A Clothes Horse is Soon to Be Born....

Upon learning that we are having a little girl, most of our friends and family have talked about how much fun shopping for little girls can be. They were not kidding. It's so, so tempting to run out and buy every cute little thing out there, but I'm exercising (some) restraint, especially since I don't want our little girl decked out in everything pink.

Our little girl's wardrobe has grown quite a bit today, however, and not all by my doing! One of the other attorneys in the office brought me the cutest little outfit from Old Navy this afternoon - consisting of a pink and brown onesie, jeans, and matching jean jacket. Of course, standard "oohs" and "aahs" escaped my mouth as I opened the gift. Additionally, my secretary and paralegal were very kind and gave me a Gap gift card for Christmas, which I turned right around and used during the lunch hour on the onesies pictured in this post. In my defense, I truly could not help myself!

Sugar and Spice and Everything Nice....

I haven't posted since this weekend regarding our latest doctor's visit and the BIG NEWS we are having a girl, so here's your pregnancy update (sorry it's kind of long, there's much to tell). To keep you on track, I'm 21 weeks along this Saturday, so we're clearly past the halfway point....

We FINALLY had the big appointment one week ago. As you might recall from a previous post, we were supposed to find out the sex of the baby two weeks ago but our appointment had to be bumped back one week for some odd reason. Well, those seven days (actually, the past 14 weeks that we have known I was pregnant) slowly crept by till the big day was upon us. Ryan and I knew from the beginning that we wanted to find out the baby's gender. A few people tried to talk us out of it, saying we were ruining one of life's biggest surprises, but I figured that by finding out, (a) it would be easier to plan nursery, clothing, etc., and (b) it will take nothing away from that moment when we welcome our first child into the world.

So, there we were in the doctor's office, waiting to be called back. Our appointment was one of the last of the day at 4pm. To say I was impatient is the understatement of the year! As always, Ryan was calm and collected. By 4:30, I was crawling the walls and was just getting up to see if someone had forgotten about us (we were in a special waiting room by ourselves to the side and I was afraid the office would close at 5 and they would forget we were back there!) when the incredibly nice ultrasound technician came back to get us. We went in, she put the device on my stomach, and she went right for the "goods" because she knew we wanted to find out. When the image flashed on the screen, I thought I detected the absence of a special male component, which the tech immediately confirmed. I cried...shocking, I know!

Speaking of shocked, I think that explains Ryan's initial reaction because his family is chock full of boys. Of course, Ryan and I were both very happy to hear the news. All along we have said when asked that we genuinely did not care what sex the baby was, so long as the baby was healthy (and she is, I might add - a healthy 10 ounces and right on track to welcome the world on Derby day). I thought all along it might be a girl, though I had no basis for that hunch. However, the predictions from our friends and family that the baby was a boy clearly outnumbered the votes for girl, so I completely expected to go in and see a little penis flash up on the screen - imagine our surprise!

She was sleeping, I think, during most of the ultrasound - much different than our last ultrasound when she couldn't sit still for a minute. The best part of the ultrasound was the tech took 3-D images of our little girl's face, and we got to see her perfectly shaped eyes, button nose and mouth. I'll have to post one soon, the clarity of these pictures is amazing!

Ryan and I are tickled pink - literally. The evening we found out it's a girl, Ryan turned to me and asked, "Is it weird that I already feel overprotective of her?" I had to laugh and tell him no - it made me reflect on my own relationship with my Dad, and how even at the age of 29, my Dad (and my Mom, for that matter) still worries about my welfare.

I've kicked into planning mode and already picked out the fabric for her bedding in the nursery, and the best part is we don't even have to paint the room, which thrilled Ryan to no end!

We will continue to keep you posted on this incredible adventure in our lives....

The news is in and . . . . .

2007 Gubernatorial Ball

Check out this picture of my parents at the Gubernatorial Ball for newly sworn in Governor Steve Beshear. How cute are they?!?!

Tomorrow is the BIG DAY!!

Wow, I've really been bad the past few weeks in posting regularly....that should soon change, though, with the exciting news we are about to get. By this time tomorrow, we will know if we are having a boy or a girl! To say we're excited is a huge understatement, to say the least. I will be sure to post the big news ASAP.

