The Crawford Family

It's official!

2009-10-17T05:33:00.001-07:00

Well, the ultrasound yesterday confirmed it...we are indeed having a girl! We feel so blessed that the baby is healthy and that this pregnancy has been so smooth so far. I didn't want to discuss names before we knew the sex because I just plain didn't want to waste precious energy on brainstorming for the wrong sex, but now the debating can begin! Please refrain suggestioning money-related monikers; I can assure you we have heard them all and have decided firmly against any of them. :) Looking forward to buying lots of pink things!

New baby Crawford

2009-09-10T08:31:00.000-07:00

We had another ultrasound today and things are progressing well with the newest addition. The tech even ventured a guess as to the sex...let's just say, Cash's hand-me-downs may not come in handy for this baby. We'll have the next ultrasound in mid-October, but for now we've been given an 80% likelihood girl. We'll see...it's not time to decorate or buy pink items just yet!

Cash's First Birthday

2009-09-06T11:39:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday Cashman! We can't believe it's been a whole year!

It's been a busy summer!

2009-08-24T19:50:00.000-07:00

So sorry for the almost two month hiatus in posting. As you can see from the over fifty photos I just posted, it's been a busy summer. Cash and I went to New Mexico in July to visit my Grandparents, followed two weeks later to a family vacation to Steamboat Springs, Colorado where the whole Anderson clan gathered to celebrate my other Grandparents' 80th birthdays.

We were also blessed to have the Flattery's come visit in early August and we got to celebrate the upcoming addition of their daughter with a virtual baby shower. It was great to have so many California friends in the "same room" again!

On the fourteenth, Mick and I celebrated five years of marriage. Wow! Five years and two kids later. Yup, I said TWO kids. We have another one due in mid-March. Hold onto your hats folks. And we thought this summer was crazy!

4th of July and 10 month's old

2009-07-07T07:00:00.000-07:00

Cash's Dedication

2009-06-22T12:36:00.000-07:00

"...for the joy of the Lord will be your strength." -Nehemiah 8:10

Yesterday, we had the priviledge of dedicating Cash at our church. It made Mick's first Father's Day so special that we could honor our Heavenly Father in that way. We had picked out the above scripture for Cash, as he has proven to be such a spread-er of joy, not only for us, but for others as well.

Trip to California

2009-06-09T20:12:00.000-07:00

Here are some pictures from our trip to California a few weeks ago. We had such a great time with our friends, and especially with the Blands. We can't wait to go back!

Nine months old

2009-06-09T20:04:00.000-07:00

Cash is now nine months old! At his last doctor's appointment, he measured in at a hefty 21.2 pounds and nearly 29 inches long. For the first time, his percentiles have dropped, likely due to all his crawling about. That kid can move!

Good news! Cash has been sleeping a full 10 to 11 hours at night, which has been absolute HEAVEN for Mick and I. We can only hope that it will continue...

...and he's mobile!

2009-05-20T09:10:00.000-07:00

Cash began crawling last week and we are really amazed at how quickly he's become proficient at it. At first he would army crawl, dragging his hind-quarters behind him; then he started to get up on his knees and explore the carpeted area. Now he is just tickled with himself when he ventures out onto the tile. I guess the spirit of grand adventure outweighs the feeling of cold, hard tiles on the knees. For me, it's just plain uncomfortable!

It's great that Cash is crawling, but there are at least two "problems" that we didn't fully anticipate. His new found freedom means we, as his parents, have to begin setting physical boundaries and even discipline. It's a daunting task when up to this point most of our interaction has been so positive and encouraging. I'm having a hard time finding the balance again now that I am frequently saying things like, "No, Cash. It's not ok to climb into the fireplace." or "Don't touch the outlets." or "No! What did mommy just say?" I'm sure it gets easier, though.

Secondly, the developmental milestones are disrupting his, and therefore our, sleep. We are waking multiple times in the night again, which is frustrating considering that we've never really had a consistent chunk of time with good rest. Such is the life of a parent, I guess, although that is not the attitude I have at 2am. Oh, well, atleast Bella is sleeping well.

All that to say, and we are still so grateful that God has blessed us with such a joyful child. He is such a sweetie and we can't remember what is was like before he was here.

I love this laugh!

2009-05-14T20:10:00.000-07:00

How can you watch this and not laugh? This kid has the gift of spreading joy for sure!

(By the way, if you need to turn off the background music in order to hear the laughter, just scroll down to the Easter post and hit the mute button at the top of the slide show.)

8 months old!

2009-05-05T10:17:00.000-07:00

Wow! Time really is flying by! Cash is eight-months-old today, preparing to crawl and bubbling over with personality. Mick and I are eating it all up!

Cash now has five (yes, five!) teeth, three top and two bottom. The other day, to my surprise, I went to get him from a nap and there he was, sitting up in his crib. Let the baby-proofing begin!

Speaking of baby-proofing, we had our first semi-major injury last week. I was making Cash's breakfast with him in one arm and the hot pan in the other, when Cash decided to reach out with his lightning fast grasp and palm the pan! Needless to say, within seconds we were both in hysterics. Within minutes Mick was on his way home from work, my sister was walking in the door on the phone with the paramedics and her partner was pulling up to the house in a police car. The gentleman who cares for our lawn was quite puzzled by the fiasco. Anyhow, much to my relief, the doctor assured me that Cash's hand was ok, despite the second-degree burn, and will function just fine in the future. He also told me to let myself off the hook for making the mistake, which is better than him calling CPS for my foolishness. (I know it's silly, but it did cross my mind!) The most amazing part was that later that afternoon, Cash was using his hand like normal and didn't seem to think anything was wrong. Boy, kids really are resilient!

Anyway, we have been so blessed these passed eight months to have such a sweet, joyful and funny little man in our lives. Looking forward to more adventures...just hopefully not many that include emergency rooms!

Easter, Blue Bonnets and other random things...

2009-04-17T09:30:00.000-07:00

He is risen indeed! We had a great time with Cash on his first Easter. There was an egg-hunt at church and even though we basically just plopped Cash down in front of a few eggs, it was fun to see the excitement of the other kids and know that is just around the corner for us!

After many months of intentioanlly not introducing the pacifier, Cash has suddenly decided to take it...and by that I mean he likes to have it at all times. Yet another example of having the best intentions and yet, somehow the reality is different. I have to admit that my weakness comes at the effectiveness of the pacifier. It is really nice to pop it in and have the fussiness cease. A nice break when your kid has been trying to cut teeth for weeks!

A few weeks ago, a beautiful patch of Blue Bonnets bloomed across the street from our development. It's the Texas state flower and it seems that everyone here takes their kids to get photographed in them. So when in Rome (or Houston, in this case)...Only a few minor sna-foos; I wasn't aware it was illegal to pick them, so Cash and I both plucked a couple (notice I didn't post those pics). I also had to promptly call Mick to have him google "blue bonnet toxicity" because Cash promptly put said plucked petals in his mouth...and swallowed...and then choked. But, alas, a racing heartbeat later, he was fine and I had slimy petals in my hand.

Trip to AZ

2009-04-15T20:19:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago, Cash took his first plane ride to Arizona to visit his Gigi and Rompa. He was such a champ and, aside from wanting to sleep in bed with me, he handled all the new locations like a pro! We spent the week in Flagstaff, Phoenix and Tucson, so he got to see a lot of the state. He also got to go for his first hike in the desert and swim in the pool. He loved them both! I was thankful to have Mick come out at the end of the week. Travelling on the plane with an extra pair of hands was so much better, even though Cash didn't so much as fuss for a minute! He just kept peeking between the seats at the people in the row behind and giggling. We definately learned that travelling with a baby is not a vacation, but we really enjoyed the time with friends and family!

Our visit with Margo and the fam

2009-03-17T09:14:00.000-07:00

Last week, Margo, Don, and their four kids made the 20+ hour drive down from Michigan to come visit us. It was great to see eveyone and Cash loved meeting his Aunt, Uncle and cousins. We spent a beautiful (and hot) afternoon at the Kemah Boardwalk and made s'mores one evening before bed. I love any excuse to buy marshmallows!

Six Months Old Already?!

2009-03-06T19:42:00.001-08:00

This week marked the half-year point of our little man. Even as I type this, I still can't believe it. Mick and I often look at each other in disbelief that he is really ours and we just can't quite grasp the reality of such an amazing blessing.

This past month was a mix of emotions for me - exhaustion from continued interrupted sleep brought us to a breaking point, but after some Ferber intervention, we are enjoying a full-night's rest and Cash regularly goes down for hour-and-a-half naps without much protest (this week at least!)

The better emotion that's really developed this month, both within Cash and within me as a result of being with him, is joy. Cash is hilarious! This age is so fun to watch. Now that he has cut both of his lower front teeth, we are learning that his personality is very joyful. That huge grin that breaks across his face whenever he sees Mick or me, the contageous giggle that sometimes squeaks out unsolicited, the way he flaps his arms when Bella runs up and drops her ball at his feet. WE ARE LOVING IT!!!

Developmentally speaking, Cash is right on track. He likes to roll himself across the room, only stopping when he gets pinned against the couch or a toy. He can sit up unassisted, but only for brief periods before he tips over. In fact, this picture was taken about a minute before he dove head-first into the jumperoo - poor guy! He now weighs over 19 pounds (82nd percentile), is 27.5 inches long (91st percentile!), and officially still has a peanut head. Cash is also eating like a champ. I've been making most of his baby food, which I really enjoy, and he pretty much likes anything we try.

With how fast the past six months have gone, I know it will be no time before we're celebrating his first birthday. I would love to push the pause button and just enjoy this wonderful stage, but I can't wait to see the little boy, and eventual man, he is growing into!

Praise God!

Visit with Grandpa and Grandma Crawford

2009-03-02T12:46:00.000-08:00

Although it's been a number of weeks since they came to visit, I am just now taking the opportunity to get some photos up of our visit with Lewis and Karen. Cash loved meeting his last set of grandparents and now can put faces with all the names. Since Grandpa Lewis is a gun-afficiando, we tagged along with Oscar and Holder to a local gun show. Lots of interesting characters in this part of the country...

