Siblings

Tanner is one of the strangest dogs I've ever met. He has a nice big bed of his own, but he prefers the cat's bed. Dotti doesn't mind sharing either. Aren't they sweet?

30 Weeks

Baby Walsh seems to be doing fine- moving and hiccuping all the time (but seems to favor the early morning hours). I'm feeling okay, too :)

Vacation is here!

Travis and I are both officially on winter break! I barely made it, too. What a rough month. Taking two weeks off at the end of month really means working extra hard the first two weeks of the month to fit everything in. We were both looking forward to sleeping in and living without an agenda. Unfortunately, I've been waking up most mornings around 3:30 and having a hard time falling back asleep, and the first morning of break was no different. I did get to take a nap later in the day, though. Isn't that one of the best things about vacation? Sleeping in general, I mean :)
To start off vacation, we went to Santa Cruz to celebrate Linda's birthday. After a huge dinner, I slept all the way to 6:30! What a breakthrough! I tried to get Travis to wake up and go watch the sun rise at the beach, but he wasn't having it. I grabbed my camera and watched daybreak from the deck, instead. There are some upsides to waking up early :)

Sunday-Funday

should not be spent working...and yet here I am, up to my eyeballs in behavior data. *SIGH* Five more days until vacation...five more days, five more days...

Week 28 (29)

Getting bigger every day...

Ahhh!!

I know, I know, I'm behind on my posts! With the arrival of the holidays, life seems to have picked up speed. I should have posted a picture last Thursday for 28 weeks, but I haven't even had time to take a picture. Ugh! I'm in San Jose tonight and tomorrow attending a conference I've been looking forward to for months. It's wonderfully informative and exciting. I can't wait to get back to work and apply the information. The only downside: I'm away from work for two whole days and I've got so much to do! It has lead to late nights and work on the weekends. Only 7 more days until winter break (and sleeping in!)

Family

I hope you had as wonderful a Thanksgiving as we did. As I've said many times before (but never enough), we are so blessed to have family that enjoy each other. My parents, my sister, Travis's parents, and his sister all met up on Thanksgiving for a fantastic meal and quality time with each other.



We had a new family member join us at the Walsh cabin this year, and he's already in the holiday spirit. I don't think he has a name yet, any suggestions? Anyway, he was picked up somewhere on North Highway 1 back in 1999 or 2000 and given to Travis's Grandma Nancy. Our nameless bear has lived on the east coast for the last 10 years and has finally come home to the west coast. He spent the last couple of months in Santa Cruz, but he just seems to fit in at Mi Wuk at little better, don't you think?

~Happy Thanksgiving~

I know I'm a day early, but we're packing up and headed up the mountain where we have no internet connect, so I thought I would give my thanks a little early.
I am so thankful for a wonderful family, immediate and extended. I've said this before, but I feel so blessed to have a family that enjoys spending time together and welcomes my in laws into the mix. We always have a blast and come away with great stories to share.
I am so thankful that we have a roof over our heads, clothes on our backs, and food on the table...this year has been hard for so many people, it makes me extra thankful for what we have right now.
I am thankful for the amazing miracle of life that I feel dancing around in my midsection right now. What a blessing it is to be on the road to parenthood with the full support of my family and friends.
I am thankful for my friends who understand that life gets hectic and even if we don't talk every day or every week, we are still on each others' minds and hearts at all times.
And mostly, I am thankful for my wonderful husband who has kindly put up with my sleepless nights and stress filled dreams and helped me laugh about it in the morning (just two nights ago I woke him up to tell him if he was taking data on the program, I would support it as long as the data shows improvement in behavior, and last night I woke myself asking 'are you alright, sweetheart?'...work never ends, does it?!). I couldn't have asked for a better match for a life partner.
Happy Thanksgiving and I hope this finds you surrounded by love and warmth that fills you to the brim and inspires you to share it with others.

26 Weeks

Here's my latest look...



Multiple people have commented on how I seem to have just "popped out" over night, but I disagree. Up until last week, I'd been wearing all my late-summer maternity clothes to work, the ones that are all flow-y and comfy. Now that the temperature has dropped and the wind has picked up, I've been forced into the maternity sweaters and long-sleeve shirts, which seem to all hug every bulge in my body. I'm not entirely comfortable with how tight the clothes are; I've just strayed away from form fitting clothes ever since I started working on school sites, but it seems to be unavoidable now. Oh well...at least we're warm :)

Baby's room = painted!