Uh....okay

I stumbled upon a sneak preview of the cover I can anticipate seeing on my next issue of Marie Claire. Wow....talk about extremes! One day, Christina Aguilera consistently denies she is pregnant (despite obvious evidence to the contrary), the next she is posing nude, belly and all, on the cover of a popular national magazine. Hey, I'll be the first to say it takes guts - you won't see me flashing my pregnant belly in public. I see lots of beautiful pictures where very pregnant women have had professional pictures taken of their stomach - it's just not me. Looking at this picture, I have to think that (a) it's extremely airbrushed (MC does ALOT of that), or (b) Christina has the prettiest baby belly ever. I mean seriously...no stretch marks, and her stomach is tan (big no no for pregnant women)! I am going to have to go with option (a).

Happy Belated Thanksgiving!!

I hope all of you, my friends and family, had a wonderful Thanksgiving. Ours was pretty relaxing. Since getting married two years ago, Ryan and I have switched Thankgivings - one year we will spend with my family at my grandmother's in eastern Kentucky, and the next we will spend with Ryan's family in Paducah. This year was our year with Ryan's family, and Ryan and I enjoyed a nice visit with all of his extended family. This was the first year I have even attempted to eat two Thanksgiving meals in one day - it was tough, but Ryan and I gave it our best effort! I don't even want to think of how many calories I consumed that day.....

We got back on Friday and just spent the weekend around the house. I spent Friday afternoon and evening putting up our Christmas trees. Yes, folks, I said trees - we have two this year! I know, I know, it's insane. I wanted to have our traditional tree in our den where we spend the majority of our time. However, I have always wanted to have a "fancy" tree with matching, color-coordinated ornaments. We have a big bay window that faces out onto the street in our living room, and I thought this would be a perfect place for our new tree. It looks fantastic from the street, all lit up - too bad we don't have any furniture in that room yet! Hey, it takes a long time to furnish a house.....

I'm really happy how both trees turned out - while my "fancy" tree looks just how I wanted it, I am still partial to our traditional tree in our den. Not only does the latter contain all of the beautiful Christopher Radko (spelling?) ornaments that we get every year from Ryan's dad and stepmother, it also has ornaments with alot of sentimental value - like the ornaments my Mom made from the mobile which hung over my crib.

Here's some pictures of both - I had to show off my handiwork!

Our "fancy" tree:





Our traditional tree in our den:





Ryan and I really do have so much to be thankful for this year, and consider ourselves blessed. It's a really exciting holiday season for us - knowing that the baby is on the way makes it that much more special.

Kelly & Josh's Baby Shower

I'm so, so late in getting around to posting pictures from the recent couples baby shower that was held for our friends Josh and Kelly, who are expecting a boy in February. Here's a few pictures from the fun evening:

The proud parents-to-be:



I never realized how much Josh loves the Green Bay Packers until I saw some of the baby's gifts - this bib was hilarious:





Congrats Josh and Kelly - I know you'll make wonderful parents.

Kentucky IS Southern Living at Its Best

Wow, I am a blog posting machine this morning - I'm so inconsistent with my posting, I go a week without anything new and then you have four posts back to back! At any rate, I have to go on a small rant this morning, and I think you women from Kentucky will understand why.....

I've been a devoted subscriber to Southern Living for the past couple of years. My mother is a subscriber, as well as my grandmother and probably many other women in my extended family. Since I love to cook, the recipes are great - there are also tons of home ideas and great articles on different places to visit in the Southern region (and, I should point out, locales in Kentucky are always prominently featured). For some reason, I haven't gotten the latest issue of Southern Living in the mail - I can only guess that my subscription has expired. While I was at a local Rite Aid last week, I just happened to look in the magazine section to see if they had SL. Imagine my horror when instead of my beloved Southern Living I found a copy of ...... brace yourselves .... MIDWESTERN LIVING. What the hell is this?!?!?! I stand firm in my belief that Kentucky is undoubtedly a Southern Living state. This was confirmed when I got my 2007 Best of Southern Living cookbook in yesterday's mail and noted all the Kentucky influences in the recipes (such as hot browns, bourbon balls, etc.). We might not be the deep South, like Mississippi or Georgia, but by God, all the good things about Kentucky - Derby, horses, bourbon, landscape, charm - are all things Southern. This girl will NEVER switch her subscription over to Midwestern Living!

