A Golfer's Wife Indeed

The last couple of weeks have flown by! I really don't know where June went... Next week is July! And then comes August ... and ISAAC!

How many of you watched the US Open at Torrey Pines last week? The crazy tie between Mediate and Woods? The 18-hole playoff on Monday? You know you must be an avid golfer's wife when you actually watch golf at home without him! I was talking to my dad to wish him a happy Father's Day, and he asked me what I was up to... Oh just watching the Open and relaxing. He asked me to repeat myself because he wasn't sure he heard me right! It was funny. But the truth is that I like enjoying the things that Kevin loves so much, and it gets contagious. :)

Well, as soon as Tiger sank that putt to tie the round on Sunday, my spontaneous husband got online and found the one guy in Phoenix selling tickets to Monday's playoff and he snagged them. Kevin and a guy from work started driving to San Diego at midnight and got there in time to wander around before the playoff began. He doesn't have pictures to prove it, but Tiger walked within 15 feet of Kevin! He was floored.

As Kevin was enjoying the event at Torrey Pines, I was keeping tabs at work, listening online(shhh, don't tell anyone!). Once Mediate and Woods got to the 18th hole, I made my way to the break room to catch the end on TV. Turns out I wasn't the only one interested! We all watched in anticipation as they tied again at the 18th hole and had to go to the 7th to settle the matter. I searched for Kevin in the crowd, just in case I somehow spotted him on TV, but I never saw him.

I love my spontaneous husband. He keeps me "young." I would have gone with him if I wasn't so pregnant! It sounded fun just hopping in the car at a moment's notice and running off to San Diego!

it's HOT.

Today reached 111* I knew this was coming, but I didn't think it would be so bad. After all, I much prefer to be warm than cold, and the heat has never really bothered me too much.... until this week. Let's just say that it all started when I began to swell up like a water balloon. At my last appointment, the nurse made a comment about how I jumped in my weight a little bit. Biting my sassy tongue, I replied in a more cordial tone, "I believe it! Look at my ankles and my hands! Do you think it's water retention?"

Next came the oppressive "heat" at the office. Let me preface this with the well-known fact that our office is ALWAYS FREEZING, but this week I found myself asking if the AC was working or not... while my friends walked around comfortably in their cardigan sweaters, uttering how cold they were. I remedied my sweaty problem by purchasing a perfect little desk fan... which has been a lifesaver... and has drawn a few chuckles as well!

Then came the sleepless nights... In addition to the increasing difficulty of simply turning over, it's also gross and disturbing to wake up in your own sweat. Is the fan even on??? Why can't I feel it?? What is the AC set at? It's at that point I look over at Kevin sleeping contentedly... under the sheets. WHAT? I'm losing my mind. (For those of you who know Kevin, you know that he is always the warm-blooded one who rarely needs blankets.) I now sleep with the floor fan blowing directly on me, along with the ceiling fan and AC, and it is heavenly. Oh, and I snuck over to the thermostat and dropped it one more degree... but don't tell Kevin. ;)

All this to say... it's HOT. Just take my word for it.

Isaac's Room!

It feels like we've been living in a "work-in-progress" for months! But his room is finally taking shape, thanks to Kevin, Krista, Mindy, and Jaimie! The girls helped me paint and put the wallpaper up, while Kevin surprised me on Thursday and put the crib together before work. His surprise was awaiting me when I got home. The room is looking so CUTE!

There are still a few finishing touches to be made, like putting together the glider and a couple more things on the wall, but I was too excited to get pictures up to wait!

Here it is!

31 Weeks

And we are in the countdown - 9 weeks to go!! Can you believe it?! Whew, it's coming fast! But I must say I'm actually really excited about experiencing what it will be like to actually have a baby. I may regret saying that when I'm in the moment, but I just want to know what it's like - knowing all the while that the prize will be to finally hold little Isaac in my arms.

Mom, this one's for you - I wore a dress like you asked. :)

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!