Cali Trip Day 4

Sunday, February 6th, 2011
Sunday was our day to sleep in, which for this trip means we got up at 7:30. We went to church that morning at my hometown church where we were able to hear Pastor John preach. I was very happy he was teaching that morning because he recently announced that he will be retiring next year in January. It was great to be home and hear words from the pastor I grew up with, and to be able to see many people I haven’t been able to see in a long while.

After church Andrew and I went to Togo’s to meet up with my guy friends from high school. I love being able to see them any time I go home to visit, and being able to eat at Togo’s was an extra bonus (I love Togo’s!!). It was fun being able to catch up with them and goof off. 

Me and the guys. Andrew's taking the pic.

After that, Andrew and I headed back to my mom’s place for the baby shower my mom and my sister-in-law, Amy, planned. Sadly I don’t have a lot of pictures from this event yet, but I’ll do an update later once people have been able to send me copies of the photos they took. For now, I’ll use the ones I “stole” from my best friend, Alison (thanks, Alison!). While the shower was going on, Andrew, his dad, my brother, and my brother’s son played ball outside while they waited for the Super Bowl to start.

My mom started off the shower with everyone saying how they knew me and who they were to make sure everyone knew one another. Then we played games that Amy planned! Everyone had to guess how big my belly was using yarn. Alison guessed almost my exact size! Though since she just had her lil one (my cute adorable niece Soleil) three months ago, she was the most recently experienced to guess the accurate size. 

Seeing what my belly size really is.

For the next game, Amy read off a series of questions with multiple choice answers (all relating to babies and pregnancy), and we had to try and get the most correct. There were some pretty easy questions, but also some very hard questions, and some that were just random! The one I remember the answer for is that babies are able to swallow and breathe at the same time, and adults cannot. Julie was able to get the most correct, and thus won! She also came in first place for the final game; making a baby out of play dough! Everyone, but me, was given a small container of play dough. They then had 3 minutes to create a baby model out of it and I had to vote on which one I thought was best. It was so hard to choose! I had four top favorites, and I picked Julies. But since she had already won and I had to pick my second favorite, which was Sarah's.

Me and Amy examining the model Julie made

Sarah won second place!

 We took a little break to eat some delicious snacks, included chocolate chip cookies with Oreos in the middle! And then I opened Tadpole’s gifts. She was getting really excited during the end of it and was really kicking. I think she knew how much everyone in the room loved her and was blessing her with adorable clothes, books, blankets, toys, etc! Thank you everyone so much for blessing little Tadpole with your generosity. I know she is going to enjoy and love all that was given to her. Andrew and I of course feel blessed for all your love and support too. ^_^

Andrew and I with my brother Jay, his wife Amy, and their son Kayden

At the end of the shower I was able to spend some time with my new niece, Soleil. I am so happy Andrew and I were able to meet both our new nieces during our trip! They are such cuties! And you can see that they have totally different personalities already beginning to shine through. I’ll end the blog with a few pictures of Soleil, showing her off, like what I did with my last entry with Adelyn. ^_^

Andrew’s folk’s stayed for dinner after the shower, and everyone but me enjoyed watching the game. I kept myself occupied with organizing all the gifts we got that weekend and trying to figure out what to take back to Seattle on our way home, and what to leave for my mom to bring up when Tadpole is born. If you didn’t guess, I’m not a huge sports watching fan. Though I am happy the Packers won since that’s the team Andrew roots for.

It was nice having our parents together and to share a meal. But shortly after the game ended, Mark and Karlyn headed home to Seaside. Andrew and I stayed up for a little bit to finish organizing all our new baby things, but then we went to bed early to help us catch up on some much needed rest before our last day in Cali. 

Us and Andrew's folks

Aww, my hubby and mommy love me and Tadpole!

And now to show off my niece, Soleil:

Soleil just felt her cousin kick her! She looks kind of shocked by it.

Me and my best friend that I've known since I was born! And now our two girls will know one another from early childhood too.

Me and my niece.

This photo makes it so I can't wait to see Andrew hold our child!

Cali Trip Day 3

Saturday, February 5th, 2011

We had a very early start to our day because we knew it would be filled with driving to and from SLO so we could visit with my brother Tim, his wife and their new baby. There was no way I was going to pass up an opportunity to meet my new niece!

We started off our day with Val and Andrew’s parents. We wanted to see if this huge military garage sale was going on because it tends to have a lot of baby supplies in great condition. Sadly we drove to Marina and it wasn’t going on... But! We did take the opportunity to have a photo session on a beach cliff. Val is a great photographer, and took some great maternity shots of me, and me with Andrew, and us with his folks. It was a beautiful morning , and a wonderful landscape created by God for our background. I’ll post some of the pics once Val is able to mail me copies. 

