Coaching my way through the holidays...

We are 3 games into the season and I am loving every minute of it. I feel great and the bus rides to away games are not too uncomfortable. (We'll see if I'm still singing that same tune in a few months! Those bus seats are small!) We've had a scrimmage and 3 games, and are 3 - 1, with our loss by just one point. Our wins have been pretty solid, each time by more than 20 points. My team this year is eager to learn and they seem to genuinely like each other and enjoy being a team. It's easy to keep track of how many games/weeks we have left, because we're due just 2 1/2 weeks after the last game!


In house news, we just got our new dishwasher and thank goodness because I am DONE with handwashing all our dishes - which we have been for over 2 months. We also bought our tree, and it's the first time I've had a live one. I have also realized that the type of tree Pat prefers (white pine) is the rarest of all live Christmas trees - we only had 5 to choose from on a 100+ tree lot - and also the most unique shape - short, fat and fluffy. I need to get some decorations on it soon because right now it just looks like a furry green gumdrop. Then we need to put up the outside house lights - just in time for the house decorating judging/contest that is happening in our community tomorrow night.



Sophie loves the new house - especially laying in the sunshine from the bay window - and continues to follow me from room to room and never let me out of her sight. Wonder if that will continue once she has a baby waking her up from her 10-a-day cat naps? :o) Here she is getting ready to pass out on the back of the couch in my office.

November = BUSY

November has been crazy! We started with our trip to Northern California. Our flight was into San Francisco, and from there we drove Pacific Coast Hwy down to San Luis Obispo. We did a short day trip to check out Hearst Castle in San Simeon - wow! And of course, had to drive over the Golden Gate Bridge (which seems tiny compared to our Chesapeake Bay Bridge).


The weather was in the 70's and sunny most of the days we were there, which is funny b/c our pics all seem to show overcast and cloudy skies. Pat could not believe the size of the waves and how many surfers we saw - they were everywhere! I also finally caved and took my first belly pic (about 5 1/2 months in it).


Next, we went to the Virginia Tech - Maryland game at Univ of MD. Not only was a great time had because the Hokies beat the Terps once again, but we were able to see Michelle, Dougie, John, and A - who we have not seen in forever. Dougie was the only one wearing the right colors though, and the only one of the group who could bask in the victory with us. Thanks Ed for hooking us up with the tickets - those seats were worth every penny!


A week ago, my friend Alison took Pat and I to register at Babies R Us. THANK goodness she was there, or we (me) would have been in there forever trying to decide. We were able to get most everything done in under an hour, and Pat was still patient and smiling - sounds like a successful trip to me.

I have also been busy this month with basketball - yes, I am coaching again, and hopeful I can finish the season before the baby comes. We have finished tryouts and have moved on to regular practices. I have high hopes for the team this year - they seem very motivated and smart, and seem to respect me even though my bball playing/skills leave much to be desired while in my pregnant state. Go Cougars!

Too many choices!

I thought picking a name would be difficult, but I am more stressed trying to pick a theme/pattern for the nursery! I have narrowed it down to a few; Pat likes the purple one and I really like the green one with the trees.


I have found that my favorite part of pregnancy so far is feeling the baby kick inside me. It is amazing each and every time it happens, which is usually about 30 minutes after I eat, right before I go to bed, and right when I get up in the morning. Her kicks are getting stronger and stronger, but still can't be felt from the outside. Hopefully soon!

Last week I traveled to Louisville, KY for the annual Green Industry Conference. Definitely one of those events where there is too much to do, and not nearly enough time to do it. I did get to catch up with some friends, though our convos were short and hurried. I did get to surprise a few folks who did not know we were pregnant - definitely some great looks on those faces (no way to hide this belly now). :o)

Next week I will be in California visiting Cal Poly - San Luis Obispo. We are flying into San Francisco and then driving down Pacific Coast Hwy to SLO. I can't wait to see the spectacular views and to enjoy a little sun and heat (75 degrees) before heading home to chilly Maryland.

It's a....

It has taken me a few days to post our news because I've been busy traveling again, this time to Auburn University. I'm staying with my friends Amy and Scott, and their kitty (who looks amazingly like Sophie) Miss Lelu Dallas. I'm so lucky to have friends to stay with on my trips - so much better than sleeping at a hotel all the time. (Thanks again Amy!)

So....we had our appointment on Monday and found out we are having a GIRL!! I was convinced we were having a boy, but Pat said from day one that we would have a girl. :o) We can't wait to start putting the nursery together - good thing we are almost done with the rest of our house.

The real reason for our appointment was to get a comprehensive check done on the baby's progress, and the doctor said everything looked great. We could see the 4 ventricles of the heart, the kidneys, the spine and ribs, the brain, the legs and arms (which look long!) and anything and everything else. It was amazing to see and comforting to know that things were still moving along in there! And I have really felt her kicking a lot lately, especially after I eat. And this might sound weird, but it's nice having a traveling companion on my trips. :o)

One more week....

...until we can find out the gender! We can't wait.

My trip to Utah went great - and yes, it was chilly. The mountains were beautiful, and the leaves were just starting to turn...little bits of red all through the valleys - almost looked like lava running down the mountain.

