Friday, April 9, 2010

Hey! We've Moved!

The blog has moved to http://thr3kr.wordpress.com/. Bookmark it and make sure to sign up in the right toolbar to receive updates when I post a new blog.

Sunday, March 28, 2010

March Showers?



Wow, this has been a busy week. I have been slacking on updating. I had my baby shower and it was a blast. Rebecca did an excellent job setting everything up and coming up with games for us to play. At the shower, we had a station where people could color using crayons and glitter, a baby in utero. I think Tom's redition of Thomas was the best, but hey, I am biased. We played a baby "Rorschach" test where party goers had to guess what was being shown in an ultra sound picture. The winners of all games were given hilarious certificates of achievement.



All the people I used to work with at Essencha threw me a baby shower dinner at Green Papaya. It was so yummy. I feel so spoiled by my friends! Thomas is one lucky baby.

In between these baby showers, Tom and I went to every roller derby practice to practice text bout casting for last nights game. The girls played really great; we won one game and lost one. The Sheep had a heartbreaking loss against San Diego ( the same team we played against for my last pre-pregnant game and won) caused by jammer trouble in the box within the last five minutes. ahhhhhhhh!

Tom has been busy around the house getting everything clean and ready for Thomas, reading his birthing partner book and going with me to birthing class. Thomas loves it when Tom gets close to my stomach and talks to him. He always moves towards the sound. On Tuesday, I have to take my dreaded glucose test. I am not looking forward to chugging a high fructose corn syrup drink and giving my blood AT ALL! bleck.

Other than that, all is great on the Thomas front. At 32 weeks they will have me come in twice a week for fetal monitoring which consists of being on a monitor for 30 mins at a time to makes sure Thomas is moving properly since his home is smaller than the average babies. Hopefully my last 3 months will go smoothly as well! This high risk business sucks. :P

I am off to write thank you notes!

Here are some baby shower pics: Look Ma I'm wearing yellow!

Tuesday, March 16, 2010

Thomas and His Fish Fry

Tom and I had a fun,fun weekend! Since about 20 weeks, I have been feeling great! We finally spent a weekend on the town with the Cincinnati Rollergirls. We went to the third annual God n' Cod party-- A birthday party for our friends Liz, Lauren and Lisa. We went to a local church fish fry and bowling. Saturday we went to see Alice in 3D imax and Sunday we practiced bout casting while watching CRG scrimmage OHRG and went to Findlay Market!
Here are some hilarious Thomas Pictures from the weekend. Thomas eating Fish at the Church, Thomas and his bowling ball and Thomas and a waffle from Findlay Market!





I definitely think the nesting instinct has kicked in because I have been really focused on getting everything ready for Thomas. Tom and I took the trip to IKEA to get Thomas a dresser and we started putting together the baby room last night. I think it is all starting to come together. We also received some adorable wash clothes from my Aunt Flo and Aunt Cheryl. Check these out! They were so yummy looking, I wanted to eat em.




As for Thomas, he seems like he never sleeps! He moves so much and so forcefully that other people can see him moving. I feel like I am staring in the movie Aliens. ugh. We had our last weekly ultrasound this week and I don't have to go back to the doctor for two whole weeks. I am so excited.

xoxo

Tuesday, March 9, 2010

Birthing Class and More

The roller girl baby shower was awesome! We played some fun games, ate some good food and laughed... a lot! The girls totally spoiled Thomas, he even got a diaper, four-tiered cake! I will have pictures soon, I promise. While at the derby baby shower, Tom put his plotter and artistic skills together to make some amazing and hilarious CRG signs for our first bout. Lets just say nobody is going to miss these!


Speaking of CRG, they whooped up on Naptown last weekend in a closed scrimmage and will play another closed scrimmage this sunday against OHRG. I am 100% positive they will bring the pain again!

Tonight is our first natural birthing class. I think Tom and I are both excited, yet unsure of what they will have us do. I hope we meet some people around our age and taste so Thomas can have some friends to play with. We had the same hope for the hospital maternity tour, but at 25 and 31 we were the youngest ones there by far!

The guys at the office are getting ready to leave for SXSW and I opted to stay back and take care of the office. I think I am kind of regretting that decision, but when all of this went into planning, I was unsure of how my pregnancy was going to go and I didnt want to sign up for five nights of music and partying in my third trimester. I would have missed CRG's first home game of the season too which wasn't going to happen!

xoxo

Friday, March 5, 2010

Third Trimester!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Its here! I am 25 weeks and Thomas is doing great! He looks absolutely adorable every time I see him at my ultrasounds. He loves to spread his legs out and it seems like he is always sucking on amniotic fluid. His little tongue is ADORABLE!

