Downward Facing Dog

On Friday, Dan and I went in for our 31 week ultrasound and we were thrilled to see so much action. It was amazing to SEE the corresponding movements as I was feeling them; like a little sneak peek into his world. Ultrasound technology never ceases to amaze me. I constantly catch myself saying "Awe!"

During the appointment, we were able to see our little man yawning, rubbing his eyes (exactly like his dad does), kicking, stretching, etc. And when I say stretching, I mean it. He is still breech and has decided to perfect the "downward facing dog" position before joining us. His feet are up by his head and his hands were constantly gripping them. All this completely explains the thumps and knocks I feel against my ribs and lungs. Here's his hand, tickling his little toes which are next to his head:We also discovered an exciting diagnosis during our morning...3 pounds & 13 ounces of pressure on my vena cava will cause me to faint. We've often wondered why I start the intense cold sweats & dizzy spells during the past two month's of appointments, often attributing it to lower blood sugar and nerves, but low and behold...I'm one of those lucky girls who absolutely can't lay on her back, even for a small time. The good news is I now can identify the symptoms far before they affect me adversely enough to cause fainting; the bad news is I'm a horrible patient for any routine exam, measurement, or ultrasound as I have to lay on my left side for 99% of the poking and prodding. Oh well, I'll just get one of those infamous Elaine Benes medical chart entries that will never go away... "Patient is a pansy and faints if you make her lay on her back".And to answer the #1 question I get: "How are you feeling?" Honestly, I'm doing great. It's blatantly apparent that my organs are running out of room and I have to consciously think about taking deeper breaths, but I'm enjoying every second of this experience. It's such a special time and as much as I cant wait to meet our little guy, I'm happy to let him bake for another 8.5 weeks.

Next week we'll make the last "doctor approved" trip: a drive home to Little Rock. During our recent trip to Atlanta we discovered a few extra stops along the way are a must-do, so keep your fingers crossed that we'll make the trek in a decent amount of time. Cant wait to be home for a few days!

Summer is here!

Yes y'all, it's officially Summer here in South Carolina!

:::Insert the crowd cheers!:::

When we left for Vancouver, the temperatures were well into the 70's and when we arrived back home, they've been in the 80's and 90's ever since. To make Summer official, our annual Halsted Festivals have also taken place. The worst festival, affectionately known as "The Allergy & Pollen Cloud" took place this weekend. True to it's name, there was a cloud of dust and pollen following Dan around the yard as he mowed the first mow of the season. Makes my nose itch just thinking about him driving past me...I can't imagine how miserable he was! Hopefully it helped that I'd toss a fresh Gatorade his way every 10 minutes...at least I'll tell myself that it helped a smidge. And yes, it was still a massive cloud even though the rule, "Thou shall bag the first mow of the season, OR ELSE!" was followed. But the worst part was the pollen, which we'll spend a few minutes on later, so hold that thought!

The second celebration came in a fit of complete discomfort for Dan. The "Need A/C to Sleep!" festival was a roaring success. He was trying to be sooo patient, as I had lived with the windows open all day/every day for 5 days (in complete comfort). But it was very obvious this festival had to come a little earlier than I would have tolerated; the poor guy was melting! And hindsight also proves that he was right in doing so. Not only have we not seen a day under 85 since, but that pollen I'm leading up to is killer now! Oh, and the best part is Dan is actually getting some sleep too! :-)

The final festival, "INNA PLANT FLOWERS!!" also came simultaneously as the "Allergy & Pollen Cloud" celebration. We took the familiar trip to Lowe's, spent an obscene amount of money on beautiful blossoms and plants, then I made a little circle of all my necessities within arms length-ish (in the sun of course) and proceeded to completely immerse myself in heaven. So much fun! And the outcome of all the hard work is amazing!

