My Daughter!!

I can totally see this being my daughter :)

Baby smiles!!

I've been surfing the Internet looking for baby coupons and freebies when I came across this website that made me laugh!! It is great for new dads, moms and babysitter wannabes. It even has videos on how to change a diaper, how to bathe a baby, how to burp a baby, how to feed a baby, how to dress a baby, and even how to place a baby properly in a stroller!!

We have quite a bit of dirt in our back yard, and the other day, when Casey was scratching he was shaking off a cloud of dust. So, because the dogs come in the house and I didn't want half the back yard's dirt in the house, I decided to give Casey and Koko a bath, in the bathtub. Yes, I dared the adventure again!! This time Koko was being the funny one trying to avoid the water and at the same time not touch Casey who was wet. She voluntarily went and got in the tub when I told her to, but once there decided she didn't want to be wet. Casey on the other hand, followed Koko into the tub and sat and let me wash him. Seriously no wiggling, no playing, no fighting, just sat on his rear while I sprayed him down and soaped him, and then wouldn't get up off his rear when I was ready to wash it!! I'm sure they are giving me good practice for my children!! During the wrestling match/water fight I could feel the baby moving quite a bit. It almost felt like she was trying to get out to join the fun, which wouldn't surprise me in the slightest. All in due time little girl, there will be plenty of opportunity once you are big enough!!
She has been really active the last week, moving, poking, and kicking. All usually when I'm trying to sit still or fall asleep. The other night I could have sworn there was more than one in there for all the jabbing and rubbing I could feel. I LOVE IT!!! My dad was teasing me and told me the reason I can feel her so much is because she is trying to sign to me. Too bad tactile sign language doesn't work so well with the feeling I have on the inside of my uterus!
I finally am starting to show. . . a tiny bit. I have a bump that looks more like I've gained a little weight (which I've actually lost not gained) than that I am almost 6 months pregnant. I am still wearing all my "normal" clothes.

(Yes these are self phots!!)

Another month with lots of adventures!!

It seems as if it were only last week that I updated, and it's been a month!! How time flies!!
This last month has been a busy one, mostly because I was working two jobs. Part time at the job I have had since we moved here to Las Vegas, and part time at the new one that I have been hoping will be a better job. The old job had some things I didn't like that were becoming more and more disagreeable and leaving me feeling more like slave labor and less like a nurse. We had accepted a relocation reimbursement and sign on bonus that we wanted to make sure the new job would be better, before deciding to pay it back. So I went to part time at the old job and started at another hospital Per Diem. I started at St Rose Dominican Hospitals, Catholic Health Care West, as a float pool nurse mid January. Basically I tell them when I am available, and they call me that day between 5:00 and 5:30 am to let me know which of the three hospitals and which floor they need me on. By mid February I knew I was in a better place, and February 19 was my last day at the old hospital. So for about a month I was working four 12 hour shifts a week. Now I'm back to whatever my body will tolerate through the rest of the pregnancy. Nice thing is I only have to work two shifts a month to stay on the payroll and can call as late as the night before to pick up shifts.
Just after that job transition. . . the weekend after, Kyle and I headed to San Diego to spend the weekend for his cousin's wedding. While we were driving down to San Diego, I thought my stomach was not agreeing with something I ate. It felt like it was churning, but I wasn't feeling like I was going to throw up or have diarrhea, which has happened off and on pretty often since I became pregnant and more often when I am in the car for long periods of time. Odd thing was the churning feeling would start about a half hour after I would sit down in the car and stop when I got up. I finally realized I was feeling our little girl move for the first time. What an odd way, but well, all I have to say is she's like her mom. . . When I sit for more than 30 minutes, she starts wiggling and gets more and more aggressive the longer I remain sitting. I'm not one that does very good sitting still for more than a half hour. Good thing I do a lot of walking at work, or I would be in big trouble!!
NOTE. . . Through the rest of this update there are darker brown underlined words referring to different things. . . if you don't already know, if you click on these words they will take you to the website referred to.
As I have been registering for baby necessities at Target, Babies R Us, and Walmart, I have been comparing items on-line to try to find what will fit our little girl's needs with the highest quality and lowest price, I have found some really cool websites. One shows very graphic pictures of what the fetus looks like during fetal development and describes week by week what is happening with the baby as it develops. There is another website that shows how big mom's belly is on average through the pregnancy. Though I am almost 6 months pregnant, I am only showing about as much as the 3 to 4 month pictures demonstrate. I am still wearing all my own clothes and only occasionally after eating have to unbutton my pants. Another website has fun animations of different medical procedures that may happen through pregnancy, ie. ultrasound, epidural, c-section, amniocentesis, etc. which has been fun to share with my students from the Deaf School in California who have been emailing lots of questions about pregnancy and medical procedures. I know I am learning through all of this. Over the last 10 years as a nurse, OB/GYN has been the one aspect of nursing I haven't spent much time involved with or learning, studying, or working. I know alot about the baby aspect, but the pregnancy side has been a fun adventure :)
While we were in San Diego, we took the opportunity to go to the Wild Animal Park before the wedding. After walking up and down the hilly paths for a couple of hours my hips were letting me know they needed a break. Which has been another fairly recent pregnancy experience. The following are some of the animals we saw and how close we were able to get with them in open habitat space.

Map of the park

Elephants (Is one feeding the other or playing dentist?)

Giraffes (some of my favorites.
I love how graceful they are even thought they seem so awkward.)

Lion

His Pride (Lionesses and Cubs)

Cheetah (who would
look away every time I snapped the photo!)

Ruffled Lemur (These guys would hold still
and as you tried to snap a photo they would take off!!
There are actually two in this photo.)

Warthog (As ugly as Pumba,
but didn't seem to smell as Disney portrays.)

The wild things I'm related to :) can you see
the tail on the light blue one?? L-R Linda (mom in law),
Trek, Sam, Kelsey, Brandon

Rachel (far left) and Kyle (right) snuck into the shot. Only heaven
knows what animal Bryce (dad in law) is chasing
More Photos

We spent half the day at the park and then headed to the Hotel to change and go to the sealing at the San Diego Temple. It was a beautiful day to spend outside!!