Maui it is

Well last night we decided that it would be Maui and not Rome for our trip. Tom booked the trip and it's all paid for, well not really paid for it's on the Cards. I don't think Tom and I like having a low balance on our cards b/c every time we get them half way paid off (it's not a little amount either) we put more on it. One day we will have that card on a low balance but hey you need to live too. No since saving everything till you retire, you never know what the future will hold for you. So we are going to live in the present and I will try not to worry till later. Somehow things manage to work themselves out in the end, how I don't know but they do. We are hoping that next summer or fall to get to Rome. Hopefully we can convince a babysitter(s) to come out here and live for a week or two and look after the little one, while we take off (You know who you are);). Or we will take the little one with us. Got to love free flights for children under the age of 2. But who really knows what will happen in a years time but it's still fun to dream. So February 8th we fly to Maui and relax and enjoy 29C temps. I can't wait for those type of temps it's been so cold here and LA got snow a few days ago. I was so mad when I saw that. We are farther north then they are and we only got frost and frozen puddles on the ground :(. I hate the cold but if there is snow than it makes me feel better, than just having cold weather. Well here is to Maui and sun shine let it come fast but last long.

Can't decide!!! and it's driving me crazy!!!!

Well we are still flip flopping on our trip to somewheres......it's driving me crazy. We got the go a head from the doctor but for some reason we are stalling on the fact, should go and where to go. I really really want to do our trip to Italy and there is a sale on from San Fran to Rome... We only have till the end of February to go some where. We have also talked about going to a different island in Hawaii too. But for some reason we want to see something new and exciting. I have a feeling if we don't go I'll regret it big time but we are also nervous to go too. grrrr. I hate decision like this. Some days I just say lets do it and other days I say I am not sure. Here is hoping that we do go though because after the baby comes I know I won't want to leave the baby even for a night :).

Project list of things that have been started and not finished.

Things that I should finish before the summer......somehow there doesn't seem to be enough time!!

Crafts
1. Finish the baby afghan that I started in 2005 and almost finished. Just four more squares and than write the date of the birth in a blanks square and the name in the alternating blank square.

2. Finish two other baby afghans (one was suppose to be a gift)
3. Finish my scrapbook up till this point in tom's and my life...going to have to start getting photos printed off.

Baking/Cooking
1. Finish my Christmas chocolates baking for Tom's work...a little late but better than never.
2. Get after tom to buy the deep freezer so I can start cooking meals and freezing them so we can have meals after the baby is born and try to stay a way from take out(Tom's idea of cooking a meal).
3. Once we have the freezer start cooking.

Fitness
1. Get sign up for a prenatal Yoga class for February and march.

Shop
1. Still a few months away but than start buying the few things we need for the baby...cloth diapers(got to love the fact that I found a store that has them for baby under 8lbs and than the normal 8lbs+), something for the baby to sleep in(probably a arm's reach co-sleeper that hold till 30lbs), car seat, some clothes and a few odds and ends like soap for the baby etc.

4 months Today

Well folks we are four months today!!!! I have had the best three days since I was 5 weeks pregnant. Not only was I not sick, I was not nauseated and I got to eat some food. I am still not craving food and never really hungry or care what I eat, but I got to eat which was really good. Today was a great day we ate some dim sum, played some min golf and the weather was gorgeous (very unusual for the winter months but I am not complaining one bit). We finally bought two items for the baby but that will probably be it for awhile. We got a diaper bag from clearance and a baby carrier which can carry the baby facing outward or inward. The rest of the stuff I have been researching and I have some ideas but after the consumer report done on infants cars seats it's pretty much narrowed down to two and we'll probably get one in May. Well the baby has been moving around a bit today which is nice and reassuring and I like it for now until it starts hurting. Only 5months to go and lets hope for more days like the last three. Oh we forgot to take the picture today which we thought was 16wks but as of now is 17wks, so we'll take it tomorrow morning and get it posted.

