30 Weeks

Baby’s Size: Purple Cabbage

Baby’s Milestones: Baby's height and weight haven't changed much in the past week, but baby's brain has changed quite a bit. Until now, the brain was smooth, but now it is taking on those characteristic grooves and indentations, which allow for increased brain tissue. Another big change this week is baby's bone marrow has taken over production of red blood cells, which means baby will be able to thrive better on his own once born. 


 My Weight: 163.4


Symptoms:  I had a few really strong contractions at the hockey game Monday night. Tuesday at my doctor appointment she told me I was having one while she was examining me. I didn't even feel it, which worried me because it meant that I had probably had a lot more contractions the night before. She warned me that it was time to start really taking it easy and pay close attention to the contractions. I was told to drink a cup of water and lay on my left side if I have more than 4 in an hour. If that doesn't help, then I need to call. I'm still having the rib pain and I have a cough and congestion. The first trimester frequent trips to the bathroom, including my once a night pee, have returned. Other than that, I'm feeling good. I took my 3 hour gestational diabetes test on Monday and passed so that was a huge relief. She said my levels were perfect, except for the last one, which was actually really low so she told me to carry snacks like candy bars to keep my sugar levels up. Can you believe that? I was told to eat more sugar!! I had another uti test Monday to make sure the infection was gone, but she didn't have those results yet. She checked baby's heartbeat and said he sounded great and felt my stomach. She told me my little guy was head up, but not to worry since he still had plenty of time to flip. My fundal height was 31, so measuring a bit ahead. 

Cravings: No cravings this week.

TP: 11

Measurements: Waist: 37½  Below Belly Button: 38¼

Emotions: I was nervous about the 3 hour gestational diabetes test and I teared up a bit when the Kings scored the third goal in the first period, but other than that I haven't been too emotional this week.


Feeling the Baby:  He is still moving a ton. I love it!!

Kings Finals Game 6

On Monday, June 11th (my mom's birthday), my mom, Tyler, Justin and I went to Game 6 of the Stanley Cup Finals. We were all super excited, but also really nervous. The atmosphere was definitely different that night at LA Live and Staples Center. On Wednesday, there were tons more people down there, I guess the bandwagon was over it by Monday. People were selling tickets instead of everyone trying to buy tickets. Ticket prices were dramatically less than Wed. game. The energy was completely different. Everyone had been so confident Wed. night, but this time you could tell the fans were a bit desperate and nervous. Kings fans have waited so long for this and we all want the Cup so bad. 

When the game started you could still feel the nerves. In the 1st period, Steve Bernier hit Rob Scuderi into the boards hard. It was scary and the fans all new it was one of those game changing moments that could either send us spiraling or make us fight. We got a 5 minute power play and ended up scoring 3 goals (by Dustin Brown, Jeff Carter and Trevor Lewis). After the first goal, Staples went crazy and the nerves eased up a tiny bit. By the second goal, everyone was ecstatic and by the third we were all elated. After each goal, we would hug and high five all the people around us. I was tearing up after the third goal because I was just so overwhelmed by the fact that we had taken such an incredible lead in such a momentous game, plus it was starting to look very promising that we would win our first Stanley Cup! I also noticed by the third goal that I was having some contractions. I joked to my mom that the game was so exciting it might put me in labor. 

Moments into the second period Jeff Carter scored another goal and we suddenly had a 4 goal lead!! This was turning out to be one of the best games I had ever seen. Again, the fans went crazy and again I had a contraction. Towards the end of the second New Jersey came back and scored a goal. It put a tiny bit of nerves back into the fans. Everyone knew a 3 goal lead would be hard to come back from, but hey, we scored 3 goals in 5 minutes in the first period so we all knew it wasn't impossible. 


In the third period, as the clock hit 6 minutes left, then 5, then 4 it was getting surreal. We had a 3 goal lead and it didn't look like the Devils could do anything to take this away from us. Then, with about 4 minutes left, Trevor Lewis scored an empty net goal making the score 5-1. At that point it was clear that the Devils were falling apart and didn't have a chance of getting back in the game. 15 Seconds later, Matt Greene scored another goal making the score 6-1. At that point, the fans went nuts. This was going to happen, after 45 years, the Kings were going to win the Stanley Cup!  When we got to the 2 minute mark, everyone started going crazy. I think we all counted down at the end as if it was New Year's, but it is kind of a blur in my mind. When the final buzzer went off, everyone started hugging again and my mom started crying. She is a huge Kings fan and this was such a great birthday present for her. We had been standing most of the game and I was still having some tightening in my stomach. I remember turning to my mom and again jokingly saying that not only had the Kings won for her birthday, but she might also be meeting her first grandchild that night too. We watched the Kings celebrate, we watched Quick be awarded the Conn Smythe Trophy as Playoff MVP, and most importantly we watched the Stanley Cup get walked out, then passed around from player to player. It was such an amazing night!!!

We stayed for quite a while after the game ended, watching each player and member of the organization take their turn with the cup. Then we waited in a huge line at the Team LA store so my mom could get Championship gear. By the time we left it was pretty calm outside. The only people around were the cops and the fans leaving Staples Center. By the time we got to the car, I knew I had majorly overdone it. I had already not been feeling well and had done my 3 hour glucose test that day so it was a lot for one day. I ended up with a really bad cough and my stomach was hurting pretty bad. It was a night I will never forget though.

*Nic spent the night at Game Stop in Valencia and it was total madness too. The place was packed with Kings fans and the excitement was comparable to Staples Center. He said he had a great time!!

Baby Campbell's Nursery Part 1

We finally started the nursery! Well, actually Nic did. He started painting the walls and our crib and the rug arrived! We are so excited!!

