Parker's 4D ultrasound

Today was a big day! Not only is it my birthday, but we got to see baby Parker's face this morning. We had his 4D ultrasound at 8am this morning. He was wide awake and very smiley at the beginning. His cord was in the way most of the time so it was hard to get close to his face. As soon as the doctor started snapping pictures, he started smiling for us! He got sleepy towards the end and decided to sleep with his hand in his face! It was amazing watching him in 4D ... we decided he has John's nose and lips. The doctor said his feet are very chubby! I am so glad we got to see him, it just makes us more excited and anxious to meet him!

Mommy and Parker 31 week update

Well the whole pregnancy thing is really starting to hit .... not just mentally but physically. I am now feeling the pain that goes along with the whole thing. I am tired, AGAIN. I am always out of breath. I find it hard to walk long. I am constantly getting up to go "potty" and I feel like this little boy is coming out any day now! I am trying to stay off my feet more but it's so hard with getting wedding presents put away and working on Parker's room. My wonderful husband got us a cleaning lady so at least the work around the house and left to her.
Thank God yesterdays doctor visit is out of the way .... but still nervous for our results. I think it all rest in God's hands now and we can only pray for the best.
Parker is doing GREAT though ... he is still active as always. He has found his "new spot" in the right side of my belly. It feels so weird when he hangs out over there but the doctor said sometimes babies favor one side of their mommy's belly. John and I think Parker will definitely love the water. He absolutely loved the ocean and the feel of the waves on our vacation. I think the water it soothing to him. He has had the hicups a couple of times. Pretty funny to watch my belly when that happens!
We are very excited for Thursday, not only for my birthday but we are getting our 4D ultrasound done and we get to see this beautiful baby boy's face. I CAN'T WAIT! We will post pictures later this week ... keep us in your prayers.

4 hour glucose testing

I had a doctors appointment at 8 am this morning for my second round of glucose testing. The first round results didn't go so well .... not what we planned on. The doctors had called to inform me that my glucose level was 1 point over the normal side. I immediately broke down and cried at the thought of diabetes. The first thought in my head was PARKER and how were we going to deal with this. John and I ran home to research gestational diabetes. We learned that gestational diabetes is a type of diabetes that starts during pregnancy. If you have diabetes, your body isn't able to use the sugar (glucose) in your blood as well as it should, so the level of sugar in your blood becomes higher than normal.
Gestational diabetes affects between 1% to 3% of all pregnant women. It usually develops in the second trimester (sometimes as early as the 20th week of pregnancy). Most often, gestational diabetes goes away after the baby is born.
I felt better knowing that it was pretty common and that it wouldn't effect the baby.
So anyways, I had to come back to the doctors this morning to re-check my glucose levels. I had to fast last night at midnight which was no fun at all. I couldn't even have water. I had to first drink the dreaded nasty orange drink, AGAIN! This time was way worse ... it was double the sugar and made me extra sick. After chugging that, they took blood from my finger. Then they took a LARGE tube of blood from my arm. I had to wait every hour to draw more blood. They took blood 4 times in the 4 hour period. I don't take shots well and I knew I wasn't going to do so well today. I got sick twice after just drinking the drink. They made me lay down in a room with the lights out and woke me up every hour for more blood. My arms are extremely bruised and still hurt. Today was not a good day and I do not want to ever deal with that again! We just pray that the results come back as good news. We will keep everyone updated as soon as we hear results .... please keep us and baby parks in your prayers.

Honeymoon Pictures!

Hola from Mexico!!!

We finally got some time to upload some of our pictures from Mexico. We just got in from kite surfing at Coco Beach. John got to show me his amazing surfing skills!!I was very impressed and can't wait to learn myself! He is going to have to teach Parker and I both! We stayed in Cozumel for the first 3 days ... our honeymoon suit was super nice with our own swim-up pool. It was sad leaving but it was time to head to Playa! We took a ferry to Playa Del Carmen on Saturday after a relaxing day at the spa. This place is absolutely BEAUTIFUL! I've never seen anything like it. We are staying in an amazing 4 story penthouse. The weather here is very HOT and humid. It's hard being 7 months pregnant in the heat like this!
The nightlife is CRAZY here ... reminds me of Vegas minus the lights! The people here don't eat until 11:00 at night.

