Mostly January Updates

The Kid update - I thought this update had better go first. The pregnancy continues to toss new challenges at us every day. For all of my sickness I really am grateful for how healthy The Kid and I have been throughout. I do feel a bit picked on while understanding how blessed I really have been.

(Wednesday morning Kim decided to make herself look beyond silly as seen above...and if you were The Kid, you would probably want to get out of that situation also, which is what happens next.)

That being said, last Wednesday evening was spent at the hospital... no fun. Earlier that morning I started having some discomfort. I wasn't sure what was going on but I really couldn't get comfortable no matter what I tried. By about 2 pm I decided I would call my Dr's nurse to see what she suggested. I left my message and waited. About 2:30 she called back and said I was having contractions and needed to get to the hospital so they could stop them. I called Michael and told him I was on my way to pick him up from work. We decided it was time to get serious about picking out a name and a car seat (about other things as well but those seem most important at the time). At about 7 pm they were able to stop the contractions and I was sent home. They also put me on bed rest just to help make sure they didn't start again. I was very glad for the rainy weather last week as I curled up with a good book and stayed in bed.

Yesterday was my Dr's appointment and he said everything looks great. The Kid is healthy and strong. I was taken off bed rest, thank goodness. The good news is I have now gained 2 pounds total in this pregnancy (about 22 pounds since gaining back the weight I lost during the first trimester). The bad news is I was down 2 pounds since my last visit. I guess that just means more ice cream for me.

As we were at the hospital I was hooked up to monitors for contractions and The Kid's heartbeat. The nurse had to come in several times to find The Kid's heartbeat. It was strong but The Kid didn't like getting monitored. He was moving like crazy. The nurse also commented on how much he liked to kick the contractions monitor. He is a mover and a shaker. It was comforting to hear his heartbeat and know he was doing good.

Other updates - This has been a pretty crazy month for us down here. We have had multiple family and friends come to visit. After our return home from our Christmas vacation, Michael's sister Amy and husband Kenneth made their way down here to celebrate a 3 year anniversary. We had a lot of fun with them and loved spending time with Danny. They were able to spend the week with us. We even had the great honor of watching Danny on his first overnighter without his parents as they took a small vacation during their vacation for their anniversary.

New Year's day we were excited to have friend Alyssa and her dog Hurley stop in for the night on her way back from California. It just so happened that friend Hillary was in town for the New Year celebration as well. It was a crowded table but we enjoyed some tacos and catching up.

My Little brother Ken was headed down to Camp Pendleton in California and stopped by to eat dinner with us. He didn't have much time because he was driving straight through but it was great to see him. His other sister was able to fly up to Utah and meet him and help him drive back. We really enjoyed meeting her. We are hoping to take some trips down to see him before he leaves. Love that guy!

Martin Luther King weekend was spent with my little sister Monica and her family. We were able to visit the Ethel M Chocolate factory, the Las Vegas sign, the Mermaids at the Silverton casino, the Bellagio fountains and the Forum shops in Caesar palace. That was all on Saturday so on Sunday I was pretty tired and we all just bummed around our apartment. Sunday night Amy and Kenneth stopped by to spend the night on their way down to California. It was a crowded house once again but fun to have everyone here.

Last weekend we had Amy and Kenneth stay on their way back through. Alisha and Sai also stopped by during their trip to Las Vegas. We went on a very short hike at Red Rock. We were extremely surprised to find about half the population of the city at Red Rock so they could play in the snow which they don't get very often.

That same Saturday night we decided to pretend that we were on the TV show "Cake Boss" and decorated a cake to look like a scene from Amy and Kenneth's cruise: A tall green mountain tapers down to jagged, arched rocks jutting out from the blue bay water with a cruise ship anchored nearby. So it may not be perfect, but let us know what you think.

Sunday Amy & Kenneth left with Danny to drive home, and Alisha and Sai stopped by for lunch and a game of Settlers before they flew back to Salt Lake City. It was good to see them all.

And now we have no one at our place...until this upcoming weekend when Kim's mom will show up.