Monsoon Fun

Today was a hot one (in accordance with the usual July day in Arizona). After a tasty Sunday lunch with Mark & Autumn and Tom & Krista, we all agreed that an afternoon swim was in order. We each went our own way to let lunch settle, with the plan to meet back up at Tom & Krista's for the swim.

After a little bit of down time, Kevin and I got all ready for the pool, lathering on the 50 spf and dressing down into our swimsuits. Sure, there were some growing clouds looming above, but the wind wasn't blowing yet, and there was no promise of rain.

We set out for Tom & Krista's house, a mere 5 miles away.... Halfway there, our windshield was met with a couple of drops, which were rapidly joined by a subsequent downpour the further west we inched. By the time we arrived, it was torrential! We laughed about showing up at the doorstep in our swimsuits, ready for a pool party. We joked about how we should greet Tom or Krista when they answered the door.

We were the ones in for a surprise as Krista turned the corner from the side of the house, drenched in her swimsuit and surf shorts, with a broom in one hand. "Hey guys!" she said, "Go on in, it's open!" We went to the back yard to find Tom trimming a bush as if it were the most usual thing to do in the rain. These are our crazy friends... doing yard work in the monsoon downpour.

The result of this monsoon madness?

A pool party, Arizona style!

Good thing Kevin put on the 50 spf and remembered his wide-brimmed hat!

Fun times! We felt like kids again!

Moms out there, got any input?

So my "practice contractions" are coming more frequently, most of the time when I'm moving around a lot walking or cleaning the house, sometimes just because I got up from the chair or couch or out of the car or out of bed. And then maybe once or twice a day I have a really sharp pang really low that will stop me in my tracks. Is this normal? I try to explain this to my doctor, but he seems to think that I'm asking him if I will know when I'm really going into labor, like I'm afraid I'll miss it or something. I'm not too worried that I'll miss my own labor... what I want to know is if these new frequent feelings are any signals for getting closer to the real contractions or what? What's up with these really sharp pangs that come and go - they hurt!

Any input?

The Melting Pot

After literally MONTHS of trying to get together with Mark and Autumn for some couple-to-couple quality time, we finally did it!! We started the evening with a home-made dinner of delicious steak fajitas and fixin's. Then we followed that up by dessert at The Melting Pot since none of us have ever gone there. It was a really fun time (not that that would be a surprise)! We laughed a lot, talked a lot, and teased each other as usual. Kevin and his crazy antics. Autumn and her quick devouring of the berries... good times.

The evidence: Yes, it is The Melting Pot!

We had some serious decisions to make... The Original? The Flaming Turtle? Yin and Yang? Pure Chocolate? White Chocolate and Bananas Foster? Just to name a few! The choices were all tantalizing, but after much deliberation, we decided on two: The Flaming Turtle (because the name was cool and it involved caramel) and The Original (because of the promised "crunchy peanut butter swirl").

Mark and Autumn, playing it cool.

Who are these people?

As if he needed any sugar, Kevin ordered a "fru-fru" drink that was accompanied by a sugar crystal stick. The big question was, "How many dips will it take to dissolve the crystal?" Well, he got a little crazy and sporadic with his dips, so Mark determined that the experiment was bogus because there was no control in place. The dips were different lengths, hence rendering an inconsistent result.

WAIT! We need to take a picture of our dessert! Everybody stab something and hold it up for the camera! Awwww, my sweet little blinker couldn't keep his eyes open for the flash.... AGAIN.

Before the temptation to stuff my face completely took hold of me, I had the presence of mind to take a quick snapshot of the spread. It held the precious gems of strawberries, rice krispy treat squares, oreo coated marshmallows, graham cracker coated marshmallows, brownies, banana slices, and cheesecake. Mmmmmmmm, heavenly!

