Scrambled Eggs and Such

I am torn, part of me really wants to keep up this blog, and another part of me feels I might just have to let it go.  Motherhood keeps me so busy that I feel like I can't give the time and proper attention to this writing thing.  However, I love to write, it's therapeutic for me and I want Emma to be able to go back and read my writings one day. So, while it might be sporadic, I'm going to get to it when I can!

Since going back to work, Emma has adjusted to her new school very well, and I'm so glad that every morning when I leave her she is full of smiles and giggles.  Her school is so impressive, and while it pulls at my heart to have her there all day, I am certain we made the right decision on where to put her.  At the end of every day we get an email update telling us all the different skills and activities she is working on developing.  The list is extensive, and being an educator myself I know it is all helping to develop her brain.  We're not talking just playing, they actually have planned lessons and activities in the infant room, yes, the infants are doing things like learning to communicate their wants and needs, learning to share with others, and learning to create masterpieces.  This month the theme is Community Helpers.  They posed each infant as a different community helper for pictures, and every day the books they read, songs they sing, and art they create revolves around a different helper.  Because I'm an educator, I know how important all of these things are, and I see the difference in kids at schools.  It's the difference between children who are spoken to, read to, loved, and involved than it is daycare or not.  I think about where education has been, the changes taking place right now, and wonder what it will be like in 4-5 years when Emma is in elementary school. Back to what Wonder Girl has done in school.  Yesterday she brought home one of her first "masterpieces"!  And yes, it will be displayed!  They were learning about chefs, which is what she posed as in her picture, (perfect since her mommy loves to cook!), and then for creative art they pretended to be chefs and make scrambled eggs. I love it!

Reality Continues to Sink In

It has been quite an emotional couple of days around here.  The reality that I have to go back to work has sunk in, and the thought of parting with my Emma Bug every morning is a bit torturous. (Is that a word?)  I know it will be okay, parents entrust their children in day cares and schools ALL. THE. TIME. Seriously, I'm a teacher, I've been the person with whom parents have entrusted their children!  This shouldn't be difficult.  I rationally know that it will be okay and that she is going to love her school, teachers, and little friends she will make, so why do I keep feeling sad?  Don't answer that.

I just need to remember this, Genesis 31:49b "May the Lord keep watch between you and me when we are away from each other." 

Over the weekend I was like a scheduling nazi, trying to decide the best schedule for her to get on... well, by the end of the weekend and several pieces of advice I let go of that!  Thank Goodness, I was not only driving myself crazy, confusing the heck out of Wonder Girl, but I think Kevin was ready to trade me in!  I just continue to pray that one day soon, we will get a full night of sleep, everyone needs it.  Even the dog!

Today I dropped off all of Emma's necessary belongings at her school. The teachers are so sweet and the other little ones in the room took to Emma  immediately. Thankfully today she was awake when we went so she could get a glimpse of her classroom and her new environment. Tomorrow is the test day... I have a hair appointment and so Emma will be doing a little trial time in her new environment.  Yes, I could've done it on a day when I could just come home and sleep, or get stuff done around the house, but honestly, that would not be so good for me.  I need to do it on a day when I have something else distracting me. It would seem weird to be at home nowadays without her!

Who wouldn't miss this?

Reality is Sinking In

Yesterday afternoon, our last out of town visitor left.  We have enjoyed all of our special guests who have traveled across, up, and down this country to come see Wonder Girl.  There is nothing sweeter than Grandmas and Aunts making special memories with a little girl.  Not only have our guests shared special time bonding with Emma, but they were so  helpful to me as they cooked, washed dishes, watched over laundry, and took care of Emma to give this very tired new mommy some extra rest!  We sure are going to miss that around here!  But as all good things come to an end, we will find our own groove and get into it as a family.

