And it's a ...

I was super excited to get the 'official' ultrasound scheduled at 18 weeks. Chris wanted to do a preliminary sonogram on his own to see if he could guess correctly if it was a boy or a girl. We decided to just wait and see what the ultrasound tech would come up with. I had been exuding 'girl' vibes since Chris had done the 12 1/2 week ultrasound so I felt that I would be shocked and have to adjust my mind frame quite a bit if it was a boy. I'd have to start thinking blue instead of pink.

The day of the ultrasound we had an early appointment so Chris could get to work once we were done. I was told to have a full bladder so I was guzzling water bottles on my way to the hospital. With the ever-present need to go to the bathroom I probably could have gone without an extra ounce and been okay. Not knowing how it worked, Chris showed up with me on time, but then was told he had to wait in the waiting room until the sonographer was done with the first part of the ultrasound. I felt bad for Chris sitting out there just waiting. However, I wasn't able to see the baby for the first part either. About an hour later, the ultrasound tech was done taking the necessary photos to send to radiology and Chris was able to come in. The tech gave us a baby tour and walked us through the body parts of Baby Bell. I was so excited to see the little hands and feet with fingers and toes. Even though Baby Bell seemed to be pretty calm and content to stay in one position we were able to see the mouth move. We heard the heart beat for the first time - ticking away at 136 beats a minute. The umbilical cord was between the legs making determining the sex a little more tricky. However, the tech was able to get a clear shot and gave us a pretty certain guess that Baby Bell is indeed Baby Girl Bell.

It was interesting looking at the current shape of Baby Girl Bell in contrast to the 12 1/2 week ultrasound. The head was more shapely and about a third of the body size instead of the same size as the body. We had a great view of the heart beating, and we could see the brain and bone structure more definitely. They were only ultrasound pictures, but Baby Girl Bell looked beautiful to me.

The ultrasound tech asked me during the first part of the sonogram if I had any idea what the gender would be or if I had had a 'dream telling me what the sex of the baby was'. I never did, but deep down I felt that we were having a girl. A few months after Chris and I had decided we wanted to start our family and having had no success, and because it was our first time trying to get pregnant and it wasn't happening right away, I worried that maybe there could be something wrong to prevent us from having children. On a day of discouragement I prayed to Heavenly Father telling him that I knew there was a little girl waiting to come to our family and that we were ready. About three months later were blessed with our pregnancy. I had always had an inkling that it was most likely a girl, but also knew that God works in his own way and that anything could happen. My mom and sister Jan also always supposed Baby Bell to be a girl. Although Chris attributes that to the tendency for girls to think it's a girl and boys to think it's a boy.

Since I had started cultivating a real belly bump I wanted Baby Girl Bell to know what she looked like from the outside the day we found out for sure that a girl was on the way. It mostly looks like I'm bloated or I had a big breakfast. Depending on what I was wearing I could easily hide my 'pooch', as my mom calls (my least favorite term for a pregnant belly).

We made sure to let the family and friends know so they could start thinking pink as well. They had some fun responses.

From Molly:

Yay! Girls are the best! (no offense boys). So happy for you both. Yet
another excuse to go shopping:)

From Lucy:

Yeehaw!  Now I can move forward with the baby gift! :)  What colors are you using in the baby's room?  Paige - I think you should field this one..... :)  Congratulations!

From Jim:

Congrats Chris and Paige! You guys must be very excited! Can't wait to
meet her next summer!

From Joe:

Congratulations you two - we're very excited for you!
....got a name yet?
Kidding

From Tracey:

That is awesome news!! She is going to be a cutie!!

On the Austin side I sent out a text with the most recent ultrasound picture.

Jan wrote:

Yay!!! Baby Jan!

From Heather:

Wow, What a great photo. You will have so much fun with a baby girl. We are so dang happy for you. Love you!

From Rich:

Ooh that is a good one! She looks cute already. Congratulations Sis!

From Mom:

She is beautiful

From Dad:

Looks just like here mom!! Love Dad

Some friends sent us replies as well.

From Laura Horne:

Yay! She is going to be gorgeous, so smart, a super athlete, and pretty much better than the rest of us in every way =)

From Kimberly Washburn:

Oh- I' so excited for you!!!!! She will be beautiful! I really do think we have the same life- maybe we were supposed to be twins :) Love ya!

