Hello Second Trimester

Time sure does fly during hockey season.  Ever since I've gotten to Peoria in the beginning of October I've been busy.  Busier than I typically am during a season at least.  I mean, I've kind of got a lot going on this year that isn't typical.  And it suddenly hit me last night at about 9:30 PM that I only had two and a half hours left in my first trimester.  Where did that first third of my pregnancy go?

I find that the hockey season portion of my year goes by faster than the off-season does.  Mostly because there's more routine during the season with Mike's practices and games dictating our schedule.  This year it's gone by even faster.  Within two weeks of getting to town, I got a job.  And not just a seasonal for the Christmas holidays job I've always had in the past, but a job that will last me all hockey season barring pregnancy complications.  And I actually like it.  I only work about 20 hours a week, but it's always days so I never have to miss a game, and it gets me out of the house and doing something.  Making some money isn't a bad deal either.  And I really like all the people I work with.

On top of the job, and Mike's games I've also got this whole pregnancy thing to think about.  I've had three doctor's appointments since I got to town, and I've loved every single one of them.  Usually I bitch, complain, and do everything to avoid going to a doctor's office, but this time it's different (obviously).  It's been crazy, but amazing to see the baby on the two sonograms I've had so far, and hear it's heartbeat the third time.  The second sonogram I had the baby was actually doing squat jumps for nearly half an hour straight.  Potentially longer, but that's how long the sonogram lasted.  It was hilarious to watch, not to mention I've apparently already got an athlete who is going to have powerful legs growing in me.  Our tech also took a guess based on what she saw on the gender at that appointment.  We're not telling until our 5 month appointment when we'll know pretty much for sure, but it's kind of fun to potentially already know.

These appointments are literally the only reason I even know I'm pregnant.  The first trimester is known pretty much as the worst trimester of pregnancy and people can't wait to get out of it.  I wasn't one of those people.  Somehow I got lucky, which I didn't see coming.  I spent my whole life just knowing that I was going to have horrible morning sickness and food aversion.  Aside from about a week and a half, none of that happened to me.  I felt a little sick only twice, both times to the smell of spices cooking.  The second I removed myself from the area, I felt better and it didn't come back when I re-entered the kitchen.  And that was it for "morning sickness".

That week and a half I referred to was a goofy one.  For some reason everything sounded amazing to me, but everything tasted like garbage.  I mean everything.  Mike cooked some of our favorite meals that week trying to find something I could eat, and a few bites in I couldn't swallow anything anymore.  It wasn't making me feel sick at all, I just hated how it tasted.  The only things that didn't taste horrible were chips and salsa and chocolate.  I ended up losing three pounds that week and a half simply because I wanted nothing to do with food.

Suddenly one day, that was all gone.  Now I can eat everything again.  Well, everything except Mexican food.  That still doesn't taste very good to me, which sucks because I freaking love Mexican food.  Again, it doesn't make me feel sick thinking about it or eating it, it just doesn't taste good.  I've tried fajitas, and that didn't work.  I tried tacos, and while they were fine, they didn't do it for me.  The sound of other favorites of mine don't sound great to me anymore.  But give me the chips and salsa and I'll take them down! Haha.

I have discovered my first craving however.  Cheese.  And that's kind of a weird one because I'm not a big cheese eater.  I never have been.  I can do the occasional bites of pepperjack on crackers, but even after just a couple pieces of that I'm over it.  I used to pull the cheese off of pizza and eat just the dough and sauce.  I dug under the layer of cheese that covered baked pasta and only ate the pasta that didn't have melted cheese on it.  Now I can't stop.  And grilled cheese is topping that list.  I've had it for lunch every single day I haven't had to be at work by lunchtime in the past two weeks.  And there is no sign of that going away.  Even as I type I'm seriously contemplating making myself one right now.  I had pizza recently, and there was no thought of taking the cheese off of it.  I walk into a hockey rink and all I can think about are nachos and cheese or a pretzel and cheese.  I just made Mike make homemade chicken parm last night and I didn't pull half the cheese off the top like I typically would.  And yes, it's officially settled.  I'm making a grilled cheese the second this post is up.

