Merry Christmas!

It has been a whirlwind of a couple of weeks, but I am happy to say that I am officially back in MN!  Tom and I have been here almost a week and it is so nice to be together almost all the time.  I always felt bad that he wasn't in Chicago to see my belly grow each day, and that he would just have to get a weekly update whenever we were together.  Now he can be present for everything, like it or not! 

Before we left I had one more Doctor appointment for my Glucose Screening and my ultrasound.  Thank heavens that Glucose test is done- that liquid was NASTY!!  You have a drink a liter of ultra-sugary "fruit punch" in 5 minutes and then wait for an hour to have your blood taken.  They test for gestational diabetes- which is guess is a good thing to test for- but man do they make it brutal on the mom!  I am thrilled to say that I passed, so not only is baby not at risk for diabetes, but I also do not have to take that test again! 

The ultrasound was quite the experience!  I didn't really know what to expect since our last one was at 12 weeks and the baby was just a little blob.  But this time we got to watch the baby move around, and put its hands up to its face, and swallow, and see the heart beating.  So cool.  We even got "mooned" by the baby so Tom is happy to have some Rooney genetics running through its blood- its the simple things, right?

Butt is on the left, and legs are on the right

The baby is measuring perfectly (with long legs- I guess it was destined to have them between Tom and me) and weighs just over a pound.  Crazy!  The Doctor also said that my due date might be closer to March 26th now so I guess we will just have to wait and see!

Tom and I are headed to Iowa today to celebrate Christmas with his family.  It is still a little strange to be away from my own family for my favorite Holiday of the year, but I am thrilled to be able to spend some time with my in-laws and Tom.  The most important thing to me is to be surrounded by people you love and love you during such a wonderful time of the year.  And, I definately have that with Tom's family, so there is so much to be thankful for.  Let's just hope we can get there before the snow rolls into Iowa this afternoon!

I hope you all have a very, Merry Christmas surrounded by family and friends that love you dearly!



We're Done!!

This has been a looooong time coming!  Tom is on his way down to Chicago for our LAST trip of long-distance married life!  I. Am. So. Happy.  He will be here for an entire week- to help me pack and then to a meeting downtown for work.  And, while he will be gone a couple nights next week, we are done living 6 hours away from each other.  9 months was far too long, and I vow to never do this again! 

Happy, happy day!!!

Bittersweet

Thanksgiving has come and gone...  We had a wonderful time up at the cabin with the family eating, playing games, and conversing.  Tom and I have so much to be thankful for and it was the perfect setting to reflect on all the blessings in our life.  We are bursting with happiness, we are expecting our first baby, we have our health, and stability in our crazy life (if that is even possible).  A million "thanks" to my parents for allowing us to crash at their cabin, eat their food, and take in each and every moment while we are up there.  It really is the most amazing place. 

I came back to Chicago to face the harsh reality that I am leaving my job- my dream job.  My boss took it very well today and was very complimentary of me which was a nice way to end this phase of my life.  Patterson has been a wonderful company to work for and I am so thankful to have 3 years under my belt in a fantastic industry.  I have made great friends within Patterson, and in my offices that I have called on for the last 3 years- I will miss everyone tremendously. 

On a lighter note, I am excited to be back with Tom.  When we started this crazy situation we thought it would only be for 6 months- we are now at 9 months.  It has been a long time coming, and we looking forward to being a "normal" couple once again.  I think we both learned a lot about each other through all of this, and we won't have to worry about taking each other for granted in the future.  We have experienced first hand what it is like to not be together- to not have dinners to talk about our days, to not have someone to pour you a glass of wine after a horrible day, to not enjoy the simple things like looking through the Sunday Ads together in our PJ's.  Some people never learn this, so we are happy to have this lesson over at the age of 25 so that we can truly enjoy each other for the next 70 years. 

Two weeks from tomorrow I will be unemployed and moving back to Minnesota!  So scary and wonderful at the same time!