Happy Halloween!

This year we got 95 kids! Every year it keeps increasing and some of their costumes are so cute!

We also received complements again on our pumpkin carving. I love carving pumpkins and hearing the reactions from older kids and parents. We actually do a rush job on them around 4:30 or 5:00 p.m. after we get home from work. You can't carve early here in Texas with the warmth and humidity that lingers in October or else you'll have moldy pumpkins by Halloween. My wife is so great, she cleans out the inside for both of us and then we get to work with the little saw gizmos.

New Jersey Bound

Well not yet, but if New Jersey decides to allow same-sex marriages we just might be making a trip out there. New Jersey does not impose residency requirements for people seeking marriage unlike Massachusetts which became the first and only state to allow gay and lesbian couples to marry, but does not allow nonresidents to marry there.

CNN article 1

CNN article 2

Week 14 - Second Trimester

Woo Hoo! We made it through the first trimester. :)

Today starts our second trimester and week 14. My wife said I look the best she's seen in a while.

We went in on Wednesday to try to do the nuchal translucency test again. The baby was cooperating this time (I drank lots of orange juice) and so they were able to take the measurement via ultrasound. It was 1.5mm which is very good. We still have to wait until the results come in because they take the length, plus levels of hormone in my blood, and then calculate either a reduced or higher percent chance of down's syndrome or other trisomies.

Week 13

We started week 13 on Sunday. It's amazing how much better I'm feeling. The nausea seems to be gone for the most part and whenever I feel a little acidic/sour taste I chew gum. I still get pretty tired sometimes. It seems to hit around 5 p.m. If it's the weekend and I can lay down, an 1 hour nap helps and then I'm refreshed for the rest of the evening.

Ultrasound

We went in for our First Trimester Screening today, but the baby was not cooperating, so they couldn't take the measurements for the nuchal translucency test. They tried to make the baby move by pushing my belly with the ultrasound device (bouncing it on my belly), I even walked around, ate and drank some, came back 30 minutes later, some more pushing, but to no avail. All the baby did was kick a little and stretch, then the baby even curled up more, so we have to reschedule and come back later. The good news is that the baby's heart rate and size are normal and we got to hear the heart beat.

Arrival Nightmare

So my wife was coming back home from Atlanta yesterday the day of the huge Houston storm. There was another big storm coming in the late afternoon/early evening, so she changed to an earlier flight to arrive in the early afternoon and beat the storm. Little did we and other flyers know that the Houston airport was already backed up with delayed and late flights.

Air traffic control wouldn't let planes take off for Houston for a while and her flight didn't leave until 4 hours after it was scheduled. One of those hours was sitting on the Atlanta runway waiting for clearance to take off.

I keep checking both online and telephone flight arrival status' to see when her flight would arrive and the time kept changing later, then earlier, then later. Clearly they didn't know what was going on either.

Once her plane took off, the arrival time remained constant and I left for the airport expecting to see her in 40 minutes. Boy was I wrong. The parking structure for Terminal B at the airport was packed. Cars were parked illegally in the right of way areas. I was lucky to find a parking spot, but it was quite a way from the elevator. And to think, the electronic sign said 763 available spots for that level.

The terminal looked more crowded than usual when I got there and I waited for her plane to arrive at the 7:39 p.m. posted time. The time came and went. The time changed to later. That time also came and went. Finally around 9 p.m. I received a call from my wife saying she finally landed, but they were going to have to wait 40 - 50 minutes for a gate to become available. I overheard someone next to me say their person's plane also had to wait that long and then finally a bus came to get them off the plane and take them to the terminal.

After about 45 minutes, my wife called again and said the plane was taxiing somewhere and then she said she sees a bus. So they all had to get off the plane and a bus took them to the terminal. When she got in the terminal she saw tons of people in the gate area, just waiting and hunkering down for the night. We found out lots of flights were cancelled for leaving and coming into Houston. We were lucky her flight wasn't cancelled. She also overheard that the airlines were not comping hotels or food, because since the flight problems were "an act of god" the airlines are not responsible. I felt real bad for the people stuck at the airport and worse for my wife to have to go through all the stress and delays. She didn't get to eat for 11 hours and since the plane she was on was so small (1 seat row, aisle, 2 seat row) they only served one drink and she was so dehydrated.

It took 30 minutes for her bag to arrive at the baggage carousel. We finally got some dinner after 11 p.m. (just made it to Taco Bell/KFC right before they closed the drivethrough) and I got to bed at 12 a.m.

Huge Storm

A huge storm went through Houston last night/this early morning. The pic above is the tail end of the storm. There were flood warnings and a tornado watch in most areas. Most of the bayous have flooded and many roadways/freeways have sections under water. So I'm waiting at home for the water to receed, so I can get into work. Darn that high water. ;-)

I went outside to dump some recycleables in the bin and wow, is it warm and humid out there despite the storm and strong winds. Unbelieveable.

Week 12

Week 12 starts for us today. I've felt some nausea, heartburn, and tiredness, but not nearly as much as before. In a couple of weeks we'll be out of the first trimester.

This past week we told work about our pregnancy and everyone has been great. I also started telling some of my extended family.

Cutie!

I just had to share these pictures of our growing niece, she is so cute. I'm not sure when these were taken. She was born on 9/22, so now she is 3 weeks old.

Baby Boot Camp

We're driving out to California for Christmas this year to spend the holidays with my family in San Diego. We will be staying with my younger sister who just had her baby last month, so I told my wife that we'll be attending "Baby Boot Camp" for the holidays. I haven't taken care of a baby in years and my wife has never changed a diaper. The only time she babysat an infant she also babysat the older sister, so she asked the older sister if she knew how to change diapers and when the sister said yes, she let her do all the work. I'll definitely make sure my wife gets lots of experience while we are in California.

Ground Beef and Lettuce Recalled Over E. Coli Fears

Can you believe it? They are now recalling beef and lettuce. Makes you wonder if it's time to go vegetarian and grow your own food in a back yard garden.

Week 11

We start week 11 today, so the baby is now 10 weeks old. Tomorrow the baby will be 10 weeks and 1 day. I haven't had any heartburn for several days, but I've been having nausea in the evenings.

We'll be going in for a first trimester screening next week. That involves a nuchal translucency ultrasound test and blood work to determine the baby's risk for Down syndrome.

2nd Ultrasound

The baby is doing well with a perfect heart rate of 170 and length of 20mm. We go in for genetic counseling Thursday to discuss genetic screening tests.

Isn't She Precious

I just had to share these pictures of our niece. She looks very Asian, but can you believe she's only 1/4 Chinese?

Week 10

We hit the start of week 10 today. This past week wasn't too bad compared to before, little bit of nausea and little bit of heartburn. I'm hoping week 10 is the same or better.

I've been reading so much about what you can and can't eat that I got a bit confused and thought I couldn't eat fresh salad. When my wife questioned that and we looked it up, the books say fresh vegetables are good to eat, just make sure it's washed well. So guess what. We went out to the Olive Garden and I ate two bowls of salad. Yum, yummy! I don't like much from the Olive Garden, but I do like their salad.