Nursery Thoughts

So yesterday, I got the disappointing news that the ultrasound technician is booked solid on December 6th (the day we anticipated finding out the baby's sex), and now my appointment is pushed back another whole week till December 13th. So disappointed - Ryan puts it all in perspective, of course, and repeated that it is only one more week, but damn it, I wanted to know what this little peanut was YESTERDAY, so another week seems like an eternity!





In the meantime, I've started to look around on the internet to gather possible nursery ideas - here's one I have fallen in love with if we have a girl. And no, for the record, I have absolutely NO idea what we're having. I've had three gender dreams - the first was boy, but the most recent two were definitely girl (we even named the baby in the last dream). Half of our friends and family say boy, others say girl. I guess we'll just have to wait 3 weeks and 6 more days till we know for sure!

Love, Love, Love Project Runway

At long last, Project Runway is back for another season. I didn't get hooked on this Bravo show until last season, which was the third season, I think. I don't watch a bunch of reality television, mostly because it's so cheesy (okay, I admit it, I'm still a closet Bachelor watcher!), but Project Runway stands above the rest. It doesn't hurt that Tim Gunn is so fabulous. This looks to be a pretty talented cast - my early favorite is Rami, whose beautiful gray dress pictured to the left just happened to be the winner of the first challenge. I can't wait to see what else he's going to come up with.

Freak of Nature

Have you seen the latest cover of Fitness magazine with Kelly Ripa on the cover?? She looks skinnier than ever - I can't get over the fact that this woman has had 3 children (I think that's how many - no matter how many she's had, any one that has that body after ONE kid is amazing). A woman can only hope to get such washboard abs after having a baby - of course, if I had my own personal trainer and dietician, like I'm sure Ripa does, that might be a more attainable goal!

4th Month Check-Up

Just wanted to put up a short post following my monthly check up with the obstetrician this morning (I am 15 weeks along this Saturday, or almost 4 months, however you want to look at it). Ryan has been with me for all of the appointments but unfortunately he could not be there today as he is working in Bowling Green this week. I invited my Dad to go with me so he could meet the doctor and hear the heartbeat.

My blood pressure was normal and I had gained a ½ pound since my last appointment – so far, I’ve only gained 1 ½ pounds in this pregnancy, which I’m pretty happy about, but I’m sure that will change before too long! The doctor reviewed my last ultrasound and blood work from the first trimester screening and said everything looked great. She measured my stomach, though there is not really much there to measure, and then used the Doppler so we could hear the heartbeat, which was very strong. Dr. Kuntz also confirmed that she will perform an ultrasound at next month’s appointment on December 6, at which time we will be able to learn if the baby is a boy or girl. It is safe to say that the next four weeks are going to go so slowly because we are so excited to find out what we are having!

More Wonderful News to Celebrate

Two of our dearest friends in the world - Andy and Amanda - got engaged on Halloween evening. Ryan and I just couldn't be happier for them if we tried - not only are they wonderful friends to us both, they are a wonderful couple and they really compliment one another. Now we get to look forward to their fantastic wedding (maybe in Chicago?). Recently, a group of us went out to L&N Wine Bistro to help them celebrate (yet another fantastic restaurant here in town - huge wine selection, unfortunately I couldn't enjoy it!). Here's a great picture of Terry, Amanda, Natasha, Ryan, myself, Mark and Andy following our dinner.

American Gangster

My sister got into town from Boston on Saturday and is leaving to head on to Las Vegas today. I am very thankful we got an opportunity to hang out some this weekend and just catch up on all the crazy things going on in our lives.



On Sunday, we went to see American Gangster, starring Denzel Washington and Russell Crowe. I'd heard great reviews about the movie before going to see it - with those two Oscar-winning stars, I couldn't imagine it being bad. We were definitely not disappointed, it was a fantastic movie! It was long - about 2 hours and 45 minutes, which is a long time for anyone to sit in a movie theater, especially a pregnant woman - but well worth it. The fact that it is based on a true story made it that much more interesting. I'm going on record right now to say that Denzel will win another Oscar for that performance!

Congratulations Shanna!

