April 29, 2013
April 26, 2013
five things
{1}
I spent the last few days hiding my face or wearing fake glasses to distract from my face. I used a new facial product earlier this week and woke up the next morning with a bit of a red raised rash. By afternoon the rash was covered in white bumps. It wasn't cute. I called the nurse and told her about my rash situation. She assured me it wasn't pregnancy related, but that my skin may be more sensitive and to take some Benadryl and call if the rash didn't go away. This morning I awoke with no rash. After all the skin issues I've had in Colombia, I shouldn't have been surprised to have something come up during pregnancy. This girl will be sticking to her trusted hypoallergenic products from here on out.
{2}
Lola had her second round of chemo yesterday. About a week after her last treatment we noticed a drastic difference in her energy level. She had to be carried up to bed and didn't move much throughout the day. My mom called the doctor and they said that a week after treatment is the most difficult point, so these symptoms are to be expected. Thankfully a few days later her energy returned and she was back to running in the yard and greeting us at the door. Her blood results showed that that her blood count was too low after her last treatment, which explained her energy loss. The doctor told us yesterday he decreased the chemo by 20% and explained that we should not see the same effects as last time.
{3}
This commercial makes me misty eyed.
And I love that it's in English & Spanish.
{4}
Speaking of Spanish...
I came across this last week and literally couldn't help myself.
{5}
This girl digs the new ride.
I spent the last few days hiding my face or wearing fake glasses to distract from my face. I used a new facial product earlier this week and woke up the next morning with a bit of a red raised rash. By afternoon the rash was covered in white bumps. It wasn't cute. I called the nurse and told her about my rash situation. She assured me it wasn't pregnancy related, but that my skin may be more sensitive and to take some Benadryl and call if the rash didn't go away. This morning I awoke with no rash. After all the skin issues I've had in Colombia, I shouldn't have been surprised to have something come up during pregnancy. This girl will be sticking to her trusted hypoallergenic products from here on out.
{2}
Lola had her second round of chemo yesterday. About a week after her last treatment we noticed a drastic difference in her energy level. She had to be carried up to bed and didn't move much throughout the day. My mom called the doctor and they said that a week after treatment is the most difficult point, so these symptoms are to be expected. Thankfully a few days later her energy returned and she was back to running in the yard and greeting us at the door. Her blood results showed that that her blood count was too low after her last treatment, which explained her energy loss. The doctor told us yesterday he decreased the chemo by 20% and explained that we should not see the same effects as last time.
{3}
This commercial makes me misty eyed.
And I love that it's in English & Spanish.
{4}
Speaking of Spanish...
I came across this last week and literally couldn't help myself.
{5}
This girl digs the new ride.
April 24, 2013
nursery update
It's still a work in progress, but with each project that gets crossed off the list we get one step closer to completion and I get more and more excited.
This weekend my mother finished the stencil on the wall of the nursery. I love it and can take absolutely no credit since I had nothing to do with the painting process.
We also had a new light fixture installed yesterday.
A good DIY blogger I am not, because I have done a horrible job of taking before pictures, so we will focus on the after.
My big job, besides picking out paint colors, involved using a power tool. Matt was pretty excited about this, until I told him which power tool it was.
An electric sander.
We sanded and are painting an older dresser than my parents had navy blue. I'm pretty excited about this project as it's our first pop of navy in the room.
I found an accidental picture of the before light fixture.
I've done some crib hunting and sent lots of pictures to Matt and I think we may have decided on a place for our little darling to lay his or her head. I can't wait to get a crib in this room. With each project it begins to feel more and more nursery like, but I think the crib is the icing on the cake.
April 22, 2013
April 19, 2013
George
Speaking of Royals, Baby McQuinn has his/her first nickname.
By now we've mentioned several times my father's love of Royals baseball and his favorite player, George Brett, who he and my brother had the pleasure of meeting in January.
Back in January, during the retelling of his encounter with George, my father asked if Matt and I would consider naming our first born George. At the time, Matt and I knew of our little darling, but hadn't shared the news with our families. We thought the name request was hilarious and I was convinced my dad was on to us.
When we shared the news, my parents joined in on the laughter {through the tears}and immediately stated they would be referring to the bambino as George for the next 9 months.
