Baby 28 Weeks

Today marks the beginning of the end. At 28 weeks I've entered the 3rd trimester, sure to be filled with excitement and discomfort. I'm glad to report that the last 4 weeks have been uneventful in terms of the pregnancy. I've mostly felt well other than the standard discomforts that come along with the ride. The baby is definitely getting bigger and the little kicks have turned into full fledge stretching which is cool, but not always the most comfortable. At 25 weeks I was diagnosed with marginal placenta previa (the cause of the previous bleeding), meaning the edge of the placenta is touching the cervix. This is not good, as it is blocking the exit! Fortunately, we have been encouraged to be optimistic because the placenta often migrates upward as the baby grows. We will have another ultrasound in August to see if this has happened. If not, there will be a c-section in my future, which many of you know is not my goal.

We are also excited to report we have hired the assistance and expertise of a doula to help us prepare for, and attend, the birth. Her role is to give us lots of information as well as coaching through the birth process. We have met with her once so far, but have 4-5 meetings planned with her over the next few months. While her services are best taylored for natural, normal births, she is also skilled in other medical interventions, such as c-sections, making her very helpful no matter how things end up.

I also have the overwhelming task of registering for baby gear last week. Hillary, Gabe, Claire, and my mom took a trip to Babies R Us and spent about 2 hours going through the store. Things as simple as bottles now have 62 million different types and sizes and aparently you can't predict what kind your baby will like. However, I'm very happy that we have gotten so many hand-me-downs that there wasn't too much to decide. YAY!

Gluten Free-dom

Its been almost 9 months of Gluten Free-dom for Katherin. There have been a couple unintended relapses, but life has been much better gluten free. One of the battles is trying to find substitutes for all the things Katherin used to enjoy. We have been pretty good at alternatives, but there were some glaring ommisions. High on the list were battered, deep fried items. Fish, cheese curds, and onion rings.

Last night we remedied the Onion Ring problem. Using the following cookbook, we used a recipe of equal parts gluten free beer and gluten free flour. Drop the rings into the batter and then into 325 degree oil, and a few minutes later you have the most delicious onion rings ever. Your kitchen will be a huge mess, but its worth it.

I was going to take a picture, but we ate them too fast.

The Last Mow

Last week, I ventured into the back yard at 902 Moorland to mow the lawn. I never particularly enjoyed the task, but I had to smile. It was the last mow.

Yesterday, we sold 902 Moorland. After months of fretting about getting an offer, passing inspections, and waiting to see if we could actually make it to a closing, there was a certain sense of disbelief as we signed the papers. Our first home was now someone else's.

Since Katherin shared some of her favorite memories with words, I decided to do the same with pictures (click on the album to view). It was a lot of fun scouring through our photos and remembering the good times at 902 Moorland.

So long!

902 Moorland Memories