Half Way There!

Today I am 20 weeks and 3 days along.  We made it half way!  My first trimester seemed to crawl by (most likely because I kept dwelling on the day I would finally feel better) but since 13 weeks, time has seemed to fly by!  In the days leading up to today's big ultrasound I began to feel nervous.  I started thinking about the "what ifs".  What if there is no heart beat?  What if the baby isn't growing right?  What is he/she inherited Bjorn's head size...how are we going to get it out?!  :)  When my mind started going 100 miles a hour this morning on our way to the appointment, I finally stopped myself and remembered, it's all out of my control.  It's in His hands and all I can do is trust in His plan like I have this whole time.  I began to calm down almost immediately.  God is so good. 

We arrived for my 9 am appointment and were taken back to the ultrasound room.   My doctor did the ultrasound which was so great.  Have I mentioned how much I LOVE my doc??  She is so laid back and never makes you feel rushed (even when you know she is running behind)  She is a family practice doctor who I have seen for the past 3 years for my yearly exams.  The best part about her is that after the little one is born, she will continue to be their doctor, as well as mine, for as long as she is there!  If anyone is planning on delivering in Hudson, I highly recommend Dr. McNallan.  The first thing that flashed on the screen was a beautiful little face.  I got goosebumps seeing my baby for the first time and definitely shed some tears.  The second thing I noticed was how the little one was so active!  It's hands were up then down then by it's mouth then by it's stomach.  The baby was making it a little difficult for the doc to get her measurements.  It took 5 attempts to get the heart rate because the little one kept turning around.  I loved seeing such an active baby, but I wondered why I couldn't feel the baby moving?  My question was quickly answered when she told me my placenta is anterior (in the front of my stomach).  This will make the baby's movement harder to feel until he/she gets big enough to punch through the inch thick floppy frisbee (I may be a first timer but I've seen enough deliveries to know what a placenta looks like...blah).  At least I am feeling "kicks" here and there...those are my favorite :) 

 

Salut!

 

 

 

 

I think this profile picture is adorable but honestly I'm thinking Curious George....anyone?  anyone?

Just to let all who doubted my strength...we did not give in and find out the sex today.  I'd be lying if I said I wasn't tempted though!  When we first found out we were pregnant, Bjorn wanted to find out the sex when the time came but not me.  Through many different little conversations about it, we eventually were both on the same page and decided we would wait to d-day for the big surprise...it will make it that much more special!  Plus, I believe it's one of life's one true surprises.

Towards the end of the ultrasound, the baby held still long enough for the doc to snap a good picture of the face to use for 3D.  I think she did a great job! 

 

That "thing" in front of the face is the umbilical cord. 

 

 

We feel so blessed to have a healthy baby growing bigger everyday.  Everything from the brain to the kidneys and the heart to the toes looked great and measured perfectly.  According to the ultrasound the baby currently weighs 11 oz...still have lots of growing to do! 

 

Thank you all for the kind words and love.  We appreciate all of them!  

 

 

 



Oh Baby! Oh Baby!

Well I never got around to posting my final blog about our honeymoon.  Basically it was an amazing rest of the trip filled with so many memories that we will cherish forever.  From snorkeling in the middle of the ocean to meet a fabulous British couple, we truly had the time of our lives.

Back to reality.

And reality was about to give us one of the greatest gifts one could ever wish for....

A BABY! 

Baby Nesvold is set to arrive on or around March 2, 2013!  I'm currently 12.5 weeks pregnant (13 weeks on Sunday) and finally getting to the point where I don't want to throw up every five minutes.  We feel so incredibly blessed by such an amazing gift from God.  Let me tell the story of how it all happened...

One stormy night on Galway Ct....

