Start Spreading The News

It was tougher for some than others, but everyone kept their mouth shut. Sierra really had to try not to tell anyone. We decided Thanksgiving, which was the end of the third month, was a good time to spread the word. Great grandparents were called, and Great Grandma Leeser was happy for us. Great Grandpa's predicted response was "How 'bout that." Fitting. Trev was told when he came into town. It didn't take long before horrible name suggestions started spewing out of his mouth. We know they weren't real, but really, Bertha? Mike called his family in Chicago and talked to aunts and cousins, spreading the good news person by person. Mike's other side of the family all gathered together at cousin Tim's house. We arrived and made our announcement. Gammie had a bottle of champagne ready for celebrating (except for me). She could finally not worry about keeping the secret. Thanks a lot Dan for introducing Mike to Angry Birds on the iPad. Mike and I were happy to celebrate the first trimester rolling to an end with only one bout of morning sickness. If you don't count the flu that I swear was brought on by that stupid flu shot. Poppy was given free range to spread the news with his sisters. I guess I should tell my principal at work before it shows up on Facebook and spreads through the staff. Mike will be happy to share the secret with some of his coworkers as well.

Viva Las Vegas

Get down, get down! Look at Tif dancing like wild. I wasn't able to convince anyone that she was the only sober one out there! This weekend we went to Las Vegas, a trip we were planning long before we learned about the incoming family member. We went with our friends Daryl and Tammy, who almost has her own room at Harrah's. Tif and I aren't huge gamblers or drinkers, but it was fun for both of us to nap during the day and stay up late at night. Tif even had her drink of choice, half cranberry juice, half water. It keeps you from bloating and you look like you're enjoying a vodka cranberry. I had a bit of "baby luck" on the slots. One machine would not stop giving me money. Another Wheel of Fortune slot spit out a hundred bucks. All said and done, I was up about 350, which recoups my lifetime gambling losses. It paid for part of the trip, a buffet round, and an ornament for the Christmas tree. The drive home was good and we only had to put up with 2 hours of traffic between the Cardinals and the Nascar race in town. The trip was well worth it, especially when I forgot about the hundred bucks I had stored in my pocket. The laundry has never been that profitable!

Thank God, There's Only One in There!

The first doctor's appointment was at 9 weeks, which we found out that count includes a few weeks before the baby even exists as a single cell. I was not happy to find out that not only did I have to pee in a cup (awkward!) but I needed 10 vials of blood drawn. Tears streaming down my face, Mike was so kind to take me out to dinner. Si Senor helped my misery, but I think the flu shot put me over the edge that day. It wasn't all bad news, there was one steady, healthy heartbeat. About 180 beats per minute. High heartbeat is a girl, right? The due date was determined as June 11, 2011. Since babies don't ever seem to come on their exact due date, that's one day I can be sure not to be going to the hospital.