Flying baby

I had my third checkup today, at 18 weeks. The past two times they've looked for a heartbeat, they've had to probe around a bit and try to determine what's a baby's heartbeat and what's my heartbeat and other gurglings, but this time they just put the probe on my growing baby bump and it was very, very obvious! Crazy. Then they measured my bump and took my blood pressure, which they say increases when you're pregnant. I can tell that I have a lot more blood than I used to, because even though my veins used to be visible through my skin for most of my arms, they were never actually raised up, too. (Travis says it's gross, although they're not varicose... yet...) No matter - my BP is still 90 / 60.

The other fun thing about my appointment today was that they asked me to bring in a sample of my first morning's pee, and gave me a little vial in which to transport it. Now, I know that there are varying ways of transporting pee, and I've gotta say that as designs go, bladders win. Carrying a little test-tube of my own urine in my purse seemed very absurd, especially when the nurse asked if I had brought it and I had to dig through wallet and keys and phone to find it ("Please, the cap stayed on! Please!!"). This baby is putting me through adventures I could never have previously imagined.

So I was flying high when I left the doctor's office to go to work. Happy about the baby, feeling good about having slept a little later before my appointment. And then I got to work and it seems that in the two hours I hadn't been there that morning, all hell had broken loose. There was equipment in the lab that needed fixing, an impromptu visit from a repairman, reports that had to be completed ASAP, production parts breaking... it was insane. I had a very busy day, but I got most of it done, and I deal with pleasant people for the most part which helps considerably. I've said before, though, it's going to be a long summer.

But tonight, I packed to go to Washington DC tomorrow! We fly in the afternoon, return Sunday. I am so excited, partially because I haven't ever been to DC before and mostly because I get to see my sister-in-law and see her new lifestyle that comes with being a hot-shot congressional policy analyst. (I think that's a pretty accurate title, but don't hold me to it) (and I added the hot-shot. she's actually quite level-headed). So I'm on vacation as of 2:00 tomorrow! Hooray! I hope baby likes flying, cuz there's more coming in a few weeks, too.

I wish my travels could take me all over the country to visit all of you, (California, Georgia, Michigan, KC, Minnesota, and on and on), but you'll just have to take my word that I think of you all often in weird random moments of the day, and hope you're all doing well! Lots of Love.