Gencon!

The story of Gencon.

I stayed up late Tuesday packing everything to be ready to go in the morning, including a backpack full of snacks to keep with me. We got up early Wednesday, showered, packed shower stuff, and headed to get the oil changed before the trip. Dropped off the car (2 hours?!) and walked to the donut shop for breakfast. That went well, car was ready, and we headed off at 11am-ish. GPS estimated the trip to be 14.5 hours. We speed a little (totally guilty) and we stop for bathroom breaks and quick foods. I was thinking maybe 15 hours total, which would put us there at 2am. I have been drinking copious amounts of water every day to prevent headaches, and I quickly learned that is not a fun habit in a car trip. So I started not drinking as much water, and got a migraine as it was getting dark. Bright lights on a road is just about the worst thing I could have been looking at =/ It kept getting worse and worse and I had (well, George did) to pull over to throw up around midnight. I layed down in the back, but I just felt pretty terrible the last few hours. We ended up getting into the hotel just before 4am, and crashed on the comfy bed. Our plan was going to be to get up at a decent time for an event at 1pm Thursday, but nope. Sleep is better.

Thursday we got up something like 1pm and headed over to the convention. They were out of landards for badges (!?!?) but I saved the day by having yarn in the backpack =) We talked to the creator of Killer Bunnies (who knows George from past Gencons) and jumped into a demo of the newest game in the line- Heros vs Villains. We got raffle tickets for playing, and I WON the raffle! That was pretty awesome. We met up with our friends and ate dinner at an Irish pub, that had GREAT mashed potatoes. I got extra to-go. Back to the convention center to walk around and figure out where things were. George and Megan got shakes from Steak-n-Shake and we continued walking, me eating mashed potatoes while walking. Hey, it is better than eating candy! Lol. We went back to the hotel early to get a full nights sleep. Got there around 10pm and headed to bed.

I woke up around midnight (to pee, of course) with EXTREME pain in my chest. I tried to lay back down to see if it went away in a few minutes (pregnancy comes with all kinds of weird pains I have learned) but it got a lot worse. I woke up George and we rushed to the nearest ER. Got there a total of 25 minutes after I first woke up. I got an EKG, which was normal. The doctor was thinking it might be a blood clot, so I got a CAT scan. (With contrast, which was really weird feeling.) Baby was exposed to radiation, which is not that great, but we did not really have choices. A blood clot would be a whole lot worse. The up-side (I guess) is that radiation in the 2nd trimester does the least amount of potential harm. Anyways, while waiting for the results, the pain got worse. I am really good at pain tolerance in general, but this got up to a 10. I don’t think I have ever actually told a nurse/doctor my pain was 10/10, but I was writhing in agony and it was uber terrible. They rushed me some morphine directly into my IV. It made the pain only mostly go away, which is even more crazy. The CAT scan was normal, which means they ruled out the 2 things that can cause chest pain that are super dangerous, and I was sent back to the hotel with orders to return if anything changes. And pain killers. Finally got back around 4:30am. So much for a full night’s sleep and early morning =/

Friday morning we woke up around 1pm, again. Walking around or pretty much doing anything remotely difficult or stressful made my chest hurt. I told George he could go do whatever fun activities he wanted, but I was going to go park myself in the craft room and knit. I got a lot of progress on a sleep sack, and I happen to hit the magic awesome pooling number! We ate dinner in the connected mall after plans with friends fell though because of time issues. A&W Chilli cheese fries! YUM! We headed back to the hotel early and I caught up a little with the nest and I did the sorting form before early bed =)

Saturday morning we actually got up in time for breakfast! The hotel had biscuits and sausage gravy, which is something George and I both miss from the South =) The pain in my chest was gone (with the bottle of painkillers untouched, yay!) so we walked around the vendor hall and picked up some cool dice and the last 2 expansions of Dominion. Had lunch with friends at Steak-n-Shake. We have a friend in Boston who LOVES DrunkQuest a ton. He made this crown out of a beer box and gems and glitter and such. We found the creator of the game and then brought the crown to him to get it signed. He thought it was awesome =P Then I had a chainmaille class at 4pm. Yes, at a gaming convention. It was under “spouse activities” as was the craft room. That lasted until 6pm and I have an awesome Slytherific bracelet that I need to photograph =) Then we had dinner with the creator of Killer Bunnies and the rest of our friends. After that, most of us went to the games library and played Shadows Over Camelot, which was a lot of fun. Got back to the hotel around midnight.

