4th Stop... Fort Worth

Next we hopped over to Fort Worth to stay with our good friends Tim and Emily and hang out with their adorable little guys, Caleb and Matthew. Not only was it so fun to catch up with close friends but I had a blast being mommy's helper and getting to play with these little balls of energy all day.

Then as if we weren't spoiled enough by just being there, Emily and Jeanette threw me the sweetest baby shower complete with yummy treats, precious gifts, and above all the presence of dear friends. I was so blessed by everyone's excitement and generosity and touched by the fact that even though George and I are far away, we aren't forgotten. Thank you girls for loving me and pampering me so.

The gracious hostesses, Emily and Jeanette, and I...

My best friend and former college roomie, Mackenzie...

Some of the guests, all of whom made this night so special for me...

Some of the treats and decor...

3rd Stop... Rockwall

On our way to Fort Worth we stopped in Rockwall (east of Dallas) to spend the day with my little brother James who just moved there. We had a great time catching up and dreaming about the future. And in the spirit of Mom we captured the entire day in pictures... above is us at lunch. We fed that skinny boy steak!

Here is James in front of his office building. He's on the second floor which is why he's pointing up.

Here we are outside of James's apartment building...

And then just for you Mom, here's an action shot. :)

Needless to say, we had fun goofing off. Thanks for showing us around James!

2nd Stop... Baby Trip!

Our second stop was to visit our best friends Rachael and J and their 2 week old little wonder in Boerne, TX. Adorable doesn't even cover how sweet little Trip is and I could have spent hours holding this little guy.

Here's momma Rachael who was so radiant and glowing with love. It is no surprise, but she is such a good natural momma already.

George, getting a little snuggle practice in before our daughter and Trip's future girlfriend makes her big debut.

Momma Rachael and Daddy J, we love you guys and wish we could be closer!

First Stop... Austin!

Hi friends! I apologize for being a bit MIA to the blog world lately. George and I have been traveling during his last spring break as a GSB student. The point of our trip was to visit Austin, TX and Fort Collins, CO and to explore each as potential places to live after George graduates... but along the way we also got to spend some sweet time with family and friends.

Our first stop was Austin, TX, where we were hosted by George's brother and sister-in-law, Ray and Fema. They graciously showed off their town, taking us to do all things iconic in Austin including visiting UT and the state capitol, hiking Mount Bonnell, and enjoying all the mexican food and bbq we could cram into a few days.

Here are the boys bbqing while Fema and I anxiously awaited dinner. Even I have to admit that my veggie burger looked a little small and funny compared to everyone else's big burgers on the grill.

Here's a few shots of us during our hike to the top of Mount Bonnell where we were able to see an amazing view of the city and surrounding countryside. The weather was unbelievably pleasant and the view with all the trees made me feel like I was in Missouri rather than Texas.

And for all you belly shot junkies, here's my belly at 25 weeks during one of our hikes. In the background you can see Town Lake and the Pennybacker bridge.

Then, here's another one with me goofing off and trying to hide behind a palm tree. It is hard to be sneaky when you're carrying 10 extra pounds!

Thanks Ray and Fema for opening up your home and showing us how fun Austin is! We love you both!

Belly Wars

While my mom was in town she took some pictures of George and I at the beach together which are always fun to have. Here are a few highlights...

This is a picture of George talking to our daughter or my belly depending on how you look at it. This is my new favorite habit of George's as he will often come home at the end of the day and press his face to my belly and talk to our daughter. Although he's being goofy in this picture, having him love and talk to our little girl is the sweetest thing.

After lunch one day last week, George challenged my belly to a duel. I'm at 22 weeks here but from this angle it looks like George might just have me beat!

Connecting Thread

This past week we got a sweet visit from my mom who couldn't stay away from my growing bump any longer. Since this was the first time she's visited us in California, we had a great time showing her our little world on the West coast... and of course doing all things baby! We packed our days tight, driving all over the peninsula for great food - vegan delights at Cafe Gratitude in the city; fresh crab, lobster, and shrimp at Sam's Chowder House on the coast; and good ol' hamburgers, veggie burgers, and sweet potato fries at The Counter - and to explore all the baby stores we could find. The clouds held back the rain and we had a blast!

Here are Mom and George enjoying their bellinis and bloody marys at Sam's Chowder House in Half Moon Bay. They promised me that their drinks weren't very good but still ordered more than one.


Even though we saw and did a million things, I think the best summary of the week was my mom's response to the waiter's question at Cafe Gratitude. The question was, "What super power do you already possess?" My mom's response was that she is the thread that connects the wisdom of past generations to that of the present and future. Her presence and continual support so far throughout these special months couldn't be captured in any better way. From reading stories detailing the genealogy of her family as they traveled from Germany to America to reading and talking through the stories she wrote about my brothers and my births to knitting sweet little pink baby booties and blankets, my mom is a connecting thread. And for that I am so blessed. I love you Mom!

It's a...

Girl!! George and I found out this afternoon that we are going to have a sweet little girl!! So much for all those little boy dreams that I've been having. Although I secretly (and sometimes not so secretly) wanted a girl, I had a gut feeling that we were going to have a little boy. I was so sure that our little one was a boy that it took a few hours for the idea of a little girl to sink in. But now that it has... bring on the pink!! We both couldn't be more thrilled!

More importantly than the gender, the ultrasound showed that her structure and organs looked normal and perfect. We feel so blessed! Our little girl even had her legs crossed for the pictures as you can see below.