Monday, September 27, 2010

3D Ultrasound and What's in a Name?

As promised (since I finally got the wireless router working again, and therefore am able to use my printer/scanner/etc.), here is a beautiful shot of Nolan in 3D. He's a little squished in there, so it's hard to pick up all of his features, but so far I'm thinking he looks a lot like Aiden, but with chubbier cheeks! I'll be pinching those cheeks just three short weeks from today, provided everything goes as planned...

Nolan himself received a rather special & unique gift in the mail last week. When Abby & I attended OSUAA's GNO a few weeks back, former standout linebacker Ryan Miller & I were talking about my obvious baby bump. At the time, he was excited to learn we chose the name Nolan, especially since he has a 13-month-old with the same name! He asked for my address so he could send our Nolan a gift. I gave him my card, but didn't think to much of it--seriously, this guy probably has a lot more to do than send random crazed fans' unborn children gifts by mail. So imagine my surprise & excitement last week to come home to a package in the mail containing these three books from the Second and Seven Foundation, a non-profit formed by three former Buckeyes to give back and "tackle literacy." He also sent us a personalized card! The books are great--super-colorful, and definitely geared a bit more towards boys, as I can tell when Aiden asks for me to read them to him. Just another reason I'm proud to be a part of the Buckeye Nation. :)

Saturday, September 25, 2010

8 Months Down & Lots Going On

Just three weeks & two days until Nolan is supposed to get here. As you can see, he's growing quite nicely! I had my fourth (and final) ultrasound on Tuesday, and the tech kept using words like "perfect" and "beautiful" to describe his development. I was even able to see him in 3D (photos to come once I hook my scanner back up), and boy, does he have some chubby cheeks!. She said he's approximately 5 lb 14 oz right now, which puts him on track to be 7 to 8 lb at birth--definitely bigger than Aiden. My fluid levels are also fine, so if we have to induce earlier this time, it won't be for the same reason as it was with Aiden. I have a blood draw to check my platelets this coming Wednesday, and then a consult with anesthesia at the hospital the Friday after that. There will definitely be some kind of plan by then.

Last Saturday, my bestest-bud-in-the-world Angie held a diaper shower for me! It was a busy weekend, so a lot of invited folks had other plans, but no big deal at all--I had so much fun with the folks that attended, and it was a very relaxing evening! Angie made SO MUCH food--lots of yummy dips--and of course one of her signature cakes. With all the diapers, wipes, and formula we received for Nolan--as well as the coconut-themed treats for me to feast on in the hospital--I felt extremely loved. Such a great feeling. :)

Last Saturday, I made my final out-of-town trip before we deliver. We headed up to Mansfield to visit my folks, but before we went there, we stopped at Apple Hill Orchard, a childhood favorite of mine, so that we could get some AMAZING apple cider and apple donuts. It was well worth the trip! We even bought some pumpkins (have I ever told you how much I LOVE fall?), and we got to pet a kitty cat who reminded me of my precious Snickers. Also, my friend Claire (who couldn't make it to the shower the evening before) stopped by to drop off a gift and show us her darling 6-month-old Owen--what a cutie!

Today we're getting ready for the monthly playdate with Angie, Rachel, Lawrene, and Quentin. We're having a tailgate party to watch the Buckeyes beat Eastern Michigan. Aiden has graciously offered to "help" me sweep the floors, so it's about time I get off this computer and start cleaning! Until next time...

Thursday, September 16, 2010

Buckeye Connections

Oh how I love being a member of The Ohio State University Alumni Association--I paid $20 a month for five years for the privilege, but now I get AT LEAST a chance to buy tickets every year, as well as discounted continuing education classes and other special programs. One of my favorites over the past few years has been Girl's Night Out / Football 101. I'd been to two of these before--saw Kirk Herbstreit & be-still-my-heart Eddie George--but skipped it last year. I didn't get the notification for this year's event, but I happened to be on the OSUAA Web site last week & notice this year's event was scheduled for last night. Luckily I was able to get tickets, so Abby & I went to meet Craig Krenzel, Ryan Miller, and Archie Griffin.

Abby & I arrived early to make sure we got good seats (and we definitely did--front row!). The evening's speakers arrived early, too, so we were nearly first in line to get autographs & photos with Craig, Ryan, and Archie. I can't say enough nice stuff about these guys--they were just so friendly and willing to be goofy with us. We talked to Craig about how we're cousins with his wife's cousins, but we've only ever seen him at funerals, so it felt awkward to introduce ourselves. He assured us that if we met any other family functions in the future, we should certainly say hi.

