Scenes from Christmas

I just realized Bill's not in any of these. Poor guy missed out on Christmas Eve but we were able to spend Christmas Day with his family and see his middle sister, who hasn't been home for Christmas in three years. I can't believe the holidays are almost over and we're on to a new year!

Down in the Dumps?

You have to listen to this clip - it's short, I promise. It will make you smile!

I know this is an odd blog post for the day before Christmas Eve, hopefully no one is feeling down, I'm just in a mood. It's pouring down rain, I feel trapped inside the house and my husband has been nearly immobile for a week now and there's nothing I can do to help him. Suffice to say he has major back issues/nerve pain and can really only stand up or lay down, no sitting going on. He is frustrated and in a lot of pain but just has to wait it out. I did talk him into acupuncture starting next week, so hopefully that will make a difference. Some people swear by it. Selfishly, I feel like there's so much we could be doing around the house - rearranging, prepping baby's room, etc - but we're both a little incapacitated at the moment. Please say a prayer for his healing if you can.

But most importantly - have a wonderful, restful, joy-filled, delicious Christmas!

26 weeks

An Ode to Bassets

As a result of the closet cleaning, I dug up a ton of old photos and had a good time sorting through them. I found this one of my good old friend Barney. He was a great dog. Man he stunk, but he had so much personality you couldn't help but love him. My parents made my brother and I wash him in a steel tub, outside, with cold water (as opposed to the indoor 'Doggy Wash' where I take Addie today, with warm water and a huge array of shampoos) . It was torture for all of us! He could howl like none other.

This description of Bassets pretty much sums them up. One of the many reasons I love Pioneer Woman - she has a huge heart for animals.

This being the Fur Factor and all, I thought it only appropriate to dedicate a post to Barney.

Progress!

See that? That is a (nearly) empty closet - a beautiful thing! This was one of those closets that spilled out and fell on top of you when you opened the door. With the baby gear pile growing I could no longer put off project closet. Bill also cleaned and organized the garage, a project that's been on hold over the 3 years he was busy with school, so we could relocate stuff out of baby boy's room. It feels so good to get organized.

Look at these gems I found... going through a box of stuff I collected at my gran's house a few years ago.

The bump - 20 weeks

There he is... my boy!

I'm still on cloud nine from being able to watch my baby boy for half hour on the ultrasound screen. He was moving so much and yet I can barely feel a thing! It's definitely surreal. The best part (aside from being able to call baby 'he' now) was the reassurance that he's healthy and growing on track. Seeing his little heart beating was truly amazing. From what I could see on the ultrasound pictures, he already looks like his Daddy too! Sorry for the awful quality of these pictures - they're pictures of pictures - but they're all I have and I have to brag. :) He's so cute, I already love him so much.

Sucking his thumb



Little feet



Profile




I think I'll go check out some cute boy stuff @ the baby stores today.

What I have to look forward to

I'm sure all you moms can relate!

http://www.xtranormal.com/watch/7148143/

Keeping the Faith?

Several recent blog posts by friends and strangers have got me thinking more about religion, denomination and church attendance. Not to mention the fact that I want my child(ren) to know who Jesus is and how much He loves them, except that I really have no clue what type of church environment we will choose... seeing as how we haven't gone to church in years, really (Heidi posed a question about this the other day). Bill and I have some soul searching to do.

It's been easy to put off, with Bill's random work schedule and our location - the church I've felt closest to calling 'home' is in North Seattle which isn't too far of a drive, but to get involved would require more frequent trips and I'm pretty burnt out on driving to be honest. Plus, I sometimes feel like I'm in a Christian bubble at work--which has positives and negatives--and that, along with Bible study has provided a certain level of spiritual nourishment. All really lame excuses, right? I think the time is ripe to put some more serious thought and prayer into this. I want our baby to baptized (or maybe, dedicated - that's a whole other conversation), which adds a bit more urgency to coming to some sort of decision. I think I'm dealing with a bit of what this guy expresses, which is decision based on what a church is not, or rather indecision being easy to prolong for the same reasons.

