30 Weeks!

Look at that belly!

Wow! Time seems to be flying by lately (which it usually does in the summer) and I can't believe I am already in the third trimester and 3/4 of the way through the pregnancy. I have been really terrible about keeping up on the blog, so I will use this post to catch everyone up on what has been happening in the Butorac household and with the baby - this could be a long one!

The weather has been incredibly HOT! And I really don't want to complain because I LOVE summer and love the heat - but it's definitely not as enjoyable when you are 7 months pregnant and don't have air conditioning in your house :-) We had a really long hot spell that lasted about 2 weeks at the end of July. There were several days where it was 95 degrees inside our house! I was actually wishing that the wind would blow so that air would not be so stagnant. But, then the wind actually came and it just blew the hot air around so it felt like you were standing in front of a furnace - not exactly what I was hoping for. During the hot spell I was actually glad to be working all day in my nice air conditioned office :-) We were on the verge of getting air conditioning, but then it cooled down for a week or so and we figured that we had made it through the worst part of the summer and if we could survive that, then we could probably survive a few more hot days. We just decided that we have other things we need to be saving our money for right now. We will definitely plan to put in AC next spring though with the baby around.

I went in for my 28 week appointment on August 3rd. Tony came too because we were scheduled to do a 3-D ultrasound. We were both really excited for this as we have seen 3-D pictures from other people and the detail is so cool. We were told to bring in a CD and they would download the photos onto it. Well, it turned out to be a little disappointing because the baby was not being very cooperative. He had his hands up by his face the whole time and the umbilical cord was right in front of his face as well. We actually got better shots just looking at the regular ultrasound. The Dr. said that if we reminded him he would try to get some better 3-D shots at another visit. Tony and I were both bummed because we were really hoping to see what he looks like in more detail. Oh well, I guess he wants his appearance to be a surprise :-) The week before our appointment, I had gone into my Dr.'s office for some lab work. I did the glucose screening test, had a bunch of blood work done, and got a RhoGAM shot. The glucose test wasn't nearly as bad as I was expecting! All my friends have said how horrible the "orange drink" is and some of them even said it made them sick or naseous. I have also heard that if you eat something too sugary before taking this test, it can throw off the results and then you have to go in for the really long 5 hour test. So, I was really dreading doing this. I made my appointment for first thing in the morning so I could just fast and not risk skewing the results by eating the wrong thing. The drink just tasted like orange pop and I think what really helped was that my Dr. keeps the drinks refridgerated, so it was nice and cold. They let me go home and wait (which is much better than sitting in the Dr.'s office for an hour) until it was time to have my blood drawn. The results came back a few days later and everything looked good - no gestational diabetes and no anemia. Yeah! My next visit is at the end of the month and then I will start going in every two weeks. I can't believe how close we are getting to meeting our little man - we can't wait!

We have actually had a pretty laid back summer. Tony has been doing a lot of "playing" and I have been doing a lot of working - doesn't seem quite fair if you ask me! Work has been really busy and I am trying to get caught up before I go on maternity leave. I don't want to leave a huge "to do" list for the people who will be helping me out while I'm gone. It has been hard working so much though, because I am starting to get really tired again. On most days, I feel like I need nap after my lunch break. I think the heat has also played a huge part in how fatigued I am. It also makes my feet, ankles and legs swell up - which is really uncomfortable. Sometimes I feel like you could just take a pin and pop me!

Tony starts football tomorrow, which he says, means his summer is basically over. I feel very sorry for him....(can you sense the sarcasm??) So, it will be back to the daily grind around our house for a little while until baby arrives - then we will be on his schedule :-)

Dr. Appt - 24 Weeks

I had my 24-week check up today. I saw the Nurse Practitioner, Paula Lins, which was great. She is the one I met with on my very first visit and I like her a lot. I feel like I have not really had a chance to ask my doctor a lot of questions throughout this process. He does the ultrasounds, but not many of the routine check-ups, so I have really only seen him twice and each time he just gets right down to business and then leaves the room as soon as he is finished with the sonogram. So, since I knew I was seeing the nurse practitioner today, I brought a list of questions with me. One of my main concerns that I wanted to talk about was weight gain. I haven't been weighing myself at home (I didn't weigh myself before I got pregnant either - too depressing - instead I usually go by how I feel and how my clothes fit), but I do get weighed at every appointment. I can pretty much read the scale, but I still think it is odd that they never actually tell me what I weigh, they just write it in the chart and take me back to the room. (I'm sure if I had asked what my weight was on any of these occasions they would have told me, but I think I was really afraid of what the number would be.) When I asked where I was at with weight gain, Paula looked at my chart and said that I had already gained 30 pounds, which put me on schedule to gain about 60 pounds for the entire pregnancy. I just about fell off the exam table. I was shocked! I knew I had put on a fair amount of weight, but I had no idea it was 30 pounds, and the fact that I could gain 60 pounds made me want to cry right there. We had a long discussion about the things I should be eating (lots of salads, fruits, vegetables and lean meats) and should not be eating (carbohydrates such as pasta and potatoes and stuff with lots of sugar). None of this was a surprise to me and I have been eating tons of fruit, salads, chicken and pork. But, I have also been eating a fair amount of pasta and potatoes - which I thought was being healthy. Unfortunately, I think my body is very sensitive to carbs and they just stick to me. I think this was the case even before I was pregnant. I have also always struggled with portion control and a major sweet tooth. And being pregnant has not helped any of this. I am hungry all the time and I crave something sweet every night after dinner. Pair all that with the fact that I have not really had a regular exercise regimen since I stopped playing college sports and I guess I shouldn't really be that surprised that I have gained so much weight. I left the doctor's office feeling very depressed. Deep down I know that the important thing is that the baby is healthy, but I guess I am still too vain and selfish to be ok with gaining 30 pounds when I am only halfway through my pregnancy.