Now, as of today I am starting my second trimester.  The Bump tells me that baby is the size of a lemon.  Weeks ago it told me to start shopping for maternity clothes.  I was ready, but I've still got time before that happens.  I'm 14 weeks along, and every single one of my jeans still fits and almost exactly the way they did before.  They're barely any tighter and with these belly bands out there designed to delay the need for buying maternity clothes, I'm thinking I'm still weeks away from even having to start looking.  I know it can take longer to show when it's the first child, but at this rate I'm just going to look a little chunky until baby's about to pop out! Haha.  Maybe next time I write a post I'll actually have a baby bump picture to put up.  So far, there's just not much to see.

So life in Peoria so far has been pretty fun.  The girls are great, baby's doing great, the job is great.  We also have a park right behind our apartment complex, so Bauer and I have gone on plenty of walks there.  As much as I miss being back east and close to my family and friends, it's not so bad to have it be November and having temperatures still hitting the 50's on a consistent basis instead of snow.  I'll take it!  And it's nearly Thanksgiving and Christmas, so even better.  One of my favorite times of year!  Well, I'm off to make that grilled cheese now.  What little lemon wants, little lemon gets!  Haha.

Major News!

So, this has officially become best year ever territory.  I already thought it had been.  I mean Mike and I got married, he signed with his hometown team the next day, and we were in Aruba the day after that.  It didn't seem like it could get any better.  And then it did.

That's right, folks.  Baby McKenna is on the way!  I've got until May until I can meet the little green olive (or so the bump tells me is currently baby's size).  I don't think Bauer understands why we stuck a skate lace attached to paper around his neck quite yet, but I'm confident he'll enjoy being a big brother.

Mike and I have known since just after Labor Day, but wanted to hold on to the secret until after the first doctor's visit.  Once we got the "everything looks great" we couldn't hold the news in any longer.  Somehow I've managed to luck out on not getting any of this morning sickness I was so worried about.  Aside from being exhausted all the time, I feel perfectly fine!  We're both pretty terrified, but super excited as well!  Can't wait to meet him or her!

On the Road Again

It's been a few hours since Mike headed out of town for Peoria for the season.  I've been way more emotional about it than necessary since it's only 3 hours away from home and I'm going to be there in a week.  I'm a big baby.  Plus, it's not helping that Bauer won't stop sitting in the window gazing down the road waiting for Mike to come home, complete with a big sigh before he gives up and takes a 15 minute nap before repeating the process.  I mean, look at this poor guy.....

I've gotta admit, I haven't exactly had it rough as far as pre-seasons have gone.  Either I've gone with Mike, or I've been able to spend the time apart from him with my family since up until this year he always played within a couple of hours of them.  That meant that Mike could always pop in for a night on an off day that broke up the time spent apart.

Some girls go months apart, and that sucks.  I did that one time when I was finishing up my senior year of college and Mike was playing his first year pro on the complete opposite side of the country.  I know how it feels, and I would never want to go through that again.  My heart goes out to them.

I am looking forward to this season, more than I expected to.  I think it's a combination of how much summer we got to enjoy at home and the fact that we're so close to home this year we know we'll probably be able to make it back at least once a month, even if it's for a night.  No long goodbyes to St. Louis friends and family this year.  The only negative is that this is the first year I won't be close to my family and friends back in NY, who I was always able to see fairly consistently the past five seasons.

I can honestly say that there is something about every place we've played that I'll miss and will forever remember.  It's tough to leave the teams, the girls, and the cities and move on year after year.  Some of these places and people I'll probably never see again, and that's sad, but is also the life.  It's a life I chose and choose to appreciate for all the experiences it has given me.

Now it's time for a new adventure in Peoria and I'm looking forward to it.  More new girls to meet, another rink to explore, and a new team to watch.  Not to mention that in my six years of living in St. Louis in the off-season, having a house here, and being a Missouri resident, I've never gotten to experience a mid-west fall, winter, or much of spring.  I'm kind of excited to see what it's like, even if it's taking me away from the apple cider donuts that are unmatched at the apple orchard I went to with my parents every year.

Now I just need these next 8 days to go by in a hurry.....

Wedding Video Trailer

I received an email yesterday from our videographer saying that the trailer for our wedding video was up and the whole thing would be complete next week.  I was so excited considering after getting our pictures back from our photographers, we were a little disappointed.  Partially our fault for being a little too caught up in the moment and not making sure we got shots we really wanted, partially their fault for doing next to no editing and almost strictly shots from a distance.

We watched the trailer and and absolutely loved it.  If the whole video is seriously anything like the trailer it will be exactly what we wanted.  After watching it repeatedly throughout the day and night Mike and I decided to share with anyone who cared to see.

