Father-Daughter Day

As my last trimester unfolds I am finding that there are more moments that I wish I could share with family and friends who are so far away. They are mostly just the subtle, everyday moments, feeling the baby kick, having an oversized ice cream sundae, taking Bishop to Mount Pisgah, assembling the crib and folding tiny baby clothes.
Yesterday, I finally got to share some moments with Dad, who was up here doing business in the Salem area. We got together for a great dinner at the McMenamin's brew pub, followed by the most incredible pumpkin crisp...ala mode, of course! The baby showed off it's kung fu kicks for his Grandpa. Dad shared some family folklore that will no doubt make its way into infammy as the stories are told over and over again for little ones trying to draw out their bed time story hour. I wish that dinner with Dad could have lasted a week, and not just because of the ice cream! There is no replacement for the love and support of family.
It was such a treat to see you Dad! Just think, the next time we see eachother, you will be a Grandpa! Crazy!
Love to you all who are so far away yet in our thoughts every day!

The Big 3-0

Yesterday the belly turned thirty weeks! For you math majors out there that means we are 3/4 of the way there! Time is just flying by. I thought I would honor this little milestone by divulging a few of our mother-baby statistics.


Belly size: 30 cm top to bottom
Weight gain: 20lbs
Baby's approximate weight: 3lbs
Favorite Activities: Hiking and Yoga
Ice Cream: Daily
Remaining Vice: Occasional Caffeine
Cleaning: Compulsive
Craigslist: 12 step program
Craving: Indian Food
Warm Fuzzy: Baby kicks
Gripe: Indigestion and RLS
Love: Prenatal vitamins affect on hair
Miss: Hot tubs
Conundrum: Baby name
Preferred Pamper: Raindrop Therapy

Much to my surprise I am loving just about everything about being pregnant, even the growing belly is feeling great! (Although, you should never tell a pregnant woman she is "Huge", tell her she's "All belly and looks great!" It's just better for all involved.) It's impossible not to feel remarkable and amazing as you witness the crazy things your body is capable of, plus I have never been able to get Greg to rub my feet this much!

Market Mamas

One of my favorite things about living in Eugene is the Saturday Market. It's a place where food, music, art and people come together once a week to showcase the fruits of their labors, both literally and metaphorically. There are only a few more markets before the arts and crafts move indoors for the Holiday Market and then after Christmas the long winter hibernation begins.
There is no substitute for market veggies. You can taste the labor of love and lack of truck time in every bite. I miss these spirit saving flavors during the rainy winter months, so I am getting there as often as I can to stock up on fresh fruit and veggies. I have a freezer full of fresh berries that give smoothie mornings a taste of the summer sun that will be priceless come this January.

This week I went with my friend Mary, who is expecting come this May. It was a beautiful fall day complete with colorful trees and seasonal snacks. We treated ourselves to fresh raspberries and apple cider and scored a few local treasures for ourselves, may favorite being a sweet succulent planted in a bowl made from Mount St Helen's ash. The asking price....$5! I love market days!

Meet Our Little Mystery!

Drum roll please!
And now introducing our little Mystery Meyer!
Our first glimpse of our little enigma was surreal to say the least. Greg and I went to the Women's Center of the RiverBend Pavilion on Thursday to have what we thought was going to be a traditional ultrasound photo session. To our surprise they were equipped with 3-D ultrasound technology. I had seen photos like these in books and on websites, but I never thought that we would be able to see such images of our own little Mystery Meyer!
At 29 weeks our little one is about the size of a butternut squash and weighs in at about two and a half pounds and is 15 inches from head to heel. As we discovered in our visit with our midwife last week, we can expect our little enigma to arrive around January 5th, which is a whole two weeks earlier than we were originally told! The sooner the better! We are hoping to meet the little one before the new year, to enjoy his or her company a little earlier....and to enjoy the child tax credit for the year of 2008!
The rest of the midwife appointment went really well. All vitals for mom and baby were just where they should be. Baby had a strong heart beat and was kicking like a champ. I am beginning to think that this child will have an affinity for soccer, although, I have a sneaking suspicion that every mother feels this way at some point. Needless to say, it was so great to be reassured that everything is as great and healthy as I have been feeling throughout this pregnancy. We can only hope that the little one will continue to be just as easy going when he or she makes his or her first appearance! I just can't wait to pinch those cheeks!

Peek-A-Belly!

As we greet the spirit of change that is brought on by the crisp fall weather Greg and I have found ourselves enjoying many new changes in our own lives. Greg and I have both been recently introduced to the new Sacred Heart Hospital, RiverBend, which is a beautiful facility that feels more like a Marriott hotel than a hospital. Greg will assume the title of 'Family Breadwinner' as he starts his new position in the Emergency Department at RiverBend this week. Last week I began my clinicals on the Mother Baby floor at RiverBend, where I am getting a sneak peak into what's to come.
Meanwhile, the bump has officially graduated to a belly over the past month. At 28 weeks everything is going swimmingly. Greg and I met with our midwife on Monday at the PeaceHealth Nurse Midwifery Birth Center. There is a team of five midwives; we will meet with them all over the course of our prenatal care and one of them will be there throughout the delivery. They also have a certified lactation specialist on staff that will visit us every week when the baby is born.
The birth center space is very comfortable and homey, it's actually in a house. There are two birthing rooms, a kitchen and a bath with a claw foot tub on the second floor and a prenatal visit room downstairs complete with an ultrasound. For those of you whose ears perk up at the word 'ultrasound', yes, we are getting an ultrasound. We will get our first glimpse of our little enigma tomorrow morning and will share that with all of you as soon as possible!

Cool Days, School Days

The first week of nursing school is supposed to be a shock to the system, full of early mornings and late nights, lengthy reading lists, nerve wracking skills tests, and awkward role playing. Which in reality, is actually pretty right on, but there is solace in knowing that you are in the same boat as eighty other people, and that boat is on it's way to a guaranteed financially and socially rewarding career.
The class portion thus far is focused on the patient/nurse relationship. Learning to establish boundaries, increase awareness, maintain priorities. The lab/clinical portion is focused on taking and reading vital signs. We start our hospital rotations this coming week, which I am really looking forward to. We'll be taking blood pressures and temperatures, and checking pulse and respirations to start off with. My clinicals this term will be on the Mother/Baby unit at Riverbend, the new hospital, which I am excited about for obvious reasons! I get to be the guinea pig in the group, which I am actually looking forward to. We'll get to hear the baby's heart beat as we learn how to operate a doppplar microphone, a sound you can never hear too many times!
So after the first week my mood is positive and ready for the challenge. It's great to know that there will be a life long reward waiting at the end of this road.