I was glad to have a solid decision as to the sex so I could start doing the things all future mothers do - plan the nursery and buy cute girl clothes and accesories. Even though we weren't going to have a nursery due to living in our apartment and moving a few months after Baby Girl Bell was born, I could still think about it. I celebrated my new surety by buying my first little girl outfit. And that is just what it was, a little girl outfit - eighteen months. I was so excited to find such cute clothes for a girl that I didn't think about how long it would actually be until Baby Girl Bell would be able to wear it. Chris warned me not to go too nuts.  Okay, I guess...

I had heard that about this time is when I would start to be able to feel the baby move. Because the little arms and legs are so small and the baby isn't very strong, discerning between baby movement and intestinal movement was tricky. However, at times I would feel a little bump in the belly and it was different than anything else I had felt before. It would only happen on occasion, but I knew for sure I was feeling the little life inside me.

Weeks 14 to 17

The next weeks brought on some major improvements. I was having more energy with less nausea, and was able to wean myself off of Zofran. Which, for being such a wonder drug also had its drawbacks - headaches and constipation, which I found were more common in others than I had thought. My sister in law, Heather, was actually the one who told me she got major headaches with Zofran and so was only able to take a half at a time. Not knowing the association earlier, I was more than happy to trade a pounding headache for a little more nausea. Also, with the stomach calming down I was able to get back into swimming in the apartment community pool. However paradoxical it may sound, I had more energy but felt more tired at the same time. Maybe the same amount of tiredness just not compounded by the nausea.

On the first of September my mom called and told me that Grandpa Sonntag had suffered a stroke. It was a massive injury and it was unclear if he was going to make it through the next few days. He was in the ICU, paralyzed on his left side, in A-fib, and occasionally responsive. After a couple of days of continued ups and downs Chris and I decided to take an impromptu trip to Utah to see the family over Labor Day weekend. Being away from the family is tough when you are missing the fun memories, but even more difficult when you can't be there to help through the hard times. Jan picked us up from the airport after an early morning flight and took us straight to the hospital. A few aunts and uncles were there, but from what I had heard there had pretty much been a continuous flow of visitors. Only allowing 3 people in the ICU at a time we had a couple of good moments with Opa. He had enough energy and was aware enough that he could respond to us being there. We told him we had just arrived in Utah and came to see him. Opa said to me that I had 'married a good man'. At another time during one of our visits we told Opa hello and that it was Paige and Chris visiting. He said 'I love Chris'. It was touching to me to see how much Grandpa cared for my husband. Chris said it was only because he gave Opa Ativan. We showed Grandpa the ultrasound pictures of Baby Bell. He said the baby was 'beautiful, just like it's mother'. We asked him what we should name it and he said 'Donald'. We got a good laugh out of that. And when asked if that should be the name even if it's a girl he said 'Dawn'. He also told my cousin Jacob and his wife Ashley that their baby, due in December, should be named 'Donny'.


While in Utah over the Labor Day holiday we were able to get Baby Bell in on my favorite hobby - triathlon. I had been aching to do a triathlon before I got too pregnant to participate so the South Davis Labor Day Triathlon was a perfect opportunity. Jan even got in on the fun. Chris and I scrounged up some gear the night before, thanks to my dad, brother, and mom. We didn't have any high expectations considering we were on borrowed equipment and I was pregnant. I tried not to push anything too hard to keep from getting my heart rate too high and overdoing it. Even with my moderation I happened to pull out a 2nd place finish in my category and 6th female overall. I guess that tells you what the competition was like since a pregnant girl could come out okay. Chris came in 3rd in his age group. Our trophies were hammers with our categories and places etched in the side. We came back from Utah feeling like champions. However, traveling seemed to take it's toll once again and I was laid up for a couple of days recuperating from my exertions.


While I had been busy being pregnant every day Chris was absorbed with the sports medicine fellowship. The busiest part taking place in the fall with lots of football games which pretty much last until the end of the year, and then rolls on over to basketball season. Once the spring hits things with the fellowship are supposed to slow down. Chris kept making big plans and goals for the spring as far as trips we should take, bike rides and events to participate in, and things that we would like to do in the fall but due to the football schedule would have to wait. I would just laugh and say 'In the spring my goal is to have a baby'. He would then remember that our life would be changing drastically. Chris did mention that going to Utah and getting away from the fellowship for a weekend he realized how focused he had been during the first part of his training, which of course is not bad thing, but I think he started remembering that I am pregnant and would be having our own spring chicky to mix things up.


