Dear Ava

Dear Ava,

I passed the 37 week mark yesterday, so technically we could meet face-to-face any day now, although I think you're going to make me wait a little longer. I'm telling myself you won't be here until 41 weeks, so that I can stay productive and patient until then.

I hope you're comfy in my belly. I know I haven't been sleeping well lately (apparently this is normal in late pregnancy), but it seems you took the opportunity to have a dance party in my tummy last night, so I hope it was a good party. I never thought I would love having a big belly, but I've really grown quite attached to having you nearby.

We've already gone on lots of adventures in the past 9 months and there will be many more once you get out here! Your very first trip was a pilgrimage to Williamsburg, VA (we will take you there again one day) to celebrate my 30th birthday with some friends. Of course, I couldn't do a lot of celebrating, but that was okay. We also went to our first MAE concert together. They never play shows live anymore, so we really lucked out with that! I finished up my last semester of working at GW University in DC (a lot of metro rides) and then your dad and I moved to TX in May! I had to fly back home briefly to say goodbye to your great grandmother, who is my mom's mother. I will tell you all  about her one day.

South TX is completely different from where we're from, but we think you'll like it. It's always warm and sunny, but sometimes there are storms, so your dad and I ended up exploring Dallas with you for almost a week during August to escape Hurricane Harvey. When we got back to Corpus Christi, it actually felt like home.

We moved here for your dad's job, so while he has been working, I've mostly been getting to know our new home and cooking a lot. I also write a lot of our blog posts:) I'm not sure if/when I'll try to go back to work after your born, but we'll take it one step at a time and make sure you're in good hands either way. Sometimes, when I make your dad breakfast before he leaves for work, he thinks that is probably worth foregoing the extra income. I never  wanted us to fall into such traditional gender roles, but we also believe that each of us is strong in different areas, and one of my strengths happens to be making breakfast.

Your dad has been very supportive of us this entire pregnancy. It took him a few days to realize I was actually pregnant instead of just making a big deal over nothing (as is NEVER the case). But when we found out you were a girl, we already had the name. Ava is the first name of one of your great grandmothers, even though she doesn't go by that. I remember us deciding to name you after her on a trip to Philadelphia a few years ago. I'm a little apprehensive about giving you my middle name, only because I don't want you to think I want you to be me or anything, I just have always really loved my middle name and I hope you will too:)

Recently, I've seen your dad start to get really excited about you getting here, although he shows his excitement in different ways than I do. He came with me to your 36 week appointment and immediately after started doing a daily spinning ride. I think he is training for fatherhood. We also went to Target last week and he tried to take me to the baby section BEFORE the electronics section. One day you'll realize how big of a deal this is. He was also invited on a last minute trip to Florida for work that I told him to go on (he is very competent and generous and so people invite him for stuff like this a lot), but he was so relieved when he found out he didn't have to go. I very rarely see him stressed, but he was so worried you would decide to show up without him here, and he wouldn't miss that for the world!

We don't know a ton of people in Texas yet, but you have had people all over the world sending you presents for the past couple of months. I'm not sure if you will ever appreciate the cuteness of your clothes and shoes at this point, but your dad and I will definitely appreciate having things to put you in when you get home.

At this point, mostly we can't wait to meet you. I'm so excited and nervous that I think that is making it harder to sleep....think the excitement of a thousand Christmas Eves combined with the anxiety before you take a test that will determine the rest of your life! There is so much we want to introduce you to here. I have no doubt that the warmth of my belly is a lot more comfortable and calm than the real world (even with me jostling you a million times a night), but there is so much good in the outside world, even though it isn't always comfortable. Some of my favorite things about this outside world include music, food, different kinds of people (SO many different kinds), stories, sunshine, breezes, and mountains. Oh, and animals! We have an animal called a cat who is a part of our family. You will love him.

You are the first child we have coming out of my tummy, so we want to thank you in advance for your patience with us as we figure out how to be parents. We promise we will get better at it as time goes on and that we will NEVER stop trying to be better. We are lucky to have lots of friends and family members who have helped raise us and will help support us into being the best parents for you that we can be. I don't think you can ever be 100% ready for the life-changing role that parenthood brings, but we are ready to show up and give it our best whenever you want to make your appearance.

