Through 23 weeks...

My due date is calculated from about May 15, 2009. I don't think I really started showing at all until about week 16, and even then it is marginal. The baby really moved in the past few days and seems to really be showing now. I do pretty good covering it up at school with cardigans.

This baby has already been a lot of places...

2 Weeks - Rehoboth Beach

4 weeks - Atlantic City7 weeks - Ohio

11 weeks - Montreal, Canada

16 weeks - Baltimore, MD

21 weeks - New York state

23 Weeks-At home in Delaware

Is molasses bad for dogs?

I just went by the table, and noticed a torn up paper towel on the floor. I couldn't figure out why it would be there, but it looked like Cori had definitely done it. Then I realized it must have been the paper towel that had been used to cook cookies on earlier in the day. When I let Brian know what his puppy had been up to, he asked if I had moved the cookies off the towel. That was when it hit me that she didn't just shred a towel, but she had pulled about a dozen cookies off the table and eaten every bit of them. There wasn't even a crumb left. This should make for an interesting night.

Cupcakes and Cocoa and Coffee

On Wednesday I wanted to see my husband during the daylight. I leave before the sun comes up, and he is normally not home until the sun goes down. The only time I see him in the sunlight is on the weekends. So to lure him away from his laboratory I met him at DBI with cupcakes and cocoa and coffee. To do this I had to face two experiences I normally don't encounter. Ordering cocoa and ordering coffee. I traditionally don't drink hot chocolate, but I was thirsty, it was cold, and the worker at the cupcake shop really made it sound good, so I ordered some. With whipped cream. It was very odd for me, but it was really delicious. I think Brian's love of chocolate is alive and well in his son, because I've never wanted as much chocolate as I have during this pregnancy. Then I had to go across the street to Starbucks and order coffee there for the first time ever. I don't drink the stuff, but Brian is an addict and has at least a few cups a day, so I went through the torture of ordering there so I could bring it to my husband. Apparently I overestimated in getting him a large (I refuse to say Venti), but other than that he had no complaints.

And apparently that might have been the last time in a while we could have sat outside comfortably to eat. It has been freezing and raining most the rest of the week.

Little Pond State Campground, Catskills

One of the downers about Delaware is that we don't get a Fall Break (compared to the week or two that Arizona gets). However, this year we got a 4-day weekend for Columbus day due to furlough days that were originally professional development days. As soon as that schedule change was announced, we started planning for our annual autumn camping trip.

Brian has been wanting to get a little farther away, so we made New York the fifth state we've camped in by heading up toward the Catskills. Brian found a nice little campground called Little Pond State Campground, and reserved site number 3.

We left Saturday morning, and drove about four and a half hours to find the red and gold colors of fall in New York state.

Brian cooked great food all weekend, and kept a good fire to keep me warm. We went for a very, very long hike on Sunday, and paid for it with cramping legs in the cold tent in the middle of the night, but other than that it was pretty enjoyable. It was our first time camping with Cori, and she did a great job. It was pretty amusing when she whined to get in to the empty tent so she could take a nap on the blankets. We spent a lot of time enjoying our alone time, and talking about this little babe that is going to change our lives very, very soon.

The weekend went by way too quickly.

We stayed at Little Pond until the last seconds of our reservation, and then headed back home taking a more scenic route. We just used the atlas and the straightest lines possible, rather than the mapquest directions that got us there. We visited a few covered bridges, and found a good cafe to stop at for lunch, Chrissie's Corner Store in Matamoras, PA. Brian was dieing for coffee, and I had been wanting ice cream for days, so we spent a good hour looking for a place that would serve both. We finally stumbled across the Inside Scoop, where Brian was very excited to get teaberry ice cream. Apparently, he loves that flavor.

Pregnancy Update

So I'm over half way done now! I'm going on my 22nd week. The baby is almost a foot long and almost a pound in weight. It will grow pretty quickly from here on out. I've definitely noticed it growing in the last few weeks when I had to totally switch to maternity clothes. And it's (he's) been kicking since the beginning of October. (It is apparently hard for me to use the proper pronoun.) We do have a name that we call him, but it is only the "womb name," not what we plan to put on the birth certificate. It is very stressful trying to come up with one, so I'm not going to try until 2010. Right now, I'm just waiting on the kicks to be strong enough that Brian can feel them.

Milburn Orchard: Apple Season

Last spring when we were driving around the countryside of Newark we ran across Milburn Orchards and planned to go back. A few Sundays ago we heard that apples were ripening, and headed over to get some. I loved this place! After much debate, we got a small bucket of honey crisp apples. They were great on their own, and the rest made there way into this delicious-o pie.