Thomas has been quite the spoiled baby too! Erika and Emmit sent Tom home with a TON of their old baby stuff. We are so lucky that they are being so generous. We also received a baby book from my grandmother and the most adorable crib bedding set from my parents. I am getting excited for my fun packed weekend! Tonight the Cincinnati Rollergirls will be in the Bockfest Parade, tomorrow is the CRG baby shower and Sunday I will be watching the girls scrimmage against Naptown. We also got our league photos back. I think it is Thomas's first professional photo shoot ;)
And here are some new pics of Thomas....



Saturday, February 27, 2010

Hockey, Birth Plans and Hospital Tours... oh my!

Tom has been doing a ton of work around the house to get ready for the baby. He put together the crib and it looks great. It is kind of strange to have a crib in the house a few months before the baby, but I figure we should get used to seeing it. Gi Gi and my Dad bought us a sheet set to decorate the crib and we are anxiously awaiting it. I bet it is absolutely adorable.





We received the baby shower cards that Tom designed, from my Uncle Keith, the printer, and they are so cute. They are one-sided postcards and Tom set up the rsvp link here on the blog! I will be addressing them and sending them out (hopefully) on Monday. So, check your mailbox and reply back here!
Speaking of Thomas, he is getting really big! I measured 24 inches at the doctor this week and have a ton of new pictures that need to be scanned and posted here. We are going to a maternity ward tour of the Good Samaritan Hospital today. We are very excited and hope that it meets our expectations of our birth experience expectations. I plan on delivering naturally as long as there aren't any complications that would require me to have a C-Section. I am vehemently against the C-Section and medicated birth, so I hope everything goes as planned.


Tom and I are looking into getting a doula for the big day, so we can focus on each other and our doula can focus on supporting our birth plan and talking with the Doctors. I also do not want to deliver on my back, I would prefer alternative positions that allows Tom to be a part of the experience and have gravity work with my body to help deliver, such as squatting, kneeling and on all fours.

Two neat things happened last night, Thomas went to his first hockey game. I think it was a little to loud for his liking because he kept flipping and turning. I have never felt him move so much! We also got confirmation from the Rabbi, Rabbi Berger, that he will officiate our ceremony. SO exciting! This means we have a date and a Rabbi. The two hard things are done, now onto the million small things that have to be accomplished.

xoxo

Tuesday, February 23, 2010

The Crib is Here!

The crib has arrived!!!!!!!!!! I am so excited to watch Tom put it together tonight ;) . I have the newest ultrasound pictures of Thomas's foot. He is getting so big!

Monday, February 22, 2010

The Kick That Could...

Well, it has been pretty uneventful around here the past week. Tom and I were both swamped with work, snowed in for a part of the week and working from home. While stuck at home, I had the chance to make some super yummy banana bread and knit Thomas the most bad ass skate booties ever! I altered the pattern to make them low top, speed skates and they are adorable!



Once the weather cleared up, I showed up to Sunday scrimmage practice. The Cincinnati Rollergirls are looking fierce and I would not want to mess with us this season!

Great Grandma Elsie bought Thomas a crib and we are excitedly awaiting its arrival! We took forever deciding on cribs and reading the consumer reviews. I hope this one is great.


On more exciting news, Thomas is kicking HARD now. Last night for the first time, Tom was able to feel it and he was really excited. To give you an idea, I had my phone in my jacket pocket today and Thomas kicked me so hard he speed dialed Kelly! Silly baby. He is definitely going to be technology savvy.
Our weekly appointment is on Weds this week, so I will let you know more then!

xoxo

Wednesday, February 17, 2010

Thursday, February 11, 2010

Our First Hospital Trip-- Hopefully Our Last Until Delivery!

Yesterday was a rough day for Thomas and me! So far in this high-risk pregnancy, I have chosen to ignore the possibility of "risk" involved with my pregnancy, but I was definitely reminded that I was not on the road to a normal pregnancy when I was sent to OB Triage at Good Samaritan Hospital...
Earlier this week, I started developing back pain and I thought nothing of it until it intensified and included stomach pain and shortness of breath. I decided to call my doctor who told me to immediatly go to triage. Tom rushed home, in the blizzard, to take me to the hospital where they immediatly put me on a fetal monitor and ran EVERY test that you can imagine. (I still feel a little violated!) It turns out that at 21 weeks, I was having contractions. Luckily, I did not dialate or have any other complications. They ran tests to see if it was my kidneys or liver having problems and made sure my pap came back fine. All the tests were clear, so I was sent home after 5 hours when the contractions stopped and told to immediately come back if it happens again.

