We've graduated!

Monday was the beginning of week 9 for my pregnancy. It was a great day filled with excitement and more than one milestone. I have officially "graduated" from Reproductive Partners in Westminster. My hormone levels are awesome and the baby is alive and kicking...literally! When we were getting our last ultrasound, we saw the baby move. Actually, Joe saw it first. It looked like the baby hiccuped. I thought it was Dr. Yee moving the probe around, but Joe said, "Oh my god! Did it just move?" And Dr. Yee replied, "Probably." Then as he proceeded to scan the baby and take measurements, we saw the baby kick it's little leg and move one of it's arms! It was absolutely amazing! What a way to end our final ultrasound with Reproductive Partners.
I won't see a doctor again until August 8th when I go to Kaiser. And even then I won't see a doctor. At Kaiser you get a midwife for all your appointments and prenatal needs. I guess you only see an actual OB if there is a problem. We also won't get another ultrasound for several weeks is my guess. That's too bad, I got really spoiled getting a weekly picture of the little bug!

Dinner with the Larkins

Pat came over to hang out for a bit AND he brought dinner. How awesome is that!! Pat really has perfected smoked pulled pork. Lisa made a delicious pasta salad & Vanessa made some tasty beer bread. Katie made a great chocolate cake. I made nothing. I guess I'm a bum. ;->

3rd Fair Trip

We made our third trip to fair on Friday. The crowds were still large and the fair was still going strong.













Bill & Ellen met us there to partake in all the fair related goodness.













The food list:

Meatball slider
Corndog
Fried cream cheese
Baked potato w/ sour cream
Deep fried Twinkie
Pulled pork sandwich
Toffee nuts
Mini donuts
More beer & wine






I think Bill had a good time. ;->

8 weeks and counting

Monday we had our 8 week ultrasound. The baby is actually starting to look like something other than a blip. The doctor said that my progesterone level should peak in week 9 and then start to taper off. Hopefully that means the morning sickness will taper as well. I have started to develop heartburn after I eat, so Tums are my new best friend. I have also started to develop a little bit of a bump. It tends to be masked by the pregnancy bloating and pre-baby fat I had before, but it is definately there. Next week will probably be our last week going to Reproductive Partners. I don't know what I am going to do without my weekly baby picture! I have an appointment with a mid-wife at Kaiser on August 8th for my 1st prenatal visit with them. Hopefully they will treat us well.

2nd Fair Trip

We went to the fair for the second time with Rene, Ella & Mom.

Everybody had a really great time. The fair was super awesome, the food was great and the crowds were just right.














We arrived at 3:30 and stayed until 9:30. Ella was very happy to be there and even let us snuggle her for a bit. She is a delight in every way!
















Auntie Vanessa showed her around the farm and introduced her to all the animals.








































I worked my way through a bit more fair food this trip:

Chuck Wagon Texas chili
Santa Maria Tri-tip
Fried cheese
Chocolate strawberry
Deep fried Poptart
Fried veggies
Mini donuts
Muscat
Port
French fries
Deep fried White Castle hamburger
Various beers
Beef jerky
Tortilla soup
Cheese soup
Funnel cake
Soft serve ice cream



I declare mini donuts the be the most righteous fair food of all.









































Even the cows were relaxed and happy. ;->




















In the end a great night was had by all!

Dinner with the Larkins

We had an awesome dinner with Pat & Lisa at a new Mexican place called
Taco Rosa. The food was delicious and the company excellent as always!

Week 7 Ultrasound

Everything is going well! There is still a baby in there with a beating heart! It is growing at a fast pace and is almost a centimeter long now. Vanessa is feeling great, she has "morning" sickness but is happy to have it. There will be another ultrasound next Monday.

OC Fair 1st Trip

The Fair!!!! The Fair is here!!!

As many of you know I am a bit nuts about the fair. I don't really know why. I just really love going to the fair. The crowds, all the happy people, the excess of food and frivolity, the spectrum of human achievement from farming to art to hi-tech gadgetry and throughout it all a strong sense of excitement from the masses. I guess it is all the fun parts of humanity. With beer.







We limited ourselves to about half of the fair for the first trip so that there will still be new things to see on the next trip.















I really didn't eat a lot things this time:

• Giant Corn Dog
• Roasted Corn on the Cob
• Cinnamon Roll w/ milk
• Carne Asada Tacos
• Beans & Rice
• Beer

I'm just warming up though....

Welcome to the Family

Cael Michael Gann was born on Thursday morning. I made the mistake of deleting the message left by Aunt Kathy with all his info on my cell phone. I will have to get that info again. But he is healthy and happy. Shannon is doing very well and I am sure Arnold is thrilled to have a baby boy! I can't wait to find out how Alana is reacting to having new brother.

