In one month, we'll be married. So excited!!!
Just recorded May kicking. I was sitting at my computer and she was really active. You can see I'm wearing my favorite cat pajama pants. They let my belly breathe so much easier. Enjoy!
"A Thousand Years" by Christina Perri
"I have loved you for a thousand years, I'll love you for a thousand more."
When I hear this song I think about May and how I'm anxiously awaiting her arrival. How I'm afraid but I'll be brave in raising her, and how every day gets one step closer to her being born. I have loved her for a thousand years, and I'll love her for a thousand more :-)
On Wednesday Rex and I went to New York. We just went for a day. It was his first time in NY. I've been there a few times, but I still don't know my way around. We took the Megabus from Union Station in DC. The bus was a double decker and for the ride there we sat on the bottom but for the ride coming back to DC we sat on the top. We both agreed the view was better from the top.
We left at 7:15 in the morning and got to NY around 11:40 am. The ride there was pretty smooth and we didn't really hit traffic until we got to the Lincoln Tunnel. We were both starving once we got off the bus and got something to eat at Rose's Pizza. After our meal we started to head towards New York City. I saw the day before that it was supposed to rain and we did not bring our umbrella. We did however stop at a convenience store on the way to Times Square and purchased an umbrella. It was a good thing we did because it started to rain slightly as we got to Times Square. The whole time we were there pretty much varied from downpours, slight drizzle and cloudy sky.
When we got to Times Square we saw Disney characters and other children's characters dressed up outside the toy store. I got a picture with Elmo:
We also took a couple of pictures:
We walked to Radio City Music Hall as well and Rex took a funny shot of me:
We had time to spare. I had made an reservation the day before to see the World Trade Center Memorial. Our scheduled time wasn't until 3:30 pm so we walked around for a bit and tried taking the subway to the site. However it was confusing and we winded up taking a taxi, which got us there around 2:45 pm. The ride wasn't too bad and neither was the cost. There were a few moments though, more towards Times Square, we weren't moving at all.
We were let out by the were the site was and we saw the new towers being constructed. The new towers look beautiful. Here's a picture of them:
Around 3:30 pm we went towards the WTC memorial. There was A LOT of security. You had to go during the time of your reservation and on the website it said they only let 1,500 people in at a time. Once we got through, we saw the memorial and I couldn't help but get emotional thinking of all the people who passed away on that horrible day. I told Rex, "I remember it, like it was yesterday." We wanted to go to pay some respect.The memorial looked beautiful as well:
After the memorial we decided to walk to Battery Park, so Rex could get a tiny glimpse of the Statue of Liberty. When we come back another time we'll definitely plan to take the Staten Island Ferry across to see it up close. As we were walking however, it started to pour and the area looked very foggy in the distance. By this time we had about 2 hours before the bus was to pick us up and bring us back to DC. Since it looked more foggy towards the park and clearer the way we had just come we decided to walk to Javitis Center, which was were the bus would be picking up. Mine you if I knew my way better around NY we would have taken the subway or the bus, but we also felt like we could use the exercise.
We walked along the Hudson River Park, because I had saw on a map, that the center was one the waterfront. We stopped to look out across the river to NJ and take a full shot of the new towers from further away:
As we walked more towards the center Rex look back and noticed the Statue of Liberty. He did get to see her!
In total it look us close to an hour and a half to get to the center. As we were close, the Heaven's just opened up and we got soaked, even with the umbrella. It didn't help either that where we had to pick up the bus was outside with no cover. As we waited for the bus we covered a mother with her young baby who didn't have an umbrella. The bus was about 20 minutes late and we were all happy to get on the bus so we could all get out of the rain.
On the bus I spoke with a nice family who had done a tour of the city and I think the next time Rex and I go back we'll do that. May will probably be 5 or 6 by then. The family was nice and they told me about their 2 day stay. They got off in Baltimore. I also chatted with a girl around my age who was going to DC to visit. She was nice too. I didn't talk to anyone but Rex on the first bus. Overall I'd say we had a good time. We got back to DC around 11:30 pm. It was a long day. We'll probably go for two or three days when we go again...down the line. It was a nice change of scenery though.
We left at 7:15 in the morning and got to NY around 11:40 am. The ride there was pretty smooth and we didn't really hit traffic until we got to the Lincoln Tunnel. We were both starving once we got off the bus and got something to eat at Rose's Pizza. After our meal we started to head towards New York City. I saw the day before that it was supposed to rain and we did not bring our umbrella. We did however stop at a convenience store on the way to Times Square and purchased an umbrella. It was a good thing we did because it started to rain slightly as we got to Times Square. The whole time we were there pretty much varied from downpours, slight drizzle and cloudy sky.
