Baby Shower, Baby Update and Blizzard

In early December Greg and I, along with our friends The Perey's had a joint baby shower to celebrate with our Grenada/New York friends. We had such a great time and Creighton is definitely more than set! Thanks to the hosts: Teresa, Sara, and The Young's.

We had a 30 week ultrasound almost a month ago and again everything is just fine.Creight is growing nicely. His head is very low, which most of you have heard me complain about since he seems to constantly squish my bladder. His body rests mostly on my right side, and his arms and legs can be seen rolling across my belly, which is wild. Here's a picture of his sweet face.

I am currently 33 weeks and can only hope these next 6 weeks fly by! I am feeling pretty good. I am starting to get a little tired at work. But as of January 4th I will move to the day shift for my last month of work before maternity leave, which I am so happy about.

Luckly this week I have been off and at home for the Blizzard of 2010. We had over 20 inches of snow! Being out in Brooklyn most of the streets are considered secondary streets, so we have yet to see snow plows even 24 hours after the storm. Greg and I tried to go out yesterday afternoon to run a few errands a few blocks away and I only made it half way up the block before I turned back. The sidewalks are not cleared that well because there is no where to shovel the snow, at times snow was up to my knees. So I left Greg to finish the errands and I promptly curled back up on the couch.

Holidays

Some years it feels more like the holidays that others, this year was a low key year. Since I am the new nurse on nights I had no choice but to work Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve, and Christmas. This leaves little time on the holiday to do much more than sleep, eat a quick meal, and get back to work. Greg had the actual day off but not much more than that. We have been spoiled in the past by having weeks off around the holidays.

We were lucky and were invited to Thanksgiving dinner by our friends The Perey's. So I was able to have a wonderful Thanksgiving dinner before jumping into a cab and heading off to work.

Christmas was saved by Teresa. She had always planned to come over and hang out even though I was working, and I am so glad she did. Greg became terribly sick (thanks to the family practice rotation he his on right now) and I was so tired from work, so Teresa cooked a nice Christmas breakfast and Christmas dinner for us. We exchanged a few gifts as well. If it wasn't for this Christmas would have come and gone.


Between the holidays I had originally planned to get out and enjoy NYC at Christmas time, which can be very magical. But this year all I have wanted to do is curl up and camp out on the couch. There are several reasons for this. First and for most, we are having a really cold winter making it miserable to be outside. And so far Creighton is not providing any extra warmth. And second I have to be near a bathroom at all times, which is pretty impossible in this city, which has made for some pretty uncomfortable moments. Once (and only once) I was so desperate I went into a subway station bathroom, yuck but I guess it beats peeing on yourself....

I hope everyone had a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year- You will find me and Greg at home on the couch this New Year watching the ball drop! Which sounds just perfect.

Baby Update and Maternity Pictures

Well the good news is there's not much to update. I am now a little over 27 weeks. Not that I would ever want to deliver early, but from a NICU nurse perspective I am finally feeling good with how far along we are. I am growing, so Creighton is growing. He is constantly moving, especially at night... which I hear is very common. I have no reference but I can't get over how much he wiggles around. Daily he gets into such active fits it makes me laugh, I just keep thinking about his skinny little legs and arms flailing around! In a few weeks we get to have another ultrasound so that will be great to see him again.

On a personal note, I finally understand why people ask me if my job is hard. Prior to being pregnant, (actually prior to being about 20 weeks pregnant) I never really understood why people asked me this. Looking back I wonder if the people asking were all mothers..... My job has always been just that, not that I haven't had compassion or experienced sad moments, but I have always been able to separate myself.
Something clicked over a month ago when I was at work, having a terrible night assisting in a resuscitation of a baby born at 24 weeks/6 months gestation (who passed....) I was not able to detach from the situation, I was emotionally invested in a way that I never had been before. I just kept thinking what if that were my baby........ It has been a difficult month a work and there are times when I have thought, Wow I can't do this anymore. But slowly I am learning how to work in this delicate area while being pregnant, and eventually a mom. It makes me thankful everyday that I am healthy and that he is healthy. And every time he flips and flops around I just smile and give him a rub.

