Memorial Day Weekend

My older sister Chan and her husband gave me and Mike their old minivan so Mike, my little sister Kanika and I flew to Burbank, California on Saturday to pick it up. We stayed in Long Beach California until Monday and drove back to Logan with a small trip to Bryce Canyon. The weather was very beautiful in California and it is always nice to be so close to the beach. And it is always nice to see my sister and her family. For those of you that don't know, Long Beach has a huge Cambodian population so a highlight of the trip was going out to a Cambodian restaurant and eating some excellent food. I have always loved Asian food but since being pregnant it has been so much better and tasty.

We did see some crazy stuff in California though. When we were driving back from San Clemente we saw a police car driving zig zag on the freeway to slow all the traffic down for no apparent reason. Then on Sunday morning Mike and I went onto the balcony and we saw a woman next door crying hysterically and smoking a cigarette. The scary part was she was straddling the railing and swinging back and forth like she was about to jump. SCARY!!! Anyway my brother-in-law Vernon took care of the situation.

Monday morning we left California and we headed to Bryce Canyon. We made a small stop in Las Vegas at the Pro Bass Shop and it was awesome. I thought Cabela's was huge but this store put Cabela's to shame. Then we had lunch at Ellis Island Casino because Kanika saw it on Guy Fieri's show "Diners, Drive Inns and Dives" on the Food Network.

We arrived at Bryce Canyon around 6:30 pm and it was freezing cold. The north wind was blowing and all the tourist were dressed in winter clothes and we were in shorts and a light jacket. I was very glad that I decided to stay in a motel instead of camping this time. My dad met up with us at Bryce and he brought some of our camping stuff so Monday night we toughed it out and had a little bbq.

Tuesday morning we woke up, got ready, packed our lunches and headed off for our big hike. We did Fairyland Loop which is around 8 miles. It was very beautiful and the weather was perfect. Sunny but not too hot. It think it was about 62 degrees at the hottest point of the day. We saw a lot of wildlife and took some great pictures. The hike wasn't too hard but it was long and I think it really took a toll on my dad so instead of hiking the rest of the day we drove to the viewpoints. We saw Bryce Point, Inspiration Point and Sunset Point. There were tons of foreigners and all the rooms near Bryce were booked.

Wednesday morning my dad left because he was really tired from the day before and probably couldn't handle another hike. Mike, Kanika and I started at sunset point and did Navajo loop that joined up with Peekaboo loop. It was awesome. The scenery was much better than the hike from the day before. The hike was a little shorter about 6 miles but a lot more strenuous. If anyone goes to Bryce I would highly recommend going to see Wall Street. It is definetely worth the hike.

We finished up around noon and headed back to Logan. Kanika drove from Panguitch to Syracuse which was quite an adventure considering it was her first time. She did really well until we hit traffic in SLC where we had a few scary moments but overall she did great. I'll post some pics later this weekend.

It's a Girl!!

I had another ultrasound today and the pictures say it is a girl and the tech was 100% sure this time. Now Mike and I have to start thinking of names. This should be an adventure. I also took another belly photo. I will be 22 weeks on Friday. I never realized how enormous my belly is or looks. Atleast I am past the half way point.

Flu on Sunday

I woke up on Sunday morning at 6 AM and I felt terrible. A short summary would be I spent quite a few hours on the toilet with diarrhea and a pail in my lap so I could throw up at the same time. I didn't know if I had food poisoning or the flu but I am going to put my money on the stomach flu. My stomach started cramping and Mike called the hospital and they said I need to take in more fluids because I was started to get dehydrated and take some immodium-ad which really helped. I was worried about getting dehydrated but I guess I wasn't taking in enough fluids to offset how much I was losing.

Mike was really great when he took care of me and I really appreciate it. Thanks Mike! The bad thing about pregnancy is it takes me a lot longer to recovery/recuperate so I took Monday off because I still feel sick and really weak. Maybe next week I will have a better weekend in California.

