We had a big day today! Finn has added to his collection of baby tricks, and has rolled from his belly to his back for the first time ever! I made him do it a couple of times to make sure it wasn't a fluke, and he pulled it off 4 times. I thought that was enough to prove that he has reached this milestone, plus he was starting to get ticked off that I kept putting him on his stomach (he really doesn't like it, so I am guessing this was good reason that he was rolling back to his back).
The past month has been full of lots of visits. Pat was unable to make the trip across the pond due to Mel having a few medical issues. He is now on the mend and we are hoping to see Pat early next year. Finn has had the chance to meet lots of new friends, and he is quickly becoming a very social little boy. He is also growing super quick and has outgrown all of his 3 month clothes and is now in his 6 month stuff. The scale showed 14lbs, when I weighed him the other day! It is crazy!
Outside of our regular schedule of work (either at Synopsys or at home with diaper/nappy changes and feedings) we are just getting ready for the holidays. Finn's passport has just arrived and he is now ready to be a globetrotting fellow. His first trip out of country will be to Whistler, Canada for New Years. Should be a great time.
We are getting ready for ski season and Finn will have his first 'run' next week (weather permitting). We will strap him in a pack and go. He will be bundled up in his down snow suit. Mick will also have his first 'run' on his new hips next week. He has ordered his new "doctor prescribed" snowboard, which is short and flexible. Hopefully it will allow him long days on the mountain...he will be bundled up too!
We want to wish everyone a very happy holidays and we will update the blog with all of our adventures in the New Year. Take care and stay safe!
11.12.2007 - 9 Weeks and Shots!
We have just returned from Finn's 2 month check up and the stats are in. Our little beefcake has put on 5lbs since he was born, tipping the scales at 12lbs 11oz, and has grown 2 inches (he is now 23 inches long). Not sure which percentage that puts him in, but they said he is VERY healthy looking. He was all smiles until they started poking around his neck and giving him his 4 shots. Poor little guy had 2 nurses armed with 2 shots each jab him in each leg, and he showed him what a redhead looks like when they are mad. He turned bright red and as soon as the nurses were done injecting him, they ran from the scene of the crime, leaving me to pick up the pieces. The little man cried for a bit, but was tough. I think it was harder on me than him. Since we have been home he has been sleeping, waking long enough for little snacks. He is hanging pretty tough though and is taking advantage of extra cuddle time (he really doesn't want to be put down right now...who can blame him? That many shots will make grown men want cuddles).
Up to today we have had lots of visitors lately, which has been really fun. Mick's Dad and Stepmom Hettie made the journey across the pond for 2 weeks of Finn/Sarah/Mick time. It was a great time for them to bond with the little fellow, take advantage of the terrific exchange rate (between the pound and the dollar), and to enjoy some amazing Northwest fall weather. They took a short trip to Seattle and visited the beach too. Mick even got his dad out off-roading, and has the scratches on the side of the FJ to prove it. We are expecting his mom to arrive on Wednesday to enjoy Finn/Sarah/Mick time and she will get to be here for a good ole' American Thanksgiving! Should be a nice visit.
As for Mick and I, everything is well. Mick has been spending more time in the garage and has his car up and running again. He has just under 100 miles on this new engine, and it seems to be working well. He has also spent some time down at the shop helping tuning a race car that headed down to California for a special 'time attack' race, where they have qualified for a trip to Japan to race. Pretty awesome experience for the whole team who have put in some outrageous hours preparing the car for the event.
My parents came up this weekend and dad delivered Finn's crib. It is amazing and beautiful. My dad did such a bang up job on it, that Mick's friend Alex who was visiting yesterday from the UK, thought I was kidding when I told him my dad was dentist. He thought he was a carpenter!
We hope you all have a terrific Thanksgiving (if you celebrate)! Take care!
10.19.2007 - 6 Weeks!
It hardly seems possible that Finn has been with us for 6 weeks! It seems like lots has happened in that time.
Mick has been getting the car back up and running again (I had forgotten how well he cleans up until he wore a nice shirt and slacks to work the other day!). The engine is back in the car, and from what I understand, it is turning over. He is targeting to get it running this weekend and has been calculating how much oil is going to be needed to fill all of the spots the oil needs to go. He has been spending time at home when he isn't at work and hasn't been spending as much time at the shop lately. Once everything settles down a bit I am guessing he will be spending a little more time tuning other people's cars. He has also been looking for the right weekends to go off-roading (when he can stay awake that is), and is looking forward to getting back into that.
