Happy Birthday Uncle Kevin!

Sick Chick :(

Sometime between Thursday and Friday, Chickie and I managed to catch that 24 - 48 Cold/Flu that's going around. At first I thought it was just my allergies acting up, but yesterday, struggling to get through 8 hours of work was probably the very pit of my pregnancy thus far. I had constant chills and sweats, my nose was itchy and stuffed all day long, my legs and lower back ached to the point that it was painful to walk, and my eyes had to fight to stay open. I pretty much spent the day counting down the minutes, and when the bell rang at the end of the day I jumped in my car, stopped at Dominick's for some OJ and diet 7 UP, and literally wrapped myself in a blanket and crashed on the couch. Chris had an event after work, so when his train came in around 8:20, I met him at the Walgreens near the station to buy a thermometer and Tylenol. Both times I took my temperature, it was around 100.4, so I decided to call the on-call doctor. She confirmed that I probably did catch the bug that's going around and that as long as I wasn't experiencing any stomach pains or bleeding I should take two regular strength Tylenol, drink plenty of fluids, and get plenty of rest. Although I was very hesitant to take the Tylenol since I hadn't taken any medication throughout the first 28 weeks of my pregnancy, she explained that they recommend Tylenol to pregnant women all the time, and that the best thing for me to do would be to break the temperature so that Chickie doesn't overheat. I followed her instructions and did get a pretty good night's sleep last night. So far this morning I still have a stuffy nose and some sweats, but my legs and lower back feel better, and I haven't had any major chills yet. It doesn't seem like I have a temperature right now so I'm going to hold off on taking any more Tylenol. Last night I had only liquids and canned fruit for dinner. The very thought of anything else made me completely nauseous. Thankfully my appetite seems to be back today. I'm sad that I'm missing out on this beautiful holiday weekend, but hopefully Chickie and I will be back to our normal selves by Monday!

Rowlenfefer? Rosinbagger? Runamucker? Rowengardner? RUTABAGA!

How I L.O.V.E. "Rookie of the Year" ... best baseball movie ever! The Cubs are still out in Arizona, making the most of their preseason practice, yet yesterday would have been a most beautiful day at the ballpark here in Chicago. With plenty of sunshine - and a high of 79 - we definitely caught a glimpse of summer out there before spring even got a chance to bloom. I'm normally an unusually chilly person - so much so that a near 80 degree day might typically warrant a light jacket - yet yesterday I was practically melting - toasty, rosy cheeks and all. Thankfully I had purchased two pairs of maternity capri pants the night before, otherwise I probably would have passed out at some point, I'm sure of it. On top of that, this change in weather has caused an immediate change in my sinuses ... allergy season is officially here folks!

Other things that are officially here:
- St. Patty's Day
- Kevin's 25th Birthday
- Week 28
- Month 7
- Trimester 3 !!!

It feels great to be 2/3rds done. Chickie is gaining more and more fat, and is now the size of a 1.5 to 2.5 lb rutabaga. His/her lungs have actually matured enough that Chickie would - knock on wood - most likely survive if born at any point from this moment on. Keep growing sweet baby Alp ;)

Chickie's Nursery (Part 6)

My mom and I spent this beautiful Sunday strolling through the aisles of Babies R Us. Who knew just how much baby stuff there actually was?! I was - and still am - completely clueless. A HUGE thanks to my mom (and dad) for gifting us with this gorgeous crib and matching changing station for Chickie. We can't wait for it to come in within the next few weeks so that we can finally start decorating the nursery!

"Cauliflower is nothing but cabbage with a college education" Mark Twain

Today marks the first day of our last week of our second trimester, and WOW are the weeks really starting to fly by now. We have so many things piling up on our to-do lists that we don't even know where to start.

Here is just the smallest little sample of what I mean:

- Select and purchase baby furniture
- Register
- Research and select a really, really, really, REALLY good pediatrician
- Sign up for lamaze classes (and actually go to them!)
- Decide on insurance for Chickie
- Decide on maternity leave

And the list just goes on and on and on ...

Anyways, while we're busy procrastinating, here is what Chickie is up to in week 27:

- Stretching in at 13.6 to 14.8 inches from head to toe
- Weighing in at 1.5 to 2.5 pounds
- Breathing!! (it's amniotic fluid, not air, but it still counts)
- Practicing inhaling and exhaling with his/her rapidly developing lungs
- Showing brain activity!

We're sure glad our little cauliflower is putting that college education to good use, otherwise, we'd get absolutely nothing done around here ;)

Cooking Countdown!

3 months!

Lettuce Feel More Kicks!

26 weeks and our little Beckham is finally back! Not only have I been feeling little kicks - especially after dinner - but Chris finally felt A TON of little thumps coming from my belly last night. It was really the first time he has ever truly felt something coming from in there. We were lying on the couch, watching American Idol, and I started to blurt out and smile every time I felt a little special somethin' somthin'. Chris got jealous - shouted "let me see this" - and reached over and planted his hand right over Chickie. Normally when this happens, Chris gets bored and gives up, but last night was different. He felt Chickie almost immediately, and experienced many first kicks throughout the night.

Lettuce feel more kicks, our little head of lettuce!