By the way, our videographer was awesome.  I seriously wish I had booked her before the photographers, because she does both photos and video with her fiance, and I would have had her do both.  If you are in the Lake George/Albany area and getting married, seriously book LaRose Media.

We got to choose five songs plus our first dance song to have incorporated into the video. I can't even get over the song she chose for the trailer.  Just perfect.  We love it!  Haha.  And I have no idea how I did those high knees during Double Dutch in my 5 inch heels without breaking an ankle.  Okay, here it is!



Rachel + Mike Trailer from LaRose Media on Vimeo.


So much fun to watch this over and over again and relive our wedding.  I'll probably do the same with the full video when it gets here.  Best night of my life!

Little Squirrel

Yesterday while working in the backyard, out of the corner of his eye Mike noticed something fall out of one of our trees.  He walked over to investigate and found a young squirrel lying on the ground, unmoving and barely breathing.  Being the animal lovers that we are, I was determined to help it.  I immediately made my way to the computer and began looking up wildlife centers that would accept injured squirrels.  Of course, it had closed 15 minutes before the squirrel had fallen out of the tree.

I did some more research to see if there was anything we could do to try to help it until the center opened back up this morning.  The squirrel still wasn't moving, and wasn't making any distress noises, which wasn't a good sign.  There was also blood around it's mouth and on it's chin, like it had landed mostly on it's face or head.  Mike wasn't convinced the squirrel was going to live, and honestly, I didn't either, but I had to try.

I sent Mike to grab a cardboard box while I went inside and grabbed some old pillowcases we had lying around to line the box with.  (By the way, if you ever have to save a little squirrel, don't put towels in the box.  Their nails get caught in the loops in the fabric and they can break toe nails and toes if they get caught during a panic.)  He carefully picked up the squirrel and put it into the box before we carried it into the garage.

Apparently when young squirrels fall out of trees, they can go into shock even if they aren't really injured, and this lowers their body temperatures.  I filled up a large water bottle with warm water and wrapped it in another old pillowcase and placed it on one side of the box to provide heat for the squirrel to keep it's body temperature up and hopefully eliminate the shock.  Not wanting to stress it out anymore than necessary, we put the box in the garage for the night, since it was really our only dark quiet place to keep it.

I knew enough not to feed the squirrel or give it anything to drink since all wild animals have very strict diets and any variation in that diet can kill them.  Instead I spent my night checking on the squirrel every hour until bed, making sure it was still breathing and the water bottle was warm, replacing it if it wasn't.  It's safe to say I didn't get much sleep last night because I was either worrying about the squirrel or downstairs checking on it.

It spent the whole evening and night curled up in a little ball next to the water bottle.  It wasn't moving much, but it was alive and that gave me hope when I headed to bed.  When I checked on it again this morning it was much more alert which was amazing to see.  It started climbing up onto the water bottle and moving around the box when I was around.

As soon as the center was open I prepared the squirrel for transport.  When I did that, it started moving around the box, trying to climb out the sides, and chirping in distress.  I know that it definitely had a jaw injury of some sort because it's chirping was really quiet and it wasn't opening it's mouth at all, but hopefully that's something the vet at the wildlife center can fix.  I also noticed it was holding it's left front paw a little strange as it moved around, so it might have injured that as well.  I dropped it off this morning at the wildlife center, giving it it's best chance to be rehabilitated and released back into the wild.

I actually cried a little after I left, because Little Squirrel (as I started calling it last night) was just too cute.  I mean, how could you resist helping this little guy (or girl - no idea)?

I don't care if some people think they are pests or don't like them.  They are a living being and deserve every chance to live their lives just like we do.  I don't care what kind of animal I find injured in my backyard, I'm going to do whatever I can to help it.  I don't know how injured this squirrel was, but I'm going to believe that it'll be rehabilitated and then released into the wild to live a long happy life.

Update: We received a card in the mail from the Wildlife Center that told us that Little Squirrel had been fully rehabilitated and released back into the wild!  The center backs up to a state park, so there is plenty of safe space for Little Squirrel to make it's home!

Aruba!

So we left for our honeymoon the Monday after the wedding and went to Aruba.  We were originally thinking Barbados, but it was so difficult to fly in and out of from the airport closest to Lake George.  Also, summer is hurricane season in the Caribbean, but Aruba lies just outside that area so we wouldn't have to worry about a hurricane blowing up on us.  The fact that we could skip all-inclusive and get some culture in Aruba, while also being able to drink water from the tap also aided in our decision to choose Aruba instead.

