Weekend Getaway

I've been trying to think of a way to show Kevin how much I appreciate him. I just have to brag about my awesome husband for a second here.... Put plainly, he's the best in the universe. And as far as I'm concerned, he's the best husband there ever was or ever will be. I know, I know, I'm biased. But really, he's more than I could have ever imagined I'd be blessed with.

He loves me unconditionally but spurs me on to grow to my fullest potential. He builds me up and always puts my needs before his own. Since I've gotten more and more pregnant, he constantly watches out for me and gives me the support I need on a daily basis - emotional, physical, spiritual. He makes me laugh and encourages me when I feel down. He's my best friend!

So when I learned that he had today off, I just had to snatch up the opportunity to surprise him with a mini-vacation. (FYI, Kevin never has Saturdays off! I've begrudgingly gotten accustomed to spending much of my weekends without him.) So I made reservations at a Hilton Resort in north Phoenix. It's tucked away between some mountains, so it doesn't feel like you're really in the city. We've talked about doing this before... but Kevin never expected that I would actually do it - at least not in such a spontaneous manner! It was so fun holding him in suspense. He begged for hints and clues for what we were doing, but I cleverly kept him guessing all the way to the front entrance. I secretly packed a bag and hid it in my car. We carpooled on Friday, and we went straight to the resort after I picked him up from work. The only clue I gave him was the Mapquest printout that said our destination address. He had no clue where we were going!

Just as he was saying, "I've heard this resort has a really nice golf couse..." I smiled and broke the news... He was so surprised! A boyish smile came to his face, and he just looked at me like, "REALLY??"
We had so much fun pretending like we were maybe at a resort in Mexico or somewhere else hot and exotic. We had a delicious dinner, went swimming at one of the perfect pools, played cards by the poolside, and just relaxed. So much fun... and excellent quality time with my love. :)

Memorial Day / Mark's Party

Our dear friend Mark is being deployed in July for a year-long assignment in Ft. Bliss, TX. He's ultimately hoping to be sent on to Iraq, where he's been trying to go for the past two years. Selfishly, of course, we don't want to see him go, but he has had this burning call for some time now. So as his friends and family, we are full of love and support for him and admire his bravery and determination to defend our country.

The thing about Mark is that he's a really humble guy who never feels comfortable in the spotlight. He will avoid it every time! So when Tom first mentioned wanting to have a sending-off party for him, Mark strongly protested it. It got to where he made Tom promise not to do anything.... to which Tom lied and said, "OK, I won't have a party for you."

Memorial Day was the perfect cover for the surprise Tom had in store for Mark. After apologizing to Mark for lying to him... Tom presented Mark with a group gift - an iPod that can hold 50 movies, thousands of pictures, and tons of music. The other thing Tom surprised Mark with was to have dog tags made for all of us to keep Mark at the forefront of our prayers. The dog tags say

Pray for Mark Sobol
U.S. Army
1 Cor. 13:4-7
Phil. 4:13

It was a really special day, and Mark was truly overwhelmed by the friends and family that have rallied around him with such love and support. What else could he expect - we love him!

Cheekie

I was finally able to get a picture of his picture to share with you... Here is Isaac at 29 weeks. Isn't he cute?? :) Look at those kissable chubby cheeks!

And now compare this picture to 11 weeks prior (18 weeks). What a difference!

Where Am I???

Yesterday it was easily in the hundreds - warm and toasty to be sure. We had our usual sunshine.... and then today....

... so where am I??? I casually made my way home as the rain pelted my car through rush hour traffic amid Arizona drivers that don't have a clue how to drive in the rain. Whew! Glad I made it home in one piece! As I parked the car I spied my car's thermostat reading 55* -- what? That can't be right! I doubted its accuracy until I opened the car door and stepped out into the wet, cool air ... in my dress and sandals!! Brrrrr! Made it through the door with wet feet and damp hair.

How bizarre... did we somehow teleport to Washington?

Some Clarification

So after some thought about my appointment on Monday, I still wondered why Dr. Lindstrom would wait until August 10 to start discussing inducement if he changed my due date to July 19… Hmmm. I better call to clarify.

Glad I did! Here’s the scoop: The ultrasound estimates the due date to be July 19. My first ultrasound also estimated Isaac’s arrival to be in late July. So based on that, Dr. Lindstrom is supposing that Isaac is going to be an early bird. But my official due date is still August 3.

Whew, that’s an earful! I’m glad to get clarity because if they officially bumped my due date that would mean that I am further along than we thought, which I know can’t be true.

All of this to say – we’ll just have to wait and see! It’s all a guess anyway!

Wait a minute - did I hear you right??

Look out -here I come! Well, I think the secret is out now.... Yes, I'm pregnant. I know, I know, crazy right? But I guess there's no hiding it now! Here I am at 29 weeks and 3 days. It's going by so fast!

We had an eventful appointment yesterday - full of pricks and pokes and sugary drinks. But the big payoff was having another ultrasound! It's amazing to compare our first ultrasound pictures at 18 weeks to the ones we got yesterday at 29 weeks. Isaac has grown so much! He has chubby little cheeks and the most darling face along with a strong heart and active arms and legs. We watched his heart beat and saw him squirm around and kick a few times before he got the hiccups. No wonder I feel his hiccups so strongly - they shake his whole body! After a little while he had both hands at his face, and he looked like he was rubbing his eyes. He is approximately 3lbs, 10 oz and oh so adorable!!! And in conclusion, we also confirmed that he is indeed all BOY. There is no mistaking it! But I will echo Eric in saying we won't be posting his "groceries" on the internet. ;)

Kevin had to go to work after that, but Mom and I stayed to meet with my doctor. And then he broke the news....

"So it looks to me like this baby is going to be early. We've moved your estimated due date to July 19."

Uh, come again? What was that you said? July 19??

"He could still be as late as August 3, but because of his current size and growth, I think he's going to be more on the early side."

Woah. That's in like... 2 MONTHS!

"Yep!"

So we shall see when Isaac decides to join us! And as I'm letting this new date sink in, I'm getting all the more excited to hold him and kiss him and cuddle him and feed him and dress him up and show him off to everyone and rock him and sing to him and LOVE HIM. Once again, seeing him on that screen brought me to love-filled tears. How precious he already is to us! What a blessing the Lord has bestowed on us!

I LOVE MOM

Much to my delight, Mom got to stay an extra week with Kevin and I. It was so wonderful having her here! Let me just say, I LOVE my mom. She is the best mom ever, and I thank God that He blessed me with her. We had so much fun over the past week - shopping, hanging out, getting pedicures, swimming on our 105* day, going to my ultrasound together, getting Costco frozen yogurt (our fave), playing SkipBo (even though Mom won all three games - in a row!!)

Mom & I at my baby shower

This is a terrible angle of me, but I really like this picture of Mom.

Ooh-la-la! Pretty toes!

The Mother Club

Much to my delight, I was welcomed into the Mother's Day Club this year. It was really nice! I got my first Mother's Day cards and even a couple of gifts. I felt honored to be treated alongside our mothers.

And then the highlight of our day came when Kevin and I decided to share the name with our families since it seemed like an appropriate day and appropriate time. (I guess you could also say that we couldn't safely hold his name any longer since I had already let it slip - twice!) So here's to keeping secrets... and letting them out!

What Brian didn't capture on this video was my added note, which can apply to everyone. This is my sassy prego personality announcing: If you don't like the name, keep your opinion to yourself. And if you knew (or know) a mean Isaac, I don't want to hear about him either!

Every Grad Needs a PAR-TEE!

What a day! Baby shower by morning... Grad party by night. What a blast! Tom and Krista were gracious hosts to offer their house as party central last Saturday. Tom fired up the barby, and we had a delicious down-home style BBQ. Amanda made an amazing Grad cake for Kevin, complete with golf ball and green.

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And then things got crazy... The sun went down... and our dads got excited about acquiring "bootleg" Phoenix hats. Illegal hats to sell, and all of a sudden their pseudo gangsta personalities emerged! Better believe we caught it on camera!

Baby Shower Fun

It was the perfect weekend for my baby shower. Both my mom and Kevin's mom were there to enjoy this fun day with me, and that was really special. Almost everyone that I invited actually showed up! And to top it all off, Erica drove all the way out from California just to come to my shower, even though she had to turn right back around for a final she couldn't miss at school! I definitely felt loved that day.

And now I just have to give a shout out to my dear friends who planned and conducted my fun baby shower last Saturday. I am so thankful for you, and I thank God for you all the time! You are so thoughtful and loving, and I love you!

Autumn prepared a scrumptious brunch menu... mmmm, SO yummy. Krista prepared the activities... sentimental and perfect for me. Amanda sent invitations and did other planning surrounding the day... cute invites! And Jaimie brought the picture-perfect fruit platter... so Martha Stewart.

Thank you girls!!