Me and one of my besties - Val. ^_^

Walking back to the car. This is the only pic I have from the photo shoot. That and the one of me and Val. All the rest are on Val's camera and Marks. Those will be in another post

After saying goodbye to Mark and Karlyn, Andrew, Valerie and I got in our rental car and headed south to Arroyo Grande (the city Val lives in and the city we had planned to meet up with my brother). Val and I spent most the time in the car catching up on our lives and talking about God. And of course looking at the landscape and all the horses, cows, goats and sheep we passed by. We even saw a little herd of deer, and I spotted three rabbit running along a creek. We stopped for lunch at a Subway where I discovered I’m able to balance a cup of water on my baby bump. 

When we got to Arroyo Grande the first thing I did was say hi to my brother, who happened to be holding his sweet precious daughter, Adelyn. I asked to hold her right away so I could give my nieces the snuggles I’ve been dying to give her since she was born three months ago. Tadpole even gave a little kick of hello to her cousin who will only be about six months older than her. 

Even though I didn’t want to give the little one up, I let Andrew hold her. He’s so cute holding a little baby! I can’t wait for Tadpole to be in his arms being snuggled by her daddy. ^_^

After the initial Adelyn snuggled, we all headed off to The Village to meet up with Val’s hubby (and our friend), and some of Tim and Beth’s friends from the area. We enjoyed walking around The Village with friends in the warm sun. Though this is when I regretted only having maternity clothes for the weather in Washington. I was hot! But loving it. ^_^

We parted ways with Val and Dan and went to have a sunset dinner with Tim, Beth and their friends at the Ventana Grill, which sits on a cliff above the ocean. I have not seen a sunset this epic in a long while! So gorgeous! So beautiful! So bright and brilliant! We of course took the opportunity to take some pictures. 

The Ventana Grill

So pretty!

We were SO LOVING IT!

Daddies on the outside, Mommies next, and then the babies in the middle

 Even though we didn’t know everyone who was at dinner with us, what was fun was that Christan and his wife Allegra were there. They were the ones who took the professional photos of Andrew and I in our wedding clothes on the beach in August. It was great seeing them again and catching up. 

You should really check out Christan's Photography site

Christan and Allegra took photos for us like this one

Sadly Andrew and I had to hit the road after dinner so we wouldn’t get into San Jose too late that night. We of course made sure we had some more snuggle time with Adelyn before we left. I am very happy we were able to meet Adelyn during our trip, and see Tim and Beth again. It was nice to catch up with my family who live the most south from us.

Now to show off some adorable pictures of my niece, Adelyn.

She was playing with her tongue and I wanted a picture of it, and she stuck it out for me.

Such a cutie!!!!!!!!

Tim is such a great dad. I love this photo of him and his daughter.

Comparison

Today's update would have been Cali Trip Day 3, but my lappy got a virus this morning and is currently turned off and waiting for Andrew to come home and fix it. That's where all the pictures from our trip are. =( And I don't really want to post without some pictures from our trip. But I still want to post today, so I thought I'd have a little fun and show you two pregnancy comparison pictures of me.

August 30, 2010 - Week 5

January 30, 2011 - Week 27

Just look at the difference! Wow! When we took the January picture I showed Andrew the two pictures above and was flipping back and forth between them. I started off so small, and then wha-bam! My belly expanded to make room for Tadpole's growth. And boy is she growing! Right now (week 29) the average baby is more than 14 and a half inches long, and weighs around 2 and 3/4 pounds. Our lil girl is growing so fast! We still have about 2 more months left until Tadpole is due. I'm sure I'll look like I'm trying to hide a watermelon under my shirt by the time labor begins.

Cali Trip Day 2

Friday, February 4th, 2011

I was so happy I slept well our first night in Cali. It made it so I had enough energy to get through the whole day without feeling sluggish. Plus the beautiful sunshine probably helped to lift my spirits and wake me up a bit. We took the morning easy on Friday while we looked forward to lunch with the Thompsons in Cali (the family who just moved from WA to CA that I mentioned in yesterdays post).

It was so great to have the Thompsons come over to Andrew’s folk’s place for lunch. Micah (their two and a half year old) was a little confused as to how Andrew and I could be there when he knew he had to travel a long way just a few days before to get to California and their new home. It was cute to see him process through the information as we explained that we came to visit Andrew’s parents and him and his family all the way from Washington. After that, and sweet hugs, he was full of energy and ready to play and eat! We all played outside and inside as we talked about the glorious sun God created, the Thompsons’ move to Cali, and how God has been working in our lives. It was a delicious lunch and a great start to the day.

The distance between WA and CA just can't separate us!

Soon after the Thompsons’ left, Andrew and I were “kicked” out of the house so Mark and Karlyn could prepare for Tadpole’s first baby shower. We happily headed to the beach, a REAL beach, made with sand and not pebbles. Oh how my feet missed sand between my toes!

