also finished planting the garden this weekend. It doesn't sound like I've been doing much, I know. But I feel like I have...and I'm awfully tired at the end of each day. Everything is going well with the baby. I feel pretty good too. I went to the doctor today and he said all looks good. I also did my glucose tolerance test and will only hear about it if there's a problem. I have lots of aches and pains, but nothing major. My worst symptom so far has been the sharp pains in my hips, but I can't complain. I am starting to have a little more swelling, but the doctor said that's normal. I just have to monitor it, elevate my feet a lot, and keep away from the salt. That's the hard part, because Ryan keeps insisting on buying all the salty snacks he can find while I'm trying hard not to snack much and keep away from all things salty. But this too, shall be worth resisting the temptation.

We had our second baby class tonight. This one was the newborn basics. It was really basic, but we did learn a little something or two. In about two weeks we start the four-series class about childbirth - yikes! The doctor said today, that in 10 weeks I'll be considered "full-term." Of course I knew that, but it sounded so scary - 10 weeks!?! I suppose it is time for the childbirth class.

We're looking forward to visiting family in Florida this Memorial Day weekend...and of course we're looking forward to more "Hockey Nights in Pittsburgh!" - Let Go Pens!!!

Decisions Finally Made Easy

Much of the baby furniture we like is too expensive to purchase. So Ryan and I had chosen less expensive pieces that were cute and functional, but would likely need to be replaced in a couple of years. But I asked my dad if he'd make the baby's bed because it is difficult to find for such a simple structure and is very expensive for what you get (because as most of you know, we aren't getting a crib, but are using a Montessori floor bed). When he said he would make the bed, he also said he'd make the rest of the baby's furniture, which was SO exciting! Now we can have the same cute style that I like and it'll be very sturdy...not to mention our baby girl will have homemade furniture that her pappy made. (sniff, sniff!)

So my dad visited for the past week and started the furniture. He designed it all from scratch, using a combination of some pictures of furniture I found and liked. He finished the bed frame, which you can see below (no, I'm not putting our newborn on the floor, she'll be in a bassinet for a little while). He still has some finishing work to do on the book shelves and the dresser, so I'll save those photos for comparison later. My dad is going to come back down so he and Ryan can work on it in a few weeks. I'm so excited to see the finished products...and the finished room that Ryan is still diligently working on. I'll be sure to share the pictures when it is all finished.

Crib Mattress Sized, Montessori Floor Bed

Baby Belly Week 24

Some of our readers have been asking if my belly's growing, since we haven't posted pictures lately. Don't you know this is a touchy subject for a pregnant lady? :-) Just kidding

So, here's a picture Ryan took today...the belly is definitely growing and has three more months to grow:

Test Kitchen and More

We've been so busy the last few weeks, but I wanted to play a little catch-up before our trip to Florida on Thursday. When we get back, we will want to share pix and have a few more busy weeks coming up...so here it goes:

Ryan has been experimenting and getting really good in the kitchen...no complaints here! I'm starting to enjoy dish detail in return for all his hard work (we used to take turns cooking and doing dishes). My Aunt Jan and Uncle Jeff bought us the America's Test Kitchen Cookbook for our wedding. To be honest, we got stuck in a rut of the same 5 dishes each week. We didn't really use that cookbook much until my dad explained how useful it really is...then we started to try it out.

This cookbook has seriously turned our day to day chore of cooking (and too often eating out) into an enjoyable experience almost daily. We look forward to the experience of making and eating our own food now. Ryan is much better than I am with the recipes, and has recently made some of the best food I've ever eaten - honestly. He made a traditional Italian meal, completely from scratch last Thursday. The ravioli were fantastic, but the biscotti were absolutely amazing. On Sunday, he made peanut butter cookies that were "oh my goodness" good. So for anyone out there who even somewhat enjoys cooking, and would like a little help making the experience and the food a little better, you should try this cookbook: http://www.amazon.com/Americas-Kitchen-Family-Cookbook-Revised/dp/193361501X/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1211389191&sr=8-1

My dad came back to visit for a few days to finish the baby's furniture. He and Ryan slaved away for hours on end to finish it all and each piece is simply gorgeous! The dresser is over 300 pounds. The best part is, they all match! You have no idea how big I am on every piece of furniture matching or complementing another, so I'm in heaven. It was so great to have my dad down for a few more days. I hated to see him go. Thanks again Dad, I know how hard you worked and I appreciate the effort and the furniture more than you know...and so will our little girl. Ryan is going to finish painting the pieces, then I'll post the pictures of them. It may be a few more weeks before he gets them done because we have so much going on over the next couple of weeks. Only a few finishing touches on the baby's room too - and we'll put it all together and take some pictures for everyone to see.

