Baby update

We are just over 2 wks from our due date and SO READY to meet our little one! As of last Fri, no changes happening just yet but I have an appt this afternoon and hope something is at least starting to happen. I've been having a lot of Braxton Hicks over the past week and she's really dropped. These past few weeks have been interesting (ie uncomfortable) but I've loved experiencing this pregnancy. The shortness of breath has gone away now that she's dropped but she still likes to lodge her feet/legs under my ribs and they are so sore and bruised! Our closest friends had their baby on April 13th and that has made us even more excited and anxious to meet our little girl!

I love looking back at my belly pics and seeing how much I've changed. I felt big for every photo (even the "bloated" feeling from 12 wks) and it's absolutely amazing how big I've gotten! What an incredible miracle I've got growing inside of me...

12 wks:

24 wks:

30 wks:

31 wks:

33 wks:

37 wks:


I had maternity photos done at 36 wks and can't wait to see them. Hopefully they will turn out so I can have beautiful photos to remember this time. However, I am now ready for the next phase and hope to be updating this blog soon with pictures of our beautiful newborn! Stay tuned...

Long overdue update

I have NO excuse for not sitting down and updating my blog. A lot has happened in the past few months...wonderful trip with friends to our beloved Grand Cayman as well as a fantastic trip to Maui/Big Island. We met up with my folks, sister, brother-in-law and niece and nephew in Maui in mid-February. Spent 10 days in Maui and soaked up the sun! Due to my pregnancy, I wasn't quite as active as I could've been, but we had a great time nonetheless. Here is a view from our balcony where we could sit and watch the whales...



And, here's the family enjoying our last night together in paradise:



After those 10 days, Rian and I flew over to the Big Island for 10 days. We had never been to that island and wanted to do the Manta Ray Night Dive. Well, when we found out I was pregnant, diving went out the window. Luckily, they offer that same trip for snorkelers and it was AMAZING! What beautiful and majestic creatures! I honestly think snorkeling was more fun than diving because we had a lot of interaction with the Mantas at the surface and were able to pop up and talk with each other. We also did a Dolphin Snorkel adventure where we went out in the morning, found a pod of dolphins and followed them up the shoreline. We would get ahead of them and the boat would drop us off with our snorkel equipment and we'd just wait for them to pass. It was incredible! We dropped in about 7 or 8 times. Here is a picture of me and the belly in a wetsuit...



We also got a bit of excitement while on this trip. After a big earthquake just off the coast of Chile, Hawaii was under a Tsunami warning and we were awakened to the doorbell and someone telling us we had to evacuate within the next 2 hrs. Eek! We didn't have much time to figure out what was going on so it was kind of scary. Not sure what to expect, we packed up some stuff and headed to our evacuation spot. We ended up hanging out at a school for a couple hrs and then realized we didn't have to sit and stay put, we just couldn't go back down toward the coast. So, we drove up to Parker Ranch and explored that area. Within a couple hrs, the warning had been lifted and we were able to go back to our condo. No damage, thank goodness, so all was well. Here is a picture of Rian as he joked he was going to climb to "higher ground." At this point, we were already about 2000ft above sea level so were quite safe. I have now been on vacation with a hurricane, earthquake and tsunami. I told Rian if Mauna Kea blew while we were up there, I was done with vacations!



I was pretty much exhausted each day after spending a couple hours out and about in the heat so we didn't make the drive to Hilo (2 1/2 hrs each way) nor did we experience the volcanos (since being pregnant wasn't ideal to hang out in the sulfur gas environment). So, we will definitely need to go back again in the future when we can explore more of the island. The island was like nothing we've ever seen. It's a VERY diverse environment from the black lava fields, the barren hillsides, the rolling hills of Parker Ranch and the beautiful hidden beaches. We really fell in love with this place!







After our Hawaii adventure, we spent a week in WA with our families. Rian's mom had a baby shower for us in Vancouver and then my sister had one for us in Ephrata. Both were wonderful and I was so overwhelmed by all the love and support we received from everyone (not to mention all the gifts!!). Wow! It was nice to be able to sneak in a trip "home" to see everyone and share in our baby joy. However, by the time I got back to Buffalo, I was absolutely exhausted and ready to settle in and "nest." We packed in several weeks of travel and adventure and now are just awaiting our little one's arrival...