I went to a baby shower this past Saturday for Shanna, a sorority sister of mine from UK. We had a really great time celebrating with Shanna, who is quite possibly the cutest pregnant woman I've ever seen. Really, look at these pictures and try to tell me you are not shocked she is due in just a few weeks! Farrah, another sorority sister who hosted the shower, broke out a few old scrapbooks from our college days, which made for some interesting stories, flashbacks, and lots of laughter (especially over the transformation of my hair over the years!). Congrats, Shanna, you'll be a wonderful mom.

Happy Halloween!

I'm the first to say that I've never been a huge fan of Halloween - I guess it is fun but I never really got into dressing up in costumes. This year seems to be a little different - I'm not sure why. Maybe it is because we are expecting our first little trick-or-treater. Or maybe because this is our first Halloween living in this great neighborhood that will be overrun with children tonight. I'd love to know how many trick-or-treaters we have come by, but I'm sure we'll probably lose count. One of the associates at my firm just stopped by with his wife and their 1 year-old twin girls, who were decked out in bee costumes. They were so cute, I couldn't help myself - I promptly got online and bought this puppy costume that was on sale for the baby to wear next year (when he or she is about 6 months old). I might not have enjoyed dressing up when I was young, but I'm sure going to love dressing up our child!

Latest Ultrasound Pictures

With huge thanks to my Dad, I'm finally able to post some of the ultrasound pictures that I referenced in my previous post.

This first picture is definitely the most clear of all of the photos from that day. As you can tell, this is a picture of the baby from the right side, with its arm up in the air with a clenched fist:



Here is another side view, this one from the left, again with the baby waving its arm in the air:



This third picture cracks me up - the baby is directly looking at the camera, and I swear you see this gigantic smile on its face!:



This fourth picture is a frontal view of the baby - it's head is to the left of the image, looking at the camera. The baby's left arm is raised, with its little left hand by its forehead:



In this fifth picture, the baby is again facing the camera (photogenic little thing, isn't it?!), but this time it's head is to the right of the image and the abdomen is the large circle underneath the head. Both arms are raised up and are next to the baby's head:



This last picture shows the baby on his or her back and shows you the length (at that time, 2 inches - the baby has since grown to 3 inches according to my weekly baby book):

Baby Follow-Up

Here we are at 12 weeks and 2 days in the pregnancy countdown. I wanted to pass along the good news that Ryan and I got this past Friday. We had scheduled over a month ago a special ultrasound at Baptist East (the hospital where the baby will be born)to take place on Friday. This is called a nuchal translucency screening - basically, a specialist takes tons of measurements of the baby and then tells you the projected odds of your baby having Downs syndrome. There is also some blood work that goes along with this. I should note that this is a completely optional test - many expectant parents do not opt to undergo this ultrasound.

When my obstetrician asked us at our very first appointment if we wanted this test, I immediately responded with a resounding yes. Since that time, however, I've been filled with lots of uncertainty as to whether we should actually go through with the test. On the one hand, there was nothing Ryan and I could do to change the results of that test, which I can't even begin to convey what a scary thought that is. On the other hand, I definitely wanted to know so it could at least quiet some of the fears I was having (trust me, since I've found out I'm pregnant, I've turned into Chicken Little - constantly thinking of all the possible things that could go wrong!). Plus, it sounds silly but I wanted to get a better look at the baby - the obstetrician told me at this appointment, the baby would definitely LOOK like a baby as opposed to a blur like in my previous ultrasound. She also told us there was a CHANCE the specialist would be able to tell the gender, but warned us not to get our hopes up (too late!).

Wow, when my obstetrician said that the baby would look more like a baby, she wasn't kidding. Everything looked so developed - except that critical part that tells us whether to look for pink or blue clothing. This is definitely Ryan's child - he or she would not stop moving for the first twenty minutes of the exam! (I should note that we got to watch our baby for about 30-40 minutes on the computer screen - I could have watched it all day, but I don't think I would have been able to stand much more of the pressure they were putting on my abdomen to get the baby to flip around!). This child was kicking and jumping, and kept waving its little arms at us - it's like the baby knew it was being filmed!

The specialist came in toward the end to take the measurements. By this point, the little peanut decided to stop moving...for a few minutes. Then we witnessed just about the cutest thing I've seen in my life thus far. Every couple of seconds, the baby's little body would bounce up in the air. The specialist confirmed to us that our baby did in fact have hiccups. I got teary eyed just hearing that, though who am I kidding, I get teary eyed at alot of stuff (especially since I've been pregnant!).

