Baptism

On March 21, Lucas was baptized at our church here in Redlands, The River CRC.  It was such a cool service - not only did they welcome new members and do profession of faith, but also had several baptisms....AND A WEDDING.  Yes, a wedding! A couple at our church were struggling financially and the River offered to pay for a wedding and have it done at the end of the service.  It was a huge testimony to God's redeeming love as this is a couple that had struggled for years with drugs, alcohol, prison etc.  If you're interested, you can watch the service online by clicking here (March 20th morning service).  

After church we had lunch with lots of friends at Olive Ave Market (my favorite here in Redlands).  It was such an encouragement to know that God has blessed us with great friends in Redlands even in such a short period of time.  I cling to that and His faithfulness that He will provide all that we need as we make the transition to New York life.

23 Weeks 2 Days

Notice no more match day countdown! We'll update with moving countdown shortly! 

How Far Along:  23 weeks and 2 days 

Size of Baby:  Baby is the size of a little doll (or mango?) and is well over a pound.  In 4 weeks, the babe will double his/her weight which is pretty crazy to think about.

Total Weight Gain/Loss:  Up 6 lbs as of my last appointment.  I think they are starting to pile on now.

Maternity Clothes: Maternity pants and a mix of maternity/non-maternity shirts.  

Movement:  Yes, and it's becoming more and more predictable - usually at night before I go to bed and most of the time after I eat something sugary (like fruit or juice, or let's be honest, the pack of girl scout cookies that it now almost completed).

Sleep:  Definitely not sleeping like I used to since I constantly toss from one side to the other.  But I guess that's good training.

What I miss:  NADA. 

Cravings: I think I am eating normally, except for eating more frequently. 

Symptoms:  Bigger belly, not as easy to keep my activity up to where it was.

Best Moment this week:  Lucas and I started our registry at amazon.com and Target. 

Random Updates: Not a whole lot going on except for planning the big move. I think we've settled on a moving company and now are deciding what comes along and what gets left behind.  We've got a big Goodwill pile going.  

23 Weeks 2 Days

New York New York

I should have seen it coming.  There were "signs" everywhere:


-My mom made us a fleece car seat cover and brought it out a couple weeks.  Sorry mom, but at first I didn't think it would get much use (fleece in Loma Linda? in Texas? no way!).  I retract my initial opinion!


-Elisa was cleaning out her garage and came across some stroller "mitts" (built in gloves for me to push the stroller with) which I thought may be a good idea for when I travel back to Colorado.  But now I think I will be using them quite often between the months of Nov and April.


-Sarah sent me a cute 3mo fuzzy onesie.  Enough said - that will be used for sure! 


-And last but not least, on our way to the match ceremony (where we received our envelope), JayZ's "New York" was on the radio.  Ironic? I think no.


So the night before the match celebration, I had a revelation of where I thought we would be going:

But here's what happened in reality....

So we're off... to STONY BROOK, NEW YORK (LONG ISLAND)

21 Weeks 3 Days

How Far Along:  21 weeks and 3 days 

Size of Baby:  Baby is the size of a large banana and should just be approaching the 1 pound mark!

Total Weight Gain/Loss:  We'll see - I have a doctor's appointment on Wednesday.  I suspect I am up about 5-6 lbs from pre-pregnancy weight.

Maternity Clothes: Pretty much retired my jeans and am trying maternity pants, dresses or sweats.  Long shirts work really well.

Movement:  Yes! See this post.  AND Lucas got to feel something going on in there a couple of days ago.  The babe was going wild (probably just in a good position for us to feel it).  Hasn't happened again, but I bet that is coming soon. 

Sleep:  Sleeping great these days with the exception of at least one, sometimes two bathroom breaks.

What I miss:  NADA. 

Cravings: Not really.  I think I am eating pretty normally. 

Symptoms:  Bigger belly, not as easy to keep my activity up to where it was.

Best Moment this week:  Not baby related...but Lucas matching!!! 

Random Updates: Nothing much to report here.  Just cruising along.  Life may get a little busier come Thursday when we find out where we are going to be living for the next 5 years and whether or not that involves a big move.

Belly pics for the week - post "Black Monday" (ie the day when you find out whether you match) celebratory dinner.

Congratulations, you have matched.

That's all the email said and I suppose it's all that it needed to say.  Lucas is going to be an orthopedic surgeon! Thursday we will find out where all of this will happen!

So we ask....

Where will we spend the next 5 years?