We had our first meeting with my obstetrician on the first day of week 15. With the Kaiser Permanente system being the way it is I thought it strange that my first exam and appointment was so far into my pregnancy. With the access to healthcare I had through Chris I wasn't concerned, but I would worry about anyone else who didn't have any knowledge about pregnancy, prenatal care, what to eat and not to eat, what medicines to avoid, etc. Chris joined me for the appointment so he could meet Dr. Wang as well. It was a rather uneventful meeting with the usual ob/gyn exam and review of health history. Dr. Wang said she would be doing a vaginal ultrasound. AAAAH! That didn't sound pleasant. I asked if she could try an abdominal since Chris had already done one - two actually - and found the baby without a problem. Thankfully she agreed. It was fun seeing Baby Bell again, even if it was on a poor ultrasound machine with a screen the size of a portable DVD player. Again, we didn't get a good enough look to see the sex for certain, but we were still leaning toward a girl.





Some fun and rather unexpected news that was revealed was that my brother Alex and his wife Marty were also pregnant. Not sure if either of them were very interested in having children the information was surprising and great. Marty was 8 weeks along and would be 7 - 8 weeks behind myself, meaning that our little ones would be playmates. They can 'throw sand at each other in the sandbox' as Alex put it. I instantly felt for Marty and how she must have been feeling. Ugh. That first part of being pregnant is pretty heinous.


As the weeks continued it brought with it an increased appetite and some of those 'cravings' you hear about pregnant women getting. While driving on our way to go mountain biking one morning I had an intense necessity for a sausage, egg, and cheese Mcmuffin. We had to take a detour through a nearby McDonald's in order to satisfy the craving. On another day we were at the Rose Bowl watching a UCLA football game and at the half I had to have a stadium hot dog. The food, though it always seems to be something unhealthy, tastes ten times better, and 'hits the spot' when that craving is being indulged.

When the skirt I had chosen to wear to church was just a little too tight and I could no longer suck in the little bulge on my stomach I started to feel the 'I'm fat as a horse' vibe. I could have sworn Baby Bell must have doubled (or tripled) in size the last few weeks. Or maybe it was just that I was getting my appetite back. I had some days of feeling sorry for myself. I was not feeling attractive, Chris was super busy with the fellowship, my family back home was absorbed with everything going on in their lives (legitimately so as Opa was still recovering, Jan and Alex were in school, Rich started a new job, and Heather's dad was not doing well). To make myself feel better I went on a small shopping spree. I bought some things that work well now, but also allowed room for the belly-to-be. I hadn't been on a spree in a while and felt guilty spending money on myself like that when we were on tight money terms. Chris, in his ever-supportive way told me it was good and that I probably needed everything I bought. What a winner of a husband.

Not wanting to risk another bike accident on the road Chris and I kept to the mountain bikes - in a pregnant-lady-safe kind of way. I would laugh because Chris would race up the hills in order to feel like he was getting a better workout, and I would put the bike in my lowest gear and work my way up, not wanting to get too hot or my heart rate too high. When I realized that even on the flats I was panting like a dog on a hot summer day Chris told me that it's like I'm 'riding a tandem but I'm doing all the pedaling'. At another time he reminded me that just like eating for two, I'm 'pedaling for two' as well. Even running began to change. I could feel my posture altering just a little bit and I felt like I needed to have someone realign my pelvis so I could get my stride back. And worse, with Baby Bell getting bigger and bouncing on the bladder, after 5 minutes of running I was keeping an eye out for the nearest bathroom.

Finishing out the First Trimester

My trip to visit family in Utah was great. Not feeling well had made me miss family that much more. Unfortunately, I was unable to do a lot of the things I wanted to do. The tiredness seemed to take precedence and there was plenty going on to keep me pooped. I broke the news to my friends about the pregnancy while we were talking at the high school reunion. I found out my close friend, Courtney Winegar was also pregnant and two weeks behind myself. Chelsey told me she couldn't wait to see me 'get fat'. Kim was excited for me to be pregnant so I could know what it is like since our lives have been very much the same for so many years and she has already gone through the whole pregnancy gig twice.

We received some of our first baby gifts while I was in Utah. My Aunt Jenny gave us a collection of books that her son James absolutely loves and has memorized. Marty and Alex thought of us while they were vacationing in New York and bought Baby Bell a 'I heart NY' onesie. Chris said at least it wasn't a Yankees onesie (He's a big Red Sox fan).

The plane ride to and from Utah was a little uncomfortable due to my unusually keen sense of smell, which Chris calls my 'Spidey Sense'. On the way out I sat next to an older lady who smelled to me very strongly of a nursing home. The return flight put me next to a rather odiferous man who smelled like the armpit of an egyptian.

