Photos from Japan

I'm away in Nagano City, Japan. This is my final trip away from wife, dog and child-to-be for a while (a whole month!), so I'm pretty excited about getting back. But it's also my first time in Asia, and I was lucky to have some free time today to explore a temple with our sled hockey team's coaching staff:

Show Me The Bump: 18 weeks

The side view. I've read that women with tall torsos take a while to pop. I definitely have a tall torso so perhaps that is why it is taking so long.



This is the front view of bare belly Lorri at 18 weeks and 2 days. A definite difference but not quite a big bump. I just look chunky:)





So, this picture was taken close to a year ago, but it shows a pre pregnant Lorri tummy. I thought this would be a good visual when comparing to my current 18 week pregnant tummy. Any bets on when I will have a fully popped belly versus a "hey, I ate too much for dinner" belly?

Who Knew, Part Two...

... that when a pregnant wife goes to the hospital twice while her husband is hundreds of miles away, HE becomes 100 times more worried than his wife and 100 times more of a baby than his soon-to-be child?

Who knew...

that when a baby grows inside your uterus it may shift over to the right and press on things like the ureter and kidney, thus sending the expecting mommy to the ER with right abdominal pain. Twice!

That is how I spent the first few days of my new year. Hanging out in the ER. Luckily, I brought my Ipod and I kept myself busy playing Yahtzee, Solitaire, and Scrabble.

Baby C is fine. The heartbeat stayed consistently in the 160's the whole time. (If you know your wives tales, you know that means girl!!! We'll find out the sex for sure on February 1st.) I'm doing okay, too. The pain sort of ebbs and flows and when it is at its worst I just try to get in a more comfortable position and breathe it out:) However, this is difficult when you are doing things like grocery shopping or taking the dog for a walk. We hope that as I get bigger the pressure will be taken off and I will be pain free.

I hope to post a picture later this week! We're almost halfway through the pregnancy!

Blue Christmas

So, Lorri and I will be spending Christmas apart this year. I am currently in Regina, Sask., with the U.S. National Junior Team, a group of the best hockey players under the age of 20 in the United States. Team USA will be competing against nine other countries at the World Junior Championship in Saskatoon beginning on Dec. 26. I've been with the team since Dec. 16, and won't return to my home and my wife until Jan. 6.

But, such is the life of a hockey communications manager! My job will also bring me to new places: Some exciting, like Japan (Jan. 15 - 26) and some not-so-exciting like... well... here. But knowing my beautiful wife and soon-to-be child are waiting for me at home make every trip worth it. Besides... Lorri and Baby Clark will get to join me on a few trips as well! (Vancouver, March 13-20)

I can't wait to see Lorri and hear about doctor visits, X-mas gifts and baby bumps. Until then, I'm just trying to stay warm and come back with all my fingers and toes!

Alex

The Baby Bumps

Everybody always wants to see the baby bump. So, here are our first attempts at photo documentation. You are seeing pictures at 9, 13, & 14 weeks (black, red, and green respectively). I don't think there is much of a bump there:) However, I did buy my first few official pieces of maternity wear the other day. And I have to say the pants are a bit more comfortable than my old ones! Stay tuned for more photos. I daresay that the bump will be here soon.

Come and gone... 2009

This year has been a whirlwind! We can't believe all of the things that have happened to us in just one year's time. And we certainly are stronger, wiser, and thankful for everything that has come our way in 2009.

Back in July we moved from Grand Rapids, Michigan to the beautiful mountains of Colorado. Alex is busy working for USA Hockey, which includes lots of traveling. Some places he's been to for work include Lake Placid, Prince Edward Island, Rochester, Boston, Grand Forks, Saskatchewan, Vancouver, and Japan.

Lorri spent most of her summer and fall planning our Michigan wedding from Colorado Springs. It was quite a feat but we think it turned out great! We were so happy with the end result and were excited to see our closest family and friends enjoying themselves while celebrating our union.

We continued to grow our family by getting a new puppy. Brannock, our English Springer Spaniel, has kept us on our toes since his arrival in November. We adore his sweet and lovable demeanor. And he is actually training us...for our next arrival in June. Baby Clark is scheduled to join us on June 15th, 2010. We couldn't be happier!

Stay tuned for all of the great things to come in 2010!