Bill is definitely leaning towards returning to the Catholic church. There are many things I appreciate and respect about Catholicism - it provided the foundation for my beliefs and understanding of Christ, I'm just not sure it's 'me' anymore. Then again I've always said that as long as the doctrine teaches the basics about Jesus, the rest is non-essential and therefore not worth fighting over. If that holds true, I could be happy in most Christian churches. What I could really do without is the judgement every denomination seems to have (or at least some of the people within them) about what makes someone a 'real Christian'.

I know this is rambling on... just had to pour out some initial thoughts on this. Would appreciate your thoughts too.

Doc appt. #3

Had my monthly doctor appt. today. Got to hear baby's heart beat and got my flu shot, so that's covered. I also learned that I've gained 12 lbs. In a little over 3 months. Sweet. I think you're only supposed to gain 5 or so in the first trimester so, woah, I was a little shocked. I feel pretty good though, I mean I'm walking a lot and am trying to eat healthy (despite the week or so where I went to the fair twice, indulged in cheeseburgers and KFC, etc. I think my hormones were raging. That was also before I watched Food Inc! Yikes. But I digress...) Doc said not to get too caught up in that, every woman's body is different and some gain a lot of weight early on, then plateau, others don't gain much for a long time then they gain a lot in a short period. It's all part of the journey.

We will learn the sex of baby Finnerty on Nov. 4. I wish this next month would fly by, I can't wait!

Learning to love the tunic

And leggings. This is the not-so-fun in between period. Regular pants don't fit. Maternity stuff is a bit too big. Not feelin' so sexy these days. I've bought a couple tunic style tops and I think they'll be my new best friend. Trying not to buy too much stuff just yet but isn't this one cute? (H&M worn by Kendi)

Bump Watch - not much to see!

Sorry - yeah, I'm a little excited.

Fair Day

Went to the fair with my mom yesterday and we had fun despite the rain (boo)! So much for an Indian Summer (is that even politically correct to say anymore? I don't know). Anyway, I literally ate my way through the day. Starting with a philly cheesesteak, then bacon wrapped jalapeno popper, fried pickles (well just a taste, not so sure about those), chocolate covered strawberries and fair scone. Oh, and half crusty pup on the way out! Awesome.

We ended with going to a Natalie Cole/Chris Botti show. I was honestly not to thrilled to go but promised my mom I would go with her and I ended up really enjoying it. I was on the young end of the demographic which I expected, it was pretty funny because Bill & I are always making fun of my parents for going to these 'smooth jazz' shows. But can I just say, Natalie Cole blew me away. I think she's well into in her 50's but woman is hot! She was wearing this sequined top/pants and she could've passed for Halle Berry's twin, seriously. She has a voice like honey to boot. The rain just added to the ambiance - all that was missing was a glass of wine. :) Oh well.

Meet my little jelly bean!

After 12 + weeks, I'm out of the closet. All three of you who read this blog already know that I'm preggers but hey, I have to show off my first picture of the babe (sorry for the lack of quality, iphone upload). We got to see the little one kicking his/her arms & legs yesterday. It was amazing! It's still very surreal, knowing that the little bean has formed so much yet I can't feel a thing in there and am still squeezing into my jeans, albeit with a button undone. This may be the week to pull out those bella bands.

I'm thrilled. I've wanted this for so long and am still absorbing the fact that it's really happening. But my mind is also reeling with the fact life as I know it will never be the same. I'm going to miss my freedom, my body (imperfect as it is), my alone time. I know what I will gain will be worth it 10,000 times over. I'm so grateful. But it's just so hard to imagine right now. Blogging will be a good outlet for this. I'll try to keep it updated and keep it real.

Bye for now!

Catching Up

A few snapshots of what we've been up to the last few months:

Lots of good friends (nurses!) getting married. Here's a shot with Teddy & Jesi, both work in the ICU w/ Bill.

