Spring Break in Merced

It was so nice for Ben to have a break from school in between quarters, to get away from LA for a little while, and spend some time with my family in Merced.

Mom hosted a lovely little luncheon for some ladies in the ward, Baby, and me.

Ben competed in the Pacheco Triathlon and won the whole thing!  But . . the race was a fundraiser for a high school's swim & water polo teams so they were trying to save money and gave out the unclaimed trophies from last year.  Ben was the overall champion . . and his trophy says "Second Place."  Classic!

I love this picture.  I never have pictures of me at Ben's races, but Scott took this of me cheering for Ben at the start - I totally love cheering him on.

High five!

The very exciting "finish line."

And then Ben looked up at Scott & me and said "Did I win?"  Yes!

Ben, Dad, & Tom all have March birthdays so we celebrated with some yummy cake & ice cream.

After the birthday boys sang themselves a lovely rendition of "Happy Birthday" . . 

And blew out their candles.  So cute, guys.

On Dad's actual birthday, Team RM Cycling went for a ride.

While we were in Merced I got to spend some really beautiful time with Grandma & Grandpa Rowan.  I grew up about a mile from them and they are such a big part of my life.

And, I just thought this rose and this sunset were particularly pretty.  Thanks, Merced!

Baby Timeline, Part 4

February 16th: Presidents' Day beach day!

I have totally been asked if I'm pregnant when wearing this cover-up before.  Glad to make it official.

February 18th: Hospital Birthplace Tour!  I think I left with more questions about birth than I had coming in.  Uh-oh.

February 25th: OB appointment at 29w4d and I gained 2.8 pounds since my last appointment!  Basic appointment . . questions/concerns/update on medications (I'm only taking Zofran as I need it now!), listen to Baby's heartbeat, blood draw to check Iron levels.  I still didn't have the ultrasound I've been expecting, but they scheduled it!  Instead of having it at the OB clinic, I'm going to have it at the Fetal Diagnostics Unit in the hospital next week.  I also met with the dietitian and basically I'm doing fine!  Also I'm a carrier of Group B Strep, so I'm curious to find out how that will work during labor and delivery.

February 28th: Cleaned out and cleaned up, getting Ben's study room ready to be half-nursery, half-study, and I built the crib!

March 1st: 30 weeks pregnant!

March 5th: I had my appointment at the Fetal Diagnostics Unit today for a partial anatomy re-scan.  The calcium spot (EIF) on Baby's heart is gone!  The doctor said his heart is beautiful.  :)  His growth is in the 50th percentile.  Baby's kidneys are still dilated (filled with fluid) more than what is considered normal.  This means that somewhere in the kidney system there is a blockage or something else wrong.  I go back in a month for a follow-up of the pyelectasis and Baby's growth.  In the meantime, the doctor suggested that we meet with a pediatric nephrologist to get an idea of what to expect should the pyelectasis not resolve before birth.

March 7th: Beach day with some of the other LDS MBA students and families.
Being pregnant is a totally legit time to wear a bikini, just if you're wondering what I'm thinking!  ;)

 

March 11th: OB appointment at 31 week 3 days.  Things are looking just fine!  I gained a couple more pounds and my fundal height is measuring right on!  We discussed all of my questions/concerns: what to do about being GBS positive, pains I've been having, the cervical polyps they found on an ultrasound, and the Braxton Hicks which have now made themselves very present in my life!  All in all, things are progressing just as they should be!

March 15th: I reached the 32 week mark!  Things are starting to get real.  Eight weeks left until my due date.  We are pretty decided on a name.  Mostly I just really, really, really love this little boy growing inside of me.  :)

Ben's 28th Discount Birthday

Ben turned 28!  Woot woot!  This year's birthday theme was "free" and/or "discount."  Ben did his research and found out what you can get for free on your birthday . . 

We started the day at Denny's where you can get a free Grand Slam on your birthday - all you have to do is show them your ID.  Since I was along for the ride on all of these adventures, I needed something too.  So, we added extra scrambled eggs to the free Grand Slam for $1.29, I got the bacon from Ben's meal, and with tax and tip we paid a total of $3.00.

Our next stop was IHOP, where you can get a free short stack on your birthday (I think you have to sign up for their birthday club by email for this one).  But, it happened to be National Pancake Day, as well as Ben's birthday, so with a donation of any amount to the Children's Miracle Network it was free short stacks all around!  Baby appreciated that.  ;)  We made a donation of $5.00 so that was our grand total there.

After breakfast(s), I came home for a nap and Ben took off on a three-hour 50-mile bike ride.  So that was free, obviously.