Preggo update

After battling a stomach bug for the last few days, I am starting to feel better. My morning sickness is back. I can't brush my teeth with out throwing up afterwards. But that is okay because I wasn't feeling sick the past three days and I was starting to worry. When you have had a miscarriage before and have worked as hard as we have to be where we are, you worry when you don't "feel" pregnant. I have notice some minor changes in my body as well. All good signs. So far I haven't had much in the way of cravings, but pizza is definately on the no no list. I ate some on Saturday night and it did not sit well. I seem to prefer cold items such as yogurt, salads and fruit. I also really like jasmine rice with a little butter and soy sauce. I am very excited for our next doctor appointment. I want to see how our little bug has grown!

Corn Harvest

The corn has reached its peak and is ready for harvest! I went down to the garden early yesterday morning and brought in the first harvest. I filled a large cooler with big tasty ears. After spreading the wealth around a bit I cooked some last night. Delicious!! There is nothing like home grown corn. You just can't get this taste in store bought corn. I like my corn sweet, dripping butter and well salted. Mmmmmmmmm!!











I went back this morning and pulled another 8 ears. Corn every night for a week!! Sweet. ;->

It is so satisfying to nurture a crop, watch it grow, bring it in and eat it.













I wish my garden was bigger so that I could plant 5 or 6 different kinds of corn at staggered intervals so that I'd get a new harvest every couple of weeks throughout the summer. Maybe some day if we ever can afford a house with a yard.

It's REAL!

This morning we went to Reproductive Partners for another ultrasound. Lo and behold there is a real, live baby in my womb! The little, tiny heart was beating away. I couldn't believe it. I kept saying to Joe, "Is it real?" And it was! The gestational sac is about twice the size it was last week. Today, not only could you see the heart, but you could also see the yolk sac. I feel so lucky! Most women don't get to see their babies this early on. So I am officially six weeks and two days along. This gives us an estimated due date of February 28, 2009. It seems so far away, but I know I'll blink and it will be here. Got lots of reading and preparing to due. AND, I am starting to get morning sickness...blah ;}

After the Crowds

Saturday morning breakfast at the Sea Shanty. I was really looking forward to the pancake breakfast down at the Vet's hall but it is on Sunday this year and we are hitting the road early Sunday morning. To make up for it we went for a nice bite at the Sea Shanty. The crowds are starting to die back to normal summer levels now. Just enough to make the town seem full but not so many that you can't even move around.

The Big Day

Today is the big day! It all starts with the Fourth of July Parade. Everyone gets togther and we walk down Pacific to where it meets Ocean. Aunt Kathy had setup two chairs there for the pregnant ladies.











The crowds all line the street from one end of town to the other. The sleepy little town of 2800 is filled with happy families and friends. It is really great to see so many people out celebrating the birth our nation.











The preggos. ;->














The floats are always really creative and fun.
















Some floasts don't make much sense. :-)






























Once the parade ends the crowds spill out into the street. You can really see in this pic how many people come from all over the state for the Fourth in Cayucos. There are many things to do downtown after the parade. Of course there is the beach, the sandcastle competition, the Peddler's Fair, the Lions Club BBQ, all the stores and shops, a bunch of booths setup along Front St. and all the food you could ever eat.











We went down to the Lions Club BBQ and had some of Uncle Ron's delicious BBQ chicken.

Fourth of July in Cayucos

We are up at Aunt Kathy & Unlce Ron's house in Cayucos for the Fourth of July. I've been coming up here since I was a small child. Vanessa has been coming since we first met, about 11 years now. Today we are just going to take it easy, go for a few walks on the beach, wander downtown for a burger maybe and read lots of books. Tomorrow is the big day. It will start early with the parade, then BBQ at the pier, then over to the peddler's fair and a nice stroll along the main street with Italian Ice Cream at the end. Yum. There is then fireworks from the pier. I'll try to post an update everyday with more pics.

Ritual Competition Results

I got an email from Rich, our Senior Warden.

Dear Brethren of Irvine Valley Lodge #671:

I am very pleased, and yes, even proud, to announce that last night Irvine Valley Lodge #671 of the 488th Masonic District of Division 4 was declared the WINNER of the 1st Degree Ritual Competition for the entire state of California . Yes, we won FIRST PLACE - THE GRAND PRIZE - out of all of the Lodges under the Grand Lodge of California. This is a tremendous honor and an historical event for our Lodge. Irvine Valley has always been known for doing good ritual, but now we can back that up unequivocally and without any mental reservations!!!

Pretty awesome!