First Photo of the First Tooth!

2009-02-25T19:27:00.000-08:00

Here it is! After weeks of attempting to capture the illusive incisor, Mick finally lay claim on the prize! Just in time for number two to burst onto the scene...

Space Shuttle Discovery

2009-02-19T13:06:00.000-08:00

I went to the Cape last week to work on a CAD Interoperability Standard for NASA (I know, nerd alert). Anyway, as motivation to get everyone to make the trip, we were planning to see the Space Shuttle Discovery launch on 2/12/2009. Needless to say, the launch was delayed and so we took a tour of the Shuttle on the luanch pad instead. As it turned out, it was probably more interesting since we were able to see the hardware up-close and personal. Hopefully I get to go back again sometime to see a launch before the Shuttle retires in 2010.

Cash is five months old!

2009-02-05T06:21:00.000-08:00

We are having a hard time believing that our little boy is almost half-a-year old already! It doesn't seem like that long ago we were in the hospital, awaiting Cash's arrival and now we can't remember what life was like without him.

Cash is closing in rapidly on 20 ponuds. He has really made some developmental strides this month. He has now mastered both rice and oat cereal, as well as bananas, sweet pototoes (faves), apples, carrots (yum), and peas (not the best, but will do). He is also taking sips of water from a real cup, which he finds to be a ton of fun! He can roll from his back to his front now. This is in addition to the front to back rolling he started a couple months ago.

A couple weeks ago, he started to sleep a SOLID 12-13 hour stretch at night, but with the introduction of his first tooth, we have taken a couple steps back. That's ok; we now know he can do it and have a renewed strength due to a week of good sleep.

He is a very active little boy - always wanting to stand and dance. He loves to play and be entertained, which is an all day activity, since napping is not a significant part of our day (his choice, not mine!).

We're looking forward to seeing what changes are in store in the months to come!

Backyard - 90% complete

2009-02-02T07:47:00.000-08:00

Mom's group

2009-01-28T19:19:00.000-08:00

A few months ago, Cash and I started getting together with some other new moms on a weekly basis. It's so much fun to get to visit and watch the kids grow! It's also been great to socialize with other adults - a much needed break from baby-talk! The kids are making such amazing changes and they've gone from just laying on the floor to rolling over and interacting with each other. How time flies!

First Foods and Daddy's 40th

2009-01-17T17:45:00.000-08:00

We started Cash on rice cereal about a week and a half ago. The doctor seemed to think it would help him sleep through the night (it hasn't), but Cash has certainly taken to it right away. We gave him peas for the first time last night. Here are his thoughts on that. This was taken right after he finished gagging. I can't really blame him. I'm not a fan of the peas either.

We also celebrated Mick's 40th birthday this week. Thanks to all who contributed to his memory book. He loved it! We had cake and ice cream on Thursday and then Mick, Cash and I made a daring move and drove an hour into Houston to dine at PF Changs this afternoon. Cash did great and people-watched as we ate our favorites. He even lasted long enough to allow for some window shopping. Cash and Daddy at PF Changs Go wild! Cash the party animal. Playing peek-a-boo with Aunt Reagan

Four Months

2009-01-06T20:18:00.000-08:00

Cash is now four months old! Hard to believe, but it's true. He had his well-baby check today and, although I was worried about how the day would go after his shots, he did great and was only a little more fussy this evening. He now weighs 17 pounds, 8.5 ounces, is 26.5 inches long, and is in the mid-eightieth percentiles for both. We knew he was chunking out, but four pounds in two months is crazy! At this rate, my arms will be ripped by Valentine's Day!
His personality is really starting to develop. He's quite the flirt, and Mick and I could spend all day just trying to get him to laugh. We'll likely be starting him on solids soon and I can't believe that I'll soon have a child sitting in a high chair making a mess!

Backyard Landscaping and a Trip to the Zoo

2009-01-04T18:04:00.000-08:00

Since we live in a new construction home, Mick has been going a little stir crazy with nothing to fix or renovate. So, over the Christmas break, he started to landscape the backyard. While Mick was hard a work doing back-breaking labor, Cash and I played in the yard and enjoyed the very un-wintery weather. It's still a work in progress, but it's looking great already!

We also took Cash on his first visit to the Houston Zoo on Saturday. We're not sure how much he actually saw, but we know he didn't like the smell of elephant poo, (who does?) as he started to wail as soon as we came downwind of it. I can't wait to take him back and watch him get excited over all the animals!

Upwind of the elephant poo

Rarrrrrr!

(Cash) Monkey in the middle!

Trying to get Cash to pose...

That's better!

Putting Cash to Sleep

2008-12-31T19:34:00.001-08:00

Many of the parenting books advise that at this age we should be letting Cash fall asleep on his own, by putting him in his crib "drowsy but awake" and leaving the room. Although I will say that Cash has, on a few rare occasions, done just that, for the most part that sentiment is great in theory. Here's a sampling of reality:

5:50 pm Cash yawns and fusses, signaling it's time for bed.
Diaper change. Fussing. PJs. Fussing. Begin rocking and reading Time For Bed. Increased fussing. Stop reading after page four.
Fan on. Music on. Lights off.
Swaddle right arm. Swaddle left arm. Re-swaddle right arm. Re-swaddle left arm while holding right arm.
Fuss. Fuss. Fuss.
Put Cash against shoulder and initiate simultaneous bounce-pat-shush sequence. Cash yawns...and fusses.

6:05pm Think, Maybe he'll be asleep by 6:15
Fussing decreases. Lower Cash in front of my body and initiate jiggle-dance-shush sequence. Fussing increases. Fussing decreases. Cash's eye close.

6:10pm Transfer Cash's weight from my body to my arms. Cash's eyes open and body stiffens. Fussing. Jiggle more intensely. Dang, this kid weighs a TON!

6:15pm First attempt to lower Cash to the crib. Fails. Repeat bounce-pat-shush sequence.

6:18pm Second attempt to lower Cash to the crib. WHAAAAAAAAAH! Repeat jiggle-shush sequence.

6:23pm Third attempt. Almost...almost...oh no!!! Mick relieves me.

6:25pm Think seriously about banging my head against the wall.

6:35pm I go in to relieve Mick. Cash is now straight-jacket-Houdini swaddled.

6:40pm I'm hunched over the crib. Cash is asleep. My hands are still underneath him. Left hand free. Right hand free. Sneak out the door.
Thank God that's over.

8:15pm Mick and I look at each other and say, "We miss Cash."

9:30pm Fussing

Merry Christmas!

2008-12-26T18:57:00.000-08:00

The Cash Man Giggles

2008-12-23T07:15:00.000-08:00

Here's our little dude laughing. It's a new development, and a welcome one, as the poor guy has been pretty fussy lately. The lighting is not the best as it was taken VERY early in the AM.

Before I was a mom...

2008-12-19T06:58:00.000-08:00

Before I was a mom, I was unfamiliar with 2am.

Before I was a mom, my whole house was clean at the same time.

Before I was a mom, reading things that didn't rhyme didn't seem strange to me.

Before I was a mom, my eyebrows were always tweezed.

Before I was a mom, I didn't know that it takes two days before my hair has to be washed.

Before I was a mom, I would never change my diet in hopes of helping someone else feel better.

Before I was a mom, I'd never been peed on, thrown up on, or smelled like spit up.

Before I was a mom, I didn't know it was possible to be completely in love with two men.

Before I was a mom, I would've fixed the hair that's falling out of my ponytail.

Before I was a mom, I watched television programs from start to finish.

Before I was a mom, I didn't know that a person can still function quite well on months of minimal broken sleep.

Before I was a mom, I didn't use words like poopy, feetsies, or tum-tum.

Before I was a mom, the sound of a baby crying would've been annoying.

Before I was a mom, I didn't laugh at drooling, bald men.

Before I was a mom, my dog got more attention.

Before I was a mom, I'd never gotten a flu shot.

Before I was a mom, I had time to chew my food.

Before I was a mom, I didn't know what I was missing.

This is how we roll.

2008-12-15T08:39:00.000-08:00

Check out our son's mad skills! This is actually the second time he did it beccause I only got half of the first roll on video. What a big boy he's becoming.

Get ready for an onslaught of random things...

2008-12-11T06:58:00.001-08:00

It's been awhile since I've had time to post so here's what we've been up to:

Last weekend we went to Holiday in the Park, which was a cute festival in League City. We felt super privledged because Reagan was working there and she hooked us up with parking behind the barricades - a real treat when you're toting baby gear. It was fun for us to spend such a good portion of the day outside with Cash.

Cash is three-and-a-half months old now. He is quite the chunker, weighing in at over fourteen pounds. He's has really changed in the last few weeks and become more interactive and talkative. He is sleeping much better during the day, which allows for multiple "good" times throughout the day. He's begun to really laugh, and although we've yet to get a good one on video, we did record him ROLLING OVER this morning! (OK, so Mick might had help a tiny bit, but I bet he does it all by himself very soon. It's hard work to flip that turkey leg all the way over!)

We had our first annual Cookie-Palooza a couple of nights ago. Reagan and I wanted to give a little something to our neighbors and friends, which meant baking and packaging a ton of sugar cookies, candy cane cookies, fudge, chocolate-covered pretzels and chocolate-peppermint holiday bark. It was enough to give anyone a sugar high for the next decade, but a lot of fun.

Lastly, it SNOWED here last night! I was so excited I wanted to wake Cash up so he could see his first snowfall, but since I know better than to make a rookie move like that, we waited until this morning to bundle him up and take him outside before it all melted away. Yea! It really feels like winter - and, bonus(!), the mosquitoes should finally all be dead. Praise God!

Some things we are thankful for...

2008-11-30T11:37:00.000-08:00

...and so much more!!! Hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving!

Peek-A-Boo!

2008-11-27T08:41:00.001-08:00

Mr. Bubbles

2008-11-12T07:36:00.000-08:00

This is Cash living up to one of his nicknames.

