KooKooBirdies

BEST.VACATION.EVER.

2013-04-25T20:53:00.004-06:00

David and I decided that we needed a nice vacation for just the two of us before the baby was born- a "Babymoon," if you will. We started planning this trip back in December or early January, and decided on Hawaii to bag some rays after the worst winter weather Boise has had in like 20 or 30 years. I had never been to Hawaii, and I have to admit, I was SO excited for our adventure... and it was worth every minute. I can't wait to go back!

What made it even better is that David lived in Hawaii on Oahu, Maui, and the Big Island and he knew his way around enough to plan the perfect trip for us... and it was AWESOME! In fact I would have to say, he planned the BEST.VACATION.EVER. Truly- if my husband knows how to do one thing, its plan a wonderful trip, and he really out did himself this time!

We went to the Kona-side of the Big Island, and stayed at the Mauna Lani Resort. We played at the beach and caught a luau at the Mauna Kea Resort, and we watched sunset and the most incredible stargazing at top of the Mauna Kea Volcano... And of course we ate some AMAZING food!

Here is a little slide show from the trip:

After a trip like that, I've honestly never had a more difficult time coming home... Oh and I'm at 27.5 weeks along in my pregnancy... here is my 27 weeks photo from the day we returned home from our trip:

Aloha everyone!

Rabbit Rabbit

2013-04-01T19:25:00.003-06:00

I hope you had a Happy Easter and your April is fooled... I mean filled with LUCK!

On this day I always want to pull one of these pranks on my husband, but I know the payback isn't worth the giggles, so I refrain... have you ever tried one of these?

This one is my favorite... but despite how much I laugh just thinking about it, I know I'd be in SO much trouble after the fact that it isn't worth it.

The BIG Reveal... It's A...

2013-03-08T11:31:00.000-07:00

So... I know you are all dying to know what the gender of our baby is... Drum roll please...

IT'S A BOY!

Profile picture... I think he looks like his daddy!

See the arrow?! That means its a boy... although I'm still trying to figure out the angle of this shot!

We're so in love with this little guy already! Last night we had the big gender reveal with a small group of good friends here in Boise. And our families joined in via google+ Hangout (my new favorite thing!) and Skype. It was really great to be able to share this moment with so many people who mean so much to us. Our good friend Tammy Rice got the call from the doctor's office about the gender and then she baked this amazing cake for us... and when we cut into it... it was filled with blue! I'm actually surprised I didn't start crying... it was such a lovely moment.

So everyone who picked "girl" is now out of the running for contest winner... better luck next time... the boys have it! Thanks all for participating... it made the wait so much fun!

At almost 20+ weeks I'm being told I've "popped" again. Suddenly I don't have to tell people I'm pregnant (rather than chubby), they know it from looking at me, which I have to say is actually a bit of a relief. Asking people what their gender guess is has been hysterical though... I've been practically molested by a few people in an effort to make their guess. Thank God I don't have personal space issues!

Now for the fun part... planning for the little munchkin... despite how silly it may sound, knowing the gender has made everything more real for me. There's a little guy just waiting to meet us and we can't wait to meet this little man and watch him grow. AND now I can actually plan for his arrival accordingly... hahaha!

More soon!

XOX

Rabbit Rabbit!

2013-03-01T06:00:00.000-07:00

I hope your month is a lucky one!

Place your bets!

2013-02-24T09:34:00.000-07:00

We are officially taking bets on the baby's gender and birth date. Guess both correctly and get a prize (although I haven't figured out what that prize is yet, but it will be something fun)!

This cool gender-reveal found at
http://blog.hwtm.com/2012/03/gender-reveal-party-girl-versus-boy/

Today I am officially 19 weeks pregnant. My official due date is July 21st, and as of now I am planning on doing this the old fashioned way (pushing rather than c-section) so the field is wide open as to when baby Lopez will make his/her arrival.

19 weeks pregnant

Also to better assist you in your guess, you should know that people with Ulcerative Colitis (me) tend to go into labor 1-2 weeks early, HOWEVER, that said, my mom was two weeks past her due date with me and 25 days past her dues date with my younger brother, Morgan, so clearly the women in my family tend to gestate their babies longer than 40 weeks. Hope that helps you make an informed guess!

Either post a comment with your gender AND birth date guess below, on facebook, or email me with your guess and I will officially mark it down for the contest.

The contest ends on March 6, 2013 at 8am mountain standard time. I will post the name of the winner when the baby arrives!

Good Luck!

16-17-18+

2013-02-20T08:59:00.000-07:00

Another whirlwind three weeks have past. It hardly seems possible that I'm more than 18 weeks pregnant now! The past three and a half weeks have been extremely busy at work. I've honestly been struggling to keep up some of the time. Alas, I think the craziness has past- at least for the most part- and I can start enjoying my life again. Well, now that I've said that, please, knock on wood for me!

My belly seems to grow exponentially every day which is both cool and scary at the same time. It's pretty amazing to be growing another human in my body, but I can't tell you how freaked I am about gaining this huge tummy... so many of my high school body image fears are resurfacing... I would never in a million years have guessed would emerge during pregnancy. Especially because I've wanted this baby for so long! So when I get weighed at the doctor's office, I turn around on the scale and ask them not to tell me unless it's something I need to know or something is wrong. They have clearly had this request before, which makes me feel slightly better about my neurosis.

