Our baby shower was absolutely beautiful. We decided, during one of our marathon hospital conversations with Dad, that it would be really nice to have it at Blue Canyon, our favorite “special occasion” restaurant. We knew it would be pricey, but Dad agreed to split it with us so we figured it would probably cost about the same as the other “DIY” showers we’ve had in the past. It would also be far less work! The setting is gorgeous, as you can see below, and required very little in the way of decorations. Shane and I purchased some decor for Eugene’s nursery that fit the theme of both the shower and the room, so we brought that along, Aunt Emily brought some of the goodies that she’s purchased for the nursery, along with wish and Bingo cards, and Aunt Tonia brought beautiful flowers – all wonderful, and all significantly less work than we’ve done in the past – #winning!
Category: Travel
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As I’ve mentioned, Emily was the only one to know the gender in advance… I really wanted everyone to be surprised at once but she insisted, and frankly, it made it easier for us because we had one less thing to worry about!
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This was a fairly uneventful week in the pregnancy world – thank you God for that! My symptoms seem to be disappearing. Unfortunately, that means I can’t seem to get in an afternoon nap at all! I kind of liked being able to sleep at the drop of a hat! The better news is that the exhaustion is completely gone. 😊 The nausea is getting there – sometimes it still pops up, usually when I haven’t been drinking my water, but generally it’s gone too.
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The most important news of the week is: it’s summer! 🌞
This was the last week of my first trimester – hooray! The biggest news is that I had my first appointment with Dr. Gretchen Fisher at the Cleveland Clinic. I saw her on Tuesday morning. Auntie Emily came along again – what a champ. It definitely wasn’t an exciting appointment but I was glad to have another set of ears at an important appointment. I’d heard this was a long one – but was amazed at just how long! My appointment was at 11…we walked out at 1. We were called back almost immediately and only waited for the nurse then doctor for maybe five minutes each. At most! Dr. Fisher was excellent…very very thorough – obviously! I have a large binder of stuff to read about the pregnancy, delivery, etc. Summer homework? Rude! I have some blood work and other tests to take care of before my next appointment – which, by the way, seems so far from now! I’m so used to seeing the doctor biweekly or weekly or every few days – this monthly business is going to take some getting used to.
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What a busy week! I (almost) ended it with graduation, so that was the primary focus. I was pretty exhausted going into the week but thankfully, by Thursday night, my exhaustion turned into just tired (there is a definite difference!) and I made it through the night! I crashed as soon as we got home of course, but that’s – dare I say it – normal!
The nausea was back again in Week 12 too, which really stinks. I’ll be very happy to unload that symptom! I was thinking that Week 12 ended the first trimester but we still have one more week. I’m looking forward to the promised relief it should/better bring!
We also, probably most importantly, graduated from RGI. We had our last appointment with Dr. Nash on Tuesday the 30th. One final ultrasound for a while, and one final appointment with the doctor who lead us through some very dark times to this happy place. (Well, probably not final appointment – we do have a sibling waiting on ice!) It was quick, like all of our appointments have been, and it was certainly bittersweet. Exciting to move on, strange to do so after being there (for what felt like) all the time for 51 weeks. Ironically enough, we will meet our new OB exactly one year after we first joined RGI as infertility patients.
Baby is the size of a plum this week!
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This week we had another ultrasound! We had the nuchal translucency scan on Tuesday… Dr. Nash did a transvaginal and external ultrasound to measure the baby’s neck, looking for extra fluid in the baby’s neck (according to BabyCenter, “Babies with abnormalities tend to accumulate more fluid at the back of their neck during the first trimester”). If you watch the ultrasounds below, you’ll see that the baby was not cooperating, which is why he had to go external as well! (Daddy couldn’t come this time because he was teaching, so Auntie Emmy surprised me by taking the day off and coming along! You’ll hear her on the videos.)
Ultrasound: May 23, 2017 (Part 1)
Ultrasound: May 23, 2017 (Part 2)
This was a super busy week at work, so as a result, I was super tired. Pretty much every other symptom is gone except my exhaustion. That doesn’t seem to go anywhere! I also have to be really careful of what I wear on my feet. I have these flat sandals that I wore all last summer…now if I wear them, my feet are swollen for the whole day. Luckily, I bought some Birkenstocks when we went to Germany two years ago, so I’m good to go for supportive summer footwear. I had my seniors’ last day (which means finalizing grades), Senior Awards night, and Senior Checkout, all between Wednesday – Friday. I also transported my dad from UH to a skilled nursing facility on Friday for him to continue to get better. Needless to say, I slept in until 10:30 on Saturday morning. So needed! And I still fell asleep in my dad’s room on Saturday afternoon. I will not miss being this tired, that’s for sure! Come on second trimester!
Baby is the size of a lime this week!
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“My Baby Sister Emily” and her fiancé Chris are giving us a great opportunity this summer – they are getting married in Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, which of course sets us up for a fabulous beach vacation!
We are staying at the Hilton Garden Inn Kitty Hawk (the site of the wedding) for the first four days, then will relocate to Summer Palace, our rental house, for the following week.
Hilton Garden Inn (the reception will be on the pier itself).
Summer Palace, our vacation rental for the week following the wedding.
I haven’t been to the OBX since…before they called it that! Our family vacationed there when we were kids and teenagers with a variety of friends and family. This year we will be with all of our nearest and dearest at different times throughout the wedding and vacation – and I can’t wait! -
This morning we got up intending to sail the Rhine downstream to St. Goar, visit, then head back to Bacharach for a drive up to Burg Eltz, one of Rick Steves’ coveted three triangle destinations.
We got up, had some more yummy German/continental breakfast (meats, cheeses, yogurt, etc.) and set out for the boat to St. Goar. On the trip, we found another set of Rick Steves fans who were headed in the same direction for the same sights. They forgot their book (much like our friends from Wisconsin from the night before – we made friends on the self-guided tour who were also Ricky fans) so they listened in to Tour Guide Barbie’s narration of the Rhine highlights (the Mrs. is pictured below with Tour Guide Barbie!). We saw castles and rocks and ridges and reefs all adding to the Rhine’s legends and myths.
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This morning we had one stop to make on our way out of Rothenburg – the Crime and Punishment Museum. Ricky (Steves of course!) gave it two triangles (of three) so we knew it was worth the time. After a lovely breakfast at Gastehaus Rothenburg, we moved the car (yep, parking bans are here too!) and made our way back to the center of town. We did a little shopping as we waited for the museum to open, then descended on medieval justice.
The Brennens... 