Speaking of finding and getting into a groove, I feel like the schedule nazi lately as I'm trying so hard to find a good schedule for Emma to be on so once she begins daycare in less than two short weeks, it won't come as a shock to any of us.  Yes, I read Babywise, and while we've tried to do most of what it says, this little girl changes her schedule about once a week so then we try to find something else that works.  While I thrive on routines and schedules, I also try to be flexible.There are things that I have to take into consideration while establishing a schedule for the little lady, such as her prematurity and travel times to and from the daycare in the mornings and evenings.  While the pediatrician has assured me she will catch up developmentally with her peers, she is still considered a preemie and I've been advised to keep her on a 3-4 hour feeding schedule.  Well, when you consider it takes her just about an hour to eat, burp, and stay upright to digest (we don't like reflux here), that leaves you a short window of time before the next feeding is scheduled to begin.  She recently has stretched herself a few nights for 5 hours, and I think that is a sign of progress, however, I am waiting until our next pediatrician visit to ask if we can do so more regularly at night. That would really help everyone around here when I return to work.

Another topic on my mind lately, returning to work.... sigh!  When Kevin and I first talked about having a family, we initially always thought I would stay home, however things change.  I'm going back to work... for now. I've already had nightmares about not being able to get to the daycare to pick Emma up at the end of the day, and nightmares about bursting into tears at work because I miss her so much!   I just keep telling myself that people work and raise families all the time, and I need to let the small stuff go. Do you think lack of sleep has anything to do with this??? Probably.  

I wouldn't trade this time I've had at home with the little lady for what will be a total of 3 months. As my maternity leave is quickly coming to an end, I am savoring every moment and trying to capture as many pictures and videos of her as I can because I know it will never be the same. She will never be the same. She will always be my EmmaBug though!!!

Random Update

I am really trying to keep up with this blog, and I love to write, but these days when presented with the options to take a nap, fold laundry, wash bottles, blog, or watch mindless episodes of Lipstick Jungle, it is a tough choice!  So, I'm trying to balance everything and do a little bit of each when I can. It has been a very busy few weeks around here, then again, it's been very busy ever since Wonder Girl arrived!
The little lady just hit the 9 week mark, and she is growing and changing right before our eyes!  Two weeks ago we were in the doctor's office for minor things when her weight tipped the scales one day at 8.5 lbs, and a few days later she tipped it at 9 lbs. Her length has stretched to 20.5 inches! This past week she had two doctor's appointments, one was a follow up with the Hematologist for her Hemangiomas on her liver, the other just a weight check at the pediatrician.  She tipped the scale at over 10 pounds!!! It shouldn't come as a surprise, she eats like a champ after all, but it's hard to believe that she has doubled her birth weight in just a little over 2 months. She is doing great health-wise, and we hope this trend continues.

This past week we had a very special visitor... Aunt Heidi came for the entire week!  It was much more fun to hang out with her and go places with her rather than spend our days in the hospital like we did when she was here in June!  While it was exciting to have her here for Emma's birth, this visit was all fun and games so to speak!  It was so much fun to see my sister interact with Emma!  My sister never was a big babysitter, or kid person (she likes them, but never really hands on the way I always have been), and so this was so much fun to see her be so hands on with Emma! While she was here, the three of us went out to lunch, relaxed around the house, enjoyed wine on the deck, and we ended her stay with us celebrating her birthday!  This year is a BIG one for my sister and the thought of not celebrating with her was killing me, so when she text me that she wanted to come visit, I was thrilled that we would, afterall, be able to celebrate her birthday with her.  We took her wine tasting in North Carolina and out to dinner for some modern Southern food.

Sisters!

Aunt Heidi and her Emma Doodle

Coming up this next week we have another special visitor coming... my Aunt Niki, who has been a special aunt to me all my life, so now Wonder Girl will meet her Great Aunt as well!

It makes me sad to think that in a few short weeks I will have to return to work and Wonder Girl will have to go to daycare.  :(  I love my job and the people I work with, however I'm going to miss my lunch dates out with the little lady, slow mornings sipping on coffee, and afternoon Tummy Time and stories.