I am happy to report that based upon the measurements taken by the specialist and ultrasound technician, as well as the first round of blood work, the odds of our child having Downs syndrome are very low - about one in several thousand. While there is no guarantee that the baby will be born completely healthy, this is still remarkable and relieving news.

So that's our latest update - I wish I could post some of these latest ultrasound pictures, they are incredible! I'm still struggling with the scanner at work to see if I can get these copied so I can post them on the blog - I'm determined I'll win that battle. In the meantime, thanks for all the thoughts, prayers and well wishes, we are grateful for them all. We have about a week and a half till we are officially through with the first trimester, at which point I'll breathe a huge sigh of relief. In all seriousness, I've been very fortunate to have so few pregnancy symptoms. To address the other question I seem to get the most from our friends and family, we expect to find out the sex of the baby in about 7 weeks (our 19th week ultrasound in the first week of December).

Happy Belated Birthday Granny

So, everyone has asked me how the infamous chocolate cake went that I made for my grandmother's 90th birthday this weekend. For the record, I love to cook, but this is the first time I have baked a cake completely from scratch. Seriously, this recipe was completely ambitious - it took me about 3 1/2 hours to make Friday night and I lost count of how many ingredients it contained. Truth be told, I doubt I'll make it again for those reasons. However, all that work was worth it to celebrate such a wonderful day with my family. I think my grandmother really enjoyed having us all there to celebrate. Ryan and I are very lucky in that we have about half of our grandparents still with us. My paternal grandfather, Ryan's paternal grandfather, and Ryan's maternal grandparents are no longer with us, unfortunately, but I know they are with us in this very exciting time of our lives.

Here's a picture of my grandmother with the infamous cake - unfortunately, it did not look a thing like the picture of the cake I posted below! The important thing is my grandmother loved it!

Mmmm....chocolate

My family is celebrating my lovely grandmother's 90th birthday this Saturday and I have volunteered to make the cake. I've selected a recipe for a cake called "Chocolate Cake IV" - I have no idea what the name of the cake means. It's basically three layers of chocolate goodness, divided by chocolate ganache and mocha cream. The cake is then completely covered in more chocolate ganache and chocolate curls. My mouth is watering just typing that and looking at the picture below!



This recipe is pretty ambitious - everything is from scratch and it calls for a ton of ingredients. But hey, how often does your grandmother turn 90?! Just in case I totally screw it up, I'm also going to pick up a caramel iced apple pie at Homemade Ice Cream & Pie Kitchen:



If you don't live in Louisville, you are truly missing out. This awesome bakery puts all other bakeries to shame, at least the ones I've tried. This pie is their most popular pie - the picture does not even do it justice!

I'm also planning on making a spinach and artichoke casserole. I got the recipes for the casserole and the cake from one of my numerous Southern Living cookbooks. I am cautiously optimistic that these recipes will turn out great, because I firmly believe in what my Mom always says, which is that she has never made anything which came out of a Southern Living recipe that didn't taste great.

A Fantastic Day

Just had to put up a post to share with you what a great day I'm having so far, especially after having so much nausea with morning sickness all day yesterday. I had my second follow-up appointment with the obstetrician this morning, so I didn't go into work first but stayed at home till my appointment. I got to sleep in (a little) and then go for a nice hour-long walk in our neighborhood in this fantastic brisk weather Kentucky is enjoying right now - it finally feels like fall!

After my walk, Ryan and I got ready and headed on over to the doctor's office. This visit was not quite as momentous as our visit last month, when we found out our due date and had our first ultrasound, but it was really special nonetheless. Dr. Kuntz was able to use the Doppler on my stomach and let us listen in on our baby's heartbeat - my this child has an incredibly strong heart!! That sound is absolutely amazing...I wish I could hear it everyday because it made me feel like I was floating on air as I walked out of the doctor's office. I was also happy to hear I had only gained 1 pound this past month - I was a little nervous because I knew I hadn't gotten to work out nearly as much as I had at the beginning of my pregnancy due to my fatigue, and I haven't been eating nearly as healthy as I did at the beginning (when you're nauseous, some foods which aren't quite as healthy, aka pasta, are the only thing which can make you feel better). To top it all off, I met with the benefits coordinator and my insurance plan will cover the entire labor and delivery - we shouldn't have to pay a penny, which is a huge relief.

