Trisomy 18

I stole this video from a friend's blog because I was so incredibly touched by it. Trisomy 18 is a terminal genetic disease that doesn't allow for a very long life at all...most babies don't make it to birth and those that do typically die within hours of being born. It's pretty rare - 1 in 3000 births. I've heard about it a lot recently, probably due to my condition. I thought this video was really moving and wanted to share again what an incredible blessing a child is. Please click on "video" up above if you feel so inclined. Here is some additional information I found on the Trisomy 18 Foundation website:

At conception, 23 chromosomes from the father and 23 chromosomes from the mother combine to create a baby with 46 chromosomes in each cell, two of each type. Each chromosome holds a particular "position" in the cell and carries certain genetic material. A trisomy occurs when a baby has three chromosomes in one position instead of the normal two.

The most common trisomy is Trisomy 21, also known as Down Syndrome, where a baby has three of the twenty-first chromosome. Trisomy 18 is the second most common trisomy and occurs when a baby has three of the eighteenth chromosome. This results in 47 chromosomes instead of the normal 46 in the affected cells. It is this extra genetic material that causes the problems associated with Trisomy 18.

A Different Kind of Tag...

I was tagged by my bloggy cousin-n-law (is that a word?) Katie. The rules are to take the fourth picture from your fourth picture folder on your computer and write about it. Then you are to tag four people to do the same. So, here is the picture...
Cameron went to a 3 day music festival called Lollapalooza in August and I just went to the last day of the festival to see Kanye West. Needless to say, sometimes August is a miserably hot & humid month and we just happened to be at the festival on one of those days. Being pregnant wasn't so fun on that day and we didn't stay very long. I paid for a one day pass and wasn't there for more than 2 hours! Kind of a waste I agree, but I had no idea when I bought the ticket that I was going to be preggers. Sorry to do this to you, but this one is more interesting than the other blog tags that are out there:
Christy
Jodie
Sara
Priscilla

Dinner with friends!

Friends of ours moved to LA a few years ago and Shannan came back to visit her family in Chicago, so several of us met up for dinner last night to catch up with her. You might recognize her from some previous blog posts - we often meet up with her & her hubby for long weekends away from home. Shannan and I are actually due 10 days apart so it was nice to see someone else with a little belly...

24 weeks!

Here is what my weekly update had to say:
Your baby's growing steadily, having gained about 4 ounces since last week. That puts him at just over a pound. Since he's almost a foot long (picture an ear of corn), he cuts a pretty lean figure at this point, but his body is filling out proportionally and he'll soon start to plump up. His brain is also growing quickly now, and his taste buds are continuing to develop. His skin is still thin and translucent, but that will start to change soon.

At my 22 week appointment, my doctor went over the results from our 20 week ultrasound. He said that our baby is measuring a bit on the big side...about 5 days ahead of where he should be. Doctor wasn't too worried about it, so I won't worry about it yet either. I have my glucose test in 2 more weeks and hopefully gestational diabetes can be ruled out - that is my only concern because I know that produces larger babies. Maybe Cameron & I just produce large off-spring...

Here is my 24 week picture...the buddha is getting pretty big & the butt is starting to match, but I'm enjoying everything about this pregnancy (even the "bad" stuff):

Uncork the Cure

On Thursday night Cameron and 3 co-workers attended a fund raiser for Cystic Fibrosis. The fund raiser was a wine tasting paired with an auction. Cystic Fibrosis affects about 70,000 people worldwide, but the last 30+ years of technology/fund raising have helped tremendously. In the 50's children diagnosed with CF rarely survived long enough to attend elementary school, however with recent advancements it is not uncommon for people with CF to live well into their 40's. I think we all can agree that still isn't long enough.

You can learn more about CF, where your local chapter is, and how you can help by going to WWW.CFF.ORG

San Francisco Trip!

We are back! We had a busy schedule of wine tasting (not me) and seeing the sights of the San Francisco area! On Friday we went to several wineries and a quaint little Sonoma Valley town called Healdsburg for lunch and shopping. They had planned for us to make it into Napa Valley but all the curvy, hilly roads had me about to vomit so they changed the plans so I wouldn't have to spend the afternoon in misery. Saturday we took a walk in the hills around Terry & Di's house in the morning and then we got on the Ferry to head into San Francisco. It was Fleet Week and there was an airshow happening in the city. We had a fantastic view of the show on top of the tallest building in San Francisco! On Sunday we took a walk to Phoenix Lake, another gorgeous area very close to Terry & Di's house then we went to Tiburon for lunch & shopping. We had a great trip and were able to see so much of the area once again due to our amazing hosts! Thank you, Terry & Di for opening your home to the Hatten crew! (I know I always remind, but please pause our playlist at the bottom of the page).