We finished painting the baby's room this weekend. It's a lovely shade of sage and I can't wait to purchase a crib for it. As of now, the old stuff went right back in to the room so I could have my yoga room back (and get back to doing yoga...no more of this "I'm too tired to do yoga tonight," Whine, whine, whine...) I LOVE the color and can't wait to introduce Baby Walsh to his/her room.

Glucose Update

I have a few posts I want to put up here, but I am having such a hard time finding the time to sit down and write!
First things first...the original glucose test came back 8 points above the top end cut off of normal so I was required to take the 3-hour test (YUCK!) It was rough. I had to be there first thing in the morning on a work day, so I packed up my laptop and all my notes for a report I had to write and camped out in their uncomfortable chairs. I didn't find out until I got there that I was going to be having my blood drawn 4 times (fasting level, then every hour for the duration of the 3 hour test), so I was a bit surprised by that information. I drank the nasty stuff (100 mg is sooooooo much worse than the 50 mg) and tried not to vomit. I settled in and wrote my report, waiting for my hours to tick by. Of course the lab was short staffed, and the only phlebotomist on hand had only been working for 2 weeks, so the waiting room was packed. It's really hard to balance a laptop on a lap that is quickly disappearing!
At the end of my time there, I walked out with bruises on my arms (poor new phlebotomist...she tried her best, but it hurt!), a headache AND a backache from sitting in those darn plastic chairs. It was 11am and I was STARVING- I typically eat within 15 minutes of waking up in the morning (or I turn into a grumpy, mean person), so I'm sure my body was freaking out. I drove the few blocks home and heated up some leftovers. I scarfed them down and then broke out in a cold sweat, my hands started shaking uncontrollably, and I was still starving. I didn't know what to do so I drank a glass of water, ate 1/2 an apple muffin, and waited it out. It took about 20 minutes for the shaking to go away, but then I was feeling queasy. I was late for a meeting, so I packed up and left. When I got there, my coworkers told me I looked like hell (in a much nicer way, of course) and asked if I was okay. I said not really, but I've got to get things done today. So I pushed through the queasiness and kept working. Around 4:30, I started to feel normal and HUNGRY again. I called it a day, went home, ate dinner and went to bed. What a crappy day.
That all happened on Wednesday. Friday, I received a voicemail from the midwives, telling me my gestational diabetes screening came back on the extremely low side, borderline hypoglycemic, so I need to start watching my diet for different reasons. I still need to cut back on the carbs, eat more protein, and eat more often, or I'll get more episodes like I described above. I've always been a good eater, meaning, I usually have balanced meals, I eat every few hours or I get a headache, and I drink a TON of water, pregnant or not. So this was a little irritating for me. Because I do eat every few hours, I wonder if I'm really hypoglycemic or if my body was just freaking out because it was STARVING. Or am I hypoglycemic, but managing it unknowingly because I listen to my body and deliver what it asks for? Any thoughts from other bloggers?

Glucose Test

Had to take the glucose test this afternoon and it wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. I've heard horrible things about how nasty the glucose drink tastes, but it wasn't so bad for me. I drank it quickly before it had a chance to warm up and felt a little queasy when it hit my empty stomach all at once. I didn't even mind the hour wait~ I was able to read (for fun!!) a couple chapters in a new book. I did get paranoid when the waiting room started to fill up and there were adults of all ages coughing without covering. Didn't they learn anything in kindergarten?! It's one of the first rules they teach nowadays...cough into your elbow, not your hand. The other rule I'm hearing more and more is don't wait to be called on to go potty, just get up and go. Both are sound rules for the rest of our lives, right? I felt my eyes go wide and fought to keep my mouth from falling open at one point- an adult coughed without covering, and seconds later, her child coughed into her elbow. Guess the trickle-up-effect doesn't always work.
On another note all together, towards the end of my stay, a young family came in for the son's weekly blood test. He couldn't have been older than 4, could have been small for his age but had the linguistic structure of a child not yet in school. He was bald and red-cheeked. The office staff all new him by name and asked how chemo was going and what steroids he was currently on...One of the front-desk staff asked why his cheeks were so red and the mom explained it was from a new kind of chemo. A side effect of the chemo turns the child's bodily fluids red. He cries out red tears and they burn his cheeks as they run down his face. I almost started crying. My eyes filled up with tears and I had to start thinking of something else. No one should have tears that burn, much less a precious babe like that. Made my worries about my trip to the lab so silly. Stopped me from complaining and I didn't even flinch as the tech inserted the needle. If that child can do it every week, I can do it this time with no further complaints. He and is family are in my prayers and I hope his new chemo does the trick.

