Happy Halloween and Sweet Dreams

Sydney went trick-or-treating for the first time last night! She did very well. We went to a grand total of three houses. It didn't take Sydney long to get the hang of it. By the time we got to the last house, she was holding out her Elmo trick-or-treat bag (thanks to Jodi) and hoping for the best. After trick-or-treating, we came back to the house and handed out candy. We had an almost record-breaking 10 trick-or-treaters!

Last night was a big night for a variety of reasons. After Sydney finished trick-or-treating and eating her dinner, she went to bed in her "big girl" bed for the very first time. Tom took off the front of the crib and replaced it with a short rail (to keep her from rolling out). Anyway, we put her to bed around 7:45 pm, and she stayed in until 10:45 pm, at which point, she took a header out of the crib on to the floor. I think she fell because she's so used to standing up in her crib, leaning on the front rail, and crying for mom. Anyway, it only took one header to learn. After that, she woke up a couple more times and just cried. I went in, gave her hugs and kisses, and back to bed she went. As far as I'm concerned, it could've been worse.

I told Tom this morning that this afternoon's nap would be the real test. Well, it was a test for sure. After running around in her room for an hour and 15 minutes, she finally fell asleep on the floor next to her bed. I guess she'll eventually learn that the bed is much more comfortable than the carpet!

BB2 Appointment and Update

So, my doctor's appointment this week went well. The baby's heart rate was 154, which is middle of the road, and the growth seems to be on schedule. During the appointment, we discovered that we were cutting it very close on a test (that requires a sonogram) that we wanted to take. The doctor was nice enough to call over to the Radiology Associates and get me an appointment for today. Here's the thing: the test that we wanted can only be conducted between 11 and 13 weeks of pregnancy. Today, was the last weekday of week 13 - so we thought we had time; however, when the technician started taking measurements, it turns out the baby is measuring almost 15 weeks old! So - we could not take the test, which is fine - more than anything we just wanted this opportunity to see the baby on the sonogram. While the technician was doing her thing, she said, "Oh!". Mom B was with me and pounced on her! "What does "Oh!" mean? Do you know the sex of the baby? Can't you give us an inkling?" Anyway, it turns out that the technician thought that we may be having a boy! She told us not to go out and buy a ton of blue, but she said that things look promising. How exciting!

Yeay! We're Protected!

It's official. Everyone in the Bergeman household has received their vaccination for H1N1. Meanwhile, everyone around us still seems to be getting this nasty virus! Of 1600 students at Mom's school, nearly 300 were absent because of "flu-like symptoms." We're praying that they all recover quickly and don't end up in the hospital. Sydney will still need a booster on or after November 19, but in the meantime, we're 100% protected! House arrest officially ends tomorrow, when Sydney and I head to playgroup. Woo hoo!

Snarky's Lost His Sparky!

I'm very sad to report that something horrible has happened. Snarky has lost two weeks in a row - and to Lorraine and Jodi! What could possibly be going on? Perhaps Snarky did drink the turtleade (he's experiencing the same results as the great reptile club) or maybe the pressure of performing has finally caught up with him? Whatever it is, these are sad days in Snarkyville.

These are also sad days for Unnecessary Roughness. I'm on a 3-loss losing streak. Eeek! Clearly, it's all the fault of Jay Cutler, Brian Westbrook, LaDainian Tomlinson, and Anquan Boldin. Really - they should be ashamed of their performances. I could throw longer passes, not drop the ball, and actually make it to the end zone pregnant. Buck up boys - it's time to perform!

Lorraine is the leader of our league, followed by Snarky (for now) and Jay. Mom, Dad, and Jodi are holding strong in the middle of the pack. Angus and I are holding up the rear.

Here's the story for next week:

I play Mom
Snarky plays Jay
Angus plays Chey
Dad plays Jodi
Lorraine plays Stirling

Good luck!