Even though we don't plan on finding out the gender and George lends itself to the masculine side of things*, we have so much fun with the name and prefer George to the title of "it".
The George theme has also lent itself to a few cute gifts...
*Sometimes George is referred to as George Ann.
Currently, neither of these names are on the list.
By now we've mentioned several times my father's love of Royals baseball and his favorite player, George Brett, who he and my brother had the pleasure of meeting in January.
Back in January, during the retelling of his encounter with George, my father asked if Matt and I would consider naming our first born George. At the time, Matt and I knew of our little darling, but hadn't shared the news with our families. We thought the name request was hilarious and I was convinced my dad was on to us.
When we shared the news, my parents joined in on the laughter {through the tears}and immediately stated they would be referring to the bambino as George for the next 9 months.
Even though we don't plan on finding out the gender and George lends itself to the masculine side of things*, we have so much fun with the name and prefer George to the title of "it".
The George theme has also lent itself to a few cute gifts...
*Sometimes George is referred to as George Ann.
Currently, neither of these names are on the list.
April 18, 2013
All American
On Tuesday I packed up the car with my parents and brother and headed south to Atlanta for a baseball game.
An all American outing.
I've mentioned before that my father is a huge Royals fan and we grew up as faithful Royals fans. The Braves played the Royals and since Atlanta is only three hours away, we planned a midweek mini-vacay to catch a game.
We arrived in Atlanta with little time to spare before the first pitch was thrown and since we weren't staying in close proximity to the stadium we decided to take the train. My father and brother walked excitedly in front of my mother and I and by the time we reached the Marta station my father had already purchased our train passes, from a man who gave him a 'deal'.
Yep. Timmy got got.
His Royals apparel likely made him a prime pick.
It won't come as a surprise to many that these train passes were a bust and we had to buy new passes on the way back. While this made for a somewhat stressful start to our evening, soon we were laughing about it and it made for a great story.
We had a great evening. I skipped the beer and went straight for the hot dog.
We watched our Royals hold their own with the Braves up until the 8th inning, when they brought in a new pitcher and the poor darling gave up three home runs in one inning.
It kinda hurt to watch.
The following day the boys went to the afternoon game and my mother and I stayed in Buckhead to shop. A lovely way to spend the afternoon.
We missed a pretty good game as the Royals put an end to the Braves 10 game winning streak and Bo Jackson threw out the first pitch.
Everyone was happy with their day, although my mom and I both agreed we would have rather seen a W than an L...
An all American outing.
I've mentioned before that my father is a huge Royals fan and we grew up as faithful Royals fans. The Braves played the Royals and since Atlanta is only three hours away, we planned a midweek mini-vacay to catch a game.
We arrived in Atlanta with little time to spare before the first pitch was thrown and since we weren't staying in close proximity to the stadium we decided to take the train. My father and brother walked excitedly in front of my mother and I and by the time we reached the Marta station my father had already purchased our train passes, from a man who gave him a 'deal'.
Yep. Timmy got got.
His Royals apparel likely made him a prime pick.
It won't come as a surprise to many that these train passes were a bust and we had to buy new passes on the way back. While this made for a somewhat stressful start to our evening, soon we were laughing about it and it made for a great story.
We had a great evening. I skipped the beer and went straight for the hot dog.
We watched our Royals hold their own with the Braves up until the 8th inning, when they brought in a new pitcher and the poor darling gave up three home runs in one inning.
It kinda hurt to watch.
The following day the boys went to the afternoon game and my mother and I stayed in Buckhead to shop. A lovely way to spend the afternoon.
We missed a pretty good game as the Royals put an end to the Braves 10 game winning streak and Bo Jackson threw out the first pitch.
Everyone was happy with their day, although my mom and I both agreed we would have rather seen a W than an L...
April 17, 2013
FAQs
Given our unique living situation, there is a lot of questions regarding the plans for our expanding family. Here are a few of the details of our great adventure...
Baby McQuinn will be born in the United States, Knoxville to be exact. While we felt comfortable seeing a Colombian doctor at the beginning of the pregnancy, neither of us {especially me!} was particularly comfortable with having the labor & delivery part go down at Centro Medico Bocagrande. Despite my brothers argument about giving our unborn child dual citizenship to increase their odds of obtaining an Olympic medal {can't compete for America, there is always Colombia}, we both feel comfortable with our decision.