I think I need to stop telling Thomas that I can't wait to meet him because I'm not ready for him to take me seriously ;) This hospital trip really put my situation back into perspective and I have been really nervous about everything since.

On a slightly happier note, I think we found our Rabbi. We had a phone conference last night and he assigned us some reading homework. I will let you know more as soon as we do!

I will post pictures as soon as I find my camera! Pesky thing likes to disappear!

Monday, February 8, 2010

Thomas Thomas Thomas!

I am getting excited for my baby shower. We are still deciding on the date and once we don, we will have the invitations out soon! Since I am high risk, we are planning the baby shower earlier than usual just in case he decides to meet us early.
My close friend Rebecca has taken on the saintly task of organizing my baby shower. We both agree that we want to avoid the whole super baby-centric baby shower and go with a more adult feel and celebration. We plan on having some good food, good company and hope to have my friends and family collaborate in making a plaster belly cast of my stomach. Rebecca suggested using all of my weekly ultrasound pics and making a game with the goal of figuring out what we are seeing. I have my ultrasound technician in on this, so it should be pretty funny. We are also thinking about having people make onsies for Thomas. He is definitely going to be a styling baby!

I am even more excited for Thomas to be here! I cannot wait to meet him. Our weekly ultra-sounds are going great so far and he almost has the same sleeping schedule as me. He loves to kick me all evening, but he usually falls asleep when I do. G. Grandma Elsie has told us that she is buying us a crib, which for me starts the beginning of really preparing for the baby and getting his room ready.
Well, Thomas and I are tired early. I think it is because I grew 3 inches around last week alone!

--Lauren

Wednesday, February 3, 2010

It official-- Sept 5th

Our spot is confirmed at the arboretum!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I am so excited and nervous about all the planning and details. A big thanks to my mom and dad for reserving it for us!
We still do not have an officiant. Rabbi Gruber is more than perfect for our wedding, except he charges 3 times more than anyone else. le sigh. We are still in conversation with another Rabbi and if that doesn't work, we will talk to my Uncle who is a christian pastor. It would be nice to have my uncle marry us, but I am really holding out for a Jewish wedding.

As for the apartment, we are almost moved in! Whew. Linda and Barney came over last Sunday to join us for lunch and help us settle in. It was very nice. I think we are going to love this space. As soon as everything is in place, I will post pictures. This reminds me: we have a NEW ADDRESS. Make sure you email me to get it!

Thomas seemed to be kind of sleepy at his last ultra-sound appointment which didn't stop him from being a big mouth breather! He was cracking me up with how wide he had his mouth open. The technician joked that it looked like he was singing. No new pictures this time though.

Ok, it is time for me to head out the door to help coach the rookie practice. I miss skating more than anything right now. I need a low- impact exercise substitute stat! Who am I kidding though, there is no substitute for derby. I feel like I am going to turn into one of those people that start watching videos of their old games.

Ta ta for now!

Friday, January 29, 2010

Wedding Stuffs

Tom and I have decided to have our wedding in Dallas,Tx because it is a central location for most of my family which grossly out-numbers his family. My parents recommended the Dallas Arboretum which is right by White Rock Lake and I immediately jumped at that idea because I spent a lot of time as a child around White Rock Lake. One of my fondest memories is when our family would bike the whole circumference of the lake and how accomplished I felt the first time I rode my own bike the whole way.
We are holding out that the arboretum will be open on our date, Sept. 5 2010. We are tentatively booked for the space, but the whole weekend is booked for a company outing or something. Word is that they are canceling *fingers crossed* Check it out!:
Ok, that takes care of place and now we are in need of an officiant! We are hoping to have a secular wedding with Jewish themes, maybe our own vows and some special surprises. The problem is, most Rabbis wont marry us because Tom is not Jewish OR they require us to go through Jewish courses about marriage and child rearing. The problem is, we live in Ohio and the ceremony is in Texas, making those requests damn near impossible. So, after a few phone calls and emails. I think I found a Rabbi who is perfect: Rabbi David S. Gruber. I have a phone meeting with him tonight and I hope everything goes up to my expectation. He is a previous orthodox Rabbi who now claims he is a Jewish secular humanist.

