18 Week Pictures!

The weather was so beautiful today, so after work, Lee and I walked over to the park next to our house to have a little photo session!  We had to work quickly because the sun was fading fast!!  Here are a few from my 18 week album!!

15-18 weeks!!

I know, I'm a slacker!! Maureen tells me all the time that I need to be better about blogging. I admit, sometimes I just don't know what to say! To be honest, I should have PLENTY to say with this human growing inside me!! As of today, I am 18 weeks pregnant. I feel a lot bigger than I should, but everyone, well, almost everyone, is telling me I look great, so I'll just chill out!! It's hard when people tell me I look like I'm having twins, or at least a really big baby. Honestly, I just wanted to scream at the person who said that to me. But, I just smiled and said "nope, there's only one" and walked away. Anyway, today I felt the baby move for the first time. It was just a fluttering sensation, but I felt it twice! Definitely an awesome feeling and surreal all at the same time.

Lee is working on his photography, so he has been using me to practice on. So, here are a few pictures he has taken of me starting at 15 weeks and working up. He didn't take one at 18 weeks, so maybe I'll get him to do that in the next day or so.

15 Weeks

16 Weeks

16 Weeks, 3 Days!

17 Weeks

At my 16 week appointment, I decided to record the baby's heartbeat. If I can figure out how to save it to my computer, I'll post it! Also, I will be going for my 20 week sonogram on November 24th! So, if the baby cooperates, we will know what we're having in a little over a week!!

My Birthday and First Baby D Gifts!

Thursday was my 32nd birthday. This year looks to be a great one, as we prepare for our baby, due in April. We headed to my parent's house for dinner, gifts, and cake after work on Thursday. Dad prepared some salad, lasagna, and garlic bread. The red wine he opened certainly smelled good! Of course, that's as far as I went with that!! It was great to be able to have everyone together and we got to see baby Adam! I hadn't seen him in over 3 weeks, so that was a treat!!! Poor guy had some tummy troubles and wasn't feeling well at all, good thing Grandma was there to rock him while we all ate dinner. I hear he's feeling better, so that's great!!

After dinner, it was time for me to open my gifts!! My parents got me some gift cards so I can do some shopping for maternity clothes since I am expanding!! Mark gave me a pregnancy journal which will be a lot of fun to fill out as well as look back on in the future to remind myself of this happy time!! Maureen and Andy also got me a gift card for maternity clothes but they also got Baby D some froggy pjs and a froggy piggy bank!! Thanks Auntie Maureen and Uncle Andy!!!

Lee and I celebrated by going out for Thai food on Friday night. It was a little date night and was perfect!!! Lee gave me the WiiFit Plus for my birthday!! I was so excited!! Andrew got me the new Pearl Jam CD! I can't wait to listen to it!!

Thank you everybody for a wonderful birthday!!

2009 Washington DC Breast Cancer 3-Day

Well, we did it again!! This year, the walk was a week later in the season and definitely brought some colder and wetter weather than last year! The event started off with Crew Day on Thursday, October 8. Crew Day is a half day event that brings all the volunteers together to do a meet and greet and learn about all the logistics for the upcoming weekend. This year was unique because Crew Day took place at National's Park! I can't imagine how the 3-Day was able to book Crew Day so far in advance knowing this was the beginning of the baseball playoffs.....OH, I know how they did it!! There was NO chance the Nats would have ANY opportunity to make it to the post season this year!!! OH, DC sports....you're killin' me!! But I digress.......Crew Day went off beautifully. We all gathered in a conference room on the 2oo level of the stadium. Crazy, who knew there were conference rooms up there?? Anywho, with Lee and Sarah as our Crew Captains this year, we knew we were in for a great time!! Our crew consisted of: Lee, Sarah, Greg, Elisha, Eric, Patti, Suzanne, Pam, Laura and me. We met Elisha last year on our crew and she decided to join us again this year and bring her boyfriend Eric along for the adventure! Patti and Suzanne are good friends from Snowshoe, West Virginia. They walked in the DC walk last year and decided to join the crew this year. They were an absolute blast! Pam is a former walker who's father is a breast cancer survivor. She and her family have walked in numerous 3-Day events on a team called "Breast Man Walking". She is a fantastic person and added a ton of personality and positive energy to our team! Laura was riding the metro one day and saw an advertisement for the 3-Day and decided to sign up! What a trooper!! She was amazing and we were so happy to have her!!! Here are a few pictures from Crew Day.

The crew learning about the Pit Can and Western Shelters

Sarah was asked to be a flag carrier for Opening Ceremonies - this is rehearsal during Crew Day

Sarah carrying the "DREAMS" flag during rehearsal for Opening Ceremonies

After Crew Day ended, Lee and I met Elisha and Eric in Clarendon for some dinner before heading home to do some last minute packing and getting rest for the weekend ahead!

