Keepin' it movin'!

I have been looking forward to this week for quite awhile now and am so glad it's here! I had a great doctor's appointment today and am now at the "2-week" appointment point. I can't believe that part is finally here :) So in just another 2 weeks, I have my next check-up and ultrasound to check on Avery's kidneys. Think good thoughts. :)

Thursday I get to see my college roommate/best friend NATALIE and could not be more excited! I am thrilled that she's coming in town and cannot believe it's been almost 3 years since I have seen her!

And of course, my baby shower is on Saturday and I can hardly wait! It will be wonderful to see so many of my friends and family members :) Wow, it feels like just yesterday the shower was still 3 months away!

Now that I am back at work after the Thanksgiving break, time already seems to be moving by more quickly! All of the sudden, two months doesn't seem so bad after all. The end is in sight and I am getting oh so excited to be a mom!...

Weekend check in...

It's been an excellent Thanksgiving break so far!

Chris and I spent our entire day on Friday decorating for Christmas, eating Thanksgiving leftovers and finished the evening with a crackling fire while watching our Tivo'd comedies of the week! Such a great and productive day. Here are a few decoration shots but more to come!




Yesterday we woke up and went on a 5 mile family bike ride (Avery's first)! Not gonna lie, it's not so easy riding a bike when your legs keep crowding in on your big belly! We stopped at Starbucks (of course) and sipped coffee outside while going over our Christmas shopping lists. It was such a beautiful winter morning and something we hadn't done in way too long.




After, I went to go get a mani & pedi at a NEW place and boy was it worth it! They actually give you a neck massage while your toe nails dry. It was a total spa experience for the same price as any other nail salon. I also got a gel polish on my nails that is said to last 3 weeks. Gosh, anything is better than the 3 days nails usually last!

Susan then came over with a bunch of books and toys for Avery! How many times can I say that she is one lucky little girl!? :)...

The Sweet Sound of the 30's!

Ohhhh Thanksgiving!

Sometimes I get caught up thinking that Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday and then I quickly realize that the reason I love it so much is because it's the opening act to Christmas! It's a wonderful day spent with family, delicious food, a nice break from work but all the while knowing that Christmas is just around the corner! We get to do all of this PLUS presents in just one month! I know, Christmas is not about the gifts but boy do they add a fun element ;)

I had such a wonderful Thanksgiving yesterday! Although I didn't get to start it with the Thanksgiving 10 miler that I have done in past years, I did go for a grueling 45 minute walk on the Bridle Path...woah, a pregnant woman's 10 miler ;) We made it over to my Dad and Ann's house by 10:30am for a little breakfast and a few hours of visiting before the incredible meal. My favorites? STUFFING, mashed potatoes, cranberry sauce and corn! Yum!

Side note...this Thanksgiving marks the 10th year that I have officially been a vegetarian! I must say...I don't see an end in sight. Meat still grosses me out.

I love my family and how lucky am I to genuinely say that I love my in-laws too! Well, I don't consider them "in-laws"...they are my family. We got over to Chris' dad's by 5pm and spent the rest of the night visting annnnd getting to see my precious Lily! She is such a princess and is living the life. Hard to believe it's almost been a year since she's lived with us.

I was sad we didn't have time to go to Chris's Aunt Jeri's house last night but we woke up this morning to a breakfast invite and spent the morning with the Butts' family and meeting precious Ava (Chris' cousin's new baby)...I looove Chris' family and it makes me so happy that he's so close with them because it means we get to spend that much more time with them!

Of course, I am definitely bummed we weren't able to visit with my mom and The Hart's! If only Thanksgiving could be a 2-day holiday!

I didn't do the best job of getting pictures of everyone but hopefully I will get some more from other people that took some shots!

My Dad hard at work!


I love this picture! Beautiful!


LOVE these two!





How great are the Jarchow's!?


She is such a goofball!

Wagon Wheel Chili Cook-Off!