Just kidding.  You are all know how babies are made.  In case you don't, click here.  Now boys, I'm going to talk about periods here, so if you don't like hearing about them, skip this part.  A week before I was suppose to start my monthly visitor, I began getting bad cramps (just like the ones I get every month) so I figured, alright it's going to come and wasn't too concerned I was pregnant.  We weren't really "trying", but we weren't preventing either (so I guess we were technically trying...call it what you will)  As the cramps continued with no sign of Aunt flow, I started thinking more and more about the fact that I may actually be pregnant.  During a mid week lunch with Nikki, my mind started to wander as she was convinced I was indeed pregnant.  So when the Saturday came that I was suppose to start, I took a test.  Negative.  Another week came and went as I waited for my Aunt with no flow.   We headed up to the family cabin in Hayward the next Friday for a nice weekend with some of Bjorn's family.  Britta, Daniel, Bjorn and I went out to dinner on Friday then headed to the liquor store on our way home.  It was attached to the grocery store so I snuck over to the pharmacy and bought a $5 generic test that I figured I'd take in the morning.   

The next morning I woke up and my mind immediately went to the test.  I snuck out of bed as Bjorn was still sleeping and headed to the bathroom.  I did my thing, set it on the floor and sat down next to it.  Then I saw it, it didn't take long, that little faint blue line.  WHAT?!?  My heart stopped and I think I was in complete shock.  Good shock, but shocked.  I ran into the room, jumped on the bed and woke up sleeping beauty with "come to the bathroom, I need to show you something".   "Danielle, I don't want to look at the size of your poop".   "Bjorn that's for later.  Seriously come here".  He wouldn't move.  So I brought my lovely pee stick to him. 

We spent the next 10 minutes laying there talking, hugging and both still in total shock but I will take that kind of shock any day. 

Even though the test was positive, the line was still very faint.  Later that night I headed into town and picked up 3 more test.  Positive. Positive. Positive.  And none of the lines were really that dark but I figured the directions say it doesn't matter how dark the line is, just as long as there is one there.  

Because I'm not that great at keeping fun secrets, I ran upstairs and asked Britta for some help moving a suitcase.  Looking confused, she followed me downstairs.  I opened the bathroom door and just let her peek in.  "Oh my gosh, are you pregnant?!"  I still remember her face and how happy/in shock she looked.  We told Bill and Joan afterwards and swore everyone to secrecy until we got further along. 

Because you are technically 2 weeks pregnant before you are actually pregnant, that made me 5 weeks along when I found out.  I felt great.  I wasn't too tired, no nausea and no unusual pains.  When I'd read articles about morning sickness, I'd skip that part thinking there was no need to read that, I felt great!  Well little did I know that would soon change.  We took a wonderful trip to Canada in July and headed back home on a Sunday afternoon.  I felt a little off the whole day but nothing that a nap wouldn't fix.  Then Monday morning hit (I had just turned 7 weeks)  Oh. My. Sickness.  I had to work that day and called my Grandma on my way home crying because I felt so sick.  "Oh honey, I was wondering when you were going to feel sick.  Our family has bad first trimesters.  Your G.G. was sick, I was terribly sick and so was your Mom".  Perfect.  Just perfect. 

I threw up every morning that week.  I finally broke down and got a script for Zofran (an anti-nausea medication).  It helped in a way that it made me not throw up, but I still had the all day nausea.  During this time I also had some really great emotional breakdowns over....nothing.  HORMONES!  Woof.  Thank goodness I have the world's best husband who is so patient and knows how to make the perfect bowl of cereal.  I don't know what I would have done without him.  Pregnant single moms, mad props to you. 

My Mom and Jigger came in town that next week to hang out for 2 days before heading back to KC.  That was the most difficult part of all of this, keeping it from my Mom.  I tell her everything!  A part of me felt bad for keeping it but I really wanted to tell her in person and make it special vs the telephone.  It was so great getting to tell her in person and seeing her reaction, I'm glad I waited.  I also loved seeing Cameron's reaction via facetime and hearing my Dad's as well as Josh and Jeremy's response to the fun news!  That has been the best part of all of this so far, telling the people you love the most and knowing how happy they are for you. 