So you are wondering about this pollen, huh? Let me tell ya, it's crazy!
The day before Dan mowed, he walked around the entire (yes, ENTIRE) house and power washed the decks, columns, sidewalks, drain spouts, garden furniture, everything. Elapse time 24 hours....the pollen is back times 100! Everything is yellow...AGAIN! As we drive down the road here, it's hard to tell if green cars are actually blue, gold cars are actually black, and are those the painted yellow lines on the road or is it pollen??? Ok, the last one is a bit exaggerated, but the pollen right now is insane.
I'm so glad Dan made the executive decision about shutting the windows and turning on the A/C. If he hadn't, by now all our dark wooded furniture and floors would be yellow tinged permanently. Not to mention I'm sure there would be little paw prints of yellow dust everywhere. It makes me cringe to think how many times I'd have to vacuum to get it all up. And we'd probably need new air filters too. Even though the summer breeze is awesome, I think I'll be happy with the windows closed and my vacuuming staying constant at only 2-3 times a week. :-)

So let me be the first to welcome summer, bid adieu to our early summer festivals and anxiously wave (while jumping up and down) at the most anticipated festival yet to come: "The Pool is Open!".

Hope everyone had a fantastic Easter!

Nursery: Completed!

Sitting here enjoying the warm breeze with the windows open, seeing that all the trees are budding and blooming, and watching all the animals sunbathe as the weather warms (it'll be 85 on Thursday, YAY!) it dawns on me that June is approaching with speedy determination. And as I really start calculating, I cannot believe we have 11 weeks left! Wow, time really does fly!

Our timeline for the nursery wasn't very strict, though we did agree getting it done before my birthday would be the most sensible choice. And while we had the nursery finished a few weeks prior to departing for Vancouver, Dan and I were in full on "prep-for-Paralympics-and-snow-mode" so posting this update took a backseat for a few weeks.
Nonetheless, our little guy's room is all done and as promised I've taken some pictures for those who were curious how it turned out.
And it should be clarified that I have already discovered that "completed" might be an ambiguous term. Even though his room looks completed, we still need to purchase books for the hutch and the changing pad. C'est la vie!
I'm sure we'll be constantly changing the room's look as we start buying clothes, supplies and every day items.


I'll never forget putting his room together. I'm sure some might think it arduous and tiring, but I truly enjoyed spending time with Dan putting it all in motion. We had so much fun cutting the wood, nailing the pieces up, painting everything and then on to decoration decisions, anxiously awaiting the arrival of purchased items, and finally getting it arranged, assembled and organized. We had such a great time.
Thanks honey, for all your hard work and making tasks so much fun!

The rest of our nursery pics are out on picasa.
Make sure to check them out!

Whistler While You Work....And Return Home to 80 Degrees

Our trip to Whistler was amazing. Most importantly, Sean did outstanding! He placed in the top 10 in every event. YEAH! Words can't convey how proud we are of him! I've never heard so many cow bell rings, cheers, whoops and hollers. The whole stage is something to behold; filled with country flags, happy fans, lots of snow, and extremely proud family members and friends.

It was great to see him in action. Dan took a bunch of pictures and even some video; memories we'll never forget. Not only did he represent our country so well, but he sure added a couple points to the already high ranked "Halsted" name. Soooo proud of you Sean!

During our down time, the whole family was able to visit, shop and sight see, including a "peak to peak" gondola ride. Although I did get sick and queasy on the way down (darn pregnancy equilibrium and my easy-to-reignite 20 weeks of morning sickness!), the mountaintop is truly breathtaking. It's where one of the famous Inukshuk rock statues is located. Quite a sight to see.

And though the entire family visited the village a few times, Dan and I took one of the afternoons to enjoy it on our own where we were able to meander, shop, enjoy lunch, and pick up a few Paralympic t-shirts. Of course we also picked up some Olympic onesies to add to our small collection of anticipatory outfits.

Oh, and when the commercials say "Visa, the only card accepted at the winter games", they aren't kidding. Yes yes, we heard the commercials...did it dawn on us? No. Fortunately, the only store adhering to that rule was the "Official Olympic Store" and it seems we weren't the only maroons to have selective hearing because they strategically placed ATM's directly out front! Whew!

The family visits also ranked high on our list of valued time. While we weren't able to see Sean as much as we liked (understandably so, as he was super busy) we did get a chance to take in visits with everyone else including extended family and friends like Aunt Barbara and Uncle David. It was also our introduction to baby Keelie. So cute! Sean and Sarah have another beautiful one on their hands!