Since my last post, we had another doctor visit. When we got there I told the doctor I thought the baby was going stir-crazy cooped up in my belly and has decided to bounce around on my bladder for fun. The doctor laughed and told me I was giving a lot of credit to a 15 and a half week old fetus. But when he took out his Doppler to search for the baby's heartbeat, he had to chase it across my belly, so in the end, the doctor conceded that at least, in fact, I was correct in that the baby moves around a lot. I pointed at David and said, "Have you met my husband?" David just grinned. All is well with baby Lopez - 152 beats per minute, and not shy about getting his daily workout in just like her daddy!

16 Weeks Pregnant

That weekend for work, we had a performance (The Winterreise Project), so I mostly worked all weekend. However, we did get a chance after the Sunday matinee to go visit our friends Ed and Rebecca and their sweet one-year old twin girls to watch the Superbowl. Sadly, San Francisco lost (I still say west is best!) Poor Ed was recently in a terrible ski accident, and frankly, he's truly lucky to be alive, and even more lucky to be walking. He broke 4 vertebrae in his back. You should have seen the bruising! But, he's got a positive attitude and a strong desire to get moving again. I doubt he'll be running a marathon anytime soon, but he's bound and determined to keep up with all his girls. Rebecca took me all over the house to look at baby gear they no longer need or want, and if I had a Uhaul with me I would have accepted all her hand-me-downs right there and then. In the end I left with some maternity stuff and some baby books, and she's saving some awesome baby stuff for me like a swing and an infant car seat and a few other things, which is so awesome! Note to younger people reading this- there are perks to not being the first of your friends to have a baby! Thanks RB!

The week that followed was so busy I hardly remember it. We were preparing for our biggest fundraiser of the year at work, and I was in charge of the entire event. I can't remember the last time I was so stressed- luckily it was good stress, from a job I like rather than the other kind of stress- which I've had all too much of in previous years. Either way I was exhausted! Friday I worked from 9am to 9pm with a 2 hour break to get my hair done and eat. Saturday morning I was up working at 7am, at the office at 9am, and apart from a 45 minute break around 4pm (of which I had 15 minutes to put my feet up and rest) I worked straight until midnight. Thankfully, the event went really well. It was a lot of fun and I think everything went off without a hitch. We didn't raise quite as much money as the previous year, but we were in the ballpark, and the event went much more smoothly than any previous year according to the volunteer committee. When I got home that night, despite being exhausted, I was too buzzed to fall asleep immediately so I took my heels off my bruised feet, climbed into my PJs and watched some TV until my eyes started falling.

17 Weeks Pregnant

Sunday, the 10th of February, I was officially 17 weeks, and when I got up in the morning I suddenly knew for sure I was pregnant because while climbing out of bed, my belly hit the top of my thighs. It was like it blossomed overnight! And, even though I was more exhausted than I could imagine, at 8am I popped up and couldn't fall back asleep. So I cleaned the house. David had been at his annual boys weekend in McCall skiing since Thursday night, and when he got home we cuddled and watched a movie together, both exhausted... I was asleep by 8:30pm.

It's been mostly the same all week... I haven't been able to stay awake at night... If I make it to 9pm, I'm amazed! My body is still recovering. Plus on top of all of it, I've been having an Ulcerative Colitis flare up for about 3 or 4 weeks. I tried to pretend it wasn't a full flare at first, but when I started getting up 6 and 7 times in the night, I finally had to admit that I was in a flare again. I think my doctors are getting me under control as of this week, but the lack of sleep is really really really difficult to cope with. And then David gets woken up too, so we both end up grumpy. Some nights he goes and sleeps in the guest bed. I wish I could take a break from it like he does... However, the one amazing thing about getting up at 3am this week was that I started to feel the baby really poke me. I've felt lots of flutters before, but on Valentine's Day at 3am I got up to go to the bathroom and when I climbed into bed I felt a very clear poking and prodding on my right side over and over- I'd say it was kicking, but the baby is so tiny it still feels like poking. I was so thrilled that it woke me up completely (and I was up for about two hours after that which didn't help my exhaustion... and if David hadn't been in the guest bed trying to get some zzz's I would have woken him up to feel it too). I've felt a similar feeling a few other times since, but this was by far the most clear. I can't wait until David finally gets to feel the baby move too!

The flowers David surprised me with on Valentine's Day! AMAZING!!!

This week I'm also starting to feel like being more social again... slowly but surely. Although, I am finding that I'm not that interested in being around kids at all (which I have never experienced before!) David thinks it's just my psyche telling me to go have fun before I'm suddenly tied to the care of my own child for the rest of my life! Considering I started babysitting when I was 11, and as David says, I'm like "the pied piper" when kids are around, he could be right. The caretaker/parent's helper in me comes out the minute I'm around kids and I can't turn it off. Whatever it is, the revelation was both surprising to me and also a little startling... it's made me wonder how I will feel about my own child when I meet it. I'm sure this feeling will pass. But it does concern me a little. I also haven't been very excited about planning the baby's room or a baby shower or baby stuff or anything baby yet. Is that normal? Maybe when we find out the gender I'll get more interested in planning for baby's arrival... I hope so. I've wanted this for so long it seems strange not to be more into it.

18 Weeks Pregnant

The sun is out in Boise again and its finally getting back to a more reasonable temperature outside. Saturday we got up and David and I cleaned the house a bit, a friend came by to say hi whom I hadn't seen in a few weeks, and then David and I went out to lunch. When we got home I took the most delicious nap and read a book and then I went for a sunset hike with Linus. I came home and read some more and at one point I turned to David and said, "I haven't felt this relaxed and calm in weeks." And it was true! I feel rejuvenated... its amazing what a quiet weekend and a little rest will do for the soul!