When I told Tony about my appointment I completely broke down in tears. Poor guy, I think it scared him that I was crying about my appointment and for a minute he thought something was wrong with the baby. I quickly assured him that everything is fine with the baby and I was just overreacting. He was so wonderful and said that he would do whatever he could to help me adjust my diet to eliminate some of the extra carbs - and he said that he would cut back with me so we can still eat the same meals. He also said he would go on more walks with me and help me get into more of an exercise routine. That made me feel so much better.

Other than that, everything went fine at the appointment. The baby is measuring pretty much right on schedule and his heart rate was between 150 and 160. My only other concern was that I have not felt much movement at all. My sister-in-law, Stephanie, says she feels her baby moving all the time, so I wanted to make sure that everything was ok. Paula told me that it is ok that I haven't felt much movement up to this point. She said that the amount and strength of the movements I will feel depends on the baby's position and she also said that sometimes women with strong abdominal muscles don't feel a lot of movement until later on in pregnancy. After the whole weight discussion, it was nice to think that I might still have some ab muscles in there someplace :-) My next appointment will be at 28 weeks and I will do the glucose screening test and get a RhoGAM shot because of my Rh negative blood type.

Our 1st Anniversary

I can't believe it has already been a year since Tony and I got married! Time has FLOWN by! It has been an amazing first year of marriage - definitely not without its ups and downs, but still one of the best years of my life. It amazes me that even after being together for almost 6 years before getting married, there are still things we are learning about each other and new things we are experiencing together. I love being married and I feel so lucky to have such an amazing husband!

We spent the weekend of our anniversary in Lynden with my best friends and volleyball teammates from college - along with all their husbands and kids. We are quite the group these days with 6 couples, 7 kids and 4 babies on the way! It can be crazy at times, but it is always so much fun to get together.

On Sunday, our actual anniversary, Tony and I headed to Semiahmoo Resort on Birch Bay to celebrate. We had a great room looking out onto the water and we spent the afternoon walking around the resort and along the beach. That night we had a great dinner at Packer's Lounge and then spent the evening just hanging out and playing cards in our room. It was so relaxing and it was wonderful to get to spend some quality time together just the two of us, especially since it won't be just the two of us for that much longer :-)

Walking along the bay.

Happy Anniversary!

Spying on the Canadian's across the bay :-)

View from our room.

Birch Bay sunset.

Happy (Belated) Father's Day!

Because we were in Alaska for Father's Day this year, I wasn't able to give Tony his present until after we got home. I got him a "Diaper Dude" diaper bag :-) At first he wasn't quite sure what to do with it, but once I showed him all the fancy compartments and the pull out changing pad, he thought it was pretty cool. I told him that I wanted a cute, "girly" diaper bag so I thought he should have something more "manly" to carry when he has the baby by himself.

Modeling his cool new bag.

Giving me a demonstration of how he will use the changing pad.

The best part about Father's Day this year was finding out that we are having a little boy. We are both so excited for him to join our family in October! And I think Tony was pretty proud that he was able to pass on his "boy" genes ;-)

We are both so blessed to have such wonderful dad's of our own as well! We want them to know how much we appreciate all that they have done and continue to do for us. Throughout our lives they have shown us the kind of sacrifice, time, energy and love that it takes to be a great parent and we know they will give that same love and energy to their grandchildren. Happy Father's Day!

Alaska Vacation - Part II

We spent the last couple days of our trip doing more "touristy" things. We took a day trip to Denali National Park. Unfortunately, the mountain was completely clouded in so we didn't get to see it, but we did take a nice drive through a portion of the park and then we went on a short 2.5 mile hike through another part of the park. We saw some beautiful scenery and some great wildlife. It felt good to get some exercise too!

We got a little lost on our way into the park and had to stop at the Grizzly Bear Cabins to ask for directions. They had this picture board there, so of course we had to get a picture as Eskimos :-)

The beautiful scenery of Denali National Park.

Taking a quick picture break on our hike.

The family (minus Mikey & Steph) at the turn-around point on our hike.

I needed to rest after the first half of our hike, so I found this nice rock to lay down on while everyone else walked around. I am so out of shape!

Hanging on for dear life!