Sunday I wanted to sleep in, but George wanted to hang out early. I woke up at 8am and called him (he was downstairs) and he was like, “GOOD! RUSH RUSH WE HAVE TO DRIVE PEOPLE!” Ahh! That was not a kind way to wake up. At all. But everything was packed and ready to go and we drove some people so everything fit in cars (2 were flying home) and blah. I was sleepy. We played Shadows over Camelot again, but this time with one person being a secret traitor, which was interesting =) Then I got coffee. I was sleepy. I got to buy the pliers I used in the chainmaille class at 1pm (after her last class) so, AWESOME! Mine are bad or something, because it was way easier in the class than things I did things on my own. We left around lunchtime to head back home. The trip was mostly uneventful. We stopped for the night near Buffalo, NY.

Monday was just more driving. I had a migraine Monday night, but I kept being on my computer anyways, and ended up throwing up =/ Grr. Yesterday I had a migraine, AGAIN. Then guess what friendly face is here again now!? This seriously needs a solution. I have been drinking tons of water, I have been eating meals, I DO NOT UNDERSTAND!

Baby pictures

I have a bunch of baby-related pictures, so I thought I would share them. =)

These are my tests I took over 2 (3?) days. It never really got past the "Am I crazy or is that a real line!?" stage before I had a blood test, which was positive.

Ultrasound at 6 Weeks, 5 Days
The ball on top is the proto-Baby, and the ball on bottom is the yolk sack.

Ultrasound at 8 Weeks, 6 Days
Arm and Leg buds!

Ultrasound at 11 Weeks
Baby looks like a baby! We also got to see Baby move for the first time.

 Baby belly at 11 Weeks, 1 Day.

We had a really big NT ultrasound at 11 Weeks, 5 Days. Baby was moving around a LOT the whole time, and Baby very much LOOKS like a baby now. The results were that Baby has a normal neck fold, which means no Down Syndrome or Trisomy 18. The tech took a bunch of pictures of Baby for us =) George scanned these so they look better than the others that I just took a picture of =P

NT ultrasound at 11 Weeks, 5 Days.

Baby has 2 Legs!

NT ultrasound at 11 Weeks, 5 Days.

Baby has 2 Arms!

NT ultrasound at 11 Weeks, 5 Days.

NT ultrasound at 11 Weeks, 5 Days.

NT ultrasound at 11 Weeks, 5 Days.

NT ultrasound at 11 Weeks, 5 Days.

Baby belly at 12 Weeks. My belly is getting so big so soon! Weird, but kinda cool =)

George will keep taking Baby belly pictures each week and I will eventually share them. I might do it each week, I might not. Morning sickness decided to go away partway through Week 10, so I am feeling much better now. I still have an injured hip, so I have trouble walking. It was getting better, then it got worse again -.- My POTS has completely gone away, which happens about 1/3 of the time in pregnancy, so overall I feel great! I can actually STAND for a while without getting dizzy for the first time since I was about 18. Except for the hip issue, which means standing and walking hurts. I am still not eating enough, because when I eat more than about half of a usual meal I get nauseous, yet I don't want to eat more often. Hopefully that will get better soon before I start starving Baby. I am pretty sure Baby will take over my brain before that happens =P

Rachael

Registry

George and I spent a lot of time today at Babies R Us making a registry. Then we did more research and fiddled with some things once we got home to make it even better. =) Our registry number is 50516828, or you can find it under my name. You do NOT have to get anything. Plenty of people want to get stuff, so here is some stuff I want. If nothing else, PLEASE read the "Things to avoid" at the end if you want to buy something. 

Here is what I have on it so far with more information. Babies R Us seems to actually have decently priced baby gear, but I cross-referenced everything on Amazon as well. 

Important things:


Graco Travel Lite Crib with Stages - Keaton
Rather than a traditional crib, we have decided to get a "lite" crib. It can easily be moved into or out of our bedroom depending on what works for us best. It is also collapsible for easy traveling. It is rated safe for daily sleeping, so no worries there. 
~$110 at Babies R Us


Chicco Cortina Magic Stroller - Rattania
We spent quite a while pushing strollers around, reading reviews, and comparing prices. This is the one we like best. 
~$200 at Babies R Us


Graco My Size 70 Convertible Car Seat - Odyssey
This is the best reviewed car seat that is not super expensive. It can be used as an infant rear facing seat, and a forward facing toddler seat.
~$180 at Babies R Us