We walked to Radio City Music Hall as well and Rex took a funny shot of me:
We had time to spare. I had made an reservation the day before to see the World Trade Center Memorial. Our scheduled time wasn't until 3:30 pm so we walked around for a bit and tried taking the subway to the site. However it was confusing and we winded up taking a taxi, which got us there around 2:45 pm. The ride wasn't too bad and neither was the cost. There were a few moments though, more towards Times Square, we weren't moving at all.
We were let out by the were the site was and we saw the new towers being constructed. The new towers look beautiful. Here's a picture of them:
Around 3:30 pm we went towards the WTC memorial. There was A LOT of security. You had to go during the time of your reservation and on the website it said they only let 1,500 people in at a time. Once we got through, we saw the memorial and I couldn't help but get emotional thinking of all the people who passed away on that horrible day. I told Rex, "I remember it, like it was yesterday." We wanted to go to pay some respect.The memorial looked beautiful as well:
After the memorial we decided to walk to Battery Park, so Rex could get a tiny glimpse of the Statue of Liberty. When we come back another time we'll definitely plan to take the Staten Island Ferry across to see it up close. As we were walking however, it started to pour and the area looked very foggy in the distance. By this time we had about 2 hours before the bus was to pick us up and bring us back to DC. Since it looked more foggy towards the park and clearer the way we had just come we decided to walk to Javitis Center, which was were the bus would be picking up. Mine you if I knew my way better around NY we would have taken the subway or the bus, but we also felt like we could use the exercise.
We walked along the Hudson River Park, because I had saw on a map, that the center was one the waterfront. We stopped to look out across the river to NJ and take a full shot of the new towers from further away:
In total it look us close to an hour and a half to get to the center. As we were close, the Heaven's just opened up and we got soaked, even with the umbrella. It didn't help either that where we had to pick up the bus was outside with no cover. As we waited for the bus we covered a mother with her young baby who didn't have an umbrella. The bus was about 20 minutes late and we were all happy to get on the bus so we could all get out of the rain.
On the bus I spoke with a nice family who had done a tour of the city and I think the next time Rex and I go back we'll do that. May will probably be 5 or 6 by then. The family was nice and they told me about their 2 day stay. They got off in Baltimore. I also chatted with a girl around my age who was going to DC to visit. She was nice too. I didn't talk to anyone but Rex on the first bus. Overall I'd say we had a good time. We got back to DC around 11:30 pm. It was a long day. We'll probably go for two or three days when we go again...down the line. It was a nice change of scenery though.
"All My Life" by K-Ci and Jojo
We saw her heart, her head, her spine, her brain, her arms, her legs and her face (it looked more like a skeleton). We also saw the blood flow going to her. Her heart rate was 144 which is 1 beat less than the last visit. I'm sure at one point we saw the sex because the tech never told us to look away, but for some of the time I didn't really know what I was looking at. I'm so happy she's doing well and that the amniotic fluid is also good.
From the doctor I found out that I'm on track for weight gain and I'm actually the same weight I was last visit. She said that during the first trimester, I didn't weigh too much more than my starting weight and that the 8 pounds I gained last visit, was more of a catch up. The doctor also measured my stomach and the measurement looked fine. I'm just a natural worry wart.
After the doctor's visit we went to a bakery and asked if they could make a cupcake filled with blue or pink icing depending on the sex of the baby. At first the baker didn't know what we meant but as we explained it, the baker said sure and that they'd to it. We picked up the cupcakes (we only got two) and saw that the outside was white and the top was covered with white icing. We found a place to park and I handed a cupcake to Rex and as I was taking down the wrapping, I saw a pink bit of icing on the wrapper. I screamed "It's a girl!." I bit in and saw that the icing inside was pink. As Rex bit into his, he saw his was pink too. It was so wonderful. I couldn't contain myself for a moment. Rex was smiling and said "Yup." He was hoping for a girl, since all of his brother's have a boy as the first born child. I didn't have a preference and I kept going back and forth. The belly position seemed more like a boy and the family history seemed like we would be having a boy, but those heart rates above 140 every visit, really said girl. The first visit was 167, then 157, than 145 and now 144. We would have been happy to have a boy too. We just wanted our baby to be healthy.
I guess that Chinese Gender Predictor was right!
Here are a couple of pictures:
Envelope of knowledge
Before finding out.
Rex with his cupcake.
It's a girl!
Daddy's little girl.