One Day at a Time

 I continue to learn and be amazed at Emma's growth and development everyday.  She just passed the 6 week mark and while there are days I worry she's not growing and developing "normally", there are also days that I look at her and think she's a lady ahead of her time! Here's a brief update of what she's been up to the last couple of weeks.

Emma meeting her great grandfather, also known as BOP.  Bop is 98 years old and he just stopped in on his way from New York back to Florida! 

Morning naptime in our house isn't just for Emma.

All tuckered out after smiling for the camera with her professional photo session.

Emma meeting her Grandma Margaret Ann from California.

Her first "fast food" experience was taking her bottle in the backseat of the car while Mommy had to run several errands. It was a Happy Meal!

This little lady continues to capture the heart of everyone who meets her, and she fills my heart with great joy and gratitude everyday!  

What I've Learned in a Week

These days I have a plethora of topics I want to write about; motherhood, sleep ( or lack there of), Emma's daily signs of growth, caring for a premature baby, and the list continues. However,  I only have time to write a little, so I'm going to attempt to combine some of these topics in What I've Learned In a Week!

I love to learn new things, and I'm usually pretty proactive about learning on my own, however when Emma arrived early, I really didn't have any time to "learn" about the days ahead.  While I was pregnant I did read some books, but I was reading to learn about what was going on inside my body with that sweet little girl, not what would happen once she arrived.  Mistake #1.  If you are pregnant or plan to become so, I would encourage you to skip ahead and read about life after delivery too!  So here are some things I've learned in a week... some this week, last week, and two weeks ago!

1. Mother's Instinct is serious. Trust it.
2. More babies are born premature than you hear about.
3. The hospital should give you some education about premature babies and what to expect.  Not just have you watch the video on back sleeping and purple cry.
4. Doctors don't always have answers, but they will do as many procedures as they can to find one.
5. Breastfeeding is not my thing.
6. Hemangiomas are totally common, just this week I learned 2 of my friends' babies had them. (Thanks for scaring me Doc!)
7. I like and need routine and structure in my days.  Trying to get a newborn on one is hard work when you don't know what day of the week it is and what time it is.
8. Babies can get over-scheduled, even though all they do is sleep through an activity.
9. I was wrong about not wanting some of the items in the Baby Store, I now see how some of these things are helpful. (Not that I've run out to buy any of them though.)
10. I miss DirectTV only for the Today Show and news in the mornings.  (We got rid of it and installed a Roku device about a month ago. I don't watch much TV these days, never really have, but I do miss some news with my coffee in the morning. I feel very out of touch with what's going on in the world. Guess I will need to find time to look it up on line.)

And last but not least, I have learned each week that my love for Emma and Kevin grows stronger everyday. Each day Kevin shows me a side of him I've yet to see, and I see Emma change right before my eyes. Our life was really good before, and nobody could've told me it could be better. But it is!

Look Who's 1 Month Old Today!

While the past month has been a blur and a blessing, I don't have time to recap the whole month right now.  I couldn't let today pass without acknowledging the fact that ELH is one month old today!  Here are a few pictures that capture just how busy this little lady has been as well as her parents.

Mommy and Emma meet in the NICU

Aunt Heidi gives Emma her first pieces of life advice!

Emma is getting tight with Daddy already!

Watching the monitors in the Progressive Nursery kept us alert!

Molson waiting patiently for Emma to come home!

Emma flashes Aunt Heidi the signal to stop taking so many pictures.

Homecoming Day

Sleeping peacefully in her new home.

Admiring how much she's grown.

Celebrating our 5th Wedding Anniversary with a special delivery!

Taking Grandma out to dinner!

Just a smile and a wave!

Happy Little Patient at the hospital, but we hope we don't do that again!

4 weeks old.

One day I will find the time to sit down and post a more thorough update, but for now these pictures are worth more than a thousand words that I could use to describe how happy we are that this little lady has blessed our family and our home.
We love you to the moon and back Emma!