24 Weeks

Six months today! The increased appetite has kicked in and Baby Walsh and I are packing on the weight :) We're both happy with the progress, at least I think Baby Walsh is happy...I'm feeling movement almost all day long and Travis and I are able to see my belly roll as Baby Walsh moves. Getting in and out of chairs is harder, and I can't bend over anymore, I have to bend down and reach over. The time change has worked in my favor this year- I'm so tired I go to bed at my old bed time which is an hour earlier than the real time and I sleep until the new alarm time. It's only an extra hour, but it makes such a difference. I would still love to take a nap everyday, but that's not going to happen, so I settle for being in bed by 9pm.
Travis took this picture tonight and I thought I should clarify a few things: 1) Tanner's more interested in the fact that I'm in my Walking the Dog Clothes than in the fact that my body is rapidly expanding, 2) I haven't dyed my hair red, it's just the lighting, and 3) I'm really glad you can't see the piles of laundry at my feet :)

Wedding Bliss

This weekend one of Travis's closest friends and his wife celebrated their love in a beautiful wedding ceremony. The wedding was held at a private residence on a bluff over Manresa State Beach. The view was amazing and the company was wonderful. I took a ton of photos, but want to share them with the the newlyweds before I post them. I will sneak in this one photo, though...

22 Weeks

We had our 1/2 way ultrasound last Friday at 21 weeks. Everything looked good and heartbeat was strong. I don't know if knowing that things are going well changed things for me or if we just had a growth spurt, but WOW I popped out this week! I still have people telling me that I'm not really showing yet, but I think it's because I wear loose-fitting clothes and don't talk much about being pregnant. For a while it was really getting to me that people were saying that, even though I knew it was in no way a negative comment. I think I was coming from a place of fear that there was still a chance we could loose this one too. Should I be showing more? Why wasn't I? Was the pregnancy not progressing again? Why were so many people commenting on it? Instead of being a rational human being like I normally am and realizing that it's probably because I have a long torso and the baby is going to rest up and down, not out, I was reacting emotionally (couldn't possibly have been the hormones). After seeing the heartbeat again and seeing how much the baby has grown, I feel much more at ease about everything. So here's a picture of me and Baby Walsh at 22 weeks. March 1st is getting closer and closer!!!!


On a side note- a huge congratulations to our friends Gina and Kyle. They welcomed their twin girls into their family yesterday. Welcome Genevieve and Arianna, we can't wait to meet you!

20 weeks

Today we are officially 20 weeks pregnant! I'm a little surprised at how quickly the weeks are going. I'm finally feeling better. I still tire easily, which frustrates me, but I don't feel carsick all anymore :) I still get headaches (one every few days or so, and they last allllll day), but they haven't triggered any migraines yet, so I'm trying not to complain. I thought they were stress related, but I have one today and I'm on vacation, so I think it must be more hormonal than I realized. Oh well...half way there, right?

Dotti, one year and then some...

We have no idea how old Dotti really is, but she's getting big! We received her from a high school classmate of mine, Cecily. Dotti was wondering around the street, meowing and Cecily put out an all-call for an adoptive home- we were lucky enough to get her! We think she was somewhere between 6-8 weeks old when we got her in late August 2008, so that puts her at almost 18 months. To put it bluntly, Dotti thinks she's a dog. That's obviously our fault. We expected her to live along side our dogs, and she does. She comes when she's called, she follows us on walks (our neighbors are use to the sight, but we always get at least one person doing a double-take and commenting on our "happy little family"), and she sleeps with the dogs. We love her, and I'm pretty sure she loves us!

