ULTRASOUND and such...

Well, we've had some stress over the last few weeks. Here in Hawaii, they automatically have you do the quad screen which is a blood test that looks at levels of proteins to help determine if the baby is at risk for Down's Syndrome, neural tube defects, and Edward's Syndrome. It has a really high false positivity rate and my mom and sister in-laws don't agree with having it if you aren't at risk...I feel exactly the same. And it's so true, the stress is crazy. We had an abnormal test and had to go meet with a genetic counselor and have the ultasound done at the Fetal Diagnostic Center. The test was abnormal for Down's, so we decided to have an amniocentesis since it's the only way to determine if the baby does have Down's.


With that said...the ultrasound was amazing! The baby was moving so much! It was so surreal seeing all the fingers and toes, and that little body. We can't wait until the baby is here.


So, that was last week. Today was probably the happiest day of our lives. The center called and the baby is fine!!! What a relief! Plus, we also confirmed that we are having a girl. A baby girl! Below is a picture from the ultrasound. I know it's not the best, but it's as good as I could get it. It's the baby's head, chest and arm.








I also started a blog for the baby. Take a look at it, babykibitlewski.blogspot.com. This is where I'll post things that are only for the baby. Take care, and I hope to blog again soon.

Baby at 17 weeks

Wow! I'm in my 2nd trimester. It's amazing how fast things are going. So, at 17 weeks, the baby is now about 5 inches crown to rump and weighs about 5 ounces. I have felt the baby move, but nothing distinctive. It's like feeling the baby move in a big circle, it's really a strange feeling.

For those of you who don't know...the blanket is from Richard's high school. The Lyndhurst Golden Bears and from now on this will be the photo you see, but with an ever growing belly. We will be going for an ultrasound on Aug. 28th and will let you know all about that.

Take care...love Lisa, Richard & baby

Baby at 13 weeks

Finally...

Here's the first picture of my belly. This is at 13 weeks, so the baby is about 3 inches from head to rump....I love that word...rump. I haven't felt any movement yet, but I'm sure that will happen before I know it. I decided to take these pictures in the same "outfit" throughout the pregnancy so it will be easier to see the changes.

I'll keep you all posted as things go on. I hope everyone is well.

OMG....WE'RE HAVING A...

BABY!!!




I know, I know...crazy news, but it's true. Rich and I are so very excited. We got to talking and decided we wanted to do this now. It seems pretty fitting when you know our history. We've told our families and now felt it's time to tell the rest of our friends.


The baby is due January 20, 2009. We went back and forth on if we should find out if it's a boy or girl, but I think we've decided we are going to find out. We have a few names picked out already, and since we are going to find out, we are going to pick 2 names and decide once we meet him/her.


The baby already has a nickname...thank you Melissa! You might have noticed a ticker on the right side of the page...it's the baby's countdown. The baby's nickname is Newbee, which is absolutely perfect! For those of you who don't know, one of Richard's nicknames is Koobee, so you can see how Newbee is very fitting.


We have had many requests for pictures of my belly. I'm going to take a picture at 13 weeks and then every month after that. It'll be fun to see how I change over the next 6 months. The wireless goes in and out, so I'll get those pictures posted as fast as I can.



We're really excited to share this news with everyone. I'll keep you all posted with the milestones that are coming. I hope this finds everyone well. Aloha!!

Computer Update

HI!!! It seems like it's been forever since I've written anything. But here's the computer update...

Rich found out that his hard drive crashed! And this was after a co-worker had his computer for over a month. Not good news...but his computer was still under warranty. THANK GOD we don't have to buy another one. He called Gateway and another hard drive is on its way. I'm hoping it will be here soon. Once it is, you'll see so many posts from the last four months.

Wow! I can't believe it's been 4 months already. It's gone so fast. I can't wait to share what's been going on in our lives. I hope you are all doing well and I'll hopefully be back to blogging regularly very, very soon.

Aloha!

We are still alive!

Aloha!! I know we haven't made any new postings since we left Chicago, but we are still alive and doing well. Rich's computer crashed as soon as we got internet connection. :( So, as soon as we get that fixed, you'll see postings all the time. Plus, the 50 million I'll have to catch up on.

Just some brief FYIs...I am now a concierge at the Four Seasons at Manele Bay. I'm loving it! The people I work with are great and it gives me a chance to learn much more about the island faster than I would have otherwise. Rich and I did Sporting Clays and Archery a week ago, and will go horseback riding tomorrow. We have driven down to Polihua beach and will go camping at Awaloa beach after horseback riding. We've already camped at Lopa beach and Hulopo'e beach twice. I never thought I'd camp this much in my life. IT'S SO MUCH FUN!!! Plus, Isabelle is officially a beach dog. She's loving it just as much as I am.

Well, soon you'll get to see some pictures and know what we've been up to. Rich and I wish you all the best and miss you all! Aloha from Lana'i.

Girls Night Out

We had one last Girls Night Out before I leave Chicago. GNO started 2 years ago when a few of us girls from church (Holy Covenant UMC) wanted to do something more social. We would try to get together once a month by going to dinner and sometimes dancing. It's been so much fun!

This time we went to Jin Ju, a Korean restaurant up in Andersonville...one of my favorite neighborhoods in Chicago. They have martinis that are made with soju, a vodka made from sweet potatoes. They are delicious! Here we are...Carrie, Diane, Cindy, Rebekah, Sara, Maria, and myself.

Cindy had one of the interesting, but very tasty, martinis. It was scotch (or bourbon, I can't remember), champagne, and Campari. YUM!

We all had a great time! The food was delicious! I don't think there was a drop of food left. If you like spicy, I would recommend the Dak Bulgogi.

Smile girls :)

After dinner we went over to my favorite bar, The Hopleaf, to have a beer. I found out that they have almost all of the beers from Unibrou, the same brewery that did the beer and chocolate tasting. So I had a bottle of Terrible. It was a great way to end the evening.

I will definitely miss these nights. I always looked forward to them and we all became such good friends. Thanks ladies for all the memories! I'll miss you all very much.