Mommasita's Birthday Weekend!

Friday finally arrived and so did mom! We managed to meet up with Evan during his lunch hour so we enjoyed a stroll around Capital Lake before heading over to the Lighthouse Bungalow- the house mom & the aunties are renting for our Celebration Party this September. Such a great place and location. I know mom was really excited about the space and I'm looking forward to having family all in one location. We returned back to the house so that I could show mom all of Miss Bumpkin's special things. Her wardrobe is expanding and the tote we are using right now to store her things is near full. We had so much fun! Once Evan was home we headed out for dinner where we met up with DelRae and Steve for an amazing dinner. Mom finally got to see their new house before digging into her birthday "cake"- peanut butter pie! On her actual birthday (Saturday) we headed for the coast! What an incredible day we had. Weather was perfect, sunshine, 62 degrees and miles of beach to walk and explore. Wayne ate probably 3 lbs of sand which surfaced the following day! We took our share of sand dollars as mementos along with LOTS of sea glass! Four hours later we started back to Aberdeen in search of food. We were wiped, including Wayne doggy who is not a easy one to tire. Here is a snippet of photos taken on mom's birthday excursion to Westport!

Birthday girl excited to get to the beach!

Oh boy! Wayne loves the beach & tennis balls!

My favorite mom.

Enjoying the beauty of the place & day.

Taking a break in the dunes.

Updates:

Had a doctors appointment on Thursday which left me ill the rest of the day. I had my glucose testing and almost became physically ill from the horrid "juice" they force you to drink in 5 minutes. For someone that has been sticking to water, milk and the occasional soda drinking 8 ounces of syrup was a bit much. It took me over 5 minutes to force it down. Which I think resulted in being slightly over the acceptable glucose reading. SO tomorrow I have to schedule another appointment. This time I have to fast for 12 hours, drink the horrid syrup again, and then stick around the doctors for 3 HOURS with multiple blood draws during that period. I am really upset about this. Hoping desperately that I can keep the "juice" down on an empty stomach and not crash like I did this past Thursday. It was not enjoyable. I've also got to figure out a plan on what I'm going to do for 3 hours if I'm not feeling well. I could use all the positive thoughts regarding making it though this appointment.

We have officially entered into the 3rd trimester! Miss Bumpkin at 27 weeks is approximately the size of a head of cauliflower- 16 inches and about 2.5 lbs!

Miss Bumpkin the Cucumber

Side View- 26 wks

Thanks AJ & Tom for the new top!

Standard Prego Pose- 26 wks

Frontal Bare Belly- 26 wks

Bare Belly Squeeze- 26 wks

I thought my days involving basketballs were over, now my uterus is the size of one and it's still growing! Miss Bumpkin is still going through her very own growth spurts as well. Now the size of a cucumber she measures roughly 15 inches from her head to her toes and weighs around 2.2 lbs. Her growth is apparent to the two of us as her kicks have only strengthened over the past few weeks. A few weeks ago our doctor suggested that I take Benedryl to help with sleeping. The past week however things have changed once again. Between her late night antics that wake me up every night and runs to the bathroom I am not sleeping much. The Benedryl has been leaving me incredibly drowsy when I do wake up, so the past couple of nights I have stopped taking it and have seen a huge difference in how "foggy" I am at the start of my day.

Thanks to my girlfriend Julie I have added a new application to my iPhone that makes our daily kick count more convenient. She is definitely a night owl that likes the push back game. This involves her kicking, then I gently push back in the location that she kicked or punched. Usually she complies with her mommy's simple pleasures and kicks back. I am hoping in the coming week we will be able to find our flashlight to see if she will respond to the light by kicking. Some books and websites have suggested that this stage in the pregnancy that she is able to detect light and may respond to a flashlight pressed against my stomach.

