one of my faves

This is seriously one of my favorite pictures from the last year.  My little Kiwi nephew, Luke, smiling big as he and his parents stop on the side of the road in northern California.  He was born in Auckland on 1.25.11.  Baby girl Johnson is due on 1.26.12.  Can't wait for them become friends! 

impromptu preggo pics

Two of my life-long friends came to visit DC a couple of weekends ago.  One of them, Michelle, is an artist and has been getting into photography recently.  She blessed us by agreeing to take some impromptu pregnancy pics.  We had such a fun time and even tried our hand at producing some quality "awkward pregnancy photos."  Here's a few cute ones that I pulled off of facebook.  We plan on printing  some other artsy ones for family Christmas gifts.

Sean lovin' the baby bump.

 Calvert Street Crossing (our street in Adams Morgan)

Adams Morgan Mural

eggplant ailments

bleeding gums.
a pesky busted blood vessel in the under carriage.
excruciating posterior pelvic pain (PPP) on my left side.

it's pretty awesome.

the suprise video

Here's a link to the video that we used to tell our parents that we were expecting. We told them it was our "7 year anniversary" video.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Zex36oRDeo

so much since then

Well, it's been almost 4 months since I posted last- so much has happened since then. I guess the whole "blogging as an outlet" thing didn't last very long.  The truth is that my summer ended up being extremely busy at work and the last thing I wanted to do in the evenings was sit down with my computer (taking a nap on the couch from 4-6PM was so much more appealing).  The tiredness went away around the end of August and I've been feeling pretty good.  I just wanted to bullet out a few things to remember about this pregnancy:

• On August 29th, 2011, we found out that we'll be having a baby GIRL! 
• My blood pressure started to get elevated so my PCP decided to put me on a low dose med for the rest of the pregnancy.  This worried me at first, but I certainly don't want to ignore something that could be potentially harmful to the little gal, so I've gotten to a place of peace about it.  My PCP also noted that my thyroid numbers were elevated (but not over the limit) so she put me on a sub-clinical thyroid med too- my OB didn't really think it was necessary, but said that it's better to be precautionary, and I agree. So, I am now taking a regiment of pills including my prenatals... I've never taken so much medication on a regular basis, so the change was a little something to get used to.
• Sean and I went to Costa Rica for a little "babymoon" during my birthday week.  It was there, lying by the pool, that I felt her first flutter.
• She moves pretty regularly now and it's the most bizarre feeling. Kinda like a muscle twinge in an area that you don't usually have twinges. 
• Sean had his hand on my belly on Sunday, Oct. 2, and felt a tiny little push against his palm. It was so exciting to have him finally feel what I've been feeling, even if it was really faint. He hasn't felt her again just yet.
• We had an ultrasound on Oct. 7 and saw our first 4D picture. It was a little strange/scary because she doesn't have any baby fat on her face yet.  We concluded that we would wait to get a copy of the picture until she looked a little more filled out next month. 
• Strangers have started to notice that I'm pregnant (I guess I've passed that stage of "she might just have a beer belly")... The first time any stranger offered me help with anything was on a rental car shuttle in California while I was on a work trip in September. I was a little taken back by a man who offered to lift my bag up into the van carriage space. I was able to do it on my own, but had a moment in my head afterwards of realizing why he even offered.  A homeless man begging for change told me "congratulations" as I passed him in Georgetown yesterday. It was a sweet encounter. 
• Since conception, this little gal has traveled to (in order): Texas, Michigan, Colorado, Texas (again), Florida, Costa Rica, Arizona, California, and Texas (again).  (This list excludes Virginia and Maryland- we cross in and out of them pretty regularly.)
• I think I've decided on a name that I really like. I kinda call her by it in my head although Sean and I haven't fully committed to it yet. 
• My childhood friend Michelle (she's an artist) took some pregnancy pictures of us this weekend around the city. It was fun- Sean and I have never had professional photos taken (not even for our wedding), so I'm excited to see how they turn out.
• Summer has booked her tickets for to come to DC from New Zealand before baby girl arrives.  My due date is 1/26, and since I'm on BP meds, my OB said that they will not allow me to go over week 40 (due date).  Hopefully everything will go smoothly and we'll be able to keep her cookin' until 1/26. 
• Sean and I are going to Houston on October 28th for a baby shower luncheon hosted by my dad and Sheri.  It will be great to see old college friends and to be back in Texas one more time before we become parents. Turns out I'll be staying in town for the week following the shower for work... trying to get 2 more monitoring trips done before I go on maternity leave.
• And finally, sleep. I have not had a good night's sleep since May. Seriously. The last couple of weeks have been particularly hard- on me, and Sean- poor thing.  Since I didn't gain any weight during my first trimester, the shift in my body over the last 6 weeks or so has been hard.  I've gained about 13 pounds so far and man, I can feel it. Trying to find a comfortable position in bed is really difficult. I have tried sleeping with a pillow in between my legs, but I can't seem to stay comfortable on my side. I'm typically a back or half side/half stomach sleeper, so I'm gonna have to figure something out. To top it off, I've got some sort of respiratory thing going on this week and have been coughing for 3 nights straight. Hopefully I'll get this issue sorted out soon- everyone says you should enjoy the sleep while you still can (meaning that, after the baby comes you won't get any- a nightmarish thought if this "tossing and turning" trend continues for the next 15 weeks- for me, and Sean- poor thing).