Merry Christmas Part 3

We hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas!  We enjoyed time with our families and got to see all of our siblings (which hasn't happened in a long time during one holiday).  We also enjoyed getting to spend time with friends (we're sorry we didn't get to see everybody).  We are thankful to have such wonderful people in our lives!  We look forward to the new year and to what God has in store.  

River of Lights (Christmas Part 2)

The River of Lights is an amazing display of Christmas lights that we went to see at the Botanical Gardens.  It was a little bit cold, but we all bundled up and everyone took turns holding Addy Grace who slept through the whole thing!  

Merry Christmas Part 1

We got to celebrate Christmas a little early this year with Matt, Jenny, and Addy Grace.  They spent a few days in Albuquerque before going up to Colorado for Christmas.  Everyone enjoyed getting hold Addy, especially Great Grammie.  Addy is such a sweet baby and it is so fun to see her smile.  Thomas and Matt both got helmets for snowboarding and I thought I should include their funny pic.  Thomas and Matt also convinced Dad to open his presents early--he got a Wii and we all had fun playing!  

Weeks 32 and 33

We have some catching up to do!  Thomas and I were in Albuquerque for Christmas and 2 more weeks have already passed.  I had a wonderful doctor's appointment yesterday and she said everything looks great and the baby is measuring just right.  It made me feel good because I get different reactions from people...either "Wow!  You are really growing/big/etc." or "You are finally wearing maternity clothes."  (I have been wearing maternity clothes for months now!)

At 33 weeks, the baby weighs a little more than 4 pounds--about how much a pineapple weighs.  She is just over 17 inches long and is gaining the body fat that she needs.  We are amazed everyday that a little baby is living and growing inside my belly!

Kitchen Makeover 2008 Part 2

Here are our new countertops and sink! We love having a solid surface, a much deeper sink and a taller faucet. We had them extend our island so we could put barstools around it for more seating. Everyone always ends up in the kitchen anyways!

Kitchen Makeover 2008

Kitchen countertop makeover--now that the cabinets are done, we called in the professionals to redo our countertops. Here is our old tile and yucky sink and what it looked like after demo. We really missed our kitchen sink for almost a week and did our dishes in the bathroom sink!

Weeks 30 and 31

Here we are at 31 weeks and it looks like I have a basketball under my shirt! Baby Fitz has grown about an inch in the last 2 weeks and is about 16 inches long. She is almost a pound heavier too. We have gone from weighing about as much as a head of cabbage to 4 navel oranges! Her eyesight is continuing to develop and she is heading into a growth spurt (I'm not sure how much more my skin can stretch...thank goodness for Curel lotion!). She can move her head from side to side and her arms, legs, and body are beginning to plump out as needed fat accumulates under her skin. She is moving around a lot and it makes Thomas and me laugh to see my belly moving!
We are headed to Albuquerque next week for Christmas and look forward to seeing everyone there!

28 and 29 Weeks

Happy Thanksgiving!  We hope everyone had a wonderful holiday--we have so much to be thankful for.  Thomas and I are thankful we were able to go to Albuquerque and enjoyed time with both of our families and friends.  There was a big rainstorm on Thursday and it actually felt like fall (much cooler than Malibu has been)!  The top picture was taken from Thomas' aunt's backyard after the rain stopped and the middle picture is a great picture of our moms and grandmas. 

We are now in the third trimester!  Weeks 28 and 29 flew by and the baby is growing like crazy (as well as my belly!)!  She has gone from 14 1/2 inches long to just over 15 inches long and from 2 to 2 1/2 pounds.  Her eyes are opening and closing now and are sporting eyelashes.  Her head is getting bigger as her brain grows and her skeleton is hardening.  Only 70 more days until the due date--it seems like forever, but she will be here before we know it!

Baby Furniture and 27 Weeks

Our baby furniture has come in and is set up and ready to go!  The dresser came assembled--thank you Thomas and Don for carrying it up to the 3rd floor!  The crib had to be assembled but was quick and easy to put together.  Now we are on the hunt for nice baskets that will fit into the top cubbies of the dresser. 

27 weeks and counting!  Yes, I am in shorts and short sleeves because it has been so hot here.  Southern California has been on fire and we are so heartbroken for all of the families that have lost their homes in the last few days.  The fires have been about an hour to an hour and a half away from Malibu, but we are getting all of the smoke from these fires.  Today, the air has cleared up and we hope that most of the fires are out.  

Family Visit

Nancy, Grandma, Allison and Darrin came to visit last weekend.  We had a wonderful visit with them.  We played lots of games, went to Universal City Walk, went to the beach, and tried to go to The Getty (now we know it is closed on Mondays).  Thomas and Grandma got out the stroller we have had in our garage for the last 3 years and disassembled it to wash it.  Thomas even picked some lemons off our lemon bush (maybe one day it will grow into a tree) and Nancy and Allison ended up making a delicious lemon meringue pie!  

Weeks 26 and 27

By the end of this week, Baby Fitz will be 27 weeks and about as long as an English cucumber (14 1/2 inches long) and weigh as much as a head of cauliflower (almost 2 pounds).  The nerves in her ears are more developed so she can hear Thomas and me talking.  She is sleeping and waking at regular intervals and opening and closing her eyes.  I am now counting her kicks everyday after dinner to keep track of her daily movement.  Thomas and I went to our second birthing class last night and learned about what we need to do after the baby is born.  We have never been in a room with so many pregnant women before!  Our last doctor's appointment was good.   The baby is fine, but my blood counts were lower than they wanted so now I am taking an iron supplement.  

The baby's room is coming along.  Thomas and I assembled the crib last week and rearranged furniture.  I'll post a picture of how the room looks soon.  My mom is making the bedding and curtains and I can't wait to see them!  

Addy Grace

Congratulations Matt and Jenny!!  She is a precious blessing and the sweetest baby.  She has long fingers and toes and loves to sleep, eat, swing, and suck on her pacifier.   She was a sweet pea for Halloween and we had to try on her costume a little early.  We can't wait for Baby Fitz to meet her cousin, Addy Grace! 

25 Weeks

Where did the month of October go?  Baby Fitz has now grown from a spaghetti squash to a large ear of corn--from 11 inches to 13 1/2 inches from head to heel!  She has also grown from weighing a pound to a pound and a half.  Blood vessels in her lungs are developing to prepare for breathing.  Her brain is growing quickly now and her taste buds are continuing to develop.  She is starting to gain some baby fat and is starting to look more and more like a newborn.  She is moving around like crazy especially when I am sitting or lying down.

I'll try to recap the last couple of weeks...

My brother turned 25 on the 16th!  We had friends visit from the 16th to the 19th and enjoyed getting to hang out with them.  The following weekend Thomas went to Alabama with a group from Pepperdine for the World Mission Workshop and I went to Tennessee to visit Addy Grace (I got to see Matt, Jenny, and my parents too!).  Addy Grace is a precious, beautiful baby.  I can't wait for Thomas to meet her!  Thomas has been busy painting the baby's room and our baby furniture has started coming in.  We have a glider and a dresser and the crib should come sometime this week.  We enjoyed spending time with friends this weekend and Thomas carved a great pumpkin for Halloween.  It is already November--I'm sure this month is going to fly by!  We are looking forward to our company next weekend (Mama Nancy, Grandma, Allison and Darrin) and being in Albuquerque for Thanksgiving.  

Thomas and I are going to our first birth/parenting class on Tuesday night.  3 more months to go...

22 and 1/2 -ish weeks

I'm sorry...where do the days go?  I know we are behind.  Let's see, we have grown from a banana to a carrot to a spaghetti squash (I didn't even know there was a spaghetti squash)!!  We've grown from 10 inches to 11 inches and from three-quarters of a pound to almost one pound.  I have been feeling the baby move for a couple weeks now, but Thomas got to feel her for the first time on Wednesday!  She is moving and kicking a lot more usually when I sit or lie down.  She is moving around right now...maybe she knows we are talking about her! :)

We have been busy working on baby things.  We picked out fabric for the nursery--white, light pink, and light green.  My Mom is going to make curtains, the bumpers for the crib, and the crib skirt.  I am so excited and thankful that she is an excellent seamstress!  We have also finally decided on our furniture and started registering.  Now we just need to decide on a name...  

We became an aunt and an uncle on October 3rd!  Matt and Jenny have a sweet baby girl and her name is Addy Grace.  She is so beautiful and we can't wait to meet her in person!

Thomas was in San Felipe, Mexico two weekends ago building a house with a group of about 50 students from Pepperdine.  It is tough work (and really hot), but such an amazing ministry to some very deserving people in Mexico.  

My cousin, Andrea and her husband, Zach stopped by for a visit on Sunday on their way down to Disneyland.  They have 2 precious kids, Tyler and Kailey.  It was wonderful to see them and get to catch up.  

Alright, more baby updates to come, hopefully sooner rather than later! 

Half way!

20 weeks and half way there!  This week the baby is about the length of a banana--about 10 inches long.  For the first 19 weeks the baby is measured from head to bottom (because her limbs are all wrapped up around her), but from 20 weeks on the baby is measured from head to toe.  She weighs about 10 1/2 ounces.  

Last weekend (well, now that I'm writing this, it was 2 weekends ago) we went on our Fall Retreat with our college students.  We went up to Camp Whittier in the mountains above Santa Barbara.  We had about 100 students, great weather (cooler so it felt like fall), and an amazing speaker.  His love for the Lord was so evident and he challenged us to a better life through Christ and to share that better life with others.  We had such a wonderful weekend and are surrounded by an amazing group of students.  Next year, we are hoping that we don't have bats flying around our heads during our night sessions and little flies buzzing everywhere around us when we are outside.  :0)