At 8 weeks and 5 days I had an ultrasound to confirm there was in fact a baby in there, in the right spot, who had a heartbeat.  Sure enough, everything was perfect!  Watching Bjorn's face as he watched our little frog creature on the screen is something I will remember forever.  Just pure happiness...but mostly "oh my gosh, this shit just got real" :)

So here we are, August 22nd.  I'm 12 weeks and 4 days along.  I'm FINALLY starting to feel better, whew.  That was rough.  Because all of the women in my family felt great after the first trimester, I'm hoping the apple doesn't fall far from the tree and I am getting back to normal.  I had another doctor's appointment today and we heard the baby's heartbeat via doppler.  My heart was so happy as I lay there listening to my baby's beat.  I recorded it on my phone and have been playing it all day long.  I can't get enough of it!  I counted later with a stopwatch and it was about 160. 

I will continue this blog as we head down one of God's most exciting and wonderful paths.  We believe God sent us this little nugget to fill our hearts as well as our family and friend's with love and joy and have faith in what he has planned for us. 

Love,

Danielle, Bjorn and Frog Baby Nesvold



Another Day in Paradise

Sunday morning was a bit of a tough one more this girl.  I may have overindulged in the fruit cocktails.  Luckily it wasn't anything a pool day couldn't fix.  By mid-morning I had come around just in time to enjoy a day at Nikki Beach on the other side of the island.  And it was one beautiful morning....

Bed by the pool with a view

 

We ended up meeting a wonderful couple from the UK, Scott and Wendy.  They were frequent vacationers to Koh Samui.  After the pool they took us to a local hang out they had discovered a few trips back.  It was the cutest little place filled with wild turkeys, skeeters and local dogs.  But it was pretty great.  We loved sharing stories of past vacations and the differences between the UK and US, plus Wendy is originally from Wisconsin!  Small world eh?  After story time and few local beers we headed back to our place and called it a night. 

Our villa at night

 

 

Monday we enjoyed a day at the spa.  It was a 5 hour spa day and was beyond amazing.  The first 1.5 hours were spent between the stream room and cool pools.  Then followed up by mango smoothies and a light lunch (spring rolls, crab cakes, pineapple and dragon fruit).  The last 3.5 hours were filled with massages of our choosing.  We both chose the Classic oil massage, followed by the head then foot reflexology/massage.  Under the picture is the link to the spa.  Simply amazing. 



                                                                             

SPA

Later that night we met up with an old college friend, Shawn.  During some facebook news fed stalking I found out he was on the same island as us so we decided to met up for dinner.  It was great seeing you Shawn!

 

 

Tuesday we slept in and lounged around our pool in the morning.  The afternoon was spent shopping and on the beach.  We had planned to meet Scott and Wendy for dinner that night but ended up getting together earlier on the beach.  We swam, enjoyed a cocktail then headed back to their place to watch the sunset since they were staying on the west side of the island.  We ended up at one of their favorite hang outs, Big Johns, and watched one of the most amazing sunsets. 

Bjorn and Scott

 

Right as the sun began setting we noticed a wedding party taking pictures on the beach.  They were having their reception right next to us which ended up having great music!  As we watched this happy couple smile for photos and have their first dance together on the beach (we were creeping) it brought me back to almost a year ago when we did the same thing....I started to remember that feeling I got right before I walked down the aisle as I glanced up a my Mom and realized it was actually happening.  It was the happiest I'd ever felt.  My mom on my arm, my Dad waiting to meet us half way, friends and family all gathered together and my soon-to-be husband standing there at the end waiting for me.  I remember the look Bjorn had on his face, it's a look I'll never forget.  I asked him later that night what he was thinking to which he replied "I thought you were the most beautiful thing I'd ever seen".  Yup, big points. Huge.  Smart guy huh?  I can hardly believe that was almost a year ago.