I was extremely glad to come home and see Chris after having been gone a week. That was the longest we had been apart from each other and I knew he missed me when there was a beautiful bouquet of flowers waiting for me at our apartment. I know Baby Bell was missing Dad as well.

After learning that the obstetricians in the Kaiser hospital don't do a lot of ultrasounds and our next appointment not being for a few more weeks Chris and I decided it would be fun to take advantage of Chris' position as a doctor and do an ultrasound ourselves. I met Chris in his clinic at the end of a work day so he could do the sonogram himself. It was so amazing for me to see cute little Baby Bell actually looking like a person. The last ultrasound didn't show much so I was surprised when I saw an easily visible head and body with the arms and legs. I became a little emotional when I realized that there was actually a living being growing and thriving. We were able to take our time watching the baby move and turn. Chris used his long dormant OB skills to try and determine the sex of Baby Bell. His best guess was a girl due to the potential presence of the 'Hamburger Sign'. I realized then why parents don't want to leave their children. I felt like I could have sat there and watched Baby Bell all day.

The next couple of weeks were fairly uneventful as the first trimester came to a close. The nausea and fatigue started getting better. I found myself getting more done throughout the day. With my love of organization returning I started making sense of the apartment so it could better suit our use. I also began to be unable to tolerate heat and I felt like I was having mini hot flashes. I thought that maybe Baby Bell was a girl because the ovaries would be forming about now and that would explain the heat associated with hormone surges. Or, Baby Bell could be a boy that is a little furnace the same way Chris is always emanating heat. Either way I had a tough time holding Chris' hand or being close to him because his body heat would trigger my own body to heat up, which in turn would make me nauseas. And with the temperatures still hitting 100 degrees I would be looking forward to some cooler days.

Telling the Family

Having not enjoyed my first few weeks of life in sunny California I was looking forward to plans to head home to Utah for a week with intentions to attend my 10 year high school reunion. The reunion being more of an excuse to visit home than anything else. Knowing that I wouldn't be able to hide the pregnancy from my parents once I was with them we decided to break the big news. Parents first, of course. While in Oceanside we had a t-shirt screen printed with the words "I knocked up your daughter". On a Sunday evening we skyped my parents while Chris was wearing the shirt, though at the beginning keeping it hidden with crossed arms. My dad doesn't usually get into the skyping as much so it was perfect that both he and my mom were there. After a while of chit chatting Chris uncrossed his arms. As my mom was chattering about something, my dad took about 2 seconds to read the shirt and asked if 'this was a pronouncement or something?' My parents were thrilled and we gave them the rundown of the past weeks since we had found out ourselves. More than anything I was glad to not have to pretend to my family any more.

Chris, in his usual nonchalant manner spread the news to his family in a reply to an email about when would be a good time to go to Cape Cod next summer.

Late July to early August would probably be best for us. the official end date here will be July 8th I believe. Also, another piece of this puzzle is that Paige is pregnant, about 10 weeks along now and due in early March. So we'll be toting around a 4-5 month-old. Not sure how that will work, and if you guys will even want a kid that age around, but if everyone else is there then we sure want to be as well. Plus, I still don't know what my work situation will be at that time but if we make plans now I can account for that when I set things up this winter. But we at least would like to have some time for the move and such, so again late July to early August would be ideal. Hope this doesn't complicate things too much....

C & P

It was funny to see the responses from his family as they read the email in turn.

From Joe:

….HELLOOOOO Chris! What a way to announce it…I mean c’mon, man! Get a little pumped! I mean I know you’re a fairly laid-back, unexcitable dude but holy cow!

Um, CONGRATULATIONS!!!!!

Btw….see what you can do about a March 19th EDD….

From Molly:

Yay Paige and Chris! Woot woot! (picture me fist pumping…..or better yet, raising the roof). So excited for you guys! What’s the actual due date?

From Jim:

Congrats Chris!! I’ll be a little selfish and suggest that you absolutely need to bring the little one with you net summer to the cape in order to meet aunts, uncles, cousins, etc…!!!

Jim

From Lucy:

OMG! Congratulations! How's Mommy feeling? Hopefully not too crappy. Are you so excited?! Are you going to find out what you're having? Can I ask any more questions????? You're going to have to take pics to document the pregnancy as you go along. I want to see the ones right before she's due! :)
So, to answer your question, no, that does not complicate things. Late July, early August is fine. I'm going to plug for early August myself. Water's warmer then! Very important!