Things at work are still pretty busy, but my Ulcerative Colitis flare-up is getting back under control. I only got up once in the night to use the bathroom! I can't tell you what a good mood that puts me in! May you all have a beautiful week!

Rabbit Rabbit!

2013-02-01T06:00:00.000-07:00

Here's to a lucky and romance filled month!

Becoming a Tiger Mom?

2013-01-31T11:09:00.000-07:00

I just read the book, The Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother by Amy Chua. My husband and I have been eagerly waiting to read this together with a few other parenting books we'd read about in the Wall Street Journal with the baby coming, and I finally picked up a copy.

Well, I have to admit that I was disappointed in the book. Not because it was poorly written. On the contrary - it was very well written. I finished Amy Chua's captivating memoir almost overnight. I was disappointed because I thought it was going to be less of a memoir of her personal journey and more of an anthropological look into the differences between Chinese and American parenting philosophies... with antic dotes from her personal life.

There were parts of the book where I cringed at Ms. Chua's behavior toward her kids, but at no time did I think, "this is the worst mother on the planet." I was actually impressed that she kept on course with her plan. She also achieved great results with her two girls - despite some of the battles. I find it fascinating that so many Americans were so intensely offended by her parenting. Yes, she took things to the extreme at times, but I don't know any parent who hasn't lost it with their kids from time to time. Although I don't yet have my own kids, I was a live-in nanny for quite a few different families and I can remember one time in particular... well, let's just say, buttons were pushed... and I completely lost it.

I was not raised by "tiger parents." However, I have always found myself very impressed by people with such a strong work ethic like Amy Chua and her kids. Ms. Chua most definitely has a point about laziness in parenting... the effort she put in was exhausting to read about... I know most parents would have given up early on... and I wondered how I will be as a parent. I believe that diligence is something that needs to be taught. That humans, myself included, like to take the path of least resistance, and that our culture is breaking down in many ways because of this lack of effort.

That said, I am the first to question authority and take the easy way out so there is definitely no judgement here! I identified much more with the younger more rebellious daughter than the older more focused one. However, I also tend to be like Ms. Chua - I am always saying things I see as "helpful" to other which I'm told come across as completely rude or unkind. My husband is always letting me know how rude something I said has come off - completely unintentionally of course... thankfully most people I know, including my husband, know I have a good heart, I guess. And like Ms. Chua, I am self aware enough to know I am the way I am... such is life.

Have you read it? It's an interesting book... definitely worth reading. And I'd love to know what you think of it!

12-13-14-15

2013-01-27T14:49:00.002-07:00

I know I promised to blog more now that I had something very tangible to blog about on at least a weekly basis, but between pregnancy and my incredibly busy work schedule, I have been completely lazy when its comes to doing anything other than vegging when I get home at night. In fact, most nights I've been going to bed by 8:30pm. Here is my update for the past few weeks:

Weeks 11-12

12 Weeks

This week and last week have been rough. I caught a horrible cold and was really struggling to even function. This week I am struggling with the spins. I'll be fine one minute and the next minute the room is spinning and it feels like I drank too much.

I googled it, and then called the doctor having self diagnosed with low blood pressure... only to find out, no, I actually have acute vertigo of some sort. Apparently its fairly common in pregnancy in the first and third trimesters as your body is trying to catch up with the new life inside you, but its the worst! At one point I told David that if he didn't stop moving, "I will literally stab you."

I also told my boss about my pregnancy this week, and he was surprisingly supportive. I was worried because I did just start in September. He was great though, and he told me that I could even bring the baby to work with me until it was starting to move around too much. It was such a weight off my shoulders! Plus, now all my weird bathroom behavior and exhaustion all throughout the day are more understandable to everyone in the office.

The doctor says everything is on track and he had both me and David press on my tummy to feel the top of my uterus. Every time we go to the doctor's office things start to feel more real.

Week 13

13 Weeks

Week 13 has been extra special. My workload has been crazy lately, and I'm realizing that I really can't just work through lunch like would during busy times before pregnancy. I did that without thinking on a couple of different occasions this week, and it didn't go over too well. I get the shakes or start to vomit or both. Yuck!

Actually, one day, I didn't eat enough, plus I worked through lunch, and then went to the grocery store. As I packed the groceries into the car, I thought to myself, "I'm really hungry." But I dismissed it right away thinking, "You are two miles from home... just wait." So I climbed into the car and pulled into rush hour traffic. Right as I pulled into the center lane of five lanes of traffic, I realized my mistake. With no where to pull off to, and too many cars flying by me to safely open my car door, I searched my interior for something to vomit into.

Luckily, about a year, maybe more ago after an ER visit, I had kept one of the hospital distributed vomit bags and tucked it in my glove compartment. David had argued that we should throw it away many times, but I always said, "No - it doesn't take up any space and it will come in handy one day, I swear!" Well, that day was today. Thank God for that barf bag because as I pulled up to the red light, I puked my guts out... which, because I hadn't really eaten anything was mostly just stomach acid. I did the same at the next light and then I was finally able to pull out of the traffic and to the side of the road to collect myself.

After that incident, I've been careful to stop what I'm doing and take the time out to get some good food, or even a 15 minute break to breath. Taking walks on the greenbelt has helped too.

Week 14

14 Weeks

Apart from making the stupid mistake of taking my vitamins on an empty stomach so that I wouldn't be late to work, and then getting to work and puking my guts (and the vitamins) out because I didn't get food in my belly fast enough, I've had a great week! My energy levels are coming back up, and now if the weather would please cooperate, I'd like to get out and get some fresh air and exercise.

