lovely holiday

hope all had a wonderful holiday!  it was a great time here at 626 with lots of family and even more food.  my Dad made the daring drive from MI to celebrate and we were so happy he was here.  as were the boys, they love to snuggle with him. 

the one thing that became very apparent is the amount of male energy.  on xmas eve and chrissy i looked around the table to see all men, and two male dogs anxiously waiting under the table.  and then me, the lone female.  i made a toast at dinner that i hope either this is a girl in my belly or one of these boys finds a lovely female to be their partner and my dinner companion!

dave's nurses think that it's a girl, because i have been having extreme rib pain.  and according to them that means i am carrying high, and carrying high means it's a girl.  who knows.  all i know is that if it's a boy or a girl, we need to meet in the middle and find a way for both of us to sleep, soon.  very soon. 

we are off to chicago for new years, to celebrate Mom's birthday and for dave to go to an outdoor hockey game at wrigley (edit: originally this was wiggle field, sports isn't really my thing) field.

xo

Merry Everything + Happy 2009!

As I sit to write this post I have somersaults in my belly feeling the baby practicing his/her latest trick.  This simply amazing movement is a remarkable reminder of how much changes in a short twelve months.  

Reflecting on our past year, it has been an amazing journey.  We have grown so much in ourselves and our careers. Dave is entering into his final year commitment with the National Health Corp, continues to play hockey at least twice a week and is trying to squeeze in one more boarding trip pre-parenthood.  I have enjoyed the transition from full-time ad agency to my hybrid role of yoga teacher/marketing consultant and added a few more titles over the last few months such as knitter, gardener and pregalina.  We have worked on our DIY skills and find we have a lot to learn in this arena, but continue to try.  The boys (Tuk + Ogi) are weighing in about 100 pounds each, and just made it through a pound of See's chocolates in preparation for the holidays!  

2009 is going to be an exciting year... the baby is due to arrive March 13.  Knowing our family it will be more like March 17.  

We are so lucky to have such wonderful friends and family like you... Thank you for such a great year.  We hope this finds all healthy and happy.

XO, 

Dave, Sarah, Tuk + Ogi

Be the change you want to see in the world ~ Mahatma Ghandi

happy day

it's a great day when the OB says, 'everything is perfect'.  i am going to set aside my irish-catholic roots that normally would say, 'no, things can't be perfect. really, is everything perfect?  i am sure it can not be perfect while looking into the sky, waiting for the other shoe to drop!

but everything really is perfect minus a few aches and pains.  so today, at 27.5 weeks the baby is growing!  my belly grew from 22 cm to 26 cm in one month.  and at first i thought it was inches, to which I kept saying 4 inches?!?, 4 inches??!? and my husband and OB said centimeters!  which had we converted to the metric system like they said we were going to in the fourth grade this would mean something!

heart rate is 135, teetering on the boy/girl line of 130.  healthy.  low blood sugar, low blood pressure.

all is good.  and this baby is now the size of a head of cauliflower.  last week was a 'hothouse' cucumber, what is that anyway?

xo

it's a ....

last night we had our second to last birth class.  it's hard to believe that after next week we are going to know how to have a baby.  at this point it seems hardly unlikely.

after dinner we met up with Dave's mom for dinner at PF Changs.  as always they gave us fortune cookies.  which in acts of all things superstitious, I truly believe in the power of the fortune cookie.  and at times have put a lot of faith in this strip of paper.  my fortune read...  a solid challenge will bring forth your finest abilities.  amen, sister.  i'm going to have this baby, have it naturally, and it will be an outside baby!  i have a complete irrational fear of the baby being born as an eight-year old.  

most important was Dave's fortune.

side one: You are about to embark on a most delightful journey!  

Yes, we are going to have a great birth and baby!

side 2: 

now do you believe in fortune's?

xo

thankfully Dave plays a doctor in real life.

what a week.  or shall i say what a day!  yesterday was an interesting one... it started off well.  went for a walk with Raymee, on which we ate Apple Fitter donuts (she's the best).  during the walk I was feeling this strange separating in my pelvic floor, closely aligned to what i think happens when the tectonic plates shift under saint louis.  constant slow creeping movement, so it isn't a dramatic shift, but if you are paying attention it is very dramatic.  after several calls to other pregalinas and a few checks on babycenter.com, I realize this is listed under the 'you are pregnant' bag of symptoms and solutions.  so i move on.

i learn later the same morning that my iron count is great (slightly worried about this one) and i am not diabetic (please read: i ain't got the diabetessss).   all goodness.  i received a lovely box of goodies from my SIL and was generally feeling OK.  had a great dinner with our good friends Mike and Mandy from residency... came home to knit a bit and sit by the fire.  dave started to pick up in the kitchen, and I felt guilty for not helping.  so i go in to lend a hand.  