I am now another year older, ringing in my 33rd birthday 2 weeks ago. It was a mellow event, and just what I wanted. Dinner with friends and my little family and desserts from Papa Haydns. My best gift was Finn sleeping for 6 hours straight that night...could have been the drink I had with dinner! I have been getting together with friends for some good 'catching up' after my months on the couch and that has felt really good. This 6 week mark is significant for me too, because it means I can excersize again! My body has really healed up well and I am ready to go! I am looking forward to getting back into shape and I am going to start ramping up for rockclimbing and trying to get back into pilates as I can. Walking on the treadmill is something I can do with Finn when it is raining outside too, so that will be nice. We try to go outside everyday but the weather has been a little rough lately. Our stroller is awesome though and makes it easy to get out for walks, which looks like it will happen a bit more this week with the forecast looking a bit drier.
This month has brought several visitors to our little Portland abode. It has been so nice to see so many people. My cousins were down from Alaska and I got to have a wonderful lunch with them, as well as seeing other members of the family here at the house. We have 3 generations of Posner's in the house! Mick's family is starting to make the trip across the pond. His dad and step-mom arrived just in time for our first big storms of the fall. What were the chances seeing how we had wonderful weather the week before?! They are finding lots to do and they are getting time in with Finn which is the most important part. Friends have also stopped by, which has been wonderful. If any of you want to swing by and meet Finn (or come to see us!) you are more than welcome. Just give us a call!
The little man himself is showing signs of personality (aka stubborness) and has been a true joy so far. He is very cuddly, and sweet, but has been showing his true Virgo traits. Everything has to be just so: Baby Bjorns are good, Eco Carrier is not; 99 degrees is the temperature the water has to be for a bath, 100 is too warm and anything lower is too cold; Sitting up is good, reclining is not; Outside is really good, but only as long as we are moving; Any movement is good, standing still is boring; Car rides are mostly good as long as we are going somewhere, car rides back to the house are times for screaming; Cuddling with mom in bed is good, sleeping alone in the bassinet can be good as long as he is totally out and doesn't realize we have put him in there; Breast is best, and the bottle will do as long as mom isn't holding it. It is a learning process for all of us I think! This week has been a big week for us as he has slept all the way through the night 3 nights. We are hoping this will be a trend that continues! Mick and I didn't sleep throught he night though...Finn is a bit of a noisy sleeper (especially right now with the cold he is fighting). Mick sleeps upstairs during the week so he can function at work. He is 'talking' a lot more right now (by talking we mean coos and cahs (Finn that is not Mick)) and he giggles and smiles at us a lot more. This morning was especially cute. He is getting big and is filling out...he doesn't look like a newborn as much as he used to. Next weekend is going to be a big weekend for both he and I. It is the first road trip, and it will be just me and Finn. Not sure what I am getting myself into, and I am hoping the car ride will be easy and he will sleep! We are going to visit friends and family in Eugene and Finn gets to go to his first Duck Game! Should be very exciting and all of the screaming and cheering should keep him asleep for a majority of the game (at least that has been our experience so far).
Maya is doing great and is hunting for attention anywhere she can get it. We try hard to give her attention while we are paying attention to Finn, and that helps a bit. She seems to be ok with him, checks on him, gives him little kisses, and keeps an eye on us to make sure we are doing what we need to with the little fella. She continues to limp, and is one glucosamine tablets to help with the arthritis she is suffering from. Some days are better than others, and I think she will also enjoy some of walks this week.
Both Mick and I are enjoying our new job titles, and we are loving every minute of time we get to spend with Finn. We hope you all are doing as well as we are, and sleeping much better than we are! Take care!
09.23.2007 - WE ARE HOME!!!
As of today we have been home for a little more than a week and it has been great. Food at home is so much better than that at the hospital, and so is the bed! After being there for 6 days it was great to get back to our house and that night's sleep would have been one of the best ever if we didn't have a newborn with us.
The whole story is this: We went into the hospital on Friday morning for our scheduled c-section. Upon arrival they told us they had had a really busy night of delivering babies and they were trying to find room for us. My cousin Nancy in Alaska actually delievered her baby the same day Finn was born, so it appears it carried on through the day too! What we learned later is that they were actually on 'divert' because so many people came in. Luckily for us, we were scheduled and my doctors were looking out for us. They weren't sure if we would be on time either, so we were prepared for a wait. This didn't happen though!