From Barbie:

Congratulations Paige and Chris! That is BIG news!!!! We are so excited for you guys! What fun that will be to have a baby on the Cape - all will be fighting over him or her! We will be sure to keep Paige and the babe in our prayers!

Love,

Barby

Chris called his parents the same day to tell them the good news. They were very excited to have another little one to join the family.

On our family website we got a lot of encouraging responses from friends and family.

From Laura Horne:

This is the best news EVER!!!!! I am so excited for you guys. Of course, I am sorry about the sickness and all that, but you are going to be the best parents. I am not sure the world will know what to do with a baby that beautiful though.

Congratulations guys!

From Curtis and Kristen Black:

YEAH! Congratulations! We are so excited for you guys and know that that baby will be blessed with an excellent family!

From Megan and Ben Wallace:

Yah! The news I've been waiting to hear over your blog. I am so happy for you and glad that I still have good prego radar! Haha!

From Nicole McConkie:

Oh, Ah... That is just such a cute photo. I am happy you posted it. Glad to hear you are feeling a bit better!

From West and Jami:

Congrats Guys! west, Jami and the girls

From Jason and Tricia Leak:

PAIGE! That is soooo exciting! Congratulations to you both! I can't wait to hear if it's a boy or girl! :D

From Ky and Spencer Stucki:

YEA!!! Congratulations you two! That is such exciting news. Whatever the gender, it is going to be one beautiful baby! Glad to hear your feeling a little better Paige. I hope you've been enjoying California-

We Came to Know About Baby Bell

The day after my Mom and Jan flew back to Utah Chris suggested I try "The Test". The pregnancy test we had on hand was one that would show two pink lines if you were pregnant and one if not. After taking the test the pee-stick showed one really bright pink line and another barely visible line. I figured I was probably pregnant, but wanted one that was a little more obvious. Chris picked up a digital test that would tell you in words 'Pregnant' or 'Not Pregnant' so you couldn't get it wrong. Within a few seconds of taking that test the word 'Pregnant' appeared.

My initial reaction was something along the lines of 'Well that explains it.' I was so glad to have a reason for the way I was feeling. Chris said he was so excited he felt like he wanted to tell people. When I asked who he wanted to tell he said 'The whole world.' We decided to wait until the pregnancy got closer to the end of the first trimester before we started sharing our good news. Though my initial thoughts don't convey our excitement we were ever so thrilled to be starting this new part of our life, my enthusiasm was dulled by nausea and tiredness.

Chris downloaded an app on his phone that told us how far along we were, when our due date would be and gave weekly updates on the approximate size and weight of the baby. From this we discovered that Baby Bell would be joining our family the first part of March. Even before we were thinking about getting pregnant I thought March would be a good time to have a baby. The reasons being that it would be great to be very pregnant through the coldest part of the winter so I could be kept warm by the baby ove, and another reason being that having a baby in early spring would give me time to get back in to shape by the time swimsuit and racing season came around.

The next few weeks were typical for most pregnant women in the first trimester. I woke up late in the morning and went straight for the Tums, though I cut out the Diet Coke. Thanks to Chris' job he was able to procure a bottle of Zofran, the nausea wonder drug. I spent most of the day lying in what I call my "Ailing Chair" trying to work up enough energy to do something productive. Chris was always so supportive when I apologized for not having done much with my day and let the apartment get messy. He would tell me that I had been busy all day 'incubating'. Without much concerted effort I sort of looked for a job not sure if I wanted to take on the nursing requirements and training or if I wanted to try something different. And, knowing that I would be having a baby before long made the effort seem a lot less worth it. I did keep looking and applying, but to no avail. I tried to keep active by going on short runs and bike rides. Both of which seemed half-hearted, but that was all the effort I could muster. I tried swimming once in the pool at our apartment but the salt water cleaning solution used instead of chlorine made me sick enough that it was the only time I threw up.

As far as cravings go, it was more trying to figure out what I did feel like eating instead of what I had an intense hankering for. For a while I didn't feel like I could get enough milk and I was drinking it as if it was blood to a vampire. I went through an Easy Mac kick and had a bowl a day for a while. Contrary to most pregnant women I had developed an intense dislike for ice cream, chocolate, and sugary treats. My sweet tooth became rather small and was satisfied with Gushers and Swedish Fish.