One of the drawbacks to this decision is timing the birth with Matt's intense work schedule. Matt will leave Colombia for Tennessee a few days before our due date and stay for 2 - 3 weeks. While fathoming the idea of Matt having to leave our little family to return to work in South America is enough to make me reach for a box of Kleenex, it's just another part of our story. Thankfully he has some time off in November that will allow him to head back to the US for a short visit and we will all reunite in December for Christmas. After the holidays, our little darling will have his or her passport stamped and head to South America to begin a new chapter of our Colombian adventure.
While we don't have an end date to Matt's current project on the calendar, we are both comfortable with tentatively saying Fall 2014. My goal is to celebrate an adorable one year olds birthday in the US with family and friends. We don't know whats next for the McQuinn family and depending on the day I have two different answers, to continue one more adventure or settle down {usually it's settle down}. We've discussed it a bit and have decided to cross the bridge when we get there. We know this baby is going to change our lives and understand that we can't fathom just quite how much yet. With that and no official destinations to discuss, there is no need to worry ourselves, yet. We've got enough going on right now.
Matt and I don't have plans to learn the gender of our little one. Matt has always wanted it to be a surprise and I have learned to let go of my Type A personality a bit in the past few years and can handle not having every detail planned. We both love the idea of looking forward to the best surprise ever.
Since our baby will have two homes within the first few months of their precious life, they will also have two nurseries. My parents were kind enough to offer up a guest room in their home for our little one to settle into. This was fabulous news to me as decorating a nursery was one of the things I thought I may miss out on, given our unique situation. The guest room in our Colombian apartment will double as the nursery. As we expect visitors {hello grandparents!} during the rest of our stay in Colombia, we thought it was important to keep the guest bed, but also give the baby his/her own space. It will be a pretty simple nursery, no paint on the walls, but a room filled with color, homemade art, and lots of love. Therefore the serious nursery work will go down here in Tennessee. While my grandmother was here, she painted the nursery. I love, love, love that three generations of love will make this nursery a special place for our little darling to call home {for a few months anyway}.
We went with vintage gray on the walls and plan use navy in the room as well. Based on if we have a little lady or a little gent, we will accent with coral or green. It's been so much fun to look at nurseries and discuss ideas. Currently we have a few projects lined up including stenciling one wall in the room, painting a dresser, and recovering a rocking chair. So excited to share our projects as they come along.
That's just a few of the details we've worked out so far. There is many more decisions to be made, both big and small, difficult and easy. But so far, I have to say, this is my favorite adventure yet.
Baby McQuinn will be born in the United States, Knoxville to be exact. While we felt comfortable seeing a Colombian doctor at the beginning of the pregnancy, neither of us {especially me!} was particularly comfortable with having the labor & delivery part go down at Centro Medico Bocagrande. Despite my brothers argument about giving our unborn child dual citizenship to increase their odds of obtaining an Olympic medal {can't compete for America, there is always Colombia}, we both feel comfortable with our decision.
One of the drawbacks to this decision is timing the birth with Matt's intense work schedule. Matt will leave Colombia for Tennessee a few days before our due date and stay for 2 - 3 weeks. While fathoming the idea of Matt having to leave our little family to return to work in South America is enough to make me reach for a box of Kleenex, it's just another part of our story. Thankfully he has some time off in November that will allow him to head back to the US for a short visit and we will all reunite in December for Christmas. After the holidays, our little darling will have his or her passport stamped and head to South America to begin a new chapter of our Colombian adventure.
While we don't have an end date to Matt's current project on the calendar, we are both comfortable with tentatively saying Fall 2014. My goal is to celebrate an adorable one year olds birthday in the US with family and friends. We don't know whats next for the McQuinn family and depending on the day I have two different answers, to continue one more adventure or settle down {usually it's settle down}. We've discussed it a bit and have decided to cross the bridge when we get there. We know this baby is going to change our lives and understand that we can't fathom just quite how much yet. With that and no official destinations to discuss, there is no need to worry ourselves, yet. We've got enough going on right now.