Tyler's Birthday, Ashley's Engagement Party, Sydney's Grad Party and Mom's Birthday Brunch

On Friday, June 8th, Tyler, Laura, Justin, my mom, my dad, Nic and I went to Mantee for dinner to celebrate Tyler's 18th birthday. The restaurant was really good Mediterranean food and it was fun to try something new. We had hummus, this delicious melted cheese thing, these little ravioli things with greek yogurt and a delicious sauce, kabobs, the most delicious potatoes, and tons of other good, unique food. We had a great time celebrating Tyler. I can't believe he is 18. He is such a great kid; he is so talented and has such a bright future ahead of him. 

After Tyler's birthday dinner, we went to Rachelle's house to celebrate Ashley and Brett's engagement and to  say Bon Voyage (they are moving to Chicago). Rachelle did an amazing job as always. The party was wonderful. We had already eaten, but we had some of the desserts, talked with friends, and hung out by the fire. Justin was on a mission that night to feel the baby. He is the only one in my family who hasn't felt him yet so I ate some sweets and laid down by the fire until Justin felt him move. He was super excited about it! 

That night, Justin stayed the night at our house. I went to bed, but Justin and Nic stayed up playing video games. The two of them are so cute together. The next morning, I woke up and could hear Justin whistling downstairs. It made me laugh. I don't know anyone, especially teenage boys, who wake up whistling in the morning. It was super cute. Nic went downstairs and put on some music and we had a little dance party. Justin thought my pregnant dance moves were hilarious. My mom brought Tyler and Laura over and Nic took them and Justin to Magic Mountain. My mom and I looked at the construction, grabbed lunch, and did some shopping at Target. That night, Nic went to a King's Finals Party at a co-workers house and I went to Sydney's graduation party with my mom, Tyler, Justin and Laura. It was really fun to Sydney, she was one of the junior bridesmaids in my wedding, and I can't believe she has graduated from high school. In fact, she graduated from LACHSA, the performing arts high school I went to, which is really cool. We also got to see Nancy, Cindy and Theresa and some other friends from Dancin' in Acton so that was nice. We rarely get to see Cindy and Theresa so it was nice to spend some time with them. We also got to see Sydney's family who we haven't seen in forever. It was really nice to catch up with everyone. 

The only challenge was that the Kings game was on during the party and it was quite possibly the game they could win the Cup! I listened to most of the first period in the car on the way to my parent's house. As I was pulling into the driveway the Devils scored. :( I raced into the house and we watched the rest of the 1st period. When we got to the party the game wasn't on and no one else seemed into it (where is that darn bandwagon when you need it?) Justin saw on facebook that the Kings scored a goal so I got the game on I Heart Radio so we could all huddle around and listen to it. We snuck off to the garage for a little bit so we could hear better. Then we wandered over to the fire pit to stall a bit more. By the end of the second period the Devils had scored again, making it 2-1. Tyler and Laura went home to watch the 3rd period and my mom and I used the break to actually socialize. Justin asked if he could turn the game on for the 3rd period, so Justin, my mom and I huddled around the TV to watch the 3rd period. A few party guests, including Sydney's grandma came in and talked to me during the game. I tried so hard to be polite, make eye contact, and be invested in the conversation, but every time I would hear the announcers voices rise and out of the corner of my eye I could see a King's player heading for the goal I just had to turn and see if we would score. I apologized to Sydney's grandma and felt like the rudest person ever, but on the other hand, we have never won before, this was a huge game. I can guarantee if it had been a basketball final game, where one team could possibly win the whole thing, a ton of people would have been huddled around the TV. Anyways, long story short, the Kings lost, which was very sad and disappointing, although, when  I consider the fact that I missed the entire game and now have the opportunity to possibly go to Monday's game, it didn't seem as bad. 


After the game ended, we spent a few more hours enoying Sydney's party. We watched a great slideshow, had delicious desserts and tons of fun talking with our friends. 


On Sunday, we went down to the St. Regis to have brunch with Papa and Betty for my mom's birthday and an early Father's Day celebration with Papa. He was so sweet and excited about the baby. He kept kissing my hand and telling me how happy he is and how proud of me he is. It was really sweet. The brunch was amazing too! It was honestly the best brunch I have ever had! They had a crepe station, omelette station, pancake and french toast station, the usual breakfast foods, tons of lunch type food, seafood and sushi, tempura, desserts, ice cream, pretty much everything! The crepes were amazing. I got a strawberry, banana, nutella one. I got banana's foster french toast, but you could literally get pancakes or french toast with anything you wanted on or in them. They had tequila lime sorbet that was non-alcoholic that I enjoyed the taste of way too much. I didn't realize how much I miss tequila until I had a bite of that sorbet. My absolute favorite thing at the buffet though was the waffles. I'm usually not a huge waffle person, but these waffles had the most amazing texture. Slightly crisp, but super fluffy. With nutella on top they were like heaven!! I was hoping the baby would move after all that sugar so Papa could feel him, but no such luck. It was a really fun brunch though and a great way to celebrate my mom's birthday!

Another Belly Rub

So that guy at work, Tony, gave me another belly rub today. As I was leaving work I saw him and he immediately started freaking our over my stomach. He got down on his knees and started rubbing my belly (and cute shirt I might add) with his very dirty hands. It was more the thought of his dirty hands wrecking my shirt than the belly rub that had me uncomfortable. He kept rubbing my belly and saying God Bless you and your baby. He even kissed my belly in a triangle as if it was sort of ritual. It was a bit much, but again, his genuineness made me think it was a little strange, but harmless. 