Fisher-Price My Little Snugabunny Cradle Swing
We decided we prefer a swing to a rocking chair. Mostly because a rocking chair invites injury to little hands that get in the way. We also looked at gliders, and all had the same issue. This swing moves from the top, meaning little fingers are less likely to get in the way. It can swing side-to-side or front-to-back. We also liked the moving mobile with mirror =)
~$140 both at Babies R Us and Amazon


Sassy Sensory Gym
This is a floor mat with toys on bars over the babies head. They are generally used before a baby can roll over. This might not be the "coolest" mat you have seen, but it is the best for a baby. Sassy is actually a very nice company that takes baby development into account for its toys. There are a lot of high contrast black and white stripes, and a lot of red. Fun fact- the only colors babies can see 0-3 months is those in the red spectrum. 
~$50 at Babies R Us


Fisher-Price Little Superstar Step 'n Play Piano Walker
This toy will not get any use until the baby can hold their head up, obviously. They can push the piano keys on the bottom with their feet to make sounds. This helps teach motor skills in their feet. It also has all kinds of little things to explore with their hands. Once they can walk, the seat part is removable and it becomes an area for standing play.
~$100 at Babies R Us


Angelcare Bath Support
Rather than a "baby bathtub" we would prefer this seat for the normal bathtub. It would make transitioning to normal baths less complicated or confusing.
~$25 on Amazon, ~$30 at Babies R Us


Fisher Price Mini Diaper Bag - Brown
I like this diaper bag. Not much more to say =)
~$30 at Babies R Us


Babies R Us Contoured Changing Pad
Rather than a "changing table" that seems a bit useless after 6 months, we will be getting a standard dresser for clothes & clean diapers and then putting this changing pad on top of it. After 6 months, changing will most likely be done on the floor in the bathroom, so solids can be dealt with properly.
~$27 at Babies R Us


Brica Corner Bath Basket
Since I like bath toys so much, we are going to need somewhere to keep them all.
~$12 on Amazon, ~$15 at Babies R Us


OXO TOT Baby Blocks Freezer Storage Containers - 2 oz Set
Rather than buying baby food in little jars, I will be making it myself. As a 6 month old baby cannot eat a whole carrot or banana in one sitting, we need a way to store food in small amounts. I love OXO, and these look perfect. I put 3 on the registry, because I will most likely be making food for a whole week at once. =)
~$10 Each on both Amazon and at Babies R Us x 3


Graco Travel Lite Portable Crib Sheet - Cream
Unfortunately, it seems the only color of sheets available for the Travel Lite crib is cream. Cream is not bad, but if you magically find blue, green, or brown, get them please! I would like at least 2 sets.
~$9 at Babies R Us x 2




Toys (Listed from most to least expensive):

Imaginarium Textured Foam Building Blocks - 60-Piece
Building blocks before hard objects like LEGOs are safe/liked. These particular blocks are 3 thin foam pieces glued together, making each block 3 colors. 
~$30 at Babies R Us


Fisher Price ABC Block Set
ABC blocks are always nice for learning letters, but this set is AWESOME. Each block has uppercase, lowercase, an object from that letter (Airplane, Ball, etc.), and part of a puzzle of a barn.
~$20 on Amazon, $22 at Babies R Us


LEGO Duplo Toddler Starter Building Set (10561)
LEGOs are amazing for development. Duplos cannot really be used until 18 months, but then they will be used all the time! This set has a lot of faces and textured blocks.
~$20 at Babies R Us


LEGO Duplo Bricks & More Brick Box - Pink (4623)
Some pink duplos to mix in with the rest. All colors should be represented. It also has some little flowers and bunnies.
~$15 at Babies R Us


LEGO Duplo Brick Box (4624)
More Duplos! This set has a cat and a puppy.
~$15 at Babies R Us


Sassy Baby's First Books
Cloth, machine washable, very simple books. One of them has a baby-safe mirror in it.
~$15 at Babies R Us


Little Tikes Play Cube
Lots of stimulating things on this cube, including a mirror!
~$15 on both Amazon and at Babies R Us


LEGO Duplo Read & Build Busy Farm (6759)
This duplo set comes with a book. It has things on the pages and it wants you to build them as the story goes. Most of the builds are 3 pieces, so very good for an 18 month old. This will help direction-following and spatial awareness.
~$13 at Babies R Us