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Kevin's Graduation Walk

Graduation Day at Last!!

Friday was the day we have waited for... Kevin's graduation from ASU! It was a monumental event, and we were all beaming with pride for his accomplishment. A day of celebration!

With a jumpstart idea from Tom, Kevin had some fun and made a putting green on his cap, complete with astroturf and golf ball. It was such a hit that a photographer for the school newspaper publication got some pictures and Kevin's info for an article. Kevin got him the story he was waiting to find that day! And following the little white ball made it easier to find Kevin in the crowd. :)

Family Fun - Diamondbacks Game

One of the first things we did to welcome our families to Phoenix was take them to a Diamondbacks baseball game on Thursday. And the Diamondbacks won 8-3! Tom met us for a quick break from work and stayed for a couple of innings before racing off to another meeting.

Praises

I have pondered whether or not to tell you all about this because I don't want to scare you, but I think praises are in order and I want to thank God for it.

Apparently hiking may not have been a good idea since it was combined with a weekend in higher altitude and more walking! By Saturday night, I was feeling more frequent tightening and even some pressure in my lower abdomen. I was a little concerned, but I thought I would just take it easy for the rest of the weekend and things would be fine. Well, Sunday came around, and even though I walked really slow everywhere I went, I started getting the same sensations after walking any distance. Even on Monday after returning to my normal activity level at work (sitting at a computer with occasional office walking or copy machine standing), I experienced the same symptoms.

So I called my Dr. and was advised to go to the OB Triage at the hospital right away. I called Kevin and he met me there. We tried not to be too alarmed or worried, but we were a bit on edge. I was especially concerned that I may have put Baby Boy at risk.

Once in our own room, the nurse hooked me up to some machines to monitor my heartbeat and the baby's heart beat, as well as my contractions... yes, I said contractions. Apparently my uterus had crossed into a state of "irritability" and if left untreated I could have progressed into premature labor! I had to get a shot of something to make my uterus calm down and stop overreacting. The nurse said it was difficult to pinpoint exactly what might have caused this, but it could have been a combination of all the walking and needing more water. I was let go with strict instructions to drink more water (a gallon per day!!!) and to be aware of my limits. And if this happens again, I know where to go!

Here is where the praises flow.... After all was said and done, Baby Boy was found to be just fine and unaffected by the contractions. We got to listen to his sweet heartbeat for three hours, which was like music to our ears. We love hearing him! And he was so active while we were there, he kept kicking the doppler strapped to my tummy and making it bark with each pass. My tummy was moving all around, and it provided entertainment for Kevin and I, as well as Wendy our nurse! :)

I praise the Lord for keeping Baby Boy safe and for teaching me my new limits without putting Baby Boy at risk. It's difficult to know my limits when they keep changing! But now I've learned my lesson and will be more careful from here on out!

Girlfriends Getaway

I got to go to our church's women's retreat (a.k.a. Girlfriends Getaway) with some friends this weekend. It was so much fun to go with Jaimie, Amanda and Autumn (although we were bummed that more of our girls couldn't come!). The weekend's theme was "We've Got Your Back," and the teaching and sessions were all about investing in and valuing the relationships we women of faith have within the body of Christ and how important it is to hold each other up and support each other in community.

In one of the sessions we learned about four main personality types: Lion, Otter, Golden Retriever, and Beaver. It was really interesting because it helped me realize a lot more about the people in my life and how to relate to them, love them better, and how to challenge them to grow. God has created each of us with personalities that create one fabric of community where we can learn from each other and compliment each other in ways that we couldn't do if we were all the same. Although our different personality types can clash, it's important to realize the value in our differences.

I also had a lot of time to connect with the Lord out in His beautiful creation. I love getting out in the fresh air and being reminded of His amazing beauty. I was overcome by His goodness and faithfulness. He is so awesome!

So I realize now that I didn't take very many pictures at all! But here's a glimpse of how beautiful it is up in Williams, AZ...
During our free time, we went on a hike (with a group of about 40 other women), but rest assured my sweet and protective friends didn't let me overdo it. They made us turn back before I felt ready to... but it's a good thing they did. I was tired by the time we got back down!! It's so hard to know my limits when they keep changing. What I could do a few weeks ago, I can no longer do. How do you keep track?

Amanda, Autumn, Jaimie, and me (27 weeks here)

me & Amanda

Autumn & her mom Mary Jane

We didn't go to the top, but we still enjoyed the view... here's Jaimie, Amanda, Autumn, and Mary Jane