one week from today...

We'll have had our baby girl! I'm scheduled for 9:00 a.m.

I'm NOT looking forward to the actual procedure as I remember it being quite scary as they pulled and tugged while I was awake (obviously I couldn't feel the actual pain).



But I am looking forward to that first little cry, meeting our new daughter, and seeing her as tiny as Cam was here.

journals

My mom has two journals she wrote in when my sister and I were very young. Unfortunately she lost steam early on and there aren't very many entries. I LOVE reading what she did write, like about when I was telling my playgroup what I had in my lunch box. I proudly announced, "I have apple juice because my B.M's won't come out!". :)

I've never been very good at journaling for myself, but I'm determined to be better for my kids. No, I don't intend on writing daily, or even weekly. But I have been pretty consistent in writing a good size entry about every other month since Cam was born. Mainly I write about things worth remembering, be them big or small. I'll write about his current favorite books, something funny he did or said, etc. Basically they are things that only his parents would find cute and that he'll hopefully enjoy reading when he is older. For instance, most people could probably care less that he loves these trains and today insisted on carrying them to bed, in the car, down the stairs, etc. :)

the numbers

11 Days until my scheduled c-section (in case you are wondering, I had one with Cam b/c he was breech, so I have to have another one).

8 Times on average I wake up during the night feeling incredibly uncomfortable.

2 Sundays in a row we had to stay home from church due to Cam's runny nose. Am I being too picky about this? Seems like we miss far too much church b/c of snot.

83 Degrees in Palm Springs today which is where we decided to go since we didn't go to church. Here are my too cool dudes:



0 Money spent on these coin run cars in the mall. Fortunately Cam didn't know they were supposed to move and was therefore content to climb in and out. :)



39 Cents per ounce on some delightful serve-yourself frozen yogurt we bought on our way home.

74 Times Cam yelled/cried "truck!" on the way home (yes, we counted) when we refused to give it back to him after he kept throwing it on the floor. It was a LOOOOONG ride home.

3 Episodes of Lost we are behind on Tivo. We just can't get into it this season as there are too many twists and turns to keep track of.

3 Episodes of Southland we have watched...our new favorite show.

2 Costco bags of chicken Chris and I bbq'd, chopped, and bagged yesterday in prep for baby coming

thanks

Ana and Jeremy came out yesterday to spend the day. Jeremy and Chris went golfing and Ana and I hung out here and went to the park for a bit. It was such a fun day and we'd like to do it on more of a consistent basis. Ana made me a DELICIOUS chocolate cake which I devoured a second piece of after they left (despite the heartburn I knew would follow). Thanks Ana!!


p.s. Her cake did NOT have raspberries as that would have been a travesty!

For those mommies out there, if you want to read an encouraging and cool post, check out my sister's recent post...it's a good one.

stroller

After way too much research, we decided on a double stroller. I love it and it's the easiest/smoothest one I've every pushed. I took it for a spin today and realized I hadn't been on a walk that long in a while. It will surely be my last until baby comes as my back (and really whole body) have been killing me all day. But I'm still very excited to have it. :)

ladybugs and cherry limeade

Our new favorite drink. Tastes like summer...

neti pot schmetti pot

My sinuses have been bothering me going on 4 days now.  To be honest (and Chris would completely disagree with me), I kind of feel like cold/sinus medicine is a crock.  I don't think it speeds up the healing process, nor helps alleviate the symptoms much anyway.  I think Advil can help you feel better overall for a while, but that's about it.  Anyway, I have heard amazing things about the Neti Pot and finally decided to break down and give it a try.  

Basically you are pouring a saline solution through one nostril until it comes out the other.  Sound uncomfortable?

 It's actually not that bad.  The point is for it to break up all the yucky stuff and flush your sinuses clean.  I had high hopes.  Too high.  Yes, it does make it so you can blow your nose right afterward and get some lovelies on your tissue, but it doesn't help the sinus pressure AT ALL, which I had assumed the "flushing" would do. So I guess that was $15 down the drain and I'll just have to ride it out like usual.  :(

can't we just snuggle???

I've mentioned before that when Cam gets sick, one would never know by the way he acts. He has a nasty cold right now, but has as much energy as ever. Since my sinuses are also making me feel like I have lead in my face, it would actually be nice if Cam was more in the snuggle/movie mode. Not so much...

TAKE A LOOK





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the big 3-0

Friday was my official birthday. In the morning, my sweet parents surprised me as I walked out of my moms group with balloons and a card. I was so touched. :) I think the biggest fan of the balloons, though, had to be Cam. He held those things with a death grip the entire way home and didn't let go until he fell asleep an hour after we put him down for his nap. Here he is struggling to watch Oswald amidst the balloons:



Later that night we went to Red Robin to cash in on my free b-day burger. The balloon theme continued. They always have balloons in the lobby for the kids (which I love) and they keep Cam quite content at our table...unless one happens to sneak away and float to the ceiling. But Chris would never have actually climbed up onto the table in a packed restaurant to retrieve the balloon! Ha! For the rest of the dinner he was quite happy...