A big bang quickly interrupted that flashback.  The cute married couple were having fireworks at the beach!  How romantic.  We enjoyed creeping on the newly married couple and really enjoyed our own personal firework show...Big Johns was the place to be!

 

 

We finished the night with Green Talay for dinner (thanks Casey for the recommendation!) then ventured home.  Another perfect day in paradise.  



Welcome to Koh Samui, Thailand!

I forgot to add this to the last post.  It's one of my favorite pictures of Bjorn using his 'sign translator' app on his phone to read the juice bottle.  It took us a good 5 minutes to find a good juice.

We had SUCH a great time in Hong Kong but we were REALLY looking forward to Samui. Koh Samui is an island just southeast of the mainland in the Gulf of Thailand.  It is Thailand's third largest island after Phuket and Ko Chang, with an area of 228.7 km² and a population of over 62,000 attracting 1.5 million tourists per year.  It also produces more varieties of coconuts that anywhere else in the world.  There are some fun facts for you! 

We arrived to Koh Samui Friday evening (the 24th).  We deplaned on the runway and were taken to small huts by small open-air trams.  It had just finished raining and was so beautiful!

                                                                     quick pic

There is only one runway at the airport so only the time between planes landing is anywhere from 15 minutes to an hour.  This made customs very quick and easy (again!).  Our host, "Oh" picked us up and off we headed for our villa!  We made the decision to stay in the foothills off the island vs right on the beach because we fell in love with the Villa we found online and thought it would be something different.  Plus we rented a car (I'll tell you all about those adventures later) so it would be easy to get to the shops, beach, etc. whenever we wanted.  When we showed up, we were in awe of the place.  It was dark by that time (it gets dark here around 7:00 p.m.) so Oh showed us how things worked and headed out.  The place was amazing but knew it would be even better once morning came around. 

We decided to grab a quick bite to eat at a bar right up the street called "Gecko Bar".  When we pulled up, I thought we were at the wrong place as it looked just like someones house.  There were even 5 dogs standing at the top of the stairs greeting us as we walked in.  From my experiences in Mexico, I knew not to pet them (fleas!) even if they were all fat and cute.  After dinner, which overlooked the ocean, I told the man his dogs were cute.  He started calling off the names and ended with "and that is the wife".  I asked him where the husband was and he said "husband get bit from snake" then grabs his neck and tilts his head to the side and makes a grunting noise, "and dead", then he closes his eyes.  Ummm..sure poor dog BUT THERE ARE SNAKES ON THIS ISLAND?!?  As an ophiophobiac, I am beyond terrified of snakes.  I can't even look at them on TV!  I'm not sure why but I hadn't even thought about snakes being on the island.  The man saw my expression and quickly stated "oh but don't worry, they don't come to the beach.  They live in the foothills".  Perfect.  Right where we are staying.  Bjorn still imitates the look I gave him after the man made that statement.  Out of sight, out of mind again right??? 

                                                                   Our dinner couch


Our Villa is beautiful and very secluded.  Just us and the snakes.  My absolute favorite is the view when I open our curtains in the morning...

                                                               Morning view from our room

                                                                     

                                                                    View from the kitchen

                                                             Living room and kitchen

I will have more pictures of the rest of the villa later on in the blog. 

Saturday we woke up after a solid 9 hours of sleep.  Either we're finally adjusted to this time zone or have found the perfect sleep medication mix.  We got dressed and headed to the Chewang Beach.  Chewang is on the east side of the island, about a 10 minute drive from us.  We found an outside bar and parked ourselves there for a few hours sipping mojitos and buying all sorts of random items from the locals who loitered on the beach. 