We've had the coldest winter on record in something like 30 or 40 years and its been gray and icy. It's actually been colder here than in North Dakota! I hate it. I've always loved Boise because of how mild the climate has been... well, this year has made me change my mind (but that's all for another blog post). In fact one day this week I went out to my car to find a half inch layer of ice covering the entire thing. The walk out to the car was treacherous as well, but David had prepared me for icy roads and walkways before I left the house... but I hadn't thought about the car. It took me 45 minutes to get it cleaned up to a point where I could safely see out of it and drive. While the car was warming up I got some rock salt and salted the icy pathway and steps and then worked on chipping the ice off the window.

I should have taken the salt with me in the car to help spread around town because the walk ways were so iced over it was scary to go anywhere. It finally warmed up today, but the warm air brought thick fog and rain... hopefully it melts the snow and ice on the ground in the valley. I'm all for snow in the mountains, but I hate snow in the valley... Boise has no infrastructure to take care of it properly. In WI and NY, if it snows or ices, the business owners are responsible for getting the sidewalk safe immediately - same with the home owners. If they don't, they get a ticket. And that means the entire section of sidewalk your building or property that your home or business covers... if you're on a corner you have to do both, not just your entry way. They also have an alternating street parking, emergency snow removal plan to make the streets safe if it snows 3 inches or more in NY and WI, but here in Boise it just sits everywhere... turning black and making iced ruts in the streets. I hate it when it snows in the valley. Its completely unsafe but the bureaucracy here when streets and sidewalks are concerned is thick... I fax them a plan to fix the problem every time it snows... they know me at ACHD by name when I call... but it does nothing. Can you tell that I'm upset about this?!

Week 15

15 weeks

Today, I am 15 weeks along. I am constantly surprised that my pants still fit everywhere except my belly. I feel huge and when I see myself next to other pregnant women, I realize I still have a long ways to go. My obsession with oranges/citrus and salty foods is still in full force. And I still don't like bananas (so sad) and overly sweet things like caramel, which I used to love.

My mom kindly bought me some cute maternity clothes from ASOS, so I have something other than the incredibly comfy PJs my best girl Blake bought me at Christmas (Thanks again Doll!). Although, I have still been living in the PJs anytime I'm in my house... and even with the new maternity clothes, I still like the PJs best for comfort. They are AMAZING!

My energy level is coming back fast and I actually have interest in doing things like exercise and getting out of the house. And thank God its sunny today! Hopefully some of this ice and snow will melt! I still get tired relatively quickly, but just the fact that I was able to go out to dinner with David after work on Friday and be fully alert on Friday night was a big step forward. I've been quite the self-centered recluse for the past month or so... my friends are all thinking I'm so weird. And really I am weird. I just haven't wanted to be around anyone.

Yesterday and today I did prenatal yoga. I might even go for a walk with the dog in the foothills later - mud permitting. Now to just get through the big fundraiser for work on February 9th, and I think I'm home free! Wish me luck!

I just have to finish this post by saying that I have the most beautiful, loving husband that I am so grateful for every day. Today, when I asked him to take my belly photos, I asked him if I looked okay... he replied without looking up "You look beautiful." I said, "You didn't even look at me." To which he looked me straight in the eyes, and said, "You always look beautiful to me." What can you say to that?!

Rabbit Rabbit!

2013-01-01T19:50:00.001-07:00

Good Things Come to Those Who Wait...

2012-12-24T15:39:00.001-07:00

On the morning of November 13, 2012, I woke up to this:

I wandered, still half-awake and a bit dazed into our bedroom where David was still lounging in bed, and I handed him the test. He smiled and announced proudly, "I knew it! I knew you were pregnant! My boys can swim!" I laughed a little... still unsure the test was real.

If I may back track for a moment. Last November or so, my doctors all told me that I could not/should not have a baby because of the Ulcerative Colitis I suffer with. I immediately panicked. I've always wanted to be a mother and I've looked forward to pregnancy. I immediately started The Specific Carbohydrate Diet to see if changing my eating habits would improve my symptoms. It did... for a while.

In January, David and I went to an adoption seminar at the local adoption agency, Adopt a New Beginning. We considered adoption. We also discussed surrogacy. Part of both of us still selfishly wanted a biological child. So, I went into the Fertility Clinic here in Boise to see if surrogacy was an option. The only fertility doctor in the area, Cristin Slater, told me that I was absolutely healthy enough to do surrogacy, but that she thought I could actually have a healthy child of my own with a little help from her. She said that she'd help many women with Inflammatory Bowel Disease through a successful pregnancy, and all but one of them actually got better during the pregnancy (The one who didn't get better, didn't get worse, she just didn't get better). I was THRILLED! (That said, I feel it is important to tell you that I would NOT recommend seeing Dr. Slater or anyone in her clinic ... they were unprofessional, absentminded, and flaky- one nurse would tell me one thing and another nurse would tell me something completely different which caused more money out of my pocket into their hands. Also, she overlooked all of my concerns regarding my Ulcerative Colitis, and she rarely saw me herself, even though I was being charged for appointments with her and not her nurse.)