As for me? I've been trying to keep the house in order and running errands. I also finished planting the garden this weekend. It doesn't sound like I've been doing much, I know. But I feel like I have...and I'm awfully tired at the end of each day. Everything is going well with the baby. I feel pretty good too. I have lots of aches and pains, but nothing major. My worst symptom so far has been the sharp pains in my hips, but I can't complain. I am starting to have a little more swelling, but the doctor said that's normal. I just have to monitor it, elevate my feet a lot, and keep away from the salt. That's the hard part, because Ryan keeps insisting on buying all the salty snacks he can find while I'm trying hard not to snack much and keep away from all things salty. But this too, shall be worth resisting the temptation.

We're looking forward to visiting family in Florida this Memorial Day weekend...and of course we're looking forward to more "Hockey Nights in Pittsburgh!" Let Go Pens!!!

Week 23 Checkup

We went to the doctor on Tuesday for the monthly checkup and all seems to be fine. I've gained a total of 8 pounds, seemingly not too bad so far. The doctor did the same tests he always does, and I haven't heard anything yet. But that is normal. He looked over everything from the last ultrasound and said everything seems to be fine so far. Next time they test for gestational diabetes, which is also normal at about 28 weeks. This seems to be a fairly calm time in the process though.

I'm feeling pretty good these days, for which I'm very thankful, because it has allowed me the time and energy I needed to accomplish pretty much my entire to-do list. However, the fears of the unknown are surely setting in quick for me these days, while wild dreams seem to be running a muck over my normally peaceful sleep patterns. I seem to be keeping my sanity these days by enjoying feeling the tiny baby kicks and learning (reading) all I can get my hands on about labor and everything that follows. All-in-all everything is going well.

My dad is here this week helping Ryan to complete the remodeling project in the baby's room and they're working together to build the baby's nursery furniture. I think once those projects are finished, it'll be a waiting game but a more relaxing time for both of us. Pictures to come soon, once the room is complete.

Bikes are Back

This evening, Ryan and I took our first bike ride of the season. I wasn't sure I could do it. I started out slow and a little nervous and ended very slow, but the majority of the ride was enjoyable. I need to learn what my limit is so I can be closer to home when I reach that point.

The Reston Association is working on a stream renovation project. We rode through some areas where they have finished the renovations. I felt like I was in the movie Fern Gully...we saw a crane, a blue jay and many other birds I couldn't quickly identify. We can't wait until they finish the renovation in our back yard in May or June to see what the running water may bring to our area (and hopefully it will get rid of some of the mosquitoes). All along the trails it is just gorgeous! Ryan even commented that he felt like we were on vacation. It was that relaxing. We took it easy, riding a total of about 3-4 miles. I can't wait to do it again soon!

Cockroaches

My last post was about how much I hate bugs...so this is an appropriate topic. Today, I was eating lunch with some friends from work and we went to our usual place, Thaiphoon in Pentagon Row. We've been eating here at least 4 times a month for well over a year. They have good food, good service, and it looks clean.


Well looks can be deceiving. I found what I'm pretty sure was a cockroach in my fried rice. Gross, right? Yeah, it almost made me throw up. So I obviously didn't have to pay for it and they gave us an extra 20% off the bill - not enough in my opinion, but I just wanted to leave and didn't care about that. So I looked up the restaurant on the VA Dept. of Health's website and sure enough, they have a roach problem. Check out a few of the "critical violations" from their last inspection, on March 25th...how can a restaurant stay open with reports like these?

• Dead roaches are not removed from the premises at a frequency that prevented their accumulation, decomposition, or the attraction of other pests.


• Critical Repeat: The following food-contact equipment surfaces are not clean to sight and touch: 1. the lid on the ice machine 2. container used for ice scoop storage at waitstation 3. can opener 4. plates stored as clean were observed having dead and live roaches on them.