I went to say bye to my dad before I left and told him the story. He thought it was so weird and I had to agree. We both agreed that maybe it is a cultural thing (Tony is from Mexico). After saying goodnight to my dad, I went to clock out. Someone was blocking the machine, so I said excuse me. Tony was sitting there and saw the guy was in my way. He moved him and had this look on his face like "How dare anyone be in the way of this woman and her child" as if I am a saint deserving of constant praise, worship, and special attention. Then as I was clocking out he knelt down again (with quite a few other employees in the lunch room watching) and began kissing my belly again. I politely said I had to go and clocked out. This time his kisses were slobbery (he got my nice t-shit wet!) and it totally grossed me out and made me uncomfortable. It was one thing to rub my belly on occasion, but making out with it every time the guy sees me is way crossing the line! I clocked out and got my butt out of there as quickly as possible. I was kind of in shock and found it was a very difficult situation because I wanted to stand up for myself, but at the same time I didn't want to make a scene at work in front of a bunch of other employees. 


When I told Nic and my family about it later we all got a good laugh about it (I mean most pregnant women have had their belly rubbed by a stranger, but most people haven't had their belly practically licked!), but I think we were all a bit disturbed as well. My dad suggested I mention it to HR so they can handle it without me having to be mean or make a scene at work, which I think is a good way to go. Hopefully that is the last make-out session my belly bump will have to encounter. 

Construction Part 3-Maybe we are Crazy!

After the Kings game, Nic and I came home to check out the construction. It was dark out, but we both immediately noticed the desk looked really low. Honestly, I think only a kid could fit at it. Nic e-mailed our contractor and they fixed it the next day. It was only 26 inches high, which is lower than standard desk height! We are so tall we don't even fit at standard height desks! Could you imagine if we hadn't noticed?! On June 7th, we went out to check out the updated desk and it suddenly hit me that the pantry space that was really the whole bonus of expanding the kitchen (the desk was just supposed to be a small kitchen desk bonus) was pretty much non-existent and the desk looked huge. I guess we were so distracted the night before with how low it was, we didn't notice all the other issues. We also had never really been sold on the window idea and it was huge and in the wrong place! I was suddenly starting to feel very overwhelmed. Maybe doing all this right before having our fist baby was a really bad idea! Constantly having to inspect and analyze every step of the project ourselves and attempt to catch mistakes was exhausting. Plus making all these tough decisions that involve a lot of money in a rush because of our quickly approaching deadline (my due date) was super stressful! I know we will love it and be so happy when it is all said and done, but at the moment, I can't help but think that we are crazy for doing this!

Kings Stanley Cup Finals Game 4

On Wednesday, June 6th, Nic and I went down to LA Live to watch Game 4 of the Stanley Cup Finals. My mom and dad were already going to the game, Sabrina flew in from Phoenix to go and Tyler drove down from Mammoth. I knew it could be a huge night with the Kings winning the Stanley Cup and wanted to be close to the excitement and action. We were a bit nervous about it, but these events can turn out to be really great and if you don't check it out, you never know. So, Nic and I drove down there and found ourselves in total madness. Every restaurant had 2 hour lines wrapping around the street to get in, we obviously didn't want to hang out in the beer garden and we also didn't want to stand the entire game so we decided to head away from Staples Center and the crowds to watch the 1st and 2nd periods, then come back to LA Live and watch the 3rd on the huge screen with all the fans. 


We went to Roys and got a table just behind the bar with a view of the TV, the only bummer was that they refused to turn the volume up because of corporate policy. People were chanting, turn on the volume, turn on the volume, and the restaurant was practically empty, but they still wouldn't turn it on. The other annoying thing was that some gaming convention was also being held at the Convention Center that day so half the bar was taken up by gamers who could care less about the hockey game and kept standing up and talking during the game! We ended up running into a friend of my mom's from Mammoth. They were desperately trying to find a place to watch the game because apparently LA Live had decided not to show the game on the giant TV. We couldn't believe how poor the planning was. LA Live had been advertising so hard to get people down there: they called the Kings Epicenter, offered free parking, had the beer garden set-up, advertised that they would give out rally towels, that you could get your picture with the Western Conference Trophy. Why encourage people to come down if you weren't going to provide entertainment for them. They would have been better off not saying anything at all. In my opinion, they did the worst possible thing, encourage tons of fans to come down, then piss them all off and leave them hanging minutes before the game starts with no way to watch the game. We decided to bail after the 1st period and head home. As we walked back to our car, mass crowds of people were gathering around windows trying to watch the game through the glass. Every restaurant had police offers outside because the restaurants couldn't handle the surge of crowds desperately trying to watch the game. I passed tons of fans who didn't even know the score because they couldn't see a TV and no one had cell service in the area. When we got back to LA Live we saw that not only were they not showing the game, but they had closed down the entire area. They tore down the beer garden and blocked off the area. I know they were paranoid because of the Laker Riots, but come on? Why advertise events, then shut them down before any sign of disorderly conduct out of fear of the past. Typical, a few bad people ruin the fun for everyone else. 

Anyways, at the end of the 1st the score was 0-0. We listened to the second on the radio. It also ended 0-0. We met Nic's co-workers at BJs for the 3rd period. Moments after sitting down the Devils scored. Everyone tried to blame us and told us jokingly to leave. Moments later, the Kings tied the game up. We all waved our towels around and cheered. Nic joked that we aren't bad luck charms we just bring the action. I was so nervous!! I thought for sure we were going to OT, but the Devils scored again and we didn't have much time left to attempt to tie the game up. We pulled our goalie and the Devils ended up getting an empty net goal. :( The game ended at 3-1. We knew we had high expectations for our Kings to sweep in the Finals, but it was still disappointing. We LA fans have waited so long for this and we want it so bad, hopefully the Kings can wrap this up in New Jersey on Saturday.

29 Weeks

Baby’s Size: Butternut Squash

Baby’s Milestones: Baby is about 17 inches long (nearly as tall as most babies at birth) and close to three pounds. Baby's skin is smoothing out as more fat is deposited under the skin's surface. Baby's permanent teeth are forming in his gums. Space in baby's living quarters is now at a premium and he is stronger and excitedly responding to all sorts of stimuli so those kicks, jabs and pokes feel more vigorous than before. 