Mommy's girl.
Our baby.
Her feet.
We're going to name her May Kolu Sumo. May after my grandmother who passed away in 1999 and Kolu after Rex's mother in Liberia.
We love you May!
Rex is officially a U.S. citizen as of 4:30 pm yesterday when he and a couple other candidates,including his sister, Ruth, were sworn in. The test and ceremony were held at the Fallon Federal Building in Baltimore, MD. Rex, Ruth and I drove to Baltimore around 9:00 am. Their appointment wasn't until 11:00 am but we wanted to leave early in case of traffic or getting lost. I quizzed Rex along the way and as we waited for the appointment.
A little after 11 Rex was called back. Ruth and I wished him good luck. About 15 minutes later he came back with a big smile on his face. He passed! I was so happy for him. I started to cry. He kissed me and we congratulated him and then waited for his sister to be called. We waited a good 40 minutes or so before she was called. The receptionist told us that sometimes that happens and sometimes people wait up to an hour to be called back. Ruth returned about 30 minutes after she was called. She was crying. She had passed! We congratulated her and we hugged and luckily they were able to be sworn in later that afternoon. Sometimes the candidates (which Rex and Ruth became after they passed) had to be rescheduled for another date and time. They were to be sworn in at 3:30 pm. They also could not commit a crime before that time, or after :-)
We were hungry as were waiting for 3:30, so we walked to a Subway and then after that we walked to the waterfront. By this time it was close to 2 and it was nice walking along the waterfront. I wanted to take a watertaxi for the time we were waiting but Rex told me that the watertaxi goes far and we probably wouldn't make it back in time. We decided to head back to the federal building around 2:30 as Ruth was scheduled to be present at 2:45 and Rex was scheduled to be present at 3:15. Finally at about 3:35 they called the candidates and families to go to the room where the ceremony was to be held.
The ceremony started around 4 and Rex and Ruth and the other candidates handed in their green cards and other such documents. They received a large packet filled with a booklet on the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution of the United States, as well as a voter's guide, passport application, a letter from President Barack Obama, among other things. A small American flag was also handed out. The Star Spangled Banner was then played, followed by the candidates being sworn in. The candidates read the Oath of Allegiance while raising their right hand. Afterward we said the Pledge of Allegiance. Then the candidates walked up to receive their certificate and the ceremony was ended with a recorded welcome from President Barack Obama.
I'm so proud of Rex, Ruth and all the other newly sworn in U.S. citizens. It's really wonderful. Congratulations everyone!
Here are a couple of pictures from the waterfront and the ceremony:
A little after 11 Rex was called back. Ruth and I wished him good luck. About 15 minutes later he came back with a big smile on his face. He passed! I was so happy for him. I started to cry. He kissed me and we congratulated him and then waited for his sister to be called. We waited a good 40 minutes or so before she was called. The receptionist told us that sometimes that happens and sometimes people wait up to an hour to be called back. Ruth returned about 30 minutes after she was called. She was crying. She had passed! We congratulated her and we hugged and luckily they were able to be sworn in later that afternoon. Sometimes the candidates (which Rex and Ruth became after they passed) had to be rescheduled for another date and time. They were to be sworn in at 3:30 pm. They also could not commit a crime before that time, or after :-)
We were hungry as were waiting for 3:30, so we walked to a Subway and then after that we walked to the waterfront. By this time it was close to 2 and it was nice walking along the waterfront. I wanted to take a watertaxi for the time we were waiting but Rex told me that the watertaxi goes far and we probably wouldn't make it back in time. We decided to head back to the federal building around 2:30 as Ruth was scheduled to be present at 2:45 and Rex was scheduled to be present at 3:15. Finally at about 3:35 they called the candidates and families to go to the room where the ceremony was to be held.
The ceremony started around 4 and Rex and Ruth and the other candidates handed in their green cards and other such documents. They received a large packet filled with a booklet on the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution of the United States, as well as a voter's guide, passport application, a letter from President Barack Obama, among other things. A small American flag was also handed out. The Star Spangled Banner was then played, followed by the candidates being sworn in. The candidates read the Oath of Allegiance while raising their right hand. Afterward we said the Pledge of Allegiance. Then the candidates walked up to receive their certificate and the ceremony was ended with a recorded welcome from President Barack Obama.
I'm so proud of Rex, Ruth and all the other newly sworn in U.S. citizens. It's really wonderful. Congratulations everyone!
Here are a couple of pictures from the waterfront and the ceremony:
Rex's sister Ruth
Being sworn in
Congratulations!!!!!!
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