Wednesday, December 3, 2008

Shower Photos

Here is a link to some photos from my shower that a friend uploaded - Thanks Mel! I must say my black dress was very slimming to my baby belly! More photos to come...

http://getatderric.zenfolio.com/p404914745

Enjoy!

Sunday, November 30, 2008

Countdown to Christmas

Another post I wrote a while ago...but didn't post...enjoy!

Being that Lil’ Monkey is due Christmas Eve, it’s a fun countdown to the holidays. I think I’ll be mildly disappointed if he/she doesn’t show up on/near/around Christmas Eve or Christmas Day…since we’re counting down to that date!

Most people who have leveraged guesses on due date have it pegged for Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and even the day after Christmas…

In preparation, we assembled the Christmas Tree on November 11 – yes…I know…it’s early. I was actually surprised that Jamie indulged to let me put it up that soon, but I didn’t want to take chances that we wouldn’t get it up. Now mind you, it has no ornaments on it yet…that’s a project for this weekend! I tried to convince Jamie he should put up the outside lights…but he flat out refused…You can’t win them all.

We also have a plan to have a small Christmas tree ready at the front door in case I end up in the hospital on Christmas. (It was Jamie’s idea and I think it’s so sweet!)

So, let the countdown to Christmas begin…who cares that Halloween has only been over for 2 weeks or that Thanksgiving hasn’t happened…Bring on the holiday spirit, the music and the decorations. The holidays are a state of mind, a time that gives us warm, fuzzy feelings and a time to be grateful for blessings, family and friends and well, all I can say is…I’m ready!

Getting Close

Lil’ Monkey is starting to run out of room…I am 6 weeks from my due date and daily I massage my baby’s bottom out of my ribs! Then he/she will STREEEEEETTTCCCHHH and poke the top of my belly and my bladder at the same time…it’s the weirdest sensation ever.

As for preparations for the baby, we are in pretty good shape. The room is pretty much ready…we have a phenomenally frightening number of size one diapers that everyone assures me we will go through much too quickly, the blankets and clothes and sheets have been washed, and so the countdown is on.

I can’t say that I am “done” or “tired of” being pregnant…some have assured me that it will come to that…I am really more or less looking forward to actually meeting my baby…seeing if it’s a he or a she (Yes – that part is KILLING Jamie and I at this point…)… and yes, I’ll admit it…taking 12 weeks off work!

It's almost December...

And I have not updated or posted since August...wow...I am sort of bad at this...

Actually, keeping up with this and life has been a bit crazier than I anticipated. There are times I think about updating the blog and then I think that sleeping sounds like just a better option overall...and well, as you can tell, sleep wins.

I decided though that I better throw an update out here as we enter into the last month of pregnancy!

Things are getting very exciting to say the least. I see the doctor weekly now. I go back tomorrow...as of the last visit, the most exciting news is that the head was down, causing some interesting sensations to say the least, but there was no dialation...sigh...and so we wait!

Jamie and I are pretty darn excited about the baby's arrival. It's really cool to have the "countdown" to baby be in tandem with the "countdown" to Christmas...I think we'll both be a bit disappointed if Santa doesn't bring us our baby for Christmas...although we know we'll be blessed whenever our miracle arrives...

More updates to come soon...promise! Maybe even tomorrow after my appointment...especially if there is news!

Friday, August 1, 2008

What's a girl gotta do to get McDonald's?

Recently, we took a family vacation to Colorado to visit Lil' Monkey's Uncle Douglas during his internship with the United States Olympic Committee. I will share with you a story that some day will be a hilarious example of what happens when a pregnant woman is hungry.

So, we'd finished a very scenic ride up Pike's Peak on the cog railroad. It was a gorgeous adventure complete with a 40 degree temperature chance and some of the most amazing scenery in the world. Following this adventure however, I experienced a bit of altitude sickness and wasn't feeling my best by the time we got to the bottom.