Meding & Son Seafood

This is a very big propeller that we have passed many times when we are going to the southern parts of the state. Recently, we needed to meet somewhere between Middletown (where I work) and Lewes (where Brian was studying in a class on the beach) to go to a rainy high school football game. Brian had the idea that we finally eat here. Apparently the place with the big propeller is called Meding & Son Seafood. We actually planned to get carry out because we weren't going to have enough time to make kick-off. It was definitely a nice place to go, and Brian enjoyed his Crab Mama (though really should have got the Crab Daddy), and I really liked the Old Bay seasoned french fries.

Cori is growing up so fast.

She's in a slightly awkward stage here. She really loves laying on blankets.

National Aquarium in Baltimore

About a month ago, we ventured out to Baltimore on a very warm Saturday to visit the aquarium and harbor there. Brian and I had a good time spending the day together. The aquarium was almost good enough to earn the expensive entry fee. There were lots of different exhibits focusing on different habitats. There was also:

-a 4-D show in the immersion theatre (lots of surprised/screaming children)

-a dolphin show: Our Ocean Planet (always amazing to watch these creatures)

-the jellies exhibit: Jellies Invasion: Oceans out of Balance (who doesn't love a jelly fish?)

We also spent some time strolling around the Inner Harbor. It was packed with bustling people.

We're thinking the babies room is going to have an ocean, under-the-sea theme, so I'm thinking my sister should make us one of these for her arts and crafts project for next year. They are so cute. We found them in the gift shop.

I bought a blue baby book yesterday

So we fiiiiiiinally shared the news with everyone. Now our little secret is public knowledge.

We had our ultra sound Monday, and they decided I wasn't quite as far along as we thought and bumped my due date back to Feb. 21. They took lots and lots of measurements of every part of the little ones anatomy, and Brian got pretty excited when the tech said that his hands were in little fists. I didn't notice the slip, but I think he was paying more attention to that than I was. She later pointed out those other parts of the anatomy that did indicate "it" is a boy. I was a little bummed, but Brian was very excited. I think he was very scared of having a daughter after knowing me and my 3 sisters in our teenage years. He's very happy to have a son.

So I am still pretty symptom-less in this pregnancy. I'm starting to get my appetite back-but am being very, very picky. Brian made me a dish last night of hot ham (I won't eat it cold), grapes, tomato slices, and a chunk of cheese. I do have some headaches, head cold symptoms and have been waking up a few nights with charlie-horses in my calves, but I'm not sure which and if any of those are associated with the pregnancy.

I am highly emotional though right now, which I definitely blame on the pregnancy. It's normally whenever I'm alone, but there have been many songs on the radio or scenes on tv that just make me tear up and have a tightening in my chest. Just now I was looking through some Better Homes and Gardens magazine and was moved by all the displays of pumpkins and other autumn delights... almost to tears but not quite this time.

I just heard bike pedals so my husband is approaching... he is only slightly wet from coming home in the rain. He made the best smelling stew ever this morning that slow-cooked all days, so I am going to go enjoy that with him... I'm definitely using the eating-for-two excuse tonight.

On the way...

8/9: I'm starting this blog Aug. 9, but I know I probably won't be posting it for quite a while still. I'm ready to start talking about the upcoming event that will be happening sometime around Feb. 10. --

Tiffany and I have something in common.

I learned a few weeks ago that a friend I went to middle school and high school with is expecting her first in February. So am I.

When my mother and friends were out here at the very end of the school year, I started suspecting that we might finally be pregnant. We've been trying somewhat since January, so it was about time. I've taken many p.t.s in the past when I felt even a day late, so I held off this time and really waited until it was worth the $5 test. Around June 15 I took 3 tests, and confirmed that it was really finally time. With Father's Day approaching, I wanted to wait to tell Brian, but I am of course always too impatient for that. So instead, I planned on telling him when we went out for our 3 year anniversary.

As I've already recounted, we went out to Ole Tapas to celebrate our 3 years together. Even though I'd already told Brian that I was still on a water-only-as-far-as-liquids-go-diet, he wanted to order us a bottle of wine, so I discouraged but let him, not wanting to ruin the surprise. Most people that know me know that I like to give out lots of cards, so he wasn't too surprised when I had a whole stack for him. After he received his anniversary card, and early father's day cards from the cat and new puppy, he found out he'd have to drink the whole bottle himself when he got the card from his newest, unknown, charge.

It was pretty unreal, and the pregnancy took a while to really set in. As far as symptoms, I had cramps at the beginning that were quite annoying. The next few weeks, I became mildly nauseous for most of most days. I never actually got sick, but I just didn't really want to eat or cook much. So I’ve actually lost about 5 pounds in the first trimester.

I had my official blood test on June 29, but didn't get the results until a week into July.