                                      Fun fact: Koh Phi Phi is where The Beach was filmed

 

 

Saturday was also the day of the Full Moon Party on Koh Phangan.  It's a once in a lifetime experience, because once is probably enough.  I don't think anything could have prepared us for that crazy night.  The pictures won't do it justice.  We headed to the marina around 6:30 to board the boat that would take us to the the island of Koh Phangan, which was about 20 minutes away.  Holy rough ride.  It was already a very windy night and coupled with a full moon, it made for a very bumpy boat ride.  At one point we hit a wave and leaned so far to one side that I flew across the boat on to another man's lap.  Boats don't scare me and I think huge waves can be super fun but after that there was a good 5 minutes when I was truly scared.  I thanked God when arrived to the island but did not prepare myself for the madness we would see. 

 

                                         Our first comment was "that is someone's daughter"
                                         followed by, "our kids are never coming here".  :)

                      The whole area smelled like gasoline and we found out why when we noticed the guys had cups of gasoline they would pour over the ends of their sticks.  Safety first!

 

My handsome jayhawk. 

                                            The Honeymooners partying like they're 21 again

 

Feeling sneaky.  I had just 'photobombed' my fourth photo.  Maturity at it's finest.

                                                                      Feeling young again



                                                                        Really?? 

Well we survived our first and last Full Moon Party.  Here are two of my favorite quotes from that night.

Bjorn after walking by a speaker: "that about threw my heart out of rhythm". 

Bjorn after walking by another speaker. 
Me: "Bjorn take a picture"
Bjorn: "I can't. The bass might break my phone"

#wereoldandimokaywiththat    :)

Our Honeymoon - the first few days

Well we survived the 15+ hour flight to Hong Kong and landed safely!  Whew!  Not looking forward to doing that again in two weeks.  I had come up with what I thought was a great plan for our flight Side note:  Until about 2 years ago, I was always a "fly by the seat of your pants" sort of gal and never cared for a plan however, recently I've done a 180 and LOVE to have a good plan.  This is something Bjorn gives me a lot of grief about but ends up appreciating in the long:)  So back to the plane plan:  Don’t get much sleep the night before the flight, then take a Benadryl/melatonin mix and sleep soundly the first 8 hours of the flight.  If done that way then we would be adjusted to HK time upon arrival (we landed at 5:20 p.m.) then would be ready for bed around 11:00 avoiding jet lag.  Umm..great plan in my head but turns out not very realistic for the two of us.  We both had a very hard time sleeping so instead Bjorn watched the whole first season of Game of Thrones while I enjoyed 5 different movies.  They served 3 different meals, the first was chicken, the second was a snack (turkey sandwich) and the third was something I never want to try again.  Luckily we only had one hour left in flight after that meal.

 I almost lost my “puke bag” virginity on that flight.  Once we were off the plane, my stomach settled and our adventure began!

Customs was surprisingly quick and easy.  We caught the train within 10 minutes and headed to HK Island.  Our first hotel was located in the central district of Hong Kong.  It’s a newer hotel and came highly recommended by expedia reviewers...ExpediiiAA!  When we arrived we were just in time for happy hour which was all you can drink from 6-8.  Perfect.  We enjoyed a few cocktails and headed up to check up to our room.  We weren’t expecting anything big being it was right in the middle of other tall and skinny buildings but I’m not sure we expected anything this small. 250 sq. ft. to be exact. 

Upon arrival to any hotel, I always do the ‘bed bug’ check.  This time, I was so tired that I immediately just plopped down on the bed and turned the TV on while Bjorn got the bags settled.  I reached behind me to grab my phone that had dropped and what did I see….a bed bug!!!  Then another…then another!!  Ugh.  We called the front desk and before I couldn't finish complaining somoene was at our door and taking us to a different floor.  Oh did I mention we were on the 13th floor?!?  Yup, they have those in China.  We ended up in a room on the 7th floor which passed my bed bug check..out of sight, out of mind...right??

Sleeping was difficult and after going to bed at 11 p.m. we were wide awake at 4:45 a.m. basically counting down the minutes until breakfast at 7.  After breakfast, we headed to "The Peak". 