Matt and I don't have plans to learn the gender of our little one. Matt has always wanted it to be a surprise and I have learned to let go of my Type A personality a bit in the past few years and can handle not having every detail planned. We both love the idea of looking forward to the best surprise ever.
Since our baby will have two homes within the first few months of their precious life, they will also have two nurseries. My parents were kind enough to offer up a guest room in their home for our little one to settle into. This was fabulous news to me as decorating a nursery was one of the things I thought I may miss out on, given our unique situation. The guest room in our Colombian apartment will double as the nursery. As we expect visitors {hello grandparents!} during the rest of our stay in Colombia, we thought it was important to keep the guest bed, but also give the baby his/her own space. It will be a pretty simple nursery, no paint on the walls, but a room filled with color, homemade art, and lots of love. Therefore the serious nursery work will go down here in Tennessee. While my grandmother was here, she painted the nursery. I love, love, love that three generations of love will make this nursery a special place for our little darling to call home {for a few months anyway}.
We went with vintage gray on the walls and plan use navy in the room as well. Based on if we have a little lady or a little gent, we will accent with coral or green. It's been so much fun to look at nurseries and discuss ideas. Currently we have a few projects lined up including stenciling one wall in the room, painting a dresser, and recovering a rocking chair. So excited to share our projects as they come along.
That's just a few of the details we've worked out so far. There is many more decisions to be made, both big and small, difficult and easy. But so far, I have to say, this is my favorite adventure yet.
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April 16, 2013
April 15, 2013
bourbon blues
While my weekend didn't look like I had anticipated {no Kathleen} an impromptu trip to Kentucky seemed to turn things around.
On Saturday morning my parents, grandparents and I piled in the car and headed north to Kentucky for an afternoon of bourbon. For lunch we stopped at a little well known stop called Wallace Station, which has been featured on the Food Network's, Diners, Drive-In's, and Dives. It's food like this, sandwiches with yummy sauces on home made bread, that I desperately crave while in Colombia.
After lunch we made our way to Woodford Reserve for a distillery tour.
Last summer I discovered the world of bourbon and became a fan. While I didn't get to partake in the best part of this tour {the tasting}, I still enjoyed the education and time spent with family, as well as an alcohol-free bourbon ball.
During our impromptu trip, we only had time for one distillery tour, but if you only have time for one tour, Woodford Reserve is the way to go. The grounds are gorgeous and the history is amazing.
Bonus: I got to see some horses.
We rounded out our weekend with a trip to the Pour House for a relaxing lunch and boat ride.
My first visit this season to the Pour House left me feeling excited... for sun, summer salads, and of course, Kathleen's next visit.
On Saturday morning my parents, grandparents and I piled in the car and headed north to Kentucky for an afternoon of bourbon. For lunch we stopped at a little well known stop called Wallace Station, which has been featured on the Food Network's, Diners, Drive-In's, and Dives. It's food like this, sandwiches with yummy sauces on home made bread, that I desperately crave while in Colombia.
After lunch we made our way to Woodford Reserve for a distillery tour.
Last summer I discovered the world of bourbon and became a fan. While I didn't get to partake in the best part of this tour {the tasting}, I still enjoyed the education and time spent with family, as well as an alcohol-free bourbon ball.
During our impromptu trip, we only had time for one distillery tour, but if you only have time for one tour, Woodford Reserve is the way to go. The grounds are gorgeous and the history is amazing.
Bonus: I got to see some horses.
We rounded out our weekend with a trip to the Pour House for a relaxing lunch and boat ride.
My first visit this season to the Pour House left me feeling excited... for sun, summer salads, and of course, Kathleen's next visit.
April 12, 2013
five things
{1}
I'm currently hanging out in bummed-out town. Not where I thought I would be this weekend. Kathleen was scheduled to arrive for a weekend of wine {for her} & cheese {for the both of us}, long conversations, mani/pedis, & shopping. Instead Mother Nature intervened and her flight was cancelled, making it nearly impossible to get here before the weekend was over. On the bright side, she rescheduled. So now I just have another weekend to look forward to.
Despite my disappointed state, here are a few things that make me smile...
{2}
My first purchase for baby McQuinn
{3}
Her silly stubborn self makes me happy daily.
