14 Weeks

Much better this week, I only threw up 3 times...and once was in between eating Doritos on the couch and getting up to get a soda from the fridge. I immediately went back to my snack afterward too with no adverse effects.

Not much else this week to report, just trying to work and keep the house clean (you know those normal things that I didn't used to think about). We had to rush Chili to the emergency vet Wednesday night after she passed out in her cage, to which my sister said to my husband "Boy between the wife and the Chinchillas there have been a lot of emergency room visits lately!" They didn't find anything obviously wrong with Chili and she's been ok since...here's to hoping it was a one time thing!

FAQs: The First Trimester

Baby bump at 13 weeks (to quote Tom, "you're going to be huge")

1. Are you sure you aren't having twins, since you've been so sick? Yes, I'm sure, I've had 4 different ultrasounds now, and NONE show any sign of a second baby.
   
   
2. Have you tried ________ to combat the morning sickness? Yes, I can almost guarantee that whatever it is that worked for you, I've tried it!
   
   
3. What cravings have you had? Kind of hard to have cravings when you are throwing up most things that you eat...we'll see what the second trimester brings. Tom is hoping for white castle and sauerkraut cravings...I told him not to hold his breath!
   
   
4. How do the chinchillas feel about the baby? Well, Roo was not too pleased when she heard the news, she stopped in mid-air while reaching for a treat and stared at me when she heard the word "baby". Chili really enjoys bouncing off my belly, and now that Fipsy is back to eating on his own, he's attached at the hip to me whenever he sees me and demands to be held. When he's out playing he spends most of the time sitting next to me and watching over me. Schmoopy has no idea that she's going to lose her bedroom here in a few months...
   

13 Weeks - Eat, Puke, Repeat

The "feeling good" that I alluded to last week was short lived...this week I've felt horrible nearly every waking moment, and threw up 13 times in the last week, including at the former Crestwood Macy's last night (made it to the bathroom, don't worry, however I don't think the bathroom had been cleaned since they closed the store...). In addition to the nausea and vomiting, this week I've also had a headache nearly every day.

12 weeks

Yay, we made it to 12 weeks so I have now posted all the previous blog entries that I wrote up while we were waiting for this point.

At our doctor appointment today, the doctor used the fetal doppler to listen to the baby's heart beat, but Tom and I couldn't distinguish my heart beat from the baby's from the background noise so we got another ultrasound so we could see the heart beat again. This time we also saw some little arms and legs and fingers and the baby was bouncing around too. And of course the baby's heart beat blinking away. Watching the baby on screen is SO much better than just looking at the ultrasound pictures. I told the doctor today that I could sit and watch all day long. That got me about 10 extra seconds of baby watching time - lol.

This week I've had 2 days without puking, and even ate some pizza and bread co without it coming back up, so we are really, really hoping that this means that the sick phase is almost over

Another trip to the ER...

Just shy of 2 weeks since the last visit to the ER, we ended up visiting once again. This trip was much less exciting than the last...no new pics to share either. Basically I hadn't kept down anything since dinner the night before (water, crackers, etc), and threw up 3 times by about 11:45 am. Tom insisted we go back to the ER, which was much busier during the day (but I still got in right away, apparently they don't like to leave pregnant women out in the waiting room with all the other sickies!).

They gave me 2 bags of fluids thru IV, and then after I kept ice, then water, then crackers down they let me go home. Total time spent in the ER – about 5 hrs. This time though, Tom packed up our laptops before we left the house so at least we had something to entertain ourselves - and the nurses got quite a laugh at the two of us sitting with our laptops in the ER. And besides, the ER offers free wifi, so why not?

This "morning sickness" thing is really getting old...going on 4 weeks now of non-stop upset stomach, nausea and daily throwing up. I'm really not sure what I'd do if I had to go into an office job everyday...

A trip to the ER

Warning: if you are not interested in the gory details, just enjoy the picture of the baby above and skip the rest of this post! 

