On the lighter side

I saw this written in a pregnancy magazine and got a good laugh out of it. Any woman who has been pregnant will be able to appreciate the humor (and truth!). :)

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CAFE PREGGERS

We always have just what you want, at any stage of pregnancy--from the queasy beginning to those last weeks when the baby has taken up every ounce of spare room in your belly.

FIRST TRIMESTER MENU

Appetizer

Tums compote

Entree

Fresh saltines on a bed of saltines, lightly seasoned with saltines

Beverage

Ginger ale (IV drip available upon request)

Dessert

Ten minutes in a dim room with an ice bag on your head

SECOND TRIMESTER MENU

Appetizer

Half a roast chicken, extra crispy

Entree*

A succulent leg of lamb smothered in pork chops, served with BBQ ribs and garnished with cheesburgers (all burnt beyond recognition for your safety)

Beverage

Toll-house pie smoothie, prepared with 1/2 pint heavy cream

Dessert

9" x 16" pan of double-fudge brownies

THIRD TRIMESTER MENU

(Each course followed by 15-minute neck massage and/or bathroom break)

Appetizer

Three bites of tossed salad

Entree

Two bites of lasagna

Beverage

None--so you'll have room for dessert

Dessert

A Tic-Tac

*Double portions available if you're expecting twins

The Grand Canyon

Over the President's Day holiday, we had the pleasure of spending the weekend in Sedona, AZ and visiting the Grand Canyon. Neither of us had been to Arizona before, so it was fun to explore a new place together. We explored the beautiful red rocks of Sedona on Saturday and on Sunday we spent the day at the Grand Canyon. The Canyon is absolutely astounding (pictures just don't do it justice). It's hard to look at the Canyon for long because its sheer hugeness and its many rock layers can make you dizzy. If you haven't seen this amazing wonder, we would highly recommend it!

Red rocks of Sedona

Who knew it snows in the desert?

Noah on top of the red rocks

It almost killed me to climb this (small!) mountain, but alas, I made it!

At the Grand Canyon (it was cold!!).

Grand Canyon with a small sliver of the Colorado River

A new poll...

The two most commonly asked questions I/we receive:

1) How are you feeling?

2) Do you know if you're having a boy or girl?


Well, the answer to question #1 can change on a daily or even hourly basis. And the answer to question #2 (as most of our friends and family already know) is no, we are waiting to find out if it's a boy or girl until the baby makes their debut into the world.

Despite the fact that we do not know the baby's sex, several people have offered a prediction as to what they think we're having. So far, everyone that has ventured a guess to me believes we are having a girl (based on the opinion of about 4-5 people so far).

What about you? Would you like to make a guess? If so, go to the new poll on the right-hand side of the page and cast your vote!!

Inside View

By the way, here is a cool profile picture from the ultrasound:

Baby Update

Hi Everyone,

Its been a while since I last posted, so I guess it's time for an update. We are so thankful that everything seems to be progressing well with the baby so far. I am about 21 weeks along now and I am still feeling good. My belly has gotten bigger, so I am starting to move a little slower and a little more awkwardly at times. :)

A couple of exciting things have happened in the last few weeks. First, I am now able to feel the baby move, which is such a wonderful and fun and crazy phenomenon! I felt the first movements around 18 weeks and now it seems that I am noticing the movements much more frequently. The other exciting event was our 20-week ultrasound. This gave us an up close and personal glimpse at our baby's development--what a thrilling experience. The ultrasound tech looked at all the parts-- heart, brain, spine, legs, feet, arms, hands, etc.--and she said everything looks perfect. We are so grateful for this good news. And, of course, we have stuck to our original plan to wait to find out the sex of the baby until delivery day, so we still do not know what we're having! I asked the tech at the end of the ultrasound if she knew what we're having and she confirmed that she did indeed know, but we still told her not to tell us! :)

In the meantime, we are beginning to talk about things like baby items we need/want to get, although we haven't actually purchased anything yet. We will probably just start out with the necessities, but aren't going to develop a whole nursery right away. Also in the meantime, we're trying to take advantage of our freedom as a family of two by taking a couple vacations before the baby arrives. First, we're going to the Grand Canyon and then we'll be spending a week in Virginia and touring around the East Coast. Fun!!

Well, I guess that's it for now!

Love,
Allison

Christmastime is here!

The Christmas season is our favorite time of year! Of course, we love to celebrate the birth of our Savior, but we also enjoy all the sights, sounds, tastes, and smells that the Christmas season brings--Christmas lights, yummy treats, traditional hymns and fun Christmas songs--this is definitely the best time of year!

Every year we cut down our own Christmas tree and this year was no exception. Last year we found a great tree farm out in Santee and we went there again this year. See the pictures below for the play-by-play!

So many great trees to choose from!

(Yes, only in San Diego can you pick out your Christmas tree while wearing shorts and a T-shirt).

Jack helping to find the perfect tree

The winning tree!

Packing it up

I love Christmas!

The finished product!

A Busy Season

It has been a while since I last posted on here and much has happened in the last couple months. Of course, the biggest news is that we're expecting a baby next summer! We are super excited, although the dramatic life change that is approaching still seems a bit surreal. :)


At this point, I am about 14 weeks along in my pregnancy. I have been feeling good the last couple of weeks; my energy is back up and I am able to eat more than I did during the first trimester. When I first found out I was pregnant, I seemed to be feeling good, but then at about 6 weeks, I started to feel nauseous. Basically, I couldn't eat much because nothing ever sounded good; however, I was hungry, but instead of feeling normal hunger sensations, I automatically felt nauseous. Overall, it was not fun, but it was mostly bearable and I was able to continue working without too much difficulty. Thankfully, I am now feeling like my usual self. :)


So far, the pregnancy seems to be moving along well. I got to have an ultrasound at my first doctor appointment and we got to see the baby's heart beating on the screen--so amazing (see ultrasound picture below). I just had my second doctor appointment last week and this time we got to hear the baby's heart beating! WOW!


Obviously, this is a very exciting time! We're amazed and in awe at this process of pregnancy and we are looking forward to entering the realm of parenthood (with some fear and trembling mixed in!). Thanks to all of our friends and family who've expressed so much love and support during this exciting time! We will keep you posted on this journey!


Love,
Allison

Baby Wardrip at 9 weeks