 My Weight: 162.2


Symptoms: First of all, I got a call while on our vacation that I failed my gestational diabetes test. :( Passing results are less than 140 and I got 144, so I just barely missed the cut-off. Please pray that I pass the 3 hour test! I also found out that I have a urinary tract infection (that must be what the occasional cramps were that I felt last week). Not the best news to get while on vacation, but at least they have caught it and I'm now taking medication. I've started to have sore ribs this week. I'm not sure if it is baby or if it is just all my other insides getting pushed upward, but my ribs feel bruised. They especially hurt overnight and in the morning. I'm definitely starting to get a little bit uncomfortable sleeping. I had my first braxton hick contraction this week at the airport the day we were heading home. It kind of freaked me out, but luckily my doctor had warned me that I would probably start getting them so at least I didn't panic too much.

Cravings: No cravings again this week. Oh wait, I just remembered that on our trip, I ate a ridiculous amount of chewy chocolate chip granola bars and have continued to scarf them since I got home. I think I ate about 5 in a row on our flight home. ;)

TP: 11

Measurements: Waist: 37½  Below Belly Button: 38

Emotions: I did get a bit upset about the call informing of the GD Test Fail and the UTI. I also got angry about the late night construction at our hotel. I also got upset when I wasn't feeling well all day Friday and knew we had to fly home that night. Once I got home from our little escape I also started to panic a bit about how much we have to do and how close we are getting to baby's arrival.


Feeling the Baby:  Wow! He is really moving now! My mom finally got to feel him move and he definitely made it worth the wait. He did a huge kick right into her hand! He is really active now and I can feel him a ton. Sometimes it is really ticklish and sometimes it is just crazy to watch my stomach move all around. I definitely get distracted by my little man quite often these days, but I absolutely love it!!! :) On a side note, I just thought I would mention that our little guy seems to prefer the right side of my tummy (my right). 9 times out of 10 when I check out my stomach it looks all lopsided and the right side is bulging out.

Beverly Hills Dinner with the RHOBH

On Tuesday, June 5th, my mom and I had our dentist appointments with Dr. Ines. I have been nervous about going because I always seem to have dental problems so I figured pregnancy would for sure make it worse. Instead, I was surprised to get one of my best reports ever! Dr. Ines was really surprised too and said my teeth and gums looked great! I guess it is because of all the milk I've been drinking. Dr. Ines warned me not to let it get to my head though. lol. To celebrate (and to kill time before dinner with Dr. Ines) my mom and I went to Sprinkles cupcakes. They opened a new ice cream shop next door so we tried that out. I got a strawberry cupcake with banana ice cream sandwiched in between. It was so good!! I don't know if I will be able to enjoy a regular Sprinkles cupcake again after experiencing the delicious ice cream/cupcake sandwich. It was a pregnant girl's dream!! 

We went back to meet Dr. Ines and decide where we were going to go for dinner. He mentioned Villa Blanca and I have been curious to try it since seeing it all the time on the Real Housewives of Beverly Hills. Dr. Ines mentioned that they are sometimes filming, but we all figured the chances of that were so slim. I was especially hoping they weren't filming because I hadn't showered that day and I wasn't looking all that great. Of course as we turned the corner we saw the camera crew out front. We asked if we could still eat at the restaurant and they said yes and seated us. We were practically the only ones in the restaurant and I think were in the background of the entire scene they filmed. Pandora and Jason were there, in fact Jason was our waiter. He was super nice. The new house wife Yolanda Hadid, Lisa, Ken, Jiggy, and Mohamed were all there as well. Lisa had smiled and chatted with us a bit during filming and she was really sweet when I asked her if we could get a picture with her. I stood a bit in front for the picture because of my belly, but Dr. Ines didn't get my belly in the photo, so I just look huge! haha. We had the best time!! We literally were laughing the entire meal and had the best time. We were all really impressed with the food too. My pasta was delicious!! It was a great night and I have definitely learned my lesson and will make sure I look good from now on for my dentist appointments. 

Kings Stanley Cup Finals Game 3

On Monday, June 4th, Nic, my mom, my dad and I went to Game 3 of the Stanley Cup Finals. It was so exciting! It is so great that the Kings are not only in the Finals, but that they lead the series 2-0. The atmosphere was amazing in Staples Center! 

On top of the amazing atmosphere, it was an incredible game! At the end of the first, it was 0-0. The Kings scored in the 2nd period and of course we all went crazy! In the first two games, the Kings scored first, then the Devils tied it up, then the Kings won in overtime. I was starting to think that was how this game was going to go until we scored goal number 2 in the second period! Once the 3rd period started everyone was ecstatic. We had been playing great all night, killing penalty after penalty. We went on the Power Play and scored another goal!! Shortly after that, we got another power play and another goal!! The crowd went wild!! Everyone was ecstatic with the 2-0 lead, but 4-0 would be near impossible for the Devils to come back from and it was looking very likely that the Kings were taking this one! I just kept hoping Quick could get a shut-out. He has been incredible the entire playoffs and it would be such an accomplishment to have a shut-out in the Stanley Cup Finals. As the minutes kept winding down, the crowd got more and more excited. When the buzzer went off and the streamers fell, the crowd went wild. The Kings are now only one game away from their first Stanley Cup win!!!!

Uncle Nick's 75th Birthday

On June 2nd, we went to Uncle Nick's 75th birthday party. He is technically my mom's uncle, so I'm not sure what that makes him to me, but I've always called him my Uncle too. We got to see tons of family from my mom's sides, especially cousins that we don't see very often, so it was really fun. They had the best taco bar, delicious desserts and we got to tour Maria and Stacy's beautifully remodeled house. We had a great time! Happy Birthday Uncle Nick!!

Construction Part 2

We were obviously pretty tired from our trip, but as soon as we got up on June 2nd, we raced outside to check out the construction. They got a lot done while we were gone, huh? It is pretty exciting!! They had to move our grape vine and we are really hoping it survives, although it doesn't look too promising. I guess we will just have to wait and see, but other than that, everything seems to be going well!

