Holiday Cheer

Christmas is barreling down on us now.... less than a week away.

I've been listening to Christmas music for the past couple of weeks, and enjoying it oddly enough. I'm not quite tired of hearing "Frosty The Snowman"... not yet at least. And Lil'Dude seems to enjoy my singing along. He thinks it's the funniest thing when I dance around the kitchen to "Jingle Bell Rock".

I'm actually excited for Christmas this year. Lil'Dude has no idea what's going on and couldn't care less - but for us, it's taking on a whole new meaning. Christmas is definitely a lot more fun when you have kids involved. I've found myself reminiscing about when I was a kid and wanting to create those kinds of memories for him. Like I said, this year he won't really get it - but next year and the years after are going to be awesome.

Nonna and I decided to practice for the future and did this great little gingerbread house for us all to enjoy....it's even has lights hanging from the roof!



And the plans have already started for next year's...

Knock Knock....

...anybody home?

It's been almost a month since my last post. I have had my hands full, but I am realizing that the "I just gave birth" excuse no longer gets me out of trouble (just ask my brother). Sure, things are getting easier and The Dude and I are falling into a bit of a rythym; but there are still "those days". And of course, I feel uber guilty on those days when I don't get out of my pajamas until 2pm... or if two days go by without taking a shower. But the laundry is done, and the kid is dressed and fed - and today I pat myself on the back because I managed to do some holiday baking (successfully). It's the small victories.

Not that I expected to have all kinds of free time, but it is a little disappointing that I don't have more time to do some fun stuff** now that I'm not working. Like take a yoga class every now and then or take Lil'Dude to go see Santa...

Perhaps I have to make the time to have the time. Hmmmm.

So if you haven't talked to me in a while, I'm still here. And if I haven't called you in a while, I may just surprise you someday soon. Or you could call me... the phone still rings (not always at the most convienient time, but I'll call you back).

**Ok - so I do find the time to dress Penny up in funny hats and take photos of her.... I mean, come on. I do have priorities.

Dog Lovers Look Here!

Anna Kuperberg is one of my favorite photographers. You'll notice that I have a link to her blog on mine (which I check every single day).

WELL - not only is she an amazing wedding and portrait photographer, she takes the most beautiful photos of dogs! Her newest website is for furry friends only...

Check out SlobberSpace.com!

Struck a Chord

The following piece from the book I am reading (Mother's Nature, by Andrea Goslin) struck a chord with me this morning....

"Do not think that love, in order to be genuine, has to be extraordinary. What we need is to love without getting tired.
How does a lamp burn? Through the continuous input of small drops of oil. If the drops of oil run out, the light of the lamp will cease, and the bridegroom will say, I do not know you.
My daughters, what are these drops of oil in our lamps? They are the small things of daily life: faithfulness, punctuality, small words of kindness, a thought for others, our way of being silent, of looking, of speaking, and of acting. These are the true drops of love...
Be faithful in small things because it is in them that your strength lies."

-Mother Teresa

Happy Birthday to Me!

As I enter into my 32nd year I have a lot to be thankful for. The best present a girl could get, I got.... our beautiful son was born on October 10th.

On the 9th I went in to the doc for my 39 week check-up, thinking that I had another week or so to go. Come to find out I was leaking some ambiotic fluid so my doctor said that she wanted to induce that evening. I went home (stunned, mind you) to pack my bag, get my husband and return to the hospital to have a baby. They put me on a low dose of Petocin and told me to get some rest and my doc would be in in the morning to deliver the baby. Right. Got it.
At about 11pm my water fully broke, and I started getting contractions. No big deal at first... then they started getting stronger, and closer together. At around 5am the contractions were getting so intense, I demanded an epidural! The timing was perfect because I was 4cm dialated and ready for it... At around 7am my doc showed up and determined that I was around 5cm and I should try to get some rest because we had a ways to go. So we shut off all the lights and "tried" to sleep. About an hour later the nurse came in and checked me and I was fully dilated! The Lil'Dude was on his way!! After an hour or so of (intense) pushing, Owen Weston came into our lives.

Everyone tells you that it will be emotional - and that you will love your child more intensely than anyone or anything else in the entire world... but it's so much more than that. Words cannot express the joy, relief and wave of emotion that came over all of us present. It was absolutely perfect. And so is he.

And so - we have a wonderful distraction in our lives. As of today, about an hour ago he turned 4 weeks old (but not yet a month... what's up with that?!). He is the sweetest, cutest, stinkiest Lil'Dude in the whole world - and we love him with all of our hearts.

You can meet him here, on his very own blog! - http://owenweston.blogspot.com/

Week 38

Hello All! Sorry for the delay in the post... it must be all the relaxing I've had to do lately. This is my first week of unemployment, and I have to say, I am really LOVING it! I've been doing things around the house, meeting my sister for lunch, friends for coffee, napping on the couch, playing with Penny and starting to put my brain around the fact that in two weeks (or less) I'll be a mom.

My, what a busy week!

The Lil'Dude is still head down in the ready position. Doc says that he's leaning off to one side, but we've got some time to get him centered. Nothing is going to happen this week.... my cervix is still very thick and slowly opening - but we've got a ways to go. She told me to "focus my energy on thinning". (If anyone has any suggestions on exactly how to do that - please, speak up!)

I haven't experienced any intense nesting urges yet (I know because the bathroom desperately needs to be cleaned and I've been successfully ignoring it... a HUGE feat for me), but I'm sure they will come.

So now - we wait.

We had our hospital tour last weekend... it was definately an eye opener for both of us. To actually see the place where you will be giving birth just completes the whole foggy circle. It was good for us. The rooms are really nice and the hospital clearly knows what they are doing, so that made me feel better. Not that I doubted them, but it's nice to see it in person before the fact.

This coming weekend we are scheduled for one last final class... Baby Care Basics & Breastfeeding. I've been looking forward to this class - I've just now started my research and reading on breastfeeding, and it will be nice to have some more information. And the baby care will be a good refresher for me, and a great thing for Ry. He will become the "Swaddling King", I just know it.

Drop, Lock & Load - Week 37

Well, we are officially "full term" as of yesterday. Meaning, that if he was born today, he would make it without having to be incubated or kept at the hospital. On Monday, the doc said that he's not even close to being ready to come out (at least for this week). However, his head is in the "ready position" and is close to the light at the end of the tunnel, if you know what I mean. At the end of last week, I started to get these really intense pains down in my bladder area. I only noticed it when he was moving around.... which led me to conclude that it must be him pressing up against all those squished organs down there. The doc confirmed my suspicion that he has in fact "dropped". He is assuming the position. It's totally uncomfortable for me to sit for long periods (he gets squished too, I think) and there has been times when he's really gotten me good.

My poor bruised bladder...

This is my last week of work (thank god) and I have been busy training my replacement. It's been an eye opener for me to realize just how much my job entailed and how much I did. The poor girl that is replacing me has the big eyes.... she's not sure how she's going to remember all that stuff (luckily I created a manual for her - yes, I am manic... and crazy too). It will be a challenge for me to let go and not be worried come Monday when I don't have to come in to the office...

I have a feeling that will go away quickly though. *ah, sleep.....*

I look forward to the next couple of weeks of getting things ready around the house, sleeping, hanging out with my brother (who is here from Hawaii), playing with Penny, and trying to relax a little bit. That is, if he waits until the due date...

Ry and I are ready. We have checked off 99% of our list, I almost have our hospital bag packed, and most important: we are excited to be parents. We can't wait to meet the Lil'Dude and bring him home!

The Best Shower Ever

Thanks to my fabulous sister, we had the best baby shower ever this last weekend. She always seems to out-do herself, and makes it all look so easy at the same time.
A big huge THANK YOU goes out to The Crick.

There was tons of yummy food, extremely thoughtful gifts...



...and even some out of town family (Thanks for making the drive all you Medford folks!). I think that everyone had a good time... including us.

We really appreciated everyone's kind words and encouragement, and the whole event helped us to feel a little bit more prepared. Believe it or not, the reality is sinking in that we are going to have a baby. And we are both very okay with it, and getting really excited.

C'mon Lil'Dude... we're ready for ya.

Week 36

36 out of 40... four weeks... 28 days. However you want to look at it - it's getting close. Lil' Dude will be here before you know it.

As of this week, he's just under 6 lbs (according to the weekly email updates I get - the doc hasn't actually confirmed that yet... but I assume that it's fairly acurate), about 19 inches long and still growing. I can tell that he's running out of room in there, he likes to play soccer with my bladder while pushing off my rib cage. Good times.

I'm feeling a bit slower and running out of steam. Been really tired the past few days, but then again, we had a big weekend! Saturday was the Best Shower Ever, and then on to D&D's for an after party. Lots of food and good times. Sunday was a day of going thru all the awesome gifts and making lists of what we still need/want... since we're going to be out of town this weekend, we wanted to get everything put away and figure out what we still have to buy. We're really close though! We only have a few items left to get - but for the most part we are ready for Lil'Dude's arrival.

At least physically. Mentally is another story all together.

Week 35

5 weeks and counting... The reality of this whole process is kicking in more and more. I've been having more and more "anxiety" dreams about being a mother, but at the same time getting more excited. I think that Ry and I are close to the point where we just want to be done with the pregnancy part so that we can meet the Lil'Dude and get on with things.
"Whoa, nelly!" I hear you say... "Enjoy the pregnancy while you can... try to get some sleep.... enjoy eachother's company..." etc, etc. We are... and we will...

I'm not to the "I'm totally done being pregnant" phase just yet. I still get excited when people touch my belly. And it makes me laugh when he pushes his body parts out as far as he can stretch (forcing my belly into all kinds of weird shapes). And he likes it when I sing to him in the car...
BUT, the not being comfortable enough to sleep thing is getting old, I can't tie my own shoes, and I had to go out and buy more (and bigger) maternity clothes so I have something to wear. Those things make me a little weary (and sometimes weepy).

The Shower is coming up this weekend, and I'm really excited for that. It will be nice to see all the friends and fam in one place and celebrate the Lil'Dude.

It's his "Pre-Birth Day Party". (Hee... I crack myself up!)

Visit to Seattle

Labor Day Weekend (ok - I suck... I've been a little slow at posting lately) we headed up to Seattle to visit some friends. It was a marvelous time. Besides seeing T & E (who we haven't seen in FORever) we got to visit with their two gorgeous little girls. It was a "research trip" of sorts... they are the only friends that we have with kids, so we were busy taking notes. Seeing them interact with eachother, let alone the kids, was amazing. They definately gave us hope that we too can be good parents, and maintain some elements of Hip. And what a joy Little Miss E is!

As you can see - she's talker....

She told us stories about when she "was a girl" and kept us thoroughly entertained for two days...

We are totally in love with these little girls!

And Seattle ain't that bad either - we managed to check out the new sculpture garden downtown and take in some culture.




And a self portrait... (I think it's cool that this sculpture looks like a "K")


Yes - a wonderful weekend had by all. Big thanks to T& E for having us, showing us that parenting is a fun and rewarding adventure (and making it look so easy), and sending us on our way with some much needed gear and music.

We heart Seattle!

Week 34

Six weeks and counting, folks. We're gettin' close.

Lil'Dude is now nearing the 5 lb. mark, and he's about 18 inches long. More fattening will happen this week (for him and for me... heh) and his lungs are fully developed. Guess he's been trying them out a little bit too because he gets the hiccups about once a day. It's really a weird feeling. He's getting big enough now that my whole belly shakes when he does it... it's such a repetitive thing that sometimes it starts to irritate me. I wonder if it does him too?
He's still super active, moving around a lot. I can tell that he's continuing to get more squished in there because he'll stretch his legs out as far as he can (ouch).

Me? I'm doing pretty good. Had some emotional days last week, and continue to feel HUGE and fat, and starting to get a little uncomfortable. Other than that - I'm doing good. I'm getting more and more excited. Six weeks isn't that far away. We've got the shower coming up (which will be so awesome, thanks to my fabulous sister), a friend's wedding in Bend (which I'll be photographing - that will be a true test of my stamina), a hospital tour, some more baby classes, and *Poof!* - it will be October 16th (or I'll go into labor, whichever comes first). We've got some special people (my brother from Hawaii, and Ry's dad from Down Under) coming to visit in September too... so that will help things to fly by. Oh, and I'll be working until the end of the month too.

I'm exhausted already. :)

Feel Good Item for the Day

Some of you may have already seen this, but I just ran across it....

It's a commercial that made me smile and so thankful that there are folks in the world that dream this stuff up.

(And yes - those are Superballs! Millions of them!)

Enjoy.

Week 33

Lil'Dude is weighing in a little over 4 lbs and is about 17 inches long. I definitely think that he's starting to run out of room in there...
He continues to fill out as he gains more weight, and according to my doctor, is head down. (Hopefully he'll stay that way!) We can definitely feel more defined body parts thru my belly - last night we were pushing on his back and little butt! He's funny - he'll stretch out and press against my belly, then as soon as we touch him, he'll move away... shy, perhaps? or just stubborn?

I can't believe that September is here and we've only got 7 weeks to go. EEEEEK!

