Week Nine - Already! Happy Easter!

So our little black dot has very quickly become the size of a grape!  We had our first appointment with our Nurse Practitioner on Tuesday and she went through our medical histories and what we can expect moving forward.  She was actually very sweet when I expressed my concern over my current nutrition and she said it's her job to tell me to eat well with plenty of lean protein once I'm feeling better.  Also, we now have a due date!  Baby Devereux is set to arrive somewhere around November 12, 2009.

The morning sickness (by the way, whoever names it that is full of crap!  It should totally be called ALL DAY sickness) that kicked in right at week 6 hasn't let up and I go from ridiculously nauseously hungry to ridiculously nauseously full all day long.  Sometimes I can't even tell the difference until it's too late.   Also, my always sensitive gag reflex is on steroids and I can gag really way too easily, even at the thought of saying the word 'gag'!  The good news everyone keeps telling me this is all a good thing and signifies my crazy pregnancy hormones are doing just as they should.  The bad news is, all I eat is carbs, can hardly tolerate water, have a strong aversion to all protein and somehow I'm sure that our little grape does not weigh five pounds!!!

Rick has been wonderful, supportive and understanding, even if I'm scaring the crap out of him. Ripken has been awfully snuggly and chill with me, so we're pretty sure he's caught on to the whole thing too.  Bad news is, the moment Rick comes home, Ripken's off for the races and ready to expend all the energy he conserves with me from midnight until 2am or so.   Poor, tired Rick!

I'm looking forward to having the next three days off to sleep, sleep, sleep and anxiously awaiting week 13.  My hope is that just like the morning sickness kicked in the day before Week 6, it'll be gone just like that at Week 13 and I can enter the 'honeymoon phase' of pregnancy - for my sake and Rick's!   

Happy Easter everyone!

Our little black dot

Last Monday (March 2, 2009) I was preparing dinner and playing our new Wii (multi-talented, I know) when Amy came home from work.

She said she was going to change into comfy clothes and then come down and join me. Well, she did come downstairs, but said she didn't want the dinner I had planned (salmon in a Pinot Noir wine reduction sauce).

I was shocked. Amy didn't want fish and wine for dinner?!?!?! A dinner I had planned throughout the day and which was already in the early stages of being made. Now what am I going to make? I had gone to the store but only for the ingredients needed for that specific dish, and we didn't have a whole of other options in the 'fridge.

I turn around to question Amy on why and what she would like instead, and she just sticks out her hand holding a stick.

Pregnant.

She smiles and giggles; I get wide-eyed and sit on the coffe table.

"Really," I ask.

She bites her lip and nods gingerly, "Yeah."

My first thoughts, surprisingly, were not about the joys of becoming a father or the shock of my life changing or being concerned about finances - things all parents feel when they find out they are expecting.

"What the hell am I going to make for dinner?"

We talked a bit about the validity of the test and the natural curiouisty of when it might have been conceived and how far along she was/is and the possible due date. A vague due date of possibly the second week of November was established.

We didn't want to tell anyone, but we needed to talk to somebody about what this meant. It was too late in the evening and too silly to call a doctor. We didn't want to tell our parents for fear of getting them excited about something that might be a fals alarm.

We needed an expert who would understand how we felt, would be excited for us, somebody we knew would give us an honest assesment of our situation, but also realize that we didn't want other people to know just yet.

We decided to call my sister.

Nicole is someone I would definately call an expert on childbearing. She and her husband have four kids. The oldest one just turned 6 and the youngest (our Goddaughter Julia) just turned 1. That means she has been taking care of children nonstop for six years! Nicole would be excited and honest and give us some pointers right away.

Apparently there is no such thing as a false-positive with pregnancy tests. They can say 'not pregnant' when, in fact, you are pregnant, but the chances are miniscule it would say 'pregnant' when you're not. It might say pregnant if you have cancer, so we were praying for it wasn't that.

Nicole said Amy could have the fish in wine sauce and even a glass of wine, but only one serving of each.

That made me happy.

Amy took another test the next day, and the second opinion was the same as the first. I think that made it 'real' for Amy, but I think I was still waiting for it be official from a doctor.

Amy's first doctor's appointment was on Thursday, March 12. I was shocked at what they had to do to her, but she said it was easier than a pap smear. And all this time I thought Pat Smear was just a guitarist in rock bands.

Long story short, I now know I am going to be the proud parent of a black dot!

Super Bowl Sunday!

Rick and Amy are going to run the Surf City Half Marathon in Huntington Beach on Feb. 1, the morning of Super Bowl Sunday.