17 weeks so far

Our monthly check up lat week went smoothly. We were able to hear the heartbeat again, which is so reassuring. Our next appointment will be our 20 week sonogram- I can't believe I'll be halfway in 2 1/2 weeks! Time is passing so quickly.
I'm feeling much better, but the hot days are still challenging. Any day that is over 95 results in me going to be early with a headache and a queasy stomach. Don't worry, I'm hydrating myself so much I feel like I'm going to wash away. I have to confess, I'm still drinking my mochas :S Before getting pregnant I was drinking a grande double shot soy mocha with no whip cream everyday (made at home on our fabulous espresso maker!), so I'm feeling pretty good only having a tall 1/2 caff soy mocha w/ no whip cream 3 days a week. I'm so tired it's hard to not slip in a double shot- but I'm doing it. So if you call or stop by for a visit and I suddenly fall asleep, don't take it personally. As my midwife-mother-in-law has helped remind me- it takes a lot of energy to grow a baby. It's against my nature to "slow down and take it easy," but nature is forcing me to do so. I'm so frustrated that I can't make to yoga after work and I miss running so much, but I cannot find the energy to do any of it. It's been so hot in the evening and I've been so tired our poor dogs aren't getting their nightly walks. I think we're all suffering because of it too. I miss those walks! Once it cools down, I know we'll be back out on the canal, nightly...we're just STILL waiting for it to cool down. Today it's going to hit 100- again! I've heard this is going to be the last hot stretch for awhile. I hope so or I might lose my mind and run away to Alaska to cool off- or Colorado...I heard it snowed there the other day.

Sheesh...

I can't believe it's been almost a month since I've posted anything! Can you tell the school year started? It's my busiest time of the year and it has kept me so busy I haven't had time to take pictures or do anything. Well, we did go to Santa Cruz twice, but we didn't do anything new and exciting. Took the dogs to the beach and spent time with the fam- oh and we enjoyed the 69 degree weather, knowing we were heading back to the 100+ area. On that note, I commented to my coworker yesterday that I was ready for it to rain...and today I woke up to a rain shower. How wonderful is that? God hears even the littlest of prayers :)

Not much else to report...we're 16 weeks and officially out of the first trimester. I'm feeling better, but still waiting for the energy everyone promised me I'd get during the second trimester. Hurry up already!!! We have our monthly check up on Tuesday and I'll be asking to hear the heartbeat again...I don't think I'll stop asking until I can hold the baby in my arms :)

Hope everyone is doing well!

What do you think?

Are we going to have a bald baby or what? Guess we'll have to wait until March 1, 2010 to find out.

Alaska in July

Travis just returned from a week-long trip visiting his old friend in Yakutat, Alaska. He had a blast and brought home over 50lbs of salmon (whoo-hoo!!!). He spent the week fishing and surfing- yes, SURFING. IN ALASKA. Overall, he picked the best week of the summer to go. He missed out on our 6 consecutive days of 100+ heat. Here are some of the many pictures he took. Looks like it was beautiful and I can't wait to join him next time around.

100+

It's hot. It's been hot for over a week and it's going to stay hot for another week. Blech. At least I'm on vacation from work. Thank goodness for sleeping in and swimming at my parents house!

July 4, 2009

This year we packed up the dogs and headed for the hills. We spent the long weekend enjoying the cool mountain weather (86 vs 100+ in Turlock!) with my parents at their cabin in Mi Wuk. My mom and I spent Friday afternoon relaxing and watching the movie Blindness (I read the book first, and was surprised at how closely the movie followed the book- usually I'm a bit disappointed by book-turned-movie combinations). Travis kindly waited at home finishing up some projects while waiting for my dad to finish work. Saturday morning we woke up early and took the canoes up to Pinecrest Lake for a nice paddle. It was the maiden voyage for both dogs and I'm not sure how much they liked it. Belle kept pacing from side to side of the canoe, almost tipping us quite a few times...it did produce quite the ab workout to keep our canoe righted! Poor Tanner just huddle by my side for the whole trip- I think he knows he can't swim. We returned to the cabin for a fantastic nap before heading out to a BBQ with family friends. After the BBQ the whole lot of us went to Twain Harte for the Concert in the Park series (happens every Saturday night from Father's Day until Labor Day- come try it out, it's great!)...a little wine, a little food, and great music. It was a blues band this time around. We had a such a great time it was hard to return to the valley on Sunday. Thankfully the weather has cooled off a bit- I think it's only going to reach 88 today, THANK GOD!!!