Early Thanksgiving

2008-11-10T06:45:00.001-08:00

Grandma Eileen and Grandpa Roger came to visit this last weekend and meet Cash for the first time. We enjoyed getting to spend some time together and Cash especially enjoyed all the attention! As has been the accidental tradition for Mick and I the past four years, we celebrated an early Thanksgiving on Sunday and feasted on turkey, mashed potatoes and even pumpkin pie.

Stats and Battle Wounds

2008-11-07T07:03:00.000-08:00

Our boy is two months old already and with that comes the dreaded first shots (note the blue camo band-aids). Cash handled it like a champ, but mommy cried like a baby. The poor little guy did have a rough afternoon, but by evening, he was alert and ready to meet Grandma Eileen and Grandpa Roger.
Cash is now over 13 pounds, 24 inches long and right around the 70th percentile for both.

A couple of firsts.

2008-11-03T07:04:00.000-08:00

Here's a brief rundown of our first time attending a church service with a baby:

"Let's make sure he's changed/fed/burped/content before we leave so he hopefully sleeps through the service." "So you're saying that I don't have time to wipe the spit-up out of my hair?"
The catnap in the car means that Cash is wide awake just as soon as the worship begins. Attempts at worship are interrupted by rapid fire thoughts: "Wow, he's actually content in his car seat. How long is that going to last?" "I just know he's about to lose it." "What if someone tries to steal my baby?" (Head check to make sure his car seat is still on the pew) "Oh great, no wonder he's content; he's pooping."
And then the fussing begins...Which leaves us wondering just how much fussing is exceptable before you're expected to make a speedy exit? Should we dart at the first whimper or wait until a more forceful cry is sounded? I bolted pretty quickly and enjoyed the rest of the service nursing Cash in the bathroom, and since I could still hear the worship, I sang along from my place of exile.

One more thing. Cash spent his first night in his nursery last night. He did great and it was so nice to have Mick and Bella back in our room instead out on the couch. Hopefully the next step is sleeping through the night. Ah, a girl can dream!

More Halloween Pics

2008-11-01T08:08:00.000-07:00

Happy Halloween

2008-10-31T10:40:00.000-07:00

Here are a few photos of our "Little Monster." More to come...including photos of the Amazing Bellarina in the physical manifestation of her imaginary pigsuit.

Dewberry Farms

2008-10-20T10:09:00.000-07:00

We tagged along with the Penas on their annual "Pumpkinpalooza" to Dewberry Farms on Sunday. Mick and I were so happy just to be outdoors and away from our house that we didn't even mind leaving before we were able to pick a pumpkin. Although I was still shell-shocked from my experience the day before, Cash did very well - he slept most of the way there and back (almost three hours round-trip) and put up with us taking him in and out of the stroller for photo ops. We left early so as not to push our luck.

The calm before the storm

2008-10-18T08:48:00.000-07:00

I started this blog totally excited about a parenting praise report and then was interrupted by the most difficult day of motherhood I've had by far.

First the good news. We've been trying to get Cash to sleep in his bassenet for a while now, but to no avail. He seems to prefer sleeping next to me (co-sleeping opponents: please keep your opinions to yourself :) ) However, last night we used the "miracle blanket," swaddled Cash tight, and voila, he fell asleep for five whole hours in the bassenet and then went back in after each time I fed him. Now mind you, I was too anxious thinking he would wake up at any minute that I did not sleep a wink of those initial five hours, but I loved that we were making progress in that department.

Now the bad news. Mick had set up a "daddy-date" with some of our fellow-new-father friends to go to a movie today. I looked forward to visiting with my friend Rebekah and her two-week-old daughter while our guys hung out. Cash however spent literally the entire two-and-a-half hour visit either non-stop nursing or frantically crying when I tried to burp him or change sides. Not fun; rather painful actually. This was totally ruining my I'm-such-a-successful-parent-that-my-child-never-has-a-meltdown-and-I-would-totally-know-what-to-do-if-he-did-anyway fantasy that I was trying to live in. Then, when I finally decided to excuse myself before I completely fell apart, my car wouldn't start! I had to call Mick home to rescue me. Needless to say, I didn't make it out of our friends drive way before being reduced to a sobbing mess.

I guess this is just the first of many good, bad and ugly experiences to come. If the half-done hair and fact that I always have spit-up somewhere on me didn't convince me, this certainly showed that motherhood is very humbling.

P.S. When we got home from the meltdown, Daddy was able to put Cash to sleep within ten minutes and now he has been asleep (alone, in his bassenet!) for hours. Go figure!

Cash and Aunt Ray-Ray

2008-10-13T12:03:00.001-07:00

So super cute...I had to share it!

First Smiles!

2008-10-09T14:58:00.000-07:00

So Cash has started to socially smile now. Yesterday, Mick and I each got one, which was a real treat! Forgive my cheesy-ness in the video. I now have a habit of pluralizing random words like "what." A girl will do almost anything to make her little guy happy...even if it is singing a song about "stinking poo-poos" while changing his diaper.

One Month Old!

2008-10-04T09:10:00.000-07:00

I can't believe our boy is one month old already! Time really is flying by. Cash is an eating machine, weighing in at over 10 lbs now.

Things I've discovered about being a new mom

2008-09-24T09:51:00.000-07:00

1. I become completely incompetent at changing diapers in the middle of the night. (The other night I put the diaper on inside out, but it was after I fixed it that Cash and I were covered in pee. Figure that one out?!)

2. When you're carrying around a baby in one arm, your foot automatically becomes another hand. (Quite handy when loading the washing machine, I might add.)

3. Why is it when I start to sing my son a song, it turns out to be either 80's rock or the Star-Spangled Banner?

4. I am terrified of the bulb syringe. You could suck his brain out with that thing!

5. While a poopy diaper makes me proud, I was totally grossed out by the umbilical cord and eye boogers.

6. If I don't burp Cash after he's fallen asleep nursing, and instead hope to put him in his bassinet still sleeping so I can get some shut eye, those darn hiccups will wake him up every time!

7. It's totally unfair that Mick has to go to work all day while I get to spend my day with the most handsome little boy ever. We miss you, Daddy!

Bath Time

2008-09-22T09:27:00.000-07:00

Although Cash generally doesn't like bathtime, he loves getting his hair washed. It's pretty funny to see him fuss through the all the other parts and then just lay there wide-eyed through the grand finale. Soon he will be able to have a real bath and not just a rub down!

Family Visit

2008-09-22T09:24:00.000-07:00

Grandma and Grandpa Anderson came to visit Cash this weekend and we so enjoyed having them here! I'm not sure Cash was set down the whole time. We are looking forward to their return visit in November!

Two week stats

2008-09-20T16:47:00.000-07:00

Cash had his two week check up yesterday and we can't believe how much he's grown in such a short time! He now weighs 7 lbs 15 oz and was measured at 21 inches. The nurse was pretty generous with the length and we think he's probably closer to 20 inches. The funny thing is the percentiles. Cash is in the 25th percentile for weight and 60th percentile for height. I mean, come on, have you seen his parents? He does have my go-go-gadget limbs, but I still can't get over how little he is. I am grateful, from a laboring perspective, that he wasn't bigger though.

Pictures from our time as refugees

2008-09-17T10:09:00.001-07:00

Update

2008-09-16T16:35:00.000-07:00

Just wanted to let everyone know that we are back home in League City. Thank you so much for the prayers...we returned to very minor damage to our home which is incredible considering that we took a direct hit from the hurricane. The news has featured the destruction at Kemah a lot and, to give some perspective, it is literally minutes from our house. My sister and brother-in-law held down the fort and it was nice to have a contact here to let us know what we would be returning to and when we could come back safely.
I'll try to post new pictures of Cash soon. Internet has not been the priorety since we've returned. We've been busy trying to get re-adjusted to being home and I've been under the weather with an infection. Cash is such a good baby. It's ironic that having a child has not been the most stressful part of the last week and a half. He is truly a blessing!

Prayers Please

2008-09-12T11:36:00.000-07:00

Just wanted to send out a prayer request. We have had to evacuate from Hurricane Ike and are currently holed up in a hotel in San Antonio. The hurricane is likely to make a direct hit on our general area and therefore it doesn't look too good. We are very blessed to be out safely, however my sister and brother-in-law are having to ride out the storm. Although they are super-star warriors and I'm sure will be fine, I worry about them.

Cash is only a week old, but we already feel like pros. We've had to deal with an eye infection and a major natural disaster. Anyway, we could certainly use your prayers as well as prayers for everyone else who is/will effected by this.

Home Sweet Home

2008-09-08T12:21:00.000-07:00

We have officially survived our first 24-hours at home as parents and I must say we were pleasantly surprised at how smoothly it went. Cash even slept in his bassenet long enough for me to catch a couple solid chunks of sleep. Much needed as I probably only had a combined total of five or six hours in the previous four days.

Cash is eating well and we're steadily figuring out a little routine of diaper changes, feedings, and naps. Cash is not much of a cry-er yet, however he really doesn't like to have his diaper changed. It is pretty funny just how excited we get over our little boy making a poopy diaper. You'd think he'd just cured cancer or something. My sister got quite a kick out of the fact that he had already pooped before he was born (something that can be dangerous, but wasn't in our case.) I think it just proves how much of a Crawford he really is.

Anyway, all is well here. We are just so blessed to finally have Cash here with us!

NEW DAD TYPES BLOG ENTRY WITH ONE ARM WHILE WIFE AND SON SLEEP

2008-09-06T12:45:00.000-07:00

This is pretty wild being a naw dad. I worry about mom and Cash, although both are healthy. When things quiet down and he actually lets me hold him, I just stare at him and almost tear up (I said almost). He is so perfect and I feel such an overwelming sense of gratitude and blessing. I love him so much and he dosen't really even know who I am but I don't care. Then comes the next knock on the door and I hold my breath and hope that he keeps sleeping as another staff member barges in to take or leave something. They're not here for him this time but mom wakes up and offers to relieve me. "Not yet," I say,"he's still sleeping."