Shock and Awe

Kevin and I went to our childbirth class on Saturday. It was a day-long crash course on everything from the stages of pregnancy to taking care of your new baby. It started at 8:00 a.m., and as a plan to get our attention (which worked), the nurse teaching the class showed us a video of labor and delivery. Okay, so we watch the Discovery channel, and we thought we'd seen it all, but oh no, this video was of a whole 'nother caliber! We saw EVERYTHING.... from angles and points of views that we have never before observed. With a certain measure of shock and awe, we watched with unabated attention at this crazy process called Childbirth. Isn't God amazing in His creation? Isn't this a crazy thing to witness - a little human being coming out of a grown human being? Wow.

Amid the shock, sweet Kevin was glancing back and forth from the TV to me, patting my knee in a reassuring way. His worried glances said, "Everything is going to be okay, Sweetie..." while his mind was racing with, "My poor little wifey is going to have to do this!" After the video, Kevin looked at me in all sincerity and said, "Maybe you should get the epidural." Thanks, Dear. I couldn't help but chuckle at the serious and concerned tone in his voice.

I will admit that I was a little shocked by what I saw in that video, thinking to myself, "Oh my gosh. That's going to be ME very soon. What did I get myself into?!" The fear and trepidation did well up within me at the moment. But then I took the opportunity to specify a few important things to Kevin.
(1) I will not be naked while giving birth. I think I'll be exposed enough, thank you. (For some reason in this video, a number of the women shown were naked! All I have to say is - WHY?).
(2) I do not want a mirror hanging above for a play-by-play of the process. I would likely faint at the sight. No, I'd rather be blissfully unaware of what I look like from that angle and just welcome the little guy when he finally pops out.
And (3) Kevin will kindly refrain from being up in my face as a method of helping me "focus" during hard contractions. After watching some husbands do this in the video, they then explained in subsequent interviews that that they found the "in-your-face method" very helpful for motivating their wives through the pain. Um, they didn't ask the wives what they thought about that method... but if they asked this one she'd say, Heck no! You might regret getting so close if I'm having a "hard contraction."

So on the note of anticipating labor and delivery, I had my weekly appointment yesterday, and we received some relatively good news! I am now 50% effaced and 1/2 cm dilated! It's small, but it's progress! In addition, I've been keeping track of how many braxton-hicks I have each day because they are coming more frequently and feeling a bit stronger.

Here we go!

A Day at The Rim Club.

Kevin got to go golfing with some friends at a private club up near Payson on the Mogollan Rim. Look how beautiful it is! I'll let him tell you more about it...

This is one of the beautiful views at The Rim Club in Payson. The weather was perfect with about 90 degree temps compared to 109 degrees down in the valley.

I guess this is why people spend ridiculous amounts of money to be members at this golf course.

This is my good friend Scott Musgrave who joined the festivities for the day.

This is Nick Zeil who is also a good friend.

This is my good friend Paul DeLuca who I graduated with from the PGM Program at ASU. He also works at The Rim Club. (what a great job)

No More Summersaults

Wow. I have one month left.
I'm going to have a baby.
I'm seeing my doctor every week, and today he said that after next week, if I go into labor he won't stop me.

Woah.

Wait... ONE month!!
I'm going to have a baby!!
I could technically have him anytime after next week!!



It's hitting me now.... the nerves are creeping in.

So here I am at 35 weeks. I'm sorry it's been so long since I posted an update. Like I said before, I don't know where June went! All of a sudden it's been four weeks, and I realize I haven't posted a picture or blogged much at all...



(Why do I look so tired all the time?? Sheesh.)
Anyway... I think Isaac is running out of room - or at least it seems that way. Who knows where all of my internal organs have been crammed to!! I can feel him getting bigger and bigger. His head is staying low now, putting pressure on my lower abdomen (and bladder, lucky me). There are no more summersaults, just jabs and kicks here and there as he tries to move around (and sometimes they hurt!). Let me tell you, he is strong!

He just wants to stretch, poor little guy.... or big little guy... Today my doctor casually stated that he estimates Isaac may be a little larger than average based on how I'm measuring. Not sure how he came to that conclusion since he said I'm measuring normally... Hmmm. Should have asked him to define his terms. Why didn't I ask him to define his terms?? Maybe because I had a whole list of questions in front of me, and I was just itching to get answers for all of them. Well, at least I see him next week. I can write this one down... Question #1: What exactly did you mean by "larger"?