The plan for the day was to drive to Denver for lunch with a friend, a tour of the Coors brewery and a Rockies Baseball game. As the 5 adults (Mom, Dad, Me, Jamie and Douglas) piled in the very warm mini van, I told my loving family that I was hungry and needed some food prior to the hour and a half drive to Denver. Mom quickly said, "OK, dear. What do you want?"

"McDonald's." was my definitive answer.

My father at the wheel, we set off to find McDonald's. We entered what you could tell was the "fast food alley" of the town. As we proceed down the road, my father proceeds to ask me, "How about Sonic?"

"No."

"Wendy's?"

"No!"

"Hardee's?"

"NO!"

"Taco Bell?"

At this point during the VERY long drive to find the McDonald's, pushed far beyond the limits of patience any hungry, pregnant woman's should be forced to endure, I shout, "WHAT PART OF MCDONALD'S DON'T YOU UNDERSTAND????"

In hind sight, the inane nature of my reaction is humorous and luckily for me - my father is an understanding man...and lucky for my father, my mom quickly reassured me that we would get McDonald's!

Jamie just reached for my arm as if to withhold me from opening the car door and walking to the nearest McDonald's. He knew that in my state, it was likely that my "rational" thoughts would believe I could get there by foot faster than by car.

Then, in the distance, I saw it...The most beautiful site of the day - The golden arches of McDonald's. I ordered my Happy Meal and took a bite. Pure nirvana. The more I ate, the better I felt. As the sugar returned to my blood, I was able to overtake the psychotic pregnant persona that had possessed me and regain control of myself.

I thanked my family for indulging me and apologized for the strange force that had possessed my mind and body just shortly before hand...Seriously though, the moral of the story? Give the pregnant woman what she wants to eat, or prepare to be eaten!!!

Very Superstitious!!!

For me, "coincidences" have more meaning than they might to the average person. I relish in the superstitions of old wives tales, thoughts of karma and funny quirks more than the average person. So...what happened as we pulled up to the hospital seems like some SERIOUS foreshadowing!

So in an ode to 'Twas the Night Before Christmas I give you: 'Twas the day of our Ultrasound:

The appointment was made in advance and with care,
our chance to see our baby that soon would be there!

Driving to the ultrasound, our hearts were aflutter,
soon we'd see the baby that made me a mother.

As we approached the office, oh what did appear?
But a jolly old man with a full white beard!

His hair was as white as new fallen snow
and his bright red shirt seemed to give off a glow.

I knew at that moment - It must be St. Nick!
He said not a word, but went straight to his car,
smiling at us from a far.

And then in a twinkling, I knew in my heart,
this Christmas will bring us the best gift of all...Lil' Monkey, our baby and our new start!

Sunday, July 13, 2008

Yup...we're going to be parents!

Welcome to the world Charlie!!!

Lil' Monkey wants to welcome "Rocco" now aptly named Charles William LeBlanc (Charlie) to the world. He arrived at 5:31 this morning weighing 7 pounds and 10 ounces.

That's 4 babies down and 2 more to go this year!

Welcome Charlie!

The Draino Test

So, even though we are not finding out if our child is a boy or a girl...we did think it would be interesting to note the results of some of the old wives' tale tests so that when we have the baby we can see if they are off base or right on target.

So, for our first attempt, we went with the Draino test. Now, for those of you not familiar with this test I will explain. You take a teaspoon of Draino and you mix it with the mother's urine...sorry if you were eating and that came as a shock to you. Anyway, the results of the test i.e. boy or girl is determined by what color it turns.

When Jamie and I decided to conduct this science experiment we were both laughing pretty hard at what we were about to do...I mean who comes up with this?!?!?! But we figured it probably had some scientific merit in that a chemical reaction of sorts must be what changes the color. So after carefully conducting the experiment, we both peered into the cup to see what changes awaited...If it turned blue that was supposed to mean boy (Duh!) and if it turned green, that was supposed to mean girl...are you ready for what happened???? It was yellow. For those of you wondering what yellow means (Yes, Douglas I am talking to you.) it means it didn't work. Not at all...

Although we were slightly disappointed to have obtained no new information with this test, there is still the Chinese gender calendar, the one where you swing a ring over the mother's stomach and a myriad of others. Stay tuned!