Finally, I got into work and went through my mail, only to find two Orders entered by different Judges in the Jefferson Circuit Court, sustaining my motions in two cases and dismissing the claims in their entirety against my clients!

Not a bad day, huh?? Sorry to gloat, but when you have a great day like this you want to share. I think I'm going to knock on wood that this day remains fantastic!

Honduras

So, my father arrived at the Louisville airport bright and early at 5:00 a.m. on Tuesday to catch a flight to Honduras with about 10 or so other individuals for a mission trip. Obviously, my father is NOT in an area right now which is quite as green and lush as the above picture of a Mayan ruin (although, he tells me that the last two days of their trip their group will be able to do a little sight seeing at some of these ruins). No, my father and his group are in a small village in Honduras - the residents of this village all live in thatch huts. My father and his group are sleeping in tents on the ground (they do have air mattresses, though, for what it's worth!). The group, whose corporate sponsor is Heifer International (an incredible organization, visit www.heiferorg.com for more information)is going to assist the village residents in making cement blocks which will be used to build more stable homes for the residents. I wish I still had the email with some of the pictures my dad had previously received of the village - it's definitely eye opening that there are many in our world who live in this fashion while we take for granted the modern conveniences of the 21st century. I'm very proud of my Dad for doing this, but would be lying if I didn't say I am completely anxious for him to get home soon (they come back next Tuesday), healthy and safe!

In Need of Some Fall Weather

I generally love this time of year - the leaves start to fall, pumpkins make their debut on porches as homeowners begin to decorate for Halloween, football season is in full force, there's a crisp chill in the air....wait a minute, Sara, not so fast. It's supposed to be 90 degrees today in Louisville. As anyone who has lived in Kentucky for five minutes or more can tell you, Kentucky weather is nothing if not unpredictable. Where else can you experience balmy temperatures one week, and then two feet of snow the next week right before you leave for Florida for spring break (as all of you UK grads will recall from March of 1998)? The weather really is what makes the fall season, so I'm definitely ready for a nice cold front to come through. I tried to make a big pot of potato soup the other night to get myself in the mood for fall, but it just doesn't work when people are still wearing shorts outside!! The sooner the cool weather gets here, the better, so everyone else can start breaking out their sweaters and jeans for those evening football games . . . as for me, the cool weather will probably arrive when I'm ready to start squeezing into those every so lovely maternity clothes!!

My Exciting Nightlife.....

So, I realized I haven't posted lately about the progress of our pregnancy, so for those interested, here it goes....I was officially 9 weeks along as of yesterday, which is definitely exciting. That means I still have roughly 4 weeks till I'm officially through with the first trimester, and thankfully, everything that goes along with the first trimester. Don't get me wrong - I've been EXTREMELY lucky as far as symptoms go. I'm borderline nauseous most of the time, but it's not too bad and I have never gotten sick. Other than the nausea, my only other real symptom has been fatigue. Let me tell you, you wouldn't think that something the size of an olive could make you that tired, but trust me, it can!! Mostly, my fatigue has been at night (although there was one horrible week a couple of weeks ago where it was all I could do to lift my fingers to type on my keyboard, I was THAT tired!). Basically, I get home at night, make dinner and eat with Ryan, manage to watch about one hour of TV and then absolutely crash on the couch - usually with Pearl cuddled up next to me. A picture to prove it (as if you needed proof):



This picture is actually pretty damn funny - it's like Pearl could sense that the camera had been turned on her so she had to roll over and put herself on display, literally flashing everything God gave her to the camera! Of course, I'm completely oblivious to it all and dead asleep.

I personally like these pictures of Pearl alot better, where she isn't flashing the camera - she loves to root around the pillows on our couch and loveseat till she finds her perfect cozy spot for a nap. As evidenced by these pictures, she usually ends up in a weird spot:





All joking and Pearl pictures aside, the pregnancy has been wonderful and I've been very lucky to have only mild symptoms so far. Plus, my life isn't that boring, consumed only by working, nausea and sleep! After judging a moot court competition for UofL's law school yesterday morning, Ryan, Pearl and I joined Andy, Amanda and their dog Gus at "Bark in the Park", an annual event they hold for dogs and their owners at Seneca Park. We had a blast. We followed that up with dinner with Andy, Amanda, Mark and Natasha at Sweet Peas, a restaurant on Frankfort Avenue that serves Southern comfort food. Of course, I came home afterwards and promptly fell asleep but what else is new?!

