Month of Traveling Over & Checklist Update

    As July came to a close so did my month of traveling.  When I last updated, I had completed one of the four trips I was taking during the month of July.  
     My second trip was down to the Cape to visit my friend Lauren at her parent's house.   I have made these trips for the last few years and have come to really enjoy them.   It is great to get away and the Grimleys treat me like I'm one of their own.   I didn't get to the beach as much as I wanted because little Miss Olivia decided to scare me.   She decided she would go on a little vacation of her own and not really move for over 24 hours.  On Monday morning, I called my OB and they recommended that I come into labor & delivery to be checked out.  Though it was about two hours to drive back to Worcester, I decided to do that because I feared that something major could be wrong.   Surprisingly I was uncharacteristically calm.   I knew I had to do the best for my little girl.  I was on the road for about five minutes when the OB on call called me back and told me just to go to the ER at the Cape because she was sure it wasn't a big deal.   I turn around and Lauren and I head to Cape Cod hospital and in about 30 minutes we're sitting in the maternity ward listening to Olivia's strong heartbeat.  The midwife performed what is called a non-stress test (NST).  To complete the test, I was strapped up to a monitor that recorded movement and contractions and I was given some apple juice and had to lay on my side.  After about 20 minutes, the midwife came back to check and as soon as she sat on the bed I felt Olivia kick.   The NST showed that she was moving consistently but just not enough for me to feel.  I was then released.   After that, I was told not to get too hot and stay hydrated and since it was very hot this day and the next, the rest of my vacation involved relaxing and a little shopping.
    My third trip was to NYC with my mother.  We try to go down to NYC at least once a year to see a Broadway show and we try to spend the night every few years.   Not only was this a great getaway for us, but it allowed Sean and my dad to paint the nursery and put the furniture together.  While we were in the city, we spent some time walking around, got Olivia her Halloween costume (A cute Minnie Mouse onesie), and ate some good food.  We also went to see Nice Work If You Can Get It, a Gershwin musical starring Matthew Broderick.   We both really enjoyed it; it was a nice light, upbeat type of musical.   I believe Olivia enjoyed it as well.  She began to really kick whenever a big dance number would come on.   She is destined to be a dancer!  Sean believes she was desperately trying to escape the torture.   Here is a picture of Olivia and me at her first musical:

The next day, my mom and I went to the Central Park Zoo and walked around for awhile.   Even though this trip was easier than normal, I still got very tired very quickly.   It was a great trip and the nursery looked amazing when we returned.
    Trip three was a "Christmas in July" trip for Sean's work.   We went to Boston with his coworkers and enjoyed a great day on the harbor and then dinner.   It was very nice to get away to a fantastic hotel in Boston and enjoy some great company.   It would've been nice to enjoy a good summer beer in the sun, but I was happier to feel Olivia kicking in the sun.   Like the NYC trip, it was amazing how wiped out I was on Sunday.   I asked Sean to leave right after breakfast because I couldn't  even function.  Why was I the one that felt hungover when I didn't have a sip of alcohol?
     With the trips competed, we were finally able to put away the suitcase (something Millie was very excited about) and I was able to complete a lot more of my checklist.  In fact it is almost complete.  Check it out:

• Organize cabinets in the kitchen
• Organize pantry
• Clean out nursery closet
• Organize master closet
• Clean out chest freezer (started, but there is something disgusting frozen on the bottom so this is a multi-week process)
• Order shower decor
• Create ultrasound poster  for shower
• Wash and put away Olivia's clothes (She already has more clothes than Sean)
• Set up nursery (Mostly done)
• Write out unit outlines for maternity leave sub
• Clean out car, especially trunk

That's right, three items left and only one isn't started at all!   I guess that's a good thing since my shower is this weekend and then I go back to school in less than three weeks (BOO!!!!)  My goal is to have everything finished by the time I go back to school.  I know I will be more tired than a normal start of the school year, especially since our childbirth classes start the end of August, and I want as much put together as possible.   Things are getting closer; I only have about 10 weeks left until we get to meet Olivia.  I can't believe after all of our struggles it is finally becoming real.