Introducing Cash Michael Crawford

2008-09-05T01:15:00.001-07:00

Cash Michael Crawford was born September 5th at 12:41 a.m. with a length of 19.5 inches and a weight of 7 lbs 1 oz. We are so blessed that he and Caitlin are both healthy and happy. She made it look easy after pushing for just over an hour. Thank you God!

HERE COMES CASH

2008-09-04T16:28:00.000-07:00

So here we are! It feels strange typing this but Caitlin's water is officially broken. The OB just did the honors. Anyway, that was akward. So it will just be a matter of time now. I can't promise that we'll have any minute by minute entries but I may try to do one more before it happens (I'm not confident that I'll actually have a chance to though). They just asked Caitlin if she wanted to have here tubes tied after this???? We made sure they recorded the correct response. Any way, I'm getting funny looks from the nurses so I think I'll go. Please say a prayer for us. Say it now and mean it. Thanks everyone and comment to the blog if you'de like so that I can tell Cash and Caitlin that your thinking of us. Thanks.

Due Date

2008-09-04T09:45:00.000-07:00

It's finally here!

That's one BIG belly!

The Daddy and his "dog"ter

It's hard to believe that it's here - the day we've been focused on for the past nine months - and I've been in labor for over 24 hours now...just not "real" labor.

I woke up yesterday morning with a series of painful contractions, and then nothing for an hour or so. That's how it went all day yesterday - the contractions would come consistently, although not at regular intervals, for a period of time, and then I'd go back to being normal. I finally called the doctor in the afternoon, who said that I was probably in "false labor", which can turn into the real thing within hours or days.

So as Mick and I headed to bed around midnight last night and my contractions started up again, we thought we'd be heading to the hospital, but within an hour and a half, the contractions were still irregular and I'd sent Mick out to the couch to sleep. I spent the rest of the night being kept awake by the false contractions.

Now the thing about false labor is, it still really hurts! It just doesn't come regularly so the progression of labor doesn't get underway. Hopefully, they will start to regulate soon, because this all-of-the-pain, none-of-the-progress business is not so fun.

Come On!

2008-09-02T13:59:00.000-07:00

I'm going to be pregnant forever.

I know, that's a bit over-dramatic, but I really feel that way today. We just got back from the doctor's office and, once again, nothing to report. I am officially 40 weeks pregnant, two days from my due date, and no further along in the labor department than last week.

The good news is that we won't be inducing this week. However, if I haven't delivered by my next appointment on Monday (four whole days after my due date!) we will likely be scheduling an induction then. All I know is that I really, really, really don't want to have to go to that appointment.

When I step back, I have to laugh at how many demands I'm trying to make on the process: I don't want to miss my due date, but I don't want to be induced; I want Cash to come in his own time, but I want that time to be soon; Please keep us from having to deliver in San Antonio, and, now that we don't have to go, please let Cash come now. I'm a walking contradiction. The truth is, God has already picked out the day and time of Cash's arrival and I'm just along for the ride.

Update

2008-08-31T20:45:00.000-07:00

Yea! We did not have to leave home after all. Fortunately for us, but unfortunately for Louisiana residents, Gustav looks like it won't be an issue for our area. I can't describe the relief of being able to stay home and not stress about potentially giving birth in a strange city, in a strange hospital, with an unknown doctor. It does make me aware of the families in our same circumstance who are having to evacuate. They are most definately in our prayers.

Too Much at Stake, Cash versus Gustav!

2008-08-30T07:43:00.000-07:00

We're probably going to evacuate on Sunday to San Antonio ahead of the hurricane. With Caitlin due on the 4th, it's definately poor timing I know. Although the current Huricane forecasts do not expect Gustav to hit Houston, the models have consistently shown it's predicted path migrating towards the west with a developing sharp left turn as it nears the coast. Considering what's at stake, the uncertainty associated with the forcast models, and the fact that it's already a cat 3 huricane, we're not going to wait to see what happens! The last thing I want is Caitlin going into labor while stuck on highway 10 in 100 degree weather with no place to go (remember Rita). Now, hopefully Cash will cooperate and wait until we are back home safely to come.

No Baby Yet

2008-08-28T09:21:00.000-07:00

After our doctor's appointment this morning, there is unfortunately nothing new to report. She did say that this weekend would work well for her, as she is scheduled to be on-call, but that if we haven't delivered by Tuesday, we can consider induction. That's not really an option Mick and I want to exercise unless it's what's best for Cash, so hopefully he'll just make Labor Day weekend literal.

We are also keeping a close eye on Gustav, the tropical storm/soon-to-be-hurricane that could potentially be heading our direction right about the time Cash is due to arrive. How crazy would that be? My brother-in-law's sister had to evacuate for Hurricane Rita a mere 24 hours after giving birth to her daughter, so we know that the hospital will really kick you out if a big enough storm threatens. Chances are, nothing will come of this for us, but we did get instructions on what to do from the doc just in case.

Waiting, and waiting, and waiting

2008-08-26T08:52:00.000-07:00

This past week, time seems to have s l o w e d to a c r a w l. I know Cash will, without a doubt, be here sometime within the next week or two, but it feels like the longest time of my life! Every little change or nuance makes me wonder if this is the beginning of labor and Mick calls me throughout the day to see "how I'm doing," which equates to "has my paternity leave started yet?" We are both so anxious to get moving forward!

At the doctor's appointment last week, they again stated he'd likely be a timely child, but I'm hoping for him to come early. Yes, I can't wait to meet him, but I'm also selfishly concerned about stretch marks, which I have been blessed to avoid so far. I know it totally speaks to the vanity in me, but what a bummer to then get them in the last couple of days. I'm sure many mother's reading this out there are laughing at me right now. Whatever, it's not pretty, but it's the truth.

I have another appointment on Thursday so hopefully there will be marked progress by then.

And the count down begins...

2008-08-19T07:56:00.000-07:00

Well, I almost can't believe it but we are 38 weeks today. Even though I know that most first babies aren't early, I can't help but feel a bit like a ticking time bomb that could go off at any moment. Our doctor's appointment last week got me excited as there were some definate signs that things are moving forward, however as it goes with babies, that's not a sure sign that labor is approaching.

Mick and I have been busily preparing all the things that are still unfinished. We've now got a nursery full of pre-washed baby clothes and linens, decorations that are hung and strollers that are put together and functioning. There is still plenty to do, though, as we've yet to pack a hospital bag, put the car seat in the car or sterilize the bottles and pacifiers. My mom had a brilliant idea about pre-cooking meals and freezing them, so that is my project for this week. I am also desperately trying to finish the parenting books I started and Mick is focused on us getting together a birth plan.

I'd say the emotions are a bit all over the place right now. One minute I am crawling out of my skin with anxious anticipation of meeting our son, and the next I am selfishly introverted, realizing that very shortly I will be unable to park it on the couch for hours and answer only to my own whims. All of that and this overwhelming sense of gratitude to God for what He has provided for our family. There is a scripture that jumped out at me from a baby book my grandma gave us. "I prayed for this child, and the Lord has granted me what I asked of Him." (1 Samuel 1:27) That is so true for us. We began this journey really unaware of how difficult it would be at times and how much we would need to rely on God throughout the process, but now being near the end of a healthy pregnancy, how can we not be incredibly moved by His grace, mercy and perfect timing?

We can't wait!

Texas Baby Shower

2008-08-10T17:30:00.000-07:00

This past weekend, my sister and mom hosted another baby shower for Cash and it was so much fun! My Grandma and Aunt Jill flew out from Colorado for the party and we got to spend the past couple of days visiting and catching up. I must say that after both showers, Cash is not going to be hurting for anything. He is going to be a well-dressed, well-cared for little boy! I had been stressing out the past couple weeks about being uncertain on whether or not we had enough of the things we need, but after surveying the nursery today, I feel very relieved. Thanks to all who have blessed us with gifts for our little guy!

We are in our final few weeks and I can't really believe how quickly time has past! I have spent the past few days "nesting" by washing all Cash's clothing and bedding, as well as trying to figure out what we still need to do in order to prepare. Mick has been helping by putting together the stroller, bouncer and bassenet. Although our doctor assured us last week that I am probably not going to deliver early, one of the couples from our childbirth class had to be induced over the weekend three weeks early, so you never know. I can't believe that by this time next month, we will definately be in the full throws of parenthood!

Edouard

2008-08-05T07:03:00.000-07:00

So Mick took off work yesterday amid all the hype of Tropical Storm Edouardo possibly turning into a hurricane and aiming right for us. This is our first experience with this kind of weather and the excitement of all the preparations and uncertainty.

Mick spent well over eight hours in the sweltering 100+ degree heat and humidity finishing up our hurricane shutters and helping some neighbors to do theirs. It was a long and laborious day and when all was said in done, we sat entombed in our home, awaiting what has turned out to be a pretty lame rain storm.

Don't get me wrong, we are soooooo grateful for some cooler weather and for the fact that we won't have to water the lawn for the next week, but we are dreading having to unscrew all 376 pins to remove the shutters in the upcoming days. It was a good run through, though, as we now know that we have enough panels, pins, and bolts to secure the whole house in the event of a real hurricane.

Nursery/Baby in Progress

2008-07-30T07:56:00.000-07:00

Here are some updated pictures of the nursery. It's really coming together with the bedding and draperies. We have some decals to put up still, but I haven't quite figured out the design of them. It's so fun to think Cash will be in here in the very near future!

I'm 35 weeks this week and that means I'm nearly in my ninth month. Although I have started to get uncomfortable (as I type, I keep getting distracted by the sausage-like limbs that used to be my fingers), overall I'm still able to carry on most activities as normal. I was laughing the other day as I was on my hands and knees, scrubbing the bottom of the shower - this is not the picture I had of myself at eight-and-a-half months pregnant, but I am grateful that the pregnancy has been so blessed this far. I will say, however, that I could do without the severe heartburn that wakes me from a dead sleep feeling like my chest might rip open. Yeah, that part's not so fun.