I had my first appointment with an OB doctor on July 24. Brian didn’t leave work in time and we arrived at the appointment late. This was actually a pre-appointment where they asked Brian and I lots of medical history questions, and gave us lots of information and free samples of pre-natal vitamins. And took a lot of my blood. Turns out I’m A-positive.

I ran late to our next appointment Aug. 4 (a student coming for an advanced math test I was giving came the wrong day and I had to sort out his appointment). I’m afraid we will never be on time. This appointment had an internal component, and they also listened for the baby's heartbeat. I had Brian wait outside, but then asked the doc if she would find the heartbeat again so Brian could hear it. It took her a while to find it, and Brian’s face looked really surprised when he heard the 160+ beats per minute. Her heart monitor was running low on batteries, so she went out to get another one, and returned with an old ultrasound machine, and gave us an impromptu, unofficial ultrasound. Since we weren’t expecting this, it was especially awesome. It was really shocking to see the baby moving around in there. I’ve never thought you could really see that much in ultrasounds, but I could see the features fairly clearly of our little one. It was quite active, and kept bouncing around, gaining the nickname from me “baby jumper”. It finally made this whole thing real.

Now we just need to decide when we are going to share this news with our family and friends.

My Old Man

So my husband is officially getting old.... while I'm still closer to 20 (for a few more weeks), he is rapidly approaching thirty. It is so strange to think I knew him as a teenager, and now he's 27.

It turns out I'm the only one that loves him. Me and my grandma. We were the only two to wish him happy birthday. His mother gets half a point for texting him, and his grandpa did send a card he got a couple days later. I forgot to wrap him anything, so he didn't have anything to open except my card (he doesn't appreciate singing cards as much as he should). His gift wasn't wrapped; it was his National Geographic subscription for the year, which had already come earlier this week. And you cannot pry those out of my husband's hands until he has read cover to cover.

So Brian is not very good at having birthdays. Every time I would ask him what he wanted to do, he turned it around and would let me decide. We went to Bob Evan's for a large brunch, and then ended up coming home and napping for most of the afternoon. Brian chose grilling out for super, but then after grocery shopping, the rain clouds gathered and changed those plans.

Brian did choose his own cake. German chocolate, sans the coconut icing. It was actually quite good-he chose bunny and butterfly sprinkles (left over from Easter). The cake is the most important part of the holiday for my husband. It would disappoint him the most if he didn't get one.

We also celebrate Kiki's birthday with Brian. She is four years old!-and enjoys icing!

The next day, on Sunday we attended a Cole Brother's Circus. They set up every year on some grounds just across the street from us, so we thought we would have to check it out. I think I have a somewhat romanticized view of circuses. It wasn't quite what I expected (I haven't been to one in like a decade), but it got better as it went along. We had to walk past PETA people protesting, and it was very hot, and started long past the time on our ticket. But once the show started it was fairly entertaining. My favorite things were the little dogs doing their tricks, the "butterfly" trapeze-like artists, and of course the elephants.

When in France... or Quebec

So my high school French class was completely useless. Well not completely, I do remember how to order a glass of water.

Brian recently attended another conference to present his current research (poster presentation). He has been on quite a few of these in the last few years, including trips to San Francisco, Orlando, and Albuquerque. I was never able to attend with him until this one, which was the ISPP2009 conference. Located in Montreal.

As soon as we could get out the door, we left on Thursday, my last day of summer school. It took about 8 or so hours, with one stop for gas, plus about an extra 30 minutes at the border. Of course we got lost when we were almost to the hotel, and about had a minor mental breakdown at that point. But we made the 500 miles there.

We stayed at this hotel. The Hotel Quartier Latin was about the cheapest we could find, allowed pets, had a small breakfast (coffee, orange juice, and a muffin/croissant), and has $10 street parking or $9 garage parking real close. It is unfortunately right next to a “gentleman’s club” but other than that, it is on a vibrant street-Rue St. Denis-which is close to the university and subway, and lined with eateries of every kind, small shops, and lots of theaters. It was pretty much an ideal location for us-think right in the middle of the Gas Light District in San Diego or right on Mill Avenue in Tempe.

On Friday we took in the area, got a feel for our surroundings, and started exploring the city. We ate a hearty petit dejunair/brunch at la brioche-Lyonnaise. I had a croque monsieur (which has been of a favorite of mine every since I tried one in h.s. French), and Brian had a salmon croque when the first thing he ordered (he didn't even know what he ordered) was out. I also had a really delicious sparkling lemonade, and Brian had a bowl of café lait. We enjoyed the sunshine on the patio of this little café just a few buildings down from our hotel.
We retired for a brief siesta at our hotel, before setting out for the Park Mont Royal, where we could get a good view of the city. The river, Biodome, Olympic Stadium, and Montreal Casino were all visible from atop this mount. We then hiked around other parts of the park, and Coriander enjoyed the fresh air. Since the café there was closing, we just grabbed dessert-cheesecake and tiramisu.