They took me to the first room where they got my IV started and went over all of the things that could go horribly wrong (which is a great way to start the happiest day of your life). I got changed into my hospital assigned attire (my gown) and we took final pictures of 'just the two of us.' After that Dr. Leclair came in to check on us and let us know they were ready and they wheeled me away, leaving Mick time to hop into his 'bunny suit.'
They wheeled me into what I think was the coldest room I have ever been in (no wonder all of my doctors look so young...they have been cryogenically frozen) and they gave me my spinal, which I have to admit, is one of the weirdest things I have had happen to my body. Mick came in just before 8:00, and at 8:08 I felt all of the pressure in my body release and heard a little cry. The doctors proclaimed he was the cutest baby they had delivered that day and went to work stitching me back up. Mick went to work taking pictures, being very careful not to look at what they were doing on me, and our good friend Dr. Deveney called my folks to let them know what was happening.
After going through recovery they found a room for me and took me up. It was all very quick. The first couple of days were going well and they were looking to release me on Monday, but I came down with what we think was dehydration and they kept me to make sure I could keep up with my fluids and to make sure my fever was staying down. After several bags of fluid, they felt comfortable enough allowing me to head home on Wednesday.
We are settling in really well all things considered. Mick diapers (aka changes nappies) like a champ and I have already started to miss that help as he went back to work on Friday. Maya is wondering what this squiggly, noisy, sometimes stinky little thing is. She seems ok with him being here though and spends time sniffing him and giving his hands little licks. She has been very good. I am holding up pretty good and getting used to living on 3 hour stints of sleep. He is a good baby though, very cuddly, and makes the funniest noises constantly.
We continue to update the photo gallery with pictures (I think we are over 300 and have been deemed the 'Documenters' by those closest to us). I imagine this will slow down now that Mick is at work though. As will the updates, because I was told that now we are parents, we shouldn't have time for this! :)
Thanks to everyone who called, visited, brought dinners/desserts, and emailed. We feel very fortunate and loved. More soon!
09.07.2007 - Finn is born
Finn was born on 09.07.2007 at 8.08am, he weighed 7lbs 11oz and was 21" long. Both mother and baby are doing fine and dads feeling pretty proud as well. We will update the blog in a couple of days once we have got on top of this baby care thing.
08.28.2007 - Ultrasound Update
We had our last ultrasound today before Finn comes (next Friday, at the latest). Everything continues to look good and we got the thumbs up from all of the doctors (we had several appointments this afternoon). The perinatologists bid us 'adieu' and even said they would miss us now that we are in the clear. They are so great at OHSU! The estimated measurements are putting him in the 60% for his age, and he is weighing in at 7lbs 6oz. All of doctors have said what a cute baby his has turned out to be and how fun he is to scan. That is lucky seeing how Mick declared today that he "hates ugly babies!" It was funny at the time.
Below is the latest 3D picture of him. He was sucking on his arm, so that is that strange thing across his mouth. He has continued to be quite active regardless of the limited space, and is so strong he can push his foot out further than my rib cage (ouch, is all I can say). He finally stopped practicing his foot holds in my rib cage too, when I promised to take him rock climbing as soon as he can support his own weight. He is still very agreeable and that makes me so happy.
I am holding up pretty well. We hit 38 weeks tomorrow and that feels really good. I have continued to work from home and have just started part time work until Finn comes. I have been having a few contractions over the past few days, so my body is getting ready! I think I am mentally pretty ready too. I am looking most forward to being able to bend over again and deep breaths are something I have missed. We got our stroller and I am looking forward to some nice long walks to build these muscles back up too. Not to mention Maya will love being out and about despite her limp returning. It will be nice to enjoy the very last part of summer since I have been inside so much.
This summer has been enjoyable in that Sean and Belinda came home and we got to spend lots of time with them. They flew back to Ireland a little more than a week ago, and I have to admit it is strange to have them half a world away again. I got so used to them being here after not seeing them for so long.
Mick isn't feeling quite ready for Finn's arrival yet...he hasn't gotten the car running! He is working hard on repairs during the weekends, and hopes he will get it started this weekend. With Finn's arrival he wasn't sure when he would be able to get it finished otherwise. Track season finished up, so he won't be back out for that until next year. Outside of car talk, he also had his final appointment with his hip doctor and has been signed off to do all sorts of activities. He is taking care to make sure he doesn't over-do it. He continues to swim and row and has claimed he may get back into kayaking! We'll see!