Mick has been keeping busy working on building a shelving unit in the alcove in the living room. It's really coming along and it will be so nice to have it done before Cash comes. He's been missing the hands-on aspect of the work he did in California, so this has been a good outlet. The poor guy is getting less sleep than I am. He keeps claiming that I've developed a snoring habit, but I think he must be mistaken. I blame it on Bella. That's what dogs are for.

California Baby Shower

2008-07-15T11:40:00.000-07:00

I spent this past weekend back in California for my first baby shower. It was so beautiful and so much fun! A huge thanks to everyone involved, especially Kim and Ashley, who managed to put it all together with a 4-week-old baby and the fun of being 4-months pregnant respectively. And I thought I was tired!

Independence Day

2008-07-06T19:21:00.000-07:00

Happy 4th of July! We had quite the plan to enjoy our holiday by our brand new community pool, but a huge rain storm had other ideas for us. Instead, we had a low-key afternoon and then went to a yummy cook-out at my sister's in-laws house. Thankfully the rain stopped in time to have a really enjoyable evening. After dinner, we headed home to roast s'mores and watch fireworks, which we could see clearly from our front yard. We set off a few fireworks of our own, but were totally put to shame by the ones our neighbors had. Fun this year, but I'm not sure how much we'll appreciate the close-proximity booms with a sleeping baby at home in '09!

Cocoa Beach

2008-07-03T13:40:00.000-07:00

Mick had a work trip to NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida earlier this week and I was lucky enough to get to tag along thanks to some free Southwest Airline tickets that Reagan and Oscar gave us. It was a nice get away and likely the last one we'll have before Cash makes his debut.

On Monday, Mick went onto NASA to work, but he also received an up-close-and-personal-tour of the grounds. He got to see all sorts of things that are usually reserved for NASA personnel and astronauts, including standing directly underneath the launch pad. Apparently the grounds have a lot of preserved space on it, so he also got to see lots of alligators enjoying the land. The picture above is not one he took, but at the same location that he saw them.

I mostly hung out at the pool and walked along the beach picking up seashells. I tried to enjoy every moment free of parental responsibilty. There aren't a lot of them left.

San Antonio

2008-06-23T14:04:00.000-07:00

Mick and I headed out to San Antonio this last weekend to visit our friends who recently moved there from California and to have a get-away before Cash gets here. What a treat to get to visit with Tania, Tobias and Elliot here in Texas! We are no longer the lone California rangers in the Lone-Star State.

We spent most of Saturday walking around the Riverwalk and visiting the Alamo. Although it was quite warm, we broke up the day by heading into the A/C whenever possible and resting at the hotel when needed. It was so handy to be staying in a hotel with direct access to the Riverwalk, especially with a pregnant lady and 5-month old in tow.

Father's Day

2008-06-19T08:26:00.000-07:00

Here are some pictures from Father's Day. We had a pretty mellow day; we went swimming, fiddled around the house, and bar-b-qued in the evening. I think Mick really enjoyed being able to choose what we did without any complaining (or, as I call it, "discussion") from me. His favorite phrase for the day was, "I reserve the right to change my mind because it's Father's Day." Although it's been fun for both of us to celebrate these holidays, we're well aware that this is the freebee year. Next year, we will have truly earned the titles...and we can't wait!

Also, Mick has been busily "hurricane-proofing" our house. The builder provided us with hurricane shutters, but we are responsible for drilling the pins into the exterior of the home so that the shutters can be afixed to the windows. We had been quoted anywhere between $750 and $1000 for someone else to do the job, but capable as he is, my husband decided he would take on the task. Plus he got to buy new tools. What is better than that? Since we have somewhere around 31 windows/doors that need to be covered, with many of them requiring over 12 pins each, this is quite the project. He has pretty much finished the downstairs, which thankfully holds the majority of windows. Hopefully, the storms will hold off until it's all finished!

Uhhhhh.......just kidding

2008-06-12T16:06:00.000-07:00

So I am forced to amend my last blog post. We had our second childbirth class last night. Remember the part I wrote about the childbirth video making me "more excited and less anxious" about the process? That was because 95% of that video was animated. They pulled out all the stops last night with not one, but three (!), real-life video births and, let me tell you, I was more than a little horrified. So much for that "knowledge replaces fear" idea.

Crib and Nursery

2008-06-09T13:05:00.000-07:00

Busy with Baby Stuff

2008-06-04T15:11:00.000-07:00

This week marked the 27th week of pregnancy and, according to one of my pregnancy books, the start of the third trimester. I can't believe how fast time is flying! We had our first childbirth class on Wednesday. It was pretty entertaining. The teacher had us go around the room, introducing ourselves and giving various information including how we told our spouses that we were pregnant. Some of the stories were funny and I was surprised to learn that not one, but two of the couples had found out by taking a pregnancy test in the local Wal-Mart bathroom. If that's not stereotypical Texas, I'm not sure what is!

We were also shown the birthing video. I thought that we'd be given a few weeks to work up to that, but instead found myself watching in anticipated horror at the television screen. Mick made a sarcastic comment about it being a good time to take a coffee break, which brought an awkward silence from the moms in the room and a bunch of snickers from the dads. I was in the corner feeling my ears turn red. I didn't appreciate the joke at the time but have giggled about it over the past few days. He is such a funny guy and just said what every other man in the room was thinking. I hope Cash gets his sense of humor. Long story short, the video wasn't so bad and I found it made me more excited and less anxious about the labor process.

A few weeks ago we bought the furniture for the nusery. It's so fun to walk into that room and see it beginning to take shape. I can just imagine my son in one of his cute little outfits being rocked to sleep or snoozing in his crib. We have yet to set up the crib, but as soon as we do, I'll post a picture. These are the letters I bought and painted to hang above his changing station. Mick wanted me to make sure that I let everyone know that he designed the "H." It's my favorite one.

We also registered at Babies-R-Us last week. I had really looked forward to that but didn't realize how overwhelming it would be. We found ourselves starring at the shelves in a mix of wonder and confusion. What is that? Do we really need this? Just how many burp cloths is appropriate? Which type of bottles/diapers/pacifiers should we use? We began to feel as if we would never make it out of there. We finally made it to the toy/activity section and began shooting the price gun with reckless abandon at anything that caught our weary eyes. We then gave up before we could tackle the clothes department. After I returned home and checked the registry on-line, I realized that we had scanned four baby gates, countless bibs, and more toys than we would know what to do with. Needless to say, I've had to edit a bit.

Lastly, here's a semi-updated photo of the baby bump. It was actually taken a few weeks ago but due to technical difficulties with our computer, I haven't been able to upload it until now. Cash is getting much bigger and his activities inside the womb are a lot more fun to watch. Sometimes my whole belly shakes rapidly from side to side as if he were rocking out in there! I haven't figured out what he's doing but it makes me smile.

He has a name!

2008-05-21T07:55:00.000-07:00

The whole naming process is a lot more difficult than it seems. Mick and I had "picked out" names before we were pregnant, but when the reality hit of how significant this will be for our son, those names went out the window. It's not only about what we like, but what seems right for this particular child. I mean this is how he will be referred to for his whole life. It is often the first thing most people will know about him. The weight of it all seemed daunting...that and the fact that Mick and I couldn't agree on anything!

But, alas, I was relieved to discover that we would not have to wait to name him until after he was born as I had feared. When I came back from California we began to toss this name around and discovered it met one very important criteria...we both liked it. Finally, we were getting somewhere! Then we began fishing it out to various people as a possibility. The reviews were quite comical at times. We could tell who didn't particularly care for it by the way they immediately began throwing out other names for consideration.

Now for the other important criteria - does this seem right for this child? To the best of our knowledge in what we are learning about our son, yes. However, Mick wants to reserve the right to change his mind in the event that when we see him, we decide that we were mistaken. I don't think it'll happen but you never know.

I've kept you in suspense long enough. Our son's name is Cash Michael Crawford. Cash means "maker of chests." While the meaning of this name is not that profound, I believe it's what our son brings to the name that is significant. He should define his name, not be defined by it. And, if he hates it, he can go by his middle name.

So we feel we've covered our bases on the name issue as best as we can. Now we just can't wait for him to get here! One final thought, in case you are wondering. We promise to not name future children Check, Credit or Debit.

Happy Mother's Day

2008-05-12T10:31:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was my first Mother's Day, and although I'm sure it'll mean something completely different next year, it was still fun for me to be able to celebrate. We went to a Mother's Day buffet with my mom, Reagan and Oscar, and met Reagan's in-laws there as well. Apparently I was a source of entertainment for some of the other diners as we waited in the line for omelets because I was already munching on a chocolate eclair. If that's not the picture of pregnancy, I don't know what is.

Mick was very sweet to make sure I had a nice day. He bought me a beautiful boquet of flowers, shopped for baby furniture and bedding with me and even gave me a foot rub. What a guy!

Here are some photos from the day.

Miscellaneous

2008-05-08T11:35:00.000-07:00

With the absence of any real noteworthy news, here's a few odds and ends:

* By popular demand (or the fact that a couple people have mentioned it) I've changed the settings on the page so that anyone who so chooses can leave a comment. This means you no longer need a google ID to let us know your deep thoughts on the posts. If you post under anonymous, though, just remember to type your name in the message box.

* I got to spend last weekend in California visiting with friends and attending a baby shower for Kim. It was great to be back in the ol' stomping ground again. It is an interesting paradox to live in a place that does not yet fully feel like home and then to return "home" only to find that it no longer fits either. All part of the process I'm sure. I really enjoyed getting to see everyone and am looking forward to our return in July.

* The baby's movements are getting more and more profound. I pushed into my belly the other night and felt an actual body part moving underneath my fingers! It was both awesome and creepy at the same time. I tried to get Mick to feel but the baby wasn't cooperating and then Mick got a little worried he might "squish" him.

* Mick and I are both entering into what I've termed the "freakout" time of the pregnancy. On a scale of 1 to 10, I'd say I'm still averaging at about a four with periodic spikes of 8 or 9. For me, I am faced with the reality that I am going to have to somehow get this baby boy out of my belly. No option really sounds that appealing, which is why I've tried to avoid thinking about it until now. With only a few months left, I can no longer pretend that he will just magically appear without permanent damage to my body. For Mick, I think it is the realization that our lives as we know it are going to cease to exist and this child will take over. Although we are well aware that this is a wonderful blessing, we have NO IDEA what to expect except that everything will change.

*Lastly, we are this close to choosing a name. We'll keep you posted as soon as we decide for sure!

Our first visitors!

2008-04-30T14:42:00.000-07:00

We've officially broken in the guest room. Our friends Scott, Kim, Madison and Savannah (otherwise known as our son's future wife) came out last week to visit while Scott attended a conference. Kim and I took Madison to the Houston Zoo on Thursday. The zoo itself was really enjoyable, but the heat and humidity found the two pregnant ladies wanting to hide out in the only air conditioning around - the bathroom. We spent the next couple of days laying low just trying to recover!

On Saturday evening, we all went down to the Kemah boardwalk to ride some rides and have dinner. They have live music on the weekends and this time it was something called Zydeco, which is like Cajun bluegrass. Right up our alley! Madison was sooo cute dancing to the music and I just couldn't resist joining in. It was really nice to have friends here as we are still very much in the process of making connections here.

A few hours after the Blands left, Mick's mom, Eileen, and her husband Roger arrived for a visit on their way across country. They brought along their dog Gidget who is due to deliver puppies any minute now. We've been watching her like a ticking time bomb. It's really funny because the whole thing weirds me out. We can see the puppies move in her belly and although I can watch my son do the same thing in my stomach, it totally freaks me out to see it on her. I know I'll have to go through this at the end of summer, but I just don't like to think about that part!

We went to the NASA Space Center on Monday and got to tour the NASA campus. We saw the old mission control room that they used when they landed on the moon, as well as the astronaut training facility. We even saw the new lunar rover that they will take up to the moon in 2020. It was really and interesting trip. It made me want to be an astronaut!

Today we headed down to Galveston Island to see the Titanic Exhibit at Moody Gardens. It was pretty neat to be able to see actual artifacts from the wreckage. We each received a boarding pass with the name and information of a real passenger from the ship at the beginning of the tour, and when you reach the end you get to find out whether or not you survived. Unfortunately, Eileen and Roger didn't make it, but my lady and her two sons did live. Whew!

Baby Clothes

2008-04-26T12:45:00.000-07:00

Now that I can finally shop for gender-specific clothing, I had to start filling the closet with some boy-friendly duds. Here are a few shots of the outfits I got, as well as some that the Blands brought us when they came to visit this past week. Although I have to admit that boy clothes are not nearly as "awww"-inducing as girl outfits, it's so fun to imagine my little guy in them in just a few short months!

It's a Boy!!!!!

2008-04-21T09:22:00.000-07:00

I can't believe it, but there's no mistaking it! We are having a son! I haven't been able to quit smiling all morning. I was pretty convinced that we were going to have a girl, so I guess the jokes on me. As far as names go, we were set on Emily, but seeing as that would totally get the boy beat up, I guess we'll have to come up with something else. That may take awhile.

The baby is very healthy, right-sized for his age and development. He was cracking Mick and I up by poking himself in the eye. You can see him do it in one of the ultrasound photos. We also got to see him yawn and drink the amniotic fluid. It was difficult to get good facial shots because he always had his hands up by his face and he was resting his head on the placenta. Mick asked the tech if she could tell whether or not the baby was cute, and she said yes. (Although, what else would she say?)

Anyway, I'll spare our son future embarrassment and not post the "proof" pic, but these are the latest shots.

Settling in - finally!

2008-04-14T07:23:00.000-07:00

"As for me and my household, we will serve the Lord." Joshua 24:15

Whew! What a long and exciting weekend! We are officially in our new house so I guess that makes us real Texans. I can start to hear the drawl already.

We closed on our house on Wednesday and were anxious to get in and claim our domain, however due to the back log of work that the contractors still had to do on the house (touch-ups, etc), we were met with a group of strangers in our home and we were the ones who felt like we shouldn't be there. We stuck around waiting for a refridgerator to be delivered that didn't actually show up until Friday. Thus began the craziness of waiting windows and rescheduling appointments that dominated the next couple of days. Thankfully, most everything did eventually get done. I wouldn't really expect anything different for this type of a move anyway.

By Thursday night, Mick, Bella and I were sleeping in our new bed in our new house surrounded by boxes and happy as clams. There is just something so comforting about being reunited with our stuff. I'm sure that says something about me psychologically but whatever.

Anyway, Mick and I had to run to Best Buy to get a wall mount for the TV and there by the checkout stand were boxes of the illusive Nintendo Wii. We had toyed with the idea of getting one for the past couple months but they were always sold out. This seemed like striking gold! How could we not buy one? We had some extra Christmas money, and since mine will likely be spent on maternity clothes, Mick generously ponied up for the game. Reagan came over on Saturday and we all "played" tennis and bowling. (I use that term loosely, because I mostly just swung my arms with reckless abandon and hoped I did something successful.) My mom and Aunt Mary came by last night for dinner and Mick and Mary really battled it out in tennis. Good times were had by all.

Lastly, here's an updated picture of the baby bump. This week is 20 weeks! I can't believe that I'm five months pregnant and half way there already. The baby has been kicking daily which is fun for me but not quite interactive enough for anyone else to get to participate. Mick is the only other one whose felt it and that's probably because it's not awkward for him to have his hand on my belly for an extended period of time waiting for something to happen. The best part about being 20 weeks is that we get to find out what the baby is next week! We are beyond excited since we've waited an exceptionally long time to find out. Be sure to check back next Monday for the official word!

Soooo tired of apartment living

2008-04-09T10:03:00.000-07:00

We are winding down to our last nights at the apartments since we closed on our new house this morning (Yea!). It couldn't come soon enough either. The apartments themselves are decent enough but we experienced some interesting things last night that made us all the more anxious to leave.

First we took Bella out for a walk and were greeted by a cockroach crawling from the neighbor's apartment. Yuck! If there's one bug that Mick cannot stand, that would be it. It was pretty amusing - and loud - to see how Mick tried to kill it. It think we got it, but those suckers hold on to the last minute.

Then we were pleasantly walking around the parking lot when we couldn't help but notice that a ground floor bedroom window had its blinds partially up and a pair of feet sticking near the window. When Mick casually mentioned this to me, we realized that those feet were actually attached to a hairy, naked man whose bum was out for all the world to see! Of course, I found this hilarious and had to call my sister right away to share the story. I mean, come on! Close your blinds, man!

Anyway, as I mentioned, we did close and are officially homeowners once again. Tomorrow is a crazy day with something like 6 or 7 different deliveries/vendors scheduled throughout the day. I'm tired just thinking about it. I'll try to snap some pics and get them posted this weekend. Now, I just hope our new neighbors aren't exhibitionists...

A quick thought...

2008-04-03T09:46:00.000-07:00

So, up until this point I've considered pregnancy to be pretty boring. I hate admitting that, what with all the creation going in my body, but I've certainly realized even more how uninvolved I actually am in the process of this little one's development. With the baby's movements getting more profound this week, I feel so excited about this phase of pregnancy! Not only am I physically conscious of when the baby's is awake, I can even see things happening as my belly moves. Yea! This is the time I've been waiting for!
P.S. In case anyone's keeping track, we're over eighteen weeks...almost half way there already.

Odds and Ends

2008-04-01T09:13:00.000-07:00

We received a nice little surprise last night. I was fretting all day about how the baby's doing, which, thankfully, has not been an often occurence for me thus far. I'm not sure if this was intentional or a scheduling error, but I have seven weeks between my last doctor's appointment and the next one. This creates lots of time to wonder just what in the world is going on in there. I hadn't been feeling the baby's small movements in a number of days, so my imagination was running a bit wild.

Anyway, I was reading with my hand on my belly, when suddenly I felt a definate bump under my hand...and then another. It really surprised me because this was much stronger than I had ever felt before, strong enough to be able to feel it outside of my body! Of course, when Mick tried to feel, not a whole lot happened, but after waiting patiently, it started up again and he got to feel too. What a treat! I may just make it the next three weeks until our doctor's appointment after all.

We've been very busy with things pertaining to the new house lately. We close next Wednesday, and so we've been dealing with the endless tasks of inspections, walk-thru's, setting up utilities and insurance and financing, as well as coordinating furniture purchases and deliveries. It's nice that I'm not working, because it makes dealing with all this stuff easier. I really couldn't imagine trying to orchestrate all this while working fulltime.

Mick is enjoying his work and has been put on a project called "Constellation." He will be working closely with NASA and, as I understand it, the project deals with the replacement for the Space Station. Mick is excited because a childhood dream of his was to design something that would go up into space and now he has that opportunity. Now he just needs to make it complicated enough so that they have no choice but to send him up there to put it together! Fat chance, but we can still dream.

Happy Easter!

2008-03-22T19:37:00.000-07:00

Why do you look for the living among the dead? He is not here; He has risen! Luke 24:5-6

We had the pleasure in partaking in some Pena family fun this weekend as we celebrated Easter. We went to Reagan's in-law's for their annual Easter egg hunt and confetti battle. Holder and his cousin Lauren had a blast running around searching for the hidden eggs and everyone enjoyed smashing the confetti-filled eggs all over one another. Mick and I understand that we got off pretty easy and when Oscar is here next year, we should be prepared to have them smashed inside our clothing and down our pants. Ah, something to look forward to...

Last Wednesday evening we attended a very moving service at the church we've been going to that was heavily focused on Jesus' crucifixion. That heaviness has left us anxious to celebrate the miracle of His resurrection and salvation tomorrow. We hope you enjoy your Easter holiday!

Was that...?