On Saturday we loaded Cam up to do some yard sale hunting. He was quite the trooper, especially considering he was eating his favorite maple donut. We were 5 minutes too late to purchase an adorable outside playhouse, so it wasn't that successful, but it was still fun to drive around and look at everything.



Last night was my official celebration. Chris had asked me a long time ago if I wanted a big party. I told him I didn't considering I would be whale like in size, uncomfortable, and am not the huge party type anyway. So he suggested having a small dinner with my good friends from college. It was the perfect night! We ate at a cute little outdoor restaurant at the Mission Inn and I couldn't have asked for a better evening or a better way to celebrate.



Cam and and I have been coming down with something the past few days, and now we all officially have it. I'm thankful it didn't interfere with my birthday, but I sure hope it passes quickly!!

a few pictures

A favorite game is for Chris to throw Cam on the couch. The higher the better!



Our new favorite from Costco: Chicken sausage. It is SOO tasty and healthy. They have different flavors and we put them on buns, in pasta, and cold in salads. It is $13 for a package, but that gets us several meals.



We celebrated Easter/my birthday on Sunday. My mom made the most delicious cake that we took to her friend's house to eat in the backyard (you couldn't NOT be outside that day as it was gorgeous!)



Cam LOVED the outdoor trampoline. Chris played with him on it for what seemed like forever as I enjoyed cake and conversation down on the patio. I felt a little guilty, but as he put it, "Are you kidding? This is what I've always dreamed of when I thought about having kids!". Kinda nice that guys thrive on all that rough play. :)



Cam opening his Easter basket from Chris's parents. We even got one for baby Lulu (what they call our new one since we haven't give the name yet).

golfing with daddy

Chris has been super busy with work prior to Easter. Luckily today things calmed down a little and he invited Cam and I to accompany him golfing. It was fun to see him in action and actually doing what he tells me about all the time. Cam had a great time, especially in the golf cart. Whenever we would stop, he would hop out and run around, but quickly say, "back in car! back in car!".





Afterward we headed to Qudoba for dinner. I had my "free burrito" coupon since it is my birthday this week. I posted a while ago about signing up for restaurant's email clubs. So far for my birthday I've gotten a free burrito, a free burger from Red Robin, and a free dessert from Macaroni Grill! Not too bad!

He is Risen....He is Risen Indeed!!

We are half way through our Easter weekend and I don't have all the pics yet, but I couldn't resist posting this one. Why? Because we actually got him to smile for the camera...that's why!!! Hope you are all having a wonderful Easter.

belated anniversary

Yesterday Chris and I got away to Palm Springs for the night. We had such a great time and while it was a short trip, it was just enough time to relax and celebrate our anniversary. I got in some great reading time by the pool while Chris got in some browsing time at a few golf stores. Of course we couldn't celebrate properly without a trip to our favorite restaurant, The Cheesecake Factory!

(sorry it's a little blurry)


I've often talked about how cheap I can be (which is something I'm quite proud of!). One of the things I don't like about vacations is the fact that you end up wasting so much food because you can't take home leftovers. Never fear...Kelly thought ahead. I brought a small ice chest and a ziplock. After filling my ziplock with ice from the hotel ice machine, I was able to save my leftovers and will soon be enjoying a second round of Chicken Bellagio! Yes, I guess it is a little bit of work all just to save my leftovers, but I feel much better knowing our food and money wasn't wasted. :)



We were both excited to come home to Cam. Here we are enjoying some playtime outside.





Thanks again mom and dad for taking care of our little guy!

remembering

4 years ago this week, Chris and I drove out to my parents to celebrate my birthday. Little did I know I wouldn't be much in the mood for cake. When we arrived, they broke the news to me that my mom had breast cancer. I was shocked, terrified, and confused all at the same time. What did this mean?

Shortly thereafter she went through surgery. I remember during a Bible Study discussion, we were asked what the most difficult moment/event of our lives was. I shared that it was when I walked into the recovery room and saw my mom. She wasn't awake yet and she looked deathly ill. I almost lost it right there. I will never forget that moment.

Over the next several months, she went through chemo and radiation. Because I was working and still lived out in OC, I wasn't able to go to all of her chemo treatments, although I desperately wanted to. What she went through is still unimaginable. What any chemo patient goes through is unimaginable. But she NEVER once complained nor let on the pain she was feeling. Amazing. But to be honest, I wasn't surprised. She has ALWAYS looked to the positive side of things and is truly one who I can say gave her anxiety and pain to the Lord...and she did experience peace amidst the pain.