i was putting away dishes on the very top shelf, specifically a very heavy ceramic pie plate given to us by our loving Aunt Mart and Uncle Jim.  it makes a mean apple pie and is really beautiful.  in a split second the big heavy pie plate and three others consecutively came crashing down on my left eyebrow.   in shock from the impact, i just stood there and put my hand on my head and then slammed the cupboard shut so nothing else would fall on top of me, only to realize there was a large blood handprint on the white cupboards.  gag.  blood was gushing out of my head which freaked me out, and please note when i truly freak out (not just when I am being dramatic) I get really really quiet.  so Dave didn't notice anything for a bit until i turned around and saw red.  he is used to his, me not so much.  he moves graceful to get all the supplies plants a big kiss on my forehead, stops the bleeding and takes a look.  so it was decided it wasn't bad enough for stitches or hospital, but dave had is handy-dandy wacky surgery stuff and he would  perform surgery (on our couch).  now for all of our medical friends, i get this is not real surgery like the kind you do everyday... but in this girls mind it, this is as surgical as it gets.  so with dave set up to go and Tuk as the nurse he clued my head together.  so i now have really really pretty purple glue sealing together a what I've been told 'won't scar' cut on my left eyebrow.  this just adds to my overall pretty factor which includes an ever increasing baby bump, cold sore and now a purple eyebrow.

lesson learned: don't clean the kitchen.

xo

muumuu-ness

we've had lots of requests for a photo of me pregnant, so my Mom finally captured me in all of my muumuu-ness when she was here a few weeks ago.  isn't being pregnant wonderful?  i now realize this sweater-coat is not the most flattering look.  i am now on a hunt for a sexier shot.  

this week has been an adventurous one in pregalina land.  we took our first long road-trip - to Michigan to see Dad and Dave's G-pa for Tgives.  it was a 9.5 hr trip, and it was a long one.  worth the drive, but i'm satisfied that will be the last long road-trip pre-March.  

i also did a little damage to my low back, so I was out of commission for a few days/weeks.  no more heavy lifting says the doc... i've realized that pregnancy is a humbling experience in many ways especially when you have to ask for help to put your shoes on.  

next update: tales from birthing class part 2

XO, 

us

this kind of makes me want a girl

so, in my head (not out loud) ok maybe a little out loud.  i have been thinking about this baby of ours (that is currently kicking the laptop) is a boy or a girl.  and for a long time have thought it was a boy.  but will all of the people you love to share their votes about the size of my belly most of them think it's a girl.  either way it will be great.  i would love to have a boy with long locks of brown curly hair or a girl with the same hair and hopefully dave's beautiful long eyelashes.  

i just stumbled on this dress and it makes me really want a girl.

it's a rutabaga!

25 weeks, holy rutabaga!  Kind of a cute veg, right?  Hopefully the baby doesn't look like this although it is kind of cute.   

The baby is now 1.5 pounds, according to babycenter.  Feels like it's more like 5 lbs.  

Hope all had a wonderful Thanksgiving!

XO

a new step into the world of blogging

today marks a new venture into my world of blogging.  our great friend, Timothy Dahl, of charles and hudson asked us to add our thoughts on how to build the best nursery.  so we are now guest bloggers on his site!  so fun.

check it out here... 

www.charlesandhudson.com

next post later this week!

XOXO

stats : week 23

23 weeks : the size of a mango.  interesting that i am allergic to mangoes, possibly the reason for the hormonal surge over the last 48 hours.  

over half way

heart rate : 130 beats/minute

belly is 22 inches (new this week, slightly odd to have a measuring tape on your belly)

baby kicked the monitor, so things are moving along perfectly.

xo, 

s+d

the nursery

and so we begin.  the extremely challenging effort of creating the right (and best) space possible for our baby.  just a few before photos... 

we are transitioning what used to be my office and closet into the baby's room.  dave and i now share an office, which used to be the man room.  we have both lost 'a room of our own' in the process.  

as you see, currently the room is blue.  which i kind of liked for a bit, but with closer inspection it is nasty dirty and has the build-up of several years of use.  it's changing, just not sure to what color yet.  my guess is a much lighter version of blue.  and no we don't know the gender of the baby.

thanks to my Mom, Dave and some sweat... we took out the carpet.  

So, if this were your floor would you:

a. sand and re-stain it

b. paint it bright white and lacquer it

c. put in pergo flooring to match the hallway flooring

d. other : please post answers!