After a lovely day spent with Tom's family, after sharing our news with his grandma, aunts and uncles, I came home exhausted and went right to bed. Around 11:30 pm I woke up having to throw up (the first time all day). Then 4 more times by 3:00 am. Tom called the doctor exchange and talked to one of the other doctors in the same practice as mine, who said to go to the ER.

The hospital is ~15 mins from the house, so I grabbed the bathroom trash can in case I needed it again before we made it to the hospital. We made it to the hospital without incident, and luckily right at the ER admission window they had a pile of small puke basins, as the next puke came before I even got checked into the ER (if you're counting, this is puke #6 in the last 4 hours). Most interesting was the color change of the vomit as my stomach got emptier...orange, yellow...

After answering a million questions for the admitting nurse while I'm puking my internal organs (or at least it felt like it) into a basin, they started IV fluids. They kept asking if my stomach hurt and I said yes (after all I've heaved 7-8 times each time I've puked and I think we were up to 7 times in 5 hours now) so they insisted on doing an ultrasound to check the baby (which I really didn't mind b/c it meant we got to see the baby again).

So after about 4 hrs in the ER and 3 bags of fluids (plus a couple different meds to make me stop throwing up), they were ready to let us go home...until I got up to use the bathroom and threw up again (#8 - by this point the puke was green...).

Needless to say, I didn't get to go home, instead I was admitted to the hospital until I could keep liquid/food down. I had a nice private room on the maternity floor and spent the rest of the day getting more fluids (a total of 5.5 bags) and trying to sleep in the extremely uncomfortable hospital bed. Finally by around 3 pm, since I hadn't thrown up anymore, I got to have some water, then crackers and at dinner time they brought a default dinner tray by which consisted of beef stew, carrots and a dinner roll. I ate enough to satisfy the nurses and doctors and finally got discharged from the hospital around 9 pm, for a total of 18 hrs in the ER and hospital.

8 weeks

We saw the heart beat on the ultrasound today at the doctor - it's much more exciting to see the baby on screen than just the printed out pictures. The small circle above the baby is the yolk sac. I've had a constant upset stomach and thrown up nearly every day since the last appointment.

Next appointment in 4 weeks.

6 weeks

There's not much to see yet, but confirmation that there is really a baby in there. Up to this point I've just been tired, and even spent this whole week volunteering at a summer camp for at-risk kids. The top little white spot is the baby and the bottom spot is the yolk sac.

Next appointment in 2 weeks!

It's positive!

Rather than write a separate blog about the baby, I figured I'd just write up a few entries and then post them all when we're ready to share the news. So for the next few entries, refer to the date in the entry, rather than the date it was posted!

It's been exactly 30 days since my last period, so not being able to wait another day to see if it showed up, I took a pregnancy test, but left it on the bathroom sink before it registered the result and sent Tom in to give me the news (too many "not pregnant" results in previous months that I wanted him to look at it first...).

Tom looked at the result and said "Oh my gosh....you're pregnant!"

Tom had already taken the day off, just to relax after not having a vacation all summer long, so we each called a friend to share the news and then spent the afternoon together at the zoo.

Vic the Horse Mascot for Victory Junction

Victory Junction Gang Camp added another stuffed animal to their sewing program, Vic the Horse, so of course I had to attempt it. It went a lot better than the teddy bears that I made for Victory Junction a couple years ago - and it's cuter too! Each camper at the Victory Junction Gang Camp receives a hand-made camp teddy bear or a Vic the Horse mascot to take home. Find out more about the sewing program on their website.

Roo's debut into show biz

Roo's adorable picture (above) is now featured on amazon.com and gianthamster.com reading the recently released book, Celeste and the Giant Hamster. The book features a Capybara, the world's largest rodent.

