Isn't She Lovely

Matt and I had round 3 of our 3D/4D ultrasound today. Randal cooperated a bit more after a large breakfast and caffeinated coffee. She is still in pretty much the same position she has been in all week with her feet, hands, and umbilical cord in her face but she was moving around a bit better during the ultrasound so we were able to get a few shots of her face. Also, we were able to confirm she's still a girl :) Below are a few pics of our little girl. In the last pic the object running to the left of her face is her leg....can we say flexible!



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Still Stubborn!

So Matt and I went for round 2 of our 3D/4D ultrasound and we didn't fair too much better than last time. We did leave with a few so-so pictures but still nothing we were thrilled with or that the ultrasound tech was happy with. Apparently she is facing my back and in a pike position with her hands AND feet in her face....this makes for bad ultrasound pics. The tech said she had great movement (just not for pics) and the fluid was really clear (with is perfect for pics if hands and feet aren't in the way). Luckily they are going to let us come back for round 3 either tomorrow night or Saturday morning. Hopefully the third time will be the charm :)

Stubborn!

Matt and I went for our 3D/4D ultrasound today and walked out with NO pictures!!! Randal was facing my back and in a ball so we saw nothing more than spine and scalp. We did get to hear her heartbeat which is always nice but we really wanted to see her. The ultrasound tech had me drink some Mountain Dew and eat chocolate, but NOTHING worked. Randal typically sleeps ALL day and is awake all night so the movement I get from her during the day is just a kick or a jab. Luckily we were able to reschedule our ultrasound for Wednesday evening. We will be keeping our fingers crossed that she wants her picture taken this time.

30 weeks

Hello everyone!

Sorry its been so long for a post. We have been super busy and on top of that I was sick for a week....which by the way being sick and pregnant is horrible. I am finally feeling like myself again but still have a slight cough.



Randal weighs about 3 lbs and is 15.5 inches long which is being compared to a large head of cabbage. I have seen the below questionnaire on some other blogs so I thought I would fill it out for all of you:

Maternity clothes?: Yes and no :) I am still able to wear a mix of maternity and non-maternity clothes although many of the non-maternity clothes are just normal clothes that I bought a size bigger.

Sleep?: No complaints about sleep due to pregnancy; however, my cough does seem to kick back up when I lay down or roll over. Even with the cough I still sleep well and find myself only getting up once a night to use the bathroom.

Best Moment of the Week: There hasn't been one defining moment this week but I am excited that things are starting to come together for the nursery. Matt and his dad put down new floors in the nursery, I started making the curtains, and the fabric for the bedding FINALLY came in (ordered it at the beginning of Nov). Matt was also able to see Randal move for the first time this week so that was fun to get to see him react to watching my belly move all around.

Gender: GIRL!!

Labor Signs: None. Thank goodness!!!

Stretch marks: None. Again, thank goodness!!!

Belly Button in or out: Half and half :)

Craving and aversions: I don't know it its a craving but avocados have tasted really good lately. As far as aversions go I still am picky when it comes to things with crab.

What am I looking forward to: Everything!!! Time is starting to go by really quickly and I can't wait to meet my daughter. I am also looking forward to the 3D/4D ultrasound scheduled for Wednesday.

Milestones: We finished birthing class tonight!!!

26 weeks

This week Randal may be able to start hearing Matt and I speak as the network of nerves in her ears are developing. She is also inhaling and exhaling small amounts of amniotic fluid to aid in developing her lungs. She has grown to around a 14 inches and 1 and 2/3 pounds. The vegetable the website I get my info from is comparing her length to is an English cucumber. This has made grocery store trips more interesting since I get to check out what produce matches the size of my daughter :)

24 Weeks

Sorry everyone for skipping out on week 23. Randal and I are still doing great :) Randal is very long and lean right now measuring about a foot long. She will start putting on some extra padding soon. I wish I had more to update on, but everything is great and I still feel pretty "normal." Matt and I should begin work on the nursery soon. It will be awhile before we can post any pictures of if, but I am excited to start working on it.

Charleston Day 1

Matt and I celebrated our second anniversary in Charleston over Halloween weekend. This was our second year celebrating our anniversary in Charleston and will surely not be our last. Charleston is such a beautiful historical city but what I love about it most of all is the food! Ask anyone who knows me well and they will tell you I talk about food way too much and read cooking magazines or cookbooks far more regularly than I even think to pick up a novel. In all honesty food and cooking is a passion and a hobby of mine.