We will keep this brief this time. The next update (next week probably) will announce Finn's arrival! Take care everyone!
08.08.2007 - Finn Watch 2007 - Update
Things over the last month have been quite interesting. Being on bed rest for me has been hard, but I am getting through it and realize it is for the greater good. I hit 35 weeks tomorrow, so we are in better shape at this point, should he decide to come early. All of this rest seems to be paying off as we haven't really had any further trouble. I have been working from home, so that has definitely been helping my brain stay sharper than it would otherwise. I sure get a lot done too! It will also mean we can cancel the intervention that was planning to get both Mick and I off the bad TV. Maury Povitch can be so addictive!
We had an exciting event happen this month also. Mick's sister Sam and her family welcomed the newest member to their family. They delivered a little girl, in their house, in less than 2 hours! She came so quick, she beat the midwife, and Sam's husband Jason delivered her. Her name is Ffion, and she is gorgeous. We are told Ffion's brother (Tom) and sister (Emily) awoke the next morning to a new little sister and it was like Christmas morning! They were both so excited!
We have been going in for weekly monitoring to keep tabs on the situation. 2 weeks ago they decided to keep me for a whole day to make sure I wasn't having another bleed. I was having some 'iritable uterus' which is a sign that a bleed may be happening. Nothing seemed to be happening, and they let me go just in time for dinner. I am proud to say that I was the 2nd patient they had ever seen at the new Labor and Delivery Triage area (it had just opened that day). I am sure glad I had my new Harry Potter book with me, it helped me block out the screaming lady to my right (apparently she was off her medication and didn't want Social Services called) and the screaming 2 year old to my left who could not be soothed by his 2 older siblings.
We have kept busy on the weekends too. The doctor gave me clearance for a couple of trips to Eugene as long as I promised not to walk around too much and to stay down. I did my best. The first weekend was to attend the 5th Annual McCully Family BBQ. It was great to see old friends, lots of family, and to make new friends. There was a great turn out this year. The day after the BBQ, my friend Raegan and my mom threw me the most exciting baby shower ever. Mom's dog was attacked by a pit bull at the start of it. Dad, Mick, & Sean ran out and pulled the dogs apart, and luckily the dogs are all fine. The shower after that was very relaxing and low key, and just what we needed.
The following weekend, we headed back to Eugene for a very special event. We were invited to take part in a special South African BBQ. The food was amazing and the 8 of us really enjoyed meeting Norman and Paula, who were our hosts. We got to try some great new foods, and Mick was able to enjoy some great samosas (and Indian speciality he really likes).
Today we went in for latest ultrasound. Based on estimates, he is weighing in at 5lbs 7oz, and is in the 41% for size. They say he will put on about a 1/2 lb a week from here on out. We got some amazing pictures to bring home. I may be biased, but looking at the pics we got today, he is going to be one good looking kid! I love that you can even see his eyelashes in a couple of them. This one is one of our favorites:
He scored an A+ according to the perinatologist as he was moving around (with much prodding by the first tech) and was practicing his fetal breathing. Glad to see the 'Type A' personality is being carried on by another generation. We sure love our over-achievers!
As far as Mick and his hip-update, he is doing pretty well and has been given the clearance to do all activities (his motion is no longer limited). He is still working through some aches and pains, but is feeling pretty good all things considered. He has been swimming a lot more and riding a bike for workouts. We are hoping he will be given clearance for snowboarding this year!
You may remember that his car broke down at the last Subie Day. He has been keeping himself busy by rebuilding his engine and getting the car running again. His goal is to get things finished up before Finn comes, which is pretty smart.
That is the update for this month. We will keep this site updated with any changes. We are at 4.5 weeks from scheduled delivery at this point, so who knows what will happen. If you want to see pictures from any of the events listed above, click here.
Take care and more soon!
07.09.2007 - Going from not exactly low risk to HIGH risk!
We just thought we would send out an update to everyone because we have had quite a weekend! I was discharged this afternoon from the hospital after spending 4 days there and watching way too much junk TV. We started our weekend with what we thought was going to be a nice little date night of sushi and the new Transformers Movie. We got as far as the sushi and trouble struck. I went to use the restroom and discovered blood. We called the on-call doctor and she said I should really come in a get checked. Mick went up to the theater manager and said "we were going to watch Transformers, and now we are going to the hospital." Apparently there was no argument and they couldn't refund us quick enough (I wasn't even standing there!)
