Sick as a Dog

My quick trip to Baltimore was WONDERFUL, except for that I caught a cold while I was up there. My guess is that I caught it on my flight to Baltimore and it didn't catch up with me until Sunday night. After Ian picked me up from the airport Sunday evening, I knew darn well that I didn't feel well and that I'd be getting sick soon. I wasn't able to sleep much Sunday night because I was congested and my entire body ached. I actually woke up at 2:30am and couldn't fall back to sleep until almost 4:00am! Like an idiot, I went into work Monday morning despite feeling under the weather because I don't like missing work. By the end of the day, I was exhausted and mad at myself for going to work. Many people told me to take it easy and to stay home Monday to rest, but obviously I was too stubborn to take their advice. I did take their advice on Tuesday because I stayed home today in order to rest and flush this cold out of my system. Today looks like it will be a couch and hot tea day.

I had such a great time in Baltimore, although the flights to and from weren't very enjoyable. It's difficult to get comfortable on a plane, let alone when you're 32 weeks pregnant. It's not as if the flights are very long in duration, I mean, it's only 2.5 hours, but I was uncomfortable for the entire 2.5 hours. I rented a few movies from iTunes before boarding the plane so I was able to occupy myself for the majority of each flight.

While in Baltimore, I was able to spend time with friends and family and eat at all my usual places. My mom and I went to Pizza Johns on Saturday night after the baby shower and I don't think pizza had ever tasted so good! I was able to meet my friend Chelsea for breakfast at the Towson Diner and I forgot how much I miss having a diner nearby. My four aunts on my dad's side of the family hosted a wonderful baby shower for me on Saturday afternoon. My family and friends were all there and it was just a really great time. My grandmother, who had been in the hospital earlier in the week was even able to attend... what a trooper! She will be a great-grandmother before she knows it! My great-aunt Celie was even at the shower and it's so humbling to think that she will be my child's great-great-aunt! My aunts did such a great job hosting the shower and I am so blessed to have such loving friends and family. Pictures have been uploaded to Facebook, as I am too lazy to figure out how to post pictures on this blog.

Ian hasn't been sick as a dog, but he sure has been working like a dog! He worked both Saturday and Sunday and will be out of town most of this week. Luckily his trips are only day trips and he'll be home each night. Thank goodness his company owns a private jet! I can't wait for busy season to be over and I know he can't wait either! Like I've mentioned before, he works hard for his pay check and I'm very thankful for those pay checks!I made him crab cakes and MD crab soup last night for dinner. He seemed to enjoy it and we have left overs for this week.

Well, I suppose I'd better get back to the couch and make myself another cup of tea. I'm going to beat this darn cold one way or another... wish me luck!

Love always,

Ian & Kim

Blog Slacker...

Wow, I have really been slacking with my blog and I have not posted in quite some time. I suppose nothing really exciting has been going on, so I haven't really had much to write about.

The most exciting thing that has happened recently was my Tampa baby shower!!! My friends Lisa and Jenn hosted a baby shower for me a few weeks ago and it was a blast. My friends Dawn and Stephanie flew to Tampa for the occasion, so I was able to spend some quality time with them. The shower was great and they didn't play any of the typical silly shower games. A few small games were played, but it was all in good taste, which I really appreciated. Lisa and Jenn ordered the cutest cake from Target for the shower! I didn't even know Target made custom cakes, but apparently they do! My friends and a few family members attended the shower and I think everyone had a really great time. I posted pictures from the shower on Facebook... someday I'll figure out how to post pictures on the blog. I am so thankful to have such loving and caring friends, like Lisa and Jenn, who are a couple of the best party planners I know. I am also grateful for my friends and family in Florida who are all very loving and supportive.

The countdown has begun! We have 8 weeks left until our little one arrives! We have completed the nursery (well sort of) and we begin our birthing classes in early March. We assembled the crib this past weekend and it looks fantastic. We also moved the armoire and changing table into the nursery. We're still waiting for the nightstand to arrive because it was a special order item and was scheduled to take longer than the rest of the furniture. We also ordered the toddler bed and full-size bed conversion kits. I have decided to leave the nursery the color I had originally painted it, before it was a nursery. With the crib bedding, the nursery looks really cute and I can't wait for our little bundle of joy to see it.

Now, as for the 3rd trimester... I've started feeling really uncomfortable. My back hurts and I haven't been sleeping well at night. Insomnia and I have been introduced and quite frankly... I do not like it! Every morning around 3:30-4:00am, I wake up and either toss and turn for a good hour or simply cannot fall back to sleep. This past Monday morning, I was awake at 4:00am and watched movies downstairs until it was time to get ready for work. I have always had issues with heartburn, but my heartburn has increased in intensity and frequency. I take Zantac twice a day in hopes of combating the heartburn and it helps... but doesn't eliminate the heartburn completely. My hands and feet have begun to retain water, so swelling has been an issue for me recently. It's not as bad as I thought it would be and I've seen worse, but again, it's quite uncomfortable. I try to keep my feet elevated as much as possible and I wear flip flops to work (a.k.a dress sandals). Other than these issues, I really can't complain. I haven't had any complications and my pregnancy is progressing as expected. My appointments with the OBGYN will begin to increase in frequency beginning this week, so I will be seeing the OBGYN every 2 weeks for the next 4 weeks and then I will begin my weekly appointments.

On the home front... we have ordered new carpet for the carpeted rooms of the house. We have tile in the wet areas and as well in the foyer and in the main hallway. The living room, dining room, family room and bedrooms are all carpeted so we have decided to have new carpet installed. We chose a more pet-friendly carpet and padding, so we're hoping this will last until we're ready to install hard wood floors or move. And to clear up any rumors, we have no intentions of moving any time soon, but we are certain that our long term goal is to move back to South Tampa once the kids are of school age.

As for work... work sucks! Ian has been working long hours and has been working on Saturdays. The Saturday hours are almost finished for the year (March 13th) but it makes for very short weekends and a very long work week. After busy season, Ian's hours will be back to the normal 8:00am-5:00pm. As for my job... well let's just say it's been a real struggle to get up and go to work over the past week. I am no longer working 4-10 hour days and I'm back to working 5-8 hour days. Apparently people in Tallahassee weren't pleased with my schedule and have forced me to return to a standard work schedule. I'm too exhausted to put up a fight, so I submitted a request for a flexible schedule, which has been approved. I will be working 7:15am-3:45pm, 5 days a week. The schedule will allow me to schedule doctor appointments later in the day and therefore I won't be using as much leave. I'm also very busy at work because I want to make sure my cases are in good order before "dumping" them on my co-workers. As much as I enjoy case management, I really hate transferring cases to my co-workers because to me, it's an unfair, but very necessary burden to place on them. I'm trying to be a good co-worker by ensuring my cases are up to date and won't need immediate attention. Let's hope my hard work is appreciated my by co-workers.

I'm leaving for Baltimore this evening for the weekend. I'm making one last trip to Baltimore for a baby shower that is being hosted by my wonderful aunts. My dad's four sisters are hosting the shower and all I have to do is show up. Thankfully the weather forecasters aren't predicting any snow this weekend, so hopefully weather won't be an issue for anyone. I'm very excited to see my family and friends and to show off my baby bump, as it has grown since Christmas. It will also be nice to get away for a few days and visit with family and friends. It will be my last trip to Baltimore before the baby is born... how surreal!

Well that about sums up what has been going on with the Lasher Family. Nothing too exciting, but the upcoming weeks will bring enough excitement to last us awhile. 8 weeks and counting down...

Love always,

Ian & Kim