• Proper pest control methods are not used to minimize the presence of insects, rodents, and other pests found in the establishment. Roaches observed on shelf in kitchen where dishes are stored.

I would strongly recommend the use your local Dept. of Health's website prior to establishing a favorite restaurant. Here's a link to the Virginia Dept. of Health: http://www.healthspace.ca/vdh

What a Discovery!

Yesterday, as Ryan and I were working outside to get the place ready for summer, he found a ringneck snake under the leaves we were moving from the patio to the woods. We didn't automatically know it was a ringneck, but we looked it up and quickly discovered the name of our friendly little guy...who happened to be slightly poisonous. However, according to my research it isn't likely that he could sink his back teeth, where they store the venom, into the skin. The snake was by far the coolest thing we've discovered while living here! We invited the neighbor's kids to come take a look and I started a petting-o-the-snake session, of course not knowing it was potentially dangerous at the time. The kids were a little scared at first, but they sure warmed up to the slithering little guy.

I have always loved snakes, believe it or not. I've let huge boa constrictors wrap themselves around me (with someone monitoring of course). But I scream bloody murder if a bee, centipede or spider come my way, jump on anything I can find to get away from a rodent, and I'm likely to intentionally kill pretty much anything on the ground that moves. I know I'll soon need to control myself because I really don't want my kids to be such freaks. I have been the butt of the jokes for the past 28 years for the shrill that leeks out of my mouth "EEEEEE - A BEE," with the frantic flailing of the arms and sudden running in circles to get away it, only for someone else to point out that it was only a fly (I still don't believe them) - or getting weird looks from other drivers when I'm frantically waving my arms, yelling, and swerving all over the road while in search for something to kill the occasional spider crawling across the dashboard. Oh, but how to stop...how can I possibly break the habits I've clung to in order to deal with my fears for so long - hide the reaction and let Ryan handle it, that's what I intend to do. From over-reaction to avoidance...great strategies I'm equipped with here...

Anyway, my point was that snakes don't really frighten me. So we decided to keep him. I'm kidding of course, I don't like any animal or reptile enough to intentionally let it live in my house. But he was fun to look at for a few minutes. And no, I didn't kill him. We set him free in the woods behind the house...so hopefully he'll end up back under our leaf pile in the fall.

Baby Gibbens Update

Ryan and I had the 20 week sonogram on Monday and found out we are expecting a baby girl! We are very excited. We don't have a name for sure yet, but won't likely post it when we do. We have to keep you guessing for somethings.

For over an hour, they took a lot of measurements and estimated her weight. She is slightly larger (by about a week) and weighs about 4 oz. more than average. She appears to be very healthy and there were no issues identified, so we are very thankful. It was a stressful event until we knew everything looked okay so far, but it made the experience very real for us.

We do have one image, but it isn't good at all. She wasn't cooperating for the "camera." But once we reconnect our scanner (from when it was moved from her room to the new office in the basement), we'll post the image.

More to come soon...

Images of Florida

We spent the weekend in Florida. Ryan's dad and Annie drove about 3 hours to visit with us on Thursday night and Friday and his mom and Travis (brother #4) came to visit on Saturday. It was a very nice weekend on the Gulf, spending time with family in as close to paradise as we get in Florida.

Ryan and dad

Ryan and Travis

mom, Ryan and Travis

Mini-golfing (I won!)

Some Easter Pictures

Here are some pictures from Easter:

Yay! It snowed at Pap and Gram's house!

The mountains (Gram's back yard)...boy do I miss those!

One of the arrangements at church

Gram's new computer is a hit for all
(cousins: Terah, Anne, Maddi, and Emily)

Men!
(Uncle Tim, Ryan and my brother Evan)

Some of the ladies
(Emily, Gram and Tanya)