Love,
Mom
(That's the first time I have ever called myself that. I hope I get used to it.)

One Month To Go!

First things first: Mike was extremely disappointed that these pictures from our time in Dallas did not make the last blog, so he insisted I include them here. This was a morning when I made Mike wake up early to go on a long walk on the Katy trail (a long biking/walking/running path downtown) and we found this little guy by the path. 

We are the same

Twins

36 Weeks Update:

Cravings: My cravings have not been too too strong this pregnancy, but some things that are odd. I've still been really into dairy, especially whole milk and sour cream. I put sour cream on a banana nut muffin the other week. Mike thought I was so weird, but then he realized it was genius and delicious and ate it.

Workouts: Still doing prenatal yoga, walking, strength training, and the occasional spin ride (although that will probably end soon). I've noticed that I need to walk in shorter spurts or I start to feel a heaviness in my uterus after a while. I'll elaborate more on this below!

Feeling (Physically): I'm physically feeling fine. My belly is definitely prominent (my belly button could become an outtie at any second), but I'm not getting any swelling or anything. The weather has been much better here in Corpus lately, so that could have something to do with it too. When we got checked at our appointment today, we found out that Ava is measuring in the 89th percentile of babies for size, so it looks like we have a big baby on the way! Ultrasounds can be a little off, but according to the findings, she is due to end up around 9 pounds, so we'll see! Ava is also head down and apparently very low in my pelvis (why I feel heaviness when walking a lot). My cervix hasn't opened at all, but I'm 75% effaced, so I'm hoping this means she won't go past my due date too long.

Feeling (Emotionally): While I'm physically feeling fine, I've definitely been having a little more anxiety lately and have had difficulty sleeping. I think it's just a product of feeling like I have a lot to do before she gets here. I have been getting in some naps during the day and feel so fortunate to be able to do that!

Left to Do: SO MUCH! I need to pack our hospital bags, finalize our birth plan, freeze some meals for the postpartum period, wash all of Ava's clothes and linens, and make sure I have my playlist/affirmations/coping skills down for labor. It actually doesn't sound that bad, but since babies can come early, it's best to be prepared sooner!


Who knows if we'll get in another update before she gets here!

Hurricane Harvey

We knew it was hurricane season in South Texas, and one of the first things people told us when we moved there was that one hadn't hit in almost a decade so we were due for one. Still, although I did have "make a hurricane emergency kit" on my to-do list, you never actually think it's going to happen. Well, Hurricane Harvey seemed to pop up overnight. At the beginning of the week, we were making plans for the weekend. Tuesday, I told Mike there might be a tropical storm we have to watch. Wednesday, it was looking like the storm could get worse so we were planning to shelter in place so I grabbed some non-perishables, and he told me he'd gather more information the next day at work. Thursday, Mike texted me from work and told me to book a hotel for us and Rupert for the next week in Dallas and to start packing because we were leaving that afternoon...alright, then. Looking back, the Navy did an incredible job being decisive in its plan to get people out when it did. We still dealt with some traffic Thursday afternoon, but it was nothing compared to what people endured Friday after the rain had already started.

I booked us a room at an extended stay in Dallas that took pets. Mike normally books all of our trips, so I made a rookie mistake and used hotels.com (their customer service is not good), but we did have a kitchenette in our room and free breakfast every day, so I did well there! We'd never been to Dallas (we've never been to a lot of TX), so we planned to make the most of our time there, since we didn't know how long we would be evacuated. 

Day 1: Thursday evening

We arrived super late so ended up eating dinner around 10pm. I researched nearby takeout spots and this Lebanese place ended up being an awesome choice!

Rupe did well on the 8 hour trip! 15 minutes from the hotel he couldn't hold his bladder anymore, so I had to clean that up when we got in. Besides that, he only meowed in the car for an hour. Maybe two. Considering this was his first car trip over 2 hours AND his first hotel stay, we are proud of him!

Day 2: Friday in the arts district

There was free entrance for military families at pretty much all of the museums we went to which was really nice!

The sculpture museum was right beside the Museum of Art: Decaf cappuccino for me and iced tea for Mike when I needed a break from walking.