We're beginning to clear the canvas for the ultimate baby room, that does not succumb to the tragic baby-ness of most baby rooms.

XO, 

pregalina

birthing class -OR- hippy love session #1 -OR- rose colored glasses

our first of six birthing classes was last Wednesday.  and, yes, i have taken the past five days to process.  i'll begin with my vision of what i expected.  dave and i sitting rubbing my belly, talking about all of the wonderful parts of pregnancy, meeting our fellow classmates and hearing their baby stories.  maybe we'd get into the labor thing a tad, and words referencing private parts would be used sparingly.  love is in the air, and some trippy music is low in the background.  i was wearing this beautiful purple suede coats of my moms from 1965.  so, now on to what really happened.  

everyone was late, because no one could find the yoga studio, so tensions were a tad high. thankfully we have our friends Mandi and Keith in class with us, so we can discuss all post-class.  it also, as Dave pointed out, gets your friendship to a new level when you spend six weeks discussing your wife's vagina with each other.  and that's pretty much how the story begins... 

we were all invited to sit on yoga bolsters for the next hour and a half.  i was beyond excited to be introduced into this new world of all things natural labor.  the teachers julie (our doula) and katie, started out the introductions and were very serious.  they explained... the first session would be a game (seriously?  game it was not.) in which we would all get a set of index cards with solutions and they would pose situations (labor situations of course) for us to respond to.  it's kind of like in a math class when they say we are going to start off with a 'pop-quiz' just to see where everyone is in their studies.  read: to gauge how bad off y'all are and expose our weakest links.  

the first situation : you lost your mucus (throw-up in mouth) plug.  now, for some of you this could be normal language.  for me and the rest of you, this made me gag and i tried not to throw up.  from here forward we'll refer to it as MP.  one of our classmates said, "well, i'd just put it back in."  and I nodded in agreement, right.  something falls out, you put it back in.  as the rest of the class (doulas included and my lovely husband) found it hysterical.  to this very moment, I still do not know what an MP is, and lack the maturity to have a discussion about.  (self, go to dictionary.com for definition in privacy of own home)  at this point I realized that I have lots, make that HEAPS to learn.  that was drilled into my head when i didn't understand the whole dilation-effacing-contraction thing that followed.  

the one card that i did have in my pile was : PRETEND YOU CAN'T HEAR.  perfect, can i use that card at this very moment?  now was this a card in my pile a coincidence?  i think not.  Mandi later said it 'was a psychological moment of you gripping the card in your hands for three rounds of the game.'  in the short time we've know one another, she knows me very well. 

later in the session, Julie was discussing the idea of being open to birth.  she's right.  you need to be open to it, and right now i am not.  she said a lot of women go through this and think i want a natural birth and their subconscious mind says - no, not really, just take the drugs.  and folks, if there had been drugs available at birthing session #1, I wouldn't have thought twice.  and over the last few days, my conscious and sub-conscious minds have been having lots of chats over coffee and lunch, etc.  

so over the last five days, i have done lots of reading.  i am not scared of labor, i am just uneducated.  knowledge is power, got it.  now i just have to start imparting knowledge on myself.  and having dave impart some of his medical know-how on me.  

send me good labor loving, birthing class 2 is in t-minus 48 hours.

XOXO

 

channeling the mathews gene's

i have really wonderful memories of my mom and aunts sitting in my aunt barb's living room talking into the wee hours of the night - which was probably only 8.30, but I was young - all the while working on some project.  i can't remember who was doing what but it was an organized chaos of fingers knitting, sewing, making lace, needlepointing.  and of course the hand that wasn't working had a long cigarette or a glass of wine.  

not sure of i'm channeling or just feel this innate desire to make something for our baby.  so my lovely friend Mandi, has offered to teach me to knit.  according to her, 'oh, it is so easy'.  what i haven't told her is that the last time i tried this i made a very itchy red wool scarf, that resembled something more akin to a diaper than a scarf.  which my loving Dad wore for several winters until it was some how 'lost'.  and i did try a hand at knitting a few years ago to make a dog toy, that was a horrible ending of a dvd and knitting needles in the garbage.  thankfully i have folks around me to remind me of said occasions.  (thank you babe)

time to start anew.  and there is also this really fab knitting store, knitty couture that i have been wanting to check out.  so last week i bought myself some needles and yarn.  after several minutes of being overwhelmed (worsted, skein, what?, who?) and not sure what i was doing the women at knitty couture came to my rescue.  some lucky family member will find a bright green scarf in their stocking this holiday season.  dad, it may just be you, to replace the red diaper scarf.  lucky man.

my goal is to make a lovely little blanket for the babe.  and it could be only a 2x2 square, not setting my sights too high. 

i'll keep you updated on the progress.

xo, 

pregalina

last harvest

this past weekend was gorg, in the Lou.  70s and sunny.  please note it was also november 1.  so instead of running to retail (having a baby really makes me want to shop), I tackled the garden.  i haven't been the regular green thumb reporter i had hoped to be, but once the queaseys started, the garden took the hit.  

so i gathered the last i could from the garden...  green peppers, green tomatoes, beets, herbs and the last of the marigolds.  i was surprised at how much we had.  so i tried my hand at roasting beets and made a huge batch of pesto... yum!  