Something a Little Different

After reading an article in the Washington Post on Sunday, organic products and bottled water are sounding much more worth the money. The article talks about the huge number of people who suffer from autoimmune diseases and some possible factors contributing to the rise in such diseases. I happen to have one of the diseases, though mine is very, very minor compared to some. I have Hashimotos Thyroiditis. Throughout the past two years and our attempts at having a baby, I've also learned that many of the hormones throughout my body are not regulated properly. While I've not been diagnosed with anything in relation to this, and each seems to be treated seperately, I take supplements in order to make my body do what it is supposed to do. No one has ever been able to explain why my body doesn't function properly, they just say "it's common." Through a little research I did after reading this article, I've learned that many of my friends and family members also have a variety of autoimmune diseases. For example, MS, Chrone's, and even arthritis are autoimmune diseases. Check out the article if you're interested in learning more:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/03/14/AR2008031403386.html?sub=AR

So when our friend Kate suggested an organic restaurant, it made me think of the article and I thought we'd at least try it. Tonight we went to American Flatbread in Ashburn for dinner.

http://www.americanflatbread.com/ashburn/index.htm

The concept is the use of almost 100% organic ingredients from local farms. The place is nice, bright and cheery; prices are not bad, $12-18 per "flatbread" or what I would call a pizza; and the food was pretty darn good, very fresh and flavorful. The appetizer was very small for $4 and I got a rootbeer float that was $6.50 (not worth it and I let them know it), but they have a cool concept and good food. I'd highly recommend it for anyone who wants to travel to Ashburn for dinner.

I think it is almost impossible right now to change my lifestyle based on the speculation in the Washington Post article, but I do think that every little bit of change helps. I only hope that causes and cures are found for autoimmune diseases so that we can help prevent the diseases for our little ones and heal those of us who already have one or more of the diseases.

Why I Love Google Chat...

Although we're in the same office, just steps away from one another, my co-workers and I often use Google's chat feature to communicate and still get work done at the same time ;-)

This afternoon, I had one of the most entertaining chats I've ever been engaged in with a friend at work. I saved the transcript and posted it below (removing her name and other identifying info) because it was so entertaining.

I think it seriously could've been a sitcom episode:

Her: i just had to entertain a guy for an hour - literally entertain!!
Me: huh? like singing and dancing for him?
Her: no...like i was twiddling my thumbs and he sat here in my office like..i had no idea what to talk about he was here to meet (her boss) and (her boss) was in another meeting
Me: so what did you do with him for an hour?
Her: i gave him a review book and he sat here looking through it. Then i popped a jawbreaker in my mouth without thinking and next thing you know, i have this huge ball in my cheek
Me: LOL, and you couldn't bite it? (she has something similar to lock jaw)
Her: no!! it was a jaw breaker!!! i couldn't chew it and to top it....it was a fireball so it was one of those hot jaw breakers and saliva was flowing in my mouth
Me: ha!!!!!
Her: i was dying....i must've sounded like a complete airhead
Me: were you making clicking sounds trying to move it around in your mouth and slurping to keep the saliva from running down your chin?
Her: YES!!! OMG how embarrassing
Me: it's pretty darn funny though
Her: moving it side to side and then trying to float it in my mouth because it was so hot
Me: did you have to talk during this episode?
Her: YES!!! him: "so what does (her subgroup) do"? me: click click slurp......well......click click slurp.....we.......seriously, that's what it sounded like
Me: you're killing me!
Her: had to be the worst....all i can say is "thanks (boss)" ha-ha!

My Wonderful Birthday Weekend

I had a fantastic birthday weekend!

On Friday, my co-workers Teresa and Ben, welcomed me with streamers, banners, balloons and confetti throughout my office. I didn't think they'd actually get me this year because they've had some overwhelmingly busy days lately. At about 10am, I heard an alarm clock and I panicked because we can't have electronics in the office. I thought I forgot to turn off my phone, then I thought maybe there was something in one of the projects I'm working on that I didn't know about, so I searched my office for a few minutes before I heard the giggles from next door. I searched everywhere before Ben finally let on that it was in ceiling...ha-ha. Guess I should watch Office Space more often! But it was fun!

Ryan sent me tulips to work and I received them in the midst of all the commotion, which was very sweet and they arrived at a perfect time! He's never done that before, so I was surprised!

On Friday evening when I got home from work, I found a cake that Ryan had baked me (from scratch...mmm) and we headed over to Sandi and Shawn's for a pasta buffet dinner with Connie and Jelani. Everything was delicious, and we ate too much and played Taboo and Apples to Apples. Thanks for having us over, Sandi and Shawn...it was a scrumptious meal and a great time hanging out as usual!

