After a landslide victory, and because the risk of getting swine flu doesn't sound so fun, Mark and I booked our trip to Holland. We leave in two weeks! I am so super excited!!!
We are trying to makea very important decision. Where should we go on our vacation? The choices are pretty much narrowed down to Holland and Mexico. Let me lay out the pros and cons of each.
Holland PROS - Cool weather - Pretty cheap flights - We can stay with my friend Mathea, so we don't have to worry about hotel - We get to have a new adventure in a place we have never been - Did I mention the awesome sight-seeing we would get to do?
CONS - A 10 hour flight. I don't know how well my pregnant body would handle that. But it might be fine - Foreign country = foreign foods, foreign smells... Also not sure how my pregnant body would handle that.
Mexico PROS - Beach, pool, RELAXING. Need I say more? - We've been there before, so we know what to expect with food, culture, etc. - It would be the perfect chance to work on our tans - Shorter flight
CONS - With the price of hotel in the mix, it is a slightly more expensive vacation
I guess our dilemma is basically this: Should we take an adventurous vacation or a relaxing one? This is our last fling before the baby comes, so we want to make it a memorable one. What is your vote?
Mark and I started a new Easter tradition this year. We bought a couple of planter boxes, some dirt, and decided that each year we are going to plant something for Easter as a symbol of life and re-birth. Kind of a unique way to remember the spiritual signifigance of Easter. This year we planted green beans, tomatoes, and basil. We were worried that the tomatoes wouldn't come up (neither of us has had luck with raising tomatoes from seed before), but within 2 weeks, all of our plants were poking up through the dirt. It's so fun and fulfilling to be growing something. Our favorite, though, is the beans. They have grown so fast!! Every morning we go out to check them, and I swear they've grown 6 inches each night. It must be that miracle grow dirt that Mark bought. I think it will be safe to say that we will have plenty of beans to eat this summer!
I stole this from my friend, Jenna's blog. It just made me happy! Of course, anybody who knows me also knows that I am a walking musical, and I would totally do something like this. Maybe that's why I found myself laughing and crying at the same time (or it could be pregnancy hormones!). But if I ever find a group that does this, I'm totally there. Anybody with me?
Last week my doctor sent me to a genetic counselor to see if we needed to have the baby tested for Galactosemia. I felt like I was back in high school biology, learning about genes and the probability of passing them on. It was pretty interesting though.
Galactosemia is a recessive gene trait that inhibits the affected person from breaking down milk. Those born with full-blown Galactosemia can't have milk products ever in their lives, so it makes it kind of a big deal if your baby has it. There is a lesser version of Galactosemia, calles "Duarte Galactosemia", which means the person affected just doesn't break down milk as well as they should. The results of the counseling didn't turn out as scary as I thought they might.
Come to find out, I have the Duarte Galactosemia genes, so no matter what, our kids get to be carriers of the gene, which means that they will never break down milk as well as they should. Mark has never been tested, but since he can eat ice cream with no problem :), I think it's safe to say that at worst case he can only be a carrier of the Galactosemic gene. If that were true, then there would be a chance that our baby would be born with a Galactosemic gene and a Duarte gene, which means that we wouldn't be able to feed it milk for the first year of it's life. Or we might be able to alternate milk with soy. So, with that in mind, we decided not to have the baby tested before it is born, seeing as how the chances of it being affected are pretty slim.
After the counseling session, they did an ultrasound to test for Down's Syndrome, and the doctor said that everything looks really healthy. Our little baby is an active one! It moved around a ton during the ultrasound, and even started to suck its thumb! I loved seeing our little miracle move and hearing its little heartbeat. Those are the most precious moments in the world to me right now.
Things are progressing really well, although whoever invented the term "morning sickness" and said it should end after the first trimester should be taken out and shot for the liar they are... We are so happy to be preparing for our little bundle of joy, and so happy that Heavenly Father is sending one of his precious children to us to take care of. We are truly blessed!