{4}
This snuggly girl...
She's been doing really well however it's apparent she is feeling quite weak, which breaks my heart. According to the doctors, at this point in chemo, she is at her weakest. So I am hopeful, this phase will be short lived and her Lola energy will return shortly.
{5}
This happened on Wednesday.
We bought a car.
I feel a little less homeless, a little more settled, and a lot more adult with a car.
When we found out we were expecting, Matt thought we should begin looking at cars and started the research {totally his job in our relationship}. We decided on a Ford Edge and he began communicating with a sales person in Knoxville. I showed up for a test drive and to sign my name on the line the following day.
My parent's asked me what my favorite thing about our new car is.
My response....
"It's mine."
I'm currently hanging out in bummed-out town. Not where I thought I would be this weekend. Kathleen was scheduled to arrive for a weekend of wine {for her} & cheese {for the both of us}, long conversations, mani/pedis, & shopping. Instead Mother Nature intervened and her flight was cancelled, making it nearly impossible to get here before the weekend was over. On the bright side, she rescheduled. So now I just have another weekend to look forward to.
Despite my disappointed state, here are a few things that make me smile...
{2}
My first purchase for baby McQuinn
{3}
Her silly stubborn self makes me happy daily.
{4}
This snuggly girl...
She's been doing really well however it's apparent she is feeling quite weak, which breaks my heart. According to the doctors, at this point in chemo, she is at her weakest. So I am hopeful, this phase will be short lived and her Lola energy will return shortly.
{5}
This happened on Wednesday.
We bought a car.
I feel a little less homeless, a little more settled, and a lot more adult with a car.
When we found out we were expecting, Matt thought we should begin looking at cars and started the research {totally his job in our relationship}. We decided on a Ford Edge and he began communicating with a sales person in Knoxville. I showed up for a test drive and to sign my name on the line the following day.
My parent's asked me what my favorite thing about our new car is.
My response....
"It's mine."
April 11, 2013
April 10, 2013
the first trimester
On Pinterest I saw several ideas on creative ways to document your pregnancy and loved the idea of doing something ourselves.
Remember that chalkboard I made... it wasn't just another 'ama de casa' project. It was our first baby project.
We keep track of each week on the chalkboard and we're putting together a book using the pictures as well.
Here are weeks 9-12...
April 9, 2013
pregnant in Colombia
If you've been reading the blog lately, our announcement probably explains the lack of posting. What I really wanted to post about was still a secret and our little secret lead to some quiet nights and uneventful weekends.
We found out about our little darling on our 7th anniversary. We were both thrilled and beside ourselves with joy.
After three pregnancy tests, the next step involved finding a Colombian doctor. This year Matt's company has provided us with a third party medical service putting us in contact with a person to contact regarding medical needs and appointments as well as translation. We made contact and requested an appointment with an English speaking doctor. She set up an appointment for us and asked us to meet her at the clinic. Matt took the afternoon off to join me at our first 'doctor appointment'. It was a Colombian adventure from the get-go. We walked into an waiting room filled with people and got sent to several different offices and desks, before we finally called our contact directly. When we finally made our way to the correct building she stated that we were waiting on the doctor to meet with us. At one point I noticed an attractive Colombian woman that entered the office, wearing a short white dress and 4 inch heels.
This woman is my doctor.
We quickly realized that her English is about as limited as my Spanish.
{honestly, my Spanish is probably better than her English}
The translator helped us get through some basic questions and then the doctor stated she would do an ultrasound. After she had to find a nurse to wheel in an old-school scale, it became apparent to Matt and I that this particular office wasn't necessarily set up for doctor to perform her typical medical routine. She asked if I could return to her office the following morning, at another location, to perform an ultrasound. I was also asked to return to the medical clinic the following morning for a blood sample.
The next morning I went to the Medihelp clinic to give blood. Upon my arrival the translator asked me where my urine was.
"Excuse me?"
"Where is your urine? We need a urine sample."
"Okay, no one mentioned anything about urine..."