Anyway, I immediately jumped into Dr, Slater's regimen of fertility drugs and ultrasounds, assuming that I would be pregnant by the end of the month. Unfortunately, that was not the case. After three excruciating months of fertility hormones, they informed me that I had developed a large uterine polyp and I needed surgery to remove it right away. That was April. I had it (and another small polyp) removed in May. The doctor told me I should start right back up on the fertility drugs again in June, but after the emotional roller coaster of the past 5 months, combined with the lack of quality treatment from Dr. Slater's office I decided that I - we needed a break. AND to make matters worse, the fertility hormones had caused my Ulcerative Colitis to flare, despite my best efforts to keep it in check with diet. The hormones were just too strong. In fact, it was the worst flare I'd had in 5 years, and nothing I did was helping to get it back under control.

My doctors and I agreed that I had to get the UC under control before I could safely have a pregnancy. So in October I started a new Ulcerative Colitis medication called Cimzia. It is approved for use during pregnancy, so the plan was, to let the medication work its magic for a while, and then I could try to get pregnant again.

However, all the stress I went through on the fertility meds last spring made me loathe trying to use them or trying working with Dr. Slater again. And the idea of dealing with any stimulating hormones to get me pregnant sounded so awful, we started looking into adoption once more. In fact we were set on it. I contacted a lawyer and the adoption agency, and I'd filled out the paperwork. I was waiting until the new year to submit everything, figuring that then the craziness of my new job at Opera Idaho and the holidays would have died down by then, and I could give the adoption process my full attention. We were so excited we were going to start a family.

My period was due on November 9th, but when it didn't come I didn't think anything of it, I always fluctuate a day or two. I was busy painting the walls and ceiling of the room we'd recently remodeled, so I just kept plugging away. My body felt like I was going to get a visit from "Aunt Flow" at any moment, so I just waited, and didn't think about it. On Monday, November 12th, I had an acupuncture appointment with my general practitioner. I called the office in the morning and said, "Look, I don't think I'm pregnant, but my period is late by four or five days as of today, and I know I'm not supposed to have acupuncture in the first trimester if I am pregnant... I figured I should call and say something... so what should I do?" They asked if I'd taken a pregnancy test. "No," I said. I didn't think there was any point because I thought it was just being thrown off by the new medicine. I didn't have one in the house and I didn't have time to take one before the appointment. The doctor - Dr. Gail told me to come into the office anyway and she would just do acupressure instead of acupuncture. She wanted to catch up with my medical history anyway.

I went into the office for my appointment. Afterwards, Dr. Gail told me that she wanted me to go home and take a pregnancy test and call her with the result the next day. I somewhat begrudgingly told her I would. On the way home that night I stopped at the grocery store to buy a few things for dinner, and sat there debating on whether or not to buy a pregnancy test. I figured as soon as I spent the money I'd get my period... but I picked up a box of two pregnancy tests anyway... deciding that in the end, it couldn't hurt to know for sure. I decided if there was still no sign of "Aunt Flo" in the morning, I would take the test otherwise I would just save it for another time... Well, you know the rest!

___________________________________________

When I called to let Dr. Gail know the test result, I told the nurse that I was still a little unsure because the line wasn't quite as dark as the control line. She asked how many tests I'd taken. "Just one," I responded. She told me to take another test and call her right back. So I did. This time the line was darker. The doctor got on the phone and told me that she was declaring me officially pregnant. She ordered a blood test for me to confirm the home pregnancy tests, and told me to make an appointment with my OB/Gyn.

I did. I also called my Gastroenterologist. I was a little worried because I'd literally just started the new medication and my UC wasn't fully in remission like he wanted it to be. The nurse said not to worry, and congratulated me. She said the only thing I had to remember was that I can't breast feed because the UC medicine (Cimzia) I'm on gets into the breast milk, but other than that, I should be fine. The nurse and I had a good laugh because trying so hard to get pregnant after all this time, it was ironic that I got pregnant now when I'd finally decided to go ahead with the adoption process. I kept saying "We haven't had sex enough to get pregnant..." Well... it only takes once!

We decided not to tell our families or anyone anything about the pregnancy until we were given the all clear from the OB/Gyn doctor. Our sister-in-law, Helena, is also pregnant, and at Thanksgiving we found out that David's cousin Beth is pregnant too, and we felt it would be better to wait and make sure everything was alright with the baby considering all of my health issues, before we made our announcement. We are all due within months of each other... Helena in May, Beth in June, and me in July. And, we didn't want anyone to feel weird if something went wrong.

David's parents came out for Thanksgiving and it was REALLY tough not to tell them why I was so tired all the time. Or why I was running to the bathroom all the time. But, we just blamed it on the Ulcerative Colitis and the new meds I am taking. However... we both wanted to shout it from the roof tops! In retrospect, I'm sure they thought I was SO sick with Colitis though.

On Tuesday, December 7th David and I had our first OB/Gyn appointment. David and I are both VERY happy with our doctor, Dr. Weyhrich. By the end of the appointment, he left us feeling very confident. I have to admit, I was a little nervous... okay, A LOT nervous. But, everything went really well.

I'd been joking about having triplets since we found out I was pregnant, and luckily that wasn't the case. Just one, very healthy baby with a nice strong heartbeat!

Now that we were given the all clear, we decided to make our announcement extra special. After all, we were told I couldn't have a baby this time last year. Here's what we came up with:

A Message in a Bottle

Photo of the Finished "Message in a Baby Bottle"

Front side of the message

Back side of the message

The messages went out via the mail to everyone in our immediate families on Monday, December 19th. The postman told me that they would all arrive to their destinations on Thursday or Friday at the latest. Well, strangely, all of my family received theirs on Wednesday. David's parents got theirs on Thursday, and David's brother's family on Friday and his sister's family on Saturday. Each of their responses were really fun! Squeals, screams, crying, and more. It was a great way to unveil our secret!