We've had quite the 3 day weekend. Friday we managed a lazy morning before meeting up with Julz, Mike & Miss Holden at Priest Point Park for a short play date as they were just making a pit stop on their start to their California vacation! It was a gorgeous day that ended with a tasty date night at Ramblin' Jakes. Saturday was a jam packed day. It started with a girls date down at Great Wolf Lodge attending the Shop N Swap. DelRae, Alysha and her wonderful shopping buddy Lucas were amazing shopping companions as we wading through the conference center filled with things for baby! We all walked away with some great finds and fun times spent with each other. Upon our return to Olympia, DelRae made lunch since I was hitting the wall very fast! I later met up with Evan and Wayne pupper for a walk around the lake, a little people watching and a drive out to the west side. I was so tired I managed to sleep 1 1/2 hrs. once we got home. Quite the feat from someone that doesn't nap. I really needed those extra zzz's since I fell asleep with no problem that night! Evan was sweet and had dinner all ready for when I woke up. And well today was knocking out some shopping to find some work clothes for Evan and our traditional Sunday dinner at DelRae & Steve's. Another great weekend with amazing weather that reached 70 degrees F on Saturday!

4 days until the next doctor's appointment!

25 weeks!

Stroll through Evergreen State College's Campus

Picture with the pupper dog. Sporting my new jacket.

The growing Bumpkin- 25 wks

(sporting a new shirt from AJ & Tom)

Bare Belly- 25 wks

We've entered into the 6th month! This past Thursday we had a doctor's appointment and once again got to hear her beautiful rhythmic heart beat. It never lasts long enough. It seems the doctor finds the beat and we only get to hear it for seconds before the doppler is removed. This appointment was the first one where they measured for growth- which we are right on track- and now we start the fetal kick count. I've loved the feeling of her activity from within, but the thought of spending an hour dutifully recording every kick. I'm not so pumped for. Don't ask why, it may be because I'm a multitasker and this is something I will need to focus on for an hour. It will be a great opportunity however to focus on her movements and see patterns. Speaking of moments while watching the movie Precious Evan rested his hand on my growing mid-section and to our delight she wasn't playing shy. I think he was a little shocked at the punch or kick our wee one is packing these days. Guess he didn't believe me when I said she had been waking me up at night with her antics! Now he is a believer! We have also entered into the time frame where we will be having appointments every two weeks. Next time around I have a longer visit because I am having a glucose screening to determine gestational diabetes- a standard procedure.

Other news. Discovered recently that a friend from Anacortes, now residing in North Carolina, is also expecting!! Megan & Jonathon are due to celebrate the birth of their daughter about one month after Miss Bumpkin's arrival! So happy and excited about their happy news! It's strange how many people I have connections with that are expecting this year. There's a baby boom happening!

Also found out during the visit to the doctor's office that Miss Bumpkin has indeed been aggravating my sciatic nerve especially during my daily walks. Attempting to figure out how still get in the exercise without the pain the butt- literally! We also got the go ahead to use benzo peroxide cream to attempt to correct the acne problem I've been painfully dealing with the past couple of months.

Kayce Becomes Mrs. Goley!

The Happy Newlyweds

The Bushwackers Reunite

Matt marries into the BW family!

My adorable niece Jadelyn with her dinosaur flash light.

Love her to pieces!

Lunch date with Julie & Cheryl

Great visit with Howard & Julie!

What a wonderful whirlwind of a weekend! So the venture back to Madison, IN (formally known as home) started in the wee hours, 3 am to be exactly, on Thursday morning. By 3:50 am I was on my way to SeaTac thanks to Capital Shuttle so that I could make my 7:35 am flight without being rushed. Unfortunately, I was unable to find a direct flight even after searching three different airports (Louisville, Cincinnati, and Indianapolis). Deciding south was the best option for a layover I dropped down in Dallas for a quick layover before finally reaching Louisville. Equipped with a free upgrade, due to a very nice man at National rental car, I started my journey back home. Exhausted and excited to see my friends I accidentally drove 25 minutes south on I-65 instead of heading north. WOW had it really been that long since I'd driven to/from Louisville. Apparently so. A quick fix and I was headed in the right direction! By 9 pm I was at my Madison momma's house enjoying a chicken sandwich with my Trin-ta-lee! This evening started a series of great moments that would come.