Homecoming

It took me almost two weeks to get that last post about E's arrival written, so I should probably get one or two more done while I can to get you caught up to speed.  Her birthday was just the beginning of a life I once had only dreamed of.  And now my real life has one more component, life as a mom!
The first week of her life and ours as parents was full of excitement, love and anxiety as we went to go see her in the NICU each day.  The first time we asked, "How long do you think she'll be in here?" we got the standard answer, "Until your due date."  What????? Are you kidding me, you want me to leave my baby here for 6 weeks?  I knew we had to do what was best for E's health and safety, but I had a very hard time believing that this little lady that  my sister nicknamed Wonder Girl would need to stay that long.  Every nurse and doctor in the NICU said what an amazing little girl she was and they were all in love with her. I secretly think they wanted to keep her for 6 weeks so they could enjoy her for that long, not because she needed to stay that long! :) But everyday we went to see her we continued to get good news and hear how great she was doing, she was the biggest and healthiest baby in that NICU.  Which I felt incredibly blessed when I saw her neighbors that only weighed alittle over a pound and were born somewhere around 24-28 weeks. A.M.A.Z.I.N.G.  is all I can say.  The emotions I felt for the next 4 days cannot be described.
I was getting discharged on my 4th day in the hospital, and as soon as we "checked out" of our room at CMC we went down to the NICU where we were greeted by E's nurse who delivered wonderful news, E was being transferred to the Progressive Neonatal Nursery!

Hanging with Aunt HK in the Progressive Nursery

 That meant she was one step closer to coming home, although I knew it wouldn't be that day with us. The next 3 days we traveled back and forth from home to the hospital, each day they'd tell us she was coming home soon.  My sister left on Friday, which was so sad, for her and us.  But the next day, one week after she was born,  we were told Wonder Girl was being discharged!

We're Going Home!!!!

She's Here!

June was an exceptionally BUSY month and it ended on a high note!  While I wasn't due to deliver our baby girl until August, she decided she just couldn't wait any longer to make her appearance!  Here's how it went down.
Saturday, June 29, 2013 I woke up at about 8:20am, ready to accomplish many things on my long to do list: get the car washed, get a pedicure, wash more baby clothes and put away more gifts, finish my thank you notes from my baby shower, and the list goes on and on.  And then pick up my sister from the airport that afternoon as she was coming for a short visit.  Our plans involved shopping for the baby, getting massages, and hanging out, it had been a year since we'd seen one another so this visit was so exciting.  Well, those plans all changed when I came back from the bathroom that morning... Me: "Kevin, I think my water just broke!"  Kevin still sleepy: "What? What do you mean?"  Me: "Well, I don't think I'm still supposed to be gushing fluid after I just peed."  ( I know, TMI, but you know that's true!)  I called my doctor's office, spoke with the nurse very calmly, and waited for a call back from her with further instructions.  When she called back her instructions were this; "Get yourselves together and go ahead to the hospital, Dr. James will meet you there, and they'll be ready for you when you get there."  My initial reaction was to gather up some belongings, say clothes, etc. but then I thought, ' I've got 6 more weeks until I'm due, I'm sure they're just going to send us home."  So, I told Kevin to go ahead and take a shower, I put on some clothes, we ate some breakfast and we were off to the hospital.
Upon arrival, I was checked into Labor and Delivery, by the nicest nurses I'll mention!  A few moments later the doctor arrived to assess the situation and sure enough, without any hesitation, he said, "Yep, your water broke! You're 4 centimeters along. My recommendation is to go ahead and deliver the baby, the risks of delivering at 34 weeks are far less than the risk of keeping you pregnant."
Without hesitation Kevin and I began calling family and friends to let them know the exciting and surprise news!  The nurse came in and had me fill out some paper work and then things began to move VERY
quickly.  Because I was only 34 weeks and 3 days along, I hadn't yet had the Strep B test, so the first IV was for penicillin, and then the next order was to start Pintocin at about 1:30  in the afternoon to get labor moving along.  My thoughts at this moment: "Great! I just need to get a hold of my sister who is on a plane to let her know I won't be there to pick her up!"  Let me just add here that my Type A personality was completely thrown out the door and I was so relaxed and easy going about this whole day that I felt like I'd been taken out of my own mind!  Kevin called the only family we have locally, his cousin Meghan and asked for two very big favors... 1) Can you go get Molson from our house and keep him for a few days? and 2) Can you go pick up Kristen's sister at the airport around 3:30 this afternoon?  Thank GOD for Meghan and Frank, because we hadn't even made arrangements for the dog yet, and while my sister could've cabbed it from the airport to the hospital, it was better to have a friendly face to greet her with this exciting news!
Fast forward a few hours... my sister arrived at the hospital elated and shocked as she got my text greeting her as she got off the plane to let her know her niece couldn't wait to meet her! The rest of the afternoon was pretty uneventful, as every time the doctor came to check me, I wasn't any further along, and they cranked up the Pintocin full blast.  So needless to say at 9pm on June 29th (yes, we're still on the same day here.) the doctor came to check me again, and to no avail I had not made any progress, so a C-Section was the final decision.  Let me mention again how I shocked myself with how calm and relaxed I was about everything ( and, no there had been no pain medicine in me). So once again, Kevin got on the horn to let everyone know the next steps.
At 10:24pm, Emma Lawrence Hahn graced us with her presence with all her fingers, all her toes, and a set of lungs to let us know she was okay!  For 6 weeks premature, she was a healthy 5lbs. 3 oz. and 18 inches long. Kevin got a quick peek before the NICU team whisked her away.

