The Big Catch Up Pt. 4

The remainder of the summer was packed with fun activities and trips, which of course made it fly by! After we got back from the cruise, we loaded up the car and headed over to the coast for a camping trip at Patrick's Point with our Home Group. It was a total blast! I had never been there, so it was really fun to finally get to experience it for myself. It was just as beautiful as everyone says it is. It was a little too cold for my liking, and we didn't pack nearly enough in the way of warmth, but other than that, we had a great time! It was so fun to get away for the weekend, enjoy time in God's beautiful creation, and make wonderful memories with my favorite group of friends! It was the first of many camping trips for our little Sweet P.
After that, we got to enjoy Jeremy's birthday and fourth of July with our Aunt and Uncle from North Carolina. We also celebrated our Uncle Jim's retirement. It was a fun weekend that included parties and a day out on the lake. It is always such a treat to get to spend time with family, especially family we don't get to see enough! I, unfortunately didn't get to enjoy the lake to its fullest because I had clumsily dropped a hot iron on my leg and had a major open burn. Thought dirty lake water might not be the best idea...
Jeremy and I both got our gender specific trip. Mine was a shopping trip to Sacramento with my dear friend Christa. We had a blast shopping for baby items and maternity clothes. So fun to spend some time with a great friend. Jeremy got his "Man Trip" in, which is an annual backpacking trip, which as the name suggests, is only open to those of the male gender (except Abbey, she's allowed to go).
This brings us up to the middle of August, 29 weeks pregnant, and on the road again; this time to Pismo Beach for a family reunion and my oldest brother's wedding. This trip had been planned last summer as a way to get everyone back together (it had been way too long). Pismo is a special place for my family, as we spent a week there every summer for 10+ years. After the trip was planned, we were overjoyed with the news that Paul and Danielle were expecting their first little blessing and planning a wedding. Since the trip was already arranged, it worked out perfectly to hold the wedding on the beach. Couldn't have worked out better! It was absolutely wonderful to spend the weekend with the entire family, celebrate their union and the new baby, and enjoy the beautiful (but freezing) ocean. We are so thrilled our little P will have 2 cousins so close in age! What a blessing!
We finished up the summer with a Dave Matthews Concert; Miss P's first concert! It was incredible. We went with our great friends Greg and Michelle. The weather was perfect, the music was amazing and the company was the best! Jeremy and I hadn't been to see him in a few years so it was great to squeeze that in before she gets here. Brought back many memories of our dating years.
Looking back through the summer calendar, I feel so blessed to have had such an exciting and busy few months. We are so fortunate to have these opportunities. These are memories we will never forgot and I am so incredibly thankful for them. I am so thankful for my amazing, adventurous husband, my incredible group of friends, and the beautiful surroundings in which we live. We are not the type of people to slow down just because a baby shows up, but I would say we did a pretty great job of jam packing our summer full of memories before her arrival. A spectacular last summer as "DINKS."
In addition to all the travel and activities, I spent a lot of time at work, which of course isn't as much fun, but sure does make the weeks go by! Working through the pregnancy was not nearly as bad as I thought it might be. I was blessed with an easy pregnancy! I really felt great all the way up until the end. I wasn't more tired, I didn't have any sickness, I almost couldn't tell a difference from before I was pregnant. However, I now have less than 2 weeks to go and it couldn't come fast enough! I am so anxious to start officially "nesting" but I don't feel like I can do that until I am finished with work. Also, my legs are swelling, my back is sore, the whole nine yards. Overall, I have absolutely nothing to complain about, these last 4 shifts will fly by and in a blink of an eye, our little blessing will be here!
I am still in complete disbelief at how close her arrival actually is. When I got pregnant, it felt as though she would never come. Now it feels like only yesterday I found out I was expecting; she will be here in 5 short weeks! As cliche as it sounds, it is so true! These past 9 months have just gone so quickly. I have loved every second of my pregnancy and will cherish these last few weeks that I get her all to myself. Every kick, wiggle, hiccup, is a miracle and a blessing. I am excited to meet her and share her, but for now I am happy having her all to myself.
This concludes our 4 part series of catching up, it is now up to me to stay up to date!
(Sorry for the lack of pictures in this post, I need to gather them from the various designated photographers. )

