Happy Birthday to you....

Today we celebrated Alec's 11th birthday. You'll see that the candles are not on top of your average birthday cake. In the past, Alec has had some elaborate cakes; courtesy of yours truly. When asked this year the type of cake he wanted, Alec responded with a cookie cake! A cookie cake? Of course we can do a cookie cake, especially since it takes maybe a 10th of the time to make compared to the others! And guess what? The candles go in the same, they blow out the same, it tastes just as yummy, and the presents are just as cool!

Thanksgiving

We spent Thanksgiving with my family at noon and then traveled to Mike's family for dessert afterwards. As you can see, Alec loves playing with his cousins (pictured here with Nathan). While Gavin (our great-nephew) tuckered out on my baby belly after an afternoon of fun!

Many people who aren't around to see my belly grow, have requested pictures. So, here it is at 34 weeks or 8 1/2 months!

What we do for our children

My blood pressure has not been cooperating as of late and at a followup appointment on Friday, the midwife sent me to Riverside for 3 1/2 hours of monitoring. But before we left the office, she handed Mike a white grocery-like bag. Like anyone, he couldn't wait to open it to see what was inside (see below).

What Mike found was a "hat" that I get to place in the toilet for 24 hours to collect my "specimen" to store in the stylish orange bucket. Then on Monday morning, I get to return the full bucket to the doctor's office for evaluation of my kidney function.

While at the hospital we did get to hear the baby's heartbeat the entire time, which was both awesome and unnerving every time it went high or dropped low enough to sound the alarm. All was normal, as our heart rates fluctuate. My lab work came back in the normal range and blood pressures remained low as long as I was lying down, once I sat up my blood pressure followed suit. The doctor has decided that I need about 6 hours of bed rest a day to regulate my pressure, so I pretty much get to go to work and lay on the couch.

Mike and I were joking in the hospital that when asked what we did the night before the big Michigan vs. OSU game, we can tell how crazy the party got in the maternity ward of Riverside! But all is worth it to keep the baby healthy and prevent us from meeting our little bundle of joy too soon.

Trick or Treat, Boy or Girl

For those of you who don't know, two of Mike's favorite things in life happen on Trick or Treat night. Its not your average traditions that Mike enjoys the most: endless amounts of candy, seeing all the little ones dressed up, or the crispness of the evening. For Mike its all about what costume he can create that will get the most reaction and how bad he can embarrass Alec who usually ends up running down the street in the opposite direction; knowing that Daddy can't possibly catch up.