A Golfer's Wife Indeed

The last couple of weeks have flown by! I really don't know where June went... Next week is July! And then comes August ... and ISAAC!

How many of you watched the US Open at Torrey Pines last week? The crazy tie between Mediate and Woods? The 18-hole playoff on Monday? You know you must be an avid golfer's wife when you actually watch golf at home without him! I was talking to my dad to wish him a happy Father's Day, and he asked me what I was up to... Oh just watching the Open and relaxing. He asked me to repeat myself because he wasn't sure he heard me right! It was funny. But the truth is that I like enjoying the things that Kevin loves so much, and it gets contagious. :)

Well, as soon as Tiger sank that putt to tie the round on Sunday, my spontaneous husband got online and found the one guy in Phoenix selling tickets to Monday's playoff and he snagged them. Kevin and a guy from work started driving to San Diego at midnight and got there in time to wander around before the playoff began. He doesn't have pictures to prove it, but Tiger walked within 15 feet of Kevin! He was floored.

As Kevin was enjoying the event at Torrey Pines, I was keeping tabs at work, listening online(shhh, don't tell anyone!). Once Mediate and Woods got to the 18th hole, I made my way to the break room to catch the end on TV. Turns out I wasn't the only one interested! We all watched in anticipation as they tied again at the 18th hole and had to go to the 7th to settle the matter. I searched for Kevin in the crowd, just in case I somehow spotted him on TV, but I never saw him.

I love my spontaneous husband. He keeps me "young." I would have gone with him if I wasn't so pregnant! It sounded fun just hopping in the car at a moment's notice and running off to San Diego!

it's HOT.

Today reached 111* I knew this was coming, but I didn't think it would be so bad. After all, I much prefer to be warm than cold, and the heat has never really bothered me too much.... until this week. Let's just say that it all started when I began to swell up like a water balloon. At my last appointment, the nurse made a comment about how I jumped in my weight a little bit. Biting my sassy tongue, I replied in a more cordial tone, "I believe it! Look at my ankles and my hands! Do you think it's water retention?"

Next came the oppressive "heat" at the office. Let me preface this with the well-known fact that our office is ALWAYS FREEZING, but this week I found myself asking if the AC was working or not... while my friends walked around comfortably in their cardigan sweaters, uttering how cold they were. I remedied my sweaty problem by purchasing a perfect little desk fan... which has been a lifesaver... and has drawn a few chuckles as well!

Then came the sleepless nights... In addition to the increasing difficulty of simply turning over, it's also gross and disturbing to wake up in your own sweat. Is the fan even on??? Why can't I feel it?? What is the AC set at? It's at that point I look over at Kevin sleeping contentedly... under the sheets. WHAT? I'm losing my mind. (For those of you who know Kevin, you know that he is always the warm-blooded one who rarely needs blankets.) I now sleep with the floor fan blowing directly on me, along with the ceiling fan and AC, and it is heavenly. Oh, and I snuck over to the thermostat and dropped it one more degree... but don't tell Kevin. ;)

All this to say... it's HOT. Just take my word for it.

Isaac's Room!

It feels like we've been living in a "work-in-progress" for months! But his room is finally taking shape, thanks to Kevin, Krista, Mindy, and Jaimie! The girls helped me paint and put the wallpaper up, while Kevin surprised me on Thursday and put the crib together before work. His surprise was awaiting me when I got home. The room is looking so CUTE!

There are still a few finishing touches to be made, like putting together the glider and a couple more things on the wall, but I was too excited to get pictures up to wait!

Here it is!

31 Weeks

And we are in the countdown - 9 weeks to go!! Can you believe it?! Whew, it's coming fast! But I must say I'm actually really excited about experiencing what it will be like to actually have a baby. I may regret saying that when I'm in the moment, but I just want to know what it's like - knowing all the while that the prize will be to finally hold little Isaac in my arms.

Mom, this one's for you - I wore a dress like you asked. :)