Baby bump - 20 weeks

Woo hoo, we have made it to 20 weeks! I'm halfway through this pregnancy (perhaps more, if the baby is born earlier than 40 weeks).

My ultrasound appointment yesterday went well and of course the big news is Baby P's gender...

We're having a BOY!!! You can't tell from these 3-D alien baby photos, but the sonographer got a good look at his goods. Actually, I made her look twice so we're pretty sure. She went through a long list of items to check and our little guy is looking great. Heartbeat was 143 bpm and he weighs approximately 12 ounces, which is slightly bigger than average. I can't remember how long he is now but I'm sure that's bigger too. Seriously, I am hoping for a less-than 8 lb baby here!

Barely got any sleep on Thursday night - I look haggard in these photos.

My fundal (belly) measurement is 21 inches - normal range for 20 weeks is 18-22. I gained 13 pounds and the doctor is happy with my progress. The nurse took my blood pressure after the ultrasound but before my chat with the doctor and it was HIGH. I guess I was excited from the gender reveal - my second bp reading was back in the normal range.

There was a little shadow in one spot on the heart and we will watch for that at the next ultrasound (28 weeks). The doc says it's not present in both ventricles and that is a good sign. In most cases the problem goes away on its own. 

At my 24 week appointment I have to undergo a standard glucose screening. It tests for gestational diabetes and consists of drinking a special sugar-laden beverage and sitting for an hour before getting my blood taken. I hate blood work and have almost passed out twice so I always have to pump myself up beforehand!

Fall Moose Hunt 3

Final set of photos from the moose hunt 2 weeks ago...

Early September in the woods tends to be quite chilly, so we brought along the warmest gear.

Didn't get quite as cold as last year but there was still frost on everything outside of the tent and tarp.

Sunday was gorgeous - even more beautiful than the day before.

We stopped again at the blueberry beach to load up on fruit.

The dog had another nice long swim.

Coming up on the boat launch.

Float plane taking off from the lake.

Heading home!

No moose were shot but it was a wonderful weekend away from town.

Fall Moose Hunt 2

I'm getting behind on my trip recaps! These photos are still of day 1 from the moose hunt last weekend. We landed on a little beach with a perfect camping spot on the hill, only to find these tracks (black & grizzly) in the mud near the boat. Needless to say we did not camp here!

Moose tracks.

Pulling the canoe (filled with firewood).

Look at all of those pine cones! I would have loved finding this treasure trove when planning my wedding decor.

Someone was either bored or tired.

Nice beach fire - kept us warm while looking for moose on the opposing shoreline.Not being in the trees meant exposure to the wind, but it also meant less bugs.

Drift was exhausted! He slept for hours and grunted like an old man when changing positions.

Glassing for moose with the canoe ready.

No moose but we saw LOTS of caribou herds crossing the lake. They were no more than 40 yards away. They took no notice of us if we kept still and quiet.

Did you know that caribou are excellent swimmers?

Couldn't believe how close they were!

Baby bump - 19 weeks

19 weeks today! Still very tired at night but then I'm up most mornings by 5:30 a.m. and can't fall asleep for a while. This being my first pregnancy, I'm not sure if the baby is moving or not -  I don't know what to watch or feel for. There were a few butterfly flutterings this week so that may have been baby movement (I like to think it was).

I'm planning on staying in town this weekend and finally shopping for some maternity pants because the pressure on my tummy is getting ridiculous! My dresses and skirts (with stretchy waistbands) are falling into the work clothing rotation more often now.

Happy weekend everyone!

Hollywood comes to Alaska

The Alaska Film Office has been revived in recent years with some cash from the State Legislature and really wants to entice productions both big and small to film in Alaska. Because of the tax incentives, the movie "Everybody Loves Whales" was shot in locales around the state - it starred Drew Barrymore, John Krasinski, Ted Danson, etc. I think it comes out sometime in 2012. 


The next big Hollywood production is a movie called "The Frozen Ground" and will be shot over the course of month in Alaska. You can read about it here: Anchorage Daily News story. The big name actors are Jon Cusack, Nicolas Cage and Vanessa Hudgens.


The story calls for a couple scenes set in a hospital and guess where the director wants to film? At my workplace! I showed a few of our spaces to the pre-production team last week and yesterday the director came with a crew member to scout it out. It was pretty cool to see their process of picking out areas to set up shots and scenes. So if they decide to go ahead with using our facility for a couple days, we'll have Nicolas Cage and Vanessa Hudgens here on campus and you can bet your booty I'll be down there trying to catch a sneak peek!

Fall Moose Hunt 1

It's not even winter yet and I feel like cabin fever is hitting me already. So when D asked if I wanted to tag along on his moose hunt this past weekend, I jumped at the chance! We had a nice dinner out at Club Paris (arguably the best steaks in town) on Friday night to celebrate our summer birthdays, and then got up at 4 a.m. (!!!) on Saturday to start the 3 hour drive north. 

We came to this area last year to hunt for bull moose. It's so beautiful in the fall and we got lucky again with the clear, crisp weather.

D decided to launch the boat from another area on the lake - it was a little deeper than the State Park launch we used last September and much better for our v-bottom boat. Most people out here had river boats (flat bottoms with a jet motor). 

Ready to go! That is D's canoe - we pulled it behind the boat.

Our first stop was a beach near the shallow lake channel.

  

Lots of yummy blueberries out here! At one point D and I were literally sitting on our butts, cramming blueberries into our mouths by the handfuls. They were huge and delicious.

All the red leaves were hiding blueberries underneath.

Nice sandy beach.

The weather was so great. During our drive I slept for a bit and D says it was 35 degrees out, even with the sunrise. It warmed up a little to the low 60's by midday.