A Precious Sound

We had another Dr.'s appointment today. The best part about this quick appointment was getting the chance to hear the baby's heartbeat. The worst part about the appointment was that Cody almost missed it! It wasn't entirely his fault though. I got there 15 mins early, got checked in, and sat down to wait in the lobby.  Before I could even pick up a magazine and get comfy, they were already calling my name. I told the assistant that my husband was on his way and would be here soon. She assured me that she would take me back to check my vitals and have the front desk send him back as soon as he got there. A few mins past 4pm (our actual appointment time) the Dr. walked in and Cody still wasn't there! So, she killed some time discussing my lab results until a tardy Cody got there. When he walked in the room, I jokingly told him he already missed it.  Cody laughed and said, "The one time in my life I was counting on the hospital running late, you guys were actually early!" In the end, the only thing that matters is that we got to experience the sound of the baby's rapidly beating heart together...and what a wonderful sound it was! And a side note: I bet Cody will be early to our next appointment!

A House Divided

It's no secret that we are a VERY divided house. Chelsea being a University of Oregon graduate and Cody being an Oregon State graduate has made for several rough football season's around this house. Let me tell you the first 2 years of our courthship was especially hard during football season. I am pretty sure both of those years we not on speaking terms by the end of the Civil War game. Its a wonder our relationship ever lasted!! Somehow, we managed to figure things out and football season has been a little less painful in more recent years.

Now that we have a baby on the way, we are going to have all new civil war issues to overcome! I think we are going to have one very confused child when he/she is wearing Beaver gear one day and Duck gear the next (obviously depending on which one of us was able to get up and get the baby dressed first!).

Grandma Olson has already started the battle!! When we were killing time in the Denver Airport, she found a little stuffed Beaver that she just had to buy! I told her I expect her to even up the score board and make sure Baby gets a stuffed Duck too!

Houston, TX

Girls trip to Houston to visit Courtney was a blast with only a few bumps to overcome.

Day 1: We flew in on a Thursday evening. Courtney picked Kim and I up from the airport then took us to her apartment to drop off our luggage and freshen up before we heading to an amazing Seafood dinner. After dinner, we came out to find her car GONE! Our first thought was that her someone stole her 4-runner but it turns out, it just got towed. So, we got a great tour of the impound yard on our first day.

Day 2: The second day was a lot better! We spent the day in Galveston and had a blast...

Boot shopping...

A walk on the beach...


Bike ride....We rented a 4-person bike and rode around the Galveston beachfront. We only almost ran over 3 people, 2 poles and 1 concrete block! Who knows how many miles we rode for but our bums were sore for the next few days!



Day 3: I woke up thinking I was experiencing my first dose of morning sickness. It was horrible but I got up and got ready for the day anyway and we made it to our pedicure appointment on time. I tried to nibble on a Luna Bar and drink a little water. I made it through the pedicure but ended up throwing up shortly after. Kim and Courtney grabbed a salad lunch and ordered me some wheat toast that I barely picked at. I managed to get enough energy to do a little shopping then we headed home. Despite the headache, stomachache, and backache I tried to lay down and relax, determined to feel better before dinner with Courtney's co-worker Barbara. Kim encouraged me to drink a little Ginger ale and eat a few crackers which seamed to help. As soon as we got home from dinner, I took a warm bath which really helped to relax my muscles. Once I laid down for the evening, I started to feel like I was running a fever. That is when I realized, maybe this wasn't morning sickness and was some kind of flu or something. The next morning I work up feeling pretty good, still just a little weak. So, I really think it must have been a 24 hour flu.

Day 4: Was a low key day. We did a little shopping, watched a movie, went on a walk around Courtney's neighborhood and Kim made dinner at home for us. I fell in love with all the homes in her adorable neighborhood and Kim's stuffed peppers were not only amazing but this was the first real meal I had in nearly 48 hours!

The next morning, we had to pack up and say our good bye's to Courtney. There was a pretty good storm brewing in Texas so initially our flight was delayed. We headed to the airport anyways to find out they reversed the delay in hopes to get us in the air before the storm really hit! Even though the rain and thunder and already started I guess the real storm hadn't even began!

Thanks Courtney for having us! Kim and I left Houston feeling a lot better about Courtney being there. She lives in a great area, impressively knows her way around pretty well, and it was great to see what a wonderful person Barbara is and a great friend...She truly is a blessing. We love ya Court!

Saturday Night Beverage

After a full day of studying for Cody and cleaning for me, we decided to kick back and relax last Saturday evening. Together, we cooked dinner and Cody tried out his bar tending skills. He was pretty impressed with the margaritas he made from scratch. He proceeded to tell me (you, know...me, his pregnant wife!) how AWESOME his margarita was. So, I had to try really hard convince myself how amazing my Diet Hansen's soda was :o) This made me think about the approaching summer. We plan on doing lots of camping together but it is going to be a long summer of sitting around the campfire without my favorite cocktail. Oh, but how this baby will be well worth it!!!

Codys Beverage vs Chelsea's Beverage:

"How did that happen?!"

When I first told my brother Caleb that I was pregnant, his response was pretty funny, ”What? Really? How did that happen? My response: “I don’t know….a couple cocktails and a weekend at the beach.” Well, although that is true, the whole story is that part of it was planned and the other part was just letting things happen when they are suppose to.

You shouldn't be surprised that Cody was fully involved in the planning portion. Almost two years ago, he emailed me an Optimal Date of Conception Spread Sheet. This spread sheet was full of all his financial goals for us, how each of them could be met, and precisely at what point we could “afford” having kids. I had goals of my own but mine were a little different. My to-do list before children consisted of: A trip to Japan, new floors and new furniture. Not only did we accomplish both of our goals by Cody’s original projection date but I even managed to squeeze in a couple more vacations.