Health and Wellness Symposium

I feel like it has been a long time since I have posted anything. My goal last week was to take a picture of my growing belly but I have been so busy I haven't gotten around to it. Last week I attended a Health and Wellness Symposium and it was awesome. My passion for the past 2 years has been studying alternative medicine and homeopathic modalities. I took foot zoning classes 2 years ago and that has opened my eyes to a lot of other things i.e. aromatherapy, healthy living, emotional healing etc. At the symposium I met a lot of great people and learned about a lot of great topics like creative healing, EFT (Emotional Freedom Technique), transformational breathing.

I met a massage therapist that does Raindrop Therapy and she did a demonstration during the symposium. Last year I went to a raindrop therapy class but this demonstration blew that class out of the water. Anyone that has back pain or needs help falling asleep or wants to experience the most relaxing massage should try it. I was so impressed that I bought Mike a gift certificate for Father's Day. He has never had a professional massage but I think he is really going to enjoy this. I can't wait until I have the baby so I can get one too.

A woman named Melanie catered the lunches at the symposium also works as a doula and I thought her prices were phenomenal. I wasn't really considering getting a doula until this weekend when I talked to another woman who used Melanie for her second pregnancy and told me how great it was. I really want to have the baby with no medication whatsoever but I have been worried that I might cave in and become a doormat or just be too weak and let them do whatever. I am going to talk to my OB/GYN and see how open he is to the doula and an all natural birth. If not I might change my doctor. Then I plan to schedule an appointment so Mike and I can meet with Melanie and get a birth plan together and talk about what services she offers and take a hypnobirthing class to learn how to deal with the pain of labor.

I spent all of Wednesday night, Thursday night and evening and Friday night and evening and all of Saturday day at the symposium so I have a lot to share if anyone is interested in finding out more. I was definitely exhausted from learning so much information.

Ultrasound

Here is a profile picture of the baby. If you look closely you can see her arms in front of her face.

80% chance of showers...that's good odds. Isn't it?

I went to the doctor's yesterday and had an ultrasound. The baby was being quite stubborn and uncooperative. Not only was the baby not in a good position to check the sex but the baby's legs were crossed. The technician tried to get the baby to move but wasn't very successful. She said from what she saw that it was a girl but she was only 80% sure. She told us that she usually gets a really good look but this time she was only able to get a fair look. Then she said that we should be okay buying some pink girl stuff but not too get too carried away just in case. That being said I have to go back in 2 weeks to get an ultrasound so I can get better pictures.

The baby is healthy and normal and my due date is still the same which is September 27, 2008. I am totally fine if it is a girl and I would have been more satisfied if it was more clear cut answer like "It's a girl" or "It's a boy." Instead I feel like my odds are really really good that it is a girl but what if I go back and she tells me it is a boy (even though the chances are slim). I was hoping for a more definitive answer either way instead of waiting for 5 months and getting really excited to find out I have to wait 2 more weeks to know for sure. That's my only gripe.

Other than that I finally gained some weight now that I don't throw up on a regular basis. I have gained 10 lbs so far and the doctor said hopefully I will only gain another 15 lbs by the time the baby comes. Personally I think that only gaining another 15 lbs would be a miracle so I won't be disappointed if I gain more.

**WARNING: Do not read if you don't really want to know the nitty gritty of the pregnancy.**

Other complaints I have this week are headaches and hemorrhoids. I have had a consistent headache for 5 days straight. I took some Tylenol on Monday because it was so bad but it didn't help too much so I haven't taken any more. I iced my neck and head and that helps a little but I guess I will just have to live with it. Onto the hemorroids. I have had them before but never like this so I asked the doctor about it. The doctor said that most pregnant women get hemorrhoids and they won't go away until I deliver the baby and it is worse because I am short because there is less room for the baby. His analogy was the baby is like a large tumor that is exerting a lot of weight and pressure on my digestive system and my body has 40% more blood flowing through it so some off my blood vessels are going to be enlarged. Unfortunately it is down in the neither region. His suggestions were no heavy lifting, no standing for long periods of time, elevate my feet if I can, and avoid constipation. What has provided the biggest relief so far are cold Tucks pads used as a compress.

Wedding

My sister, mom and I attended a wedding on Saturday. Here are some pictures from the wedding. The dress I bought makes me look very pregnant. Too bad my arms are so chubby now.