Saturday was another reason why I love the block we live on! We had a Wagon Wheel Chili Cook-Off with all of the neighbors and what a fun night it was!

I got to spend some time with the Westphal Family Saturday morning attempting to help with their Christmas card picture but I'm sad to report that my camera skills failed me, I panicked and had to shoot in AUTO. Ahhhh, how embarrassing! Although Chris' photoshop skills helped some, I doubt Nora would give her true opinion. Nora? We will make more changes!! ...side note, her kids are adorable!!

I stopped by James' house after and hung out for awhile! Such a nice visit but it left me wanting to spend the afternoon cuddled in her bed, napping. Instead, I headed off to Target and Costco to pick up some Chili cook-off ingredients. In case anyone is wondering, the holidays ARE upon us! I have no idea how I managed to escape Costco without a grocery cart crash. What a traffic jam! I was soooo tired by the time I got home and definitely didn't feel up to the party. But I somehow whipped up 4 batches of corn bread, chopped a ton of onions (tear), chopped chives, etc. and was ready for the party just in time!

It turned out to be such a wonderful evening and as always, so great to visit with our fabulous neighbors! Terri even made an entire crock pot of Vegetarian Chili especially for me! It was so delicious that I actually had 2 bowls full...how sweet of her!

Now I am unsure if we will ever be able to leave Wagon Wheel one day!

Avery Book!

Sunday was a great day spent scrap-booking at none other than The Tole Shop in downtown Glendale. It was an enjoyable class because it was small (only about 5 of us this time) and what better way to scrap than in a cozy cottage with the crisp, rainy air outside :) Although this book was intended to say "Family", LeAnn had the great idea for me to personalize the book to Avery! Ummmm, hello? Excellent idea!

Baby Aves (great name Nora!) will have quite a few crafty keepsakes waiting for her when she arrives! All I need from her are cute little smiles so I can fill the many picture pages with adorable photographs ;)

The Pillow has arrived!

Soon after I wrapped up my blog below, Debbie called to say that she had the pillow and curtain tie backs completed!

I picked them up after work and couldn't wait to get them in the nursery! Debbie is so creative! She designed the pillow and curtain tie backs and wow, what an impact they made!

I am sooo happy with how the nursery has turned out! I don't think Avery minds that I hang out in there quite a bit, sip some coffee, read in the comfy rocker and make myself at home. Now all I need is AJM to share it with!

Gina's Wedding!

Gina Bagby is a woman to look up to and a friend I cherish. Chris and I were lucky enough to be invited to her wedding but since it was intimate and small, it was an unexpected but meaningful invite! :)

Gina is Jamie's best friend & roommate (well, roommate no longer) and so over the past four years or so, I have been able to get to know her more and become friends with her too. She is incredibly compassionate, thoughtful and most of all, impactful to everyone she meets. For her to find Anthony and such happiness, makes me thrilled! I know they will have a beautiful marriage and make GORGEOUS kids! Like James says "it's just not fair to the rest of us!" ;)

Annnnnnd, I'm back!

Oh fellow blog followers how I apologize for the delay! It's been quite the week and I feel a little more on track now!

As you can imagine...a week review is in need and conveniently enough, below!

The week started off with a great catch up dinner with Laura at Babbo's! Yuumm!
I never feel like I have enough time with Laura but for such a busy girl, I am just thankful to get ANY time with her :)

Wednesday was an NCPG Pre-Infant class day which are my favorites! Lunch with Jordan at Sauce (we are sooo predictable!) and then off to class. It just doesn't get better! By the evening, Chris and I got ready for an evening of Saint Mary's! Well, basically we were just looking forward to dinner with Daniel :) Again, Tiff...you were thoroughly missed! What a great evening and dinner at Postino's. Daniel was kind enough to give Avery her very first Saint Mary's piece of clothing! Now she will really be Mommy's little girl! Poor Avery has 18 years ahead of her listening to me talk SMC up! Oh how neat if she went there too! (but yes, people...I will allow her to be an individual!)


