Post-Grad and Loving It: April 2014

So this has been a very busy week that is only going to continue to get busier!

First off, we had the 2nd Annual Drink for Pink Event at Kilroy's on Saturday, which raised money for Breast Cancer research and the Avon foundation. Our friends Laura Genovese and Betsy Toler hosted the event, in honor of their late mothers who passed on from breast cancer. Patrick and his dad's band, Waiting Man, performed the event. We also had t-shirts and raffle prizes. Overall, we raised over $4500! It was such a great event with great people.

On Sunday, Patrick and I decided to go look for a new car for me! I had a beautiful BMW sedan, but knew with a baby coming I would need an SUV so it will be easier with a car seat as well as for safety. Basically I knew it was time to get rid of the "fun" car for a "mom" car! We knew we would look for a car for me in the next few months, but of course we had a series of events that led up to us going Sunday. A few days before, the fan on my A/C unit stopped working, as well as a few things regarding it. I'd never had problems with my car until this- and of course it happened not even two months after my warranty expired! Since it wasn't under warranty, it was going to be VERY expensive to fix. We would have renewed the warranty, but it wasn't worth it when we knew we would be selling the car soon anyways. So, we decided: What better time to car shop than now? We went to Carmax as our first stop, and they offered us a GREAT deal on my car as a trade-in (exactly what Kelley Blue Book said my car was worth!), and we found the exact car I had been wanting as an SUV! They also said my BMW was in perfect condition (guess they didn't notice the air not blowing on the A/C, since all the electrical parts still worked). The SUV we found though was in the right year, exterior color, and interior color I was hoping to find. It had under 20,000 miles, and was priced perfectly. The warranty is also 6 years or 100,000 miles, since we will have this car for a long time. So, we traded in my 2008 BMW 328i for the 2012 Mercedes GLK350. If you know me, you know that I have always been a BMW lover. The one I had before this one was a 2002 and never had any problems. The only reason we got rid of it was because it was getting old and had high mileage from driving back and forth from college. Even though I have transitioned to Mercedes, I still have love for BMW! Patrick and I are so very blessed to have amazing careers that allow us to make these kind of purchases and still live comfortably. I am also very lucky to have someone who is great with money, as he is a Financial Controller for the company he works at.

For those of you who haven't kept track, I just hit my 3rd and final trimester! Time is FLYING by! So yesterday, we decided to do a 3D ultrasound of what baby Olivia looks like! It was very emotional as we got to see her adorable face. We watched her moving around in real-time! She sucked her thumb, rubbed her eyes, and stretched out. It was incredible to see this live! She was kicking my stomach pretty hard the whole time. Apparently she also has a lot of hair on her head! The ultrasound tech showed us how it appears when we do a 2D (the black and white flat) ultrasound, but it doesn't show on these 3D ones, so she would flip back and forth from 2D to 3D. Since I am only 27.5 weeks along (she measures like I am 28.5), this is exactly what she will look like when she pops out, except she will be bigger! She only has a little fat on her right now, and the next 3 months will be devoted to her getting her "baby fat" and filling out more than the ultrasound shows (which is why she is so tiny in them!). She is only around 15inches long (the size of a cucumber) and 2.2lbs heavy right now. She will continue to bulk up and her organs will develop more as the last trimester finishes.

The place we went to takes screen shots of the baby and also records the entire 20-minute ultrasound. It's really neat! We brought my parents and sister, as well as Patrick’s mom. His dad had a lot going on at work that day. We decided to bring our family since they don’t attend check-ups with us, and this is separate from our O.B. appointments. We wanted to be able to do something with them to involve them with the baby.

Tomorrow, I have my glucose test scheduled with my O.B. This is where they make me drink a nasty liquid and can’t use the restroom for an hour, so they can test me for pregnancy diabetes. This is a standard test every pregnant woman endures. It is not uncommon to get pregnancy diabetes from the rapid weight gain and sweet cravings that come with it! Let’s hope for a clear test. Also, my mom’s sister is visiting tomorrow for my mom’s birthday as well as my aunt’s birthday weekend! We can’t wait to see her.

On Friday, my husband is opening for RICK ROSS with his music! We are so thrilled to be a part of such a big event in DC. He and his bandmates, Ali and Malcom, will be rapping and DJing as an opener for Rick Ross at Echostage. Echostage hosts about 5-6,000 people. We had to sell 300 tickets in the agreement to promote the show, and we’re excited to say we have sold out! We also have 2 party buses going to the event, and we got a couple VIP tables. I am so proud of Patrick and all he has done in his music career. If you want to check out some of his music he does on the side, you can look up his facebook page “Treece,” or go to his website at www.houseofsyntax.com.