The view that greeted us from our balcony

We landed in Aruba in the afternoon so we had enough time to kind of wander around the hotel and the beach area to check it out before heading to dinner.  We found a tapas place for a pretty good first dinner.  After we finished eating we walked through the rest of the shops and restaurants to scout out where the rest of our meals would come from.

We spent the first two full days in Aruba just laying out by the water.  It was so nice to finally not have anything to do, that I wasn't in a rush to do much exploring.  We did learn pretty quickly that it's windy in Aruba.  Not sure if that's the case all the time, but I had read that there could be some pop up weather due to it being hurricane season in most of the Caribbean, so maybe the wind was a product of that.

The first day we chose to lay on the beach, and that wasn't the best idea we've ever had.  Every time a wind gust picked up we would just get railed with sand which hurt like a bitch.  We learned our lesson and spent the rest of the time claiming chairs by the pool where the hotel blocked some of the wind, there was no sand, and the ocean was still next to us when we needed to cool down.

The only other thing I noticed and thought was a little strange was the complete lack of waves, even with the wind.  Seriously, waves were just non-existent.  The water was definitely a little colder than I was expecting considering we were almost in South America while in Aruba, but not cold enough to keep me out.  In fact, it felt nice to hop into the water while the sun was beating down on us all day.

See?  No waves.

 On Thursday Mike and I decided to take a trip out to De Palm Island for an all-inclusive 8 hour all you can eat, drink, and snorkel trip.  We hopped on the bus, took the ferry, and spent all morning and afternoon laying on the beach on the island and snorkeling.  I had only been snorkeling once in Mexico, and it was horrible, so I was really looking forward to seeing what Aruba had to offer.  It was amazing.  Mike and I were in the water three different times for at least half an hour each time.  The place even offered food you could buy for the fish.  We didn't buy any, but enough people did that we got to experience the swarm of fish suddenly surrounding us.

Hellos!

Loved our underwater camera

There was also a small water park on the island so we spent some time hanging out there.  I'm not a big water slide person, so I just sat in the shallow end catching some sun while staying cool while Mike did work alongside the rest of the 8 year old kids there, haha!  We also found a ping pong table going unused, and went to town.  I'd never really played before, and Mike is a master at the game, so we were just playing for fun.....until I realized that I was pretty good for a first timer.  I'm pretty dead set on buying a ping pong table for our place now.

At the water park

Friday we decided to explore the downtown area of Aruba.  We hopped in a cab which dropped us off and grabbed lunch at a place he suggested.  That was where we discovered papaya hot sauce.  I've got to admit, I'm not a big fan of spicy things, but holy cow is this stuff good.  Mike hightailed it to a grocery store to buy a bottle to bring home immediately.  We picked up a couple of souvenirs before heading back to the hotel.

Saturday was our last day so we spent that sitting by the pool and hanging out in the ocean enjoying our last day of zero responsibility.  By Sunday afternoon we were on a plane headed back to NY with a 17 hour drive from there to St. Louis looming ahead of us.  As much fun as the honeymoon was (and relaxing), it was good to be back in the states, and especially to see Bauer again!  He however was much less excited to see us.  While Mike got some attention he literally refused to come see me the entire night after we got back.  Guess he was kind of pissed, haha.  By the next day he was back to giving me hugs and cuddling up after getting over his anger at being ditched, even if he got to spend the entire week with his best friend Nash.

I would definitely recommend Aruba, and not going all-inclusive (um, liquor is so cheap at Duty Free there!) so you can experience everything the island has to offer.  As long as you can tolerate the wind unlike one woman we heard saying she would never go back.  Here's some more pictures from the honeymoon.....

There were lizards all over the place down there. I think they're so cute!

In downtown

So sad that places like this need Pizza Huts to please tourists - Branch out people!

Not terribly afraid of people

Saw these guys all over the rocky areas

Sunset from the balcony

Wedding Day!

 I woke up on the morning of June 30, 2012 and immediately started crying.  I'm already typically an emotional wreck, and realizing it was my wedding day took a toll the second I turned off my alarm.  Having to stop myself from turning into a blubbering idiot was an overriding theme of the day.  My hair and makeup girl showed up at 9 am followed closely by my bridesmaids and my wedding day officially got going.