Hope everyone had a relaxing and enjoyable holiday weekend!

Whoops

I just reread the last post and laughed at myself. I somehow messed up the order of the pictures and paragraphs. In case anyone cares... we went to the beach, sailing, the wharf, then dinner. *sigh* It's not a big deal, but it bugs me. Too bad I don't have enough energy to correct the post. It's too hot here.

Father's Day revisited...

We held a belated Father's Day celebration in Santa Cruz this weekend with both sets of parents. We started off the weekend with a walk on the beach with the dogs...nothing says Santa Cruz like early morning marine layer! We were both decked out in sweaters and jeans- it was fantastic!



After the sailing trip we headed over to the Santa Cruz Wharf for the annual event, Woodies on the Wharf. What an amazing display of craftsmanship. You know how much I love old cars. We spent a couple of hours wondering around, looking at each and every car.






Next, we met my parents at the Santa Cruz Harbor for a glorious sailboat ride aboard the Chardonnay II, a 70 foot piece of work. So much fun! Windy and cold, but well worth it.




We finished out the evening with wine a great dinner at a new restaurant, Hawgs, as well as wine on the deck. What a wonderful family we have~ we're already making plans for our next rendezvous on the other side of the state (the mountain cabins) this coming weekend. Hopefully it all works out!










I have to admit, it was incredibly hard to leave the 80 degree weather and travel back to the 111 degree valley heat. Yuck. Can't wait to escape to the mountains this weekend!

Happy Father's Day!

I'm almost a week overdue in writing this post- I'm so sorry! I had a horrible chest cold that knocked me out for the first week of vacation. Better now and back in the game :)

Travis and I went to Santa Cruz on Thursday the 18th to celebrate our anniversary and Father's Day with his parents and his sister. We had a great time wine tasting and enjoying the coastal weather. We traveled back to the valley on Father's Day then up to the lake to spend the day with my dad. It was almost cold up there! Nevertheless, we had a great time. Travis was able to wakeboard a bit, even though it was extremely choppy, and I was able to soak up some sun and relax.

I don't have any pictures to post just yet; I was hoping to get a few this coming weekend. We're going back to Santa Cruz, this time with my parents in tow, to take a sailboat ride in the Santa Cruz Bay. The weather should be beautiful and company will be fantastic. We're going to have a nice dinner with both sets of parents and enjoy some family time. I LOVE how my family blends with Travis' family. We are truly blessed.

5 years and counting...

I'm having a hard time believing it has been five years already. Most of the time, Travis and I talk about or relationship together starting from the time we met because we were one of those insta-couples. We met on a Wednesday and we were together by Friday. Our friends started referring to us as TravisandMargo. Invite one of us and the other was guaranteed to attend. We still laugh at our history because we were that couple that didn't have "The Talk." We were exclusive from the get go. We met the Wednesday after Presidents' Weekend in 1999 and we have been a couple ever since. Ten years have passed by so quickly, it's a little scary. Five years ago today we were standing in front of our family and friends, saying our vows and trying not to cry. To this day, I still well up with tears when I think about our ceremony. I love the public vows we said and I love the private vows that we shared with just each other. I still believe in them, I still live them, and I promise to do so for a long time to come. Happy Anniversary, Travis! Here's to five years past and fifty plus year to come. I love you!

Happy Birthday, Travis!

Happy Birthday to the best husband ever...

Dr. Oz

In a previous post I mentioned that I only really watch Oprah for Dr. Oz's information. Turned on my dvr last night to watch yesterday's episode and what do you know, it's Dr. Oz's last day. He's going to be starting his own show in September. Woohoo! I'm so excited by that. As part of the farewell episode, Randy Pausch's wife skyped in to talk about like without Randy (of Last Lecture fame). Dr. Oz chipped in about a conversation he had with Randy, right before his death. This quote struck me- to my core- and I thought about it all night...
"Hope is just making sense of things,"
--Randy Pausch

I'm trying to apply that to my life, and I'm stuck on the verbiage. For myself, to I see hope as the process of making sense of things or having made sense of things as they pertain to me. I'll think about it for the rest of the day and get back to you on that. In the mean time, what do you think?

Mother's Day

We had a short and sweet Mother's Day Breakfast at my mom's house yesterday. The weather was perfect, the children were happy, and the food was great! Happy Mother's Day, Mom!