From amazon.com:
Celeste the Cat is tormented by her human’s insistence on keeping a dwarf hamster, appallingly named Celestina, as a pet. Enlisting the aid of two friends, the brave but intellectually challenged Tiger and overly-enthusiastic Ruby, she sets out to trap a giant hamster that is loose and living in a nearby field. She plans on placing the giant hamster in front of Celestina’s cage to show her owner what she thinks of pet rodents. The giant hamster--actually a capybara--proves to be a larger, stronger and more intelligent adversary than the cats expect, resulting in a series of humorous mishaps that leave the trio battered but not dispirited. Slowly the cats come to realize that the capybara is not the frightening monster they imagined. When the capybara has a litter of eight precocious capy-kittens, Celeste, Ruby and Tiger find themselves doing things they never imagined, like going for a swim and protecting baby rodents from a tough gang of tom cats.

Happy Easter!

Happy Easter from the chinchillas!
Click here to see the rest of the pictures.

stltoday.com

The St. Louis newspaper website has launched a new logo. I was never a fan of the old one, so this new one is an improvement in my mind. I would have used a different font though - similar but with less definition in the bottom of the "d" and "a" and the top of the "y". Also, the arch cut into the "tl" is awfully thin and would all but disappear if the logo were to be any smaller.

Did you notice it?

New logo alert - I noticed on a Jack in the Box commercial last night that it ended with a new logo. Of course I said to myself, is that a new logo or just something special for the commercial?

Low and behold, the fast food chain has reinvented itself and has plans to revamp the restaurant atmosphere as well. I have to say that I like this new logo!

The beginning of Lent 2009

Today is an absolutely gorgeous day for February the 25th. The thermometer reads 55 degrees, and it's only 10:30 am. I've got the windows open and the birds are singing. The smell of the fresh air is so refreshing, and reminds me that we are getting close to spring even though it doesn't seem like it (the 10 day forecast is predicting highs in the 30s all weekend).

We're giving up soda and eating out for Lent. I think the soda will prove harder to start, with the eating out kicking in closer to Easter. I am actually looking forward to it in a strange sort of way. I need to eat healthier and learn some new recipes to expand our dinner options. I also hope we can get into the habit of eating breakfast together before Tom goes to work, as it's the most important meal of the day even though we rarely actually fit it in.

March of the Penguins

We stopped by the zoo this afternoon on our way to Andy's birthday party - it was the last week for the Sunday "March of the Penguins" where they let the penguins out of their habitat and outside into the cold winter sun. Overall it was really neat, but the organization of the whole event was horrible....they should have had one long line and rotated people through but instead they blocked off the line at one point, then opened it back up later. Madhouse!

This guy was literally right in front of me.

this one kept running back and forth in front of everyone

looking down the way at all the penguins

Happy Birthday Andy!

It starts with 4 separate cakes...


Cut and assembled...


iced to become one cake...

and decorated to be a monkey-pirate

Happy Birthday Andy!

Tom's Birthday

I just wanted to share a pic of the cupcakes I made for Tom's birthday. We went to the newly opened International Tap House in Chesterfield, MO. It's a neat little place, and they even had a beer that I liked!

Chicago Roots

I just learned that some of the sayings my family used when I was a child come from Chicago where my mother grew up and my parents lived for a few years before moving to Columbia...

"gym shoes" instead of "tennis shoes"
"front room" instead of "living room"

The birds found the feeder...

but so did the squirrels - even after I moved it to the backyard...

Birds - 0, Squirrels - 1

The birds haven't found my new bird feeder but the squirrels sure have...

Pictures here and a video below:

Vote on Tuesday

If you live in St. Louis County, you can get your sample ballot here:

http://www.co.st-louis.mo.us/scripts/elections/index.cfm

In addition to the "big issues" that are advertised all over the place - like president, governor, prop A (casino loss limits and supposed money for education), Prop M (for metrolink) and Prop S (parkway schools) there are several others that I had never heard of. Check it out before you are at the polling station and you're trying to decipher what you're voting on.

Fipsy's Belated Birthday Present

Fipsy got his belated birthday present last night (his birthday was back on August 3, and he got some presents then - a canister of raisins and a canister of oats, but he had to share those with the other chinchillas in the house). I found a picture of a chinchilla daybed that someone had made online and commissioned Merc Man to build one for Fipsy.