For those of you who don't know why my cake says "Lu"...Ryan never actually calls me by my first name. He always uses a nickname and usually calls me Lu, not many people know that though. We're not exactly sure why Lu, but I like it because I never had a nickname.

On Saturday, Ryan and I headed to the Shamrock Festival in DC and hopped off the metro for a breakfast detour at the Eastern Market. It was so good, and the area was very cool. I can't wait to go back.
I knew the Shamrock Festival would be too much for me to handle from noon to 10pm, but I really wanted to go, so I planned to pace myself and sit a lot. I was expecting something similar to the Pittsburgh Irish Festival, which is very authentically Irish, none of the "green plastic crap" as Rob calls it. What we found instead was a ridiculous beer fest, with no place to sit, no authentic Irish anything, extremely rude drunk (you-know-whats) and some good bands mixed in. There is a reason I was never involved in Greek-life in college and Saturday reminded me of what a bad-fit that environment really is for my personality. I just felt totally uncomfortable most of the day. But, it was fun, all-in-all, because Rob met us there (see his post on gox-tapes.com for a more graphic description of the drunk fest), and the music we chose to listen to was fun, but I wouldn't do it again.
The highlight of my day was the opportunity to see Great Big Sea once again. This is the forth time I've seen them and each time is better than the last. Unfortunately they only played for about an hour and twenty minutes, but it was still worth it! Russel Crowe was spotted on the adjacent stage about 20 minutes before the show ended. Ryan, Rob and I didn't believe it. We thought it was just another band. He had long hair, wore a jacket with a big "S" on it, and was dressed like others standing around him. But as Great Big Sea came back on stage for an encore, they introduced him. I have it all on video...so I'll try to post some of it here. He was awesome!

On Sunday, Ryan made me a great breakfast of eggs, sausage, toast and strawberries with homemade whipped cream (yummy!). Then we headed to church for our extended mass for Palm Sunday, relaxed for a while at Starbucks, and went shopping to buy me a super-cute purse.
In the afternoon, I got to open my presents (How the Irish Invented Slang...can't wait to read that one, a gift certificate for a pregnancy massage (yay!) and a box of gourmet chocolates - does he know how to touch my heart or what). We lounged around watching a movie (310 to Yuma), went to Pulchinella for dinner (a wonderful home-style Italian place), and ended the evening with another movie (Feast of Love - chick flick, but good).

It was a fantastic birthday! Thanks to all for my cards and emails. I love my birthday, and appreciate those little sentiments so much!

My New 'Do'

Today I went to a hairstylist for the second time. The first time, I liked the cut, but it was less exciting than I had anticipated. This time, I asked him to try something new and fun. I love it! I'm not quite sure how it will look curly, but since I doubt I'll ever be able to replicate the look he gave me tonight, I thought I should take some pictures:

As I was taking my own picture tonight, it reminded me of all the pictures my niece Becca and my cousin Tori frequently post on their webpages...so this one's for my favorite chicks:


...so ladies, what exactly is that supposed to do? Maybe the pout just isn't my thing :-) - Love you both!

No More Wedding Ring...for now

I took off my engagement ring about a month ago because my fingers were swelling and I was afraid I wouldn't be able to get it off at all if I waited any longer. My wedding ring is slightly larger, but I knew I'd have to take it off soon too. I was going to go get a cheap band to wear while I am pregnant, but never really got around to it. While in a very hot room for a meeting on Thursday, my left ring finger started throbbing. I looked down and my hands were very swollen and my ring finger was struggling to to carry blood to and from the tip of my finger. Ok, I get it, time to remove the ring!

We went to try to find another ring today, and the girl at the jewelry store convinced me that I'll spend more time trying to resize the ring to fit my swollen finger than it is worth, especially since warm weather only makes the swelling worse. So, despite the fact that we actually found a really inexpensive option with unlimited number of times I could get it sized, we left without a ring. I know she's right, since the size I'd need now was several sizes larger than my rings. But, I've grown accustomed to the tradition of the wedding ring and I am very sad to not have some symbol of commitment on my finger.

After discussing it with Ryan, I think the whole big pregnant belly does the same trick as any old ring. So for those of you who, like me, wonder when a married person removes their wedding ring if it is a sign that times are bad...I'm just swelling!