Everyone talks about nerves and such on your wedding day, but I wasn't feeling it.  I was just really excited.  Then, I was getting my hair and makeup done around 1:30 that afternoon.  Most of my bridesmaids were taking care of making sure the reception area was set up and I was in the room with just one bridesmaid and the girl doing my hair and makeup.  It was quiet in the room for the first time when suddenly it hit.  My stomach started to tie itself in knots, and my heart started racing.  No cold feet for me, but I started to panic about whether Mike would like the dress, my hair, and my makeup.  I mean, I couldn't look like shit on the most important day of my life!  Thankfully the girls calmed me down and the day resumed.

Of course just after my hair and makeup finishes a couple of the ushers came by to take my stuff up to the room Mike and I would share that night and bring Mike's note and present to me, and pick up my note and presents for him.  While my note was written on lined notebook paper, because that's all I had access to the night before, Mike had to one-up me (so typical, haha).  They handed me our iPad, which Mike had recorded a video on the night before as his "note".  I cried my eyes out listening to what he had to say, and work on a bridesmaids hair had to come to a halt for a makeup fix.

Later I was dressed and ready to go and it was wedding time.  It felt like an eternity that I was hidden in a room while everyone else walked down the aisle.  Finally it was time, and off I went.  He'll probably kill me for saying this, but Mike made me cry when he started to tear up as I got to him.  Thankfully I held it together enough to get through most of the ceremony, up until vow time.  I'd started to tear up listening to Mike say his, but when it was my turn I literally had to pause halfway through for a moment because I was on the verge of a total breakdown.  I made it through better than I expected, which was awesome, but I don't think I heard a single thing our officiant said.  I was too busy grinning like an idiot at Mike and forcing myself to hold the tears in.

We were then officially married and got to spend the rest of the night celebrating with our closest friends and family.  Unfortunately last minute a few couldn't make the trip for the wedding.  One guy couldn't get clearance by his doctor to travel after hitting a deer on his motorcycle the previous month and flying a nice 100 yards down the road.  One of Mike's groomsmen also couldn't make it because his wife gave birth the night before.  Thankfully one of our ushers stepped up and filled in.

Towards the end of the night something really awesome happened.  Turned out there were fireworks over Lake George that night.  It was unexpected and I found out about it only the night before.  My dad joked that he spared no expense for the wedding, but it was amazing to be able to enjoy those before the party ended.

For the record, I highly recommend using music from the Vitamin String Quartet for pre-ceremony, ceremony, cocktail hour, and dinner music.  We received so many comments on how awesome it was to listen to.  If you don't know, VSQ does orchestral versions of modern mostly rock songs.  People had a blast trying to pick out what all the songs were.  Since Mike and I don't agree on music most of the time this was a great choice for us.  We chose mostly 90's to early 00's music from bands like Nirvana, Foo Fighters, Coheed and Cambria, etc.

Our music lineup (all Vitamin String Quartet covers) went like this:
Parents and groom entrance for ceremony - "Landslide" by Fleetwood Mac
Wedding Party entrance - "Soul to Squeeze" by Red Hot Chili Peppers
My entrance - "Beautiful Day" by U2
Recessional - "Today" by Smashing Pumpkins

When we made our entrance to the reception we wanted to choose something that would typically be played at a hockey game for a team's entrance, because let's be honest, hockey runs our lives.  We chose AC/DC's "Thunderstruck" the real version.  Our first dance was to "Stuck on You" by Failure.  Not exactly first dance material, but it's our song and our wedding, so we did what we wanted, decent first dance be damned, haha.  People spent all night saying how "us" the music selection was.

We haven't gotten any of our professional photos or video yet, but received so many amazing pictures from friends and family.  I figured I'd throw some of those in here and put up some of my favorite shots from the photographers later on when I get them.  Before I do I just wanted to throw out a big thank you to everyone who sent either of us messages wishing us good luck and congrats.  It means so much to us to see all the support from family, friends, acquaintances, and strangers alike.  I'm the happiest I've ever been right now and looking forward to what the future for us holds.  Thanks again!

Sign outside of our reception room

Reception room - view of Lake George and surrounding mountains out windows

Close up of table settings (annoyed that ribbon came off my favor box)

Cake!

Just pronounced husband and wife

First kiss!

Married!

Wedding Party (3 guys on left were ushers)

Love this photo of ring bearer and flower girls

First dance

Double Dutch ropes