George

You're never too old to play in the snow!  We're getting hit with 1-2 feet over the next couple of days so Rick and I decided to suit up and head out.  The great thing about our neighborhood is that it's on a golf course.  The course weaves throughout the woods.  We hiked around and found a perfect spot to make a snowman.  I forgot how much work it is!  But totally worth it.  Meet George.

His right eyebrow could use some attention.

Rick was kind enough to loan George his scarf.

Maybe next week we'll give George a wife!

7 Weeks

I recently downloaded a pregnancy iphone application that updates me daily on our baby's growth.  I thought it would be fun to share once a week on the blog!  It's pretty amazing how fast things develop.  

7 Weeks:

The big news this week: Hands and feet are emerging from your baby's developing arms and legs – although they look more like paddles at this point than the tiny, pudgy extremities you're daydreaming about holding and tickling.

Technically, your baby is still considered an embryo and has something of a small tail, which is an extension of the tailbone. The tail will disappear within a few weeks, but that's the only thing getting smaller. Your baby has doubled in size since last week and now measures half an inch long, about the size of a blueberry.

If you could see inside your womb, you'd spot eyelid folds partially covering your baby's peepers, which already have some color. You'd also see the tip of his or her nose and tiny veins beneath parchment-thin skin. Both hemispheres of your baby's brain are growing, and the liver is churning out red blood cells until bone marrow forms and takes over this role.

Your baby also has an appendix and a pancreas, which will eventually produce the hormone insulin to aid in digestion. A loop in your baby's growing intestines is bulging into his or her umbilical cord, which now has distinct blood vessels to carry oxygen and nutrients to and from your baby's tiny body.

Music to My Ears

Victory!!  After much stress and anxiety (mine, Rick was the calm and collected one as usual) we received great news!  We heard the heart beat.  What a completely surreal experience.  The Dr. said everything looked and sounded normal.  MUSIC TO MY EARS.  We'll go back for another ultrasound on December 3rd to make sure things are still progressing normally.  If we can make it to that ultrasound the chances of miscarriage go down to 2%.  That will be a great day!

Check out the heartbeat on the left and our tiny baby on the right.  We could even see the heart beating super fast!

Do You Smell That?

And the morning sickness has reared it's ugly head!  Yesterday Rick decided he wanted to make beef stew.  I love beef stew! What's not to like?? I was looking forward to a warm stew after the Bronco game.  My body had other ideas.  The moment Rick dropped the onions in the saute pan I felt myself turn green.  I immediately had to retreat to the bedroom where I spent the next four hours under the covers trying to suck up the smell of any detergent still left on the sheets!  I could not believe how powerful my sense of smell had suddenly become!  I could smell the stew everywhere! Rick even opened all the windows downstairs as well as one in the bedroom.  But the smell was wafting under the bedroom door and it was all I could do to not vomit all over my bed.  Even as I write this my mouth is watering remembering the scent.  ACK.  

Tomorrow we head to the doctor to get our first real ultrasound.  If this morning sickness is any indication, then we should see a healthy heartbeat!  I'm nervous, but hopeful it will all go well!  

Update on mouse situation:   Since my last post we've set six traps.  We also had the Orkin guy come out and assess the situation.  He said we don't have an infestation THANK THE LORD, but maybe one or two in the house.  He showed Rick where he thought they were entering the house (a big crack along the front of the siding) and suggested we buy some foam to fill the hole.  Rick accomplished that task...I wish I had video taped that adventure.  Dressed in his work pants, a heavy coat, gloves, and a brand spanking new head lamp, he went to work.  The work pants are now covered in foam (ie ruined) and the front of the house now has character.  We haven't seen a mouse since...fingers crossed the mouse problem is no longer a problem.  Time will tell...