We got to the hospital and they hooked me up to the monitoring machine and found that I was having contractions (which I wasn't feeling). They were very small and only happening about 1-2 times every half hour. They were also watching Finn's heart to make sure he wasn't distressed, which he wasn't, so that was reassuring. The fact that he was constantly moving away from the sensor to find a quieter corner was also reassuring! Movement = good!
About 3:30am, not long after I sent Mick home, they came in and did an ultrasound. Finn has been developing great, which is more good news, but they found some bad news too. I have what they call a chronic abruption (without getting too graphic, it basically means the placenta is pulling away from the uterus). On top of this, I am also having what they call an irritable uterus, which is why I was having all of the little contractions and why it is still firing a bit. Either of these conditions could bring him into this world a little earlier than we had planned.
On a positive note, we got some great new shots of Finn, and the profile reminds me Charlie Brown! Shiloh Jolie-Pitt might have some competition when it comes to luscious lips too! I might just be a proud mom, but he is pretty darn cute (I especially love the profile shot)...here are the pictures for you to see:
We are taking as many precautions as we can for an early delivery. They gave me 2 HUGE shots of steroids to help his lungs develop faster (and dashing my dreams of winning the Tour de France this year...total bummer). We know he is a tough little guy and we are hoping he will not be born with 'Roid Rage'...right TomK?! :) They also have me on 'modified bedrest', which means I can do anything I want as long as I am horizontal and don't move. I have been restricted from all house work, including making dinner (that totally broke my heart...only kidding!), and my excersise is the short walk to the bathroom and back. Sounds like a good time, eh?!
I have been given the go ahead to work from home, so I will do that to try and keep my mind slightly sharper since TV has been rotting my brain. The goal right now is to get me to 34 weeks (I am almost to 31) to give him the best chance. If I can go longer I will, but we are being especially careful for next couple of weeks. I have more doctors than I know what to do with at this point and all of them want me to come in and see them. I will have weekly monitoring and every 3 weeks or so, I will go in and they will look at how big he is getting. If he doesn't get any bigger, they will pull him out. I knew this pregnancy was going way too easily for me!
Right now we have a very good outlook and are staying positive. They were all impressed that Finn is nearly 4lbs already and falls within the 61-percentile for his age. We have nick-named him 'Beefcake' and are encouraging him to keep it up. This is showing that he is getting what he needs, and that makes this momma proud. We had a little chat last night and I think we are both in agreement that he just needs to keep doing what he is doing and everything will work out fine.
Mick, being totally amazing and super creative, took the time to finish painting Finn's room and completing the mobile he started for him. He put pictures of each in the photo gallery if you are interested in seeing his handy work. I was really impressed and I love the way the room turned out! I can't wait to see it with the furniture.
Another update is that Maya lost her limp. Turns out she had a $400 broken nail. Seriously, we have got to start looking into pet insurance. At least she is back to her old tricks and the yard is again squirrel-free. We have told her if it happens again, she is losing the whole leg (only kidding...she WILL lose the whole duclaw for sure though).
Mick on the other hand is not limp free, but is getting much better, at least he was until a girl at the theater thrust her knee into his leg. The new network in the house he has been working on has taken his mind off of things though, and he is looking forward to the new desktop computer that has just shipped. He may be creative, but he is also very geeky!
That is pretty much all of our news for now. We will keep you updated on the progress and how things are turning out. Also if there is any 'delivery' news. Feel free to call/email if you are intersted in more info!
06.22.07 - WE HAVE A TENTATIVE BIRTH-DAY!!!
It is that time again for our little update. Lots is happening!
Today we had our 28 week appointment to check on little Finn and his progress. Seems he is growing well and the heart is beating at a strong rate. He is moving a lot still, which is always resassuring. I have been tasked with gaining more weight though. It appears I have only put on 1 lb since the last appointment. She would like me to put on at least 15lbs when all is said and done, and that means I have about 11 weeks to put on another 8lbs minimum. I will bump up my intake of Julie's Organic Fudge bars and snack time treats! Done! Speaking of 11 weeks...Finn's birthday if everything goes according to plan will be 7 September 2007. This is the tentative date we are shooting for with the doctor (she is confirming everything with the other doctors that are going to be there).