Well, that is all for now and don't worry, I'll let you know when we are engaged. ;)

Thursday, January 28, 2010

Moving Time

It is official, we are moving this weekend! I am excited, but it seems like an impossible task since I can't really lift anything. Chris and Rebecca are coming to help Tom; I am hoping it won't be that hard because we are moving to a different apartment in the same building.
This Sat. is the Cincinnati Rollergirls Roll Out Party and I can't wait to see what this season has in store for my team and teammates. We already have a snazzy, yet dusty, new warehouse space so, the season can only get better!

I called Rabbi Murray Berger today and left a message about our wedding goals: simple, secular, outdoor with Jewish tones and theme. Hopefully, we will hear back from him soon. In addition to Rabbi selection, we started thinking about what colors we should have for the wedding. I think we are leaning towards Orange and Green. We will keep you posted ;)

Monday, January 25, 2010

Lots of Changes!

This past week has been busy and the next week will bring us a ton of changes! This weekend we are moving into a two bedroom in the same building and I can't wait to start designing the baby room!

I had my weekly ultrasound today and it appears that Thomas is mostly on the right side of my body because of my neato *sarcasm* uterus and he has been in breech presentation for two weeks now. He is super, duper active and gave the ultrasound technician a hard time checking his organs, but they are all there and looking great. They will continue seeing me once a week until 26 weeks and then from 32 weeks on they will see me twice a week, since I am at high risk for pre-term labor. buh :(
We did get a picture of his face with an open mouth smile! He is such a ham! He was moving his mouth the whole time. Daddy Tom is scanning in this picture and we will post it as soon as we can.

I received this email today, so it looks like I am having my first baby shower on March 6th and I am super excited to share it with my rollergirls! :

We have a barrel of roller babies marinating in some skater ovens and it's time we threw them a party! ...only because we waited too long to be able to throw them down the stairs! (Just Kidding!)


Bundled Baby Shower for Candy Kickass, Mae C Stars, & Ruffn the Passer

When: Saturday, March 6th
Time: Afternoon (specifics TBD)
Where: The Awesome New Warehouse (duh!)

AND we just received notice that Gi-Gi (my mom's grandmothery name) is out of surgery and doing well! So we are all happy over here!

Wednesday, January 20, 2010

Middle Names and Show off Babies

Well, Thomas is a show off. I guess when you have parents like us, that is bound to happen. At his ultrasound on Monday, he did a full flip followed by crossing his legs, scratching his face and waving. What a weirdo! Here are the new ultra sound pictures. He actually looks like a baby in these :P.

Last night when my Dad was in town, the 3 and a half of us went to Biaggio's Bistro--Yummy food as always. My Dad told us an interesting story about my paternal grandfather Bernard Charles Kaplan (and the middle name sake of thr3kr). He told us that in fact, his name was Charles Bernard Kaplan, but his name was printed wrong on his birth certificate. This got me thinking that maybe we would name our baby Thomas Charles Reed instead of Thomas Bernard Reed. As a little homage to the naming mishap. What do you guys think?




Friday, January 15, 2010

THR3KR Sightings

Here he is with his two new friends!

Here he his drinking cocoa on Festivus, with Tom's homemade sweater and Rebecca being purposefully and hilariously awkward!





And he is somewhere in there.... on New Year's Eve!







If you are wondering, THR3KR is the moniker we came up for our baby until we decide on his full name.

Thursday, January 14, 2010

Hey... Im not just a penis!



Here are two other pics of Thomas. No face though...stinker! My next Appointment is on Monday and every Monday thereafter for the rest of my pregnancy. Tonight Tom and I are looking at another apartment, one with two bedrooms. I hope it is what we have been looking for; I am ready to decorate a baby room. Moving....not so much!

Monday, January 11, 2010

We're registered!

Whew, we did it! ( A little early) Registering for baby stuff was harder than we thought. It required a lot of thinking and planning; what will we actually need? Brands? Sizes? Colors? Cloth diapers( hey, where the hell are they anyways!)

Tom and I have been weighing the pros and cons of cloth diapering and I was hoping to put them on my registry, but Target and Babies R' Us didn't seem to have any. I guess we will just go to Park and Vine to snag some later.

And what is with all the pink and blue. Trying to avoid gendering our baby right of the bat may be a harder task than I originally thought! EVERYTHING is blue or green with very masculine decals--trucks, baseball mits, and lions!

Anyways, Here are the links
Target
Babies R' Us

Sunday, January 10, 2010

Its a Boy


More pictures to come soon... cough cough Daddy!