(the pesto looks so nasty, but it is going to look beautiful over warm penne with fresh parm!)

having a garden taught me a lot.  like how much i don't like squirrels, and increased my fear of snakes ten-fold.  don't we live in the city?  but on the glass-half-full side, it was a working metaphor of tending your garden and taking care of the weeds, because eventually the weeds take over and you loose your marbles, or lettuce, in this case.  it was a great experience.  next year, more garlic, less tomatoes, plant the beets earlier and do a bit more watering.    oh, and the experiment of marigolds around the edges to keep away unwanted neighbors (i.e. bunnies) works!  thanks aunt jane!

xoxo, 

the lime thumb gardener

change = hope

i have been having so many nagging unraveled feelings about bringing a babe into this chaotic place we called the world.  after last nights vote came in, a few of these thoughts were wrapped up into a nice little package with a beautiful bow.  even though there is hard work ahead, i feel better knowing Obama is at the helm.  I feel like we will be able to travel abroad again, and not feel worried.  we will be able to move to a new place where people truly are seen as people, not red or blue, black or white.  i hope that this little thing inside of me will live in a world that is better than where we are today. 

peace, 

momma 

ps. so happy i bought this onesie a few months ago!  and apparently the baby won't use an iron, just like it's momma.

MICHIGAN trip

Last weekend we were in Michigan for the State/Michigan game.  Yea, State!  It was a whirlwind trip, but a great one. Flew in Friday to stay with Smith and her crew... they have three babies, Stella, Josie and Charlie.  And they are all amazing.  Very smart, well behaved and really funny.  The girls instantly feel in love with Dave and were soon playing and sharing their baby Sue with him.  Unfortunately we weren't able to see Becky, hopefully in December!  (sorry Beck) We did enjoy a fab Topopo salad from El Azteco.  Yum!

Then we were off to see our cousins Steve and Laura and their crew in Ann Arbor.  Steve is an Architect for U of M, and works mostly on athletic projects, so needless to say we had amazing seats for Dave's first Big Ten game!  We were right behind the goalpost, as you can see here... 

So fun!  And the Spartans won!  Unfortunately it was a very sad birthday gift for Steve!  : (  

We went back to their house and made dinner, and played with Margot, Paco and Meagan.  What great fun kids.  Dave spent time in the playroom, playing 'teacher' for Margot and Paco.  Hysterical.  

We hope that some of the great parenting we experienced this weekend rubs off on us!  

Our final stop on the tour de Michigan, was to see Dad and Grandpa.  Grandpa looks great (see photo) he is 99, and is excited about his 100th birthday this Summer.  We went for a walk, and he beat us in two games of cards... it was great.  Then off to dinner with Dad, for a little advice and catching up.  His first response was, wow you really are pregnant!  

Thanks to all for putting us up and working us into your lives!

Love you, 

Sarah + Dave

OUR new office

along with a new baby comes lots of reconfiguring of space.  in our home and my belly.  the most recent conversion on the long long list of nesting projects was to convert the "man room" into our office.  for obvious reasons this is an adjustment for Dave.  and for me as well, relaxing on seeing his underwear on the office floor.  

all to make room for baby.  my old office is becoming the nursery, which was really my closet and my office.  an obvious adjustment for me, too.  as you can see from the below photo, the one thing that remains is my lovely warm foot rest, Tuk. 

we've begun to seriously start the thinking of what to do with the nursery... which is really hard.  or maybe we're making it really hard.  

xoxo

It's a baby! With all it's fingers and toes!

... and heart.  belly, spine, brain, kidneys.  

today was the "big" ultrasound and it was beyond big.  pretty phenomenal in fact.  we were even able to get a 3D photo of what the babe looks like.  and as far as we can tell it has Sarah's nose and Irish cheeks.  i really hope it has Dave's ankles.  the photo is a little creepy but if you would like to see i can email or post if we get enough comments. we looked away for all of the private part shots, so we held out.  it was hard. very hard not to find out but so happy we didn't.  the u/s tech was patient and great, spending over an hour with us.  Sarah even had to do a few yoga poses to try and move the baby around to get a better profile shot, but the above was the best we could get and I think it's pretty good.  the due date stayed the same : march 13.  the baby now weighs 1lb and is the size of a banana.  

more news soon.  