Our next stop was another park, Cabot Square, this one a much smaller park downtown where the Repercussion Theatre was putting on an English rendition of Shakespeare’s “As You Like It.” The event was freewill donation, and we sat in our own chairs in the park, with Cori at our feet. It was fairly amusing, and pretty impressive for being free and done outdoors like that. The only problem was the crazy guy that kept yelling in the park-they really needed security-and the occasional sirens going by on ambulances or firetrucks. That pretty much ended our night-we skipped supper since we’d had so many snacks.

Saturday we started the day with traditional French crepes at Café Croissant de Lune. We watched the cook flip these big pancakes (jk Brian) at his station, and then dug in. I found them very hard to cut up, but otherwise my strawberry one was fairly good, and Brian definitely enjoyed his ham & cheese version. He again finished with a bowl of café au lait. He drank more coffee this trip on vacation than I care to think about.

We then commenced our very long walk around the city. We just headed toward the water front, stumbling upon some brick streets with a charming seaman's chapel as well as some art galleries that were way out of our price range. We got closer to the waterfront, and saw the clock tower, and gazed upon the St. Lawrence river. It was a beautiful day and it seemed half the city came down to the waterfront as well. We browsed some street vendors, as well as stores in the Marche Bonsecours, and followed little kids around until we found were they were getting ice cream. Breyer's tastes even better in Canada than in Indiana.

Clock tower.We finally rested a while and watched a couple having wedding pictures taken in front of a fountain, before heading over to see the Basilique Notre-Dame de Montreal. We already knew the church was closed for the day, but still figured we'd take a look at the outside of this famous place (Celine Deon's huge, immaculate wedding was there). We then saw another newlywed couple as we were there when they rang the bells and the wedding party exited the church and had pictures taken in front of the basilique.

After taking in enough romance in the streets surrounding the riverfront, we headed over to La Gauchetiere Street to find lunch in Chinatown. I've never officially eaten in any city's Chinatown, so I was excited. I loved looking at all the fresh and foreign foods for sale in the markets, and we found a good looking Cantonese-Szechuan-Thai restaurant right across from the gates called Deer Garden (notice the tri-lingual menu). It was very tasty-I loved the tea as well. Asian tea is the only kind I drink.

Afterward, we finally headed back towards our hotel, in a roundabout way. We toured St. Patrick's Basilica before walking the many blocks back home.

After some down time, we set off for dinner. I was in a very finicky mood, and we basically walked up and down both sides of the street before I decided on a little soup and sandwich place, Le Petit Etranger. When we were seated on the terrace, I immediately was reminiscing about eating at a similar location in Mexico. Though a world apart, they had some distinct similarities. I ordered nachos with sour cream and salsa (they were out of avocados for guacamole) and soup. Brian ordered the same thing he had the day before for breakfast, which turned out to be something with sausage and sauerkraut. He also had a cheval blanc, which got him pondering about the "goodness of beer, sauerkraut, and sausage". My husband is such a German. When our song started playing ("Better Together" by Jack Johnson), we knew we had picked the right restaurant. It was especially amazing that this song was playing considering we were in a French speaking country. It was very romantic. &

Sunday was my last day in the city. We didn't really have anything planned, but I knew I just wanted to hit the underground city and see how these Montrealers are able to avoid ever coming above ground in the freezing cold weather. First we stopped by IKEA (because it was so close) to check out some furniture we've been thinking about. Then we jumped on the subway, located just around the corner from our hotel. It was VERY easy to navigate, and we were downtown in mere minutes. By that time it was time to eat, and we took a recommendation from the girls at customer service to try Guido and Angelina's, a trendy looking Italian place on St. Catherine's. We both ordered pasta dishes, and though they were good, we both decided that Brian makes better pasta dishes. From here we went back and wondered around the "underground city" mall, which is really just a lot of stores that are connected and easy to access from the metro.

Brian escorted me home, and then headed to the opening night of the conference by rented bicycle (right on the street, you just check one out with a credit card and return it to a stand at your destination-very convenient) while I rested up.

When he returned we went to Pizzedelic, and ordered Frites delic, Siliciana pizza, and Trypolie de fromagess. It was great.

On Monday I dropped Brian off at his much more expensive (college paid for) hotel where the conference was held, and then headed home in the rain. Brian printed the directions all in Kilometers-which was quite a pain, but I managed to make it across the border (my trunk was checked and the guard asked me at least 57 questions!), through the Adirondacks without running out of gas (it was close), past the craziness of NJ, and across the bridge home to Delaware. Cori slept most of the way home.