And I'm hoping everyone will feel the need to make extended visits to Idaho next summer to help... I've done A LOT of free babysitting and free labor over the years, so I plan on cashing in all my "Help" chips next summer... plan accordingly! Wink wink!

I am also pleased to report that my Ulcerative Colitis is back on the road to remission thanks to the Cimzia and getting back on the Specific Carbohydrate Diet, and the pregnancy. Our 40 weeks due date is July 21st, however Dr. Weyhrich thinks Boise baby Lopez will make an appearance sometime between 38 and 42 weeks which is July 7th-August 4th, and Ulcerative Colitis patients tend to have babies come earlier than later. Please keep us all in your thoughts and prayers over the course of this journey! We feel very blessed this holiday season. Merry Christmas to you all!

Rabbit Rabbit!

2012-12-01T06:00:00.000-07:00

Have a Happy (and lucky) Holiday Season!

Rabbit! Rabbit!

Family Time

2012-11-30T12:03:00.002-07:00

Thanksgiving has come and gone and I missed getting a post up before the big day. I think this might be our (David and my) favorite holiday. This was the 6th Thanksgiving David and I have spent together, which hardly seems possible because I feel like we met just yesterday (and also like we've been together forever)! Traditionally we spend all day cooking and we go for a nice long hike in the foothills. We watch movies and just enjoy relaxing. It's delightful.

Most of the time, my grown-up nephew Cody joins us with a friend or two, but this year, he is spending it with his girlfriend's family. We missed you Coder! Instead, David's parents, the infamous Francie and Damaso Lopez, joined us for the festivities.

They arrived on Wednesday evening at 9 pm and left at around 4 am on Monday morning. It was a fun albeit exhausting long weekend. But mostly a good time visiting with family.

David, Damaso, and Francie Lopez, Thanksgiving 2012

And, if I do say so myself, this may have been my best Thanksgiving food to date. I've really got the recipes down pat, and my turkey was superb! I also got it all cooked in a very timely manner and was able to take a nice long nap while David and his parents went on a hike in the foothills. When they returned everything was ready to go!

The day after Thanksgiving, we all went to brunch at Le Cafe de Paris and on the way home we bought a Christmas tree. While David and Damaso watched football, Francie and I got out all of the thousands of Christmas decorations I have (my mother is obsessed and has sent them to me in huge boxes... I think I have enough ornaments for 3 Christmas trees!) And we decorated the entire house. The tree looks beautiful!

That night Francie decided to sleep on an air mattress in the living room because Damaso was sick, and guess what? The tree fell over at about 6 am almost crushing Francie in her sleep! She screamed. We all came running. It was actually pretty funny. We lost only a few ornaments, and luckily Francie came away unscathed. David and I tied the tree to the wall after that, and it looks good as new.

Damaso, Francie, David, and Anabel Lopez

On the last night of their visit we went to dinner at one of our favorite restaurants in Boise, Fork, and then we drove up to Quail Ridge to see the famous massive display of Christmas lights. Isn't it amazing?! Chevy Chase has got nothing on this guy. Damaso thought it was tacky, but I say, although I wouldn't put something like that in my yard, I'm really glad someone else does so we have something to come and see and it makes the holidays fun!

The next morning I took Damaso and Francie to the airport because at this point, David had caught Damaso's cold and he was sick as a dog and could barely move out of the bed. They could hardly believe it only took 7 minutes to get to the airport from our house... It was 4am after all.

And just like that, family time was over.

I certainly have so much to be Thankful for... I hope you all had a lovely Thanksgiving too! Happy Holidays!

Middle Earth

2012-11-03T17:44:00.000-06:00

I'm not sure if you know this about me, but I am a HUGE science fiction geek. In fact, I convinced my younger brother to name his dog Arwen after the Elf Princess in Lord of the Rings. I am patiently awaiting the prequel, The Hobbit to hit theaters this December.

Today I came across this fantastic short video by Air New Zealand. Such awesome creativity from the people of the land they call "Middle Earth", I had to share... enjoy!

Rabbit Rabbit!

2012-11-01T10:23:00.001-06:00

In honor of the Day of the Dead... and wishing you a lucky November!

Rabbit! Rabbit!

Nerdy or Sexy?

2012-10-26T15:02:00.002-06:00

Last week I went in to get my eyes checked, and it turns out I have perfect vision in my left eye, but an astigmatism in my right eye. (Which was apparently causing what I thought was mild dyslexia). So the eye doc put some crazy drops in my eyes and told me to go pick out some glasses.

I couldn't see after the first two minutes with the drops in my eyes, so I depended on the girls at the shop and some photo emails back and forth to David to pick out a good pair. After narrowing it down to a few, it suddenly occurred to me to ask how much they cost. OMG! I had now idea glasses were so pricey. One pair was more than $650... I almost fainted (literally, the eye drops were really bothering me and I thought I was going to pass out).

In the end I went with the least expensive pair they had in stock and combined with the co-pay from our insurance I still shelled out a pretty penny - no where near 600 smackers, but I was still surprised by the price.

I picked them up on Wednesday, so as of today I've had glasses for three days. I'm still getting used to them. My doctor says I have to wear them everyday for a month, and then when I'm working on the computer and driving, or as needed.

Day One

Day Three

I've had a few people tell me I look like a sexy librarian, and actually, one lady at my job said my new code name was "The Librarian". However, my husband told me not to tell people that he helped pick them out... not that he doesn't like them, but he wants to make that point clear... and my dad just plain doesn't like them.