3:45 came pretty early on Friday morning! We left the house and picked up Greg and Sarah before heading back to National's Park for Day 1. Once we got there, we picked up our Pit Van (12 passenger van) for the weekend. Sarah and Pam had to stay back because they were both carrying flags during Opening Ceremonies. The rest of us headed to our Pit Stop for Day 1. Our Pit Stop for Day 1 was at the Historical Society of Washington DC at K and 9th streets. We pulled up in the dark, so we had to rely on what little moonlight was out in order to get all our items out of the pit can and placed on the grassy area for set up. Our team was very fast and got things done so efficiently! And, we had 2 less people since Sarah and Pam were still back at Opening Ceremonies!

Greg was the team leader for the beverage tent since he worked that tent last year and I was the team leader for the food tent for the same reason. This worked out great since we always had somebody in those tents who knew the ins and outs of the process. Greg had Eric and Patti helping him out and I had Suzanne and Laura with me. Pam worked the "Potty Lotto" station. Potty Lotto is a game that is played to encourage the walkers to use the johns. This is important to ensure they are drinking enough so they don't get dehydrated. So, in our game, the walkers would choose a ticket out of a bag that Pam was holding. If the ticket had a sticker on the back, they won a prize! Our prizes consisted of candy and sticker tattoos. Fun times! Elisha and Sarah were at the entrance of the Pit. Elisha had the duty of counting all the walkers that came through. This ensures we are accounting for all the walkers and gives us an idea of when the last walker will be coming through our pit. Sarah handed out stickers to all the walkers. This is a tradition during the walks. We made different ones for each day. Since we had a Rock 'N' Roll theme, our stickers were guitars with pink ribbons, drum kits with pink ribbons, and a bass guitar with pink ribbons. The walkers collect these on their name badges. By the end of the walk, they get pretty full!! There aren't many pictures from Day 1 for reasons explained below.

After closing the Pit for Day 1, we all gathered around and ate our lunches that are provided by the event. It was a really beautiful day and we all enjoyed each other's company as we talked about the day. After finishing up our lunch, we headed across the street to our van. As we were getting ready to pull away and head to Pit Stop 5 to help them out, we realized Lee's bag was not in the van. Oh boy. This was the beginning of the biggest drama of our weekend. We all got out of the van and looked under the seats and in the back before realizing that the bag was just gone. This was very bad news. Both of our wallets were in that bag, along with my cell phone and about $4,000 of camera equipment that Lee worked very hard to acquire. Lee immediately called the bank to cancel our debit cards. Elisha then noticed her wallet had been stolen as well. So, she began calling her bank and credit card companies as well. Eric was the one who called the cops. The cop showed up and took down all our information and sent a crime unit by to take fingerprints and take pictures of the "crime scene".

Just unbelievable! Here we are, doing a great thing and this is what happens to us. Just insane. But, we had to move on! So, after the cops all left, we headed to our original destination of Pit 5 to help them out. On Day 1, Pit 5 was the last stop of the day. From there, the walkers were being bussed to the Camp Site which was set up at Avenel Park. This is right across from where the Kemper Open, now the Booz Allen Classic, used to be played. We hung out at Pit Stop 5 cheering in the walkers after their long first day.

After helping out here, we left and headed back to camp. We got there and set up our tents for the weekend and headed to the dinner tent for a spaghetti dinner and entertainment. We were able to welcome in the last walker of the day by watching the traditional flag raise at the end of the day.After getting our much needed nourishment, we showered and got into our night clothes so we could watch some 3-Day Rock Star (karaoke) and head up to our tents for "lights out" at 9 PM. Sleeping Friday night was pretty hard due to the crazy wind and the rain that decided to come in. We managed to get some sleep so that we could wake up at 5:15 for breakfast and in the car for Day 2. Today we were at the Bethesda United Church of Christ where there was also to be a Farmers Market. Busy day at the church! Again, we set up in the dark and as the day went on, it got cooler and cooler and then came the rain. Ugh! We managed to keep our spirits high and focus on the tasks at hand.

Day 2 was definitely a cold and rainy one! After packing up we headed to another stop to help them out, only to find out they didn't need us! So, we headed back to camp to shower and put on some warm and dry clothes. The rain had subsided by this point, so we headed to the finish line (today the walkers walked right into camp to end the day) to cheer on the walkers. Here's a look at some of the folks we saw today!

The best Team name of the weekend!! (Cuck Fancer)

After cheering the walkers on for a few hours, we decided to go walk around and then get some food before the big crowd of walkers came in. A few things we saw while walking from the finish line to the Dining Tent:

A look at Main Street - all the vendor tents and camp services

Encouraging sign

We ate (chicken I think) and relaxed while trying to stay warm. The entertainment on Day 2 was very strange. It started with a youth musical theater group, cute. Then an old man and an old woman decided to grace us with their opera and show tunes. I stayed warm by doing my "jazz hands" during "All That Jazz".