On a lighter note at 22 weeks a good friend of mine took some pictures of me in Central Park, which was such a fun memory and keepsake.

Texas Sweet Texas

At the end of Greg's rotation I meet him in Texas for two wonderful weeks. I started my vacation in San Antonio where I was able to visit with my older sister and her family, and some dear friends from college. This picture as at the wonderful place where we got fantastic breakfast tacos, man do I miss those.....


Next we headed to Houston, it was the first time our parents had seen us since the baby news so that was really fun. Greg's mom and sister threw me a wonderful baby shower. It was so great to be surrounded by family, and man did they spoil Creighton! He's set for a while, this baby is already so loved. We are so lucky.







We were home for Halloween, which is always fun. My sister and her husband came into town with their crew and it was a great day of carving pumpkins, watching Charlie Brown, and greeting trick-or-treaters. Since we won't be home for any of the holiday's this year (thanks to me being the new nurse at work) it was nice to able to celebrate with everyone.

While Greg was away

Greg went to San Antonio Texas for a month for an elective rotation in October. This will hopefully help in March to get him placed in that residency program, but as everything in this process there are no guarantees.

It was really hard for him to be away, I was pretty emotional about it, but luckly I had Teresa to keep me company. She stepped in and not only entertained me but helped me with grocery shopping, laundry, cleaning... you name it. She even let me move in to her place for a week so I wouldn't have to be alone.

Even though I missed Greg terribly, it was great having sister time. I was able to make it to a few of Teresa's Monday night dinners with her girlfriends.

Teresa and I finally made it to Lincoln Center for a ballet, followed by dessert at Serendipity.



We also had a wonderful brunch at the Boat House in Central Park with my Grenada girls, followed by leaf peeping.... I absolutely love the fall here.

Its a BOY!!!!

So today was the big day to find out that Little Ramsey is a boy! And yes..... even Greg is very excited and happy to have a boy. We have already named him Creighton Ryan Ramsey. His first name was my grandfather's middle, his middle name is Greg's middle name. We like the idea of carrying on family names.


It was fun to see the baby moving around during the ultrasound. He even had the hiccups! He has all 10 fingers and 10 toes and all his organs look healthy. We almost didn't get to find out the gender. Creighton was sitting with his legs crossed. The technician tried for a while. She had me move side to side, and then finally she got the doctor. The doctor came in tried for a while as well, then said he thought it was a boy but not to go out and buy a bunch of boy stuff. I was getting a little disappointed thinking we would not really know. Then the doctor got a good angle and said he was 90% sure the baby is a boy. We only got a few pictures from today, and we were not allowed to video when the doctor was in the room- oh well.

Here are some belly pictures of me and baby growing over the past month. Starting a few weeks ago I began to feel tiny little thumps, even Greg has been able to feel them from the start. Now his movements are much stronger and much more often. Its very neat, strange, and reassuring all at the same time. And now its the waiting game.....

17 weeks

18 weeks

19 weeks

20 weeks

Pregnancy Update

I am now 16 weeks or 4 months and am feeling really good. It took to the magic 14 weeks to really start to feel better, which I am very thankful for. A few weeks ago we had our monthly doctor's visit. Greg's schedule is so flexible that he has been and should be able to attend all visits, which has been great. The baby's heart beat was 160- nice and strong and normal. All of the genetic testing for the baby came back normal. And my vital signs are all normal. We go back for another ultrasound September 23rd when they will look to make sure all the organs are growing correctly and this is when we get to find out the gender, we can hardly wait!

In the meantime Greg is so funny, he daily comes up to my belly and says something to the baby. The other day he just started to read from his text book- poor baby had to hear about some anatomy problem.

This week the baby is anywhere from 3 to 5 ounces, measuring 4-5 inches. The eyes and ears are in the right spot and working. It even has eyebrows and eyelashes. I should be able to feel it move in the next 2 to 4 weeks, can't wait!

I have posted some belly pictures. Not much has changed, the doctors and nurses at work comment on how small I still am. So I may have a small belly through out or some say one day it will just pop out. We'll see!