She went on to explain that apparently I was supposed to bring my morning urine sample with me to the appointment. Since this was the first mention of 'urine', I was a little confused, but explained that we could work out the situation. She proceeded to tell me since it needed to be a sample from the first thing in the morning I would need to return with a urine sample the following morning. End of conversation. But I was left a little confused about how I was supposed to transport my first morning urine. After I inquired and a search ensued, I was given a proper cup for transport.
Welcome to medicine in Colombia.
I've been feeling extremely lucky to have a very healthy and happy pregnancy so far. I've made it through the first trimester without a bit of morning sickness and just a touch of exhaustion.
After my initial doctor visit, I had three visits and ultrasounds in Colombia.
The first was at 5 weeks, when I first got a peek at our little peanut.
Another visit and peek at 7 weeks...
and our last peek at 11 weeks.
Matt attended this visit with me and after seeing our doctor she sent us to another clinic to receive a more detailed ultrasound. We got to hear the baby's heartbeat, the sweetest sound, and watch our little gymnast flip and turn. After measuring the size of the baby's head and abdomen, the doctor declared that I was 13 weeks along. This left both Matt and I a little perplexed, since I was under the assumption that I was 11 weeks, as well as some anxiety about the size of my unborn child's head.
This mysterious due date was another reason I was anxious to get back to the States.
After a visit to the doctor last week I have a new due date, September 30th and now know exactly how pregnant I am.
15 weeks.
Mystery solved.
We found out about our little darling on our 7th anniversary. We were both thrilled and beside ourselves with joy.
After three pregnancy tests, the next step involved finding a Colombian doctor. This year Matt's company has provided us with a third party medical service putting us in contact with a person to contact regarding medical needs and appointments as well as translation. We made contact and requested an appointment with an English speaking doctor. She set up an appointment for us and asked us to meet her at the clinic. Matt took the afternoon off to join me at our first 'doctor appointment'. It was a Colombian adventure from the get-go. We walked into an waiting room filled with people and got sent to several different offices and desks, before we finally called our contact directly. When we finally made our way to the correct building she stated that we were waiting on the doctor to meet with us. At one point I noticed an attractive Colombian woman that entered the office, wearing a short white dress and 4 inch heels.
This woman is my doctor.
We quickly realized that her English is about as limited as my Spanish.
{honestly, my Spanish is probably better than her English}
The translator helped us get through some basic questions and then the doctor stated she would do an ultrasound. After she had to find a nurse to wheel in an old-school scale, it became apparent to Matt and I that this particular office wasn't necessarily set up for doctor to perform her typical medical routine. She asked if I could return to her office the following morning, at another location, to perform an ultrasound. I was also asked to return to the medical clinic the following morning for a blood sample.
The next morning I went to the Medihelp clinic to give blood. Upon my arrival the translator asked me where my urine was.
"Excuse me?"
"Where is your urine? We need a urine sample."
"Okay, no one mentioned anything about urine..."
She went on to explain that apparently I was supposed to bring my morning urine sample with me to the appointment. Since this was the first mention of 'urine', I was a little confused, but explained that we could work out the situation. She proceeded to tell me since it needed to be a sample from the first thing in the morning I would need to return with a urine sample the following morning. End of conversation. But I was left a little confused about how I was supposed to transport my first morning urine. After I inquired and a search ensued, I was given a proper cup for transport.
Welcome to medicine in Colombia.
I've been feeling extremely lucky to have a very healthy and happy pregnancy so far. I've made it through the first trimester without a bit of morning sickness and just a touch of exhaustion.
After my initial doctor visit, I had three visits and ultrasounds in Colombia.
The first was at 5 weeks, when I first got a peek at our little peanut.
Another visit and peek at 7 weeks...
and our last peek at 11 weeks.
Matt attended this visit with me and after seeing our doctor she sent us to another clinic to receive a more detailed ultrasound. We got to hear the baby's heartbeat, the sweetest sound, and watch our little gymnast flip and turn. After measuring the size of the baby's head and abdomen, the doctor declared that I was 13 weeks along. This left both Matt and I a little perplexed, since I was under the assumption that I was 11 weeks, as well as some anxiety about the size of my unborn child's head.
This mysterious due date was another reason I was anxious to get back to the States.
After a visit to the doctor last week I have a new due date, September 30th and now know exactly how pregnant I am.
15 weeks.
Mystery solved.