The heat in Dallas was not as bad as what we were used to, so walking outside in the courtyard didn't feel unbearable.

Beautiful flowers and plants and Mike in the background!

Went to the bathroom (always) and came back to find Mike playing in these interactive sculpture chairs. Ween: he may have been talking to you in this picture!

Gotta watch those chairs!

A pic of downtown Dallas while waiting for the trolley.

Another pic of downtown Dallas. Mike really loved the architecture of the buildings. I loved this green park right near the arts district!

Day 3: Saturday at the Arboretum

The cloud cover on Saturday was a perfect chance to visit the arboretum, especially since I was eager to spend as much time outside in cooler weather as possible!

The gardens are so beautiful at the arboretum! We saw many many people getting pictures formally taken for pregnancy, engagement, wedding, quincienera, etc.

Pink & Green

Tangly Trees

So much green!

With Shakespeare! Don't know why he was in Dallas...

Bump!

Selfie

Day 4: Sunday at Perot museum & Holocaust museum

The Perot Museum of Science & History is a super interactive and family-friendly museum in downtown Dallas. I'm not into interactive exhibits as much, but this guy definitely is:) The only problem was the museum was extremely crowded!

Another photo of downtown Dallas

Mike & I weren't able to get to the Holocaust museum in DC before leaving, so I really wanted to make it to the Dallas Holocaust Museum. It was small, but the exhibit was wonderfully moving, heartbreaking, and so important for us to see. I'm so glad that we had the opportunity.

Rupert enjoying his time in the hotel:)

Days 5 & 6: Hanging out at the hotel (Monday) and heading home (Tuesday)

On Monday, we just relaxed around the hotel. Mike had some work to do, and we went out for dinner at the same Lebanese restaurant we'd gotten take out from on the first night. We also decided that we'd head back the next day because we got word late on Tuesday that power was being restored in our apartment building (the power had been out since Friday and we knew we'd have to throw out all of our food). 

Tuesday, I woke up Mike super early since I wanted to avoid any traffic on the way down. But I took first driving shift. We ended up making it back in about 6  hours. When we started getting closer to the coast (we didn't go near Houston at all), we started to see some of the devastation that the hurricane had left behind. I had been watching the news, but I still could not believe a lot of what I was seeing, and a lot of this destruction was in towns that I had not heard mentioned on the news. So I'm sharing these pictures in hopes that we don't forget these smaller towns.

Water-filled trenches on the sides of the roads

A Shell gas station

Boarded up buildings and destroyed signs

Power lines tangled in remnants of buildings

I think most of these pictures were taken near Refugio, TX and, when we drove through, there was no gas, water, or power to be seen anywhere. It was heartbreaking. We did see people on the side of the road handing out free food and water, so the rebuilding had begun. However, after seeing what happened in Houston, it will probably take longer for a lot of resources/money/aid to reach some of these smaller communities. I know that a lot of these communities need money right now, and here is where I initially donated to try to get the money to those towns as soon as possible: http://www.victoriafoodbank.org/get-involved/donations/

After missing a days of work, Mike has been very busy with his job since we returned, and will be traveling to DC next week to finish up a case he has worked on before. Hopefully, I'll get another pregnancy update blog out while he's gone!

An Apartment Tour (Come Visit!)

It only took two and a half months to get all of the furniture that we think we are going to need in our apartment, which isn't bad given that we arrived with almost none. Now that everything is in place and mostly clean, it seemed like a good time to document the state of the apartment. Let's take a look!

This is the front door, with convenient key hangers and shoe bench.

A view from the kitchen to the front door, overlooking the dining "room." The table is still our favorite piece in the apartment. 

That same view, but the opposite direction into the kitchen.

And slightly to the left so you can see the rest of the kitchen.

After walking in, to your right you will find our guest bedroom/nursery/office.

Just inside the door of the office. Will probably have to relocate the Twilight Zone Kanamit before this becomes Ava's room. Elvis and the lamb can stay.

Ava's side of the room. We won a free accent wall a few weeks ago so this is what we did with it.

The whole room.

The guest bed, which comes with reading light, alarm clock, Amazon Echo, and message board.