In April, we got to spend a weekend in SF celebrating with some friends from our Baltimore days, Sean and Sonia, two of my favorite nurses.

Getting outside despite the miserable April/May weather

Serene Lake, North Cascades

Family visits - cute little Kate and her new love, Matt:

Last but not least, the hubby has finished school. Hallelujah! Never thought I'd see the day. He has to pass a state board exam this summer and then can start applying for Nurse Practitioner jobs and kiss the hospital life goodbye. Being the procrastinator I am, we will probably be celebrating in July. Trying to figure that out... for now, life just rolls on.

Here Comes the Sun.... Yikes

I was sitting at my desk Friday in a practically empty office, so excited for a sun-filled weekend when I got a phone call from my dermatologist. I had gone in for a quick screening a few weeks ago and she ended up doing a biopsy on the tiniest, darkest spot on my back. You know the news is bad when the doctor says, "do you have a minute?" It turns out the innocent little dot is a melanoma, the nastiest type of skin cancer. It is however perfectly curable with a simple procedure if you catch it early enough, which we did. I am thankful for that and so glad I went in for that screening, but am just cursing myself for the visits to the tanning salon as a teenager and all the long days in the sun not really bothering to use much sunscreen.

I think I am more bummed than anything, and it sounds ridiculous, but I don't want to be afraid of the sun the rest of my life. Nor be that person who's wearing the hat, long shirt and pants at the beach. Please! I love being outside, particularly in the summer. Sunscreen alone is not enough though. I will just have to go out before or after peak hours, and stay in the shade for the most part.

Melanoma is the most rare form of skin cancer and also the most deadly. It's the second most common cancer diagnosis (2nd to breast cancer) for women ages 30-34. To all of my fair-skinned friends, or anyone with lots of freckles and moles, please get checked! And wear your sunscreen people!

Vay-cay time

March is the longest month of the year, for me. No three day weekends, no holidays, very little sunshine.. it's technically spring but one look outside says it's definitely the dregs of winter. So yeah, not a big fan of March. But that's ok, because it is officially OVER as of tomorrow, and I have vacation plans!!! Now I feel a little pathetic saying I need a vacation, because it's not like I have a real rough life, no little ones keeping me up all night, but man I am burnt out and I can't wait to sit on this man-made beach, in this city of lights, gambling, and just about every form of debauchery on earth (that's not the part I'm looking forward to). That's right... I'm going to VEGAS baby!

I have somehow managed not to go there in my 32 years but figured, what with the planning to start a family and all, plus the ridiculously cheap deal I found online, hey, why not? It might be a while until I will have the time or freedom to get away for a little girl time (my lovely sis-in-law will be my travel companion). Between hanging out at the 'beach', going to the Lion King, seeing the elaborate hotels and maybe a roller coaster ride, I think we will have a grand old time.

My friend Jen introduced me to a new blog the other day, you moms will appreciate it - if you're not hindered by her, shall we say, colorful language (don't say I didn't warn you!) - she is hilarious. Check out her pre-Vegas 'to do' list. Cracks me up.

(Random, unrelated picture... but don't you relax just looking at it?)

Weekend in PDX

I got to spend the weekend in Portland with one of my oldest/bestest (yes I know that's not a word) friends from HS. The weather was beautiful and we had a blast shopping & eating to our hearts' content. Of the many culinary delights, two of my favorite were:

1) Sonic Cherry Limeade - I am now hooked and even though the nearest Sonic is 18 miles away in Puyallup I anticipate driving completely out of my way to get one if the craving arises


2) Bacon Maple Bar from Voodoo Doughnuts. Don't knock it 'til you try it (Molly's doughnut is topped with Fruit Loops)


I didn't take this photo but I did see the billboard and wanted to take a picture


Molly also got me in front of her camera so I could be the guinea pig for her - she is an amazing photographer whose business is growing rapidly. Whether or not you're in the market, check her (and my glamour shots) out!