The Peak, Hong Kong's most popular attraction is more than just stunning vistas or great shopping and dining. It's an amazing collection of unique must-visit attractions, providing you with a diverse fun-filled experience of Hong Kong's living culture.
Getting to the Peak by the Peak Tram is an unforgettable experience. One of the world's oldest and most famous funicular railways, the tram rises to 396 metres (about 1,300 feet) above sea level. It is so steep that the buildings you pass look like they are leaning a gradient of between 4 to 27 degrees! Whether you are going up or coming down, you will love this trip.  The fabulous vista has been further enhanced by the 2006 revitalisation of one of Hong Kong's most striking landmarks,The Peak Tower. The Peak Tower, with its iconic wok-like top, offers a dazzling array of shops and sure to make for many happy hours of great dining with a view experience, leisurely shopping and souvenir hunting.  
It was pretty amazing.  We enjoyed a wonderful lunch a Cafe Deco and watched a storm pass through at cloud level.  stunning. 

                                                      storm coming through at the Peak

 

After our peak adventure we figured we would stop back by the hotel, relax and watch a movie (since we were up so early) then head out for dinner.  We made it back to the hotel around 4.  I barely made it through the opening credits of Django before my eyes were shut.  Bjorn lasted through the movie then followed my lead.  12:05 a.m. is when I looked at my phone the first time.  Bjorn was wide awake as well and we were both starving.  He decided he would go out and find us some food.  He was gone about 30 minutes and came home with.....McDonalds!  Turns out it was the only thing open.  woof.  I enjoyed a cheeseburger that was pretty chewy while Bjorn chowed down on a questionable chicken sandwich....then off to bed again.

***********************************************************************************

It's Wednesday and HELLLOOO 4:45 a.m. for the second day in a row!  Boo.  Today started with a workout which was very unnecessary because just like yesterday (Tuesday) today we walked another 6-8 miles.  We refused to a take a taxi because we found it was much easier to see the city by walking.  Most of the time we had no idea where we were going but lucky for me my handy husband happens to be the BEST map reader.  While that may not seem like a talent it certainly is to me seeing how I usually say North and we're going South.

                                                                 such concentration

HK experienced it's first "black rain" in 3 years today.  No bueno. We walked in multiple shopping malls to avoid the rain all filled with high end shopping; Gucci, LV, Chanel, the list goes on.  The rest of the day we walked around and here is some of what we explored. 

Just a rubber duckie?  Nope.  You can read more about it and the purpose here - Duckie 

 

Our walk in the park...included a few unusual items...

This was incredibly confusing..for females

I did spill some chili sauce on my pants at lunch..thanks for the reminder

                                                                             Victoria Park

On Thursday we decided to leave our hotel in central and head to Kowloon for our last night.  We decided on the Intercontinental on Kowloon.  Honestly it was by far the BEST costumer service I've ever experienced.  Everyone was so polite and friendly and anything you needed, they were there.  Not to mention their spa infinity pools (a set of hot, warm and cold pools) were amazing! 

 

                                         Champange and strawberries for the Honeymooners

                                                                        The spa pools

 

Our new friend Nathan!

                           The child I was asked to babysit for a 'minute' while the Dad went to the                                                      bathroom....15 minutes later he returned.

                                                                    

                                               A bottle of wine from our new pool friend!

 

 

 

 

                                              The bathroom was bigger than our old room:)

To end this post, I'll leave you with some of the things we learned while in Hong Kong.

1.  People in Hong Kong strongly dislike the government of mainland China and aren't afraid to talk about it.

2.  Besides the elders, most people were incredibly friendly and very helpful.  We would be on a street corner trying to decide where to go and have multiple people approach us asking if we needed help.

3.  Public transportation is very efficient and makes incredibly easy to get around

4.  Safety in numbers when you end up in the back room of a building while purchasing the best of the best knock off Louis Vuitton..

5.  The streets are VERY clean.  The air is not.

6.  We were not on vacation, we were on "holiday". 

 
Off to Koh Samui today (Friday) and will post again soon!