This was the first time I held her the next day. 

R & R at the Lake

I could attempt to catch you up from months ago... I don't even remember my last post, but then I thought, nonsense, let's just start from more recent happenings.  Last weekend Kevin and I (and Molson, of course) had the pleasure to hang out with some friends at their lake house on High Rock Lake in NC.  It's absolutely beautiful there, and not nearly as populated or commercialized as Lake Norman and Lake Wylie which are close to us. Having gotten comfortable in my maternity swimsuit the weekend prior at a Memorial Day pool party, I wasn't the least bit shy about sitting on the deck all weekend and just chillin'.  Our friends have 2 black lab pups so Molson made some new friends, which was great.  They wore each other out and everyone slept like babes for 2 straight nights!  Ahh, yes, I'm still treasuring every bit of sound sleep I can get these days because I know in a few short weeks, it will be merely a dream!
Here are some pictures with highlights from our fantastic weekend at the lake!

View from the deck

Molson's first boat ride

He really wanted to go for a swim

Lady Liberty on the lake!

Relaxed and enjoying life!

This was the perfect, relaxing weekend before a busy week at work and the weeks ahead making final preparations for our baby girl to arrive!

It's A...

GIRL!!!! Much to my surprise, but not to Kevin's we are expecting a baby girl in August!  We are thrilled, over the moon, and slightly overwhelmed.  In my last post I mentioned that I had to bring the ultrasound pictures revealing the gender home in a sealed envelope.  Upon opening that envelope I handed Kevin a picture, as well as had a copy  to look at for myself.  The problem was, I had NO idea what I was looking at!!! Kevin blurted out, "Its' a girl!" and I responded, "How can you tell?"  The word "Girl" was typed on the picture, Duh! I debated for a short minute as to do something creative and cute to reveal the gender to our families, or just call them.  I've seen all the hype on Pinterest about gender reveal parties, photos, etc., but after the two weeks we had just endured, I decided my creative juices were dry, so we opted for phone calls and Face Time. Needless to say the families are just as excited as we are, a few of them even might be slightly more. (for example, my sister who loves to shop!)  I don't think two minutes has passed and we received a dress in the mail from my mom!