I couldn't help myself.....

Yes, we live in Louisville now, but rest assured, folks - that doesn't make me a Cardinals fan!! Having my beloved Wildcat alma mater beat UofL two weeks ago was sweet, to say the least. Of course, we've got one of the toughest schedules ahead of us (LSU alone will be a blood bath!), but I'm so happy to see the Cats off to a 4-0 start!

New Appreciation for Jenny McCarthy

Can we just say how much I love Jenny McCarthy? Even before I was pregnant, everyone kept telling me that I had to read her book called Belly Laughs, which is a short one-day read about her experiences while pregnant with her son. This book is laugh out loud funny, but it will also scare the shit out of you, all at the same time! This woman went through EVERYTHING with her pregnancy - all of the horror stories you hear about what your body could possibly go through? She lived it. I finished the book wiping tears from my eyes from laughing so hard and also thinking, 'I hope that doesn't happen to me.'

Unfortunately, Jenny's son was diagnosed with autism a couple of years ago. Oprah had McCarthy and Holly Robinson Peete on yesterday's show to discuss the issues they have faced with the autism that has afflicted their sons. McCarthy was her usual self - strong, ballsy, and in your face - but incredibly eloquent as well. Of course, I probably shouldn't have watched it....I keep stumbling upon shows, books or magazines which make me start to fear what could possibly happen to our baby. Now I can add autism to the list. Especially scary was the fact that McCarthy and Peete (as well as many mothers of autistic children, apparently) believe that their children developed autism due to their early vaccinations. Who knows if that is true - but it's enough to place some fear into you when you start thinking about your child's immunizations! I've got to stop tuning into these programs or reading these things in books and magazines - I'm going to turn into Chicken Little, otherwise, and become a paranoid mess!!

Louisville Dining Originals

Last night, Ryan and I shared an incredible meal for our 2nd anniversary at Equus, a local restaurant in St. Matthews that we could have literally walked to from our home. I can't get over how spoiled we are by the wealth of fantastic restaurants in Louisville - we have not had a bad experience yet at any restaurant we've been to. The problem is we'll have a great meal, vow to come back again, but then realize that we have dozens of more restaurants to try! There is a great website that lists many of Louisville's top-notch restaurants: http://www.louisvilleoriginals.com/. It's a must have resource for great dining in Derby city.

Our First Ultrasound Picture

This was taken on September 13, 2007, at which point I was 6 weeks and 5 days. If you're like me, you can't tell a whole lot from this picture - but that little circle in the middle is the baby.

Emmys Fashion

I watched the Emmys last night, mostly to check out what everyone was wearing as opposed to who won the awards (although I was very happy to see that America Ferrara (sp?), the star of Ugly Betty - one of my favorite shows - won Best Actress in a Comedy). There appeared to be very few misses last night and everyone looked great for the most part. I think Ali Larter looked absolutely phenomenal. A close 2nd and 3rd would be Eva Longoria and America Ferrara, respectively.

Our 2nd Anniversary

Today marks our second wedding anniversary - wow, time really flies by. What a wonderful day we had two years ago - lots of good friends, good food and drink, good music, and tons of laughter and well wishes. Even now, stories still come up on occasion about something that happened at our wedding reception! Even more remarkable is the number of developments in our lives since that great day....new jobs, a new house in a new city, a sweet dog to add to our family, and the biggest development, the little addition to our family which we are expecting in May.

A Derby Baby!!

I had my first appointment with the doctor this morning and had my first ultrasound - wow, was that an incredible experience. I saw this tiny blip on the screen that was my baby. It was like that episode of Friends where Rachel repeatedly failed to see her baby on the ultrasound - that was me this morning. Then the neatest thing happened - they flashed some red on the screen which signified blood flow, and then turned up the volume on the monitor and I heard my baby's heartbeat. What an incredible moment - very overwhelming emotionally, to be sure. My doctor confirmed that I am 7 weeks pregnant this Saturday, making my due date Saturday, May 3, 2007. Yep, that's right, folks - I'm due on Derby day! I guess the only way I get to wear a fabulously huge hat this year is if I wear it in the labor and delivery room!

