As another night passes with me tossing and turning, I can't help but smile. I lie here and
start to feel nervous about the day of delivery but so excited to meet someone I already
love so very much. So many thoughts fly through my head as I feel this little miracle moving
around inside me. Often Aaron and I talk about how anxious we feel about meeting the
little guy because we just want to know that he is healthy. But God is so good and when I
intentionally give my fears of what could be over to Him, he gives me a peace. God has
given us a miracle and we are thankful. He has created our little baby in His image and
loves him more than I or Aaron ever could. That amazes me because I really do have a deep
love for our baby already. I know God's hand is in this pregnancy and trust Him whatever
may come.

whirlwind through the golden state

30 weeks- wow, time is sure flying! this is my 7th month and the baby is now being compared to a squash...that watermelon comparison is not too far away :0) we are beginning the last leg of this pregnancy journey where the OB visits get more frequent, the last big travel plans get squeezed in, and i get more uncomfortable!

we just got back from a whirlwind trip to california and boy was it busy. we flew into oakland and stayed the night in pleasant hill. the next day we commandeered my mom's new car (thanks mom) and drove down to bakersfield to visit family. what a good time to hang out! we all got together for some delicious pizza, spaghetti, and joking around. i think one of my favorite parts was listening to the kids sing songs. but it made me realize that i need to brush up on my 'old macdonald' and 'itsy bitsy spider!'

it was a long day and we were able to sleep soundly at the padre hotel courtesy of the garrett parents (thanks for treating us to such a nice and comfy hotel). the next day we had lunch with more family, stopped by to see uncle eddie and then headed out to atascadero for one of the best weddings we have ever been to! really, it was such a great wedding. friends and family of the now mr. and mrs. chris stringham joined to celebrate the beautiful couple that they are. and it was a great time to see old friends from cal poly.

we ended up leaving around 9pm because we had to make the drive back to pleasant hill that night! BUT, we were so close to san luis obispo and pismo beach that we couldnt resist making the detour south. i have to say that even though we were both extremely exhausted and didn't get to sleep until 3am...grabbing a latte and some zuchinni bread at uptown espresso (now black horse) and smelling the fresh, cold beach air while walking down the pismo pier was worth it!

the next morning we geared up for a baby shower that my family put on- and they did such a great job considering i gave them such little time to prepare! the house was decorated with cute blue streamers and the aroma of mom's famous ham filled the air. we had a great turn out which made us feel so loved... and spoiled! this little baby is all ready to be dressed in cute newborn onsies and wrapped in ultra soft blankets. thank you to all of you who gave so generously. but above all thank you for coming to the party! it was good to see the extended family and play fun baby games. aaron placed first in the 'guess which melted chocolate is in the diaper game' :o) and aaron and i went head to head in pictionary...aaron's team won that too!

again, it was such a whirlwind trip but worth every minute.

oh sunshiney day!

if you look closely at the picture above you will see something that is a rarity up in these parts. no, no not bandit, though he is the studliest dog around...it is what is cast just beside him. yes, it is a shadow!! we got our first full weekend of sun AND warmth and we took advantage of it :) we headed down to the small city of puyallup just 40 miles south of seattle. we walked a little bit of the downtown, had some good old fashion diner food, and then headed to lake tapp.


i put this picture in because we have been getting requests to see if my belly was really growing- well, it is. it is definitely getting more uncomfortable to sleep but let me tell you...this baby boy is getting stronger and stronger. i absolutely love feeling him kick and it is wonderful to have aaron feel him kick too. more belly shots to come in these last 12.5 weeks!

towards the end of our time walking around the lake, we decided to walk to the end of a green space and throw the football back and forth. on our way back to the car low and behold just 30 feet above a bald eagle soars overhead. it was one of the most magnificent and beautiful things either of us have seen. the eagle was so big yet so graceful. he made a few circles and the perched himself in a tree above the parking lot.




this little guy was so cute, i couldn't resist including him :)




to top it off, the clouds finally cleared and we were able to see mt. ranier in all its glory.

"I tell you that that if these should keep silent, the stones would cry out." luke 19:40