Babymoon 2013: Breakfast Stop

We've stopped at Perkins for breakfast before heading to the ferry. 

Babymoon 2013: Foiled

It's been a long day but we have emerged in Plattsburgh, NY. We drove to Lake Placid and planned to have dinner there. But when the GPS said your destination is on the right, there was nothing! We drove on another hour and arrived in the city we have a hotel booked. I had a restaurant in mind but when we got there, we saw this on the door. 

No matter how much we had to pee, we got back in the car and found a restaurant called Ground Round. Bathrooms were right inside, food came quickly and they have free wifi. It was meant to be. Tomorrow will be more relaxing! 

Babymoon 2013: Hello New York

Babymoon 2013: First Stop

This will be a riveting update. :P We've stopped for lunch at an Onroute in Port Hope. It's raining steadily and Ian had fun trying to park the Avenger boat. 

Ceasar Salad! 

  

I expect more exciting posts when we cross the border. :P

Babymoon 2013: We've Departed!

We picked up the rental car this morning. Ian went home to pack it while I went to Starbucks for Ian fuel. The car is a Dodge Avenger. It's actually pretty nice. Huge trunk and heated seats. 

We are traveling the 401 for a long time before dipping down into New York towards Lake Placid. I'll post updates on here and Twitter before we exit Canada. After that it will be wifi dependent. For now I get to sit back, sip water, and enjoy a toasty tushy. :P

Parents To Be

Ian and I went to the mall last night to pick up a few last minute items for the trip. We stopped by a card store that carries an ornament we have collected each year. As we were browsing the display of baby ornaments, I jokingly asked if there was something for people who were expecting. And there was! Had to get it... "Parents-To-Be 2013". Not really my style but I couldn't pass it up. :P

BABYMOON

Definition: A vacation taken by a couple either soon before, or soon after, the birth of their baby. 

This term was not a part of my vocabulary until Ian had a discussion with his boss and the topic came up. His boss said he did not take a babymoon before having his kids and he has regretted it. He pushed Ian on the idea and offered to cover the costs. After a lot of discussions, we have decided to take him up on the offer. Timing was important since we are both busy at work, the weather is quickly turning cold, and I have a bunch of appointments coming up. So as crazy as it is... we are leaving on Saturday for a week! This was just confirmed/booked on Tuesday... so my mind is still getting wrapped around the idea. :)

Where are we going? Again, after much debate.. we are taking a tour of New England. It's something that Ian did as a kid and loved it... I love fall and our visit is at the end of the season but the trees will still be gorgeous. I knew that I didn't want to fly. September was the month of air travel. I'm not gigantic but I know that I would be uncomfortable.. and spend most of the time in the lavatory. :P

We are renting a car and heading to Plattsburgh, New York the first night. The next day we will take a short ferry ride across Lake Champlain to Mount Washington, New Hampshire. Possibly stopping in Waterbury, Vermont at the Ben & Jerry's Factory. We'll stay at the Omni Mount Washington Resort for 4 nights. My lovely mother looked at it and said "That looks like the Overlook". Huh? "The Overlook. The hotel in The Shining". ... Awesome! Thanks Ma! :| The next day Ian tells me "Your mom may be on to something.. The Mount Washington Hotel has long been rumored to be the hotel that inspired Stephen King to write his classic horror novel and subsequent movie “The Shining.” Double Awesome. :|

The hotel also has an awesome bar called The Cave that was a former Speakeasy.

While we are at the hotel, we plan on taking a few day trips to explore. One will be down to the Yankee Candle Company Flagship Store in Massachusetts. Ian might play some golf while I get a Mommy To Be massage. :D

After Mount Washington, we will head to Bar Harbor, Maine for one night. Tour the area... have some lobster. Relax. :) It should be a ton of fun. Depending on wireless access, I will post some pictures along the way. Unless a writer named Jack gets cabin fever. :| Again, thanks for the nightmares Ma!

To get Ian even more excited about the trip.. I picked up these... Pink Road Trip Mints!

30 + 1

Happy Birthday indeed. It was my 30+1 birthday today. The weather was perfect - rainy and slightly cold. We went to Cambridge Mill for brunch. Here's our pretty mugs...

We had a good table and the food was excellent.

We came home, watched the F1 race in Japan, I took a birthday nap and then watched the Seahawks and Patriots win. Ian surprised me with a Marble Slab Cake (Raspberry Cheesecake). All in all, perfect day. I'm feeling better with nausea only after eating. Some days I feel extra pregnant...maybe from baby growth or ligament stretching... Today is one of those days. So I was more than happy to have a low key birthday. 30 + 2 should be interesting. :) 

A Little More Detail About Today

We were referred to McMaster University for a potential genetic disorder. Ian had a brother that passed away from what was believed to be Potter's Sequence. This is a label for some very rare issues that come up in pregnancy. The cause is unknown but usually the diagnosis has multiple factors, not just genetics. The basics are that the baby's kidneys do not develop. The amniotic fluid is resupplied after a certain week by the baby's urine. If the amniotic fluid is not resupplied it creates multiple birth defects. Unfortunately, the condition is not survivable. Needless to say, the genetic counselor was happy we were looking into this because of the history and fatality rate. We will have to do this for any future babies as well.

To get to the point, our baby most likely does not have Potter's. We had a high resolution ultrasound. The tech and the doctor confirmed the presence of kidneys. It was still too early to see some parts but most of the major organs were present. We will have to return in two weeks for a follow up. The doctor mentioned a "cool trick" that he has requested for my next ultrasound. The tech will shine a light near the kidneys and the blood flow from the aortic artery to the kidneys will glow. Basically, we are checking that the baby's plumbing is formed and functioning.

Here is how the baby was for most of the ultrasound. Face down, head is to the left, spine is up.

After Ian was brought in, the baby turned on its side and then face up. Same view, head to the left, spine down and possibly sucking its thumb. At one point it gave us a thumbs up. :)

Much to our disappointment, the baby did not cooperate and the tech could not see the gender. Of course, we are happy to have a healthy baby but we really wanted to find out! Hopefully in two weeks the baby will cooperate and we can start planning accordingly. 

Overall, we are very happy with the care we are receiving at McMaster. I'm relieved that while they are concerned about the possibility of Potter's, they are also looking at the general health of the baby. I had completed the testing through my regular doctor for Down Syndrome, Trisomy 13 and Spina Bifida but I had not gotten the results yet. The genetic counselor stepped out of the room and came back within a few minutes with the results - negative. It's just very reassuring.  

One note to make.. There were other couples seeing genetic counselors today that didn't seem to fair as well as we did. I'm so grateful that the results so far are positive. I cannot imagine what those couples are going through. Very thankful.

The Holy Grail of Chocolate

I got the most awesome surprise yesterday. My sister sent me the holy grail of chocolates. Anytime I'm in the US, I check around for Ghiradelli Chocolate Squares in Dark Chocolate with Sea Salt Caramel. They are THE best. I've had them twice before and they are my absolute favorite... but they aren't sold in Canada. Ian was actually looking to get them shipped here for my birthday and it would have cost $150 for 30. 30 squares. I love them... but I don't love them enough for $5 a square. :) 

They are 70 calories a square.. but the mix of sweet, bitter and salty is worth it. I'll be fitting them into my post baby diet. :) Thanks Kam!