All of Chris' colleagues knew about the pregnancy long before any of our family members since Chris had to ask who the good Obstetricians were. I thought 'Great, Chris and I have worked along side and with OBs in Ogden for the past few years and could easily pick an OB we knew a lot about and already liked. I just so happens that we great pregnant right as we move away from the doctors we know.' We got some recommendations and made an appointment after making sure we had insurance coverage after the move -I hear babies can be expensive.

Baby Bell's next adventure came about a week and a half after we had found out I was pregnant. I was having a good morning after taking a zofrn and decided to go for a bike ride after Chris and gone to work. About the time Chris was seeing his first patient a small truck made a left hand turn in front of me as I was cruising downhill. I was unable to stop fast enough and ended up slamming into the passenger side of the car and tumbling over the hood and ending up in the gutter on the other side of the car. I was very dazed, but glad that it wasn't as bad as I pictured in my head before I actually hit the vehicle. My left thigh, shoulder, and wrist were in pain but I felt like I could move pretty well. In a few moments there were people all around me and someone had called 911. I phoned Chris to ask him what I should do. Because he was in clinic I had to call twice for him to answer. I told him what happened and asked him to come fast. In what felt like a couple of minutes the ambulance, firetruck, and police car showed up. The paramedics figured the mechanism of injury and being pregnant required that I go to a trauma center and had me strapped to a backboard in a C-collar and put me in the back of the ambulance. I didn't feel like I needed to go to a hospital where they would do a lot of unnecessary x-rays and tests, but I wasn't sure what to do about being pregnant. Once Chris arrived and saw that I was not too bad off he rescued me from the ambulance and the paramedics. They had us both sign a paper that said we were leaving AMA (against medical advice). Chris took me to the clinic where he was doing his fellowship in Fontana. Chris and one of the directors, Dr. Rubin, looked me over and said I was okay. My biggest concern was for the pregnancy. The potential to have done something to affect the pregnancy scared me and was the only part of the whole experience that caused me to get emotional. I wanted to know that I hadn't done something to cut the pregnancy short. Chris and Dr. Rubin assured me that at this stage the baby is so small it is extremely well protected. Since I was already at his clinic Chris grabbed the ultrasound and we had our first look at Baby Bell.

I'm not sure what I expected, but there isn't much that looks like a baby at 6 weeks. We could see the heart beat, but that's pretty much all Baby Bell was at that time. More like an aneurism in the uterus. I called Baby Bell my little peanut since that's about the size it was.

Not to complain, but over the next week and a half I had the added pains in my wrist, leg and shoulder in conjunction with my pregnancy ailments. One of the worst pains common to early pregnancy are the extremely slow bowels. Bloating was the only reason my pants were tight or that I had any semblance of looking pregnant. I had one try using the Milk of Magnesia and it wasn't fun (I don't think I'll ever try that again). I spent even more time being sedentary while my body healed which didn't help matters. Maybe after all of the action of the preceding weeks it was good for Baby Bell to have a rest as well.

Not wanting to lose too much of my athleticism I tried to get back to exercising and being active as quickly as possible. Since my helmet was cracked and my bike needed fixing, the bruise on my leg hurt too much to run with, and my shoulder hurt too much to swim with, I spent a few days sitting on the bike trainer trying to make the most of a weak first trimester workout. After a sad spin on the bike I would have to lay down and rest and cool off. The 45 minute effort would be enough to require a solid nap in the afternoon.

However, recovering enough after a bit Chris and I took Baby Bell through another big part of our life - Racing. We did the Maui Jim Surf Monkey 5k while in Oceanside at a sports medicine conference. Chris told me I could run as fast as I wanted and that Baby Bell would be okay. Still dealing with my previously mentioned ailments I was able to finish without too much shame in 22:15 and fifth in my age group. I have to mention Chris' time of 20:57, also fifth. I paid for the effort afterward in the form of the gut aching nausea.

Knowing that we were going to be parents start thinking more seriously about the responsibilities of raising children and trying to instill in them all those attributes that we would desire for them. We began watching children and families around us to see how their dynamics played out. We quizzed each other to see what we would do in various situations. In one instance Chris and I were laying by a pool and there was a young boy, his younger sister , and their dad swimming in the pool. The dad and son were playing and swimming while the sister followed them around on a pool floatie whining and half-crying because she wasn't getting enough attention. I asked Chris what he would do. He said he would just ignore her. I joked and, borrowing a phrase my dad used with us, said 'I would ask her if she wanted me to give her something to cry about'. He laughed and said that was a good one. In many of the circumstances that we quizzed each other on we were really just hoping we got to our kids ahead of time so they didn't have the behaviors we saw in some of the more annoying children.