Oh the Places You Have Been! part 1

I know the title of the very adorable Dr. Suess book is "Oh, the Places You Will Go" but this post is about all the trips Curtis and I have taken since we found out that I was pregnant with Max. This will be a reminder to him someday when he says "Mommy we never go anywhere!" I can say "What about that trip to _____? Was that nowhere?". Seriously though Curtis and I have done more traveling around this year than any other, and in some cases being pregnant didn't affect the total experience too much, on others it did!

Trip #1, April 2009-

We finally made it back to Omaha! Curt and I lived there for three years while he was attending dental school at Creighton and I worked on my master's degree at UNO. We loved living there and we still refer to it often as our first real home. We also had fabulous friends while we lived there and had the opportunity to see a few of them this trip although many have also moved on. Our purpose in going to Omaha was to attend Dr. Geluso's farewell seminar at UNO, but it was the type of excuse we finally needed to go back. I was probably only about 5-6 weeks pregnant at the time and the whole eating issues were just starting to show up. It wasn't too much of a problem until the Herefordt's took us to Lo Sole Mio, my favorite restaurant while we lived there. I didn't enjoy my carbonara as much as I wanted to, sigh. Oh well, I guess we will have to go back!! It was so great seeing the folks we did and taking a long walk down memory lane (although that place has changed!). Overall it was a fabulous trip! Miss you guys much!

Trip #2, May 2009-

The second weekend of this month we packed and headed once again to familiar territory, Disneyland! When Curtis was stationed in Port Hueneme we had season passes and visited the "Happiest Place on Earth" often. We flew first to El Paso where we met up with my family. From there we flew out to sunny California where we immediately needed jackets! They did not know yet about me being pregnant and we decided to surprise my mom with the news on Mother's day, aka Nona's day! We had to tell our news mainly because I wasn't able to go on most of the rides in my delicate condition, and that would have clued them in anyway! I was only 9-10 weeks along at this time, but my mom swears my belly already looked different. Gee thanks mom! The trip was fun although I was limited again by my soured stomach, and the fact that I couldn't ride Space Mountain 200 times. I think the highlights of the trip for me was seeing the new Star Trek film in IMAX and muffins from Mimi's. We'll go back one of these days, so I didn't feel like I missed out on too much!

Nona and Papa hanging out in a giant O? We took pictures with the CALIFORNIA letters outside of California Adventure. They are tearing them down soon so I'm glad we got some pics before that tragedy occurs.
The Simmons' heading in after breakfast. They opened and closed the park everyday we were there. They squeezed every bit of fun they could out of that place!
I "borrowed" some Mickey ears from Bo to take a quick Disneyland picture. I was also showing off my new Jack Skellington sweatshirt. I do love Jack!
Curtis hanging out in the big C. My idea is to collage them all together into a family photo.

Check back for the conclusion of this post soon!

The three M-egos

Here are some pictures of the three M's... Myself, Mackie and Maxwell. My poor kitty has always slept right on my chest and belly since he was tiny and we have had to go through a period of transition. However as you can see we usually make it work somehow. This first picture was taken just a couple of days ago, so I am at approximately 28 weeks.

This next picture was taken at approximately 18 weeks. I'm not completely sure of the date, but I don't think I could feel Max moving quite yet, and I started feeling him at camp which was about week 19. However, the bump was beginning to show!
So far the animals have been accepting of the pregnancy and I haven't noticed too much of a change in their behavior. Actually the cats have loved it so far because there have been lots of boxes to explore and climb on. However that may all change when Max is actually here and they don't get quite as much attention.

Here is Max at his 20 week ultrasound when we found out his gender. I was so convinced that he was a girl that I was totally shocked to find out differently. So much for mother's intuition! It took me about 24 hours to get used to the idea, and now I am just so excited to be having a boy. To help me get excited about having a boy I went to the mall and started looking at cute boy outfits. The first outfit I bought for him has a chameleon on it and was marked down to $.99. What a bargain! If only everything we were going to buy for him for the next ___ years could be that cheap. I hope he likes all things animals like his mom and dad!

Here is our 10 week ultrasound of Max. I was amazed at how much he had changed in just 4 weeks. He was only a tiny speck in the first one and this time I could see arms, legs and a brain (yay for a brain!) I couldn't help but cry a little during this ultrasound.

Approximately 12 Weeks to Go!!

I have been talking about starting this blog for a long time, ever since I found out I was pregnant. Well here it finally is and I hope to be very diligent with it for the sake of family and friends that live some distance from us and will not get to see our baby as often as they would like.

So we are at approximately week 28 of the pregnancy and I feel really good, and blessed to feel this way. I have been busy this fall with classes and all the assignments that come along with it which is good in a way. It has helped the time to pass a little more quickly and I am usually so concerned with getting through another week of school that I am surprised to find that I have also moved through another week of pregnancy. It is bad in the fact that I am so focused on school that I have not really prepared for Max's arrival. The nursery is a total wreck!! We are getting new carpet laid next week and so I have been putting off arranging the room until after that has occurred. But we are probably a little overly cautious and picky about things that it took Curtis and I a long time to settle on things like furniture and a mattress. That is all slowly resolving and things are beginning to come together. I will attach pictures when the nursery is completed.

Our family has been a tremendous support to us so far, probably because they weren't so sure that we would ever have a baby. My Mom swears she always knew we would and I have to admit she was right. So far it has been a real joy for Curtis and I and we are excited about what comes next. However I will miss being pregnant, and I never thought I would be that type of person to make that claim. Having said that, ask me in about 8 weeks and I may feel completely different. I am also nervous about getting through with my semester and nearing the end of my pregnancy, but my instructors have all been supportive so I know that I will get it done eventually. Hopefully they will accept a term paper e-mailed from the delivery room!

Speaking of class, I should get back to studying for an exam next week. Please check back periodically for new updates and pictures.