Gobble, Gobble

We really enjoyed our Thanksgiving with the family. The biggest downside, however, was that we all got sick with colds. Asher and I started coming down with something the day we left on our trip, and by the following night, Asher woke us up early in the morning with heavy, labored breathing and a very scary cough. It seemed like croup, but he was much worse than I had ever seen him, and we were nervous about the breathing especially, so we took him to the emergency room. Fortunately, it was just croup, and he was breathing better in no time. We were all relieved to go back to bed knowing he was okay!

Asher seemed so much better the next day, and I was hopeful that the worst was over for him. Unfortunately, his croup turned into a full-blown cold, and pretty soon, he was hacking away with regularity and having trouble sleeping. I, on the other hand, did not get a bad cough (thankfully!) but was completely congested and had a horrible runny nose and just felt crappy. Eric managed to avoid it until the day before Thanksgiving but he too eventually succumbed.

So, it wasn't quite the trip or the Thanksgiving I had envisioned (delicious food just doesn't taste the same when you can't breathe), but we still had a great time. Asher still had his good times with Grandpa, and he discovered that he REALLY loves his Aunt Nikki (my sister-in-law). I mean, really. He spent hours sitting on her lap or laying on her shoulder. It was the sweetest thing ever! I was practically begging her to move up here so she could babysit him all the time! My poor brother, Chris, didn't get any of the love that Nikki was getting (neither did my mom or Eric's mom), but you can't win them all I suppose! Asher also enjoyed some quality time with my parents' chickens. He even got to pet two of them (watching my dad chase them down and capture them was seriously hilarious). Asher really loves those chickens!And then there was the big reveal, the highlight of our trip (aside from turkey and my favorite Mexican food, of course). My mom had everyone vote for whether we were having a boy or girl, and the vote was pretty much exactly split (I think there were 10 eligible voters). My mom swore that she knew we were having a boy, and I had to jump in and clarify for some confused people that she didn't actually know, she was just guessing.

I had wrapped up a onesie and had my brother, Aaron, open it up, and it revealed that we were having a girl! It said "Little Sister" on it, so there was no doubt. There were definitely some surprised people, and some who weren't surprised at all. It felt both great and bizarre to finally have everyone know after so long.

My mom still has her doubts and wants further proof. You crack me up, Mom!

And then we flew home to rest and recuperate. I have to admit that it felt great to be back at home and in our own bed after several restless nights. We put up our Christmas tree and decorations, so I guess it's on to the next holiday now!

The Big Reveal

After weeks and weeks of waiting, I am so pleased and excited to announce that we are having a.....

GIRL!

That's right, a little baby girl! I was truly fine with having another little boy, but I have wanted a little girl for a long time, and to know that I will definitely have one thrills me to pieces!

The ultrasound tech saw her girl parts right away on the sonogram and later came back and confirmed it for us once again and said that there were no boy parts in sight. And then she told us that we were in for some interesting times because, as you can see above, this little girl has her hand on her forehead in a dramatic gesture...that's right, folks. There's drama in utero already! We are in TROUBLE! Or, as my mom says, "Payback!"

It is so fun to be able to look at girl clothes and think about the girly things we'll be able to do together! And I know that Asher will love having a little sister.

So there you have it. Thanks for all your patience, and I hope it was worth the wait!

Also, Happy Thanksgiving!

24 Weeks

This pregnancy is really flying by for me. As you can see, I am carrying fairly high, and sometimes I feel like I'm suffocating if I am slouching while I'm sitting. So I guess that helps me have good posture! :) Overall, I am feeling really good! Occasional headaches and migraines but nothing major. I feel very blessed to be having a great, pretty easy pregnancy (this is my post-1st trimester self talking!).

I've been feeling the baby moving around for a few weeks now, but I am definitely starting to feel the movement with more regularity than before. I was told at my last sonogram that my placenta is in front of the baby instead of behind, which can prevent you from feeling some movement at times, but I think that as this little bean is growing, that is less and less a factor!

I saw my midwife last week, and everything looked great. I gained 7 pounds in a month! That really shocked me. The good news, however, was that that's the only true weight I've gained thus far! I had lost 6 pounds initially, gained them back, and then gained another 7 pounds on top of that. So, I guess technically I've gained 13 but am only 7 pounds over my starting weight. It's awesome that those first few months of misery are now paying off! If only I can keep it up! I only gained about 22 pounds with Asher, which was fantastic. I'm not going to count on being as lucky this time around, but I'd be lying if I didn't say I wasn't a little hopeful to be close to that!And I also have to say that being pregnant over the holidays is, quite frankly, AWESOME! I have been looking forward to Thanksgiving for quite a while. We haven't spent this particular holiday with our families in two years, and I am so excited to hang out with them and also, most importantly, eat my mom's super yummy food! In case you haven't heard, I really love food and am looking forward to indulging myself!

Well, and of course the other major excitement of the holiday is sharing the news with them of what we're having! I definitely can't wait for that! I'll be posting that news on here as well on Thursday afternoon, so be sure to check back!