28 Weeks

Baby’s Size: Cabbage

Baby’s Milestones: Baby is about 16 inches long and about two and a half pounds. Baby has added blinking, coughing, more intense sucking and most important better breathing to his list of skills. 

My Weight: 163


Symptoms: I'm not sure if it is because I was on vacation or if it was just because I was walking and swimming a bunch instead of sitting at a desk all week, but I felt great! I had a few moments of cramping (I figure a sign that I was overdoing it) and a bit of back soreness when we would walk for a while, but other than that I have been mostly symptom free. I did get a bit of heat rash on my stomach, which is apparently common during pregnancy, but I think the hot humid Florida weather was probably more to blame. I've hardly gotten acid reflux this week too. :)

Cravings: No cravings this week, just enjoyed lots of delicious food.

TP: 11

Measurements: Waist: 37½  Below Belly Button: 38

Emotions: I wasn't at all emotional this week. It must be because I was on vacation.


Feeling the Baby:  Little baby has been moving way more! When I was sitting out in my bikini we would just stare at my stomach while it moved and twitched all around. It is the craziest thing!

MIAMI>LAX

I hate to say the trip ended on a bad note, but it kind of did. The hotel was doing construction near the pool the entire trip, but until the last night, we didn't really notice it. You could kind of hear it while out by the pool, but because of the fountain, music, and people it wasn't really noticeable. On our last night though, they  decided to drill up the concrete until after midnight! Since we had the great upgraded room we were right near the construction site. I was really tired and knew I would be coming home to construction and decided that for the amount of money we were paying for our hotel room it was completely unacceptable to be doing loud construction that late at night. So I called the front desk to complain. The lady tried to claim it must be some other construction even though I told her I could see it from my window and then promised they would stop. When it was still going about 20 minutes later I thought I might kill someone and realized that this must be how pregnant women feel when there hormones turn them into crazy, angry, pregnant women. I called the front desk again and complained again. She seemed all surprised  to be hearing from me again. Surely I couldn't have been the only one complaining, right?! I'm still baffled by the whole thing. I don't know anyone, especially hotels charging guests to stay at them, that think it is ok to do construction that late at night! 

Well, as you can imagine, I did not get a very good night of sleep and woke up feeling terrible the next morning. We wanted to spend our last day out by the pool. but it was all rainy so I tried to sleep as late as I could despite feeling like crap. We had breakfast at the hotel then packed up and took a few more pictures of our hotel room before we left.

When we went to check out, I again complained about the construction from the night before and asked if they could do anything for us. The lady was quite rude and instead of apologizing for the inconvenience, she threw the free upgrade back in my face. It was so disappointing after such a great trip and a mostly enjoyable stay at the hotel that I didn't even get a genuine apology. I mean at the Pier House Hotel they gave us free drink coupons because our room wasn't ready right at check-in without us even asking and this lady couldn't offer up anything, not even a sorry. I was extremely disappointed, not feeling well, and generally ready to get home.

Once we left the hotel though, I decided I didn't want one little incident and a few rude hotel employees to ruin our wonderful trip, so I let it go and we decided to enjoy the rest of our day. We drove up the coast a bit to do some exploring, then grabbed lunch at this place called The Burger and Beer Joint. Nic got the California Burger~ a 10oz. Certified Angus Beef, ranchero salsa, guacamole, grilled red onion, cilantro sour cream, sharp cheddar, sunny side up fried egg, and brioche bun served with skinny fries. I got the Rooster~ 8oz. chicken breast, turkey bacon, jalapeno jack, beer battered onion ring, sesame bun and bourbon bbq sauce served with skinny fries. Nic said his burger was one of the best burgers he has ever had. The place also has a $125 burger called the Motherburger that is a "ginormous (10 lbs. of beef) beast the size of a manhole cover and sandwiched in a bun that resembles a couch cushion!" If one person can finish it in 2 hours they get it for free! lol. Check out the picture of it...They cut it with a chain saw!! Such an interesting, cool, and delicious place!

After lunch, we went to the airport. I really wasn't feeling well by the time we went through security and was pretty nervous about the flight. At the same time, I just wanted to get home. I called the after hours doctor and she said it sounded like I had some time of stomach flu. I just tried to relax and drink plenty of water. Our flight was delayed because of thunder and lightning. Once it cleared, our plane had problems with the bathrooms that we had to get fixed. Then as we were turning on the runway, we had additional mechanical problems that had to be fixed. I kept thinking, my gosh, just let us get home! I never have that feeling at the end of trips, but the combination of being pregnant, not feeling well, and being overtired was making me want  the comfort of my own bed desperately. We finally took off and made it safely home. I did really well on the flight, drank tons of water, got up frequently to walk around and I was actually feeling heaps better. I'm still not sure if I did get some sort of 2 hour flu, had some sort of food poisoning, or had a reaction to antibiotics my doctor prescribed me while on the trip, but whatever it was, it went away as quickly as it came on and by the time we landed I felt perfectly fine. Despite the somewhat rough last day, we had an amazing trip!! Little baby did so well, we felt so proud of him, and we had the best time. It was a much needed break from reality and we definitely benefited from spending some quality time together. We had been so busy and stressed that it was great to get away, relax, eat good food, explore new things, and enjoy each others company. :)

South Beach, Miami

On our first full day in Miami Beach we walked along the boardwalk to The Front Porch Cafe for breakfast. It was so good! Nic got Green Eggs~ 3 eggs scrambled with pepper jack cheese and homemade pesto made with pine nuts, fresh basil and sun-dried tomatoes. I got the french toast with orange zest on fresh baked challah and topped w/ cinnamon and powdered sugar. Everything was delicious! Then we walked back to the hotel along the beach. We spent most of the day relaxing at the pool. Nic read Eat, Sleep, Poop and I read Bringing up Bebe. While at the the pool, they brought around frozen grape kabobs that were delicious. We also got a really good lunch by the pool. In the afternoon, we went over to the beach for a swim. The water was so warm! 

