Peek A Boo!

Look at this face!!!

On Friday my mom and I went to my 3D ultrasound appointment. I was really excited because I've seen pictures of my friends' 3D ultrasounds and thought they were amazing! The detail is incredible and I was dying to see what her little face looks like. The ultrasound was SO MUCH FUN! She was moving around and smiling for us like crazy! She also opened her mouth several times and looked like she was yawning. She likes to have her hands up by her face and I had to jiggle around a little to get her to put them down so we could see her face. I got a cd with all the still pictures they took and I also got a dvd of the whole ultrasound session set to music. I got to share them with Bryan when we got home and I know it will be a really special thing that I will get to share with Hailey when she is older.

Since my mom was here, I also chose this weekend to do my baby registry. I was SOOOOO grateful that she wanted to do the registry with me because Bryan certainly didn't and it's way more fun to do it with someone. We had the BEST time picking out all the cute baby stuff and she was such a trooper. It took a REALLY long time but she never complained and never got bored. Thanks Mom!!

Just Kickin' It

I know it's been a while since the last post, but really, after news that big I had a hard time getting motivated to write about anything else! So... I figured I'd update with some random stuff to keep from getting too far behind. Here's the scoop:

I am officially 6 months pregnant! I still feel great and I am truly trying to savor every moment. I have dreamt about being pregnant and becoming a mom since I was a kid and I realize that this is going to be the only time I'll be pregnant for the first time. I hope to have another child at some point, but I know that being pregnant while taking care of another child changes the experience.

The biggest new development that I'm enjoying at the moment is that I can feel her kicking like crazy! I've felt movement for the last few weeks, but over the last week or so they have gotten MUCH stronger. I can actually see my stomach move when she kicks and I finally get to share it with Bryan because he can put his hand on my belly and we can feel her kick together. She seems to move around the most when I am lying down at night and in the morning. Last night I was lying on the couch reading and I swear she was doing Riverdance in there!! It's the coolest/weirdest feeling, especially when she's tap dancing on my bladder. That part's super fun.

I am also still craving fruit like nobody's business. Every night for the past 2 weeks I've been indulging in a huge bowl of strawberries and (light) whipped cream for dessert. Delicious!! I also just found out that the local farmer's market starts this Friday, so I absolutely expect my fridge to soon be about 90% filled with fruit.

In other news, last weekend I went to visit my BFF Amy in Chicago. It's been a whole year since the last time I was out there so I was really glad I got a chance to go see her again before the baby comes. We were super low-key this trip, mostly watching old episodes of Friends and deciding what we were going to eat next. It was fabulous! Unfortunately I started off the trip with a little snag when the airline lost my luggage. I had to gate check my roller bag because the flight was so full and the stressed-out flight attendant put the wrong destination on my tag. Normally this would be mildly irritating, however there was the small fact that I need my maternity clothes! Luckily, my bag was found and delivered to me by 3:00pm the next day. Crisis averted! We also totally lucked out with a GORGEOUS day on Friday! Amy lives right near the lake so we went for a walk after brunch and I got to see what it looks like without a giant sheet of ice on top!

I think that pretty much catches us up to date...except for one last thing. My friend and fellow blogger Joanna "tagged" me to take a picture of myself immediately (no primping, no fluffing) and post it on the blog. I actually read her "tag" on Saturday night and did follow the rules and took a picture immediately...I just haven't gotten around to posting it until now. So here it is: Saturday night, no primping, big ol' baby belly on display. Enjoy.

IT'S A GIRL!!!

Say hello to Hailey Makena Tune!!

We had SO MUCH FUN getting at our ultrasound today!! I can't believe how different the baby looks from the first ultrasound. It was so awesome to get to see all the different body structures: tiny fingers and toes, the four chambers of the heart, the little nose and mouth! Unfortunately, she is a modest little thing and had her legs crossed at the ankles THE WHOLE TIME!! I tried everything to get her to show us the goods, including jumping up and down, jiggling my tummy, pushing against my uterus, and drinking juice. Bryan even got next to my belly and told her to open her legs, just this once (haha!). FINALLY, she opened up a little and the ultrasound tech was finally able to declare "GIRL!" We are both SO EXCITED, we thought it was a girl all along but it's so incredible to know! Now instead of saying "it" and "baby" all the time, we can say "her" and "Hailey"!! I instantly feel closer to her after getting to see her on the screen...she's not just a vague idea of a baby anymore, she's my daughter!!

(p.s. Joanna, does this mean I get to join the IBFC??)

Iguanas and Turtles and Stingrays, Oh My!!

We're baaa-aack!! What a FANTASTIC vacation!! Grand Cayman is one of the most amazingly beautiful places we've ever been!

We stayed at the Marriott resort on 7 Mile Beach, which is a gorgeous stretch of white sand beach with sparkling turquoise water that looks like a picture straight out of a calendar. We spend a good part of the trip stationed on lounge chairs, soaking up the sun, and having drinks delivered to us (virgin daiquiris for me, naturally). It was exactly the relaxing trip we were looking for.