2008-03-19T10:21:00.000-07:00

So I'm about 96% sure that I've started to feel the baby move. I actually thought I felt something last week, but since no one can really explain what it feels like when the baby moves, I figured I'd just wait and see. Sure enough, I've felt that same odd sensation again throughout the past few days. It's almost like a little twitch that I don't seem to notice until it's over. Now I find myself sitting quietly and intensely focusing on my lower abdomen to see if I can feel it again. Things are definately progressing!

Things we've discovered

2008-03-18T09:28:00.000-07:00

1. The clouds move ridiculously fast out here. It doesn't matter if it's stormy or windy or calm - they speed across the sky like I've never seen before.

2. Good traffic control is hard to find. Apparently this area has a real shortage of traffic engineers because the lights are exceptionally long and it's clear that the population increased too rapidly for the roadways to keep up. It is a much slower pace.

3. The weather is best categorized as "schizophrenic." Each day can vary so much, from sunny and warm to cloudy and windy to torrential rain storm and all combinations of the above.

4. The transition hasn't been as difficult as I thought it might be. What a blessing this has been! Anyone who knows me is probably aware that change is not my strong suit. In fact it's more of a duck-and-cover-until-I-stop-freaking-out kind of experience. Thankfully, God has lots of grace for us in this move.

5. I now know intimately the bathroom habits of my dog. When you control the only opportunities to "go potty," you quickly find out how many times she does her business and worry when she hasn't done it enough. I hope this is preparation for the baby, because otherwise it's just sad.

6. The people here really are very nice. Now, I never really felt like Californians were rude, but this puts a whole new meaning on helpful. The Department of Transportation has a customer service number, and they don't seem irritated that you've called it. What a concept!

7. If there was any question of whether this part of Texas was part of the Bible-belt, there isn't now. It seems as if every other billboard has an ad for a church or a slogan such as "Got Jesus?" I'm enjoying the onslaught of wholesome stimuli for a change.

8. We like it here. It's not as though we thought we wouldn't like it, but we were afraid that we might not. Oak Park is a hard act to follow, but we are enjoying the things that League City has to offer and trying not to compare too much.

House Hunt and Baby Bump

2008-03-12T06:21:00.000-07:00

Sorry that I haven't updated the blog in awhile. I've been well-intentioned for the past few days, but haven't been able to quite get it done.

We have been moving forward with the new house. There's so much that needs to be taken care of with a purchase like this and even though this isn't the first time we've purchased a home, I have to admit that I wasn't really as involved with the last purchase so it feels all new to me. The house is in a new development that is still well under construction. My sister and brother-in-law live in the same community and we are all excited for the rec center that is being built. It has a nice pool, playground and splash pad for kids.

The house itself is two-stories. One of the things we really liked about it is that it had the master bedroom and an additional bedroom downstairs so I won't have to tread up and down stairs all night once the baby comes. It has a formal dining room, a study (that we'll use as the baby's room), and a game room upstairs - all standard features in homes out here. It really is amazing how far your dollar can go when it comes to housing in Texas. We feel so blessed by what God has provided for us financially through the sale of the townhouse. Mick and I are not big spenders or extravagant people, but a down payment and furniture purchases can feel just that way. It has made the process both ackward and exciting.

Bella has given it her seal of approval already. We snuck her in to check it out the other day and she ran up and down the stairs, explored every inch of the backyard and panted like crazy when she finally felt satisfied that she had been everywhere - twice. She is really going to love having all that space to play!

Anyway, we are very excited as a few people have made plans to come visit this spring and we want to extend an invitation to all our friends and family that you'd have a place to stay if you make the trip!

As far as the baby is concerned, I'm finally starting to show at 15 weeks! Somedays are still bigger than others, but I do have a consistent little bump. I have to laugh because if I walk by another pregnant woman, I catch myself trying to stick it out more so that she knows I'm part of the club too. Our poor child doesn't stand a chance with a dorky mom like me, but hopefully there will be enough grace not to do too much psychological damage :)

We're here!

2008-03-04T06:49:00.000-08:00

Although we arrived in League City on Friday afternoon, this is the first chance I've had to update the blog. It has been a really busy few days and there is much to tell, so brace yourself - this may be a long one.

The Trip:
First things first, our drive out was pretty uneventful and easy. The longest day was the leg between Tucson, AZ and Fort Stockton, TX. Although the drive time was supposed to be about eight to nine hours, it ended up being ten because we spent an hour stopped at a rest area trying to staighten out issues with our insurance change over.

Now, if you've ever taken Interstate 10 through this part of the country, you know there is a whole lotta nada between El Paso and San Antonio. (Hence the photos; what else is there to do to keep occupied?) This was especially apparent when we got to Fort Stockton, because when we arrived at 10pm, the hotel parking lot was pretty full of tired travelers, but by 8am the next morning, Mick and I seemed like the only ones left in town. Everyone else had long moved on to other destinations. Well, everyone except the scorpion that Mick found crawling towards our hotel room door to greet us in the morning.

We drove to San Antonio the next day and although Thursday and Friday held shorter drive times, they felt like the longest days because we were anxious to get to our final destination. We finally rolled into town about 2pm on Friday and were able to get settled into our new, temporary home pretty quickly. Which brings me to point number two...

The digs:
We're staying in a furnished one-bedroom apartment that backs up to a golf course. It's nice and we're getting used to having to take Bella outside everytime she needs to go to the bathroom. We thought we had it down until we tried to get away with not taking her out right before we went to bed last night. That resulted in us stumbling around at 2am trying to get dressed and braving the 30 degree temps in order to get Bella to go back to sleep. Yeah, that won't happened again.

The first night in the apartment, we discovered that the bed we were provided with made a ridiculous amount of noise when you sat on it, layed on it, moved on it, etc, so we did not get much sleep at all. After two nights of being woken up any time either of us adjusted even the slightest bit, we took the bed apart and put the matress on the floor. We ended up finding the noisy culprit, a broken box spring, so we're expecting our new, bigger, hopefully quieter bed today.

The job:
Mick's first day was yesterday and it went well. He got there early and got all the things set up and transfered over pretty quickly. He also said he went to lunch with about four other guys, all of whom had moved to Texas from California at some point. Although he mentioned that there was some training programs that they wanted him to go through, Mick was planning on bugging people for some real work to do today.

The fam:

We've been able to see my sister and mom pretty much daily since we arrived. My nephew, Holder, was with us this weekend and he enjoyed playing with Bella, who is way more interested in having him throw her ball than in interacting with the other dogs here. Missing Boswell, I guess.

On Saturday, we went down to the marina with Holder and Mom to look at the boats. Mick and I daydreamed of how cool it would be to live on a boat like our friend Ethan did in Ventura, but then we realized that having a dog and a baby in no more than a hundred square feet might not be realistic. Which brings us to...

The kid:
It's a long story, but due to the move and different diagnostic guidelines here than in CA, I got to go the the doctor yesterday and get a detailed unltrasound of the baby. Since Mick was working, my sister Reagan came with me. It took forever (our appointment was at 9:15 am and when all was said and done, it was 2:15pm) but it was really good to have Reagan there with me. I was able to hear the baby's heartbeat for the first time and we also got a foreshadowing of a potential behavioral issue to come.

The ultrasound tech needed to take certain measurements, but the baby was not cooperating. After roughly 30 minutes, she told us we would need to leave and come back later in order to give the baby time to get an attitude adjustment. It's so funny because I apologized like it was somehow my fault, that I should somehow be able to get my child to behave. Whatever. We went to lunch and when we returned, the baby was much more ameanable.

It was really fun to get a glimpse of what's going on in there. The baby was "jumping" up on the side of my uterus and sliding back down. It has long monkey limbs like mom, and Reagan and I had to fight off a bad case of the giggles when it hit itself in the head. All we could think was "quit hittin' yourself!" Any how, these are the latest pics. You can see that go-go-gadget arm waving hello on top.

P.S. Although, I asked, more than once, we do not know the sex yet. We have another ultrasound on the 21st of April, so hopefully we'll find out then!

The house hunt: (last category, I promise!!!)
We started hitting the pavement over the weekend. It was crazy to realize that there would be no down time or adjustment period before we would need to start thinking about where we're going to be in a month. We have found a place that we're planning on putting an offer on this week. I'm not going to say much, because a lot needs to happen before anything is set up, but it is a two-story, 5-6 bedroom, new construction home that is across the street from the house we were considering on our house-hunting trip a few weeks ago. I'll keep you posted as the week goes on.

Whew! Love to all and I'm impressed you made it to the bottom!

On the road again...

2008-02-26T08:54:00.001-08:00

Here's some pictures of moving day. The packers had cleared out the house by 3pm, but we didn't actually get on the road until 4pm. Kim and Madison stopped by in the morning to drop some stuff off and we had fun watching Madison jump on the bed with Bella and play "Mary Poppins" with our umbrella.

The drive to Palm Desert was pretty easy, just three and a half hours. We got off the I10 at Palm Springs so we got to see the town which is really quaint and cute. We'll definitely have to come back and visit sometime.

Traveling with Bella has been pretty good. We do most things in shifts so that Bella is always taken care of. As you can see by the photo, she's doing well. She found the sunny spot in hotel room to snooze this morning. We're heading out to Tucson shortly and look forward to dinner from our favorite Chinese food restaurant and visiting with friends!

Texas Bound

2008-02-24T22:01:00.000-08:00

So tomorrow is D-Day. The movers should be here early in the morning to pack up the furniture and boxes and then we'll be on our way. We've had such a wonderful last weekend here. Last night, Scott and Kim hosted a good-bye party for us. We really enjoyed time with friends and we felt so loved and supported by them. It meant the world to us and it makes this transition so much easier. We can't thank all of you enough!

We'll try to update the blog on the road, but it'll be dependent on Internet access. Mick and I just really want to say to all our California friends that you really have become family and we will miss you more than we could say. Although our relationships will be changed by distance, we are confidant that it won't be changed in our hearts. Love you!!!