Then I met Ben at Jamba Juice in Manhattan Beach where he had just picked up his free birthday 16 oz. Jamba!  (Sign up via email for that one.)  We hung out at the beach for a while (parking: $3.75) but it was honestly just a little too chilly for me!  So we headed to a triathlon shop that Ben has been wanting to check out for a while and meandered around there for a while.

Then, Cafe Rio!  This was Ben's choice for dinner no matter the price, but can you believe it - it was $5.00 Tuesday!  Haha!  All of their entrees were $5, plus $1 for an enchilada style burrito, so our total there was $11.99.  Cracked us up.

After dinner we headed home, and stopped at Baskin Robbins for Ben's free birthday scoop (sign up via email).  It was dollar night there, so my ice cream was cheap, but I paid with a gift card so our grand total was $0.00!  Such a funny day.

With other coupons that are good for more than just your actual birthday, Ben still has a free sandwich and drink from Jersey Mike's, a free burger from Red Robin, and a BOGO from Coldstone (that's the one I'm most excited about)!  He cracks me up!

Then we opened presents.  I bought Ben a new waffle iron . . with a gift card - haha!

~*~*~*~

In other news, Ben has been working SO hard at school and at networking/recruiting these first two quarters and has secured himself an awesome internship for the summer!  I am so proud of him.

As soon as he finishes third quarter finals in June, we are off to Minneapolis, Minnesota for a marketing internship with General Mills!

Baby Timeline, Part 3

January 5th: I have my very own baby shower with wonderful friends in Walnut Creek!

January 7th: We buy a baby glider from a family in our apartment complex!  Jamin & Anne sent us this sweet, sweet blanket!

January 12th: I begin being see for my OB care at a new office under our Medi-Cal coverage.  It's not going to be Dr. Murphy, but they have a lot of resources, and I had to file a special medical exemption to be seen here!  It is the Medi-Cal clinic run by UCLA so each appointment will begin with being seen by an OB resident at UCLA and will end with being seen by whichever UCLA OBGYN is the attending physician at the clinic that day.  At my intake appointment, I register for the hospital, I'm set up with a dietitian and a social worker, I have the option to attend a class on proper car seat installation and usage, and I'm given access to lots of materials and a website to take classes on childbirth, breastfeeding, and other relevant topics.  I will have my first medical check-up later in the month.

January 18th: Twenty-four weeks pregnant.

January 20th: Baby loves the Giants!

January 21st: I have my appointment with the dietitian and we check my weight . . at 24 weeks 3 days pregnant, I have finally reached my pre-pregnancy weight!  Now it's time to gain, gain, gain!  The dietitian wants me to eat spinach, salmon, and beans, but I'd prefer that Ben & Jerry's!  I'll compromise and do both.  ;)

January 28th: I had my first OB appointment at the Medi-Cal clinic.  (A week later and I hadn't gained a single pound!)  I am going to a clinic that is run by UCLA and that will allow me to still give birth at the UCLA hospital, which I am so grateful for.  But, being seen at a clinic is very different.  I'll see a different OB resident and physician for each appointment and this is hard because this pregnancy hasn't exactly been ordinary.  Every time I go (and every time I call with a question) I have to explain my entire pregnancy to whomever I talk to.  The doctor that I saw for this first appointment was fine, but it was very frustrating to me that she wanted to switch up my entire medicine routine and I left with 5 new prescriptions.  I was just like "I'm 25 weeks pregnant now.  I tried every medicine available within the first 10 weeks.  I've got my routine.  Please let me keep it!  Let's not rock the boat."

January 29th: I have my first appointment with a new Primary Care Physician.  She actually came to me recommended by Dr. Murphy last quarter and she works at a UCLA Family clinic that takes Medi-Cal - what a blessing!  She was wonderful and I'm so grateful for this added care that can be more consistent.  She spent almost a full hour with me discussing all of my concerns and really learning about me and my situation.  Awesome.

January 30th: Glucose Tolerance Test!  I drank 75 mg of "orange" flavored pure sugar in 3 minutes and had my blood drawn 3 times.  Not my idea of a great morning, but I passed with flying colors!