Okay, that's enough of the guest room/office/nursery.

A view of the living room. Kitchen is to the left and guest room is to the right.

View from the living room through our balcony to the pool. When it is not 100 degrees and humid at all times, we plan to use this balcony furniture.

And another turn to the right in the living room to see our sofa.

And finally, our bedroom!

Wide angle view.

And that's it! No more furniture until we move again in two to three years.

2nd Trimester Recap

It's hard to believe we're already into the 3rd trimester! I'll be 30 weeks tomorrow, but before I go crazy and say anything like "wow the time has just flown by!", I'm going to check myself and recap the 2nd (and longest) trimester.

Different people will count the 2nd trimester as different weeks, but I considered is to be weeks 14-28 (so it really is the longest trimester). When we got to TX, I was 20 weeks along, so we've been in Texas about 2 and a half months, and I've spent most of my 2nd trimester here. And, here, in no particular order, are the things that happened during that time!

• Baby Kicks started 
• I could start to feel baby kicks around week 20, although my doctor thought it was too early. They felt more like involuntary muscle twitches (like when you have an eye twitch or muscle spasm), but I knew they were her. Since then, she's gone through different types of kicks. I used to only feel her in my lower stomach, but since my uterus has grown, I feel her more on my side now when I'm laying on my side. She's also started wriggling and rearranging herself more!

• Cravings/favorite snacks
• Not really anything unusual...I still love spaghetti with meat sauce (but I do half zucchini noodles and half wheat noodles), peanut butter and jelly toast, and probably still craving dairy more than normal. I've been doing pretty good about not eating *too much sugar*

• Gestational Diabetes test
• I've been trying to watch my sugar intake a lot because of this test, but I still didn't pass the first one! I did end up passing the 2nd one which is good because I don't have to meet with a special doctor, but I'm going to try to not let that be an excuse to slack on my nutrition. We may have celebrated passing my test with getting some ice cream and now I'm reminded why I can never have ice cream in the house:) P.S. vanilla ice cream with peanut butter is still my favorite.

• Birth class
• Mike and I started a Bradley Method birth class 2 weeks ago (our friend, Kay, recommended Bradley to us), and it has been amazing! So, there is only one Bradley teacher in Corpus Christi AND we might be the only couple attending right now, but the small fee is completely worth it for 12 weeks of classes (2 hours each week) where we focus on the pregnancy and try to prepare for labor. I think the most valuable thing about it for me has been the intentional time that is set aside for Mike and me to reflect together on the experience. So much of pregnancy has felt like it's just happening to me (because it is), but the classes make me feel like I can actually SHARE what I'm going through with someone (which you all know is important to me). The Bradley Method emphasizes the role of coach for the husband/father/whoever, and Mike is shaping up to be a great coach!

• Body stuff/Symptoms
• Besides the obvious popping of my stomach during the 2nd trimester, I haven't had too many crazy symptoms yet. Oh wait, I've had 2 crazy leg cramps the mornings after days where I didn't drink enough water. I realized I need to immediately flex my foot or it's worse. After the first one, my calf hurt for like a week after! I've also had some acid reflux, haven't been sleeping super well, and I really like water. So nothing too bad. I know as my belly continues to grow, more things will pop up.

No shame in stealing Mike's shorts

Wondering if I'm going to outgrow this shirt!

• Baby things
• We have been extremely blessed with people gifting us baby things (new and old and to borrow). Mike's coworker who recently had a baby loaned us some bouncer chair type things which will come in very handy if needed! My stepsister (who has 3 girls) offered to send me a box of things, including a set of cloth diapers, which we are going to try because we can always switch if it doesn't work out! We also got some of our first baby gifts in the mail, and it's starting to feel real!

We registered for mostly gender neutral stuff, but I couldn't resist these! (Thanks, Jim!)

His name is Elvis:) (thanks, Aunt Linda!)

Also, I got some good advice from one of my former coworkers (who gave birth a few weeks ago!) about not putting off things until the last minute, so here are some things we'd still like to get done in the next 2 months!