Mr. and Mrs. Otter 4-11-09

4-11-09 the day I married my best friend. We are now officially Mr. and Mrs. Otter! I have been dreaming of this day ever since I was a little girl, and I couln't have asked for a more perfect day! The weather was AMAZING, warm and sunny. The day began pretty early with the usual girly preparations, hair, make-up, and brunch with the girls. I was mostly relaxed, surprisingly, thanks to my best friend Jamie and John's sister, Alison. They assured me everything will be fine and not to worry or stress. After we all spent the morning at the salon, it was time to head over to John's dads house to get ready and begin taking pictures. The girls hung out upstairs while the boys were downstairs. Our photographer took pictures of us getting ready and all the pre-wedding details. I don't know what I would have done without Jamie helping me stay calm. John and I made it a point to not see eachother until the I walked down the steps into my fathers arm. It seemed like we were upstairs all day waiting to start. Once everyone got there and the priest arrived, we did a quick practice run with me, and then John did his. While John was practicing, Jamie and I were hanging out upstairs talking when we heard my music playing, It came so quick and so sudden. I was totally not ready but when I saw my dad waiting for me, I felt at ease. I was focusing on not tripping on my dress while walking down the stairs. It's hard walking in heels pregnant and holding flowers! My daddy walked me to John and then gave me away. He kissed me on the cheek and told me he loves me. The moment I saw John, I was speechless and felt like I was dreaming. He was the prince I have been waiting for. He was extremely nervous, I could feel his hands shaking. We held hands, I looked up at him and told him "it's ok, you're fine". The ceremony was beautiful, we couldn't have asked for anything more. After we were pronounced husband and wife, it was time for a toast. John's best man which was his brother Billy made a very sweet and touching speech. Next, Jamie, my best friend and maid of honor made her speech, which was amazing, and brought everyone to tears. After celebrating at the house, it was time to head to the boat. When we got to the boat, we took a few pictures before boarding. As soon as we heard "Mr. and Mrs. Otter", it was time to board. All our friends and family were there waiting to see us. The boat looked AMAZING. It was beautiful. The food was great, the decorations looked good, and everyone was having a blast! It was so neat to watch both families interact. It seemend like everyone had known eachother forever! The open bar was on the top deck, so it seemend like everyone wanted to hang out there! Once everyone was done eating, it was time to party! We danced all night! Everyone was having such a good time, John told the captain to keep going for another hour! It was a long night but so worth every minute if it. I wouldn't have changed one thing! People are still talking about it!
After the reception, we had the honeymoon suite at 21C. It was very chic and very nice!
We are so thankful for everyone that came to celebrate our big day! THANK YOU to both our parents .... we love you all more then anything.
We are headed to Mexico in the morning for our honeymoon. First stop Cozumel and then Playa Del Carmen. We will be getting back the 25th. Then it's time for my birthday, April 30th, and our 4D ultrasound. Then Derby!

Can't wait to blog and put up our pics from our honeymoon!

Wedding weekend festivities!

We started off the "wedding weekend" with a WONDERFUL dinner party at Limestone. We had some close friends there to help us celebrate our big day! Our dinner was a 5 course meal, with the most amazing looking dishes ever. The table was constantly full with amazing food and best of the best wines. The night was long but we had a blast and couldn't wait for the big day!
My best friend Jamie was my maid of honor, so we did the usual pampering the day before. We enjoyed the entire day together and finished up small details for the wedding and reception. I don't know what I would have done without her.
Easter Sunday started off with an Easter/wedding brunch at the Bristol in Prospect. The brunch was full of both families and good friends from out of town that came in for the wedding. It was such a good time getting together to talk about the wedding the night before. Although I was still so tired from the wedding, it was good to see everyone and thank everyone for coming! After brunch, we headed to my brother and sister in-laws for the Easter egg hunt. John's good friend Scott and wife were there with their 3 year old son Alex. Scott's wife is actually pregnant with a little boy and due the same time as me! All the mommy's hid the eggs while the boys hid inside and waited. I just couldn't help but think about how next year John and I will be doing it with Parker. I can't wait After the hunt, all the girls hung out in the sun and talked about babies while the guys played baseball with the little boys! It was such a beautiful day and a great end to the weekend!

Beautiful day at Keeneland!

I decided to make the trip to Keeneland for opening week. The weather was BEAUTIFUL and it was a perfect day to enjoy the outdoors with old college friends! John had to work that morning so I drove up for a couple hours. I packed my apple juice and snacks! Let's just say I was probably the only one not drinking alcohol at the tailgate! I had such a good time and saw so many friends. Unfortunately, my legs and back started to hurt from standing all day so I left before everyone walked in. I love Keeneland and hopefully next time we can bring Parker with us!

28 weeks, 7 month check-up!

This morning was my 28 week check-up. It's hard to believe that I am already at 7 months. Time is flying by! This check-up was my glucose testing. Not fun! I had to drink the awful dreaded ORANGE drink. YUCK! They gave me one hour to drink the drink before I had my blood taken. After I suffered through the gross taste of the drink, I had my belly check. GOOD NEWS ... I have gained weight! I weigh 111 lbs now which means he is growing just perfectly!! We listened to his heart and the doctor said he couldn't be any better! Always good news! After my belly check, came the blood work. Ahhhh ... I HATE blood work. I tend to faint alot when I have my blood taken. Luckily, I was a big girl today and stayed calm! Our next apt. is set for April 27th, at 10:45am (right when we get back from our honeymoon).
The most EXCITING news is that we scheduled our 4D ultrasound on April 30th, at 8 am which just happens to be my birthday :)
I cannot wait to see his little face!

Dresser in... which means CLOTHES, CLOTHES, and more CLOTHES!

We picked up Parker's dresser today which is absolutely beautiful! I was very excited that it came in before we left for our honeymoon. I organized all his clothes by sizes and then by onesie, sleepers, and pants. I've got my own system right now which I'm sure will change a million times before he comes! Let's just say Parker is one lucky little boy and already has so many clothes ... just like his momma! My goal is to get his room mostly done before the wedding so that when we get back, we won't have too much left to do. I'm sure that won't happen though! We are going to look for some kind of shelving tomorrow for frames, baskets, etc. We will keep you posted on the nursery all week!