This is what REAL beaches are made of

Cool sand between my toes while soaking up the sun ^_^

Andrew and I enjoyed walking in the water, sitting in the sand, and just being with one another in one of our favorite settings that you can’t really find in WA. We spent two magnificent hours at the beach. I wonder if Tadpole was able to hear the crashing of the waves over the sound of the swishing of the amniotic fluid she’s in, and all the sounds my body makes that I’m not even aware of. I know she got an extra dose of vitamin D from me basking in the sun. ^_^

So happy to be at the beach and in the water!

Andrew off to play in the waves

The beautiful beach and blue sky!

I had fun taking pictures of our rings in the sand

**As I write this, Tadpole is kicking at my ribs and making it very hard to concentrate… and it hurts… She’s a strong lil girl!!! Don’t break anything, Tadpole.**

After our little excursion we picked up one of my best friends from the bus station. Valerie came up from Arroyo Grande to see us and come to the baby shower. We hadn’t seen her since our wedding! It was so great to see her and catch up. Then it was back to Andrew’s folk’s house for Tadpole’s first baby shower! 

Mark made a print out of Tadpole's (fictional) Facebook page. And I'm holding one of Tadpole's new toys, Prince Frederick the XXVII (aka Freddie)

I felt so blessed by all the ladies who came (the men all went out for pizza). The majority of the women I didn’t know, but they knew Andrew and wanted to bless our little Tadpole. Karlyn started the shower by having everyone say their name and how they knew me or Andrew. It was so neat to hear everything they shared, and sometimes very interesting to learn how they first heard of me. During the introductions though, I got a little distracted because my mom was able to feel Tadpole kick for the first time!!! We were both so excited for the moment, and the little strong hello Tadpole was giving to her Maimie. 

I am so happy Valerie caught the moment on her camera!

Karlyn and her friend Lynn had three games planned for us. First everyone had to try and find the most hidden paper cut out baby bottles  in the room (my mom won that game). Then we all had to try and draw the best baby in the womb picture while we had the paper on a book on top of our heads! Alicia won that game. And the last game was baby bingo, which Valerie won.

We took a break to eat some delicious food before the gift opening began and I was able to discover what everyone had blessed Tadpole with. Such a variety of gifts ranging from cute outfits, to handmade toys and blankets, to pacifiers and more! Thank you again everyone for blessing Tadpole with your love and generosity! I can’t wait for her to use all her gifts. ^_^ We ended the shower in prayer time, where everyone prayed for little Tadpole, Andrew and myself. 

My mom's praying for lil Tadpole

It was so wonderful to meet some of the women who have known Andrew his whole life, or through a bible study he was in when he was younger, etc. I had fun chatting with them all and trying to remember everyone’s name.

This is almost everyone who was at the shower. Some had to leave early

The whole day was amazing. Even though I was exhausted by the end of it, I enjoyed each and every moment!

Cali Trip Day 1

Thursday, February 3rd, 2011

I ended my last post telling you about Tadpole’s activeness the morning of our flight. She woke me up at 4:30am! And that was after going to bed at midnight and having trouble going to sleep. I figured we had a two hour flight to San Jose, so I’d sleep on the airplane and catch up on some ZzZzzs that way. Yeah, that didn’t happen.

I’ve flown a lot, and it wasn’t until flying pregnant that I realized how little back support the seats give you. Usually I curl up on the seat and am totally fine, but I was not able to get myself in any of my normal positions due to my baby bump. I tried to snooze and maybe got 15 minutes in, but I gave up near the end. Other than that, flying pregnant was just fine. I think little Tadpole was startled when we took off though. We were sitting right behind the wing, so you can really hear and feel the engines powering up. I believe it caught our little girl by surprise judging by the movement she made right when it started.Poor little thing. =(

We took off from Seattle in this

And landed in Cali in this! ^_^

After we landed and got our rental car we met my mom for lunch at Sweet Tomatoes. I really wish I remembered to take out my camera and take some pictures. But I was so tired my mind was not fully functional. It was so good to see my mom again! We hadn’t seen her since our CA reception in August. She was excited to see us too, and see the baby bump. Sadly Tadpole was taking a nap, since she was so active earlier the morning, so my mom didn’t get to feel her kick that day.

After a lovely, delicious lunch with my mom (we really need a Sweet Tomatoes or Fresh Choice up here…), Andrew and I got back in our rental car and headed to Seaside to spend the first part of the weekend at his folk’s house. We were both soaking in the sunshine and heat, and I think I fell asleep in the car for a little bit. It was so gorgeous! We both really miss California. Not just the sun, but the landscapes as well.

When we got to Seaside we took a little detour and stopped by Glen and Shilo’s new place (Glen was the pastor who married us). They just moved from WA to CA, and now live about 2 blocks away from Andrew’s parent’s house. Crazy! It was fun to see their new home and church where they will be serving the Lord. Both kids were napping, so we set up a lunch date for Friday.