LEGO Duplo Read & Build Grow Caterpillar Grow (6758)
Another Duplo book. This one you keep adding to the caterpillar who gets bigger and bigger.
~$13 at Babies R Us

LEGO Duplo Read & Build Peekaboo Jungle (Not on website)
This Duplo book for some reason, appears to not be online. I saw it in the store today. It has the toddler building jungle animals just like the farm book.
~$13 at Babies R Us (in store only)


Sassy Go Go Bugs
These are little rattles that attach to a car seat or stroller for entertainment. Notice the high contrast and much use of red for eye development. I love Sassy.
~$12 at Babies R Us


Bumpy Ball by Sassy
High contrast, lots of red, some blue thrown in for magic at 6 months, cloth AND plastic. A pretty awesome ball. 
~$10 at Babies R Us


Little Tikes 3-Pack Tickle Balls
Very squishy plastic balls with texture on them. It seemed kinda cool.
~$10 at Babies R Us


Fun Years Deluxe Bath Stickers
These are NOT stickers. That is a horrible name. They are foam blocks, which happen to stick to things when wet. Excellent bath-time toys. This set has 52 letters, 25 numbers and math symbols, 20 sea animals, and 8 shapes. A lot of toys for cheap!
~$10 at Babies R Us


Sassy Illumination Station
This has a suction cup on the bottom so it can stick to a highchair or... whatever else. It is a sassy toy. It is good =)
~$9 at Amazon and at Babies R Us


Sassy Rock & Roll Stacker
This stacker set is better than most because each donut has a different texture! Of course, it is by sassy.
~$7 on Amazon, ~$9 at Babies R Us


Sassy Wonder Wheel
Suction cup on the bottom to stick to things. When you turn the wheel, beads cascade through the toy, making fun sounds.
~$7 on Amazon, ~$9 at Babies R Us


Sassy Letter Links
Everyone knows about normal links, but these are LETTERS! Some are striped, some have texture, and they all interlink with each other.
~$6 on Amazon, ~$7 at Babies R Us


Sassy Discovery Loop
It is small, and cool. It has high contrast, red, and I think it makes a sound. I saw too many toys to remember them all.
~$6 at Babies R Us


Sassy Ring Tone Rattle
A rattle! With contrast!
~$5 at Babies R Us


Babies R Us Inflatable Peek 'n Roll
This seemed interesting. I think it would help object permanence. 
~$5 at Babies R Us


GRAPES TEETHER W/HANDLE by Sassy
You put ice in the "grape" part and let teething baby suck on it. The terry cloth apparently is a good texture for soothing along with the cold, and it is cute!
~$5 at Babies R Us


Babies R Us Color Change Ducky
Duckys are cool. This one changes colors and squeaks without having a water-trap hole. 
~$5 at Babies R Us


Sassy Flip & Grip Rattle - 2 Pack
Tiny Baby rattle. That is why they are red and orange. Sassy knows their child development =)
~$4 at Babies R Us


Sassy Spin Shine Rattle
Another tiny baby toy. High contrast + reds.
~$4 at Babies R Us


Sassy Inc. Wrist Rattles - Set of 2 
Wrist rattles are great for babies too young to be able to grab and hold accurately. They still like sounds.
~$4 at Babies R Us


Sassy Hello Baby Phone
Another little toy. Reds and high contrast.
~$3 at Babies R Us



Things to AVOID:

• Anything that takes batteries below the age of 4. That is completely unnecessary. I will make farm sounds and sing the alphabet. We do not need toys to do it for us.
• PASTELS!
• Play kitchen.
• Frilly girly things. I really just do not like them.
• Dolls. I will get a doll if I want, but I do not want to end up with 15 of them. There are better things to buy for kids that help develop their brains, rather than their parenting skills.
• Baby shoes. They do not make much sense for non-walking babies. When they walk, I will figure out what fits them.
• Used non-toys from Ebay or similar  There are way to many safety things to check when you get a used item from a stranger. I just want to avoid that. Toys that can be washed in the washer on hot or plastic toys that can be bleached would be okay.

What about things not on here?
Well, I did not see everything in existence. If it is a toy by Sassy that does not require batteries, it is perfect. They seem to know what they are doing. Stuffed animals are okay, but we already have a bunch from my sister. Clothes are ok, but NO PASTELS! Found something on here in a different color? If it is a toy, I do not much care, so great! If it is one of the "important things" I chose the colors I wanted specifically. 

Think this is all too complicated, but want to get something? Babies R Us gift cards will be put to good use =)


Rachael