Ohio Visit and Doctor's Appointment

Matt and I had a great time in Ohio visiting with Patrick and Mariruth for Caitlin's 2nd birthday. We flew up Friday night, and Matt's mom, aunt and grandparents drove in Friday evening, but we really didn't visit much because we got in so late. Mariruth's parents were also there and got in the weekend before. Saturday was the big day. Caitlin's birthday was Tuesday, but Saturday was her birthday party. In the morning, Patrick and Matt got to work putting the finishing touches on Caitlin's new swing set. Patrick did most of the hard work getting the land cleared and leveled. Mariruth's friend Alex was up from North Carolina with his family visiting his in-laws, so they were able to make it for lunch and the party. Alex has 2 sons. The oldest is a couple of months older than Caitlin and the youngest is 4 months. Mariruth's mom grilled lunch and also made the bear cake. The cake was actually a bunch of cupcakes of different shapes that were put together in the shape of the bear. The kids had a good time playing with each other, but I know it's hard for 2 year olds to watch someone else opening presents. Not long after presents it was nap time, and not just for Caitlin! The back of the house gets the afternoon shade and Mimi, Gramps and I took a snooze. The weather was great and the low humidity was nice. We grilled hamburgers and hot dogs for dinner and enjoyed playing with all of Caitlin's new toys!

Mariruth's parents left early Sunday morning to head back to North Carolina. We went out to breakfast and then headed to the botanical gardens. Mariruth and Caitlin had been before, but it is good enough to go back. They had a lot of Chihuly glass work from an earlier exhibit. It was nice walking around inside. We didn't stay outside too long because it was hotter Sunday than it was Saturday. After lunch we went to the art museum where they had more Chihuly glass on display. Sunday was the last day for the Chihuly exhibit, so Mariruth was worried that it might be crowded, but it wasn't bad. The museum was offering free admission for the month of July, so we definitely went at the right time, but a lot of the museum was closed to set up new exhibits. We went back to Pat and Mariruth's for the rest of the evening. Caitlin really likes her new swing set and anyone who will push her in her swing. Barbara bought her a 50's diner for her birthday, so that was all set up and put together for her to play with as well. She loves to give you ice cream or a hamburger from the diner. We didn't go out to see fireworks, but we did watch some on tv. We didn't stay up too late because we had to get to the airport early (for us!).

We really enjoyed our visit with Pat, Mariruth and Caitlin. We hope that we'll get to see them more often now that they are back in the States!

Today I had my next 4 week appointment at the doctor's office. These are very brief meetings with the doctor, so Matt didn't go with me. I did get to hear the baby's heartbeat again. The nurse said it was averaging 150 bpm. I had a few questions for the doctor and then set up my next appointment. One of my questions was when am I going to have another ultrasound? She said that they will only do another ultrasound if there are worries of complications, so it's best that I don't get another one. The good news is that everything is going well so far. The doctor asked if I am feeling him move, and I have been for a while. Saturday was the first time that Matt was able to feel him, though. I think it was the brownie that I had for dessert that got him so active. It's not often that he hits or kicks hard enough that I think Matt (or anyone else) could feel him, and it's only a couple of times before he gets tired, so Matt will have to be quick. At my next appointment I will do my glucose test and I probably need to tell them which pediatrician I will be using. Luckily I have lots of mom friends, so I can get several recommendations.

Hearing the heartbeat again: