I knew that my brother and his fiance were planning a wedding but I just didn't know when. Nor did they. I would ask and ask and their response was always a season, never a month, let alone an actual date. So when I was about 8 or 9 weeks pregnant they announced that they had chosen a date. When they said the date I was quickly doing the calculations in my head... Mid May would put me at 33 weeks. In most cases this wouldn't be the biggest deal but given that we are in Ohio and the wedding was in California complicated matters.

At first Dr. Nanapaneni wasn't going to let me go at all until I pretty much told her that I would be going barring any signs of early labor. She finally conceded that "they DO have hospitals in California I guess." I did my homework and made sure I was familiar with the hospitals both in California and in Colorado, where we had a layover. So, in May, we boarded a plane.

Flying pregnant was no treat. Flying pregnant with a 2 year old, newly potty trained, who had never been on a plane before, was like a reality show challenge. I was cramped and uncomfortable but taking Gavin to the bathroom at least 20 times was a real task. He would walk gracefully down the aisle to the bathroom. When I would open the door he would instantaneously burst into tears and scream, "NO!!!" We figured out after about 7 attempts that he didn't like the potty because it "isn't a white potty." He did finally go pee but only after he must have realized that he simply couldn't hold out any longer. After we got past that first time in the bathroom hurdle you would think it would be smooth sailing but, alas, it was not. This continued the entire flight. Up the aisle to the bathroom. Screaming and crying all the way to the seats again with me waddling behind and my belly nearly knocking people in their heads.

After the longest trip ever, we made it to California and really enjoyed spending time with family from all over the country and meeting our new family from California and Oregon. The wedding was probably the best wedding I have ever been to. It was a gorgeous location, much like stepping into the pages of a bridal magazine. Especially for a small town girl like myself who had only been to church weddings followed by a reception at a banquet hall. We had a blast and while I looked forward to sleeping in my own bed again, that meant getting on another airplane.

The return trip was much better since we managed to get Gavin to take a couple of naps. Between that an the inordinate amount of honey wheat pretzels, the trip was much more peaceful. Thank goodness.

I was now clearly in my last trimester and now I had to start going to the doctor twice a week for non-stress tests and ultrasounds due to elevated HCG numbers earlier on. While I argued if there was really a need, Dr. Nanapaneni warned me that the risk of IUGR (Intrauterine Growth Restriction) as it related to elevated HCG was worth watching out for. The last months of my pregnancy flew past as I went to the doctor twice a week. By the end, I was ready.