Baby #2 is In There!

I had my first ultrasound on Friday to make sure things were cooking just fine on #2. Baby's heart rate is normal, length is 3.16cm, and everything looks great! My official due date is March 25. My guess: April 4. Let's hope I'm wrong!

Aunt Katie and Uncle Boston's Gift to Gizmo

Giana - One Year from Kate Brickman on Vimeo.

Happy 1st Birthday Gizmo!

My little missy Giana, you were the life of your first birthday party.  You were surrounded by friends and family, all who love you dearly. 

You were a champ at opening gifts, although you were easily distracted.

You weren't quite sure what to think when everyone started singing to you...

...but were a champ when it came to eating cake and frosting.

It's been one year since you stubbornly came into this world, and we have enjoyed every minute since.  We love you, our dear sweet little girl.  Happy first birthday.

Guess Who Has Ultrasound Pictures?!

Not me.

I had an ultrasound scheduled for Friday afternoon, just to check to make sure all is well with Baby #2. 

(Side note - we need a new in utero name for Baby #2.  Any suggestions?)

I dropped Gizmo off at Grama's and headed to my appointment.  As I was driving, I realized I had plenty of time to drive the 25 minutes to the doctor's office, and so wasn't mad when I got into the slow, left lane of traffic.  A car in the center lane had its blinker on to get in front of me, and I kindly let the car in, thinking to myself, "Self, how nice of you to let that car in.  Usually you would speed up because you are in a hurry 24/7 and can't let people in.  How nice!"

Then he stopped, fairly abruptly.  

And I stopped.

And the cars behind me, well, their reaction time isn't quite as good as mine.  And I was rear-ended.

It was a three-car pileup, my car being the first of three.  The third driver was the asshole not paying attention who rammed the Saturn in front of her, and then she hit me.  Thankfully, no one was hurt, and Gizmo was not in the car with me.  My car sustained minimal damage, just some scrapes on the bumper.  But I missed my appointment.  And we created one heck of a traffic jam, as we were on one of the busiest stretches of road in the town.

The worst part of the entire thing?  Having to go to the bathroom while I waited for the police to finish up, as I had dutifully drank my 28 ounces of clear liquids one hour before my ultrasound.  Those pictures would have been fantastic.

Why Haven't I Blogged? Let Me Count The Ways.....

• Work and school have taken over our lives.
• Traveling between Illinois and Minnesota didn't lend any time for blogging.
• Since being back in Minnesota, we have been preparing for the big first birthday bash at Fifty Below Zero this weekend.
• I haven't taken any good pictures, even with our trip, to really blog about.
• Home improvement projects are never-ending.  Seriously, they never feel done.

The real reason I haven't blogged in well over a week?  I am DAMN tired.  Super-tired.  Exhausted.  Fall-into-bed-and-collapse tired.  

Baby #2 is really exhausting me.  I hate the first trimester tired stage.  

I promise to do a better job, and take great pictures for an out-of-this-world blog post of Gizmo's party.

Or at least ask Katie to take some good pictures for me.

Removing the Last Part of My Youth

On a warm, humid day in 1992, my mother and I walked in to the house-turned-into-an-office to embark on a new journey. The waiting room was full of magazines and promises of better smiles, and the anticipation of what was to come was nervewracking. I was escorted into the back room, where the hum of the drill made me equal parts excited and nervous. I leaned back, and the process began....

Actually, I don't remember a thing about getting my braces put on. All I remember is that Dr. Carley's breath was a little smelly, and he always leaned the chair way back, to the point of feeling like you could slide right out at any moment. I had my braces on from 7th grade until the beginning of my sophomore year of high school. I had all of the typical stuff - colored donuts, headgear, the occasional broken wire, and the pain - but by the end my teeth looked straight and beautiful. "You've got a beautiful smile now!", Dr. Carley would say. And it was.

I wore my top retainer for a couple of years, but stopped wearing it on a regular basis by the end of high school, and would occasionally put it on for fun in college. I do still have it somewhere in the bathroom, but haven't put it in for years.

That bottom retainer, though, was cemented in and was NOT coming out. As I approached 30, I had a burning desire to get it off. My students at school frequently asked about my "silver teeth", and I would watch their face fall in disappointment when I told them that it was actually a retainer and not teeth made of silver.

A few months ago, I asked my dentist to take it off. He was hesitant to do that, and suggested I call up my orthodontist to have him remove it for me. So, I called up Dr. Carley's office a few weeks ago and booked an appointment for when I was in town.

Today, I went in and had my retainer removed. Things in the office are still the same - same receptionist, same decorations on the wall, same wallpaper. There are different posters on the ceiling over the chairs - pictures of Edward, Jacob, and Bella from Twilight. (I couldn't help but think that his male clients wouldn't be so excited about staring at Edward for a half hour, but I didn't mind.) Dr. Carley's breath was improved, although his hair is significantly grayer than what I remember. He still leans the chair way back (even more uncomfortable as an adult), and said when I left, "Well, you've got a beautiful smile!"

Here's to having my retainer gone!