Then we went to Andrew’s parent’s house. It was great to see Mark and Karlyn again too. And to tell you the truth, I was extremely tired at this point, so I don’t really remember much of what happened…. But I do remember that Mark and Karlyn made a fabulous fajita dinner! Andrew had fun getting old books and toys down from the attic to see if there was anything Tadpole might enjoy. It was fun to go through the stack of Golden Books he grew up with. I also remember that I fell asleep as soon as my head hit my pillow, and that I had the most decent amount of sleep that night compared to the three previous nights. 

Oh yeah! And while waiting at the airport to board, Tadpole was pushing out with her hand, and doing a palm to finger tip movement with her fingers spread out. It was so cute! I was able to put my finger in her little palm as we pushed back and forth for a while. ^_^

Cali Trip Day 2 to come late!

We're Terrific!

We’re back in WA, and happy that some of the Cali sunshine came back with us. We had a most wonderful blessed trip, but there will be a post on that later. For now I thought I’d give you a short update on Tadpole since I just got back from a doctor’s appointment with Doc S.

Great news! Everything is going terrific! Tadpole’s heart rate was 146bpm, which he said is slightly slower than last time I saw him two months ago, but completely normal. Her heart rate is still in the average/good range, and as babies grow, their heart rate lowers slightly. So, no worries at all on that front. Also my uterus growth is right where it should be for this time in pregnancy (just about to enter week 29), which was 30cm. Yup, Tadpole is taking up some space and squishing all my organs!

I asked Doc S. if he was able to tell what position she was in at that moment, and he said it felt like she was head down. That made me happy to know. Though I know she can still move around, but being head down is something I am personally happy for. I would prefer not to have a breached baby...

I have another appointment set up for two weeks from today. I was told that I need to eat a big meal an hour or two before I come in because I’ll be having some blood work done. I’m fine with blood work, and knew I’d be having more taken from me soon since I’m in the third trimester now. What makes me happy right now is Doc S. doesn’t see a point in me doing the gestational diabetes screening that involves drinking a very sugar gross tasting drink. Since my family and I do not have a history of gestational diabetes or diabetes in general, and my blood sugar level is in the average range the chance of me having gestational diabetes is extremely low. My blood sugar level will be tested again in the blood screening in two weeks, so we’re good.

So there you go. Both Tadpole and I are doing great! She’s still very active and loves to dance around. In fact, the morning of our flight to Cali Tadpole woke me up 45 minutes before our alarm went off at 5:15am. She was doing somersault, or something!! I couldn’t believe how active she was being! I mean she usually is a little active around 5:30 or 6am, but she has never woke me up like this before. Kept me from sleeping, yes, but never woke me up like this before. She made it so I was very very tired the day of our flight. But hey, she’s healthy and kicking. She’s working on her muscle tone and that’s great.

Here's a little taste of what's to come once I blog about our Cali trip:

Enjoying the Cali sun and the BEACH!!!

You'll notice this is the blog's new banner. I had fun writing her name in the sand

Shadow pic time!

We really missed being at a real beach that is actually made up of sand and not pebbles and rocks. Cali beaches are the best!

Here We Come

I am so looking forward to leaving the rain and gloom behind, and spending time in the sun this weekend! Andrew and I leave for Cali tomorrow morning. Our schedule is packed, but I think we’re both happy for that because it means we get to see a lot of people who we dearly miss. And eat at a few places that aren’t up where we live: Sweet Tomatoes, Togos, and In-N-Out. I’m looking forward to eating at Sweet Tomatoes the most. We really need a good salad bar restaurant in the Seattle area. And if one does exist, I don’t know about it, and neither do all the people I’ve asked.

I’m wondering how it will feel to be on an airplane while pregnant, and what it will feel like for Tadpole. Though I haven’t slept much recently, so I’m kind of hoping that I’ll fall asleep on the plane as soon as I get buckled into my seat.

Andrew and I already packed last night, since we have bible study tonight and thus won’t really have time. Poor Hoshi is getting worried with all the bags being packed. She does fine being left by her onesies, but she never likes it when I leave her for a while. Our friend Nate will be looking after her though (thanks again Nate!!!), and she’ll have lots of toys, boxes, and paper bags around our apartment to keep herself entertained. She’ll probably just end up sleeping 90% of the time on her “throne” (aka, her fleece blanket on the couch). 

Things Hoshi will probably do while we're gone:

Keep herself nice and clean

Play with her balls and triangle scratcher

Try to devour the "disco ball" that hangs in her triangle scratcher

Take random naps on the floor

Play in, on and with her paper bags

Play in her boxes

Occupy her throne

Whoohoo! California! Here we come!!! ^_____^