Either way, its amazing how good I thought my vision was versus how much better it is now. And its just the one eye... my left eye was doing all the work. I guess, in the end, being able to see better is really all that matters, but my vanity is a little unsure at the moment.

Margarita Day!

2012-10-17T06:30:00.000-06:00

Not many people know that the famously delicious drink, the Margarita, was named for the famous actress, Rita Hayworth (aka Margarita Carmen Cansino). There is still some debate about this... but... we'll just claim it as fact. Today, October 17, 2012 would be Rita's 94th birthday.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY RITA!

Because I adore both Rita and Margaritas, I dub October 17th, Margarita Day. I hope you'll all raise (at least) one delicious glass (even if its a virgin) to one amazing lady to celebrate her birthday.

And in case you don't know... this is my favorite scene from my favorite film, Gilda, starring Miss Hayworth in her most famous role.

Linus and the "Cone of Shame"

2012-10-10T13:20:00.000-06:00

A couple of weeks ago our dog, Linus broke his toe. Well, his dew claw to be exact. This was the second or third time it happened in his short 3 years of life, and each time caused him more pain. We decided it was in his (and our pocketbook's) best interest to just have them removed. Frankly, we should have had them removed when he was a puppy, but after reading the awesome dog book by Garth Stein, The Art of Racing in the Rain, I didn't have the heart to do it at the time... even now I feel a little guilty.

Here is an excerpt from the book, in case you haven't read it:

"I’ll give you a theory: Man’s closest relative is not the chimpanzee, as the TV people believe, but is, in fact, the dog.

Witness my logic:

Case-in-Point #1: The Dew ClawIt is my opinion that the so-called dew claw, which is often snipped off a dog’s foreleg at an early age, is actually evidence of a pre-emergent thumb. Further, I believe that men have systematically bred the thumb out of certain lines of dog through an elaborate process called “selective breeding”, simply in order to prevent dogs from evolving into dexterous, and therefore “dangerous”, mammals.

I also believe that man’s continued domestication (if you care to use that silly euphemism) of dogs is motivated by fear: fear that dogs, left to evolve on their own, would, in fact, develop thumbs and smaller tongues, and therefore would be superior to men, who are slow and cumbersome, standing erect as they do. This is why dogs must live under the constant supervision of people, and are immediately put to death when found living on their own.
From what Denny has told me about the government and its inner workings, it is my belief that this despicable plan was hatched in a back room of none other than the White House, probably by an evil adviser to a president of questionable moral and intellectual fortitude, and probably with the correct assessment — unfortunately, made from a position of fear-driven paranoia rather than of spiritual insight — that all dogs are progressively inclined regarding social issues.

Case-in-Point #2: The WerewolfThe full moon rises. The fog clings to the lowest branches of the spruce trees. The man steps out of the darkest corner of the forest and finds himself transformed into… A monkey? I think not."

Linus is a big baby about everything, especially the vet (I blame David, who spoils him rotten) so I was especially worried about how he would handle surgery. When I picked him up, the vet brought our little drugged-up boy out to see me... with a cone on his head. Between the drugs and the cone, Linus would hardly move. It was so sad.

I couldn't help but laugh at his drunken swagger and his lack of spacial awareness due to the cone. He ran into everything! I text-ed David immediately and told him Linus was wearing the "cone of shame." This is another pop culture reference to the animated film, "Up."

Today, Linus is finally getting his stitches removed! And hopefully no more cone... and no more vet bills!

Wish him luck!

Opera Idaho

2012-10-04T16:22:00.000-06:00

So, I know... I have been very bad about writing the past few months. Actually, I have had plenty to write about... but I seem to have gotten side-tracked. There is lots going on in my world, but the most exciting news is that I have a new job as the Marketing and Development Manager at Opera Idaho. I started last week, and I absolutely LOVE it.

I have my own office with a window that gets soft north facing light, and throughout the day I hear soft melodies of singers and choirs rehearsing in the rehearsal space down the hall. Plus, I'm working in the arts again and I can't tell you how happy that makes me. No more politics for me! Well, at least government politics!

I have to admit, I've never thought much about Opera- not that I didn't like it, I do (most of it), but it just wasn't on my radar. Now that it is, I'm certainly learning a lot and I am finding it very romantic and lovely. It's not so much that the work is different, but the mentality of the people I work with that is different. Working in the arts has such a strong effect on the soul... I am so busy I sometimes forget to eat, and yet, I'm happier in my work than I've been in years. And that is reflected in everything else I do.

If you are local, be sure to check out Opera Idaho's 2012-2013 Season starting with the opera Falstaff at the end of October. If you aren't, its just one more reason to visit Boise!

In the meantime, I have to get back to work! There is a lot to do between our Auction of Arias fundraiser on October 12th, our Operatini event on October 18th, and the first opera of the season, Falstaff on October 26th and 28th.

Wish me luck!

Rabbit! Rabbit!

2012-10-01T08:41:00.001-06:00

Have a lucky October and a Happy Halloween!

Rosa's Bella Cucina... Rosa and Rico on a Roll

2012-09-17T06:00:00.000-06:00

Hey all,

When I lived in Los Angeles, I was lucky enough to be friends with the amazing Rosa Graziano. We've grown apart over the years of living in very different places, but I still absolutely love that Facebook has allowed us to keep an eye out on what each of us is up to. And she's always up to something fun.