Our last day in Alaska we decided that we wanted to do something relaxing, so we took a trip to the Chena Hot Springs. It was about an hour drive from Bob & Linda's house. The thing about Alaska is that there is a TON of space (duh) so everything is really spread out and we spent a lot of time in the rental car driving to all our destinations. I have never been someone that gets carsick, but I sure did in Alaska. A lot of the roads up there are severely damaged from the permafrost and it is seriously like riding a roller coaster. Tony's parents rented a big SUV that fit all 8 of us, but it was a tight fit and I didn't do so well driving on those roads when I was stuck in the back seat!

Tony and I were the last of the "kids" to fly out of Alaska, so the two of us, his parents and Linda all went to the hot springs. We saw a couple moose on our way up and another on our way back. We also took some homemade bread and lunch meat and made sandwiches for lunch. It was a great way to end our vacation!

This is one of the moose we saw driving up to the hot springs.

Tony & I in the hot springs (along with a bunch of old guys :-))

More swimming in the hot springs. Don't worry, I only stayed in for 10 minutes :-)

Zack & Josie's Wedding

The main reason for our trip was Zack & Josie's wedding. They had an outdoor ceremony in the back yard of some of Bob & Linda's friends. It was a gorgeous back yard - and huge! The wedding was at 7 o'clock in the evening (it's not like we were going to run out of daylight), so we spent most of that morning getting things set up. The weather was gorgeous all morning, but the forecast was calling for rain. They did rent a couple tents, but they weren't large enough to cover all the tables if it did start raining. Luckily, the weather held out all day and through the entire ceremony and dinner. However, right after they finished the toasts and Zack & Josie had their first dance, it started pouring! We were able to get the tents over some of the tables and everyone crowded into the extra space that was available. It slowed the party down for just a little bit, but then we figured out a way to move the tent as well as the tables and chairs underneath it all at one time so that we could get closer to the dance floor. Then some of the guys braved the rain and moved one of the smaller tents onto the deck (which was the dance floor) so people could start dancing. After that, the reception got going again and everyone had a great time.

Of course Tony and I were also counting down the hours until midnight so we could open the envelope and find out if we were having a boy or a girl :-)

The bride and groom saying their vows.

The first dance as Mr. & Mrs. Bullock.

Josie dancing in the rain with a mini umbrella - she was so cute!

The dance floor nicely covered from the rain.

Proud parents-to-be :-)

Alaska Vacation - Part I

We just returned from a 6-day excursion in Alaska. The entire Butorac family made the trip to attend his cousin Zack's wedding and to visit his Aunt Linda & Uncle Bob. Tony had never been to Alaska before and I have only been when the ground is covered in 5 feet of snow and the temperatures are well below freezing, so it was nice to experience the summer weather as well. Unfortunately, we just missed the sunny 85 degree weather they were having before we arrived. The majority of the time we were there the temperatures were in the low to mid 70's and it rained off and on. The craziest thing about the trip had to be experiencing daylight 24-hours a day. It was nuts! The darkest it ever got was probably what we see in Washington around 8 or 9 PM in the summer time. I love the longer days we get in the summer, but after this trip I decided that I also appreciate the darkness as it really helps regulate your internal body clock. We would be tired around 11 each night, but it just felt like you were going to take a nap and not like you were going to bed for the night. Then if you woke up in the middle of the night, it would feel like it was time to get up because it was still light outside. Needless to say, it threw all of us off schedule a little bit.

The first couple days of the trip we did "touristy" things and finished up last minute stuff for the wedding. We also did a TON of cooking! This is pretty much expected anytime all the Butorac's are together - it's all that Italian blood in the family. We were constantly joking about how most of our conversations throughout the day revolved around what we were going to do for our next meal :-) I have to say that one of the best parts of the trip was having Linda's homemade cinnamon rolls for breakfast. I am pretty sure I had one every day I was there :-) They are amazing!

Here are a few pics from our first couple days in Alaska:

Tony's cousin, Kristi, and I posing with a Grizzly Bear at one of the restaurants where we had lunch. I wouldn't want to run into this guy in the wild!

The Santa Claus House in North Pole, Alaska. This is where kids send their letters to Santa each year. Inside the house was a gift shop with tons of Christmas trees, ornaments and decorations for sale. Santa Claus himself is also there almost every day ;-)

Tony & I posing like Santa & Mrs. Claus.

Here is one of Santa's reindeer. Tony decided this was Donner. Donner looked like he was about 100 years old and I'm not sure he is capable of pulling Santa's sleigh anymore.

Kristi & I in Santa's sleigh.

This is the giant statue of Santa that is outside the house. I am taking this picture from across the street. Look how big he is compared to everyone standing below!

This is the great Alaska Pipeline.

Posing in front of the Pipeline.

Interesting facts about the Pipeline. (You are probably starting to get the idea of what I meant when I said we did "touristy" things :-))

Would any trip be complete if you passed up going to a brewery when the opportunity presents itself? Not if you are a Butorac! After the Pipeline, we went to the Silver Gulch Brewery and the guys tasted a sampler of all the different types of beer. This is the aftermath - apparently no one liked the dark beer.

Stephanie & Courtney at the Brewery.