Although I'm sad to be missing the Tennessee Spring game on Saturday, I am so excited to watch my husband perform Friday doing something he loves and is passionate about, as well as see my aunt come in for the weekend! I'll definitely miss all my DG sisters and Knoxville friends, who have been SO wonderful reaching out and sending things for baby Olivia throughout my pregnancy. I hope everyone has an amazing time Saturday and of COURSE I will be wearing orange! We aren't the #1 tailgating school for nothing!

Next week I’ll post pictures of the event, as well as results from my appointment! As for now, enjoy the 3D ultrasound pictures of Olivia (if they don’t creep you out), and if I can figure out how to post little video snips from the DVD they gave us I will!

-LL

Drink for Pink Event

Saying goodbye to my "fun" car and HELLO to my new "mom" car!

Front view- her nose looks smooshed because of the angle, as all front-view ultrasound images do.

Side view

With her arm up

Sucking her thumb

Resting side view

Downward view

Side view

We have been so busy with all we are doing to our house to get it ready for the baby, that I haven’t had time to update the blog!

First off, we had our 24 week appointment two weeks ago, and they took my weight and measured my belly and everything looks good! Normal weight gain and my belly is growing at a normal rate. I had my blood work done at 20 weeks and I can’t remember if I posted about it, but everything came back normal! The blood work checks for Spina Bifida, Down syndrome, and other chromosomal abnormalities.

My next visit in a week and a half will be the kickoff to my THIRD TRIMESTER! I can’t believe we’re about 2/3 of the way there! The home stretch :). The 28 week appointment is the glucose test, where I have to drink the liquid they provide so they can check me for any pregnancy diabetes. I also can’t use the restroom when I do this…the worst part.

Also, I forgot to mention that I attended Delta Gamma Founder's Day in DC, where they had a huge alumni gathering (and Olivia Grace's first DG event!). I ran into one of my pledge sisters there from Tennessee! It was so nice to be able to connect with other alumni and DGs that live in this area. They also have a Mommy & Me Playgroup, Book Club, and Mom's Night Out Group they have added me to! I really love that I have already started to meet other women with the same interests and life changes as me. And speaking of DG- I have had the most wonderful surprises show up on our doorstep! Cards, outfits, gifts off our registry (and we haven't even had the baby shower yet!) from my sister in Delta Gamma at Tennessee. It really means so much to me that we all keep in touch, and that they have thought of Olivia, Patrick and I. You really do have sisters for life when you join a sorority.

As far as the renovations go, it has been crazy around our house! We finally finished the second bathroom, the bench/toy chest, and we started on the guest room and the baby’s room. The bathroom used to be a tiled, one-person standup shower and was in need of an update. The tile was old and gross, and the bathroom was just dark and needed more light. We also wanted to put a Jacuzzi tub in, because our other shower is a stand-up as well, and we needed a tub for the baby! We didn’t necessarily need the Jacuzzi tub, but we definitely wanted it! As for the guest room, we took the door leading outside off and put a window in there, and then we also are replacing an old window and patching up a window that needed to be removed after the addition had been put on (because it looked into the addition’s room instead of outside). We have not finished the guest room since I need to repaint it (probably a light lilac color), and we are waiting on the second window to come in. I am posting the progress, though!

And finally.....the baby’s room has FURNITURE! I repainted the room as well. It used to be Redskins maroon, and I changed it to a light grey. The furniture we happened to stumble upon on Saturday afternoon, and since it was on clearance we were able to take it home that day. Good thing, because the furniture store said it would take 10-14 WEEKS to order furniture! I’m due in 14 weeks so that would be a problem. The furniture we found we absolutely fell in love with. We had gone to Babies R Us and looked at cribs, but nothing caught our eye. So we went to Great Beginnings and found the furniture there. I thought I had wanted white, but after seeing the grey with pink undertones on these pieces, we fell in love! My mother-in-law is seriously so wonderful for taking me shopping on a rainy Saturday and helping with the bedroom furniture. My mom is out-of-town, but we will be looking for room decorations and a glider (to replace that pink chair) when she gets back!

Here are some updated pictures of what’s going on with us! I will post a baby bump pic next week at my 3rd trimester appointment....because the only picture I have shows my bare belly and I really don't think anyone wants to see that....haha!

-LL