That evening, we walked along Ocean Drive to check out all the cool architecture. Then we grabbed dinner at La Sandwicherie. I got a Rainbow smoothie (strawberries, peach, blueberries, kiwi and banana) that was amazing!!! It was so fresh and fruity and the perfect combination of flavors. Our sandwiches were also really good! It felt good to eat something light and somewhat healthy for a change. We grabbed our food to go then went back to our hotel to watch the Kings Playoff Game. Since there was a Heat Playoff Game that night we knew we would have a tough time finding a place to watch the game. It was actually really nice to lay low and hang out in the room.

The next morning, we got up extra early to watch the sunrise. We figured that we rarely wake up early enough to enjoy the sunrise and we never get to see it rise over the ocean so we decided we needed to take advantage. It was a bit drizzly and cloudy, but it was still beautiful and worth the early wake up call. Since the weather wasn't great, we went back to bed for a little bit. When we woke back up, it was still drizzly, so we decided to go grab breakfast. We secretly wanted to go back to the Front Porch Cafe, but figured we should try something new, so we walked down Ocean Drive and grabbed breakfast at News Cafe. 

Once the weather cleared up, we spent the day at the pool and the afternoon at the beach. It was so nice to relax, read a book, and swim. Today, the pool staff brought around smoothies in the afternoon. The extra little touches were really nice. That night we walked down Lincoln Road and grabbed dinner at De Luca Italian restaurant. It was fun to sit outside and people watch while we ate. The restaurant also had a magician that did some pretty impressive card tricks for us. After dinner, we walked around Lincoln Road a bit more before calling it a night.

KEY WEST>KEY LARGO>MIAMI

On Tuesday May  29, we started the drive back through the Keys. We stopped at Lorelei in Islamorada so I could get my picture with the giant mermaid because we accidentally missed it on the way down to Key West. We also enjoyed the beautiful ocean views one more time before arriving in Key Largo. We checked in at Keys Divers, grabbed some lunch then walked down to the dock to board a boat for our afternoon snorkel adventure. We rode out for about an hour and a half and Nic and I could not get over how shallow the water was the entire ride out. We also couldn't get over the gorgeous blue water. Our first snorkel spot was Grecian Rocks. It was stunning! It ended up being my favorite snorkel spot of the day. The coral was so different from anything I have ever seen before. It was very leaf like and the brightest color purple. The way it moved under water was mesmerizing. Then you add turquoise blue water and tons of colorful fish and it was just perfect! We saw a few barracuda too, which was pretty cool. 

The second snorkel spot was called Key Largo Dry Rocks. This is by far the most famous dive in the Key Largo Marine Sanctuary because it is where the Statue of Christ of the Abyss is. It was quite beautiful and really cool to see. I have never seen a statue in the ocean and there was something quite magical about it. I'm very glad we got to see it and feel like our snorkels here would not have been complete without having seen Christ of the Deep as it is also called. The site itself was also beautiful. We saw a bunch more barracuda, tons of fish, and some more colorful coral. One couple said they saw two spotted eagle rays, so we were disappointed to have missed out on that, but we still had a wonderful time and thoroughly enjoyed this spot.

The last spot we snorkeled at was White Banks Dry Rocks. This spot was a bit sandier and very shallow, but was still unique and beautiful. We saw a few more barracuda, a puffer fish and Nic found a couple of lobster. They were this bright purple and pink color and really cool to watch. They would have been so easy to catch and eat for dinner if the area wasn't protected. We really had a fantastic day out on the water and I'm so glad we did it. I was a little nervous about it considering how pregnant I am, but it was so relaxing. We just swam slow and took all the sights in and really felt like we got to see a lot of gorgeous things. I even got a compliment from the crew member about how well I did. :) I don't think we would have really experienced the Keys if we hadn't done this trip (especially with our love of the ocean and snorkeling) and it was definitely one of my favorite things we did the entire trip!

After spending the day snorkeling, we drove up to Miami. As we were driving along, a sign warned us of severe weather ahead. It was sunny and gorgeous out, but within a few minutes we were in this massive downpour and could barely see where we were going. It was kind of crazy! A few miles later and we were back in sunny weather again. We decided to stop at Versailles for dinner on the way to Miami Beach. Our friends, Amy and Angel had recommended it and it has a reputation as being one of the best, most authentic, and original Cuban restaurants in Miami. Nic got the Ropa Vieja (Amy's recommendation), which is shredded beef cooked with garlic, onions, bell peppers, wine, and tomato sauce. I got the Criollo Cuban Sampler so I could try a bit of everything. It came with the Ropa Vieja, Fried Pork Chunks, Ham Croquette,  Sweet Plantains, Cuban Tamale, Cassava with Cuban Mojo. Everything was delicious! 

After dinner, we drove to our hotel. We stayed at Loews right on the beach. We ended up getting upgraded to a great room with a lounge room, a view of the pool, a view of the beach, and even a slight view of the Miami skyline back the other way!

4 Year Wedding Anniversary

We spent our actual anniversary in the Everglades, but planned a special anniversary dinner for Saturday night in Key West. We got to take a boat ride over to a private island called Sunset Key. The island was so beautiful and the restaurant was right on the beach with the most gorgeous view! They only had a few tables set up really spaced out to make everyone feel like they were the only ones there. We had a delicious appetizer of crab stuffed shrimp wrapped in maple barbecue glazed bacon with key lime mustard. For dinner I got crab stuffed parmesan crusted scallops with mushroom risotto, arugula and the most delicious sauce! It was my favorite meal of the entire trip! Nic got the coconut crusted grouper with Chinese black rice, baby bok choy and mango lemongrass sauce. For dessert we got some strawberry, banana nutella thing that was a bit too rich for us. The highlight of the dinner was obviously the stunning sunset. It was absolutely gorgeous and made the already wonderful dinner so romantic and special. After dinner, we had time to kill before the ferry left so we walked around the hotel. We made our way onto the beach and could hear music from a wedding reception being held a little ways up the beach. We were the only ones out there having a little dance party on the beach. It was so fun. We also watched as a thunder and lightning storm rolled in. It was such a beautiful and memorable night!