Pictures of the Ultrasound

Hi all I just wanted to let you know that I am trying to keep all baby pictures in the same place so I posted the ultrasound pictures on the belly page. Today is a better day and I have lots to try and get done because if I I don't I think tom will kill me. So my goals today are clean the kitchen, do all the laundry, must be at least 6 loads :(, go for a long walk or do my yoga DVD recommendation by the doctor to get some exercise in, and try to finish a baby blanket I start back in 2005. Good think I only have about four squares left to cross stitch before starting another one. Hopefully I will get most of the cleaning done. Well got to run while the sickness is at bay.

Dancing BABY

Well we just got back from our big ultrasound appointment and we got a dancer here. The technician had a little bit of difficulty getting freeze frames of the baby becaues the baby wouldn't stop moving. It's little legs were jumping all over the place, even hit it's self in the head with it's hand and was arching its back to a postion I don't think we could do. I think the baby was very excited for its big debut on the big screen (wink). So even though I was trying not to be sick while they were doing the ultrasound(because today was not a good day for keep food down). Tom and I were really happy to see the little one moving all over the place and the heart looked good too. We could have sat there all night watching the screen. We got about 6 pictures of the baby and I will try to scan them in tomorrow when I am feeling better. Once I can really start feeling this baby move I think I am going to be black and blue inside.

Happy New Years!!!

Well I can't believe another year is ending. We went for an early dinner with one of Tom's co-worker and his girl friend and than tom and I stopped off at the store to pick up a movie to bring in the New Years. Not really exciting but what do you expect from old people like us. We can't hide it anymore, we are no spring chickens anymore. But enough of that stuff.... The New Year is holding a lot of good things for us, well I should say one good thing for us. When our little one arrives in June. Not too worried at all when the little comes, some things will change but than for us not a whole lot because we don't have a big social life and we stay at home a lot. So I don't think that is going to be a big problem for us. The first few months will probably affect Tom more than me with the lack of sleep but since he is working I will probably be doing all the late nights and than he can do the weekends to give a little bit of a rest but not much of one since Tom won't be able to help out with the feeding. Oh well, I'll look at it as bonding time for the little one and me. Well we will be truly old by the time the little one comes, Tom will almost be the big 30 and I'll be 27...UGH....one thing we both won't be looking forward too. I think Tom and I'll just be 25 forever now. Here is looking forward to the little one making us feel younger when she/he starts running around. Well Happy New Years Everyone and here is hoping I don't fall asleep before 12am.

Doctor's Appointment

We had our third doctor's appointment today and things seem fine. Still haven't gained any weight really(not that you are supposed to gain much weight in the beginning anyhow but you should gain 3-4lbs) but the good things is I haven't dropped below my pre-pregnancy weight. So that is great news. Our first goal now is for me is to start being able to eat. Once that happens then the doctor wants me to concentrate on increasing my protein, iron and calcium which I already knew but it's good to hear that she's not worried about my weight. We also got to hear the heartbeat which was the greatest thing in the world however, it took a while for her to find it which I knew could happen however Tom didn't know this and I think he started to turn white because all of a sudden she said "it sometime takes a while to find the baby's position to hear the heart". I have to admit I was getting a little nervous myself because not hearing a heart beat was my worst fear. In the end everything went well and we have our big ultrasound to look forward to next week to make sure the baby is developing fine.

One quiet Christmas

I wanted to get up early on Christmas morning like I always do but Tom got lucky. It was a slow start for me this morning so we didn't get up till 9am, which I think Tom was happy for. We have discover that I am now intolerant of all dairy :(. It really suck since most of my protein came from dairy, so no milk, cheese, ice cream, yogurt and even no chocolate. My stomach just can't handle it and I end up puking :(. We opened our gifts, talk to family members on the phone and computer, played some board games that Tom gave me as gifts and than we made our Christmas lasagna for supper. Yes no turkey, we didn't do the big dinner this year because we didn't know how I would be feeling and right now poultry is not appealing to me, so we made homemade lasagna. Pretty quiet day over all, I felt bad that Bella didn't get her Christmas gifts and Tom was short a few but hopefully I can get out on one of my good days and pick them up a few gifts present in the New Year. I hope everyone had a good Christmas this year and that Santa found everyone one.

Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas everyone!!! Even though we are far away from everyone that we love, just remember we'll be thinking of you and wishing you a Merry Christmas. Christmas is never the same without you all and all the busyness that Christmas brings. Tonight Tom and I are going to try and go Christmas light seeing around our neighbour hood. It's not quite like home b/c there are so my different religion's down here, compared to home so there aren't as many decoration up on the house, but certain areas have more than others. Christmas eve will be quite here tonight we have no plans and tomorrow morning I am hoping to get Tom up some what early for his liking. We hope that everyone was good this year and that Santa Clause finds everyone. MERRY CHRISTMAS

It's Snowing!!!! Oh wait that is just RAIN!!!!

Well if it was 10 degrees colder we would have so much snow today but all we have is a very dark day full of rain. Today was another blah day for me and it sucked because it was Tom's first day off for Christmas, however I was happy he was home with me. We didn't do much today I took a lukewarm bath and read a book trying to keep my mind off not feeling well. We did manage to go to Target today to get a pair of maturity pants for me. Not that I really need that yet, because I can still button my pants to all my pants however some of them are not comfortable while sitting so I decided to get one pair of maturity pants and see if they feel better. Now I don't know if maturity sizes are suppose to reflect the normal sizes in clothes, and I know I have lost weight over the last couple of months but how do you go down a size when buying maturity pants. I thought at least I would be the same size but it wasn't so. I tried on a pair of 6's and well with the belly band in them you can't wear a belt, plus I don't like the feel of a belt now around my waist anymore so they would have fell down so i had to get size 4's. It's pretty funny because I have never worn a 4 in my life not even as a teenager. I must say though the softness of the belly band on the maturity pants feel a lot better than my normal pant. I did feel silly getting the pants though since I don't feel like I am showing at all. Oh well it all for comfort. Here is hoping tomorrow is a better and Tom and I can spend a wonderful day out together. It's looking like however I won't get our christmas shopping done for Christmas:(, Oh well present in the new year could be nice too.

Life

Stress of life....if it's not one thing it's another. We are stressed in school, finding that special someone to love, making sure we pass exams, finding money to pay for post secondary education and than graduating. Once we are finally past all those things, than we have to figure out life...if that is even possible, find a job, pay our student loans back and than pay our normal average bills... AHAH...you think it would end there but it doesn't!!!!!

Next comes where to live, a wedding to pay for, the job that wants your family to move to another country,try to save money so you can finally move back home to buy a house and a little over 2 years trying to start a family (which is probably the most stressful thing of all) and will you be able to have anymore children? Once you are finally blessed with a gift of life, comes the stress of knowing you have to eat not much more just 300 extra calories a day for the last 6 months, so that the life the two of you are trying to bring into the world will end up healthy and strong. This part should be the easies part of all but when you can't eat because you are sick all the time it's stressful. Most people will tell you this is normal and that the sickness will go away at a point in the pregnancy but when you have already past that point in the pregnancy how does that make you feel.... AHAHA. This stress will continue though even once the little one arrives because you will always worry about the health and safety of your child no matter how old they are.

Then the stress of figuring out if you should move or not do to space issues but if you do you will have to pay a lot more for rent. When you live in a small placed, there is not a lot of room which leaves you researching everything to find out how big things are and how long they will last, and what are the weight restriction. No since spending a 100$ or more on something that you will use for a few month and then have to try to find some place to store it, when you have no place to store anything. Blah,blah,blah...a house would be nice. This also means that one has to give up having the extra non essentials things which can make your life easier for sure when you have a baby but are not necessary to have. One thing that helps though during the first year is that if you are going to breastfeed for the first year and use cloth diapers, you don't have to buy formula and diapers, which the cost of using them is very costly.

With all these cost coming up in the new year, you try to figure it out if it's a good idea or not to go on a trip to Europe before the baby comes because who knows when you will get away again. People will always say they can go later in life but as I know things are always coming up in life and than you put off the trip agian and again. The doctor says it's fine to fly and the best time is to go between 12-24 weeks. The major risk of flying when pregnant is blood clots in the legs but that is the same risk for women who are on birth control, and how many women are flying when using birth control. Once the baby is here, you aren't going to be able to go anywheres because you are breastfeeding and would you want to leave your child for a few weeks? ...I highly doubt we would. So the trip?

However, I am not blind because no matter what stage in life you are in there are always going to be stress'er in life. The main thing to remember is that you just have to keep dreaming and moving on with life and be thankful for the things that you are already blessed with and try to not worry about the rest. Easy Said Hard To Do!!!!!!!!!!!!

I am ready for some good days

So winter is here at last. The rain is coming and it fit the way I feel. Every few days I feel like it's the end of feeling crappy and the beginning of feeling good. However, it's just not so, the good days are just a tease. We were suppose to go out to Berkley university today to walk around the campus with some of tom's co-workers but the rain has postpone that one and I wasn't going to go anyhow b/c I am not feeling good. We went for breakfast but all I could mange to order was a glass of milk while everyone else order and ate their meals. Tom is gone out to the movies while I stay home and try to feel better. No since two of us staying home and feeling bad, plus this gives him a chance to see Borats, which I am just as happy to miss. Well I don't know if it's just this morning or yesterday but my pants are just becoming uncomfortable and some how my stomach is getting rounder but when fully dress it still looks like I have only gained a few pounds which I only have. Actually I have lost some weight and now I have to try to start gaining weight now that we are in the second trimester. How I am suppose to do this I don't know when I have trouble eating on every other day and when I do eat it's really small. It's a good thing that you only need 300 extra calories a day more when you are pregnant. If I needed more than that I think I would just ask for a feeding tube because but I do not crave food at all. In fact it the opposite still, I hate food. The look of it, the smell of it and the idea of eating it. I miss the days of loving food. My mom said she was the same through all four of her pregnancies so it makes me feel a little better. So I guess it 6 more months to go before I'll enjoy food and want it again. Here is hoping that time keep flying like it does and doesn't slow down over the next 6months.

Congratulation Sarah

Well tonight I got a message left on my answering machine from my sister Sarah saying that she is pregnant too. I thought she was when I talk to her earlier this week, when she said a few things. But I have learned that asking if one is pregnant or when one's going to start a family is not a good thing to ask one b/c you never know the situation that they might be in. I am really happy for my sister this will be their third and I am know she wanted three. It's funny b/c at one time my family was really small and over the years it has been growing. As of the Fall, if all things go well my parents will have nine grandchildren and all the children will be under the age of 7.

Just another day

Well not much to write about today. Tom found out last night that they are getting two extra paid vacation days for Christmas because they have to close the office to move departments around the building to make room for some new people and to make a bigger lab. I am not complaining, that gives me the two days I didn't get to spend with tom on Thanksgiving because I was too sick and spent it in bed. Last night Tom and I finally finished decorating our Christmas tree which was nice however, this morning I have a feeling Bella was up to no good because certain things have fallen off or down a few branches. So I will have to fix that up later this morning. Not much less is really new, I am feeling a bit better this week but it seems to go up and down every other day. Tom's still pretty excited however he seem to forget that I am pregnant because he keep asking me if I would like a glass of wine or something from the liquor store. Hopefully when I start showing he won't forget too much. Well this weekend we'll post our 12 week belly shot. It's not that exciting, nothing is showing and probably won't for a long time yet. I can fit in all my regular pants which I am really happy about, it saves a lot of money. I am just looking really bloated right now because everything that is suppose to be down in the pelvic region is starting to get pushed up into my abdominal region.

Finally, we are blessed!!!!

It has been a long road but we finally have good results. Tom and I are expecting and we are overjoyed but not getting to excited b/c a lot can happen yet. Here is a little picture for you to see, we are hoping to get a better picture after Christmas at our next ultrasound but still it's exciting. This pictures shows us at 8wks 5days however this is 3 days ahead of our ovulation date. We aren't sure which one we are using yet. The doctor said that the ovulation date is the better then the ultrasound date so that means that our little one will be blessing us around the June 24th 2007.


