Pumpkin's Room

Thank goodness for little girls! I have been craving some pink in this house and here is my chance! We touched up the paint in our yellow nursery and Alex helped me apply some adorable, girly decals to the walls in Pumpkin's room. The result is so calming and sweet that I find myself just sitting in there and enjoying it.

We are 31 weeks along and Pumpkin is proving to be a big girl! Taking it easy these days and feeling much better for it. We seem to be crusing right along in the 3rd trimester, but I am finding it difficult just getting around. I am big as a house! I swell pretty easily and have lots of little aches/pains. All normal, which is something I remind myself of daily.

Enjoy the pictures!

Baby Bump!

I don't know if you can tell or not, but Pumpkin is making her presence known! She is a big girl that moves frequently. She will not tolerate caffeine and I have already gained the same amount of weight at 7 months that I did the entire pregnancy with Alex! Oye!

Good times ahead my friends!

It's a girl! We went to the ultrasound and promptly to celebrate over lunch at our favorite Mexican place El Loro. I really celebrated with this delicious Fried Ice Cream for desert. Pumpkin liked it!

Big Event with Little Lydia

Last Monday I was admitted into the ER for shortness of breath and minor heart palpitations. Before I get into the details, let me say that I am okay. I wouldn't have been as worried except for the little baby growing inside of me... Pumpkin is six months along and she has been a handful! I was literally sitting at work when I lost my breath. I have a desk job, very sedentary, no reason to be out of breath. It was so persistent that I called the nurse line. They advised me to go to the ER and my heart really started racing then. I immediately called Brent for comfort and rescue to come and pick me up from work. I tried to keep it together but of course, could not seem to manage. There were a few private tears, some concerned conversations between myself and co-workers. Brent arrived to pick me up and we went to the nearest hospital. I haven't been to the ER personally since I was stung multiple times by bees in high school. I was also having trouble breathing in that occasion as well, but this was totally different. I am an adult now, a mom. I was so worried about Pumpkin and not at all about myself. I knew in my gut that I was okay, but I wanted to make sure that nothing was causing the discomfort, that nothing was wrong with my baby. The doctor's name was Alex and right away I knew we were in good hands. Brent was amazing. He stayed calm, supportive, and took the information from the Dr. Alex that I was sure to forget. He asked the right questions which was key. We spoke softly to one another between tests. They did an EKG right away. My blood pressure was good. Oxygen level a little low. They did a chest x-ray, blood work, and an ultrasound of the legs to rule out a blood clot. Lots of tests, and they were able to rule out quite a few things. What they didn't find is what caused the issue. If it happens again, I need to get a Cat Scan. They didn't want to do that because one CT is about 100 x-rays worth of radiation... and Pumpkin would not like that very much. Hopefully it was just a fluke as the doctor suspected. But being out of breath for over 4 hours is definitely not normal. I took it as a sign to slow down. No more plans with friends during the week. No more running out to the store after work if I am tired. Lots more sitting on the couch. Lots more resting. I had my scheduled 6 month appointment this past week as well. My doctor agreed that it was probably a fluke and could have been the baby sitting the wrong way making it difficult for me. This early on that is not normal, but it is a likely cause. Bottom line- we're okay but need to slow it down. We spent time as a family on Saturday night at the local community center swimming and playing. I let Brent take the lead on chasing Alex through the play gym and I walked on the indoor track. I am still trying to walk, but slowly. Seems odd how quickly life can change. I went from losing 35 lbs on Weight Watchers and doing a walk/jog combo 3 times a week to gaining weight and walking so slow it's laughable. At least I'm still walking!! That's all I can say. I can already tell that Pumpkin is going to be completely worth it. She is spunky and opinionated. This is a completely different pregnancy and I was convinced I was carrying a girl from the beginning. And I was right! She is kicking me as I type. She just seems feisty to me. I am so excited to meet her. I just hope we make it through the next few months with ease. On that note, time to get ready for bed!

First Impressions of South Korea

Many things I have noticed already, but here are some good ones:

1. Traveling is very hard on young kids. I miss Alex dearly but am so grateful that I didn't put him through the 13 hour flight here. There was a family with two young boys sitting directly in front of me. The mom and dad literally stood in the aisle just so there boys could stretch out over 4 seats and sleep for a few hours. It was such a selfless act, and made a profound impression on me. I had the pleasure of sitting right beside a 4 month old baby as well. She was just miserable and cried frequently. Being a new mom myself, this did not upset me, just made me very aware of how hard it is on the little ones.


2. Korean flight attendants are gorgeous. Georgia said that it is a requirement of the job, no qualms. No discrimination suits. The "ugly girls know not to apply."


3. Korean men like to mock foreigners. A lot. It really irritates Georgia but I just thought it was weird. Georgia knows enough of the language to know they are mocking us, am oblivious.


4. Korean men like my boobies. Totally caught a man staring at my chest on the subway. I made eye contact with him and he just smiled. Georgia did give me the heads up that if someone asks if I am a Russian, quickly say no. That means you are a prostitute. Considering I am already being gawked at, I better practice that response. A woman asked at the Incheon airport if I was a Russian, but only because she herself was from Russia and needed help figuring out customs. She didn't have a cool sister send her an email of what to expect and how to get through it. Right down to disinfecting carpet right when you get off the plane that gets your shoes wet... so walk gingerly onto the tile floor.


5. After getting off the Subway and getting onto the streets of Seuol, I finally felt like I was in a foreign country because the buildings look so different. The signs are all neon and everything is open late, all night long. People start later here. Makes me wonder which country has it right. I may be able to offer an opinion on that after my time here is over.


6. Skype is my best friend. I have talked to Brent several times already and this morning was able to see them on the webcam and talk to my boys. Alex lite up like a Christmas tree when he saw me. All for free.


7. Hotel rooms are very different here. The "bed" is more like a boxspring, literally, and everything is small. Very functional but nothing at all fancy. The bathroom has the shower in the middle of the room and the drain two feet from the toilet. No division. Good to know when when going to the bathroom after a shower has taken place. Wet socks are not happy socks.

Time to go find some breakfast. Apparently people eat soup and rice to start their day here. There is a Dunkin Donuts down the block. I would never consider it in the USA... starting my day off with a donut while on Weight Watchers. Well guess what?! If it is between a damn donut and soup- going for the donut every time.