Luckily, the last walker was arriving at camp, so we all got up and went out to the flagpole to watch the raising of the flag for Day 2.

It was time to head back to our tents for sleepy time, so we all walked up and got in our sleeping bags and bundled up as much as we could for a COLD night of sleep. We struggled to stay warm (well, at least I did) and before too long, it was time to get up for Day 3!

We woke up at 5, packed up our gear and tents, put them on the truck (they will take all this to closing ceremonies for us to pick up) and headed to breakfast and then on the road at 6 for our final day, Day 3. Our pit stop today was at the Carnegie Institute. This was a beautiful day. It definitely started off pretty cold, but shaped up to be perfect. Here are some pictures of our 3rd and final day of the weekend:

Sarah, Greg and Sarah's Parents right before Closing Ceremonies

Can't see Pam, but she's holding the "My Father" flag during Closing Ceremonies

Pam's Father, Lee, raises the flag as a survivor to end Day 3 of the DC Walk

All in all, the weekend was a success. Aside from the Friday robbery, we managed to make it through the weekend with smiles and energy. I managed to survive while being 14 weeks pregnant! I didn't lift too much, I ate when I needed to and got plenty of water. Can't say I got as much rest as I should've, but since we took Monday off, I think I made up for it, at least a little bit.

Thank you for your support as we entered into our 2nd year as Crew for the DC Breast Cancer 3-Day. Having a 6 month old when next year's walk rolls around, I think Lee and I will find other ways to volunteer our time.

Baby D

It was Friday morning, August 7, 2009, when we received the greatest news......we're going to have a baby!!! I couldn't believe my eyes when I saw that second little pink line appear. I think I was in denial for a few weeks! When I got to work that morning, I called the Dr. to make an appointment. Silly me thought I would go the following week! Well, they told me they normally see you around 8 weeks.....um, I have to wait THAT long to confirm?? They told me that any test I take at home is as good as what they can do! So, I went with that! We were still very excited, but cautiously optomistic was the term Lee used a lot. So many things can go wrong, so we just went on with our day to day. It was very hard not to tell anybody because it is such HUGE news! But, we dealt with that and waited it out!

I quickly learned how exhausted pregnant women can get. By the time we got home from work, the only thing I wanted to do was take a nap! I started going to bed earlier and earlier and it became harder and harder for me to wake up in the morning! Comes with the territory!!

September 9th FINALLY arrived, and it was time for our first appointment. I couldn't believe how nervous I was. I was just so scared they would do the ultrasound and I wouldn't see anything on the screen. See? I was in denial! But, alas, Baby D was RIGHT there!!! Such a great picture!!We still had to wait until the weekend before telling our families. As luck would have it, there was a family gathering on Saturday to celebrate our nephew Connor's 10th birthday. That was the perfect opportunity to tell Lee's side of the family our wonderful news. So, we bought a photo album for Lee's dad for his birthday, put the sonogram picture in it, and gave it to him for his birthday. We made sure he opened it in front of Lee's mom. As soon as he pulled it out of the bag, he knew instantly!! Everybody was thrilled!!!

Sunday, Maureen and Andy had everyone over for brunch to celebrate the September birthdays: Mom, Maureen, Adam, Lee, and Andrew. This was, again, the perfect opportunity. Since it was mom's birthday celebration, we did a similar thing for her and gave her a photo album that we started for her with the sonogram picture. Here is the result of the gift giving!!

It was so much fun to finally be able to talk about our news!!! We began telling our friends and co-workers the following week. Everybody is super excited and so happy for us!!

Today, we had our 12 week appointment and we heard the hearbeat!! So far, everything is looking great!! And, on top of that, besides feeling overly exhausted all the time, I'm feeling fantastic!!!!

Adam Louis

Yesterday I had the wonderful opportunity to meet an amazing person; Adam Louis. Adam Louis is my nephew. He was born yesterday at 4:07 PM weighing in at 6 lbs, 15 oz and 20 inches long. He has a full head of brown hair and is just perfect in every way! I'm so proud of my sister for doing such a great job yesterday.

I was so pleased to be able to meet him at only 3 hours old. He is going to be such a wonderful part of our family and I can't wait to watch him grow up. I know granddad is so proud to see his name on that birth certificate! I just wish he could be around to meet his great grandson. He would have so many wonderful, and long, stories to tell him!

Welcome to the world little Adam Louis. Your Aunt Kathleen loves you very much!

Beautiful Weekend!