This year we stayed in the Double Tree hotel on Church St. This hotel is right downtown and allowed us to park our car on Saturday and not touch it until we left town on Monday. All in all Matt and I estimate we did 13-15 miles of walking!!! My feet might have hated me come the end of the day but walking is really the only way you can enjoy Charleston's charm.

For the past two years we have experienced record breaking/matching weather in Charleston. Last year there was so much rain (I forget the number but remember is was a record) that the fire dept was running boats down many of the streets downtown. This year is was 85 degrees on Halloween!!! This would have been great if my summer clothes still fit :) Oh well, the sun was shining and it was gorgeous out so I wont complain.

Okay, on to what most of the our blog followers (or at least those related to me) are really interested in.....Restaurant Reviews!!!

Day 1 Lunch

We ate at Cru Cafe for lunch on Saturday shortly after our arrival. I should probably go ahead and mention that Cru is 1 or 2 places Matt and I enjoyed so much last year that we came back this year. Cru cafe is an charming historical home converted in to a restaurant. The chef at Cru is a total control freak. This year and last he was the one to greet us when we walked in the house and the one to seat us. This man seriously does everything from seating you, ensuring your meal is cooked properly, to cleaning your table when you leave. This guy would have a total meltdown trying to run a larger restaurant where he couldn't see and hear all of his patrons at once.

Matt and I split two plates at lunch as we didn't want to commit ourselves to just one dish (this is our typical style of ordering). One plate was the Coconut Fried Oyster Wrap with Chipotle Mayo. The oysters in this wrap are amazing. The chef does a great job of giving the oysters just enough flavor in the breading that you can still taste the oyster. I feel pretty safe saying this is a staple on the Cru menu as we ordered it last year as well and it was just as phenomenal. Our second dish was Open-faced Turkey Cheddar on English with Fried Onions....Yum! It may sound simple but this isn't your ordinary restaurant. The English muffin was freshly baked and the spicy mustard with the turkey and melted cheese was amazing. And did I mention there were Fried Onions!!! The were super thin and a perfect accompaniment to the plate. On thing I saw coming out of the kitchen a lot (but have yet to try) were the shoe string potatoes that you have a side option. Both times we've been to Cru we knew a heavy dinner awaited us so we tried to go light with our sides but if the number of orders they serve of this side dish are any indication of they're flavor they must be out of this world.

Cru Cafe definitely did not disappoint us this year and lived up to our memories of last year. This restaurant is staying on our list for next year.

http://www.crucafe.com/restaurant_menu_lunch.php

Day 1 - Dinner

For a pre-dinner appetizer we went to the Noisy Oyster Bar where we had an oyster sampler platter with Oyster's Rockefeller, BBQ oysters, and pesto oysters (they of course called them something better!). The oysters were good (not to die for) and appetizers are half off here until 730/8 so I wasn't disappointed in our pre-dinner choice.

For dinner we went to Hank's Seafood. Here we didn't split our dinners as usual b/c Matt ordered a fish that is off limits for me (for now!). I ordered the Pan-Seared Sea Scallops and Matt ordered the Red Snapper special. Both of our dinners were really good, but in all honestly I wanted more...I can't pin point what was missing but I just wanted it to be better. I guess I was still coming down from my lunch at Cru. Also, I know some of you that are reading this are trying to plan your own trips to Charleston and I am not saying I wouldn't recommend this restaurant, but it had a lot of hype and for me it just didn't live up. Like I said the food was great, but I was looking for a home run. My dad has heard that the shrimp and grits at Hank's are some of the best but the description sounded just like the dish my dad makes and I wasn't even going to give them a chance knowing how much I like my dad's version of this dish.

http://hanksseafoodrestaurant.com/menu.cfm

After dinner we went to Pearlz Oyster Bar. I had water....it was cool and refreshing (ha!) I watched Matt drink a beer and take back an oyster shooter. We are definitely going to go here next year for a pre-dinner appetizer. They have a raw oyster sampler here that is paired with beer that Matt and I both wanted to try but he was nice and didn't make me watch him enjoy it.