What...the...hell...was...this???

It was like a freaking train wreck, I couldn't watch, but then I couldn't tear my eyes away, either. Oh, how the mighty (and I use that word loosely) have fallen....

Congratulations Jane!

I've been meaning to post for awhile a HUGE congratulations to my dear friend Jane on her (somewhat) recent wedding. Jane and I used to work together at Clark & Ward and we grew very close - no one can make me laugh quite like Jane with her stories! I miss her terribly now that we're in Louisville and I don't get to see her smiling face down the hall every day, but I am so, so happy to see how everything in her life is going so beautifully. This is a pic of us from her recent bridal luncheon. Love ya Jane!

Prego Update

I've been delinquent on posting this week - I've been in trial this week so this is my first chance to get to post an update on the pregnancy. Things are going great, so far - the initial shock has worn off, and now we're (okay, me) just reading up on a bunch of pregnancy books to see what to expect (if you can put into words just what the hell to expect with this!). Actually, I've had to put the books away, because quite honestly, they scare the holy shit out of you. Really, you read these things and with all the ailments they tell you that you're going to experience over the next 9 months (actually, it's 10 months or 40 weeks - this whole 9 months thing is a huge conspiracy....), it's a wonder why anyone would want to subject themselves to a pregnancy. Good thing I never flipped through any of these books before!!

No, in all seriousness, I'm sure that whatever I have to go through physically/mentally/emotionally to get there, it will be worth it a million times over in the end. So far, I've been incredibly lucky - I've had a little bit of fatigue and only one pseudo attack of morning sickness, but no other "symptoms" of first trimester pregnancy. Of course, it's still early and all of those things could rear their ugly head around the corner.

I believe I'm nearing in on 7 weeks in my pregnancy, but we'll know for sure when we have our first appointment tomorrow with the obstetrician. I'm very hopeful that we'll be able to have an ultrasound tomorrow to confirm how far along I am and the due date....I'm still betting this will be a Derby baby!

I'll be sure to post an update tomorrow after our doctor visit (and will continue to leave out any personal and/or gross details of pregnancy that you, my dear friends and family, certainly do not want to read!!!).

A Picture Is Worth a Thousand Words

Yep...I'm pregnant....and yes, the picture has two tests. In fact, I took a third test at home and promptly followed that up with a blood test ASAP at the doctor's office. As a skeptic attorney, I am nothing if not thorough!

We found out this past Monday evening (first two tests)/Tuesday morning (third test, blood test), though deep down I think I have known that I'm pregnant for a little while. Though I haven't had my first official appointment with the obstetrician, I believe I'm approximately 5 or 6 weeks along, which means I will be due around Derby time.

The fact that I was able to even type the first two paragraphs of this post should demonstrate that my initial shock has worn off, at least a little bit. We had always discussed that we would try to have a baby after we have been married two years, and wouldn't you know it, we'll be married two years next month. Still, when that little blue plus sign pops up, you're flooded with a range of emotions. Needless to say, the past week has been quite a rollercoaster of feelings and thoughts. However, we are very happy and excited to share the news with our friends and family (and via this post, I guess I'm sharing it with the world wide web!). We originally planned on waiting to tell people about the pregnancy until I was through the first trimester (with the exception of our parents and siblings), but I was about to bust with the secret and Ryan and I decided to start sharing the news. It was a tough decision, but I know we made the right one - everyone has been so happy with the news and very supportive. Plus, if, heaven forbid, something bad happened, I would certainly find solace in the support from our friends and family.

I've enjoyed having this blog for the past several months to post general musings - and I'll still most likely post random non-pregnancy related thoughts and ideas on this blog. However, I think this blog will be a fantastic way for me to update all of our friends and family, whether they live next door or across the country, about the progress of our little one. I hope that in the next few weeks my posts won't be about morning sickness!!!

With all that being said, welcome to the newest, scariest and most incredible adventure of our lives. What a wonderful time to be alive.

Vick's a Loser

Good riddance to bad rubbish.....