Saturday, July 5, 2008

What is it???

Is is a boy? Is it a girl? That's the question on everyone's mind...My pre-maternity clothes are just now starting to barely close over my belly and this is the question on everyone's mind...

Well, sorry to possibly disappoint, but you will have to wait with us until December 27, or sometime around that time for Lil' Monkey to make his or her appearance. No, we're not finding out the sex of our baby...To some, this is a stunning, shocking revelation, "You're not finding out? I could never do that...I have to know...I have to prepare!" To others, "That's so great! It's such a good surprise."

Now, I will admit that the arguments for both sides have been compelling. The best on the "finding out" side has been that you will eventually know and what is the difference if you know before it's here or when it gets here and when you do find out that's when you get your "Surprise!!!!" moment. Arguments on the "surprise" side include notions that it's the one time in your life you can truly be surprised and if your parents didn't find out with us...why should we have to know...

Obviously, we've opted for the latter. Just for the record, Jamie wanted to know at first and I convinced him that the surprise would be worth it...and now I think he's even enjoying the idea of the surprise. It's sort of nice to take the road less traveled and delight in the shock of those who can't imagine not knowing if they are having a little boy or a little girl!

So make your predictions now, start the gender baby pools...you've got a 50/50 chance of being right! Heck maybe we'll do some of those old wives' tale tests to fuel the fire...I love all other old wives' tales (Bread and Butter, Salt over your shoulder, etc.) so why not!

Rock on yellow and green and everything gender neutral!

Woosh!!!!

That’s the best way to describe what the baby’s heartbeat sounds like….woosh, woosh, woosh…really, really fast – last count was about 165 beats per minute! Hearing the heartbeat has got to be one of the coolest, most reassuring things right now. Unfortunately, Jamie hasn’t heard it yet but I know when he does he’s going to be as amazed as I am by the sound of Lil’ Monkey’s heart beating in my tummy. We have our “big” ultrasound in three weeks…so we’ll post those pictures when we have them…

Eat mor chikin...

Unless you are a vegetarian, chicken is probably a part of your everyday diet. So many chicken choices out there… on sandwiches, quesadillas, nachos, pizza, soups, salads, and on and on…I loved chicken…before I got pregnant. I am not really sure how or when it happened all I know is that about 6 weeks into being pregnant, I ordered my usual chicken dishes at some of my favorite restaurants and when I started to eat…I realized I couldn’t. Literally my mouth would stop chewing and swallowing was just not an option…I thought to myself, “What in the world is going on?” Even Jamie as he sat across from me got the terrified, “Is she going to be sick?” look on his face. So, the choice has been made for me. I cannot eat chicken – like it or not. So, I will wait patiently until once again I can bite into a juicy Chick Fil A sandwich and say…Mmmmm….

Pop Goes the Belly

So…I had my first true revelation of looking pregnant (to myself…not really anyone else) on Monday, June 16. I had been uncomfortable in my clothes all day at work. So when I got home, I was so happy to put on my elastic shorts and tee shirt. I was in the bathroom and for some reason I caught a glimpse of my self sideways. If you are like most people, you really never look at yourself sideways…I mean why would you? Anyway, I looked in the mirror and had a stomach…no not that I didn’t have one before, but it was protruding out in a round sort of way. I started to cry. Why? I have no idea. Let’s chalk it up to pregnancy emotions. Either way, it was a true moment where I realized…there’s a Lil’ Monkey in me!

Fashionably Stinky

During pregnancy your sense of smell becomes so keen, that I am surprised police don’t hire pregnant women as drug sniffing dogs. In week 5 of my pregnancy, I assisted with a fashion show in Clayton. I love helping with fashion shows…they really are fun as long as you aren’t doing the crazy leg work…that’s another blog in and of itself…but I digress. My role in the fashion show was to wear the headset (I love that part – it’s so rock star!) and to prepare the models to go on stage. So I review their choreography, check their clothes and make sure they are lined up in time for their scene. One slight problem with this show…my location. I was stationed in the service corridor of the ballroom directly across from the trash can filled with the refuse from the event – coffee grounds, old chicken, salad dressing, etc. with my headset cord giving me a 2 foot window to try to avoid the stench emanating from the can. At this point, no one knows about my pregnancy so I can’t very well ask to trade jobs – when I’ve already expressed how excited I am to be helping and wearing the headset…So, I decide to tough it out. Despite the show being delayed for about 20 minutes due to a video I thought would never end, I made it through the event. It’s a great story now and had a VERY good laugh with my fashion show partners, Sean and Lauren after I told them the story.