Now, it is time for the Mick update! We have been celebrating the 'Merry Month of Mick' as he just rang in his 36th birthday. We have had parties, and friends over and dinners out, so I think he has enjoyed it. It has also been 3 weeks since his last surgery and, all in all, things have been going well. His pain hasn't been as bad as the first surgery, but the surgery also wasn't as long as the first and the damage in the hip was not as extensive. The side-effects from the drugs are just as bad as the first surgery (as I came home one day to him watching Star Trek Voyager for more than 6 hours straight). Thank heavens he heads back to work on Monday! He did manage to get the trim up in Finn's room, much to my surprise upon returning from work the other day. It looks really great!
We have dubbed this the 'Summer of Surgery' as Mick and my Mom have already had their surgeries, and today my dad will join the rest of the family. Maya may even be getting in on this run as they have discovered either a bone or some cartilage in her foot that is causing a limp. We will find out for sure next week what fate lies in her future.
It has been brought to my attention that we do not have pictures up on the site that show any sort of 'bump.' Mick grabbed the camera the other night and took a couple of pictures of me. You can see them in the picture gallery.
We have our next appointment in a couple of weeks and we will give a new update then! Take care everyone!
06.01.07 -
The baby update this time isn't nearly as exciting as what Mick is about to go through, and so we will get you up to speed on what is happening.
First off, our trip to DC was pretty good despite Mick being in constant pain the entire time. The week started out well enough with him refusing to use the wheel chairs to try and save him. By the end of the week though, he was looking for the chairs to borrow (if you want to see Mick in a double-wide, check out the picture gallery!). You can also see pictures of a slight bump starting to form at my belly, which is even a bit bigger now. We did do a lot of walking and saw a ton! The highlights had to be the Lincoln Memorial, lunch at the American Indian Museum, the Air & Space Museum, getting to see the real Kermit the Frog and Mr. Roger's sweater at one of the Smithsonian Museums, and spending time with the Houghtons, my mom, and even more importantly Belinda. Mick reminds me that one last highlight was the Botanical Gardens...they were quite stunning.
We had our most recent appointment with the doctor today to check everyone checked out. I am now at 25 weeks which seems impossible! The time has gone so fast. It seems everything is fine because Dr. LeClair didn't panic over any of the numbers that came back, including my blood pressure, which tends to get everyone nervous since it is always so low. They checked Finn's heart and it is still beating (always a good thing) and it appears to be beating at a good pace. Outside of the doctor, he has become quite a little wiggler. He isn't keeping me up at night (that is Mick's job) but he has an hour in the morning he likes to be really active and then right after dinner (usually after a Julie's Organic Fudge Bar, which I have deemed as the best ice cream bars in the world). We have also had a few cases of what we call 'Alien Belly' happening where you can see him moving around. That is a big weird, I have to admit!
On to Mick's news, because let's face it, it is all about Mick (only teasing honey...mostly)...he heads back under the knife on Monday (6/4) to work on repairing the second hip. He tells me he is looking forward to being better, but not excited to have another 4 scars on his body. We went for a short hike in Forest Park along Balch Creek (named after Oregon's first murderer apparently...a little history lesson for you) and Mick was devestated when the 3 years olds were passing him. I told him the parents probably wanted the kids slowed down and he should use his sticks to trip them. He was being responsible and let them pass, but he has big aspirations that he and Finn are going to be a part of a family that is going to pass other slow walkers one day. After the MRI a couple of weeks ago, they have found that he has signigficant osteoarthritis and laboral tears (basically the hip is bad), so the doctor is going to fix him right up. He claims he can do it in 1.5 hours...but that is what the other doctor said and it took 4 hours. We are keeping our fingers crossed. Maya has formed a sympathy limp (or we call it her 'symp-limp') recently. We aren't really sure if she did hurt herself, or if she is copying Mick. Between the 2 of them, they are so pathetic.
I, Sarah, am doing great. I have been feeling more energetic and totally overdoing it, which has not necessarily paid off. I did get our initial garden planted and we should have lots of lettuce ready soon. Post garden planting, I have had to slow down and let the body rest. This is not something my family is very good at I am learning (and I am struggling with it a bit myself). I am not sure if I am actually in my nesting period, but I am enjoying lots of time at home, out on the deck, enjoying our recent spell of great weather.
