Babymoon! :)

Can I first just say if you've never taken a cruise in your life you are missing out. I LOVE to go on cruises, you get to see soooo much without having to worry about how you're going to get there and what you're going to do. It's definitely an awesome way to travel. So this last cruise that Matt and I went on was no exception. We had such a wonderful time together and it was so incredibly relaxing and fun! We met some great people, saw some beautiful beaches, ate delicious food, did a little shopping, enjoyed some wonderful entertainment on the boat, got a little sun on our pale white skin, and just had the best time. :) And then to top it all off how lucky are we that we were departing from Tampa Florida and my Aunt, Uncle, and cousin live in Cape Coral, which is about 2 hours away. So we flew into Tampa a day early and got to spend the night with them then they dropped us off at the ship the next day. It was SO great to see them. Thanks Cindy, Rick and Nate!! :)

Our first stop was San Juan, Puerto Rico. We visited this beautiful fort called Castillo San Felipe Del Morro and took a ton of pictures... it was really beautiful!

The boat! Grandeur of the Seas - Royal Caribbean

Next up was St. Maarten where we took a little tour of the island (did you know that one half of it is Dutch and the other have is French??), did some shopping, then went to the beach. This is also where we discovered these AWESOME coconut smoothies (which we are holding)... OMG they were delicious!!

Next up, St. Kitts-Basseterre! We took a fun scenic train ride through the countryside and got to see almost the entire island. (it's a VERY tiny island... only about 80,000 people live there)

did I mention it was an open train ride?? So awesome! (loving the windblown hair!)

black sand beach...

It actually started to rain really hard while on the train ride but only last about 5 minutes (still managing to get us pretty wet though) Everyone on the second level of the train fled to the bottom where it was enclosed but we decided to tough it out. So I think that's why we're laughing here?? :)

Our third stop was in St. John, Antigua where we went sailing on a catamaran, enjoyed some snorkeling, and soaked up the sun at 2 of their 365 beaches.

...and finally our last stop was in Tortola, British Virgin Islands where we took a crazy 90 degree drive to get to a beach on the other side of the island! (no kidding! It was a little scary!)

When you go on a cruise you have a set table that you eat at every night so obviously on a 10 day cruise you get to know the people pretty well. We had a really great group of people sitting at our table. It's so fun to meet new people on cruises.... hopefully we'll be able to keep in touch with some of them throughout the upcoming years. Here's a group picture with our wonderful waiter Lee in the middle. :)

Thank you to my wonderful husband for planning this vacation for us. I love you babe!!!

Goodbye Thanksgiving!

Oh my Gosh I'm so glad Thanksgiving is over so I can STOP eating so much food!! I think I outdid myself this year. We had a total of 4 Thanksgiving's to attend to this year. That's just crazy in itself I think. And oh yes, I proceeded to have two helpings of food at each location... well scratch that I only had dessert at Matt's Aunt's house, BUT STILL! And the whole 'eating for two' deal... no that does not count. I don't think people realize I'm going to have to step on a scale the next time I go to my doctor's and she's going to say... looks like someone enjoyed the holiday's a little TOO much! It's really no fun that my pants don't fit in the first place but now, it's just really a loss cause to even try and zip them up. It was quite amusing though to have my Dad try and push his belly out to try and match mine. And look at that, I don't even have to try. :) It was also VERY amusing when I made myself a turkey sandwich last night for dinner and Matt was just astounded that I had any room left because we had just had a huge Thanksgiving lunch with family at around 2:30. Oh yes, I aim to impress. :) So yeah, I am very glad to have said hello and goodbye to Thanksgiving this year.

Now I MUST be good and workout every day this week before we leave for vacation on Sunday!!! Have I mentioned that yet? Matt and I are going on a 10 day cruise to the Caribbean! This is our 'Babymoon'... soaking up the sun, relaxing and of course, eating lots I'm sure. I can't wait but I'm also a little teensy bit nervous. I'm not technically supposed to be on the boat after I enter the 24th week of pregnancy. Well I'll be 24 weeks right smack in the middle of the cruise. I'm hoping no one will ask how far along I am.... maybe they just won't even notice I'm pregnant and just think I ate too much food on Thanksgiving?? I also fear I won't be able to do much... like the activities and excursions they offer. Seriously my lung capacity has gone downhill, and fast. I can no longer breathe through my nose (except on a few rare occasions) so that makes breathing all that much harder. I've now started a new ritual before I go to bed to help me sleep (and hopefully breathe) better. I try not to watch T.V. an hour before I go to bed and focus on reading a book (thank you Lise for that idea :) ). Hopefully this will help relax my mind so I won't lie awake at night thinking about who knows what. I've also borrowed a humidifier from my friend Beth (thank you Beth!) that I've placed on the night table next to me to also help me breathe. It also holds a Vicks vapor release thingy so that there's a cool menthol scent in the air. Aww, so relaxing. Then there's the cup of tea that I also try to drink on a nightly basis.... also relaxing and soothing. Ok have I turned into a complete basket case yet?! Oh and I can't forget the extra pillow I have to put between my legs otherwise I wake up with excruciating back pain. So I wonder how I'm going to be able to keep up that ritual while we're on our cruise.... hmmmm.