So far he has only used it as a chew toy, but I'm sure once he gets used to having it in his cage he'll make use of it as a bed as well.

Palin Rally

I got to see Sarah Palin in person last night (even if it was from the "nose bleed" seats at the very top of the arena). She kicked some butt in the debate last night...however, I just have to say, I had no idea that Biden and I had so much in common - we both shop at Home Depot! (some very funny person photoshopped a pic of Biden in Home Depot for us here).

You can see the rest of my pics from last night here.

Love Quilts

In June I started a new service project with Love Quilts. An organization which asks volunteers to create counted cross-stitch quilt squares which are then made into quilts for very sick children. I've completed 2 squares and am well on the way to completing a third, with a goal of one per month.

I own a company!

Big news that I can't believe I didn't post about 2 days ago when it became official......

I am now the business owner of Jenny Kyle Design, LLC!

ABCs of St. Louis

This is kind of fun, even though it's from stltoday.com....Alphabet City. For each letter of the alphabet, it shows you 4 characters and you must choose the one from the description at the right.


Of course, being a designer I'd rather know where all the letters are from, not just the one that answers the question. Maybe they could add that in....tell you which one is correct, but tell you where the incorrect answers are from. They also repeated way too many signs (including letters of the same sign over and over). I swear I recognized several from my St. Louis Walls project from my senior year of college.

Do you see any resemblance?

I saw the Kentucky plate on a car in front of me on my way home from work today. Awfully similar to the ugly plates that Missouri just launched if you ask me...however, Kentucky released theirs in 2005.

New Logos: Econo Lodge and Super 8

On a recent drive to Rolla, I noticed 2 new hotel logos on billboards...following in the footsteps of such previous hotel logo redesigns as LaQuinta and Comfort Inn, Red Roof Inn and Four Points Sheraton that I've previously blogged about. The interesting thing in the case of hotel logo redesigns is that past experience is going to play a MUCH bigger role in whether or not a person chooses to spend the night in one of these establishments, not how cool their logo is.

Econo Lodge:

The new logo, pictured above on the left, was launched in early May 2008, with expected implementation throughout all their hotels by the end of 2008. Evidently, they felt a need for a "more inviting, bright logo, a result of extensive consumer research, is a culmination of a wealth of enhanced brand standards and guest satisfaction programs geared to position the brand for long-term growth and success." (read more where that came from here)

I give it an A-. It is definitely an improvement from their previous logo, and does give it a "higher class" feel than the original. The designer has taken some care in setting the type in the establishments name, but I can't identify the typeface. Perhaps because they took a typeface (such as Optima, which seems to be the closest I can identify it to) and squished it in to fit the space. I like how they have combined the name into one word on the sign, however, it appears that they are still spelling it as 2 words in their marketing materials. The stylized "e" icon is not all that unique, but still nicely done - and can you think of anyone else that has a "twinkle" in their logo? (I can see it now, some executive who thinks he knows everything announces to the designer, "I want the logo to twinkle" and ta-da!)


Super 8:

The new Super 8 mark, pictured above on the left, also launched in May 2008, but with an expected implementation date of July 2009. Evidently, this new look is inspired by their partnership with Nascar (seriously! - check out the press release). Their customer base was getting too old, so they needed to do something to appeal to the younger sect.....although I hardly think that redesigning their logo is enough to get someone in the door. Especially if they have a previous negative experience with the brand (such as myself).

As for the design itself, I give it a D. The original logo was better. The only real accomplishment was getting rid of the word "motel" in the logo. The typeface used for the word "super" was a super bad choice. And the swooshes around it.....I don't even want to go there.

So what do you think? Are these winners or losers as far as logos are concerned?

Something fun

Old lady or young woman?

Face or the word "liar"?

Sax or Face?

find these and more optical illusions and mind tricks here