I've been on a little bit of an emotional roller coaster this week - feelings of panic (what in the hell were we thinking?), anticipation (I can't wait to meet him!!), loss (Goodbye social life!), worry (will I be a good mom?), and disgust (I weigh how much?!). But I suppose that all of that is very normal... there have been women in my yoga class that have been going thru the same things. Perhaps it's the mental preparation that goes along with the physical.

About the physical part of things... heh heh, things are getting interesting. Having a hard time believing that my belly will in fact get BIGGER. I move a little bit slower, and sleeping has been a challenge... but the most frustrating thing has been that the belly just gets in the way! I bump it into things - doors, my desk, the steering wheel... Poor little guy! He's probably saying, "Hey Man! Watch it!"

Yes dear, your mom's a klutz.

Week 32 - 56 days to go!

Less than 60 days away from the due date...

Lil'Dude is just under 4 lbs, is about 17 inches long and now has his fingernails & toenails! He'll continue to gain a 1/2 lb per week for the next 6 weeks or so and will pack on the baby fat. He's still as active as ever - it feels like he is constantly moving, which is a really good sign. Active = Good. (It will be interesting to see how that translates outside of the womb... tasmanian devil?)

Momma (me) is feeling pretty good. I'm continually feeling larger and larger... this week I had my first "run in" - that is, I ran a door I was trying to open right into my belly! Don't have the clearance I used to have! It's getting more challenging to get close enough to my keyboard at work, and I now have a designated "crumb catcher" on my shirts. I'm moving a little bit slower these days as well.

I had my first vivid dream about him the other night. He was out and in my hands, and I could see him and touch him and feel him... it was pretty cool. Actually, when I woke up (in the middle of the night, to go pee for the 4th time) it took me a second to realize that it was just a dream.

I'm getting excited. I'm not quite to that point yet of feeling so uncomfortable that I don't want to be pregnant any more, but I feel the shift of emotion to excitement to meet our Lil'Dude. I wonder what he'll look like? Will he have tons of hair? None? Will he have that "old man" look that most newborn boys have?

Soon my questions will be answered.... 8 weeks from now, in fact.

Viva Elvis

Today is the 30 year anniversary of Elvis' death, and even though I was only 1 1/2 years old at the time, I've always had a special place in my heart for The King. Especially the Fifties Elvis, and "Elvis, The Actor". Who can deny such great classics like "Clam Bake", "Spinout" (it has vintage Cobra and Maclaren race cars... how could you NOT love that movie?), and of course, "Blue Hawaii".

RIP, my dear Elvis. You will forever be my Hunka Hunka Burnin' Love.

Penny & Bruno!

Penny and her best friend Bruno had a day at the beach this last weekend! It was Penny's first real exposure to the river (except for an involantary dunk at D&D's) and at first she was very timid. But the more we coaxed her in the water, and the deeper Bruno went - she got used to it! No real swimming exactly, but still a fun romp in the water.



The rest of the time was spent playing and romping around in the sand! Fun!

Week 31

One thing that I've been thinking a lot about this week is the fact that during pregnancy, you're so focused on the "end". So many weeks to go, days to go, towards the ever looming Due Date. What I've been realizing is that it's not "The End".... it's actually "The Beginning" !! The beginning of a whole new way of life with our Lil'Dude. Uncharted waters....

Good grief, I hope we know what we're doing.

So this week, the little man is just over 3 pounds, about 12 - 14" long and will start to pick up speed. They say that from now until about 2 weeks before the birth, he will gain a 1/2 pound per week! He can move his head from side to side and will start to move around a lot more (how is that possible!?).


With me - the added poundage on him will directly effect me. Yup. If you thought I was big now, just wait! I'm going to be huge! Gargantuan! Y'all will say...
"Hey hey hey! It's FAT MAMMA!" (with your best Fat Albert voice, of course)

My maternity clothes are already starting to get too small... Anyone have a Mu Mu I can borrow?

10 Weeks To Go! (If I'm Lucky)

30 weeks as of yesterday. Holy smokes! I know I sound like a broken record, but didn't that go by fast?! Doesn't it seem like just yesterday I was anxiously awaiting that 18th week ultrasound?
The reality that has been hitting me like a ton of bricks, is that there's a potential that he could come in as early as 7 weeks. 7. Weeks. All along I've had this feeling that he is going to be late, and I'm sticking with that - but just the thought that I could be wrong makes my stomach do big flops.
Lil'Dude is just getting bigger this week... he supposedly will respond to light (like a flashlight) put on my belly, and his motor skills are becoming a tad bit more defined. The Belly Arobics he's been doing in there is proof that he's becoming stronger. I still can't tell what's what(feet, head, arm, elbow, etc.)when he moves around, but it doesn't really matter... I'm so consumed with how strange it feels.

And how am I? Well..... this sums things up pretty nicely:


Hee Hee.... partner all that with feeling as big as a house, and you've got a pretty clear picture! Good Times!

Week 29

Lil'Dude is getting bigger! Now about 15 inches long, weighing in at 2.5 lbs. This week his head is growing and the skull is becoming thicker. He's also packing on the fat - getting chubbier by the day, they say.
I've officially entered the "No Sleep Zone"... having a hard time getting comfortable, aching hips, etc... so that's made the last week a little hard. I'm no good to anyone when I'm over-tired! I need to get more creative with my pillow techniques - that will be my goal for Week 29.
Haven't heard back from the Doc as to my Glucose Screening last week. No news is good news, I suppose. I will see her for the last time next week, then we will be switching insurance providers. I need to get on the ball and pick a doctor and try to make an appointment before we're technically covered... wish me luck. Could prove to be interesting.
Other than all of that - I'm starting to get excited! To think that in 11 weeks (or less...)we'll get to meet the little guy! Meet the new "Boss", as Grandpa says. Ooooooh - I can't wait!

Week 28

It's the official start of the last trimester! Only 12 weeks to go...

Lil'Dude is getting fatter by the day (now over 2 lbs), blinking his little eyes (with eyelashes)and will respond to light shown on my belly. I think he had the hiccups at about 3am... that was an odd feeling. He's been moving around alot and giving me some pretty good jabs. I can't tell where his feet are and if they are doing all the kicking, or if it's his left hook.... mabey the doc can tell me.

I will be going to the doc today, actually. Time for the dreaded Glucose Screening. They'll give me a super sugary drink then have me sit for an hour in the office, then take my blood to check the sugar levels and make sure all is normal. I've heard that you get a super intense rush from the sugar (I'll be doing my best Beavis & Butthead impressions to keep myself occupied) than crash like a freight train afterwards. Should be interesting. I'm not so worried about that part of things - my real fear comes from the results and having them tell me that I can't eat any sugar or starch for the rest of the 3 months. That would definately suck.

Overall I'm not feeling so great these days... my stomach has been a little queasy and off, and I haven't been sleeping very well. The hips and back have started to ache and I'm noticing all the extra weight I'm carrying around. Oh, and I've had lots of Braxton Hicks contractions lately... seems like 3 or 4 a day. When those hit I instantly start sweating - they make me hot! An insight of what's to come, I'm sure.

I've had things pretty easy so far, so I can't really complain too much. I'm just goint to keep my fingers crossed that the aches & pains will be the worst of it!

Inspiration

I love the internet. With a few single clicks you can lead yourself to something so profound... and you're not exactly sure how you got there. One site leads you to another. And another. And another.

I stumbled across this site today, and just to be sure I wouldn't loose it (or figure out how to get back to it) I added it to my links.

That site lead me here, which started a whole hour of procrastination (I am at work after all).

It's nice to see some woman photographers banding together for these sites... and it's a good reminder for me to keep my cameras close.

Week 27

Well, it's the end of the 2nd trimester. Next week begins the 3rd and final strech. Whoa. Did that go by fast, or what? I know it's not over till the fat lady sings (ha!), but boy - it sure feels like the last 27 weeks have wizzed by.
Lil'Dude continues to get big, and he continues to do his acrobactic routine in my belly. I'm starting to learn his sleep patterns. He is most active and awake around 8am, 11:30am, 5pm and 10pm. It feels like he's doing sommersaults in there! His favorite game is to move around a bunch, then when ever someone puts their hand on my belly to feel...... he stops. Perhaps he's shy.
I am still feeling pretty good. I've had an interesting bout of nausea the last couple of days...not sure what that's all about. Perhaps since I was spared in the beginning, I'll be cursed at the end. It's not uncommon, I've read. Other than that, things are moving right along.
We start our Birthing Classes this week, which we are both looking forward to. It will be nice to be surrounded by other pregnant couples and also to be reminded what we're getting ourselves into. I'm hoping that it will ground us both a little and make it all seem that much more real. Hoping.

Happy Friday the 13th!

Some people think today is a scary day. They stay away from ladders, mirrors and black cats. Some people even carry around rabbit's feet...

I personally think it's a lucky day! I've always liked the number 13, and the fact that it is paired up with my favorite day of the week - well that's just LUCKY.

May "The Force" be with you!

Week 26

Feeling rather large this week. I officially weigh more now than I've ever weighed in my whole life. Even when I gained 25 lbs when I lived in Germany (thanks to all the bier and sausages!) I still never made it up as high as I am now. I know, I know... it's all part of the deal and at least I have an excuse. It's not like I obssess over it, I just can't escape the fact that I am getting big. It's strange to look at yourself in the mirror and not recognize who's looking back at you.

Amazing baby fact for this week: He will be able to open his eyes and see his surroundings! He is now about 14 inches long and weighs about 2 lbs. He's working hard developing his hearing and can more consistently respond to sounds outside the womb. Better start going to more Rock n Roll shows! (just kidding... sorta)

For those of you who are longing for more Belly Photos, here ya go!

Red. White & Blue

A big shout out of THANKS to D&D for the awesome 1st Annual 4th of July Bonanza! What an awesome day had by all. The weather was fantastic, the river was cool and Donna out-did herself once again on the feast. Everyone had an awesome time.

E and I went for a dip....


Even Ryan got out on the water in one of D&D's super cool kayaks!


And Little Nora got her first dose of "Boat Life". I think she's a sailor at heart....


Yup, a fun day had by all. The fireworks show was absolutely amazing from the deck, just like D&D had promised. I can't thank them enough for inviting the whole "fam damly" and for hosting the best party of the summer. Sign me up for next year +1. :)

Week 25

"Only 14 weeks to go!!" - I about fell off my chair when I read that sentence this morning in my weekly baby email. For some reason that doesn't seem like a lot. It still translates into 3 1/2 months, but the weeks thing really seems shorter. Just seems like yesterday I was excited to be 10 weeks.
Lil'Dude will be gaining some baby fat this week, he is still just under 2 lbs, but about 14" long. His body porportions are evening out and from here to the end he'll be gaining weight and working on his nervous system. Supposedly, he'll start rotating downwards into the optimal "exit" position of head down... which will mean no more bladder kicking practice! Hooray! That's been his favorite sport the past couple of weeks.
And how am I? I feel pretty good these days. My doctor told me that this is the pregnancy "Golden Time" right now because you're not too big, not too sick, not too tired and for the most part, not too emotional. I would concur. I'm feeling pretty even kieled these days and it's really nice. Sleep has been great, and my appetite hasn't gone too bolistic (except for that ice cream craving)- so I consider myself lucky.
My reflection in the mirror has changed, that's for sure. Not only is The Belly getting larger, so are the hips, legs, arms, face....etc. Oh, Joy. I keep reminding myself that it will all go away. It's just a very weird sensation to be carrying around so much extra weight - I've always been on the "wee" side.

Week 24

Lil'Dude is now over a foot long, weighs almost 2 lbs. and is developing his tastebuds this week. He's also busy growing out his lungs and all the air sacks. Pretty neat. He's getting stronger and has been doing his acrobat routine...a lot of kicking and squirming going on.
Ryan got to feel a kick for the first time the other night! That was pretty exciting... it's one thing for me to feel all the movement, but to be able to share is fantastic!
I'm feeling pretty good this week. A little tired, but overall good. I am definately at the stage where strangers are noticing that I'm pregnant. Either they stare, or they make a comment about the "little one". It's funny actually. I sorta feel like a science project...
I'm mad at myself that we haven't taken more "progress" photos. I'm now almost 6 months pregnant and I have one photo of my belly. Need to remedy that soon. Seems like there's been too much other stuff going on...ah well. One can only do so much, right?

The Brightest Star

Nicola had her very first ever dance recital last night! She's been taking dance and tap lessons at Westside Dance Acadamy, and tonight was the final show. Quite a big deal too... it was downtown at the Delores Winningstad Theater. There were probably 20 different routines, the kids ranging in age from 3 or 4 to High School. The little kids were my favorite - standing on the huge stage, bumping into eachother and doing their best to get the moves right. Nic's group was awesome... they are all 6-8 year olds, about 10 of them. Nicola looked like she was having SO much fun! She had a huge smile on her face and did so good on the routine (a lot better than most of the girls - but hey, I may be biased).