Mouse-1 Mountain Man-0

I've never been afraid of killing insects.  At summer camp I was the go-to spider killer.  I'd grab a shoe or a Cosmo magazine off the bunk bed and go to work.  It never bothered me and still doesn't.  I do not, however, have the same courageous nature when it comes to rodents.  Mice especially gross me out.  They carry disease and they poop in your house.  Even the mice in Cinderella gave me a weird vibe.  So you can be sure that when I heard Rooney going nuts over by some firewood today in our living room, she got my attention.  At first, I didn't think twice.  For those of you who have met our Roo you know she likes to play, with just about anything.  So I figured she was playing with the firewood.  I kept right on checking my gmail when all of a sudden something caught my eye.  I couldn't be sure, but I feared the worst.  Whatever it was went scurrying across the living room and into a closet where we keep our DVDs.  I immediately got up and ran to see what Roo was doing.  She was covered in sawdust and frantically trying to figure out where whatever it was had gone.  My mind immediately went there.  We.have.a.mouse.  I ran over to our fireplace tools and grabbed the poker.  That seemed logical...as if I was going to poke the thing to death!  I went over to the closet and moved things around with the poker.  NOTHING.  Hmm.  Maybe I was wrong.  Maybe I hadn't seen a mouse.  It must have all been in my head.  I was having a rotten day and now I was imagining mice scurrying across my living room.  WRONG.

Fast forward to this evening.  Rick and I were watching TV when I saw it.  A GROSS.DISGUSTING.BROWN.MOUSE.  It snuck out of the closet and was bee lining it back towards the the firewood (where Rooney had seen it earlier today).  I screamed, jumped, and ran.  Immediately I notified Rick that he would be TAKING CARE OF THIS.  Which of course is when things got interesting.  Rick headed to the fireplace tools.  Ahh what will be his weapon of choice?  He chose tongs.  Interesting.  Next he grabbed a reusable grocery bag.  I asked him about his plan.  

Rick: I'm going to grab the mouse and stick it in the bag.

Me:  ohhh ok.

I immediately moved to the stairs.  Rick cautiously approached the closet and began emptying it's contents with the tongs.  Nothing.  

Me:  Do you see it?  Do you see it?

Rick:  Come here and tuck my jeans into my socks.

Me:  BE A MAN HONEY.

Rick:  I am such a vagina!  (Sorry, his words, not mine.)

A little more poking with the tongs ensued.  Along with some jumping around. Followed by screams.  Rick's, not mine.  

Rick: AHHHH I saw it. I saw it.  It's in there!

Me:  KILL IT!  GET IT! NOW! GET IT!

Rick:  It's not in there anymore.  It's gone.

Me:  WHERE DID IT GO!!?

Rick:  I have no idea.

Me: FIND IT.

This led to more searching for the mouse.  10 minutes later we came to the conclusion that it had escaped. I had heard from a friend that mice don't like tin foil.  This could be a total fallacy, but hey it was something.  So I told Rick to cover the firewood area with tin foil.  He started to move things around to lay down the foil.  And just when I thought this nightmare was over for the night and my heart rate had begun to drop I heard Rick yell...

Rick:  It came at my feet!!!!  

This sighting sent both Rick and myself running for the stairs.  

Me:  We're going to Walmart to get mouse traps.  NOW.

Rick:  Yep.

While searching for traps at the Walmart.

Rick:  I'm disappointed in myself.  I am such a girl.

Me:  I was hopeful you would step up to the plate, but honestly that's about how I figured things would go down.

Rick:  (Laughing) I think I could have had it if it hadn't come after my feet.

Me;  I know, honey.

My mountain man

Picture Worth 1,000 Words

On Friday we had a bit of a scare.  I'll refrain from sharing the gory details, they involve me home alone thinking I had for sure just experienced a miscarriage.   Rick and I spent the rest of Friday afternoon and evening paralyzed by fear, yet clinging to the hope that things were going to be OK.  One anxiety filled drive to Denver early Saturday morning, an ultrasound, and blood work later we were told I am still pregnant.  We were relieved to hear good news.  I was put on bed rest for the weekend and told to take it easy until my next ultrasound a week from Tuesday.  Unfortunately, my pregnancy is still in the early stages, so a heartbeat could not be detected from the ultrasound.  They were able to see a gestational sac and a yolk, positive signs that things are going well.  Hopefully, at the next ultrasound we will see a heartbeat.  One thing we do know, (get ready to cash in on your winnings or fork over the dough you owe depending on your pick) we are NOT having twins.  Sorry Grandma, no "Mickey and Minnie" like you suspected.  Here's our first ultrasound picture.  It isn't much to look at, but it's everything to us.  

Lucky for me, I started knitting again! At least I've got something to do to pass the time.  If you are in need of a scarf (and ONLY a scarf) holler at me!  Rick has already asked for a hat and I'm sweating just thinking about figuring that one out!