The First Craving is the Deepest

So I am not sure it was so much my first ‘craving’ but considering I was living on a diet of saltines and water with NOTHING outside of these two items being remotely appealing to me, the thought of actually wanting a specific food will qualify itself as a craving in my book. So what was it? A baked potato. Of course, as luck would have it – we had none. Having been to the store earlier in the day and saying, “NO” to every food Jamie offered to put in the cart, Jamie was eager to help me out when I said I wanted food. So, he dutifully put on his shoes and headed to the store. He got not only baked potatoes but also toppings like cheese and sour cream and sweet potatoes…just in case. When he got home, I decided we couldn’t microwave them because they wouldn’t taste as good…so we put them in the oven…for an hour. Hunger is an understatement for both of us and I was getting so excited about my yummy potato. So, I load it up and take a bite. I swallow and Jamie looks at me expectantly…I try to smile as I put down my fork. “What’s wrong?” he asks. “Nothing…” I smile and pick my fork back up. He dives into eating and I look at the potato thinking, “There is NO way….” I feel horrible. I just sent Jamie out on a wild chase for potatoes and now I want nothing to do with it…YIKES!!! When I tell Jamie I can’t eat it, he just sighs and resigns himself to eating not only his potato, but mine too…What a guy! Who knew he’d be eating for two in a totally different way?!?!?!

The Sight and Smell of Morning Sickness

On the subject of morning sickness…it truly is an all encompassing “sickness” that absorbs all of your senses. Your nose goes on high alert and you can smell things you didn’t even know could be smelled…On top of that, even the mere sight of certain foods would send my stomach in a tailspin of greater proportions than even the best roller coaster! Chili’s commercials with their giant, juicy burgers with visible spices and flame grilled bacon and skewers of chicken and shrimp were enough to send me running for the nearest restroom. When watching TV at night, Jamie would stand prepared to shield my eyes from such commercials…what a guy!

The Biggest Lie

Morning Sickness. It’s not in the morning – IT’S ALL THE TIME!!!! At least it has been for me. Mine has cycled from interrupting my morning routine, breakfast, lunch, dinner, bedtime. Morning sickness knows NO timeframe. It has no clock that says, “It’s morning…time to be sick.” No, it will strike in the middle of the day. I’ll be walking through the mall and all of the sudden my focus is not on the task at hand, but determining where the closest trashcan or bathroom is located. Brushing my teeth has become not a refreshing morning routine, but an immediate source of dread and fear that I am able to accomplish only once per day for fear of becoming immobilized by my gag reflex that thinks I am shoving a two by four down my throat, when really I have only touched the tip of my tongue with my toothbrush. *sigh* I love you, Lil’ Monkey.

Thursday, June 19, 2008

The Beginning

So, they say this is the best place to start.

To begin, I'll explain the blog's name. First off, you have to know my family and our love of monkeys...ever since I was 10 and my Dad brought me a stuffed monkey, "Charlie," when I was in the hospital...my family became hooked on the things and the love grew from there.

So, when Jamie and I found out we were expecting we wanted to come up with a name to call the baby...For the first bit, we called it "Grape Ape" because it was the size of a grape...which really seemed like the most amazing thing in the world to us...that something the size of a grape could become our newest family member.

As the baby has gotten bigger, we've decided to call it "Lil' Monkey" considering it is "monkeying" around as it grows big and strong...So, this is the story of "Lil' Monkey's Big Adventure."

We hope you enjoy what will be a compilation of stories, revelations and preparations as we embark on our adventure.