Six Years

It's hard for me to believe that Eric and I have been married for 6 years today. Wow how time flies. It seems like just yesterday, I had graduated from college just a couple weeks prior and was living at home while looking for a job. I was looking forward to a night out with my older brother and his friends....there was one friend in particular I had my eye on but had met only once many years prior...his name was Eric (in case you hadn't guessed). It was December and he happened to home for the holidays from medical school.

That night, Eric and I chatted the night away, and we were really hitting it off. Later on, when a few of us went to a night club, he bought me some drinks, and we did a little dancing. And later still....there might have been a little bit of kissing going on in a dark corner of the club. I will neither confirm nor deny this possibility.

That was a great, fun night. When I went to bed later on, I could hardly sleep. Eric and I spent time together the next night (after he first checked with my brother to make sure it was okay, which it completely was), but the following night, he would fly back to North Carolina to finish his final semester of school. We decided that we wouldn't really keep in touch since we were on opposite coasts for the next several months. However, he called me two nights later, and we talked for hours. Pretty soon we were talking every single day despite what we had said. And a few weeks after that, Eric surprised me by flying out and taking me out for my 22nd birthday.

During the following months, we saw each other a few times, and it was clear that there were strong feelings. He ended up coming back to Arizona to do his residency, and we were inseparable after that.

We were married a year and a half after we met, and here we are now. The past 6 years have taught me that marriage is rewarding and also a lot of hard work, especially when work life is stressful, and once kids enter the picture. But it's also wonderfully fulfilling and indescribable to have someone who is always in your corner. Eric knows how to make me laugh, and he is always supportive and caring, especially when I need it the most. I'm so glad that we stick together no matter what, and he is truly my partner in all things. (Photos from May 2008, courtesy of Kathy Daly)

I am so fortunate to have such an awesome husband. He is also a really amazing dad, and that is so important to me. Watching Eric and Asher together melts my heart and puts a huge smile on my face.

I can't wait to see what the rest of our many years together bring!

My Little Man

My Dearest Asher,

I love you more than words can express. I love you even when you throw a Transformer at my head or spit on your hand and then wipe it on me, and even when you dump my glass of orange juice on the carpet. I love you even when you spread every single toy you own throughout the house and refuse to put them away, and even when you repeat a request a hundred million times and I ask you to wait just a minute.

I love you even when you decide that you're finished eating and dump your remaining food on the floor when I'm not looking. I love you even when it takes 20 minutes to get you dressed and ready because you fight me every step of the way.

I love cuddling with you every night and waking up to your super sweet smile. I love that you give me a good morning hug and kiss, and then you kiss my stomach and say, "Morning!" to the baby in my belly. I love that I can leave you with someone that you trust, and you are happy to play with them the entire time and be okay without me. That makes me happier than you'll ever know.
I love that you love your daddy so much, and when you hear the garage door in the evening, you yell, "Daddy!" with such enthusiasm and run to greet him after his long day of work. I know that's one of the favorite parts of his day.

I love how have pretend conversations on the phone with your grandparents and uncles because you love talking to them on the phone all the time. It's so cute how similar all the phone calls are, too:
"Chris? Hey! Yeah. Yeah. Alright. Okay. Bye bye!"

I love how your vocabulary has been growing by leaps and bounds, and you are really getting effective at expressing yourself. I can see how happy it makes you that we understand your wants and needs so much better (and just because you can say the word "sucker" and "cookie" doesn't mean you always get one...). I love how you have finally ended your several month long anti-book phase and once again enjoy me reading books to you...and now you even point stuff out and repeat stuff back to me. I love it!
I love your infectious laugh and that you looooove being tickled or having me scare you by jumping out of a hiding spot. You and I have a very similar sense of humor, and it cracks me up.

Asher, you are so wonderful in every way, and your daddy and I love you and adore you so incredibly much. Thank you for being you.

Moving On Up

There are changes going on around here! We decided that rather than move all of the baby furniture out of Asher's current bedroom and into the office, that we would instead keep that room as the nursery and make the office into Asher's new room. The past few weeks have been busy as we moved the office out of its current location and then bought and put together a new bed, dresser, and bookshelf for Asher. We've also really been talking up his new "big boy room" and getting him excited about it.

His room is looking pretty good. The bed is beautiful, and we found a dresser that I think matches really well. Today, we finally got a few things up on the walls. There's still a few more things to do, but it's done for the most part. Asher really loves his new room, and one of his favorite things to do is for all of us to hang out on his bed (it gets a little crowded, needless to say!).

Here's Asher on the first night the bed was set up. He was in heaven!

Here's the rest of the room:

I've also gotten all of his clothes and closet belongings transferred over to the new room. The only thing left for him to do is actually sleep in there! It feels so good to get things more organized. It really satisfies those nesting cravings!

Photo Session Sneak Peek!

This past weekend, we did a 15-minute mini-session with Sweet Feet Photography.  The photographer posted two of our pictures as a sneak peek, and here they are:

I can't wait to see how the rest of them turned out, especially the family photos!