14 weeks

15 weeks

16 weeks

Road Trip to Philly

Last week we were trying to think of something fun to do with our friends The Wincklers (also fellow Austinites on the same med school journey). They recently bought a car and were up to anything and one of their suggestions was Philadelphia- only two hours away. Greg and I jumped at the chance to be in a car on the open road, and get out of the city. Our city-claustrophobia was hitting an all time high.

Living on the east coast has peaked my curiosity and passion for American history and trying good food from all over.What better place than Philadelphia, and it did not dissapoint. I knew we would get a great cheese steak and see the Liberty Bell, but I had no idea how rich the city was in American history. I now realize why it is called The Birthplace of America.

We started the day with lunch at Pat's King of Steaks, which was very yummy. Then headed over to Independence National Historic Park (which is completely free). We hit the high points but could have filled at least another day or two with museums and other sites. We saw the Liberty Bell, Independence Hall where the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution were signed, the original chair George Washington sat in while presiding over meetings, and Ben Franklin's court yard where he lived and the tunnel he walked through to get home every day. It is so neat to know you are literally walking where the founders of America have walked. If you ever head this way add Philly to your list.

Sisters in The City

We were able to organize another sister reunion this summer. This time Jess was able to come sans kiddos which allowed us to have her all to ourselves. We had so much fun eating out, learning more about the history and culture of New York, and finally taking Jess to Broadway. One of my favorite moments was Sunday evening. We stayed in and made Sunday dinner and all watched a movie. I loved us all cuddling up on the air mattress, laughing until we cried (if you want a good laugh rent Date Night) and eating cupcakes. I am so lucky to have two wonderful sisters!

Little Ramsey

Big news our next adventure is..... Parenthood!!

We are expecting a baby due February 9th and couldn't be more excited. We have had a series of doctor's appointments and ultrasounds and everything is looking great. Today was the best ultrasound. I am 13 weeks and the baby finally looks like a baby. We got to see it moving it's arms and kicking it's legs around, and saw the heart chambers beating. The technician was trying to get the baby in a particular position, so we got to watch it for a good 20 minutes. At times I have to remind myself that I am pregnant, but today felt very real. More updates to come!

6 week ultrasound

8 week ultrasound

13 week ultrasound

Summer Time

Despite this intense heat wave that will not go away we have managed to enjoy summer in the city. I think last summer I was so stressed with my old job and Greg was so busy we didn't get out much. Well this year we have taken advantage of the free summer events all over this city.

One of the most incredible free things to do in the summer is Shakespear in the Park. It is a free performance at Delacorte Theater inside Central Park. That catch is to get tickets you usually have to wait in line from 6am to 1pm and hope with all hope that you get lucky to grab a ticket. Greg and I tried this one day, but got there at 8am. Silly us, we were strongly encouraged by the staff to give up and try another day. So instead I signed us up for the online lottery and every day I would put our names in the running. Over 4th of July weekend we got lucky. Friday night we were picked for tickets to The Winter's Tale, which I absolutely loved. Then the next night we got picked for tickets again, this time to the much coveted play The Merchant of Venice, staring Al Pacino. I also enjoyed this play but it was much more intense and dark (Greg preferred this one) The cast in both plays were absolutely fantastic, it is something Greg and I will never forget.



For the 4th of July we headed out to watch the Macy's firework show, this is a free event, but we bought tickets to get into Chelsea Piers so that we could beat the crowd and have a good view. Last year when we went out to see the fireworks we didn't take into account that if you didn't get right up by the edge of the city buildings would be blocking the show. We had a great view this year, but still fought the crowd and heat on the way home. I guess that's to be expected for these events.
A few weeks ago Teresa joined us for a picnic in Central Park while listening to the New York Philharmonic. It was a wonderful evening of nice music and surprisingly lots of space to spread out.

Summer is not complete in New York with out enjoying the second best soft serve ice cream (no one can beat DQ) Mr. Softee. Every night the Mr. Softee ice cream truck drives down my block, and its takes everything I have not to go out there every night and line up with the kids. Every now and then I treat myself and man it is so good!

Next month we have a sister reunion planned in the city. Jess get's to come for almost 5 days with no kids, we are so excited we can hardly stand it! I love New York best when we are hosting and living it up here like tourists!