Pop!

Wow time has flown, I've thought about posting about so many things these past few weeks but never got around to it. Unfortunately I only feel like doing the minimum!

This week I had the big 20 week ultrasound. What an awesome, amazing, surreal, experience. I never wanted it to end. At the first ultrasound way back around 7 weeks when I first heard the baby's heartbeat I immediately signed up on a few websites to get weekly update emails that tell you the baby's growth, development, all that fun stuff. The day I hit 20 week I got the standard email telling me the baby is around the length of a medium size banana and will weigh about 10 1/2oz. So imagine my surprise when the sonographer tells me the baby weighs 13oz!! Holy crap! This is going to be a big baby! I was also surprised to learn the heartbeat had changed drastically from my last doctor's appointment. It was at 147... interesting. All is well though and the baby looks good! Here's a good look at the little guy or girl. :)

I know it's hard to see but you get the idea! The second picture are of his/her tiny feet!

and here's the belly shot.

Have I mentioned that I CAN'T WAIT for April!?!

Welcome baby Max!

We have a new baby in the Rings family!!! Meet Max Benjamin, isn't he the cutest little thing?!

One proud papa!

He found his thumb already! :)

He weighed a whopping 6lbs 15oz! Tanya had just about given up that this baby was ever coming out. Her due date was 10/16 and had to go in to be induced on 10/22 (late at night). Luckily there were no complications and little Max was born at 6:07am on Friday 10/23. I'm bummed we haven't gotten to meet the little guy yet but look forward to a weekend with the family in just over a week. You better believe I'm taking a TON of pictures. :)

I had a doctor's appointment this past Monday for our own little baby Rings. Everything is going great so far. I've been feeling pretty good lately, eating like a horse, still having trouble sleeping and catching my breathe at times but otherwise great! :) Baby's heartbeat is 160. Last time it was at 150... seems to be climbing! I will have my 20 week ultrasound on November 16th. We are so excited to be able to see the baby!! Finally! Normally at that point we would find out if the baby's a boy or girl but sorry to disappoint because we aren't finding out! It's a surprise for everyone! :) Although I have a strong feeling, at this point, that it's going to be a girl. Could be the heartbeat that's leading me to believe that... could be that I feel karma is going to come back and bite me in the butt for being such a rotten hormonal teenager to my parents! Never-the-less we will be happy either way, boy OR girl!

So without further ado, here I am at 17 weeks...

No fat jokes, please! haha, just kiddn':)

Birthday's are fun!

This past weekend was a great weekend filled with lots of friends and family! Saturday was my best friend Kathy's 30th birthday. I wanted to make it a very memorable birthday so I planned a few surprises for the big day. First off I showed up on her doorstep to sweep her away for a few hours of pampering! Our friends Amanda, Des were in on the secret as well and joined us for manicures and pedicures at the Aveda Institute in Columbus. We had so much fun!!! Who doesn't love getting pampered?! :) So the plan for later that night was that Kathy would think her and her fiance Jonathan were just going to come over to our house for dinner. On the way over Jonathan was planning to stop at a wine shop in Worthington to pick up a bottle of wine to bring over. When they came in the shop, SURPRISE! There was a party of friends waiting for their arrival. She was totally surprised. Yay, my plan worked! What a fun night! :)

I hope you had a wonderful birthday Kathy! Love you! :)

I am sad, however, that we missed the wedding of our dear friend's Jim and Jenn. They planned a destination wedding in Vegas and we were unable to make it... not for lack of want but funds and the baby bug bit us. :) (but I do love that little baby bug) I hope you had wonderful, amazing, gorgeous wedding Mr. and Mrs. Russell!!

Life comes at you fast.