Introducing Shrimp Bergeman

Here's the update on BB2 for week 13 from Babycenter.com:

Fingerprints have formed on your baby's tiny fingertips, her veins and organs are clearly visible through her still-thin skin, and her body is starting to catch up with her head — which makes up just a third of her body size now. If you're having a girl, she now has more than 2 million eggs in her ovaries. Your baby is almost 3 inches long (the size of a medium shrimp) and weighs nearly an ounce.

H1N1 Swine Flu

So - as some of you may know, Syd and I have been staying close to home for the last two weeks in an effort to avoid contracting the Swine Flu. The flu seems to be rampant in Northern Virginia. I know many, many folks who have gotten it: people in my mommies group, people at work, people at Tom's work, and - of course - Sarah and Jodi. Obviously, there are plenty of stories on the news about many more people who are struggling with this illness. Usually, Syd and I are pretty careful about disinfecting and washing our hands, but we've never really gone on house arrest before. Why the drastic action? Here are some facts and figures:

- Pregnant women and children under age 2 are specifically at higher risk of H1N1 than people in other age groups

- Since H1N1 was first discovered in 2008/2009, more than 150 children have died of H1N1 or pneumonia or other disease caused by H1N1 (this is significantly higher than from the regular flu).

- The spread of H1N1 is particularly high in Virginia/Maryland/DC (there are only two other regions in the US where H1N1 has a higher incidence).

- Pregnant women are four times more likely than the general population to be admitted to the hospital if they contract H1N1.

- During the first four months of the H1N1 outbreak, more than 100 pregnant women were hospitalized in intensive care and 28 died. That's a 28% death rate! Most of the women who have died from the virus were initially healthy when they caught the virus.

Obviously, this is a very scary situation. Jodi and Sarah's experience just underlined the importance of taking proactive measures. Here's some of their experience:

- Sarah was exposed to H1N1 on Friday and had full-blown symptoms by Sunday. Her illness was confirmed as flu on Monday. Jodi got it almost immediately after Sarah got it.

- Sarah's fever was consistently 101 or 102 with Motrin and Tylenol in her system.

- Sarah's doctors are especially concerned about the possibility that the virus will push congestion and infection into her lungs and chest - causing pneumonia.

At this point, Sarah and Jodi seem to be doing better. Say a little prayer that they will recover quickly.

The silver lining about this illness is that there is a vaccine available. The CDC recommends that pregnant women and children under the age of 2 especially get the vaccine. All the doctors that I have chatted with (OB, GP, and Pediatricians) have agreed that the risks associated with the vaccine are far fewer than the risks associated with getting the illness and then having to treat it and the possibility of secondary infection.

If you do end up with H1N1, here are some tips from Jodi:

1) Get plenty of liquid Tylenol and Motrin in the house now. Sarah typically takes chewable versions of those drugs, but was too sick to get them down with this virus.
2) Stock up on juice, Sprite, Gatorade, and Pedialyte. You'll need to push lots more fluids than usual to stop the fever from dehydrating your child.
3) Find a drive-through pharmacy near you. Tamiflu was in short supply this week, but I called around until I found a pharmacy that had it. It was enormously helpful for Sarah. I wasn't able to get it, and it took me much longer to start feeling better.
4) Harris Teeter has a drive-through grocery service. If nobody is able to get into a store for groceries for you, you can order them on their Web site, pull into the drive-through lane at the store at the appointed time, and they load everything into your trunk for you.

I think that covers it for now. Stay healthy!

Nacho Potato Soup

Here is another one of our favorites... very cheesy (you can adjust if necessary)!

1 pkg (5 1/4 oz) au gratin potatoes
1 can mexicorn, drained
1 can tomatoes with jalapenos
2 c water
2 c milk
2 c cubed American cheese

In a saucepan, combine potatoes and sauce mix, corn, tomatoes with juice, and water. Mix well and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 18-20 minutes (or until potatoes are tender). Add milk and cheese. Cook on medium until cheese melts.

I've used Velveeta instead of American cheese, and it works just fine.