The day following Sean's final race in Whistler, the Halsted Party seemed to disperse. Dan and I followed suit and hopped a bus ride down to Vancouver, spending the last remaining day there.
The city is very picturesque: tall skyscrapers with water front views, lots of hub-bub, beautiful parks, etc. As with what I imagine to be indicative of every larger city, we were also bugged every block for handouts. One person was even assertive enough to come in from outside and approach us while we were eating lunch in a restaurant.
Once we got down to the water front, most of the panhandling came to a halt and we enjoyed the long trail along the water starting with the Olympic torch, sea planes landing and taking off, Stanley Park, and even a trip to the local aquarium. At the end of our long walking day, we chose a trendy restaurant close by for dinner. It was recommended to us by the concierge and low and behold...we were followed in and seated close by Lou Diamond Phillips. The ONE time we didn't bring a camera! Dan affectionately calls it our "La Bamba" sighting.

Last but not least, let's cover the topic I'm sure everyone will ask...."Was it cold?" And the answer? YES! There were times that were bone chilling and there were times where a scarf, gloves, hat, 3 layers and a coat would suffice. Either way, it was very obvious that Dan and I are not accustomed to that weather. And what greeted us when we arrived back home in Columbia? Well, the temperature is slated to hit 78 degrees today. Need I say more? ;-)

Congrats again Sean! Thanks for giving the family a great excuse to gather and giving us yet another reason to be so inspired by you!
:::Make sure to check out the rest of our pictures!:::

Nursery Sneak Peek

After all the hard work of measuring, nailing, sawing, taping & painting...the nursery prep work is all done!
I've ordered some items that should be here any day and I wasn't going to have a sneak peek before the big reveal, but I figured I'd show off my handsome husband's craftsmanship a bit early.
He did an awesome job recreating my ideas and it was so much fun working with him.
We divvied up the painting duties and we even had a little assembly line going for all the sawing. The windows were wide open during our 65 degree weather days with the iHome cranking out some excellent workin' music. Of course we had Scooter and Ginger overseeing and supervising the process. It really was fun making the room special for our little guy.

Here's the before (in the daytime):
Here's the after (in the evening, no sunlight):

Does he do a great job or what?!?!
Stay tuned! I'll have all the art & decorations up soon...Including the art I got inspired to paint myself. No no, I haven't turned into my talented sister. I'll leave the professional painting to her.

Hurry Grab the Remote...It's Sean!

As promised, here's the commercial that caused me to stub my toe, running for the remote. ;-)
It was worth it though.
I finally found it on the McDonald's website...that's what I get for scouring youtube instead of going straight to the source!
Congrats again Sean! We'll be there to hoot & holler for ya!

How Do You McNugget?

So I was walking past the tv the other day and happened to look up...I was shocked to see Sean on my tv! I did one of those "what, what, what??" double takes, ran for the remote and did a TiVo rewind...yup it's him! And since Dan's "over there" right now, I hit record as fast as I could!
We knew Sean was going to be featured in a few ads promoting the Olympics & Paralympics, but I didn't think we'd see any over here on the east coast.
I was soooo excited!

Here's one of the commercials you'll likely see! (click the sentence)
It wasn't the one I saw, so once we find more, I'll post them.
So proud and excited for Sean!

Nursery: Phase I

Paint: Check

Moulding: Check

New Miter Saw: Check

New Nail Guns & Compressor: Check

Inspiration: Check

Time: PLENTY!

All the supplies have been purchased and all the plans have been designed, including some math equations to guarantee our angles. But even though we have those, Dan's travel schedule prohibits us from getting it done in 2 weekends.

That's completely OK though. Our goal was to have the nursery completed before my birthday; giving us 2 whole months before the due date. We are way ahead of schedule! My kind of living!

The one bad thing about waiting is how we hear the paint cans calling to us every evening! We are so anxious to use the new tools and paint!

And I must admit, it was a blast watching Dan shop for the new tools. You could've inserted a comic book bubble above his head filled with Tim Allen's infamous grunt.

Here are the first pictures: the "befores" and Dan working on the chair rail.

A project in progress, for our little man!