Unfortunately by Thursday, I was feeling beyond exhausted annnnd sick to my stomach! I hate taking work off for sick days but figured I really needed it. Thank goodness I did because I ended up sleeping for almost the entire day! Wow...I had no idea my body was that run down! I felt like a million dollars by Friday. Revived. Refreshed. Rrrrreeeady to go!

And for the third friend dinner of the week, Chris and I met up with Teri & Bruce (great friends from AZ's Finest Wedding Sites Magazine! <---check it out future Brides!). They are such wonderful people and we always have the best time with them! Two people we NEED to see more often!

Let's see....Saturday. Saturday was a complete open day that turned out so great! I decided to go visit my Dad at the fire station, donuts & milk in toe for the boys! It was so great to visit with him (AS ALWAYS)! Jamie and Jereme stopped by too near the end but after 10 minutes, my Dad got a call and off to fight fires he went! James & Jereme were nice enough to invite and treat me to lunch with them (Four Peaks Brewery is wonderful!) I had so much fun and although I wish Chris were there too (he was golfing), he definitely enojoyed the left overs I brought home :)

The rest of the day I spent organizing the guest bedroom. It was the only remaining big ticket TO-DO item left on the list and I did it! I was tired and unmotivated but kept chugging away. Thank goodness because now I feel like all the major TO-DO's are truly behind me!

Another highlight worth noting:

Debbie finished my chair slipcover! She is an incredible seamstress! Her and John came over for a test run earlier in the week and although she sewed all the pieces right, it was sewn together backwards. Sadly, we had to do some unforeseen "tearing" but the final product was worth it! She had it done the next day and still has an "A" pillow on the way. I am sooooo thankful for all that Debbie has done to help make my nursery personalized! Lucky little Avery!

White-trash version! ;)


Final product...pillow to come! :)


Oh, and just because I love my pups like kids...here was my Thursday view while resting in bed :)

Wally! I'm gonna need you to hold still!

Weekend in Review...just a tad late!

I can't let this week pass by too much before I give a recap of our weekend festivities!

Friday night was a date night with my favorite little 2 and 1/2 year old, Campbell! I watched Campbell for a few hours so Susan and TP could go enjoy a movie (something I should do way more often!). We headed straight to Sauce (one of my favorites - sorry Jordan!) for an early bird meal of yummy pizza and mac & cheese! She was so well behaved (as always) and I was getting compliments on her cuteness left and right! Since no one blatently asked if she was mine, I just kept nodding and thanking these kind strangers! She even a"muse"d me by letting me make a quick stop at my favorite boutique, Muse, where she was the most perfect little angel!

And oh for Saturday and The Birthing Basics Class! All in all, it was worth it! I was ready to leave after the first hour but Chris convinced me to stay since he was learning quite a bit (yay!). And to be honest, I ended up learning some valuable information as well! It was refreshing to know that I have already learned quite a bit from my own reasearch but a good reminder that you never know it all! Truth be told, we left a 2pm, although the class ended at 4pm, and went shopping across the street! To answer your question, yes! We will make excellent parents! ;)

Sunday was a day filled with errands, laundry, and rest! I had been dizzy all day so laid down for a couple hours around 3. I woke up to find that Chris had cleaned/organized our entire garage! I couldn't stop smiling! This has been a KEY item on my To-Do list just hanging over my head and taunting me! I was speechless and haven't stopped thanking him since! What a guy!

I learned the hard reminder that I CANNOT take naps these days :( My sleeping abilities are non-existent and I wake up countless times throughout the night only to find that it's 11pm, 1am, 2:30am, etc. It's funny how you can feel sooo tired but incapable of reaching that deep sleep. In turn, I remember all of the crazy nightmares I have been having!

It was a good weekend though and I love that I spent 2 full days with Chris! It was excellent, quality time!

Not too much to report...

It's been a good week but more on the slow-moving side than I would have liked!