http://www.pearlzoysterbar.com/

Charleston Day 2 & 3

Day- 2 Brunch

We started Sunday with brunch at 82 Queen. It was still fairly warm on Sunday so we decided to eat outside. If you go to 82 Queen you MUST eat outside. They have have an amazing patio with trees and flowers growing every where with tables tucked in between. There are little birds hoping around everywhere...it was just perfect! Matt had a Bloody Marry with his breakfast that from the little sip I had was perfectly mixed. Matt ordered the Low Country Crab Benedict which he loved. He said it was one of the best crab cakes he's ever had. Certain preparations (ie crab cake) haven't sounded appetizing to me lately so I didn't even try it but it looked wonderful and the waiter told Matt he chose the best thing on the menu. I had (drum roll please).....the shrimp and grits! The Shrimp and Grits here are a BBQ version of the dish and sounded nothing like my dad's so I thought it was safe to give them a try. They were really good and something I would order again. Very simple, probably something that could be easily duplicated but none the less very satisfying.

Oh, I almost left out one of the best parts of brunch. We had delicious cheddar-thyme biscuits...to die for! I overheard another waiter say these were the lunch biscuits not the typical brunch biscuits so if you go for brunch I would ask if they have these.

http://www.82queen.com/menu_list.asp?mn_id=7

Day 2- Dinner

For dinner we went to S.N.O.B (Slightly North of Broad). This is the second year we went to SNOB and boy were we not disappointed. I really don't think (okay, I know) I have the vocabulary to properly describe the absolute perfection of dinner at SNOB. Matt ordered the BBQ Grilled Tuna with Fried Oysters. Again something I didn't try but it looked great and Matt was very pleased. Matt had all but given up on ordering tuna at restaurants b/c chefs get medium-rare confused with well-done, but he was very pleased at his perfectly cooked tuna. It was really hard or me to choose what to eat at SNOB. SNOB has my three non-fish favorites on the menu in preparations that sound mouthwatering. So my choices were the quail, lamb chops, or duck. I ruled the quail off my list only because its what I ordered last year and I knew SNOB could impress me just as much this year with a different dish. I then crossed off the lamb because I think I can make a pretty mean lamb chop dish (I think!?!). So I was left with the Sauteed Duck Breast with Yellow Squash Casserole. Just thinking about this dish puts me at a lose of words. With out a doubt one of the best meals of my life! To top off our out of this world dinner we had the dessert that was on special...Derby Pie....need I say more. Matt and I love SNOB and will probably never make a trip to Charleston without visiting this place. It is our favorite (with Cru a close second) and we think it is a must for anyone who enjoys great tasting food.

http://www.mavericksouthernkitchens.com/snob/index.html#

Day 3- Breakfast

We only had time Monday to eat breakfast so we headed to Toast. We had their stuffed French Toast and a typical breakfast platter (eggs, biscuit, bacon, etc). Both were very good and satisfying. I wont even try to elaborate as I am still thinking about SNOB, but this is a good place to go if you need a quick breakfast on your way out of town.

Non-Food Attractions

I think it is quite obvious that Matt and I consider restaurants a form of attraction/entertainment so other than walking around we didn't do much outside of eating. Our one real attraction was the Rhett-Aiken house. The tour of this house is self-guided while you wear head phones and carry an MP3 player. This house is a preservation not restoration so much of what your looking at hasn't been touched in over a century. Matt and I both enjoyed our time here and highly recommend it but remember it is a preservation not restoration so much of your enjoyment will be in using your imagination while listening to the stories.

Other Charleston Recommendations

Since some of you are planning your own trip to Charleston I thought I would share little bit of last year with you.

Recommended Restaurant (not mentioned above) - Poogan's Porch for brunch or lunch

Overrated Restaurant- Magnolia's...I had the most ill-seasoned piece of fish here and sent it back to the kitchen. Matt thinks I am being really harsh on this place but really my fish was so bad I don't plan on giving Magnolia's a second chance anytime soon. Regardless of my opinion they still remain one of the most talked about restaurants in the city.

Must do- A walking tour. Charleston is such a beautiful city with lots of history. The only way to really absorb it all is through a walking tour. We had a really great guide last year who has lived in the city all his life and works for himself giving tours. Matt has gone to bed and I forget the man's name but if you are going to Charleston and this interests you please contact me so I can get you this guy's name.

Charleston Wish List

This is what I want to do sometime in the future in Charleston:

*Ghost Tour

*Cooking class at Maverick Kitchen (next to SNOB)

*Plantation Tour

22 weeks

I am 22 weeks pregnant now and Randal is about a pound :) I feel like my clothing options were dramatically reduced this week so I am looking forward to shopping with my mom when I go home this weekend!