The Big Catch Up Pt. 3-The Big Reveal

Usually, the end of a vacation is a sad thing. No one wants to go home and end a wonderful relaxing trip. Back to the realities of work and household chores. I, however, was thrilled to head home because there was a very exciting appointment on the calendar, an Ultrasound! A very dear friend of mine is a vascular sonographer who enjoys taking the occasional peek at babies :) When we got home from vacation, I had arranged to go see her and have her tell me the sex of our little P. I knew long before I got pregnant that I wanted to know the sex of my baby. Being a true planner at heart, I knew I would enjoy the pregnancy so much more being able to shop and prepare for this little baby. After all, shopping for a new baby is something I had waited my whole life to do, I was going to do it right! Also, I'm not a huge fan of yellow and green :).
I was dying to know, but I didn't want to just find out sitting in the dark room, I wanted it to be more exciting than that. By finding out ahead of time, you miss out on that thrilling moment in the delivery room. It was a sacrifice I was happy to make and thought I could create a moment just as exciting, only 20 weeks earlier. Additionally, this moment could be shared with some dear friends and family. I am a true extrovert at heart and love to involve my friends and family in the exciting times of my life, pregnancy being top on the list! So, I came up with a plan. I would have my friend secretly figure out the sex of the baby and then write in on a piece of paper and seal it in an envelope so that I could not see. I would then take the envelope to a bakery (the same bakery where we got our wedding cake) and have her bake a cake: pink for girl, blue for boy. She would then cover the cake with thick white frosting so the inside was hidden. We would invite some friends and family over for a BBQ and cut open the cake, revealing to everyone the sex of our little P! Brilliant :)
Everything went exactly as planned. My friend was able to tell (98%) the sex of the baby. She even had a more experienced coworker confirm her discovery. The bakery was able to make the most adorable cake, and all our friends and family were excited to be a part of our fun day. We even had dear friends watching on Facebook and Skype to hear the big announcement!
I truly have the most patient husband on the planet who willing went along with my crazy scheme, and even humored me when I asked him to vacuum the carpet for the third time that day. This was not his idea, but he embraced it for me and shared in my joy.
The house was spotless, the food was all ready, and the people were starting to arrive. As I stared at the cake, I really couldn't believe this day was here; this day I had been daydreaming about for years (yes, I did think up this plan years ago. Remember, I am a planner!)

Everyone scarfed down their food and gathered around the cake. Those who thought the baby was a boy stood to one side, and those who were banking on a girl stood to the other. Jeremy made a quick "speech" expressing our gratitude and appreciation for all the incredible people standing around that table. I was overcome with joy by the love and support of our family. With much anticipation, we picked up the knife and cut through the cake. The first slice didn't reveal much (though Jeremy says he saw a few crumbs). It took a second slice to get a clear picture of the inside. As I picked up the piece of cake, I saw, clear as day, PINK! Everyone in the room cheered and hugged and laughed. It was absolutely perfect, I was overwhelmed. I hugged my husband, father of my DAUGHTER!



We sliced up the cake and passed out every last piece. Not only was the cake adorable and informative, it was delicious!
In the 20 weeks I had been pregnant, no day compared with that one. In all the time I had spent imaging it, planning it, nothing could have prepared me for how magical it actually would be. It is a day that will be engraved on my heart for the rest of my life. I was struggling to hold back the tears of joy as I looked around the room and saw the community in which we would be raising our daughter. A community full of loving, supportive, compassionate friends and family that love us and will love our daughter through whatever life brings our way. People to share in the high times like this one and who will be there in the low times that may yet come. People that support us and encourage us to grow. What an incredible God we serve who showers us with Grace and blessings. I can't wait to welcome this baby girl into our lives.

The Big Catch Up Pt. 2

The first trimester came and went in a flash.  It was a strange experience to have no pregnancy symptoms, not be showing at all, not feel a baby moving, and have no one know I was pregnant. It was as if the most significant event in my life occurred, but my world as I knew it was exactly the same. Except everything was completely different. I knew in my heart that everything was changing, even if no one else knew yet.
After the 12 week ultrasound, we were ecstatic and anxious to tell our friends and family our joyous news.  Everyone was excited and supportive.  We have the most incredible circle of friends and family and we could not be more thankful for them. Abbey even got to wear her shirt one more time, when we made the big announcement to our home group.
I continued to feel great into the second trimester. At 15 weeks we spent the weekend in Yosemite with 2 of our most dear friends Greg and Michelle.  It was such an incredible weekend. Jeremy and I had never been to Yosemite and it was truly as breathtaking as the pictures make it seem.  We hiked all around the valley, and even to the top of Nevada Falls, which turned out to be a pretty strenuous hike, but we made it! At 15 weeks pregnant, I could feel the effects of increased blood volume and additional altitude for sure! We can't wait to bring Sweet P there and show here the majesty and beauty of our God's creation.

2 weeks later, we packed up our bags and headed across the country to meet up with Jeremy's dad and brother and their respective wives for a family cruise through the Western Caribbean. What an incredible trip!  We spent a week cruising to Jamaica (a real treat for us to get to revisit our honeymoon destination), Mexico, and a private island owned by Princess cruises. We ate incredible food (and way too much of it!) and thoroughly enjoyed the opportunity to spend some real quality time with family.  Jeremy's brother and sister-in-law are also expecting their first baby, due two days before our little Sweet P! God's timing is so perfect!  We are so excited that she will have a little cousin exactly her age, and how fun to get to raise our babies together!  The highlight of my trip was the day spent in Cozumel, Mexico.  Jeremy and I had heard from our good friends that renting scooters and riding around the island was a lot of fun, so we decided to give it a try.  They were so right! The island has a frontage road that follows the coast all the way around. It is about 60 kilometers to complete the loop and along the way you get to see some of the most beautiful ocean views and beaches.  The weather was perfect, the scooters were so much fun, and the scenery was breathtaking.  We would ride for a while, stop and take a swim or get a drink, then keep on riding.  We made it all the way around the island and returned our scooters with about 20 minutes to spare! The entire trip was so memorable and the time with family was priceless.