Key West

On Saturday, May 26th, we walked down Duval Street to the other side of Key West to see the Southernmost Point. After that we grabbed a really late breakfast at Blue Heaven. One of my favorite things about Key West is that they say Good Morning and serve you breakfast until about 2pm. Nic got delicious looking Eggs Benedict and I had delicious pineapple and banana pancakes. I had read that the restaurant had one of the best Key Lime Pies on the island, so we obviously had to try it. It was HUGE and very delicious!! Different than any key lime pie I have ever had. We glanced outside as we were finishing up our meal to see that the very sunny weather had quickly turned into a massive downpour! It was quite impressive. We walked back in the rain and came across Mile 0 so I was able to get my picture with it. :) 

As quickly and intensely as the rain started, it stopped and the hot, sunny weather was back in full force so we spent the afternoon at the hotel beach reading baby books, swimming, and relaxing. That night we went to Latitudes on Sunset Key for our anniversary dinner. 

The next day we checked out Bahia Honda State Park. It was voted America's Best Beach in 1992 and is still referred to as the top beach in the Keys so we wanted to see what all the fuss was about. It definitely did not look like the photos mainly because of all the seaweed piled up along the shore. We only had towels to sit on from the hotel so I wasn't overly comfy. It was the hottest time of day and when I took my cover up off I discovered that I had heat rash on my belly. Even though we paid to get in, we decided not to stay too long. We walked along the beach then went swimming. The water was very warm and calm and we were having a great time until some plant wrapped around my hand and stung me. It was burning and turned red right away. Normally something like that wouldn't faze us, but as soon as we started researching it all this stuff about fire coral came up and since I'm pregnant we were kind of worried. We left the beach and went to find a first aid kit. The ranger at the information center was not very helpful. She had me run my hand under hot water and sprayed it with vinegar. Nic wanted to leave right away, but it was an hour drive and I wanted to check out a few more things first. We walked over to the other beach, saw some butterflies and walked up to the Bahia Honda Bridge. After we quickly explored, we took off back for our favorite hotel beach. My hand continued to sting for about another hour, then felt fine. 

On the way back we stopped at a cupcake place for some treats. We spent the afternoon in the shade, reading our books and enjoying the ocean. We stayed at the hotel that night to watch the sunset and were blown away by how beautiful it was. We got to watch the brightest orange sun completely disappear into the ocean. 

For dinner we went to the Conch Shack just a short walk up on Duval Street. We had never had conch fritters before and decided we needed to try them while here. We got a seafood basket and both decided the conch fritters were our least favorite although everything was really good. After dinner, we went to the Key West Key Lime Factory to get a chocolate dipped key lime pie on a stick. It was delicious!!

On Monday, May 28th, we walked up Duval Street to the french La Creperie for breakfast. We got a savory crepe with chicken, spinach, mushrooms, tomatoes, and onion bechemel sauce that was incredible and a strawberry, banana and nutella crepe as dessert. It was one of our favorite meals! 

Normally Nic and I run around trying to see and do everything on our vacations, but this trip we were happy to be a bit more low key. We spent the rest of the day at the beach. We ate a small dinner at the beach and watched our last Key West Sunset. For Memorial Day, a plane flew over with an American Flag, which was beautiful to see.

That night we went to a place called Better than Sex Dessert for dessert. We weren't blown away by our desserts, but the experience was very unique. It was very dark in the restaurant so they give you flashlights to read the menu. Of course all the dessert descriptions are really sexual. It was definitely an interesting dining experience.

HOMESTEAD>KEY WEST

On Friday, May 25th, Nic and I enjoyed another delicious breakfast at the Hampton Inn before heading off on our drive through the Keys down to Key West. As you drive along highway one the mile markers sort of count you down (We started at about 126 and mile marker 0 is in Key West). It was fun to watch the miles tick by as we drove along on a perfect sunny Florida day. Just as we were heading into Key Largo, Margaritaville came on the radio. It was perfect timing!! One of our first stops was to get a picture with Wyland's wall mural. 

Next, we entered Islamorada and stopped for a photo with the giant lobster at Rain Barrel Artisan's Village. Then we stopped at the "world famous" Tiki Bar in Holiday Isle. Unfortunately, it wasn't opened yet (I thought it was always 5 o'clock somewhere?) so we got back on the road. We munched on our delicious homemade banana bread from Robert Was Here Fruit Stand. 

Our next stop was Robbie's Marina to feed the tarpon. It was so fun! We had never seen tarpon before. They were huge and somewhat scary looking. For a few bucks we got a bucket of fish and tons of entertainment. It was quite a challenge to feed the fish while also keeping an eye on the pelicans and ensuring they didn't steal the fish from us. Nic enjoyed feeding the fish, but I found it a bit difficult to bend down low enough on the dock with my purse and belly to feed them without losing my balance and falling in. (I'm sure that would have made for a great video though!). My favorite part was watching others feed the tarpon. One guy did in fact fall through the dock and then to compensate for it hand fed the tarpon (He would hold the fish out of the water and the tarpon would jump out and engulf his entire hand in it's mouth to get the fish. The guy's hand was totally bleeding (the tarpon have pretty impressive teeth), but he kept doing it. He put on quite a show!! We spent a decent amount of time at Robbie's and every second was pure entertainment. We loved it!! 