Girl time with old friends is truly the best. Can't wait to do it again.

To my beautiful blogging friends

One of my oldest, dearest friends Molly nominated me for the Beautiful Blogger Award. Don't we all love to win awards? I'm not sure that I'm deserving, being that I'm a huge slacker in the blogging department, but it feels good to be loved and share the love. Thanks Mol!

Here are the rules:

1. Thank the person who nominated you for the award
2. copy the award and paste it on your blog
3. link to the person who nomiated you for the award
4. share 7 interesting things about yourself
5. nominate 7 other beautiful bloggers

7 Interesting Things:
1. I'm a salt fiend. I even like salty drinks (aka V8). Some people have a sweet tooth, I guess I have a salt tooth. That sounds gross....some day it may kill me but for now I still have the blood pressure of a reptile (LOW).
2. If I had the $$ I would hire a) the dog whisperer and b) a closet analysis with this cute little lady. Oh, and a housekeeper!
3. In my fantasy world I would either be a dancer or a CIA Agent.
4. I want to see more of the world. Maybe live and work somewhere in the developing world some day.
5. I am deathly afraid of being pounded by waves; I love the ocean but am a little scared of it. Fear of flying is second on the list after a terrible turbulence incident.
6. I am now on a $30/month coffee budget b/c I used to go to Starbucks every day
7. I can't wait to have kiddos!

7 Other Beautiful Bloggers

1. Johanna 'Ubuntu' Trainer. Always very insightful, honest and funny.
2. Heidi. My favorite girl in the OC!
3. Cassie, who needs to update her blog more! (I know I shouldn't talk)
4. Melissa, an old friend with some of the cutest babies in the world
5. Sarah, an old colleague with a big heart and also some of the cutest babies in the world (ok, I realize I can only say that so much but it's true!)
6. Stacy, friend from DC and a new mama who may soon relocate to the great PNW! Yay!
7. Sonia, world traveler extraordinaire, just returned from Haiti. She too has a huge heart.

Things that make you go hmmm

This was the verse of the day that popped up in my inbox:

He who passes by and meddles in a quarrel not his own
Is like one who takes a dog by the ears.
Proverbs 26:17

?....

Speaking of dogs, I neglected to wish my fur baby a happy 3rd birthday on Jan. 13.
Happy Birthday dear Adelaide!




In other news, I am having a great time in DC, seeing old friends and colleagues and enjoying all the good restaurants. Pics to come...

Happy New Year

Happy 2010! I'm feeling especially contemplative this time around. I'm not only thinking about the year in review, but really the past decade. I feel so old saying this but 10 years just flew by. I graduated college in 2000 and it definitely doesn't feel like it was 10 years ago! It was a totally different world then. I was fresh out of college, the economy was booming thanks to all the new dot coms, and 'terrorism' wasn't really a part of our vocabulary. It was definitely the decade of growing up. My world really changed in 2001 when, after a 6 week trip to Europe I got engaged, then 9-11 came a few short months later and the world really did feel like a different place, yet I was busy planning a wedding and dreaming of my new life as a married woman. I lost both my grandmothers, welcomed a niece and nephew into the world (along with many other babies of dear friends), bought my first house and of course, my beloved dog. I've been able to travel the world with my job and begin to understand, just the tiniest bit, the harsh realities people face and yet the perseverance, deep joy and appreciation that some of those same people have for the smallest things, and envied the sense of community that we seem to be lacking in this country.

I wonder what the tens will bring? It's kind of scary to think about. I'm sure there will be some hard things, but many wonderful things too. All part of the great adventure. I don't know about this blog... it might go on hiatus until I have kids! I continually feel that I don't have too much to share, or at least I'm no good at documenting it. I will leave you with one of the few photos I took at Christmas, of my charming husband. You can see why he cracks me up. Every day, pretty much.