Good news!

Well, Sam and I went to the doctor today to get us both checked out, and there's good news: he has a nice heartbeat, I have good blood pressure, AND . . . dah-dah-DAH: his AFP results are normal! This means that the likelihood of him having something nasty like spina bifida are low. Praise Jesus! And thank you all for praying.

The other thing I'm happy about is that at this point in pregnancy, I'm supposed to have gained 10-14 pounds, and I've gained 14. It's at the high end of the expected range, but it's actually IN THE RANGE. I'm pretty sure that I was out of it by this point last time. So I still have my hope of experiencing not-quite-so-achy feet at nine months.

The other two good things (I hope!) to come out of this appointment are an appointment for Brie and I to get our flu shots next week, and a referral to an occupational therapist in the works for me to get help with my right wrist. Yep, I bit the bullet. Hopefully it'll help. I'd love to be able to hold a book pain-free again.

The other fun part of having two medical appointments in one week is that I've got to see a lot of Emily, since she's kind enough to watch Brigid while I'm away. It's fun to have a chance to hang out and talk afterwards.

Our young moms' group is slowly recovering from the blow dealt when Jenn and Katrina left. For awhile there, there'd only be one or two of us there each week. But lately there's been more like five or six, thanks to one mom moving into town, and another, well, becoming a mom. That and Elena getting a van capable of toting all three of her kidlets. It's not the same, but it is nice to have a larger group again. It's much more relaxing, because if it's just two of you, it feels like you have to talk the whole time. With six people, the conversation just sort of flows.

Of course, the REALLY cool thing is that in a month or so, Jenn will be back to join us again for a meeting. I bet Elisa's all over the stairs and slides.


Yesterday evening I was preparing dinner, but I couldn't ignore the shrieks and giggles coming from the backyard. So I went out, and I found myself involved in a breathless game of Brie-ball. Apparently it's sort of like Calvinball, in that you make it up as you go and it's tons of fun. Anyway, I wish you all could see the fun my husband and daugther get up to in the backyard. they go out there together almost every night, and every time I join them, there's something going on that involves chasing and tackling and tickling and running and climbing and bouncy balls and an inordinate amount of giggles and squeals from Brigid, and laughter on the part of her father. He's a VERY good dad.

-Jess