XO

donut delight

along with being pregnant comes cravings.  or at least with this pregalina.  at first it was taco bell, usually around 10.30a.  yes, they are open at 10.30 and serve the normal menu.  that was just to quench the queasiness.  if you can call it a menu.  

in the recent days it has turned to donuts.  very specifically apple fritters.  reminiscent of uncle john's cider mill and bintz's apple farm from childhood.  today, i found the city equivalent at world's fair donuts (see photo).  it is way out of the way but worth the drive.  it's worth it to meet (see) the people behind the counter.  the woman's hair has more bobby pins wrapping it into a donut looking shape, similar to a french curl, than you can purchase in one pack.  and the man looks to have stepped out of the happy days kitchen to make donuts.  and the donuts are melt in your mouth delic!  you can also get full-fat milk or full-fat chocolate milk.  fantastic!   

i really hope this craving ends fairly soon, it's grossing me out.  

we have movement the size of an heirloom tomato

Ok, so all the movement that I was positive was the baby, was just my lunch.  This morning we went to the doctor and heard the heart beat: 153 beats / minute.  And we both felt movement, me inside, and Dave could feel the baby moving with his hand on my belly.  It's really incredible.  It made me really excited!  All of episodes on animal planet on how other species have babies really doesn't compare until you actually are going through it.  it's no longer surreal, it's pretty real.  

We've begun to interview Doula's, and hope to decide by this weekend.  In hopes of a natural birth.  And apparently we now have to find a pediatrician in addition to our house doctor!  Next week is the "big" ultrasound - wondering what "big" means?  

A huge thank you to my very supportive husband for making it to every OB visit - thank you, babe.  

XO to all.

so we're having a baby...

as most everyone knows by now, we're having a baby.  

based on the above photo, we weren't sure (at least Sarah wasn't sure) if the first test was accurate.  i mean really how can a test sold in a box for $9.99 sold at a store with a terrible name (schnuck's) really be accurate for something so life changing?  apparently, it is.  because when you are pregnant, you're pregnant, no two tests necessary.  so if you are thinking you might be pregnant, save yourself some money and only buy one.  

it's taken me forever, over 18 weeks to be exact to post.  not sure why, other than we wanted to make sure everyone knew, superstition, nausea, exhaustion, and my new addiction to facebook.  

so we are having a baby around March the 13.  It happens to be Friday the 13, which is the day we met, so all is good on the superstition of the number 13 and friday the 13th.  we aren't going to find out if it's a boy or a girl but are having our big ultrasound in a few weeks, and hopefully Dave doesn't peek at the screen.  and no we aren't going to find out for you by putting it in an envelope, nice try. 

more soon.

virginia is for lovers

(the first dance)

this weekend we had the pleasure of going to the wedding of our dear friend's erin and chris.  it was in smith mountain lake, Virginia.  about 700 miles from home in the middle of blue grass country.  we had never been to this area before and decided driving would allow us to see more of the country - on the way there it was great, the 12 straight hour drive yesterday was a bit bold.  it's all part of the journey, right?  

the wedding was beautiful, in typical erin and chris style it was unique and person

able.  chris had a custom tailored suit and erin w

ore a tea-length white halter gown topped off with shiny red Manolo's just beaut

iful and fun.  it kind of made me wish i had worn bright red Manolo's for our wedding.  erin's cousin is a talented country/blue grass singer and he and his fiddler-partner whooped up the night.  it was fun to see Da

ve and all of his fraternity brother's do-si-do each other.  erin and her team turned a little picnic area on a point into an elegant San Fransisc

o fete with exquisite flowers flown in from the west coast and lighting that was reminiscent of a broadway show complete with carousel.   great food with elegant bbq topped off by homemade southern pie.

the wedding gave us a chance to see our friends eric and yvonne who stopped for the wedding on the way 

to Norway from LA.  they are doing great, Yvonne is pursuing a lifelong dream of acting and was wowing us with tales of meeting geor

ge clooney and lindsey lohan - so fun!  eric is one of the craziest energetic dancers I've ever seen... see photos below.

the ceremony (and weekend) was a beautiful reminder of how fun it is to be in love enjoying the adventure of marriage, and how important it is to stay connected with friends.

A few of the photos... 

(the beautiful tables)

(eric dan

cing, yvonne laughing)

(boys)

(chana and his lady)

(happy couple!)