After that, we stopped at Anne's Beach. It was beautiful! We dipped our feet in and I must say, it was the warmest water I have ever felt! Next we stopped at 7 Mile Grill for a bite to eat before we crossed the famous 7 mile bridge. We stopped and took a stroll on the bridge before hopping back in the car and driving it. The drive across the bridge is quite beautiful. The Gulf of Mexico is to the right, the Atlantic ocean is to the left, and all you can really see is blue ocean all around. Next we entered Big Pine Key were we kept our eyes peeled for Key Deer (we didn't see any). 

After hours of fun and what we decided was a perfect drive with just the right amount of stops, we arrived in Key West!!

We checked into our hotel, then went straight to the beach. Our room wasn't ready when we checked in so they gave us free drink coupons. Nic got a pina colada and I enjoyed a delicious virgin pina colada. It was so good and totally worth all the dirty looks I got while drinking it. The little beach at our hotel was so nice and the water was calm and warm. We checked out the hotel's iguana who we later discovered perches himself on this rock to watch the sunset every night. 

After a bit of sun and dips in the ocean, we changed and headed over to Mallory Square for the sunset. We listened to live music and watched the gorgeous sunset with practically everyone else in Key West. After that we checked out some of the street performers and then grabbed dinner at a nearby restaurant. It was a fabulous day!

The Everglades

We slept in on the 24th, then had the most delicious breakfast at the hotel before heading out for our Everglades Adventure. While at breakfast, another hotel guest congratulated me on being pregnant and gave my belly a little rub. I again was flattered. She was a young girl, probably a few years younger than me, and she seemed genuinely excited for me. I think it is so nice to meet strangers who feel that excited for me and my baby. It was so dark and rainy at breakfast that Nic and I were glad we spent the morning sleeping in.


After breakfast, we took off for the Everglades. We stopped at the Ernest F. Coe Visitor Center  quickly. Then because of the rain and my doctor's recommendation to not ride on one of the air boats, we decided to drive down to Flamingo. As we got closer to Flamingo the weather got better and better. By the time we parked it was nice and sunny. When I hopped out of the car I was immediately surrounded by mosquitoes! I jumped back in the car and realized I was surrounded by them. I went crazy trying to kill them and realized I was going to have to suck it up and put on bug spray. My doctor had recommended AVON Bug Guard as a 1st choice, but said if the mosquitoes were really bad that I should use Deet. Since I had never seen so many mosquitoes before, I had read pregnant women attract mosquitoes, and I am already a mosquito magnet I decided to use the deet. I wore as much clothing as possible so I could spray as little directly on my skin as possible and sprayed it all over my clothes. 

We went on a boat ride out of Flamingo (don't worry, it was a big, slow, calm boat ride-not my usual style, but perfect for me and the baby).  We got to see mangroves, salt water crocodiles, and birds. After the boat ride, we drove back to the Anhinga Trail with the hopes that the weather would stay nice so we would be more likely to see some alligators. It was nice and hot when we got there and as soon as we started on the trail, I spotted this cool turtle (the Florida softshell turtle) right next to the path. I was pointing it out to Nic and getting my camera ready when I suddenly turned to my right to see an alligator about 6 feet from me! No fence, no ropes, nothing between me and the alligator. It was so cool!! We got pictures with the alligator and I must admit, even though he was small, being so close to a wild alligator with nothing between us was quite thrilling. We then got to check out the turtle right up close. As we continued on the boardwalk, we saw a huge alligator, at least 10 turtles including a little baby one, more than 10 alligators, and another type of turtle (red bellied turtle). We saw a few more alligators right along the path too. For a simple 15 minute loop trail, I couldn't believe how much wildlife we saw! We went on the Gumbo Limbo trail as well, which was right next to the Anhinga trail, but completely different. This trail showed off more of the plants and trees of the Everglades and reminded Nic and I a lot of the rainforest in Northern Australia. 

After that, we left the Everglades. On the way out, Nic spotted a huge alligator right on the side of the road! It was so cool! We had wanted to stop at an Alligator Farm to see an alligator feeding and a few other shows, but we ran out of time. Instead we stopped at a little cafe on the side of the road and tried some alligator bites. 

We also stopped at Robert Was Here fruit stand. I got the most delicious strawberry key lime pie smoothie!! It was AMAZING!! We had a blast checking out all the fruit, animals, and parrots. 

Then we took off on a drive to Biscayne Bay. We checked out the race track on the way. We didn't get there in time to go into the park, so we just checked out a nearby beach club area. Next we decided it was time to grab dinner at a local BBQ place Nic had read about on Tripadvisor. We drove past the Coral Castle on the way to dinner at Shivers. The dinner was SO good!! I got deep fried creamed corn and pickles. They were both so good, but the pickles were absolutely amazing!! Nic got ribs that he could not stop talking about. He also got collard greens and cornbread souffle as sides that were delicious as well. All I really wanted were more pickles for dinner, but my doctor always tells me to make sure I eat protein at every meal. I wanted to order the BBQ pork sandwich but they were out of pork, so I got the BBQ chicken sandwich for round #2 with sides of hush puppies and more cornbread souffle. Man did I get crap for that meal on facebook. It was a small little sandwich, of shredded chicken and BBQ sauce. How bad could it have been for me? Surely it isn't as bad as fried creamed corn and fried pickles in ranch, right? Since I couldn't stop thinking about the pickles and I've only ever had good ones like these one other time (in Pittsburgh) I decided to be a huge pig and get another order of fried pickles for the road. ;) Yum!!! When we got back to the hotel, we somehow managed to squeeze in a cookie each and some hot chocolate for dessert. 

It was not the glamorous, romantic way we usually spend our anniversaries, but we had such a fun, adventurous day!! I can't believe we have already been married for 4 years!! I love that we can be romantic, but I also love that we can get dirty and explore new things together. It was the perfect way to celebrate 4 wonderful years!! (even with the 50 bug bites I got despite the fact that I probably poisoned our poor baby with deet).