Now the fun begins with planning things such as the nursery and names.  The room for the nursery doesn't have much in it besides a bed, so no big deal there, we did manage to empty out the closet in that room, and refill it with all of the wonderful baby items we've been handed down from friends near and far.  (Which I'm eternally grateful for!)  Names on the other hand are a bit more of a challenge to tackle.  Did I mention that we've always known what we would name a boy?  Unfortunately there is no way to take that idea and make it into a girl's name, so we are starting from scratch.  We've managed to  go through a loooong list of girl names only to still not have decided on one.  I'm not concerned, we have plenty of time, however now that we know she's a girl, it would be nice to refer to her by a name other than, baby girl or our daughter!  I'm sure we'll find a few we like and narrow it down, and pick the perfect name by the time she arrives in August.  Does anyone else out there feel like it's a lot of pressure to name someone for the rest of their life?

Yesterday we decided to venture out to the baby stores just to take a peek at things and begin thinking about a baby registry. OVERWHELMING!!!! Two things are very clear... 1) Why didn't I think of some of this random stuff that people spend way too much money on? and 2) Babies really do NOT need ALL of the random stuff displayed in cute little packages!  Needless to say we did some price comparisons at two major stores on larger items, only to come home and find them much more reasonably priced on Amazon.  Who knew you could create a baby registry on Amazon?  Well, now you know and I would encourage you to at least go there for larger ticket items because it's a significant difference!  Seeing how our families will have to ship items anyway, Amazon seems like the better option for us, at least for major things!  One other tidbit about going to these stores, while there were plenty of "sales" people around, they were not the slightest bit helpful! I had a rough idea of "What to register for", however there are so many different kinds, sizes, etc. in things that it's overwhelming to decide what you truly need and what you don't!  Once again, I was grateful for my friends who have recently had babies before me to help me figure this all out!  It's not rocket science, however I don't want to buy unnecessary things, and I certainly don't want to get home with that baby and have to send Kevin out looking for something we need!