February 7th-8th: Ugh!  What a long night!  And nothing was even wrong!  I was having some pretty intense chest pains Saturday night, intense enough that I couldn't focus on the latest episode of Downton Abbey we were trying to watch.  The pain was in my chest, shoulders, upper back, and jaw . . so we called Labor & Delivery and they directed me to come in to the ER right away.  So we did.  That was around 10 PM . . and we didn't leave until 11 AM the next day!  No sleep!  We were delirious!  The doctors ran lots of tests - blood work, EKG, leg ultrasounds to check for blood clots, chest X-Rays to check my heart size, and a VQ scan of my lungs to check for blood clots there.  They didn't find anything, which means they ruled out anything dangerous, and the pain was probably some weird pregnancy thing.  I probably just ate too much!  Ahh, me.  It was definitely a night to remember . . my favorite part being somewhere around 6 AM and offering half of my tiny little cot to Ben so we could try to sleep.  We didn't fit facing forward, so we tried to spoon, and that just turned into a hilarious fit of hysterical giggles.  And then the doctor came back in.  It was a long night with lots of waiting in between every test, but we are grateful that everything checked out just fine!  An OB nurse came down as well to do a non-stress test on the babe and his heartbeat was textbook perfect!  What a champ.  The monitor picked up some tiny contractions on me, but nothing too serious, and probably just from dehydration.  We are grateful for good medical care!  And a comfy bed at home.  :)

February 11th: I had another OB appointment today at 27 weeks 4 days pregnant.  It looks like I'm on an every-other-week schedule now.  Since my last appointment, I've gained 0.2 pounds.  Are you joking me?!  I feel like I eat so much!  So I'm basically going in to my 3rd trimester this weekend at my pre-pregnancy weight.  Crazy.  The appointment went well . . my fundal height is actually measuring right on (1/2 a centimeter ahead!) so the doctor wasn't too concerned about Baby's growth, and his heartbeat was great!  She prescribed yet another new medication to hopefully give me more help with some of the less comfortable side effects of Zofran.  At my next appointment we will *probably* do an ultrasound.  Dr. Murphy had put in my charts to do an anatomy re-scan around 30 weeks to check on Baby's renal pyelectasis (dilated kidneys) and EIF (calcium spot on heart).  I'm very curious to see if they have resolved themselves.  She said that she would also do a growth scan to check Babe's growth because I am so small.  Back again in 2 weeks!

February 13th: Oh wait, we liked being at the hospital last weekend?  Let's go back.  I was feeling cramps all day long so I finally decided to call Labor & Delivery at 9 PM (Ben's favorite time!).  Luckily we were only there for about 2 hours this time.  Going to L&D is so much nicer than going to the ER.  They did actually pick up small contractions, but it wasn't like preterm labor or anything.  I need to be sure to hydrate and keep my bladder empty (ahhh, the never ending cycle) and maybe take it a little easier.  They also checked Baby (looking great) and ran several other tests on me which I will hear back about in the next few days if there was anything off.  We are hoping to not make a visit to the hospital a weekly tradition.  :)

February 14th: After our Valentine's dinner date Ben suggested that we check out Old Navy for maternity clothes - it's starting to be a necessity!  I didn't have much luck last time I went, but I suppose that's because I never actually found the teeny tiny maternity section.  We scored big this time and wow! what a difference real maternity clothing makes!

February 15th: I am 28 weeks pregnant and the 3rd trimester begins!

Walnut Creek Baby Shower

Last weekend we had the opportunity for a short little trip up to Merced for a couple of days and then to Walnut Creek, our old stomping grounds!  It was awesome to be home (real home) and "home" (what feels like home to Ben & I as a couple).  Ben had a Day-On-the-Job with a company he is interested in working for, so that's what took us up there, and all my girlfriends from our old ward hosted a baby shower for me while we were there!  It was a delight and so fun to see everyone.  It was also really special to celebrate with the women who surrounded me during our journey to this pregnancy.  I could tell that everyone was genuinely so happy for me and I felt so loved!  Shelley hosted the shower at her home, and I totally did not expect any decor at all with the shower being so soon after the Christmas holidays, but of course she went above and beyond!  Many, many thanks to hostesses Shelley, Aubrey, & Kaylee.

Entryway - 

Refreshment table sans refreshments - 

Mantle - 

Shelley made this and it was part of my gift from her . . I adore it and it's now displayed in our living room.

So many women came.  It was just so nice of them to make the effort to be there and it was a special, special night for me!  I honestly couldn't believe that it was for me.

Some ladies I used to work with even came.

And of course we had to take a picture as a "Relief Society Presidency."  I know that we will be friends forever.

So much love in that house and my heart is so, so grateful!

~ ~ ~

Of course, when in Walnut Creek, we had to eat at our most favorite places!  Love me some Zachary's Chicago Pizza and The Olde San Francisco Creamery!  ;)