And of course.... Crickett and I bawled our eyes out. *sigh*

The Start of Something Beautiful

On Sunday we decided to dive in... because the Father's Day plans were cancelled (sorry you're sick Chris!) we decided to tackle Lil' Dudes room with full force. As you can see from the garage (see below), things are pretty much cleared out of his room so we were able to move some things around and move out the remaining stuff. We wanted to paint a color in there to brighten things up a bit, and I've been wanting to do it in some shade of blue (not to be predictable, but because it's a soothing color - like water). Because we only did one wall, it went up pretty fast (and thank god it dried fast too 'cause the wet color was not at all what we wanted!) and we found ourselves looking for other stuff to do... Ryan decided to put the crib together, than last night put the dresser together. HOLY COW! It's starting to look like a baby's room!! Not totally finished, but it's a good start.

The Great Garage Project #3 - The Final Episode!

Woohoo! The garage is (pretty much) finished! Ryan is a Rockstar! He built and hung all those beautiful cabinets himself. We've already filled most of them too.... We cleared out Lil' Dude's room and organized all the miscellaneous stuff (like my art supplies, wrapping paper, etc) into bins and gave it all a permanent home.

As you can see, we're a little insane about organization:


It feels awesome to have everything where we can get to it and have it all have a home. There's still a little bit of finishing up to do out there - but we're stoked to have it this far!

Week 22

Lil' Dude is now almost a foot long and weighs a pound! I am definately getting the feeling (literally) that he is getting stronger too. The little "bubbles" of movement I was feeling the last couple of weeks have now become definate kicks. His favorite times to move around are in the morning on the commute to work, and at night, just before we eat dinner. I have a feeling he's going to like food - just like his mamma.

I've been feeling pretty good... have had an annoying cold that has been jumping from sinus cavity to sinus cavity - it's been hanging around for a week or so. Other than that, no major complaints. I feel fat, but that's all part of the deal is what they say. I've only gained about 10 pounds so far, but it feels like a lot more. I can really feel it walking up a flight of stairs or doing yoga - I get winded pretty easy these days. I'm sure it will get worse before it gets better......

We've started the process of moving stuff from His room out to the garage. It's starting to feel more real - like we're cleaning off an empty canvas! I'm really excited to start painting and then really getting the room all set up... that's the fun part. If we could only get a free weekend to ourselves........

Great Garage Project - Episode #2

Drywall up. Primer and 2 coats of paint... on.


This photo was actually taken last week... as of last night Ryan has all of the cabinets hung and in place with the doors on. Just a few minor adjustments and we're ready to start filling them up!

I have to say that I am very impressed with my husband. Not that I had any doubts, but to talk about doing a project like this is one thing... but to have it completed within about 2 weeks is amazing! Talk about setting your mind on something. *sigh* Just another reason why we are so perfect for eachother.

More photos to come!! The 3rd and final episode next week!

21 weeks and counting.....

Today marks the start of my 22nd week... more than halfway! A small brush of panic sweeps over me when I think of all the stuff I want to get accomplished before the birth. But hey - it'll all get done eventually, right? He's coming out one way or the other!

Big craving this week: Water. I'm like the freakin' Sahara Desert today. Can't get enough. Lil' Dude must be filling up his swimming pool...

Granny's 80th Birthday

We headed down south to Medford this last weekend for my Granny's 80th birthday party. The Aunts planned a big to-do surprise party for her with cake & icecream, and we took her out for a fancy dinner before.

Here's a photo taken (by our budding photographer, Nicola) at their house where we opened a bottle of bubbly to get the party started!


We then proceede to Porter's (an old converted train station downtown) for a super nice dinner (Thanks Crick!) and some good laughs.


It was really nice to spend some time with the family and be in Medford. It's been too long. Glad we had such a great excuse to come down though....

Look at this beautiful woman! She's 80 going on 35!



We love you Granny!

The Great Garage Project

With last weekend being Memorial Day and a 3 day weekend to boot - we made the decision to start on The Great Garage Project. That's really the first in the chain of things that need to happen BEFORE we can start on Lil'Dude's room. Ryan wanted to finish the sheetrock (there was old sheetrock on the walls, but none on the ceiling), mud, paint and add cabinets for storage. 3 day weekend - No problem!

Here's what we started with:


Saturday morning Kevin (our dear friend) and Ryan headed out to Home Depot to stand in line with all the other "Weekend Project Warriors". They came home with a ton of sheetrock and all the stuff they needed. By the end of the day, they had all the sheets hung. Very impressed, I was.