2 years!

Two years ago today I married my best friend, love of my life, life partner, etc. etc. I knew Matt would be a huge part of my life from the moment I met him when I was 16. I don't think he quite realized what role I would play in his life at that time, but I hope he has enjoyed our time together as much as I have. I look forward to spending the rest of my life with Matt and raising our children together. He is a great husband and I am sure he will be an even better father.

Our wedding day was absolutely perfect. Below are a few pics from two years ago today!

And what really made our day special was having our friends and family there to share it with us.

21 weeks

I'm 21 weeks :) Randal is about the length of a carrot and weights around 12 ounces. The belly is getting a lot more noticeable now and is looking more like a baby bump than a few extra pounds. She is moving around more and more and occassionally I can watch her move as well.

Randal's First Football Game!

Well Katie was already in bed (at 9pm!) when I got home from class tonight and I didn't think anybody wanted to see my belly, so her belly pictures will have to wait until tomorrow. However, I do have some pictures from Randal's first Panthers game this weekend!

And the bad influences......

I've already been scouting out cheerleader outfits and can't wait to take her to her first game that she can actually watch!


Posted by: Matt

Sewing

On Wednesday I went over to my friend Casey's (thanks Casey!) to get some much needed sewing tutoring. We started off with a very simple burp cloth. This weekend I practiced my new skill and made lots of burp cloths for Randal. The next project I plan to tackle is bibs. Slowly but surely I will work my way up to baby bedding.

Here are a few of the burp clothes I made this weekend:

Half Way There!

I am 20 weeks today which means I am half way through my pregnancy....YAY!!! Only 20 more weeks until I get to meet Miss Randal.

We had another doctor's appt this week, and heard the heartbeat again. The heartbeat was in the 140s and everything is still looking good.

Below is my belly at 20 weeks :)

Books for Randal

One of the things I look forward to the most is spending time reading to Randal. I know this is such an important thing to so with your child and also a great way to bond with them. I don't have too many memories of being a very small child; however, I do remember a few of the books my mom read to me and the time we spent reading them. Although she thinks all those nights reading weren't fruitful as I don't love to read like she does but I do remember and am thankful for all those nights that she read to me.

The first book for Randal was purchased by my mother very early on in my pregnancy. The book is my absolute favorite, "Love You Forever." The message of this book makes me cry as an adult (especially a pregnant hormonal one!), but as a child it just made me smile. So lets see if I make it through reading this to Randal for the first time without crying.

Recently my friend, Nicole, sent me a gift card to B&N so we could get started on adding to our book collection for Randal. The two books I bought are two that Matt and I remember being read to us when we were little. The book Matt remembers is "Brown Bear Brown Bear," and the one I remember is "The Big Hungry Bear." I guess we both liked books about bears :)

Baby Bedding

In preparation for Randal's arrival I have purchased a sewing machine as I want to make lots of clothes and other cute things for her. One of the projects I plan on tackling is baby bedding. If you know me well you know I am a planner so before we knew that we were having a girl I searched the Internet for boy and girl bedding so I would at least know nursery colors early on. I found a really cute set for a boy but everything I found for a girl was way to frilly or if I liked it but it was way too expensive....did you know baby bedding can cost up to $1000?!?!?!

So in the search for the perfect bedding set I expanded my search to fabric stores in hopes to finding fabric that Matt and I could agree on. We found an adorable pink and blue fish pattern which will be main fabric and a red and pink stripe that can be used for accents.

I have a lot to learn before I tackle the task of making baby bedding. Luckily, I have a friend who is incredible at sewing all things "baby" and she has volunteered to show me the ropes of sewing as well as recommend a local sewing shop that has been willing to answer all of her questions.

19 weeks

Today marks 19 weeks. I have been feeling Randal move around a lot lately and I love it!

According to a popular website, baby center, Randal is about the size of an heirloom tomato and her legs and arms are proportional to the rest of her body.

Below is a pic of the belly this week :)

Its a GIRL!!!!

Matt and I had our "exciting" ultrasound today and found out that we are expecting a little girl. We are absolutely ecstatic and can not wait to meet her. Before we found out what we were having we had names picked out either way so I am happy to announce that our little girl will be Randal Jean. Randal is for both of our fathers and Jean is my middle name as well as my grandma's.