We are preparing for our yearly gathering to celebrate Mick's birthday a bit early, and to give him someone to drink with since I can't really join him. Should be a great time and hopefully we will see most of your there! Take care everyone!
04.23.07 - INTRODUCING FINN!
We went into the doctor's office today for our final 'Sequential Screen Ultrasound' and we were planning to find out the sex of the baby. We had a preview a few weeks earlier, but were given the quick, 'girls parts can be swollen at this early date, and boy parts haven't always dropped, so you don't really know what you have for sure.' Today we were not hugely surprised when we were quite confidently told, 'it's a boy.' We were both happy with the outcome (Sarah didn't care so much as long as the kid is healthy, happy, well-behaved, gorgeous, totally in agreement with the parents at all times, won't date until they are 30, and are able to be fruitful members of society...Mick was not so secretely holding out for a girl, because let's face it, girl engineers are smarter and because of that make way more money). In all honesty, we just wanted a good kid that was going to be healthy and so far, all signs are pointing in that direction. The appointment went very well, with Finn taking after the McCully side and not being shy at all about 'baring it all'. We are not so worried about the future skinny dipping we foresee...we are worried that he might be the next streaker at Wimbledon. His heart looks strong, he is growing at a 'normal' pace and the brain seems to be filling up the skull, which is pretty cool to see. He also seems to be very cooperative and helpful if you ask nicely for things, and we are hoping this is something that will continue post birth. Here is a picture from todays scan. (More text below).
Sarah is doing great, outside not sleeping very well, but she didn't really do that to begin with and we are looking at it as training for all of those nightly feedings. A slight bump is starting to show. Those few lbs she lost in the first trimester are working their way back on now, and the doctor seems happy enough with the progress.
Mick's hip seems to be holding up well enough. He survived all of the trips up and down the stairs, only to be injurded by tying his shoe (no joke there). He is working through some muscle/tendon healing which is proving more painful than his sugery. He is getting through it, and in the long run, this was the right thing for him to do. He has started talking to the next doctor about the 2nd surgery and getting organized for that to happen this summer.
Mick had a not so exciting time at this years Subie Fest. He did have a 'too fast tow' down the front stretch, in front of the 2000 spectators at PIR. Apparently the problem, according to Mick was, "pure power." All I know is there was a "pure breakdown", where Mick sat very carefully in his car at the first turn of the chicane, with his harness fully locked down and his fire extinguisher in his lap for fear one of the other cars slid out on the wet track going into the turn. We have listed this engine RIP (rest in pieces).
This weekend we are off to Washington DC. A first for both of us. Should be really interesting to learn all about the nations history and seeing all of the sites. The last time I was technically there was in-utero, and the view was terrible!
03.09.07: Welcome to our new blog. We thought we should start one of these as we have 2 bits of news to share!
The first one is a little less exciting than the next, but Mick has survived his first of 2 hip surgeries. He went under the knife on 2 March, and has been negotiating the house on crutches. He has only almost killed himself on the stairs twice (he claims a 50% success rate isn't too bad all things considered), and otherwise is doing well with it. He has roughly 8 hours of physical therapy he has to do a day, so he is kept plenty busy. We are hoping these surgeries will push out the full hip replacements for about 10 years (fingers crossed). See what happens when you turn 35? Your warrenty expires!
Now, since we have kept you in suspense this long, we also would like to announce the world is going to be one person fuller. We are adding to the red-headed population in September (the second week or so...we would like to target 9/8/07, but we will have to see). We are very excited about our family expanding and have had a couple of ultrasounds so far. Best we can tell, 'Kidlet' loves to wave at us whenever we are taking a look at it, and seems to favor it's left hand (possible south-paw I am thinking). It takes after Sarah with it's hiccups, and takes after both of us with it's early signs of thickhead stubbornness (so sweet!). As of last wednesday Sarah was 13 weeks along. According to the docs, the baby is growing normally and everything is looking good. Sarah is also feeling pretty good. She hasn't had any morning sickness, but gets to be a bit of bear if she hasn't eaten enough (this is nothing new and she has suffered with this her whole life).
We won't bore you with further tedious details now (unless you want them of course, and if that is the case, just email us). We will update this blog as we have more news to share or we get new pics to share of 'Kidlet'. We will sign off with a few pictures of our little sunshine. Love to all!