I had my doctor's appointment last Monday for the breathing thing, she gave me an aerosol treatment at the office and sent me home with an inhaler. Not quite sure what's causing this problem but it could be stress induced. Who knows... maybe it's just physically and emotionally hard for me to just let go at the end of the day and not care if the dishes get done, or if the floor has shoe tracks all over it, or what's the first thing I need to do when I get to work tomorrow. It also doesn't help that my husband yells at me for ACCIDENTALLY breaking the chain on our new ceiling fan in our bedroom. I mean it was an accident, it hangs low, and I ACCIDENTALLY bumped it while ruffling the blanket. It's not unusable and can be fixed... I feel horrible as it is. oopsey!! Anyway, so the inhaler has been helping, but my mind keeping me awake at night is not.

As far as the pregnancy goes, I've been feeling pretty good! I am very happy to report that I have more energy, food no longer makes me sick to my stomach, and I can stay up longer at night. yay! :) Actually my appetite has been out of control... hello baby weight! I have however been experiencing major sinus congestion, apparently this is totally normal. It's amazing what is 'normal' when your pregnant... nose bleeds, sensitive to smells, acne - oh I've got loads of that, insomnia, forgetfulness, etc. I've got it all! :)

...and this is me at 14 weeks.

So I believe Matt and I have decided on a nursery wall color and overall look. I'm so excited! We're going to paint the walls a color called Nightfall. It's a pastel silvery bluish color. Don't worry it's beautiful. :) The instant I saw it I loved it. Then I'd like to add some bright green accents, things like curtains, a lamp, bedding... stuff like that. I also kind of want to do a nature sort-of theme, something simple though. I found this gorgeous wall decal on etsy.com and I'm so happy that Matt likes it too!

LOVE IT. It's the little things that make life fun. :)

Well unfortunately life isn't all paint swatches and awesome wall decals... Matt's car got crunched this past weekend. Thankfully is is A OK but the poor Nissan is not. He got rear-ended which completely took off his back bumper and the trunk hood is totally smashed. The guy behind him was not paying attention and rammed into the back of his car which then caused Matt to lightly tap the car in front of him. I cannot begin to say how incredibly happy I am that he, and everyone, is OK! No one was injured and luckily everyone had insurance. So until the car gets fixed he has a fun little G6 to jet around in.

I feel like I was going to write about something else but I just can't seem to remember! Go figure!! Until next time...

weekend update

This past week has been a whirlwind. I guess I should start with last weekend... we made a very quick day trip to Pittsburgh to attend my sister in law Tanya's baby shower. It was a very nice party and I'm so glad we got to see Ben and Tanya one last time before the baby is born. She's only two weeks away from her due date.

Of course I had to get a belly shot, who knows if we're ever pregnant again at the same time! So this is me at 13 weeks and Tanya at 37 weeks. She looks so good for being 37 weeks pregnant! I look like I'm just a wannabe. haha. :)

Work has been ca-rrrrrrrrazy busy, but good. Yep, nothing more to be said about that!

Today we attended the wedding of Matt's cousin Dave and his gorgeous bride Christy. It was such a beautiful ceremony and they are such an adorable couple.

Aw, I just love weddings. :) Congratulations Dave and Christy!!! Love you both!

And here is where I tell you more about my problems. :)

So in the midst of all of our busy-ness I've been dealing with some annoying health issues... yeah I have more than just morning sickness! It seems that almost every night I lay down to go to bed I start having problems breathing, can't catch my breath, yawning constantly to get oxygen, taking deep breaths every couple of seconds, my lungs feel so incredibly tight and it makes me panic a little... this usually makes it really hard for me to fall asleep at night... as you can imagine. There have been numerous occasions where I've woken up at 1 and can't go back to sleep until around 4 because of this breathing thing. It's awful. I've had this 'problem' for quite some time now (waaaaaay before I was pregnant so that has nothing to do with it). I've tried to do my own remedies to help take care of this, like drinking tea before bed to try and help me relax, take a nice warm shower, you know things like that. I just can't seem to shake it. Nearly every night it happens, I don't know what causes it. I talked to some other people in the healthcare field and they thought it might be stressed induced which I could totally believe and there for a while I thought that's what it was, my job has been super stressful, I've got a lot on my plate, worried about the pregnancy.... well I'm at the point where I feel like I'm in control of what's going on with my job, and since we've heard the baby's heartbeat I'm feeling better about that stuff but yet I'm still having trouble catching my breath at night. What on earth could it be?! All of a sudden I've developed asthma that only hits me at night??? Ahh, it's so frustrating and exhausting. Well I've finally decided to go see my doctor about it and thankfully my appointment is tomorrow. I can't wait to hopefully get a solution to this!

Ok and that concludes me telling you about my problems. Thanks for listening. :)