20 Weeks

We reached the half way mark; I'm now 20 weeks and feeling great. Pat seems to be active. I can feel him kicking, which is a pretty cool experience. Andrew keeps hoping to feel him kick, but I understand it will be a number of weeks before he can feel him kick. I had a doctor's appointment this week and Pat's heart beat was 156 and the fundal height was 18 inches, which the doctor said is what it should be.

Off to Work I Go

As I've previously mentioned, I miss my career. When I got pregnant and realized we'd be in Portland less than 6 months before Pat arrived, I figured I wouldn't be able to find a job in my profession  for a company that was willing to give me three months off in less than six months. I was a little worried about what I would do with myself for those six months because I knew I would want to be working. About a week after we arrived, and I wished I was working, I decided it couldn't hurt to look at job postings, maybe I'd get lucky. It could happen, right? 

Well, I got lucky. Along with a handful of other jobs, I applied for a temporary part-time HR Generalist position with Adidas and I was hired. YAY!!! It's perfect; a great job for a fantastic company in an industry I feel right at home in, great people and a great schedule.  I'm hopeful that this will create opportunities when I'm ready to return to work after Pat's born.

I have a lot to be thankful for.

A New Place to Call Home

Before moving to Portland we thought we'd live in downtown, that was before we knew what it cost to live in downtown Portland and how small the apartments were in our price range. Although we would like to live there, we decided a single family home  just outside of Portland would be better than a tiny apartment and a long commute for Andrew with Pat on the way.

Fortunately we found a rental house in a neighborhood we like. It's an older home with 3 bedrooms, a 2 car garage, large backyard, and some character. We are happy to finally be getting settled into a place we can call all our own. We think we'll stay only a year or two, although after unpacking I hope we never move. You truly never understand how much stuff you own until you move and unpack.

It's a...

Boy!!! 

We had our 2nd trimester ultrasound at 19 week. More importantly than finding out Pat's gender we we were told that everything looked "perfect." Which of course is exactly what expectant parents want to hear. His heart rate was 146 and he weighed three quarters of a pound.

Here are a few photos from the ultrasound:

We shared our news with friends and family in a number of creative ways (thanks to Pintrest and me having a lot of time on my hands):

Leon asked, "What's this on the inside."

Her expression... priceless

Our family in Minnesota had to blow up balloons to find out if Pat was a boy or girl:

We sent Andrew's mom a package which she first thought was a DVD of the ultrasound, but was actually a tiny baby hat I knitted in blue. We were able to Skype with her, Andrew's brother and his girlfriend, grandma and aunt. They were all very happy to hear the news. Andrew's brother Travis insists that we name Pat Travis. (Unfortunately I forgot to take photos of the hat.)

Week 18

I'm now 18 weeks pregnant, yah! 

I had a doctor's appointment this week and Pat's heart rate was 140 bpm. I have gained about a pound since my appointment a month ago, which puts me at about 2 lbs above my pre-pregnancy weight (I lost a few pounds in the first trimester). I feel like I've gained more weight than that though. It must just be my muscles turning to fat. I think I was a bit naive to think that if I continued to work-out and be healthy I wouldn't gain fat around your whole middle. My body is definitely changing. However, I can't complain I have a beautiful little bundle of joy growing inside of me and I'm still just barely fitting into most of my pre-pregnancy clothes. 

Thankfully I continue to feel well and am glad the 2nd trimester has restored my energy. The only little bit of trouble I'm having is not sleeping soundly. I'm trying to get use to sleeping on my side since I'm normally a back and stomach sleeper and between that, going to the restroom in the middle of the night and my helpful husband waking me by rubbing my stomach to get me to roll from my back to side, a restful night sleep doesn't come very easy. I look at it as training for the many restless nights ahead. 

I also started prenatal yoga this week. I use to take Bikram/hot yoga classes, but never just yoga. It is a little out of my comfort zone being a bit hippyish  but I enjoyed the first class. 

I'm still very much enjoying cottage cheese, I eat a large container in about three days, and Tom & Jerry's Half Baked Ice Cream in moderation. 

Next week we find out Pat's gender. We can't wait! Any guesses, boy or girl?

Go Winterhawks!

Last weekend we attended a minor league hockey game (or whatever an amerteaur hockey league is called), Portland Winterhawks, with Leon & Kevin. This probably wouldn't make too many people excited, but we were thrilled. This is something we dearly missed while living in China, e.g. live music, sporting events, basically activities that didn't involve solely spending time at a bar or restaurant or traveling, which is pretty much what occupied most of our time in China. We enjoyed the extremely overpriced beer (well Andrew enjoyed the beers) and the expensive parking for a couple of hours of watching a small puck slide around and men fight on an ice rink.

Pumpkin Carving Isn't Just for Kids

When you have a life of leisure sometimes you find yourself with extra time on your hands, as I did on Halloween. What to do, what to do? Why not carve pumpkins? Who said a child has to be involved to carve a pumpkin? I always enjoyed pumpkin carving as a child, why wouldn't I as an adult?

Thankfully my dear friend Leon also enjoys a life of leisure, and was willing to partake in this American Halloween tradition. See Leon is from Ireland and I understand that carving pumpkins isn't something those Irish usually partake in. I'm told a bonfire and heavy drinking is usually how they roll. 

I don't think either of our pumpkins are going to win any contests, but fun was had by all.

Happy Halloween!

Mom Vehicle

Since we sold my compact Mazda 3 before we left for China, we were in need for a 2nd vehicle. (I had this grand idea that we could be a single car family for a few months since I wasn't working... Well that was a good idea in theory, but in reality it's not very practical for us. We ended up purchasing a vehicle only after 3 weeks in Portland.)

We considered a lot of different vehicles and spent hours test driving quite a few. In the end we decided a dependable used vehicle with a third row seat was best for our growing family. We ended up purchasing a 2010 Toyota Highlander. 

We're officially a silver Toyota family.

I really like it, but without a child, two or three in tow, it feels a bit big for little ol' me. However, I'm sure soon it will feel just right or with maybe just a little big with just Pat.