Conspiracy Theory

2008-02-22T13:32:00.000-08:00

*Disclaimer: Hormonal Pregnant Lady Rant

I'm convinced that phone companies have a diabolical plan when it comes to manufacturing. Every phone that I've owned has broken or literally fallen apart just a couple of months before my service contract is up. This is SO frustrating! This really puts a consumer in an unfortunate position. Either spend a fortune on a new phone without extending my contract (which in a month or two will be worthless because of starting a new service plan) or renew the contract for another year or two in order to get the better deal on the phone. Not a great situation either way.

So a couple years ago, Mick and I thought we got smart when we had to replace our phones. The kid at Radio Shack convinced us that for the bargain price of $55 per phone, we would be ensuring that if anything went wrong short of losing the phone, we would receive a replacement, in store, and free of charge and hassle. We had the opportunity to test it out months later when the screen on my phone broke and I couldn't access any numbers. The customer service rep on the 800 number gave us a hard time, so Mick and I charged into the store that we bought it in preparing to let them know that we would no longer be customers if they did not hold their end of the bargain. We were pleasantly surprised when the manager profusely apologized and replaced my phone with an upgraded one on the spot. We've spent the last year singing their praises instead.

Unfortunately, Mick's phone started acting up recently and when we returned to Radio Shack to get it replaced, we were met with more run around and told to call the 800 number. After some convincing, the customer service rep agreed to send us a new phone, free of charge, in ten days. Well, 15+ days later, we had not received it so Mick called and found out that they never followed through on it and would no longer offer us that deal.

To make matters more frustrating, my phone broke into two separate pieces this morning as the movers were packing us up. Now we have one phone that works well occasionally and one that does not work at all, and a company that will not replace them as they originally agreed to. Mick and I really believe in voting with our dollar, so we will no longer be consumers at Radio Shack. I find it disturbing that a place of business can promise one thing, take your money, and then change their mind. Whatever happened to integrity?

Needless to say, I may not have your phone number anymore, so please email it to me. I really want to be able to stay in touch. I can be reached on Mick's cell. If you don't have his number, shoot me an email and I'll give it to you.
caitlinanderson916@hotmail.com

Family Time

2008-02-20T15:07:00.000-08:00

Here are some photos from the various times we've had the pleasure of hosting family members out here in CA. Every time Mick and I would discover something new around LA, we'd excitedly plan to take family there the next time someone came to visit.

Not much time to write today. We're in countdown mode with our final walk-through with the buyer of our house tomorrow and it is also Mick's last day at work. The movers are coming to pack us up on Friday. I can't believe we move in five days!

Open House

2008-02-18T13:22:00.000-08:00

We had our open house on Saturday and many friends came by to say good-bye. It was a really great day and we enjoyed getting to visit with people. After it was all over, I realized how sad it was that this would be the last time we would see many of our friends before we move. I've been trying not to be sad about this transition, but the truth is that it is very hard to leave.

California is the place that Mick and I forged a life for ourselves, separate from any influence, and really discovered who we are as individuals and as a couple. We've grown so much and been changed at the core. To pick up and leave this all behind is more daunting to me right now than it is exciting.

All that aside, we are confident that God has blessed our move to Texas and that He has much to do with us there. We had the pleasure of being prayed out by our church family yesterday and having that support behind us is very freeing.

It's a...breakdancer!

2008-02-15T15:58:00.000-08:00

Oh my goodness!!! We had another doctor's appointment today and we got to see our little baby. I had been praying for another ultrasound because they don't always do them at this stage and I was desperate to see how things are coming along in there! We got more than I could've hoped for. Not only did we see a beautiful baby with two arms, two legs and the cutest little nose, but we got our very first dance performance too. Already taking after Daddy, the little one was flipping around, waving its arms and doing "the worm." Our little breakdancer!

Up to this point we've been predominately thinking girl, but Mick thinks he saw "boy parts." Keep in mind, it is too early to really tell the sex and the doctor didn't mention anything about it. All that really means is that we need to stop only thinking about girl names and start considering more manly monikers.

Yea!!!!!!!

My Husband the Hillbilly

2008-02-14T15:23:00.000-08:00

So as all couples know, there are some revelations that come out in a relationship well after anything can be done about it. For me, it was the shocker that my husband really likes bluegrass music - the twangy-er, the better. Now as a pop music princess, this was not an easy thing to deal with. I mean, come on. Fiddles? Banjo? The washboard?! Once the initial horror and confusion wore off, there was only one thing for me to do: love and support my husband no matter how red my neck might get.

This last year, we had the opportunity to go to a few different venues that featured bluegrass music. In May, we went to the Topanga Banjo and Fiddle Festival and what do you know - I actually enjoyed myself! In July, we talked Scott and Kim into joining us for an evening of bluegrass at the Ford Amphitheatre. Although four hours of this particular genre got a tad old, we still had a great time. Also, I can't tell you how excited Mick was to find out that he could get bluegrass music 24 hours a day by just selecting a specific channel on our tv. There was even a time when we considered naming one of our children Banjo, but then we realized that we weren't cool enough to pull that off.

Although I never imagined myself saying this, I'm sure we'll be listening to twangy music for many years to come. Happy Valentine's Day!

11 Weeks - Thoughts On Pregnancy So Far

2008-02-12T15:08:00.000-08:00

Now, I know that a positive test and a visible heartbeat should convince a girl, but am I really pregnant? Are you sure? What about now? Huh.
I'm starving!
Why did I eat that? or Why did I eat all of that?
I can't believe I have to pee again!
No, I'm not grumpy. How dare you insinuate such a thing.
How much do I weigh?!? Already?!?
8am: I can still fit into that. 12pm: How did these pants shrink while I'm wearing them? 5pm: Wow! I'm showing! 8pm: It is just unnatural to have that big of a stomach in just 12 hours. 8am: Hey, I can still fit into that...
Elastic is my friend.
Oh no! Here come the waterworks.
Mmmmm...Ho-Ho's

Doctor's appointment this week. Yea!

Carney's

2008-02-12T08:58:00.000-08:00

A little over a year ago, Mick and I started thinking that our time in California might be coming to an end and that we hadn't done nearly enough to take advantage of all this area has to offer. We decided to try to fit lots of things in from going to the Hollywood Bowl to see Hall and Oates to Disneyland to exploring the famous roads like Sunset. One afternoon we took off in search of a really good hot dog and we navigated our way up Sunset to Carney's Famous Hot Dog Stand. It's smack dab in the middle of one of the most scenic parts of the city in an old train car. The hot dog itself left something to be desired but we enjoyed the drive and the experience.

Point Dume and the Sand Dune

2008-02-08T15:39:00.000-08:00

When Mick and I first moved here, it was so fun to go explore the areas around us. The first beach we went to was Point Dume in Malibu. We loved that you could park for free, there were always dolphins swimming by, and if you hiked a short ways, you could see this incredible view of the coast. This became a "must-do" whenever we had family come out.

Another fun discovery was this random giant sand dune that is just off PCH on the way to Camarillo. We'd drive down Kanan Road and follow the coast north to Portraro, always passing this vast patch of sand that scaled the hillside. One time, we were making our rounds with Mick's mom, brother Bryan and nephew Camron, when we just couldn't resist stopping to conqueur this beast! Although it was quite a hike, the view from the top was amazing and you can't beat the ride down!

California Memories

2008-02-06T09:27:00.000-08:00

I can't believe that our time here is coming to an end...just two and a half weeks to go. It is such a different feeling moving away from here than it was moving away from Tucson. I don't really remember being sad or nervous about moving out here because I was so ready to get out of Arizona and experience something for myself. Mick and I had just gotten engaged and were excited to be embarking on this new phase of our lives together. I never imagined all that that would mean.

I remember telling my sister how much I really wanted to make some friends and now we have a whole community of people we absolutely adore and regard as our extended family. The first time we came to see the townhouse that we would later purchase, this strange-looking, but extremely cute little dog came trotting around the corner, followed by a blonde California girl. We introduced ourselves and found out she and her husband lived right next door. She was so friendly and I remember thinking how great it would be to have neighbors our age and maybe, just maybe, we could be friends. Flash forward four years and I can't imagine my life without the friendship of Scott, Kim, Madison and Boswell. Not seeing them every week is definately one of the hardest parts of this move.

We also had been looking for a church to get involved with and have been so grateful for the Shepherd's House. It really was a place for us to learn, grow and become established in our walks with the Lord. The thing that intimidates me the most about the move is finding another church that we can call home. I'm just trusting that God has picked out a place for us and is preparing it in advance.

So as we count down these last days, I'm going to post pictures and stories of our adventures here and enjoy remembering all the wonderful things that this time in our life has brought.

Super Tuesday

2008-02-05T09:24:00.001-08:00

So I have this pet peeve with candidate endorsements. How is it that a news organization, supposedly unbiased and neutral, can publically back one candidate over another? I have a really hard time believing they are impartial once they've done that. I think that objectivity should trump personal opinion when it comes to the news, but that's just me.

New Pants

2008-01-30T09:05:00.000-08:00

So I'm retiring my first pair of pre-pregnancy pants. Granted, they were the type of jeans that, fresh out of the dryer, had to be convinced they still fit me before loosening up for subsequent use, but since I only have two pairs, half my options are gone. I spent the last week rigging them closed with a rubber band, but that only works so well.

Now, it's not as though I'm showing yet. I just have this thickening of my mid-section that gets quite large throughout the day. Before I was pregnant, I didn't understand why women in early pregnancy would dismiss comments of their mini baby bumps by saying, "Oh, I just ate," or "Yeah, I look fat" and I swore that I would celebrate each growth stage. But now I get the issue. It's too early for the swelling to be because of the baby's size, but late enough for something to be distinctly different. It's seems silly not to try to "suck it in" at this point. What's a girl to do?

I read in our Pregnancy Week by Week that the baby's now an inch long and has eyelids and fingers and toes well into development. A couple weeks ago, we read that the appendix was already formed. I found it very interesting that it is made so early in the process yet we have no idea what it is for. It really is a miraculous process!