Learning to Roll with It

"Do what you can, with what you have, where you are." These words by Theodore Roosevelt have been my mantra for the past few weeks.  It has been a crazy two weeks of unexpected hiccups, as well as some unexpected gifts.  Let me begin with backing up two weeks ago when we took our Maternity Ward tour at the hospital where our sweet little angel will be born this summer.  I am not a fan of hospitals (not sure who is, but I'm definitely not) so I was a little apprehensive.  Sometimes, I think it's best to go in blindly when you can't turn away, and at other times, I think it's good to have an idea of what you're in for.  This, childbirth, is one of those times I feel like a little preview of what to expect might be good.  We made a mid-morning date out of the whole thing by going on the tour, and then going out for a delicious brunch!  Surprisingly, the tour was not as overwhelming as I had conjured it up to be in my head.  Whew! The hospital is nice, the labor and delivery rooms are up to date, and I feel pretty comfortable with having to spend a mere 36 hours there when the time comes!  I will do what I can, with what I have, where I am.
The following day upon waking for another work week to begin, the hubs woke up not feeling so well. I wasn't too concerned, as I know plenty of germs are cultivating these days, and our weather pattern, or lack of has not helped these germs.  If you know my husband, he does not get sick, and he surely never stays home from work.  Well, let's just say, whatever this was, put him in the bed for five, FIVE, straight days and then some.  The first trip to the doc, he was told it was just a severe chest cold.  Um, I'm no doctor, but I've had chest colds, and they don't keep you in bed for 5 days, once you get up, take a hot shower, you're good to move about the day fairly well.  This is when I had to repeat the words, "Do what you can, with what you have, where you are." to myself several many times throughout the days.  Coming home to find the love of my life still feeling yucky just wasn't setting well with me.  Poor guy was up all night coughing, hence getting no rest, hence not getting well. Finally, the following Monday he returned to work, only to land himself back at the doctor again a day later.  This time, they gave him the diagnosis of RSV, really? I thought only babies got RSV, apparently not!  Well, needless to say, for the first week Kevin was home with this gunk, I felt fine,  kept knockin' on wood, that I had missed being contaminated.  Unfortunately, I think I've been hit!  Not too bad, but enough to want to drain my head.
All this time while my hubby was sick in bed, I was running around with work, grad school assignments, and trying to keep the house clean and disinfected.  Then one night while sleeping oh so lightly, (which I am not a light sleeper), the dog awoke us by ringing his bell to go out.  The saying, " when it rains, it pours" rings true as the dog was now sick to his stomach!!!  For two nights, I believe the good Lord was trying to give us a taste of what waking every 2 hours would be like, because that's how often the dog had to go outside in the middle of the night.  I pray to be given the strength to get through the days when I am sleep deprived because I do not function well on little sound sleep.  Okay, let's wrap this up... so needless to say, my bedside manner has been tested, and the hubby and dog are back on the road to good health.  The dog has pretty much gotten back to normal and the hubby is slowly but surely getting there, while I'm hopefully also getting rid of this junk!
Unexpected gifts during this time have been the sunshine through the gray skies. While hubby was sick in bed  one Friday morning, I proceeded to the doctor for my second trimester Comprehensive Ultrasound.Can we say overwhelming on soooo many levels?  First of all, going by myself was nerve-racking because I knew Kevin would have gone had he been well.  Secondly, meeting with a genetic counselor before the ultrasound and having to answer all kinds of questions that I'm not 100% certain I knew all of the answers to, I seriously almost burst into tears. Not to mention the fact that I was reminded of my ADVANCED MATERNAL AGE by being offered more screenings and tests, which I declined.  But I managed to pull myself together! And then, the ultrasound... WOW!!!! What a miraculous experience to barely be showing, but when you get to see inside your belly, and realize that life is growing inside you AND all the important organs are functioning properly!!! I really do try not to let my previous experience with a miscarriage suck my excitement and hope for this pregnancy out of me, but I will admit that I get nervous every time I'm headed to the doctor, and sometimes I have to tell myself to keep breathing when they put that ultrasound or doppler on my belly. While I got to experience this wonderful gift of seeing our baby, I feel sad that Kevin did not. Since this was the day we were going to find out the gender of the baby, it was a little disappointing to have to close my eyes and wait until I got home from work that night to find out.  I asked the US technician to put the gender in a sealed envelope, and I slipped it away in my purse and went about my workday.  Stay tuned, I'll reveal in another post....

Birthday Celebration 2013

February 27th is a very special day in our house, not because it's my birthday, but because it also happens to be my hubby's birthday!  I know what you're thinking, but we did not time this pregnancy to add another birthday on February 27th!  Two is enough!  It can be challenging to celebrate both birthdays because I like presents and to take a little trip, and well, so does Kevin, so it can be overwhelming to choose sometimes.  This year we decided to go to Ashville, North Carolina for the weekend.  We've been several times before, but only for a day trip to the Biltmore House. Ashville has so much more to offer than just the Biltmore, although that is pretty impressive.  Kevin being the beer connosiuer that he is really wanted to explore the local craft brews of Ashville, and well, I said I'd be his designated driver and beautiful company since I'm not beer tasting these days.  I was very excited about the local food spots we had to choose from, and what pregnant woman doesn't want to eat?  Our original pick for a lunch spot upon arriving in Ashville, Roman's Sandwich Shop was closed that weekend, so we opted for what we found nearby, as it was getting to the point, I HAD  to eat!  But after that we walked around the Old Grove Arcade and downtown area, peaking in local shops, taking in scenery, and a little visit to Chocolate Fetish.  I was tame, I only had 1 dark chocolate salted caramel...the entire weekend. I didn't even buy any for the trip home!  Impressive, isn't it?  Then we ventured down to the Ashville Brewing Company.