Although I have not had a feeling either way as to what I would have I am somehow surprised that it is a girl. Matt and a couple of my girlfriends were the only ones who thought it was a girl. Both of our families had strong feelings that is was a boy. Statistically we both have many more boys in our families than girls (even though I am not responsible for determining the gender). There are no girls on Matt's side of the family and I am the only girl on my Dad's side of the family.

Randal cooperated very well during our appointment and the ultrasound tech was able to get all the measurements she needed. She is measuring just as she should and everything looked great :) Below are a couple of pics of Randal Jean!

17 weeks

Today marks 17 weeks of pregnancy. Nothing new or fun to report, but I figured I will try to post a picture of the belly every week so you can watch it grow! And yes, I still have and wear my EHS cheerleader shirt (just around the house) for those of you who recognize it :)

Matt is telling me he thinks the belly definitely grew this week. In comparison to last weeks picture I agree. I still haven't told everyone at my work the good news; however, I do happen to work with one of my best friends and she has warned me that people are on to me (due to the growing belly I'm sure). I am hoping to announce it at work after we find out what we are having, but I guess we'll have to see how quick the belly grows.

9/13/09 Fishing

Had my brothers, one of their friends, and Dad join me today for a trip offshore. We fished around 25 miles out for most of the day. Ended up with groupers, triggers, grunts, and pinkys. Another great day on the water, can't wait to do it again!

I'm still trying to figure out a way to attach a car seat to the leaning post......duck tape maybe?

Can't wait for a kid (girl or boy) to take fishing! (and clean the boat afterwards)

Matt

Welcome to our blog!

Hello all~

Matt and I have started this blog to keep our family and friends near and far up to date on our lives. So what's going on in our lives?..... Well, as many of you know we are expecting our first child in late February. We are super excited and have lots to fill you in on :) So here are the updates on our baby thus far:

We had our first ultrasound at 7 weeks 5 days. We were able to see the heartbeat (amazing!!!) and the ob the was able to predict my due date to be Feb. 21. We have lots of birthday's around this time of year so he/she might be a perfect b-day present for someone. Below is a picture from this ultrasound. Matt affectionately referred to his son/daughter as a "blob" for the next few weeks after this.















We had another ultrasound at 10 weeks 4 days. It was amazing to see how much growth had taken place in such a short period of time. Matt stopped referring to his first child as a "blob" after this appointment as you could clearly see a profile. What was funny about this ultrasound was the baby was laying in an awkward position for the ultrasound tech to get her measurements so she kept shaking my belly and making me change positions. But do you think my baby moved? Nope, not one bit!!! I hope this doesn't mean he/she will be hard-headed like their dad. During this ultrasound we saw our baby "wave." I wish the ultrasound tech could have captured that picture, but oh well we were happy with the picture we had already.















Unfortunately we dont get anymore pictures until Sept. 25, but this is the appointment where we will try to determine if we are having a boy or a girl....this is if the baby cooperates which we know how well that went at the 10 week appt! In the mean time we've had appointments at 12 weeks and 16 weeks to listen the the heartbeat. The heartbeat was 166 bpm at 12 weeks and 150 bpm at 16 weeks. Below is a picture of me at 16 weeks. It doesnt look like I have much of a belly but believe me its growing!!! I had to give up buttoning my regular size pants at 10 weeks and I am slowly beginning not to be able to zip either! But thank goodness for bella bands. This is the best maternity product I've seen/used thus far. It allows me to continue wearing my normal pants without everyone knowing they're not buttoned (or zipped!).














So what else to fill you in on?.........Well, I guess some of you want to know how I've been feeling. Since I found out I was pregnant until now I have felt perfectly normal!!! Other than an earlier bedtime and a growing waistline I haven't experienced any of the "normal" pregnancy symptoms.


Also, this isn't only our first child but this will be the first niece/nephew, grandchild, and great-grandchild for our families. Hopefully, our child wont be too rotten as I'm sure everyone will not be able to resist spoiling him/her. Its been so great to see how excited everyone is; however, I am concerned that I might not get to hold my own child until they are a toddler as the grandmas and uncles have been calling dibs on who gets to keep the baby when. Our baby will be very lucky to have so much family near as two uncles live in Wilmington, one set of grandparents will live in Calabash, and my mom will be here during the week as "daycare." On a side note...DAD!! If you are reading this please move down here soon!

Okay, so I guess this was more like a chapter in a book not a blog post. Oh well!!! Please check back frequently as we will have more updates and things to share.

-Katie