Just from taking notes from friends and family around us, I really thought it would take us much longer to get pregnant. So, when we found out we were, I was a little shocked (of course excited, but shocked). However, I am a true believer that everything happens for a reason. Being prepared in all aspects of our life but giving up control and letting things fall into place was the best thing we could have done.

11 Weeks Down, 29 To Go

It was Friday, March 2nd at 6am when we confirmed what we already knew deep down. Cody’s confidence was high but Chelsea on the other hand was slightly nervous. She was afraid to get her hopes up then later be disappointed if things didn’t go our way. But after Chelsea was several days late and complained of swollen, tender breasts one little stick confirmed the biggest, most exciting change in our life…a baby! It was a surreal moment-we hugged and cried tears of joy. As we embraced, Chelsea tearfully whispered, “We are going to have a baby! Are you ready to be a Daddy?” Cody nodded then squashed the moment minutes later when the first words out of his mouth his mouth were, “Honey, you better call Kaiser and find out what this is going to cost us so we can plan accordingly.” Chelsea just laughed. She wouldn’t expect anything less of him!

Cody headed to work and Chelsea called Kaiser with hopes of being able to get in right away. The OB receptionist informed Chelsea that she was only about 6 weeks along and they didn’t want to see her any sooner than 8 weeks. So, the appointment would have to wait until after we returned home from our Hawaiian vacation…bummer!

In the meantime, baby names were already being discussed. We already have already agreed on a boy name, but have had a harder time with girl names. Cody keeps coming up with girls names that would make someone think that our newborn was already in her 95th year of life. Cody believes the older generation names have “character” but Chelsea honestly believes he’s just trying to keep the boys away. Needless to say, we are prepared to play the name game for quite some time. Good thing we have 9 months on our hands to work with!

Our first Dr.’s appointment was on Friday, March 23rd. At this appointment we met with our midwife and got a first look at the baby! We clearly saw the baby in the ultrasound and saw the flicker of his/her heartbeat. It was pretty amazing!!!! Chelsea had been feeling so good that up until this point she wasn’t completely convinced she was even pregnant. So, this was the confirmation she had been waiting for.

According to the ultrasound, Baby’s due date is November 2nd but we will have another ultrasound done at our next visit to confirm the due date. So, we had to break the news to Miss Maxi that as of this fall, she will no longer be the baby of the house!

At 8 weeks old and measuring in at 1.61cm, we would officially like to introduce Baby O…



We are now in week 11 and things have been going great. Chelsea has been fortunate enough to have not yet experienced any kind of morning sickness or anything of that sort. However, she has recently been experiencing a little over-sensitivity that both her and Cody need to remind themselves that it is just the pregnancy hormones!

We will continue to update our blog during this very exciting time in our life. You will notice future blogs will be written from Chelsea’s perspective so everyone can get the pregnancy details first hand!

With Lots of Love,
Cody, Chelsea, and Baby Olson

The Big Island

What two reasons do you visit The Big Island of Hawaii for? Well, the answer should be easy.... 1)Fishing and 2)Volcano. Well on our first trip to Hawaii our finishing trip turned into an 8 hour guided boat ride and we didn't see the Volcano because it's recent large eruption was spewing too much sulfur, gas and ash. Are we disappointed though...absolutely not!!! We spend 7 days in the sun with not a single thought of work or studying, with the best company we could ask for and 2 great reason to go back!!

FISHING:
Chelsea had never seen Loren Olson as pumped as he was to go fishing. He practically stocked the captain in the days leading up to our fishing trip...He just wanted to make sure this captain knew he was serious about it! The fishing trip didn't turn out to be at all what we had expected. Kim and Loren's experience fishing in Maui was much different than it was this time. We happened to pick one the worst days to be out on the water...The forecast called for high winds, a small craft advisory and 10+ foot swells (on the water that is normally smooth as glass) on the day we went out. It turned out to be a loooong day.

We didn't catch a huge birthday Marlin for Loren but he did reel in a good looking Mahi Mahi (the one bite of the day). Everyone was excited until the deckhand knocked it off when he went to gaff it...






SNORKELING: We enjoyed several days of snorkeling at different beaches during our stay. Some of the best snorkeling was at Captain Cook Monument. We kayaked over to the monument, spent the afternoon snorkeling, and then enjoyed a picnic lunch.

We saw a couple sea turtles in Hawaii but we got a great close up view of one that was resting on the beach at Mahaiula Bay.



SOUTH POINT: The sign say's it all...


It was super windy but worth the stop.




HILO: We spent one day on the Hilo side of the island (the rainy, tropical side) where we visited a couple waterfalls, a cave, the Botantical Garden.





BEACH TIME: Some of our most relaxing days were simply beach days! Cody did a great job finding some amazing beaches. Since a lot of the island is volcantic rock, sandy beaches can be hard to come by.


PLACE OF REFUGE: This national park is one of Hawaii's most sacred historic places. We went on a self guided tour and explored the grounds.





KONA COFFEE: We learned a lot about Kona Coffee when we visited the Greenwell Coffee Farm. No pictures but we will remember the buzz!

OTHER: We stopped by the South Kona Fruit Stand where we ate lots of tropical fruits. We mostly cooked meals at our condo but got out a few times to try the local food, beer and ice cream. We enjoyed beautiful sunsets from the condo each night and celebrated Kim and Loren's birthdays.

We feel like we did a lot in the 7 days that we were there, but we still didn't see the whole island. We explored the west, east and south portions of the island but never made it up to the north point or to the Volcano. So, yes...we will be back someday!