Our first ultrasound

Today I went for my 16 week checkup with the doctor. While he was doing the fundus check (where he presses his fingers into my belly to feel where the top of my uterus, the fundus, is) he had a funny expression on his face. He then asked me, "Are you sure of the date of your last menstrual period?" I said, "Yes". "Did you say multiples run in your family?" "Yes." "We need to do a quick ultrasound. Your fundus is where it should be at 20 weeks not 16." So off I went to the waiting room to wait for the ultrasound tech to have a quick break. While in the waiting room I called Kyle and told him what was going on. He informed me he was on his way over. (My doctor's office is across the street from where Kyle works.) I was called in to see the ultrasound tech just as Kyle got in the building, but she didn't have time to wait for him to come up to the 3rd floor. She did a quick ultrasound and said, "Sorry I'm so rushed!" Handed me a piece of paper and showed me where I needed to wait for the doctor. When I looked at the paper I realized I had a picture of our baby in my hand! The doctor came out a couple of minutes later, looked at my chart, and came up and said, "I was wrong. Just one baby, and you are right at 16 weeks according to the baby's measurements." We had a brief conversation about what could cause my uterus to be how it is and set an appointment for next month for the "real" look at the baby's anatomy (heart, brain, lungs, etc.) and find out the baby's sex if the baby will cooperate. I walked out into the waiting room, handed Kyle the ultrasound, pointed out the baby's parts, and shared what the doctor told me. As we walked out of the building Kyle turned and said, "I'm glad we are not having twins." When I dropped him back at work he was excited to take the pictures of our baby with him to show off.
Looking at the top image you can see the baby lying on it's back with knees and great big belly sticking up in the air with it's little arm down the side of the body. The bottom image is a face on shot. You can see the outline of the skull and it's knees.

I am excited for this new little one that will be joining our family!! We are starting to look for furniture and baby supplies. Wow!! They can be expensive!! If you know of anyone getting rid of some or selling some let us know. . . if we can't use them, I have a couple of friends in the area that are looking for baby stuff too.

A chance to post details has finally been found!!

We have been blessed tremendously in the last 6 months!! A great job for Kyle, a new dog, an awesome house, a baby on the way, and a better job for me!!

Kyle is working for LasVegasSun.com as an online editor and for the Home News covering hyper-local news. Kyle really likes his job because he gets to do a bit of everything. His primary job is editorial work and loading the stories and work of others on-line. He also has covered and written stories, taken photos for stories, and done some video work. (Click on the blue word stories and video to see samples of his work.) We live about a half a mile from his work, so quite often he enjoys walking to work. One of my favorite things about his job, is that I have RARELY heard him complain about it. Usually he comes home with stories of the work he is doing, or his awesome co-workers.

As I have shared in the past, after moving to Las Vegas we adopted a second dog, a Yellow Labrador Retriever, and named him Casey. Casey was a lot of work, especially at first. After a couple of months with us he is much better at following commands, behaving, and not jumping up on us. He still has his moments, but he is a quick learn. Koko, our Australian Shepherd is a great teacher!!

Also as previously shared, we bought a house and I think we are almost settled in. We are enjoying our home, and though we have found a few dead scorpions upstairs, we can't find much to complain about. (Really I think the scorpion idea has become more of a topic of conversation than a concern.)

We are pregnant and expecting on July 4, 2009. Kyle's parents are excited to tell people that they will have a grand baby and not just grand dogs =) I would occasionally get sick during my first trimester, but basically felt as if I wasn't pregnant. The first few weeks of the second trimester have been a little more difficult. I have found my stomach is sensitive to some of Kyle's favorite foods (garlic, melted cheese, Togos, greasy foods), and I have had days where nothing will stay down. All in all I'm doing well and Kyle says I'm starting to show.

Job wise for me has been a bit of a roller coaster. We were blessed for me to find a job very quickly, which offered a generous sign on bonus and relocation reimbursement, which was an awesome blessing at the time. The job seemed great at first, but the more time I have spent at this particular hospital, the more I realize they are about the money and not the patients and staff. (The patients are taken care of and get better, I've just seen better care at most of the other hospitals I have worked in the past.) Nurses at this hospital have been laid off and nurse to patient ratios have been climbing. I've watched as nurses are burning out, they are more frequently calling in sick, and rarely have I seen the hospital find appropriate coverage for sick calls. They say they call the agencies to get additional coverage, but I have never seen an agency nurse working in this hospital. I just don't feel like I'm in a place where I can give the care to patients that I want to give and I know they deserve. So I started looking for something that will make me feel like a nurse and that I am giving the patients I am caring for the best care. I start orientation next week for a Per Diem float pool position working for another hospital, while working part time where I am, until we see how things go. The new position pays more money, has more flexible scheduling, is closer to home, the hospital has set nurse patient ratios which seem appropriate, and seems like it will work better with our lives once the baby comes. Only time will tell.

All in all we are doing well, we are greatly blessed, and don't have much of anything to complain about. There are days I wish we had the cockroaches back, because with two dogs there is a lot of poop to be scooped, but chasing the cockroaches back out the door. . . .I'll keep what I've got!!

Update to the maiden name/middle name drama

The week before Christmas I decided to take another chance trying to register my car and see how things panned out with the maiden/middle name drama. I had contacted California to get my name updated on my registration, but had not seen the new registration. I decided to take my chances and went to a different DMV. I walked in, got in line, and waited. When it was my turn to go up to the customer service representative, I handed her the required paperwork, my drivers license, my California license plates, and my California registration. I then asked her if she needed to see my marriage license or my social security card to verify the name change since California had not sent me an updated registration. She said that would be a good idea, took them verified the name and birth date, and as an after thought said, "Since your drivers license has Suzanne Hansen on it, I can go ahead and put that name on your Nevada registration." She then finished the paperwork and handed me my Nevada license plates and registration.
So much for hard fast rules that can't be flexible and not taking names from social security cards :)
As I was leaving I told the woman that I had been told I couldn't have my maiden name as my middle name in Nevada, even though I had it legally changed with the Social Security department, and asked if she knew why. She told me there was a law or ordinace passed a year or so ago that only last names can be changed in Nevada and the only middle name that can be accepted is the middle name listed on a birth certificate.
Moral of the story is . . . if you don't give your daughter a middle name with the idea that her maiden name will become her middle name. . . don't let her move to Nevada or it can't happen!!

Exciting News!!

Kyle and I informed family and close friends around Thanksgiving and are now making a formal announcement to everyone we know, WE ARE PREGNANT!!! Our baby is due July 4, 2009 and Kyle has it in his head that we should name the little one Yankee Doodle. I am sure that won't happen!! Name suggestions are welcome :) The holidays and transitioning from one job to another have kept me very busy. I'm posting this quick note. . . with details to come in the near future!!