Biking the Golden Gate

Another stay-cation adventure we had was riding bikes across the Golden Gate Bridge. This is somewhat of a right-of-passage for San Francisco tourists and something that I've wanted to do since we moved here. However, since riding bikes is discouraged during pregnancy because a big belly makes it difficult to balance, our window of time to accomplish this feat was quickly closing. So, while my belly is still a manageable size, we hopped on bikes and rode off into the distance.... or sort of.

Now I said adventure above, because in the spirit of frugality, we opted for a tandem bike, which is a 2-seater, joint bike. This decision saved us $9 and by the end of the day, we weren't convinced that those savings were worth it. For those of you who have never had the "joy" of riding a tandem bike, here's a few details. The rider in the front is the one in charge of steering, breaking, and speed and gets to enjoy the beautiful views ahead of them. The rider in the back however simply petals while enjoying the ever-constant view of her partner's back. Needless to say, I was the rider in the back.

Once we got the hang of balancing the bike it was a pretty smooth ride, except for the hills, where the bike would pop out of gear causing me in the back to crack my knee on the handle bars. We quickly learned that taking turns was our best bet when it came to hills - one of us would ride and the other would walk.

Honestly, there were a handful of headaches along the way, but we still had a really good time. We rode 8 miles across the Golden Gate Bridge to Sausalito where we had a yummy, well-deserved lunch and then hopped back on the bike and rode the 8 miles back to San Fran. Here are some pics of us on the bridge...

When we returned the bike the people at the bike shop informed us that the tandem bike is commonly referred to as couple counseling because of the level of communication, patience, and coordination that the bike demands. They said that we passed with flying colors!

Stay-cation

This past weekend, George and I enjoyed a really lovely stay-cation (term affectionately stolen from Christa to describe a vacation at home - thanks Christa!) for our three-day MLK weekend. Although these pictures could have been taken somewhere far away and exotic, they aren't! We were on a hike at the Half Moon Bay beach, just a quick 30 minute drive from us. Sometimes I forget how many beautiful places surround us here. Family, you guys better feel loved that we are leaving all this beauty behind to be closer to you! :)

15 weeks

Hi! Here's my barely there belly and me at 15 weeks. The books tell us that our little kiddo is about the size of an apple. I know that I might regret saying this later when I'm huge and uncomfortable, but I'm excited for the point when I look start to look more pregnant and less chubby! :)

Holiday Recap

So, needless to say, over the holidays we had lots of holiday cheer to spread! George and I spent Christmas with my family in Missouri, where we told them the news via the matching shirts shown above. It took my brothers a while to catch on, but once they got it, they were all thrilled and extra sweet. Sadly, my sister-in-law couldn't be there, so the above picture is missing one very important Aunt Meaghan. Shown left to right is Uncle James (who recently moved to Dallas after accepting an animation internship), me, Grandpa, Grandma, Uncle Matthew, Uncle Brian (who commented that he is too young at 16 to be an uncle), and Daddy George.

And here I am with my parents, who are so excited for their first grandchild.

The following week we traveled down to Texas to spread the news to George's family. This is the first grandchild for George's dad and step-mom too so naturally they were all smiles. But I think George's sister Leslie takes the cake for the most excited, since she's been waiting for this moment since we said 'I do'. :) Her three boys are certainly ready for a playmate. My brother-in-law, Ray Lee, is great at snapping pictures, so while we were in Canadian I abandoned my photography duty and sadly don't have any pictures of our time there. But we had a blast and I'll post pictures if I get them.

Then we headed down to Boerne, TX (30 min north of San Antonio) to see my best friends and college roommates Rachael and Kelly and their hubbies. Mackenzie, our other roomie, wasn't able to make it and was sadly missed. Here we are in front of Rachael and J's new home: Kelli and Garrett (who actually live in CA about an hour from us), Rachael and J, and me and George.

One of the extra fun things about our trip was the fact that all three of us girls are pregnant! Rachy is obviously the farthest along, due mid-March and Kelli is due in early June, just a month before me. Our joint pregnancies weren't planned that way, but it makes it extra special to be going through this exciting time with such close friends.

Lastly, here is George and I at a winery outside of Fredisburg watching the sunset. George assured me that the wine wasn't really all that good and that I wasn't missing anything... but that didn't stop him from getting a second glass.

Peyton Baby on the Way...

It is with the greatest excitement and joy that George and I announce that we are pregnant!! Right now we are almost 15 weeks along and our little fire-cracker is due on July 4th.

So far throughout this process, we have been completely awestruck by our Creator and see His hand in every detail. I have been blessed with a fairly easy first 3 months, with no morning sickness or other symptoms, aside from just being more tired and growing a slight belly. With so few symptoms sometimes I questioned whether this was all really happening which made our most recent sonogram all that more incredible. There is nothing more special than seeing our little baby move around and to hear his/her heartbeat and to know that he/she is ours. It is just so amazing and we feel so blessed!!

Below is the sonogram picture taken at ~12 weeks. Our baby is laying on his/her back, showing us his/her profile. You can see the baby's head on the left, belly in the middle, and little legs sticking up on the right.

Here's another one, again at ~12 weeks, with our little one sucking his/her thumb. It is still a profile shot, this time a little closer in. You can still see the baby's head to the left with the hand labeled. On the actual sonogram print out you can count all 5 sweet little fingers.