This is where things got a little interesting.  While Kevin tried several of the local brews there, we also spotted a cute little couple walking their pig!  A PIG ON A LEASH! Good thing they came back down the street, because it was just too interesting not to talk to them.  I wasn't alone, several of the patrons in the bar went outside to take pictures and find out about this domesticated animal. Just so you know, it's name was Porkchop, she was about a year old, and yes, she is housebroken... in a litter box!

For dinner, we chose  to try Lab, also known as Lexington Avenue Brewery.  Wow!  I don't know about the beer, Kevin does though, but we started by ordering two appetizers, and that pretty much satisfied us for the night.  The atmosphere was very cool, industrial almost, dark and cozy, bar height tables, and seats around the bar, as well as small patio out front.  It was quite crowded so we opted for two seats off the side of the bar, but the service was not compromised!  Kevin ordered a tasting flight to start, and our apps consisted of Soft Pretzels with cheese and mustard dipping sauce, and a flatbread covered with honey scented ricotta, spinach, prosciutto, and figs!  YUMMO is all I can say!  Both were delicious and as I said, other than a side salad a little later, that was enough food for us! I would definitely recommend this place, and we plan to go back again when we are in Ashville. 

Sunday morning we went to brunch at Curate, a recommendation from a friend, and all I can say is muy bueno!  Curate is a tapas restaurant that serves up tons of little plate delights.  We decided to start on their special brunch menu, Kevin ordered the huevos rotos con jamon iberico fermin... this... it was a delicious little bowl of crispy fried potatoes, iberico ham, all topped by a fried egg! When he poked into the egg, the yolk dripped out, softening the crispy potato chips, and then when tossed together you got a mouthful of wonderful in each bite!

I started with the torrijas, a sweet spanish french toast dish made of challah bread that had been soaked in a citrus cinnamon custard, served with a side of fresh berries and sherry sabayon.  Until recently, I had no idea what a sabayon was, but when it was served alongside this french toast, it was a light creamy mousse-like mixture that was delicious with every bite of the french toast!  I literally wanted to lick my plate on this one! 

Tapas are such small plates that we didn't stop there, but Kevin isn't too adventurous when it comes to these things, so while I could have ordered anything off that menu, we opted to share our next small plate, which was a simple, but delicious toasted artisan bread topped with completely pulped tomatoes and Manchego cheese.  If you look at that, it's like Kevin thought he was getting pizza at the tapas joint! Again, not only was this place a hit with the food, but the atmosphere was simple, rustic, and classy! Another place I can't wait to go back to when visiting Ashville.

All of that was just the birthday celebration over the weekend!  Later in the week, on our actual birthday we tried a new little place in Fort Mill for dinner. I will save that for another post, but in the meantime, wipe that drool off your chin!

Yes, I'm Still Here

I know, I know, it's been eons since I last blogged, but I thought it was time to let you all know, that yes, while you think I fell off the planet, I am actually still here!  My real life has been pretty normal and uneventful these past few months.  Well, maybe not completely, but I've been laying low until a few weeks ago.  Anyone want to take a guess at why I've been laying low?  Work? Graduate School? Well, yes, those two things have taken up quite a bit of my time and energy, and by the time I'm finished with those responsibilities my energy is sapped. Normally, Winter seems to take me straight to the couch, but this year, it's been more than the cold, dreary days of winter that has me wanting to cuddle up and slip into a deep slumber.  I have come to the realization that my oh so sacred sleep is forever changed.  But, Kevin and I are ecstatic for the reasons why.  Yep, that's right people, because the two of us are just not enough with our playful golden retriever, there's a new kid coming to town!!!!!! While I will spare you details, we are happy to report that we are welcoming a new little bundle of joy in August this year!  So far, so good, I'm 15 weeks along and everything seems to be going smoothly. I'm a pretty private individual, I don't require any spotlight, so it's taken me awhile to let the cat out of the bag so to speak, but it's a blessing to know how many people are happy and excited for us! I am forever grateful to my friends and family who have continued to keep us in their prayers. So, while the topics of conversation might change slightly, this is still My Real Life!