So how have I been you might want to know. Well for those who have been pregnant before and had a great first trimester don't talk to me. I know way way back I said I didn't care if I am puking with my head in the toilet, all I want is for us to get pregnant. Well I didn't think it could be this bad. Since my fifth week, that's where I have been for most of my days and it's not just morning either. @#%!, they call it morning sickness well that must have been a man that named it b/c he only saw his wife in the morning before he left for work. This so called morning sickness doesn't just last the morning but it's all day, everyday. Just the idea of food entering my month makes me want to puke. I can't even go into grocery stores, our kitchen or even think about or be around food. The headaches are unbelievable, if I'm not puking the nausea is making me gag so much that I am almost puking, than when there is nothing left it's the good old dry heaves. Basically for those that haven't been pregnant or for the males that never will be, all I can say is it is like the biggest hangover x 3 with the case of the flu and you can not take anything for it but just ride the wave till it passes. I am hoping that the second trimester is a lot better and most of you say it will be however there are a few women where it does continue throughout the pregnancy and like I said, at the beginning, this hasn't been an easy road to get to, and hasn't been an easy start on this road so my hopes of it becoming easier are not very high. Somehow I always find myself taking the bumpier road in everything that I do. I wonder if I can make it throughout the next many months ahead but as long as the little one enters the world strong, health and happy that is all we care about. I know I will make it b/c somehow I always do. We aren't going to find out if it's a girl or boy, because we want it to be a surprise the day she/he comes to us. Just like Christmas I don't want to know what I got before the day b/c well where is the surprise in that. We know we are having a baby so that not a surprise but a blessing so let him/her surprise us with who they are.

So right now I am just longing for the time where I can enjoy a meal and eat food that I love to eat, b/c I am getting tired of crackers and instant breakfast. All I can do is thank Tom right now for trying to help me through this and just taking each day at a time.

Well I wrote this blog a long time ago but didn't post it till we told our family. So most of this is old. We are now at the end of our first trimester, so things are a little better.

The old days

Well I got up early this morning and thought I would watch some cartoons.....where are the cartoons. I remember when I was little I would get up before school and watch cartoons. What are our children these days watching. Okay there were maybe 2-3 cartoons on that if I was little I would watch, like Dragon flys, Berenstain Bears(this one started in 1985) etc. But it was really disappointing b/c where are the cartoons that everyone watched and even Saturday mornings are disappointing if you ask me. Were are the smurfs, transformers, He-man, snorks, gummy bears, Monchichis etc. Well I didn't find a site that wouldn't show the old cartoons/tv shows but I did find a site calledRetro Junk that listed old shows and show most intros to the shows.

New pictures of some of our Nieces and Nephew

Well here are a few new pictures of Tom and my nieces and nephew. There are three other nieces and a nephew missing, hopefully will get some new pictures of them soon.

Reagan Marie Lipsett (pronounced Ree not Ray) Looks just like Dad

Sean Patrick Flynn

Peyton Emily, MaKenna Catherine, Reagan Marie Lipsett

Tis the Season but not the weather

Well the Christmas movies have started and the stores are all decorated and the music is on the radio. As soon as Friday comes I will start decorating our apartment, buy some Christmas scented candles and close the blinds on the windows so it will feel just like Christmas. Why would I close the blinds you say, well if you open our blinds all you see is the dark grey sky's, pouring rain and brown leaves on the trees that haven't fallen off yet. The outside just not calling the Christmas season, however I did see two house with Christmas decoration which was nice. I have done a little Christmas shopping already, and I am hoping to get the rest of it done in the next few weeks. I don't want to be like Tom and run out five days before Christmas to get the shopping done in one day. However I know he has started early too b/c he order some stuff on line and said that I am not allow to open any boxes. However, I do know he got me a kitchen aid mixer for Christmas!!!!
Happy Holidays everyone,
Till next time

The Bridge School Benefit

Selena is threatening to smack me around if I don't write something about the Bridge School Benefit concert we went to last month. So to keep the peace, here's a little writeup of it.

Selena and I bought lawn tickets for the concert thinking that it'd be better to stretch out on the lawn all day rather than being in a tiny seat. Plus they were cheaper and makes me feel a little better about having to spend $7 for a beer.

After a brief intro, Neil Young opened the show playing a few songs. Most people were still settling in at this point so I honestly don't remember much about what he played.


Tom hasn't finished this but I am posting it anyways in hope one day he will!!