Sunday was taping and mudding day and Monday we decided to do something completely INSANE. Ryan had been looking at IKEA's kitchen cabinets vs. Home Depot's white storage cabinets. Turns out it is cheaper and better quality. We had panicked in thinking that if they didn't have what we needed and it had to be ordered, we were going to be at least 8 weeks away from finishing the garage. NOT an option.
So we decided to drive up there and take a look at what they had, just to make sure. On Memorial Day. When they were having a sale. (For those that don't know, the nearest IKEA to Portland is about 20 minutes south of Seattle - it's a 2.5 hour drive) We got up at the crack of dawn, borrowed a van, and headed up... not knowing what we were going to come back with, if anything.

It was as crazy as we expected it was going to be... people everywhere. We arrived about 30 minutes after they opened and the parking lot was full. Yikes. What were we thinking?!

Long story short - they ended up having exactly what we wanted, and every single piece in stock! Very rare occurance at IKEA. We ended up with 5 huge carts LOADED to the gills. (*Note: Everything from IKEA comes non-assembled and flat packed. You have to put together all the furniture yourself... a reason it is so cheap. You also have to, however, go out to their warehouse and pick and load your own order. It's an experience... damn Scandanavians.)

Here's our loot in the check-out line!


Count them.... FIVE carts! We had a hell of a time getting them rolled around the store... luckily we got help from some staff, and Ryan had help loading all of that into the van. Sheesh - it's a good thing we didn't take the Scion!

Oh- and a side note... we also came home with a crib and a changing table. We "hemmed and hawed" about which ones to get, but I am happy with the outcome. And we saved some money in the process. Score!

Next Up: Photos of the new paint and cabinets! Stay Tuned!!

The Taylor Name Lives On!

Wow... can't believe I'm 19 weeks pregnant. Not sure where the time has gone.
We had our second ultrasound on Monday - the Big One - to determine the sex (well - the doctors do their thing which is more important, but not to us). We have been DYING to know. It's so hard to plan, buy things, and mentally prepare when you don't know. I'm not sure how our parents did it....

So - here's the story of the Ultrasound Appointment.

First, they tell me to come to the appointment with a full bladder, which usually isn't a problem - but man! When I got's to go - I got's to go! You want me to hold it? Sheesh. The reasoning behind that is because they think that it pushes things forward and their able to see more of the baby. Fine. Luckily we didn't have to wait too long.
Just as soon as the technician puts the scope on my belly he asks: "Do you guys want to know the sex? Because it's right here!" We responded with a very loud "Yes!" in unison. That's the whole reason we've been biting our fingernails for the last week! That's the reason we're here, dummy!
We look up on the screen and the technician says: "And it's a ......" He waits for us to finish. We just sit there with our mouths open...

Here's what we saw:



There HE was in all of his glory! A boy! Exactly what we had been hoping for! All we could do is sit there with HUGE smiles on our faces... I'm surprised that both of us didn't burst into tears (I was close).

The rest of the ultrasound was pretty cool. We were really lucky to have a technician who knew what he was doing and explained everything to us in great detail. He showed us the four chambers of the heart, the blood pumping in and out of it, the embilical cord in great 3-D detail, the brain lobes, each hand and foot, the eye's iris forming (!), the eyelid.... on and on. It was very cool!

I'll leave you with this profile of our Lil' Dude:

Belly!

Whoa! What the heck happened here?! Actually, it's nothing that happened overnight - I've been "showing" for quite a few weeks. My normal clothes have long since been packed and put away for another time (hopefully). I'm officially 16 weeks along as of yesterday - just starting my fourth month, I think.
Been really dragging this week. Super tired. They say that the baby will do a ton of growing (almost double in size) over the next three weeks, so I suppose being tired is normal. It's sucking all of my energy!

First of Many....

This kid better get used to having it's picture taken. With all of the flashbulbs that go off in this family, he/she will be bombarded (rightfully so!). I think Nicola's first word was "Cheese!".
So Uncle Tom, I'm taking your advice... here is the first installment of Boo Boo's album. We'll start from the very beginning.
This is our first ultrasound at 11 weeks. Ryan and I didn't say much throughout the process... we just stared at the screen - we could have watched him/her all day.

The first sign that our lives would never be the same....

So, I'm going a little backwards here - this happened about 13 weeks ago. I finally found the photo and thought it was worth documenting. A pivotal moment in our lives... the breathless anticipation of watching the lines... "Did it work?" .... "Holy Crap! It really worked!" And thus began the first day of the rest of our lives (or something like that...).

Miss Penny

Ooh, Poor Poor Penny! I subject her to all kinds of things... but doesn't she look so cute?! This was her Easter outfit - at least for about 5 minutes.

Here she is at about minute 3......

Spring Has Sprung

Amy's crazy tulips... never seen a tulip do this before.