Ryan was just as nice; he was quite excited that my little guy would be named Nolan--just like his 13-month-old little boy! He also said he & his wife work with a charity that does books, and so he asked for my address so he could send some books to Aiden and Nolan. I've never had an OSU football player ask for my address before, so that was pretty cool. :)

While we were waiting for the actual program to begin, Archie Griffin came and sat in front of us. We'd already spoken to him and gotten photos & autographs in the lobby, but I dared Abby to ask him a question. She finally got the courage (once I offered her $5), and so she tapped him on the shoulder and asked him what he thought of Reggie Bush giving back his Heisman, as well as who he thought was in the lead for this year's Heisman race. And so there we sat, talking football with the ONLY two-time Heisman winner. I was in Buckeye heaven, and I can't wait to see who they book for next year's event!

Sunday, September 12, 2010

Nolan's Room

So the nursery is done & ready for our little bundle of love to arrive. Technically, I still have 5 weeks until our scheduled delivery, but what can I say--I'm a planner. Those of you who are regular readers of my blog may notice that Nolan's room is nearly identical to its appearance when it was Aiden's room, and I assure you that was completely by design; there's a reason we went with a generic, gender-neutral theme. I love it though--it's so bright and cheery in there.







Monday, September 6, 2010

What a Freakin' Beautiful Weekend

I don't remember ever having a Labor Day weekend with more perfect weather. And how fortunate, too, because we were scheduled to spend a great deal of our time outside! Mike & the Ohio Village Muffins hosted the 19th Annual Ohio Cup Vintage Base Ball Festival on Saturday and Sunday. Mike played in a game each day, so we made the short trip down to the Ohio Historical Center both days to watch. The Muffins won both matches (which Mike credits to the lucky dollar he keeps in his pocket--he's never lost a game as long as he's been carrying that dollar), and it was just an all-around good time, as you can see by the photos below.

Today is a bit of a cleanup day as we prepare to head back to work tomorrow. My next scheduled day off is actually my maternity leave, so I've got a bit of a haul to get through. No worries. :)











Friday, September 3, 2010

Off to a Steamy Start

Life became just that much sweeter last night as the 2010 college football season began. Mike & I braved the ridiculous temperatures (seriously--94 degrees on September 2nd in Ohio?!) along with 105,000 other fans and headed down to the 'Shoe. Despite Mike's late departure from work, we were lucky enough to be in our (rather high up) seats in time to see pregame and TBDBITL. It was also Alumni Band night, so we were able to see an additional 650 band members march, including a 92-year-old man who was in the original Script Ohio in 1936! That's just awesome to me.

What else was awesome to me was how well my Buckeyes played; other than a few hiccups on special teams, they seemed to pick up right where they left off from the Rose Bowl in January. This team really has a chance to be something special, provided they keep their heads on straight and stay away from the injury bug. We actually ended up leaving at halftime because this preggo's feet had swelled so badly (seriously--I could barely stand to wear my slip-on sneakers). OSU was up by 28 points at the time, so I didn't figure they would miss me too much. They have a much bigger challenge when Miami (FL) comes to visit next week, but I'll be watching that one from the comfort of my own home--and with my feet up. :)

Wednesday, September 1, 2010

September's Here!

Fall starts this month. AHHHHHHH. That makes me so freakin' happy. Today--not so much; it's STILL in the 90s, which is pretty warm for Ohio. And it's supposed to be just as warm tomorrow with the chance of--shudder--thunderstorms for my Buckeye game. Please cross your fingers that doesn't happen as this is the only game I'm going to this season!

I had my 32 week appointment today, and it included another ultrasound to check on my fluid since it got a bit low with Aiden. Good news--it's looking great. So is Nolan--he's now head-down and measuring right on, other than a large head. They estimated his current weight at 5 lbs, which scares me a bit; Aiden was 6 lb 9 oz at birth, and I've still got 6 1/2 weeks to go on this kid! So two weeks to my next appointment, 3 weeks to my next ultrasound, and four weeks until my next platelet check. I'm thinking by that point we'll know exactly what the plan will be for Nolan's arrival. Time is flying...