Our British Bean

That's right...we are pregnant. I am currently 8 weeks along and due on Jun 7th. We saw a strong heart beat today and were told our chance of miscarriage is < 5%. I apologize to those of you who are finding out about this via the web. It is just really hard to tell everyone individually with the time difference and what not.
It has been a roller coaster of emotions for the past two weeks. Two weeks ago I had to call the OB on call due to severe cramping and spotting. He wanted to see me right away and had me stop in the lab for a blood draw on the way in. He was really concerned because my HCG levels were really high, but nothing but the yolk sac was showing up (looked similar to a 4 week pregnancy, but I was 6 weeks). Pretty much we were told that the baby did not have the genetic makeup to make it past the four weeks stage and that I was probably miscarrying. However, he wanted to see what my HCG level did in 48 hours. If I was miscarrying, it would go down; but, in a normal pregnancy, should double. So on Sunday I went in for the lab. And, it showed an increase. It did not double, so he wanted to see me in a week for another ultrasound prior to scheduling me for a D & C. Talk about a long week. Last friday I had another ultrasound, and, much to Aaron and I (and the Dr) surprise....a heart beat. He just said that I may not have as far along as we initially thought based on my last cycle. But, he was slightly concerned about a slightly lower heart rate (110 beats/minute) and wanted me to have another scan at what would have been my first OB appointment that next week. So, today I had another ultrasound and the heart rate was a healthy 160 beats/minute!! So, everything looks good. This pic is a bit squished, but it was the only pic I was given.

So, bye bye flat stomach!! I currently look as if I have been enjoying a diet of beer and pizza! And, aside from being dead tired, have been feeling great. Well, we will keep y'all posted. My parents are coming to visit from one week tomorrow and will post pics of their trip on our blog.

Bonjour!!

Well, we returned from our trip to the French/Italian Riviera last night at 1am. We had a blast and could not have asked for better weather. But, I must say, it is nice to be home. I will not be sad if I do not have a jamon/fromage (ham/cheese) baquette any time soon.
Oh, before I begin....My sister, Lindsay, had her baby on Oct 2 (while we were gone). Her name is Lauren Grace and she is adorable! Click on the link to her blog on the right.

We flew into Nice, France which is the largest city on the Coast; we stayed there for two days. It was our first time to the Mediterranean coast and it was interesting to see a rocky beach. Most people spoke English so it was not hard to get around or order food. Here is a picture of the coast line:
And, here is a picture of Brittany and I on the main street through town where all of the shopping was

I learned alot about European fashion. Skinny jeans are in (even with zippers at the ankles....80's fashion anyone) and leg warmers are making a comeback!!!
Here is Aaron and I in the Plaza (Old Towne)

Our next stop was Monte Carlo, Monoco. Monaco is the 2nd smallest country, next to the Vatican. Aaron described it as Bel Aire on steroids. Aaron got to experience his first train ride....

Two James Bond movies were filmed at the Monte Carlo Casino, we we went there as well. It was interesting to see all of the cars parked outside: two Bentleys, two ferraris, mazerati (which is my new dream car...see previous post), Lamborghini...the mercedes looked out of place.
This is Aaron and I overlooking the casino (we were not allowed to bring our cameras inside, so this is the only glimpse we have

And, us overlooking the coast


Next, we took the train to Italy and stayed in a coastal village called Monterosso.
Our hotel was situated on a bluff that overlooked the city. The map made it look like it was rather close to the train station, so we decided to walk. Well after about 4 switch backs up this steep road (hauling our luggage), a shuttle stopped by to pick us up. THANK GOD!! There were still about 8 more switch backs up this steep windy road.... Map was definitely not too scale. Here is a picture of Aaron and I overlooking the village from our hotel.

Monterosso is in an area called Cinque Terra (five towns). There are five towns on the coast and we hiked 8 miles between the villages. It was a rather strenous hike and gave us an opportunity to burn off some of the Italian Pasta we had been eating. We started in Riomaggiore and hiked to north throught Monorola, Corniglia, Vernaza (the most scenic), and ended with the most rigorous climb to Monterrosa (and jumped in the sea to cool off!!!). Here are some scenes from our hike...
From this photo, you can see Monterosso in the distance.

This is Monorola. It is amazing how these homes are built right into the cliff side.

This is looking back at Corniglia. The hike was strenous in that you would hike up through the villages, then down to the sea, then up through the olive trees and vineyards... Lots of ascending and descending, but the scenery was amazing.

This is Aaron and I on the last leg of the hike, overlooking vernaza. We bought a watercolor painting from a woman along the hike with the same scene in it.


This was our favorite part of the trip and would recommend it to anyone traveling to Italy.
After two days in Italy, we took the train to Cannes, France for our last night of vacation. Here is a funny picture of Brittany. Most of the hotels did not charge additional money for having three people (vs. two), but the hotel in Cannes did...almost $90 more. So, Brittany opted for the floor. She created a bed out of the cushions on the chairs and pillows and covered up with the bathrobes!


So, there you have it. It is so much fun to be able to travel over here. Only a two hour flight and we were in vacationing in the Med!