Baby shower #1

I had my first baby shower last week. It was put on by a good friend (and teammate's wife) for my friend Amber and me. We decided to do it now so all of our "football" friends could be there before the season is over and everyone heads to their "real" homes. We had a nice lunch, cake and then gifts. It was fun sitting and visiting with the experienced mom's so they could offer their advice on the "must-haves" and the "don't needs". I also liked hearing their stories about how they got through everything from labor to air travel with babies. All of this information will definitely come in handy as I continue this journey into parenthood. Here are Amber and I and our bellies...



Our super cute cake!





I got a lot of cute stuff so the process of stocking the nursery has started! As each day goes by, I get more and more excited for what 2010 has in store for Rian and I. We'll know soon enough!

It's a.......

GIRL!!

We found out a little more than a week ago that we are having a little girl. It's really starting to seem real now that we know what's growing inside my belly. I have always grown up thinking I wanted to be a mom to 2 boys. And, all of the pregnancy "myths" were saying that this one was a boy. So, when the ultrasound tech told me it was a girl, I had to take a moment to absorb that. I certainly didn't have my heart set on a boy (and actually was surprised how impartial I was throughout those first 19wks) but I definitely needed a moment when she said "it's a girl." I looked over at Rian and was hoping he'd be smiling. He was. I shed one small tear down my cheek and then thought to myself, "we're having a baby girl!" I am so excited about having a daughter and hope and pray that we have the kind of relationship that my mom and I do. Dollhouses, Barbie's, baking cookies, etc. It's going to be a fun ride and I can't wait to see Rian interact with his little girl. We've got 2 friends who are both expecting boys and he's already told them their sons better "mind his manners around my daughter." Wow, we're going to have a daughter...I wasn't sure this moment would ever come...

Our changing lives...

Here's a little update on what's been going on with the Lindell's...



We're expecting a baby! I'm currently 15 wks, due May 9th. It has been an interesting last few months. After years of infertility, I decided to try acupuncture as one last ditch effort to see if there was any hope for us to get pregnant. I was told by the doctor that my abdomen "was too cold and needed to be warmed up. It "was not receptive to pregnancy" and they needed "2-3 months to warm it up." That news actually made me hopeful. If they could tell right away that something was wrong, that was more info than we've gotten in the past 7 years from infertility specialists. Fast forward 3 months and I was pregnant! My period started right on time but then seemed to stop. After 3 or 4 days, I started thinking "what if??" I took a home test and it was positive! That is the first time that has happened in 7 years! I was skeptical, of course, and we had to wait several days to get bloodwork done as it was Labor Day weekend (I must have taken 5 home tests while waiting) before it was confirmed by the doctor. Once I was 8 wks along, we got an ultrasound to see if there was a heartbeat before we shared our news with our family. It was so amazing to see that little peanut on the screen and see the little flash of the heartbeat. Definitely worth the wait!



As exciting as it was, I will not miss those first 3 months. I was nauseous all day every day. Eating made my stomach feel better but nothing looked or tasted good. I had a lot of cereal and milk. I was actually angry at times that I had to eat so frequently. It was almost torture. I would've thought because we'd waited so long for this that I would've embraced whatever came my way. Well, that is very difficult to do when it's a struggle to even get a shower in every day! ha ha Thankfully, I don't work full time and was able to crawl up in bed whenever I needed. I hardly left the house for weeks! Rian was real sweet and patient with me as he had to fend for himself a lot.

I am now feeling really good (after suffering a nasty case of the flu a couple weeks ago) and really enjoying the pregnancy. I had to break down and buy maternity jeans the other day as I can't get any of my other jeans to button. It's time to make the move into clothes that fit and make me feel good. Right now I'm in the "is she gaining weight??" phase and looking forward to the obvious baby bump. The good news is I know I'm pregnant and am not having any problems with my changing shape. I'll worry about it once the baby is here and healthy.

Our first trimester screening looked great so I can relax and enjoy this ride. We weren't able to see what the sex is at the last ultrasound as the baby was sitting on it's head and had a mess of umbilical cord between it's legs hiding it's parts. So, we'll have to wait until mid-Dec to find out what we're having. I don't have a real opinion on what I want as I know either one will be great. I'm sure Rian would love a boy because of his love of sports but I would love to see him with a little girl. Watching him have tea parties and playing "princess" with his daughter would be priceless.

Stay tuned...

Our red carpet glory!

What an amazing time we had at the "Public Enemies" premiere!! Here we are in all of our red carpet glory...



We flew into LA on Monday night and decided to walk over to the theatre where the premiere was so we knew where we would be going on Tues night. Lo and behold, the "Transformers" premiere was going on! Very cool! We got there kind of late so all of the stars had already arrived and were on the red carpet doing their interviews. It was hard to see from where we were standing but Michael Bay (the director) was right in front of us signing autographs.