Weekends Away...

Before the babe arrives, Lucas and I are definitely getting our fix of weekend getaways! In the past two weeks, we've made it up to Petaluma and out to Phoenix (just in time to pay nearly $4/gallon at the pump, lovely).  


Last weekend we headed out to sunny Phoenix to FINALLY visit my dear friend, Lobelia and her husband Mike.  They graciously agreed to Lucas' non-negotiable request to see a Giants game during Spring Training.  We were lucky to get seats for the sold out game rather than standing room only which meant literally standing on the concrete aisle/walkway for the whole game.  

Lobelia and I trying not to roast in the sun

I hope this is no predictor of the Giants season because they lost pretty miserably to the Oakland As (0-5).  I was disappointed to not see my favorite Giant, Brian Wilson (Zach Galifianakis anyone??) or to see the new and improved (down several lbs), Sandoval "Panda".  Just the old timer, Pat Burrell who in my opinion should have retired last year after the big win.  

After the game we met up with one of my good Westmont friends, Jessie and her fiancee Robert at a swanky place in Scottsdale, The Culinary Dropout.  They had amazing pretzels that you dip in melted provolone cheese, but not so amazing service in my opinion.  

Jessie and I - she makes me look even paler if that is even possible

Sunday we went to Liberty Market, a really great breakfast place in Gilbert, followed by a service at L and M's new church.  


We had a great weekend with great hosts! :) Hopefully we can squeeze a few more of these weekend getaways in before 1. L starts residency and 2. the babe arrives! 

20 WEEKS (and 3 days)

How Far Along:  20 weeks and 3 days (we were gone this weekend so didn't get to post right at 20weeks!)

Size of Baby:  Baby is the size of a cantaloupe. 6.5 inches and 10.5 ounces...but at our ultrasound a week and a half ago, the babe was measuring 10 ounces so I suspect this is off.

Total Weight Gain/Loss:  Thinking I am up about 3 or 4 lbs now. Should be more, so I am increasing my snacks.

Maternity Clothes: Starting to make the transition to maternity jeans.  I wore my belly band with a regular pair of jeans and was in pain by the end of the day.  I think I will need to retire these soon.  Sticking with longer shirts and lots of cardigans that are easy to layer (and fit!).

Movement:  Yes! See this post.  We had a dry spell with little movement up in Petaluma, but as soon as I got home, the babe was very very active.  Still waiting for Lucas to be able to feel it!

Sleep:  Sleeping great these days with the exception of at least one, sometimes two bathroom breaks.

What I miss:  NADA. 

Cravings: I think I may be getting out of the orange phase.  Not sure what it will be replaced with.  Mostly, I want salty things.

Symptoms:  Bigger belly, not as easy to keep my activity up to where it was.

Best Moment this week:  Hum, well I think I am still riding on the excitement of seeing the babe during the ultrasound.  I love just staring at the pics we were able to get.  It's crazy to think that we will meet him/her in about 20 weeks! 

Random Updates: Tried to go jogging the other day and it was not pretty.  I felt like I had swallowed a brick which was pushing down on my pelvis.  Not very pleasant.  I am sticking to walks and the elliptical which doesn't seem to have the same effect.  ALSO, a very important date is approaching - in exactly 1 week we find out if L matches and then 4 days later, we find out where we match to! We appreciate your prayers during this wait...we are so anxious! 

Belly pics for the week - post gym workout.

Baby Gear

This past weekend, Lucas and I headed up to Petaluma to celebrate Miss fancy pants Scarlett's baptism.  Over the weekend, Elisa mentioned a new baby store in Petaluma.  Since Lucas and I have not been able to test drive the stroller that we were eyeing (only available online in our area), we thought we'd check out the store to see if they carried the stroller - They didn't, but their store in Santa Rosa did.  


Britax B-Ready Stroller, Black


We love it! And it didn't hurt that Britax is offering a promotion where from March 1 until June, you can choose between the Britax car seat, bassinet or second seat for free! So we of course opted for the car seat that attaches to the stroller without any adapters.


Britax Chaperone Infant Carrier, Black/Silver


We weren't planning on buying so early, but when I received an email from Amazon saying that they too were honoring Britax's promotion- plus Amazon offers the stroller for $100 less than the retail stores, I was sold! We bought right away since there were only 14 strollers left in stock on Amazon.  


I love that it has so many options and can grow if our family grows!

Can't wait for the most important cargo to use with these purchases!