We feel very blessed to have had the chance to vacation with family one last time before our little blessing comes along.  Now, we look forward to family friendly vacations!

The Big Catch Up Pt. 1

Yes, it has been almost a year since the last update, but never fear, the blog posts will soon be rushing in! As I come to the end of this pregnancy, finishing up my last few weeks of work, I realize what an invaluable memory keeper this blog is to us, and will be to our children.  I want to spend the next few posts getting all caught up on the past year, so when our little Sweet P comes, we will be ready to stay updated with posts and pictures.  So let's start where we left off!

Last year, heading into the holidays, Jeremy and I were working hard at our jobs and on our house.  Spending almost all our free time either at Lowes or church, we managed to stay pretty busy.  Seeing children in our near future, we tried to take advantage of free nights together by going to the movies or out to dinner. We went to some UCLA football games and tried to take little weekend trips when we could. We didn't get much snowboarding in, but managed to get at least a few weekends up at the mountain.  The holidays came and went quickly  as always.  We had a wonderful time enjoying the blessing of family and the celebrating the birth of Christ.  

The first week of February we got the news that would change our lives forever, BABY ON BOARD!  We had been trying for this little miracle for quite some time and I was in complete shock that she was actually on her way.  Here is the recap of those few weeks. 

After close to a year of trying to get pregnant, I was completely convinced the task was impossible.  I had become obsessed with my calendar (thanks to some very handy iPhone apps) and taken more pregnancy tests than I could count.  Luckily, I found a site online where you can buy them in bulk for $0.60 each!  I was fully aware that that week in February would be the week I could expect a period or a negative test. I had been staring at the date for 2 weeks, watching the days creep by, wishing it would come faster. Not being the most patient person on earth, I tested 2 days early (after all, the strips said up to 4 days early!) and the test was negative. Crushed yet again, convinced it would be another month of waiting, I spent most of the day in tears. (Pregnancy hormones?)  Friday, the day I should have tested came and went with no period, but I thought nothing of it, knowing for sure I wasn't pregnant and feeling too deflated to take another test.  Saturday morning I woke up around 5 AM and had this burning desire to test one more time. I lied in bed for close to an hour trying to talk myself out of it, knowing it would be negative and it would ruin my weekend with Jeremy.  At about 6 I just couldn't take it anymore. I quietly got out of bed and took the test.  I of course wasn't looking at it, because I knew it was negative.  As I was washing my hands and getting ready to head back to bed my eye caught a glimpse of something I thought I would never see, a second line! After standing there and staring at it for 5 minutes, I tried to casually get back into bed as if nothing had happened (I had already planned how I wanted to tell Jeremy, and I didn't want to spoil it).  Of course, I was unable to sleep, so I got out of bed and went and cleaned the kitchen, trying to wrap my mind around the thought of being pregnant.  Jeremy had to work that day, so I did my best to avoid eye contact with him and get him out the door before I completely spilled the beans.  After he left, I took another test, and this one miraculously said the same thing, "PREGNANT!" I was in complete shock. 

With 4 hours to kill until Jeremy came home from lunch, I decided to head to Barnes and Noble to get him a "Daddy to be Book."  I also stopped and got some balloons and a card.  The real surprise however, was already waiting at my house.  When we first started trying to get pregnant, I found a shirt online for Abbey that said "I'm going to be a big sister." I ordered it and hid it away, hoping one day I would get to put it on her. Today was that day I had dreamed about!  So after watching the minutes of the clock creep by, it was finally time for Jeremy to come home. I put the shirt on Abbey, set up the balloons and book, and hid behind the door with the video camera.

Abbey performed her role perfectly! Waiting at the door for Jeremy to walk in, it was as if she knew she was executing an important task. She sat so proudly as Jeremy read her shirt in total disbelief. It all went off perfectly, and I will never forget that momentous day as long as I live.  

We had previously decided that when we finally did get pregnant, we would keep it to ourselves for the first 12 weeks.  We did tell our parents that weekend, everyone was of course as elated as we were.

Being in the medical field, coupled with trying to get pregnant for a year, I was very reserved and nervous during those first twelve weeks. I did not have a single pregnancy symptom. No nausea, no fatigue, no mood swings, no soreness, nothing. Of course, this is a complete blessing, but also a little unsettling to a first time pregnant woman.  I took a weekly test so that I could see the line getting darker each week as my hormone levels increased. It was as if I needed something tangible in order to believe I was actually pregnant!

After the first trimester,  I finally let myself relax a bit and accepted that no amount of worrying was beneficial to my growing baby.  Jeremy encouraged me to read Philipians 4:6-7, which I memorized and repeated to myself about 400 times a day. 

Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

At the end of the first trimester, we had our first ultrasound. It was unbelievable to see that little baby for the first time.  The most miraculous experience of my life.  We were ecstatic to tell all our friends and family about the new little blessing.

That first trimester was a magical experience and something I had been looking forward to my entire life.  I loved every second of it, and often had to stop and remind myself what an enormous blessing I had received.  I felt euphoric.