We milled around long enough to watch Shia LeBouf and Josh Duhamel walk into the theatre. Cool!

Spent Tues afternoon in Beverly Hills/Robertson Blvd doing some shopping. Well, mostly window shopping but I did do some damage at the Seven for All Mankind store...Score! Then, back to the hotel to get glammed up for the premiere. We picked up our tickets at will call about 6:30p and then proceeded to try to go incognito on the red carpet so we could watch all the stars arrive. Well, our "incognito" spot we chose ended up being the start of the red carpet so we quickly got booted after some stars started showing up. Oops! Funny thing was, we got asked about 3 times if we were walking the red carpet so I guess we looked like we at least belonged there! Saw Giovanni Ribisi (Phoebe's brother from "Friends") on the red carpet along with Shawn Hatosy (the jock from "The Faculty"). Then, Christian Bale arrived and we were quickly shooed into the theatre as things got quite busy. He ran across the street to sign autographs for the fans. Once in the theatre, we took our seats and waited. A 7:30 start time really means 8:30 I guess in Hollywood! Right before the show started, Michael Mann (the director) came up onstage with Johnny Depp, Marion Cotillard and Christian Bale to introduce the movie. I was so glad Johnny was up there since we didn't get to see him outside.

The movie was awesome! Johnny is super sexy in it (but, what did I really expect...he cleans up REAL nice!) and it was very entertaining. After the show, we hung around in the lobby area for a bit to see who came out. Saw Vince Vaughn standing around, Leelee Sobiesky, Stephen Dorff, Giovanni again, and Peter Fonda. Here is my "sasquatch-like" photo of Christian Bale and Peter Fonda. Oops! New camera! Flash was turned off...dang!



That was it for my celeb photos. I certainly wasn't going to be the ONE weirdo around that kept taking pics. So, all of my celeb shots are saved inside my head.

We hopped on a shuttle bus for the quick trip to the after party at the Hammer Museum. It was a cool place for a party. The whole inside of the building was an open air courtyard. There were tables set up all over the place along with heated gas lamps and a bunch of bars with different drinks. We made our way to the bathroom then got a drink and stood around to peruse the room for stars. Saw the same people as before mostly sitting with their friends and family. Rosario Dawson walked by, skinny as a rail! Christian Bale made his way through the crowd with his wife. Gave me a nod and a smile as he passed. I felt like a kid in a candy store, trying not to have a huge grin on my face. It really was neat feeling like we fit in with this crowd.

We met up with Tina (the gal I had been in contact with to get all the info for the premiere) and her friend, Marc. We visited with them for awhile. Really nice people. She told me "Bruno" was premiering on Thurs at Grauman's Chinese Theatre in Hollywood and if we were around, to come by will call and say hi. We made our way back to the hotel about 1:30a and of course, I had had a bit too much wine...needless to say, I was feeling under the weather on Wed. But, we had such a great night, I didn't mind!





Now...what movies will be premiering next summer that we can attend??? I'm hooked!

Fun times ahead!

It's been awhile since I've last posted so I decided to sit down this morning and write a little update. I'm writing from my new teeny little, bright red, Dell Netbook. How cute it is! And, it will be perfect for travel...Anyway, Rian and I are starting to get ready for our trip home. It's time for our annual "trek out West" to visit all of our family before returning to Western NY for another NFL season. But, this year, we've got a bit of excitement...We get to go to a movie premiere in LA!! We purchased an auction item at the Make-a-Wish gala in April where we will get to walk the red carpet, watch the movie premiere with the cast/crew AND attend the cast/crew after party!!! We chose "Public Enemies" with Johnny Depp, Christian Bale, Marion Cotillard (who won Best Actress in 2008), Billy Crudup and Leelee Sobieski. I am SOOOOO excited! This will be a once in a lifetime experience. We will be able to spend almost a week in LA so will have time to enjoy the area as well as take in the movie premiere. I found a cute dress on www.weartodaygonetomorrow.com, which is a website that you can rent designer dresses. I saw their ad in People magazine a couple months ago and once we got confirmation of the premiere, I ordered 3 and thankfully, one of them worked. I'm not naive enough to think I will fit in at this event but my goal is to not stick out like a sore thumb...ha ha. You never know, I may just be walking by in the background of a photo in US Weekly!

I will hopefully have some great stories (and a few photos) to tell when this is over. I'm sure it will be a night to remember...