This past weekend was our first real glimpse into the spring season. I know it won't last, so I will try not to get too attached to it! Saturday started off with a trip to the airport for Lee and Andrew so Andrew could visit his mom for his spring break. I attended my 9 AM spin class and was completely annoyed.....here is why:

1) When you go to a spin class.....SPIN, don't run your mouth
2) When you go to a spin class.....DON'T chew gum!!!
3) When you go to a spin class.....SHOW UP ON TIME so you don't have to leave the class early because you didn't warm up and you overheated!

I enjoy the 9 am spin class because it's early in the day and then you have the rest of the day ahead of you to enjoy! So, hopefully this Saturday won't be as annoying as last week!

But I digress......

After spinning I spent the rest of the morning finishing up a baby blanket for a co-worker and then Lee and I went to the store to get things for our dinner that evening and our picnic lunch for Sunday (more on that later)!!

Lee cooked a fabulous meal consisting of steak, sweet potato fries, and asparagus!! We finished it all off with some strawberry shortcake!!! YUMM-O!

After dinner, we made up our picnic lunch for Sunday! We made turkey/provolone sandwiches on ciabatta rolls! Mine was dressed with a little hummus and Lee's with homemade honey mustard!

Sunday, we woke up, made coffee and whole wheat pancakes and got ourselves ready to head out to Wakefield! Lee met up with an old friend and headed out for a mountain bike ride while I headed out for a nice long walk around the lake! I figure it was about 4 miles total, maybe more but I'm not sure. Either way, it was a wonderful walk. So many people were out and about, it was so nice!!

After we were both finished with our activities, we met up and unpacked our little picnic lunch and enjoyed it on a picnic bench in the park.

What a wonderful way to spend the beautiful day!!!

Spring!

Today is the first day of Spring!! Where Fall is my favorite season, Spring is a very close second! I love when the weather starts warming up, the kids are all outside playing, the flowers are blooming and the moods of people generally improve! I'm stuck inside working today, but I will be going to Potomac River Running today to pick up a new pair of kicks so I can begin my 5K training. I've been getting in 60 minutes of cardio at least 5-6 days a week for the past few weeks and am in dire need of a new pair. I've had my current pair since I trained for the 3-Day 4 1/2 years ago!!

I'm also very excited for Spring cleaning! Sounds silly, but it's the best time to open all the windows, crank up the music and really get things organized! A lot of things are sitting in boxes that we MAY use someday but haven't in years, so really, they can GO!

So, Happy Spring everybody!!! Get outside, get active and GET CLEANING!!! :)

My new goal.....

Well, I did it! Today I signed up for a 5K. I did one a few years back, but didn't train for it. I only ran the first mile and walked the rest. So, on May 31, I will be RUNNING the whole thing! The only goal I have set for myself is that I finish it by running the whole thing. For those of you who know me, you know I am NOT a runner! So, this will be a really big challenge for me. One that I am very excited to accomplish! I think this may lead to bigger and better things! I will try to blog about my progress with the training. Wish me luck!

Wintertime Blues.....

I love the Winter, but only because I love the way it LOOKS when it snows. NOT the way it FEELS. I hate being cold, and I refuse to drive in the snow and ice. A lot of people ask "well, why do you live her then??" I simply reply, "because this is my home".

Well, I suppose that's crazy, but I do love Virginia. I love the mountains, I love the valleys, I love the rivers and lakes, and I LOVE the Virginia Autumns. I can't wait until the leaves start to change and I get to wear sweaters and jeans! Don't get me wrong, I do enjoy Summertime, but not the intense heat the Virginia Summers can bring. Can't it just be 75 and sunny ALL the time??

Anyway, I was just thinking about these facts as I sit in my office and look out at the nasty-cold-wet-rain/snow we are getting right now. Yuck! Just get warmer darnit!

Ok, enough about that! Have a great day!

I know, long time, no post!

So, I've had a few people bug me because I haven't blogged in, like, FOREVER! Well, here is my attempt to get back into the swing of things. I'm sure there are a lot of things I could've blogged about over the past 3 months, but I'll just start from scratch and talk about this past weekend!

The weekend of February 5-8 was our 4th Annual Ski Weekend. We started this tradition 4 years ago with some good friends we have met over the years at work. This past weekend we were joined by Dave, Heather, their dog Madison and Josh! We were supposed to have Catalina and Brian but Catalina was VERY sick with a virus and needed to stay home and get better!

Lee, Andrew and Dave went skiing on Friday, in the BEST SKI CONDITIONS EVER! I have to admit, I'm a little jealous! I had made the decision weeks earlier not to ski because I didn't want to spend the money and I hate being cold......good reasons right?? Anyway, I missed out on some AWESOME skiing with the boys. Andrew went skiing when he was 4 and never really skied on his own, so this time, being that he's 11 and almost 80 pounds, he skied solo!!

The rest of the weekend was filled with good friends, good food, a trip to the winery and playful dogs!

A great time was had by all and we look forward to continuing the tradition for years to come!