Not too long ago, Rosa and her brother Rico (whom I've never had the pleasure of meeting) started a gourmet food truck called Rosa's Bella Cucina. Rosa is an amazing cook, so although I haven't been to LA since she opened the doors, I can only imagine how delectable the food is.

More importantly, Rosa has finally been tapped into for her other, equally amazing talent, her incredible sense of humor and big personality. Check out the new show: Rosa and Rico... On a Roll on HungryYoutube every Wednesday through mid October.

Here is the first episode which aired on September 12th:

One of my fondest memories of Rosa is from the day I was first diagnosed with Colitis. I had fainted and was rushed to the hospital by my younger brother Morgan. He wasn't too excited to be in the hospital so instead, my two closest girlfriends at the time, Rosa and Laura, convinced the ER to let them both into the ER to be with me. They usually only let one person in at a time, but as you can see from the above, Rosa can be very persuasive.

I was on a Morphine drip due to the pain in my shoulder and gut... which totally sucked. But, combined with the complete and utter awesomeness of Rosa and Laura feeding off each other to keep the mood light and keep me smiling, I was able to shut out the pain and fear I was struggling to suppress. Instead of being scared, I was hysterically laughing... to the point where I was laughing so hard it hurt. Despite that day being one of the scariest of my young life, because of Rosa (and Laura), I was able to get through it, and I actually look back on that day smiling.

I wish her the best success, and I am so excited for her new show... Please be sure to tune in.

The Incredible Incredible

2012-09-14T13:18:00.000-06:00

I have to write and tell you all about my truly incredible HTC Incredible smart phone.

I had a meeting downtown so I jumped on my scooter. When I got there, I couldn't find my phone so I assumed I must have left it at home by accident. When the meeting was finished, about an hour later, I went straight home to find it because I had some calls to make as soon as possible.

It was no where to be found.

After a very thorough search of our entire house, including emailing my husband and a few friends asking them to call me on it, I decided to retrace my steps fearing that it was gone for good. I got on my scooter and started driving slowly the same route I drove to my meeting... about 10 blocks down the road there it was... in five pieces all over the road on 13th Street in front of the Stinker Station.

I sadly picked up the pieces hoping that I could at least salvage some of the information on the SD card and I took it home.

When I arrived home I decided I needed to see if I could maybe get it to turn on... so I put the pieces together with some handy duct tape and powered it on.

To my utter amazement, it turned on... and with complete functionality. Could it be? I tried a call to my mom. It worked perfectly! The "slightly" scratched camera even worked! I couldn't believe it!

And it's been an unbelievable conversation starter... no one can believe it still functions so perfectly.

Thank you to HTC for making such a quality product I can count on. My renewal date is still a long way off, so until then, I am happy to say, my HTC Incredible works like a charm despite almost complete annihilation.

Viva Las Vegas!

2012-09-07T11:26:00.001-06:00

September 3rd was my birthday. This year I had the best, most fun and playful birthday ever... thanks to my WONDERFUL, KIND, and LOVING husband David who took me to Vegas.

The entire trip was supposed to be a surprise, but after a little argument over me spoiling the end of a book we both read, the surprised accidentally slipped out. Oops!

But that was all that spilled out. Try as I might, I couldn't get any more information out of him... I wasn't told where we were staying or eating or what we were doing there. David kept his mouth shut tight and I agreed not to ask too many questions so as not to ruin the surprise... and oh was it a surprise!

David and me in front of the Bellagio

Ric and Blake in front of the Bellagio

On the flight down to Vegas, David told me he wasn't really up for spending all of our time in Vegas, and thought a better use of our time would be to rent a car and drive down to Palm Springs for the day and go hiking. Although I was a bit bummed by this idea, I agreed to go along with it, because you never know what fun will ensue... well that was just a misdirect.

Our hotel... we were on the 25th floor

We arrived at our hotel (The Palms) around noon and checked in. Our rooms weren't ready yet, so we wandered out to the pool and then through the casino. David and I both had to use the bathroom so we headed to the nearest one near the back of the casino. As I was walking into the bathroom I swear I saw my friend Ric (my best girl Blake's hubby) but how could that be-they were in San Francisco... so I did a double take thinking "And that looks like Blake too," and then triple take where I yelled, "Blake, what the hell?!"

Blake and me at the Aria

Ric reflexively curled up into a little ball like if he didn't move I wouldn't see him. David had arranged for Blake and Ric to fly into Vegas too. It was such an AWESOME surprise. They had other plans on how we would meet up... but it was just so amazing to run into them and have them there, I was elated!

Having drinks at Aria

Then when we sat down to lunch, David announced that he had just had a call from his brother Andrew and by chance, Andrew and his wife Helena would be flying into Vegas the next night for a conference for Helena's work, so they'd get to celebrate with us as well (I can't believe I forgot to snap a picture of all of us together- ugh!). I could hardly believe it... too much fun for words.

Ric and David shopping!

The vacation involved pool time, lots of blackjack (Blake was the big winner), amazing food, fun shopping (The Forum at Caesar's is unreal)... and most importantly spending time with great friends. I was really sad to say good-bye... It was the best trip... I can't wait to do it again!

Thank you to my wonderful husband and friends for making my birthday so special! Love you!

Rabbit Rabbit!

2012-09-01T06:00:00.000-06:00

Have a delightful (and lucky) September everyone. September has always been my favorite month of the year. Sorry for the lack of posts in August... I've got so much to catch you all up on... but first...

Don't for get to Rabbit rabbit!

Rabbit Rabbit!

2012-08-01T13:36:00.001-06:00

Have a Lucky August!

And try to stay cool in all this heat!