Make an on-line slideshow at www.OneTrueMedia.com

We're off to the Wine Country!

Maybe not the best place for a pregnant woman to be, but it's gorgeous out there and it will still be fun! We are heading out with Cameron's parents to visit their family friends who live outside of San Francisco. We will have many pictures to share when we return. Have a wonderful weekend!

Updated to add: In answer to your comment...no, we never slow down! :)

Weekend Extravaganza!

This weekend was a busy one with our friends from the big apple! They came in on Thursday afternoon and we headed down into the city for the Cubbies big game. Unfortunately, the miracle team of 2008 proceeded to choke in the playoffs. We still had fun at the game and it was nice for Julie & JB to get the chance to see Wrigley field!

Friday we made our way to Milwaukee for another Intercall wedding! Congratulations to Cara & Drew! It was a beautiful wedding with an awesome view of the Milwaukee skyline and Lake Michigan at the reception hall. Even though mocktails were my drink of choice, we burned up the dance floor and had a great time! The wedding also had a photo booth...2nd wedding since December that had one of those! Anyone planning a wedding? The photo booth is a great addition to the wedding and you get a bunch of crazy pictures of your guests (see below for proof)!In the photo booth:Saturday we had planned to head back to Chicago, however after 2 late nights with minimal sleep we decided that we just wanted to veg out for the afternoon at our house. The boys headed down to manland to watch football and the ladies had the chance to watch a couple chick flicks. We then went to a Japanese steakhouse for dinner. Thank you McGinnis' for making the trip from NYC...we loved having you and had a wonderful time!

Tagged again!

I've been tagged by my friend, Jodie.

Rules: Each player answers the question themselves. At the end of the post, the player then tags 5 people and posts their names, then goes to their blog and leaves them a comment letting them know that they’ve been tagged and asking them to read your blog. Let the person who tagged you know when you’ve answered the questions on your blog.

10 Years Ago (1998):
1. Turned 21 - scary!
2. Lived with 3 college friends
3. Worked at Lifestyles gift shop
4. Watched Janel graduate from HS
5. ???

5 Things on Today's "To Do" List:
1. Work
2. Clean
3. Laundry
4. Download weekend pictures
5. Book flight for work

5 Things that I would do if I were a millionaire:
1. quit my job & volunteer at a cancer related organization
2. hire a maid & personal trainer!
3. buy a new vehicle for Cameron
4. move to Libertyville
5. invest the rest

5 Places I have lived:
1. Leesburg, IN
2. Valparaiso, IN
3. Chicago, IL
4. Waukegan, IL
5. that's it...no where else!

5 Jobs I have had:
1. Blockbuster video clerk
2. Detassler
3. Domino's pizza delivery girl
4. Lifestyles gift shop check out girl
5. Hyatt sales manager

Now, I'm tagging....
1. Karin
2. Katie
3. Angie
4. Kim
5. Krista

Maternity Brain

I had heard about it from my friends and relatives, but never really thought it could be that bad. Let me tell you...it is that bad! I've never felt as stupid in my life as I have since this bun started baking! I have to share this story even though many of you may think I need to be committed to some sort of home after reading this.

I had to take our car to the shop the other day and I've been there several times...we bought both of our current autos from this place and often take them there if they are in need of repair. Seems like a simple thing to do, especially since I've probably been there about 8 times since moving to the burbs. The GMC dealership is right next door to the Saturn dealership and I ended up driving right into the Saturn dealership service department. Still not having a clue that I was in the wrong place even though their service desks were on the left hand side and GMC's are on the right (I thought they renovated)...I pulled in and put the car in park. One of the gentlemen from the service department kindly walked up to me to tell me that I was in the wrong place, the GMC dealership was next door. Probably thinking I was mental, he said "Don't worry Ma'am...it's happened to others before you and I'm sure you're not the last one." Who has this happened to? Senior citizens with Alzheimer's don't count - they are supposed to be confused & forgetful.

This story is 100% truth...unfortunately, not one ounce of this has been exaggerated! I truly hope that someone out there can relate!