• Read book on childbirth
• Read book on breastfeeding (and attend a La Leche group here in Corpus to get some info beforehand)
• Mike and I are signed up for the hospital's classes on: infant CPR, hospital tour, newborn care, etc. (I figure if we have the time, let's just do them all:))
• Install our car seat and get it inspected
• Find a pediatrician

Unfortunately, it doesn't look like Mike and I are going to make it to the East Coast for this holiday season. We will likely still be in the throws of early parenthood and want to make sure Ava has her vaccinations before we fly with her (especially during a busy season). FORTUNATELY, we are planning a trip to the East Coast in the Spring and, until then, we very nearly have our guest room finalized, complete with its own bathroom, walk-in closet, Echo dot, and view of the pool! In the next blog post, Mike is going to take you on a walk through of our place:)

Adventuring Again

As we get a little bit more comfortable in our surroundings, we have ventured out for more outings and adventures in Corpus Christi. We also got paid by the Navy for our move and added some of that money to our 'date night fund' so that we can take advantage of time exploring before Ava gets here.

Tesla Auto Show

This was a free event that I found online and knew Mike would love. Tesla brought some cars down to showcase and offer test drives at a beach club in Port Aransas, TX (north of Padre island near Corpus Christi). The Tesla we got a test drive in (from one of their staff members) was the one with the white seats and it went 0-60 in like 3 seconds! Being pregnant, I let Mike experience that without me, but it was really weird for me to watch a car accelerate without making a sound (due to it being electric). It is beautiful out there, and I've heard we should go back and check out the downtown area of Port Aransas.

View of the beach from the golf club where the event was held

Side view of the 3 models Tesla brought

Interior view of my private car...the white seats were so cool!

Picture of Mike in the driver's seat (although we didn't drive on ourselves)

Full car view

Me in the back seat!

Annual Wimbledon Feast

Mike and I were able to partake in our annual Breakfast at Wimbledon tradition thanks to Mike finagling a way to watch the finals live on our Apple TV! I thanked him by making tomato sandwiches, cucumber sandwiches, strawberries & whipped cream (made in out KitchenAid), and a cheese plate. Perfect way to celebrate a Roger Federer win!

We used our nice china and Game of Thrones-themed cutting board since the season premiere was later that night!

Movies & Shows

We saw this movie in the Alamo Drafthouse in Corpus Christi (you can get food brought to you during the movie) and it was amazing! I found it super funny and also heartwarming. We've since also seen Spiderman which was also good.

We saw the local community theater's production of "Beauty and the Beast" which was really well done! They were mostly a young cast, but Belle sounded exactly like Belle from the movie. There is one other community theater in Corpus (besides the universities) that we are also planning to check out this weekend!

Recent Eats

Shrimp salad (marinated shrimp in lime/garlic/cumin then had avocado and tahini dressing)

I don't always eat this healthy, but we had leftovers so that helped:)

Other Projects

In addition to volunteering at a local career resource center one day a week, I began training last week to become a CASA (which is why I've been busier than usual). I will basically serve as a voice in court for the interest of the child in cases of abuse. It's a really great program and I'm glad I have time to get involved now, although I may still want to work in the future.

We bought some herbs for our balcony! Mike has kept them watered and so far none of them have died, so maybe soon we will use some of our basil, mint, and rosemary!

We finally finished our baby registry! You can search for us on Amazon or this link should also take you straight there. We tried to keep it minimal, but it was still an overwhelming process with so many options for everything out there these days (and also not having done the parenting thing yet).

In the long saga that has been our moving claims process, there is some light at the end of the tunnel. We are going to get almost $700 for missing items. Unfortunately, this is like 2 months after we moved and we got tired of having a desk with no legs siting on our floor, so Mike (being incredibly resourceful and motivated to not want to haul a desk body to a landfill or Goodwill) decided to make some! Even though they are slightly different color than the rest of the desk, it is going to save us money AND give us a working desk!!

Bump Pics

I think this was like 27 weeks?

I think this was around 27 weeks as well

Sitting in the doctor's office at 28 weeks

View from the top!

Bump pic at 27 and a half weeks

So that's it for right now, but I will be posting a recap on the 2nd trimester soon, now that I officially entered the 3rd trimester at 28 weeks!

-Kelsey