While laying on the couch in my hotel Friday night I felt the baby kick for the first time. :o) Just a little flutter, but definitely there. And then Sunday night I felt two really strong kicks. Funny I had to fly all the way to Utah to feel those kicks - this baby must know he/she is traveling all around.

Pat's trip to Seattle was a blast; we are planning to go back together sometime next year. And for the record, the 'Pacific' crab cake couldn't hold a candle to our Maryland crab cakes! The fish market was pretty incredible though.

On the home front, I have finally hung some curtains, put up some pictures, and other little details. The squirrels have been digging in my garden, and even pulled up my radish, spinach and lettuce seedlings. The one good thing about having a garden in the city the last 4 years - no pests!!

October 2009

Now that it's October, we are both very busy with work, and I am happy to finally be over the nausea and vomiting. It's been 2 weeks since I last got sick, and I am hoping I am FINALLY over it! My 32nd birthday was at the end of September, and Pat cooked me dinner in our new home - lobster for an appy and filet for dinner. (I know how lucky I am!)

I just returned from a visit to Michigan State University (more travel for baby and my first flight with a belly - also first time I actually scanned the seat back pocket for a barf bag - didn't need it thank goodness). While at MSU, I stayed with my friends Marcus and Donna Duck and their 7 month old twin boys Jackson and Jordan. I have seen lots of pics of the boys, but they were even cuter in person! I watched Donna give them each a bath (first time for me) and changed Jordan's diaper (a first for me also - and 32 years old - geez). Marcus and Donna also provided me with an amazing amount of knowledge - thanks guys! And Donna - I will be in touch soon with more questions!!!

Later this week I am traveling to BYU - Provo for a few days, and Pat is heading to Seattle. It is supposed to be near freezing at night in Utah, so I will finally have to change out of the comfy flip flops I've had on since May. Later this month, baby will be traveling with me to Auburn, Alabama and Louisville, Kentucky.

0 to 4 months

My attempt to sum up the first few months:

We found out we were pregnant on July 1, 2009, the same exact day we found out the contract was accepted on our new home. A crazy, exciting, sometimes scary day! But now that we are actually in our home, it's a little easier to look back and smile (more on that later).

So, before we knew we were pregnant, our little guy/gal had attended two weddings (Lisa & Lama and Michelle & Dougie), and spent a week in Portland, OR and Ellensburg, WA (visiting our friends Matt and Sue). We arrived back home in Maryland, started back up our home search with our wonderful friend Jill Burke, and within 2 days had a house and a baby on the way!

July was pretty tame - Pat was busy working and I was busy sitting on the couch, trying not to toss my cookies, and being forever thankful that I work from home. Our baby did have his/her first few boat rides (let's hope they don't inherit my seasickness, but instead get Pat's strong stomach). We also had our first doctor's appointment on July 31, and saw the baby via ultrasound for the first time. What an amazing feeling, and finally our cue to tell our family and friends that we are pregnant! Thanks Rachel for my books - and for getting me through the first few weeks!

August rolled around and we spent a week in Ocean City, MD with Pat's parents, and the rest of the month trying to finalize our loan on our house (we are also eternally grateful to Mike Cappe who did our loan! We cannot thank you enough for all your time and effort - and also to Jess Cappe for putting up with Mike's late nights while he was working on our loan!). I spent much of August in front of the toilet, sometimes twice a day. It was miserable at times, but also reassuring to know that things were moving along in there. And I was even more thankful than ever that I worked from home! We also had our second doctor's appointment, as well as our 2nd ultrasound, which was a specialized one to test for chromosomal abnormalities. The results came back negative. :o) During this ultrasound, the baby was moving and kicking like crazy, and even waved at the 'camera' a few times.

September finally came and we went to settlement on the house on September 2nd. Since that time, we have been busy working on the house (moving, painting, new bathroom, landscaping, new water heater, new appliances, etc. etc.) Thanks to all our friends who helped us with the move from Baltimore to Pasadena - Zack, Cappe, Fath, Ronnie, Mike, and our Moms & Dads. Pat's mom Darlene painted our kitchen, Pat's dad Marty updated our bathroom, my Mom Pat handled the cleaning, and my Dad Barry our landscaping. We never could have made it through September without them! We also received our first baby gift from my brother Mike and his girlfriend Tara - a Virginia Tech baby frame! I love it - thanks again guys.

Our third doctor's appointment was at the end of September, and everything was right where it should be. We listened to the heartbeat again, and were given a referral for our Level II Ultrasound, which is a comprehensive anatomy scan. The baby is measured and baby's organs are viewed and surveyed. Amniotic fluid levels, the location of the placenta, and the fetal heart rate are also reviewed. AND- we will finally be able to find out the gender! Our appointment is set for Monday, October 19th - we can't wait!!

Up to Speed

Hi everyone -

I'm sure you have heard by now, but we are expecting!! Our due date is March 6, 2010 and we are thrilled to take this next step in our lives.

As you may know, we've been trying to keep baby news off of social networking websites, like Facebook, because we both have tons of work contacts (i.e. folks who don't need to know every detail of our personal lives) on our sites.

So, I've created this blog to allow our family and friends to follow our pregnancy, birth, and beyond. Thanks for reading!