DVR

Okay, so Travis and I have been so thankful for the creation of the DVR. We've had one since 2004 and have slowly added more and more shows to our queue. As of today, we have 16 shows. SIXTEEN! How did this happen?! It's not like we have a lot of time to sit and watch television. Not all of the shows play at the same time of the year, and we usually save most of the week night shows until the weekend, where we can watch a few at a time. Some of the shows are must-sees, some we watch because they're no-brainers and we can zone out while we watch them, and some we each watch without the other. Because I know you're wondering, I've listed the ones we regularly watch. Are there any that we're missing that you absolutely have to watch?
In no particular order...
1. Chuck- This we started watching because it came on before Heroes. It's getting a little old...
2. Heroes- LOVE IT! Can't wait to see what happens each week.
3. Private Practice- We started watching this because it was Addison from GA. It's pretty good, but I can't stand "Naomi's" character. I don't really know, she just bugs me.
4. Desperate Housewives- It was better in the beginning, but I'm a creature of habit so I still watch it.
5. Brothers & Sisters- Love it! I really wanted Kitty to leave Robert (even if he is Rob Lowe!) and move in with the dreamy park guy. *sigh* oh well.
6. The Mentalist- it sounded better than it really is. I like trying to catch what Jane sees as he sees it, but I can't stand the dark-haired boss.
7. Lost- Oh, how I love it! We started watching at the second season because we had just moved back from Hawaii and we were missing it and all our friends there. Quickly got sucked in and fully believe Juliet and I could be friends if she ever moved to Turlock ;)
8. Grey's Anatomy- Started watching this from the get go because I've had a crush on Patrick Dempsey ever since Ronald bought Cindy a white leather jacket with fringe in Can't Buy Me Love.
9. Southland- I'm a tad bit embarrassed to admit that I started watching this because "Ryan" from the OC is on it. Oddly, we started watching the OC while we were living in Hawaii, missing our California friends and family (remember the opening song "California"...yeah, we'd sing it every time we watched it...)
10. Friday Night Lights- I don't know how or why we started watching this...sometimes this happens when you own a DVR.
11. Jon & Kate Plus 8- I don't really know why I watch this one. I can't stand the way Kate talks to Jon or the children, but I'm amazed that anyone can live with 8 children. And geez...have you seen their new house?!
12. Oprah- I'm over Oprah, but I really like Dr. Oz and some of her guests are worth hearing Oprah repeat everything that's said to her as if she said it herself.
13. Ellen- Funny girl!
14. Deadliest Catch- Travis's choice, but I get sucked into it, too.
15. CSI- But only the Las Vegas one, and I miss Grissom.
16. Numbers- Travis's other favorite for obvious reasons.
Keep in mind that we don't watch all 17 shows every week. That would be just silly!

It's Runnin' Weatha

I'm loving the weather these days...it's breezy, partly cloudy, and the sun is setting later every day. Only problem I have now is going to the gym. Why go to the gym when I can go out my door and run or walk the canals with my husband and dogs? I think I need a schedule of gym days (for yoga, mainly) and canal days. I tried taking the dogs for a run yesterday, and only Tanner could make it. I had to drop Belle off at my parents' house because she wanted to walk after a quarter mile. Poor thing, we're all a bit out of shape, but I think she's the worst. What does she expect?! She sleeps (snores) all day and sleeps (snores) all night. Don't all Labs live that life? I swear she's dreaming of running on the beach...

Relay for Life, Turlock continued...

I missed the purchase window for the candle bags to honor my grandmother, Laura, so Travis and I did the next best thing. We opened a great bottle of wine and toasted the memory of a great woman. Cancer took her from us physically, but she is with us every moment of every day.

Relay for Life, Turlock

One of my oldest family friends, Kristin, co-chaired the Relay for Life this year at Turlock High School (five houses down from our house.) We walked by first thing this morning but were unable to bring our dogs inside (we figured as much), and didn't make it back until 8 this evening. I was so moved by the whole presentation that I wasn't able to stay for the Luminaries Ceremony (I hate to cry in public.)

More Kauai

More pictures from our vacation. One of the last days we visited a beach that's off the beaten path. There were other people there, but it sure didn't feel like it.



STILL more to come later...
Happy Friday!