They have also decided to write down every mile they traverse during their training and will donate $1 per mile to the Lance Armstrong's Livestrong Foundation.

As many of you know, Rick was diagnosed with testicular cancer on May 1, 2000. With the love and support of his family and friends, he was able to beat the disease. Now he and his wish to help others in their fight against this disease.

Rick has set up a training program, and if he runs fairly fast during all of his runs, he should get up to $181. He already has a side bet with a friend regarding the overall time it will take to complete the 13.1 mile run down Main Street, through the wetlands and up PCH toward the pier.

Any and all donations are appreciated.

Maui

Amy and Rick took a well- deserved vacation during the first week of September.

The trip was sort of a celebration of both of their birthdays, but mostly just an excuse to get away from the mainland and travel to beautiful Maui for seven days!

The first day (Saturday, August 30) was an early wake up in Camas, Washington in order to make the flight. The flight was uneventful - Amy slept and Rick read and watched Ironman as the in-flight movie. Once in Maui, the rental car's trunk would not close. Switching to an SUV made everything comfortable - especially considering there were two couples (and all of their luggage and two sets of golf clubs) in the car. That night the whole gang - there were two other couples with Amy and Rick - ate together at Kimo's and watched a beautiful sunset.

Sunday, Amy and Rick went to Wailea and checked out the spa at the Grand Wailea. The two actually had reserved a date and time to originally have their wedding at Grand Wailea before switching to the Highlands Inn at Carmel. Viewing the grounds of the Grand Wailea made both visualize how their ceremony would have looked. One word - beautiful. The spa and couples' massage was nice (actually Rick really liked it but Amy was only so-so on the spa).

Monday was a super-windy day at the beach. It was too windy, really. The sand would pelt your skin, and laying out at the pool was not much more enjoyable. It died down later in the day though, in time for a nice sunset and dinner.

Tuesday, the guys went golfing at Kapalua's Plantation Course. While the boys were happy to be playing such a prestigious course, all were a little disappointed by the level of service there. The driving range was not that great and then the attendant was slow and rude. The course was being airated, so it was more on the brown side than was expected. Still, the views were great and the course layout was fantastic. Rick's best shots on the course came from the camera and not from any club in his bag, but he still enjoyed himself.

The girls went to the Marriott spa while the guys were golfing . Fantastic massages had by all, but their attempts to blend in at the pool were thwarted.

Wednesday was Rick's birthday and Amy gave him the gift he asked for - surfing lessons!

Overdue

It has been too long since an update...

Amy and rick were married for a third time. Well, their marriage was convalidated by the Catholic Church. The two have now had wedding ceremonies in California, Mexico and now in Washington. Be on the look out for a Devereux wedding in your state!

Amy and Rick were also in Southern California for a week. This was no Disneyland vacation, though. The happy couple were in Long Beach for the baptism of Julia Grace and then in Temecula for the wedding of one of Rick's former college roommate and fraternity brother.

Fort Vancouver, just a few miles from Chateau Devereux, boasts it has the largest firework show west of the Mississippi. Amy's co-workers (with help from Rick) tried to give the Fort a run for its money on the Fourth of July. Rick and Amy attended a great get together that had wonderful food, excellent friends and fun conversation. And when the sun went down, there was an impressive display of explosives!

The summer days are nice and warm, and Rick's new job schedule allows him to grill everyday for lunch. Amy isn't complaining, as she comes home for lunch and loves the home cooking - especially the fish tacos with fresh guacamole!

Till next time...

It's been a year!

Amy and Rick have officially survived the Pacific Northwest for one year.

Back in 2007, the newlyweds were ignorant as what to expect from the Rose City (or at least a suburb of the Rose City). Now, in 2008, the still-newly married couple are just as ignorant but are at least getting a handle on how to get from Point A to Point B without a Thomas Guide (sometimes).

The Portland area has become less foreign as favorite resturants are discovered (Arawan, Portland City Grill, Bay 13), and the quickest routes are deteremined by trial-and-error.

While they are not seasoned veterans of Portland just yet, Rick and Amy are excited about exploring as much as they can.

And there is a standing offer to anyone who wants to visit - we love to have guests!

Call me 'Don'

On the last day of January in the year of our Lord 2008, at 2:14 in the afternoon, Julia Grace was born to my sister and brother-in-law.

This bundle of joy entered the world at 19 1/2 inches long and 7 pounds 11 1/2 ounces with dark hair and healthy lungs.

I am honored to say Amy and I have been asked to be Godparents, the first Godchild for either of us. Julia will also be the first niece or nephew to know my wife only as Aunt Amy.

The mother and child are both doing extremely well and recovering at home in Long Beach.