Friday morning allowed for a somewhat lazy start before swinging in to visit with Jenni while she was a work before picking Trinady up from work for our lunch date at the Downtowner! After lunch I ran a couple of errands and made it back downtown to swing into some of my favorite shops to pick up some momentous for Miss Bumpkin. Then back to Madison momma's place to finally see Miss Jadelyn!! It had been 2 years and one month since my eyes last saw this sweet little girl! There she sat sitting at the table having finished eating yogurt. Still unaware that I was her crazy pseudo Auntie Kate I told her that a stowaway snuck into my suitcase to come live with her. She immediately wanted to see what/who was in my case. Reaching up she grabbed my hand as we made our way to the yellow room (Talish's old room) where I was staying. There wedged in amongst clothes was a little green dinosaur flashlight that roared as its mouth opens exposing a bright beacon of light. It scared her so much so she insisted that it go back in the suitcase and she closed the case shut. Happy it was out of sight. Crushed I thought...great I scared her. I am the Auntie that scared her. How am I going to manage becoming a mom if I scare my 2 year old niece. Later that night G-ma and Poppa Bear assisted me in taking this scary gift and making it into something fun. It became the game of the weekend- running around dinosaur in hand to find the person of choice she would turn the flashlight on illuminating the person who promptly screams acting scared, she giggles in delight and makes my heart melt. What a precious daughter my friend has raised.

Later that night (Friday) Trinady, Brooke, Matt, Shelly and I met up for dinner at the Key West Shrimp House where funny enough I was the only one that actually eats seafood and here we are eating at a seafood restaurant! We managed to close down the restaurant before heading over to the Broadway to meet up with the rest of the gang (the soon to be Mrs. - Kayce, Emily, & Jennifer). The night ended with Trin, Emily & I listening to the Rumors at The Lady, before heading to the police station to met Julie and then to Hinkles to satisfy some cravings for homefries and their amazing chocolate shake!

Saturday after catching some much needed zzz's Trinady & I met up with Shelly downtown at All Ways Pottery where I painted a monkey piggy bank for Miss Jadelyn while Trin painted a vase for her living room. After some creative time we headed back to the house to get ready for the wedding of yet another Bushwacker. It was a perfect day for Kayce & Matt with blue skies, warm temperatures and birds singing sweet songs. Kayce was gorgeous, stunning actually and Matt matched in how handsome he looked as he watched her walk towards him. The day was theirs and I am so thankful that their love brought us all together once again after too long apart. It was a beautiful ceremony and incredible reception that words can't begin to capture. The end is what matters, Kayce & Matt were married!

Sunday brought a day in the country where I visited with my half-sisters over a delicious lunch. We walked down memory lane and celebrated the upcoming arrival of Bumpkin with presents! It was so kind of them to think of our precious unborn daughter. That evening I enjoyed a family dinner with Trin's family and all the little ones. The joy those children bring the family.

Monday was a difficult day indeed. One of goodbyes and tears knowing that it could possibly be another 2 years before our next reunion- when we'll make the trip back out for my 10 year reunion. Hard to believe its been 8 years when it seems like time has stood still between the visits. We fall right back as if high school and those care free days when we saw each other daily were yesterday. I am truly blessed with amazing friends.

Ready or not here I come!

Well, the time sure has flown. It's already the beginning of March and my friend Kayce is getting married! Fortunately I am able to fly back to the land of corn to witness her & Matt joining their lives! I am so very excited to be part of this very special day in their lives and reunite with the Bushwacker gang. It has been a little over 2 years since my last trip back "home" and many more years since spending some "face" time with some of my ladies. To say the least this reunion is well overdue.

So my bags are packed and I am mentally braced for a very long day of travel that is ahead of me. This part has been the hardest to come to terms with. Starting the journey at 3:50 am with the Capital Airporter picking me up at our house will come too soon. I have a short layover in Dallas before arriving in Louisville at 6:30 pm. I am hoping to be in Madison by 8 pm and in bed shortly after!! :) Snacks are packed and I will pick up more at the airport. My goal is not to get completely exhausted by the day so that I can enjoy the weekend to the fullest without having to worry about exhaustion. The things that have changed in the past 6 months. One thing that I never thought I would feel is concern about traveling alone. I have been overwhelmed with worry about traveling solo. This coming from someone who has prided herself on independence. I blame it on hormones! :) I am going to miss Evan terribly. I wish he could join me in the return to the "motherland", but I understand with work and also the expense its not in the cards. Don't feel sorry for him though. Yes, I will be having probably too much fun for my own good with some old dear friends but he will be enjoying himself up in the mountains! That's right he and Wayne doggers are heading to the Hansen's cabin for a weekend of skiing, snow and meeting of new four-legged friends- overall a bunch of debauchery!

Photos and more updates to come Tuesday from the trip and our entry into the 6th month of pregnancy!