A couple highlights of the week worth mentioning:

- Great talk with my "partners" about my maternity leave plan and post-baby work schedule...I love them!

- Monthly Dr.'s Appt./Glucose test (which was easy as pie - no pun intended)...it's been a few days so I think I am in the clear from gestational diabetes but they could still call!?

- Unexpected invite to the wedding of a dear, dear friends (long story but put a huge smile on my face all day!)

- Hair Appointment! It's always so refreshing to go get my hair done and since Lori is due just 3 weeks after me, we had PLENTY to talk about!

Tomorrow Chris and I will be spending all day at Scottsdale North Hospital...not for labor (shucks) but for an Intensive Birthing Basics class. Oh boy! This should be a fun one. I just pray they allow cell phones because that may be the only way Chris gets through it ;) But it is fun to know that we are at this third trimester point to "really" start preparing for her birth!

I have a busy week ahead with 3 different dinners with friends (one out of towner!! - we'll miss you Tiff!), a Saint Mary's Alumni Event and the fast-approaching (hopefully) 7 month marker!

Dear 2nd Trimester...

Dear 2nd Trimester,

Where to even begin? Just as I had hoped for, prayed for, and most of all, COUNTED on, you officially changed my view on pregnancy. I know, crazy...but you did it. Bravo because 1st trimester put up one heck of a fight to single-handedly convince me that I wanted to have an only child! We showed her!

Okay, listen...yes, you were a little inconsistent at the beginning and showed up with bouts of morning sickness I didn't know you had in ya! And yes, you introduced new "symptoms" I hadn't yet faced...CONSTANT urination, major heartburn, shortness of breath, frightening nightmares, pregnancy brain (this is a real thing!) and really complicated my world of fashion. Hooooowwwever, I will take ALL of those gladly over the cocktail 1st Tri came up with! Why? Well, because the GOOD things you offered strongly outwieghed the bad! Duh.

It was You who officially revealed that my first child would indeed, be a little girl. I would have my little Avery James after all! And the kicking? Oh how I have loved to feel my baby kick day after day. What an added blessing to pregnancy and a form of communication I learned for the very first time. I can't begin to thank you for all of the energy you've provided...finally, I have felt as close to my "old self" since before the pregnancy! The concept of nesting and I merge so well it's almost frightening...well, frightening to Chris that is. You got me through my "half-way" mark and showed me that there really is an end in sight.

For what it's worth, you will be missed. Well, you know what I mean. Don't tell your sisters but the word on the street is that you are the best of the three! Aren't all middle children?? ;)

And as much as I appreciate all that you've done, I am thrilled to now know your even older, gift-giving sister, THIRD TRIMESTER. As long as she is insync with God to finally bless me with my baby girl, I must already explain, that she will definitely be my favorite!

But don't get down too quickly...remember, it's because of you that we will most likely...meet again!

Sincerely,

Avery's Mommy!

600 and counting...

At 8:30pm, Mrs. Pott (our neighborhood-pencil-passer-outter) had given away 500 pencils and 100 pieces of candy! It was a record year on Wagon Wheel and by the end of the evening left me wondering if a "school night" still means what it did when I was growing up!

We had yet another fabulous Halloween on the wheel and it definitely remains my favorite neighborhood tradition! Chris' family stopped by early in the evening for some appetizers, drinks, and candy while Jamie, Lisa and Jason arrived in time for the main course...pizza, and the peak of the trick and treaters! All the while my mom and Glenda held strong as our candy givers and wow, what a job they did! Their disbursement and timing was perfect because by 9pm with just a few pieces of candy left, we were able to call it a night and close shop. I am sooo thankful for all their hard work! One little costume after the other...they barely had time to eat dinner!

It was such a fun Sunday night and our very last Halloween before Chris and I have a little one of our own to dress up! How exciting! Although Avery won't be able to eat any of the candy...I can hardly wait to think up all of the cute costume ideas she can model!