We did manage to tear ourselves away from our lounge chairs long enough to do some exploring. One day we rented a car and decided to check out the rest of the island. Just driving was an adventure in itself since the steering wheel is on the right side of the car and they drive on the left. I left that job to Bryan and settled for being navigator. Our first stop on our tour was at a little patio cafe on the beach. Bryan and I just looked at each other in amazement throughout the entire meal because the beach was SO INCREDIBLE!!

After lunch we went to Boatswains Turtle Farm, which turned out to be one of the coolest things we've ever done! The Turtle Farm breeds endangered sea turtles and tracks and studies them once they are released back into the ocean. We learned all about their program and some interesting facts about the turtles themselves. The best part about the tour? You get to hold the turtles!!! After the turtles, we made our way to the other side of the island to check out Rum Point (which turned out to be basically a tourist trap). We also attempted to check out downtown George Town, but we were out of luck because the whole town shuts down at 5:30pm!! If you're a party animal, this is definitely not the island for you.

On our last full day on the island, we had another amazing experience when we went on a snorkel excursion to the Stingray Sandbar. The water is waist high and the stingrays are super friendly (which could have something to do with the fact that all the boats bring food to bribe them to hang out there). As long as you keep your feet on the sand, you are in no danger of them stinging you. The guides from our boat held one of the stingrays for us and we got to take turns holding them and giving them a "kiss" (for photo purposes only, no actual lip to stingray contact occurred). It was so cool to stand in the beautiful water as the stingrays swam around our legs, we couldn't believe we were actually there! The boat also took us to the barrier reef and the coral gardens, where we saw colorful fish and even a giant green eel. It was an incredible day!!

We had such a wonderful time on this trip and knowing it was our last big trip before we become parents made us appreciate it even more!

Halfway!

I am officially 20 weeks pregnant, which means I am halfway to a baby!!

At the risk of jinxing myself, I must say that I have been EXTREMELY lucky with this pregnancy so far.

Here's a quick recap of the first 5 months of the belly journey:

• NO PUKING!! No nausea at all! Thank god!! (considering I get nauseous just looking at a mode of transportation, I was convinced that I was going to spend the first three months with my head inside a toilet bowl)


• I managed to make it all the way through winter without having to buy any maternity clothes, which means only 1 season worth of spending money!


• I have been consciously trying to make healthier food choices for the baby (and my only craving so far has been fruit) so I've only gained 3 lbs so far. I'm sure I'll be packing it on during the second half of the pregnancy so I'm glad I didn't go crazy during the first half.


• Sleeping has become a little bit more uncomfortable... I'm normally a stomach sleeper and that just aint happenin' anymore.


• I have had a HUGE knot in my back for the past 2 months that I think is finally starting to go away.


• Everyone says I'm "glowing". I don't know if this is true or not, but I am definitely smiling a lot. I am so happy to be having a baby and become a mom that I am enjoying every moment along the way!

Bryan and I leave Monday night for Grand Cayman for our last trip as a family of 2. We are so excited to be taking this trip to enjoy each other and relax before our lives are full of bottles, diapers, and playdates! It will also provide quite a nice distraction while we wait for our next ultrasound to find out if we are having a girl or boy!!!

So let's have a little more audience participation...what do YOU think we're having??

(p.s. Ask and you shall receive Joanna! :) )

Double Dog Dare

So, my friend Joanna and I discovered during our trip to San Diego that we might just be long lost twins separated at birth. Aside from the fact that we were born a few years apart, we have a crazy number of random things in common, and we just keep coming up with more! The latest thing to be added to the list is that we were both in the Colorguard in high school, although my school called it Drill Team. (However, if you recall this post, ours was a dance and flag team, so whenever I refer to it these days I drop the "flag" and put more emphasis on the "dance" because, let's face it...flag team, not so much what you would call "cool." )

When Joanna found out that I, too, was in the Colorguard, she double dog dared me to post a picture. Fortunately (for me) the only picture I have of myself on our team is from my Senior yearbook, which was the year we got a cool coach and threw out the traditional sparkly sequined costumes for something a little trendier (and apparently sluttier...whose idea was it to have crop tops as part of the uniform??). I'm sure my mom has TONS of pictures of me in spandex and sequins, but alas, this is the best I could do.

And just for fun (and to up my geek quotient even more) here is a picture of me in costume in the dressing room when I was Helen Keller in The Miracle Worker. That's right, I was on the Drill Team AND I was a Drama nerd (and also sang in the choir and took AP classes). Hard to imagine I didn't get voted Prom Queen, huh?Now it's my turn to double dog dare all of you, my dear readers! What embarrassing activities did you participate in during high school??

Heroin Chic

Have you ever found yourself thinking, "Gee...my bare skin is so boring-looking. I wish I could snazz it up a bit. Perhaps if it looked like I was shooting up 10 times a day it might look a little flashier." Well here's your solution! Simply walk yourself down to your local lab and have some blood drawn. It worked for me!!

Behold! This is my arm 8 DAYS after having a simple blood draw for some genetic screening. I know what you're thinking...how much blood did they take to leave a bruise that size??? ONE! One little poke for one vial of blood produces this lovely sample of skin art. Imagine how much fun it is to be forced to wear long sleeves for work when it's 74 degrees outside just so no one at my school sites tries to give me an intervention.

Ahhh, the joys of pregnancy.