Congratulations Jenny and Jun Kim

After Connie's baby shower yesterday, our great friend, Jenny, announced she and her husband Jun are also expecting their first baby! Jenny is due only two weeks after me. It's so exciting!

Jenny, Connie, Me, Sandi, Jennifer at Connie's Shower

So of our little group of five couples, four of the couples will have babies within five months. And I'm pretty sure Sandi and Shawn are not far behind for baby #1...no pressure though guys :-)

Congratulations Jenny and Jun....

The Coleman Baby Shower

Connie's Baby Shower was today. It was a very nice party and the food was fantastic! Connie and Jelani's family and friends showered them with lots of great baby gear, and everyone enjoyed the games and company.


Connie and Jelani, we are so excited to meet your little girl, Aliana Grace! You are going to be wonderful parents, and Ali will certainly be spoiled by all!

The Belly - Week 16, Day 3

I've decided that I look too rough to show my whole body/face in the first belly-pictures I let Ryan take. In addition, it's the first time I've seen my profile (including the ever-expanding, big ol' butt), so that takes some getting used to prior to sharing with the world. But in my defense, the pictures were taken on Friday evening and I had a very long and hard week this week. So this will have to do for the belly-pictures for now. Next week I'll have Ryan take one first thing in the morning after a fresh application of make-up and hairspray. :-)

Flogging Molly Concert

On Saturday, Ryan and I went to the Flogging Molly (Irish punk band) concert in Baltimore with our fiend Gareth. We had dinner at Houlihan's, which was great in Pittsburgh, but was definitely nothing to brag about in B'more. The Rams Head Live concert venue was awesome. It was the best small venue I've ever seen. There were two bands to open for Flogging Molly, The Mighty Stef and The Reverend Peyton's Big Damn Band, both of which were very interesting for very different reasons. The first band was pretty good, but reminded me a little of some of Marilyn Manson's more subdued songs. The second band was good for the first two songs...but every song that followed was exactly the same. And I've only heard a Flogging Molly CD, so I was prepared but a little surprised at how punk they really were. I'd never experienced moshing before, and was shocked to see it. Luckily we'd chosen a spot on the second floor so we were safely away from the chaos. If I'd been down on the floor though, I don't think I would've stayed there. Thanks Gareth, for inviting us to a fun evening. I'm sorry I was so warn out and boring by the end of the night. It was the longest I'd stayed up since December :-) We had a great time!

All is Well in Baby Land

Ryan and I went to the doctor today for our monthly check-up, and all is progressing well with the pregnancy. All of my tests, including the genetics test for Downs Syndrome, heart defects, and a few other disorders all came back fine.

We don't have to go back to the doctor for 4 more weeks. The following week, on March 31 (I'll be 20 weeks then) we have the second trimester test to make sure the baby is healthy (check the heart again, brain, spine, and count fingers, toes and organs, etc). They will also then tell us the sex of the baby, unless of course the baby is stubborn and crosses his/her legs.

I guess we should actually choose one or two of the names we've been pondering for what seems like an eternity. I always thought that would be the fun part, until I realized this is one of the most important gifts we'll ever give to our child. I bet you can imagine the discussions this has sparked between Ryan (laid-back, carefree approach to life) and I (spastic-nut approach to everything).

Coming soon - magically-growing belly pictures...you know you're as excited to see that, as I am to let Ryan take them :-P - No worries...I'll be fully clothed, dressed in black and wear lots of makeup for the occassion.

Lots to Catch Up On

Obviously, I've been neglecting our readers for a few weeks. I will make a better attempt to keep the blog up-to-date. I'm not actually really going to try to catch you up on our less than exciting lives over the last two weeks, but some cool things have happened since my last post:

• Ryan made the greatest Valentine's Day meal ever for me - homemade cheese ravioli (fresh cheeses, and homemade tomato cream sauce and homemade shells) It was fantastic! We ended the evening listening to a local one-man band (a lot like Jack Johnson) at a nearby restaurant. It was a perfect Valentine's Day.
• I gave my first presentation to a few hundred people for work. Crazy-scary, but it went well.
• Ryan started his wine certification classes to move along in his journey to Master of Wine.

More frequent communication to come....