Well, 4 years later she is still cancer free and we are excited with every good doc's appointment/check up she receives. Here is a picture of some friends of mine and I when we went on a Cancer Walk shortly after she was diagnosed. It still means the world to me that they went with me, to support my mom. Bethany even made cute little pins for us to wear in her support. :)

Me, Jen, Kristen, Bethany

*Chris decided to stay another day at his parents. I took advantage by renting a movie I know he wouldn't touch with a 10 foot pole..."The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants II".

*Cam's first night at his grandparents didn't go well. Chris concluded that he has officially outgrown the pack n' play. I gave up a while ago on the big boy bed and he has been back in his crib for a while. Seeing as they didn't have another alternative, Chris's mom made the best crib-like setting in one of their twin beds. Cam has slept great there so I'm hoping to duplicate it and give it another try when they get home. She sent me a pic:



*Today I vacuumed the house, swept and mopped the floors, cleaned the kitchen counters, did laundry, finished organizing the baby clothes, and went grocery shopping. I feel quite accomplished and deserving of a treat...hence the brownies that just came out of the oven. :)

*We were planning on having Cam spend the night at my parents on Thursday and we were going to go out and celebrate a late anniversary and then sleep in the next morning. However I couldn't resist trying Priceline one more time (our offers apparently had been too low before). I was able to book a Marriott in Palm Springs for $55 for this Thursday!

*I really don't like bathroom faucets in public restrooms that are on sensors. I feel like I NEVER can get the right angle for the water to come on.

*One way I've found to not overdo it on the salad dressing is to sprinkle water over my salad first. Then the dressing spreads easier and you don't have to use as much.

Here is another pic they sent. What a handsome little man. :)

the past few days

Thursday morning my mom watched Cam while Chris and I had a date...a date, that is, at Beaver Medical. A couple of months ago I discovered a lump in the back of my neck. I had it removed on Thursday. I'm not going to lie and say I wasn't a tad concerned (who wouldn't be when they find a suspicious lump?), but fortunately the surgeon said it looked like just a random tiny mass with no purpose. I liked to hear that!!

Friday morning I had my moms group and the girls at my table threw me a baby shower. I got some adorable things and I felt very special. :)



Chris met me at the church and from there, he and Cam took off for the weekend to his parents. This has been my last hurrah/relaxing weekend before baby. While I have missed them both, I have had a fun time so far.

After they left, I drove out to OC to visit a few friends. My first stop was to my friend, Karen. We actually became friends shortly after Cam was born. I was having a horrible time breast feeding. My sister had Karen email me with some advice, and the three of us soon started a three way email relationship that literally consists of 1-2 emails between us almost every day. It was fun to actually hang out with her in person this time!



After Karen, I drove out to my friend Jessica's. We used to go to the same church and I have not seen her in almost 3 years. I was able to meet her new daughter, Ava, and catch up with her as we had started emailing one another again a few months back.



My last stop was to Jen's (dumb me forgot to take a pic). I had a yummy meal with her and her family. After dinner, her husband stayed with Ella and let us sneak out for a bit to get some Golden Spoon. It was a fun, full day.

This morning I went to pick up Ruth and we headed out to get massages
($39 for 60 minutes...can't beat that!!) and go out to lunch.



This afternoon was spent washing and organizing baby clothes, watching TV, and relaxing. I'm excited for one more morning of not having to get up at the crack of dawn, but then I'll be even more excited for Chris and Cam to come home. :)

couple

A friend sent this quiz that apparently is going around Facebook. I thought it would be a fun one to do...

♥ Where do you eat out most as a couple? We have a few favorites: Cheesecake Factory, Claim Jumpers, Macaroni Grill, Red Robin

♥ Where is the furthest you two have traveled together as a couple? Germany, to visit my sister and her family.

♥ Who has the worst temper? I think Chris might get frustrated with more things than I, but I would never say he has a temper. I don't have much of one either, but I do get fired up about certain issues/topics and Chris usually gets to listen to my rants. :)

♥ Who does the cooking? 95% of the time I do...but that is mainly because I love to cook.

♥ Who is the neat freak? We are both neat freaks. We both hate clutter and feel yucky if we look around and things are everywhere. When we get home from a trip, we'll unpack right away and usually have all the laundry done from the trip before we go to bed.

♥ Who wakes up earlier? Usually we wake up at the same time because it is when Cam wakes up and we both will typically go in to greet him. :) When Chris has a lot of work, he'll often wake up super early (like 4am or earlier) and not be able to go back to sleep. I always feel bad stumbling down the stairs knowing he has been working for 2 1/2 hours already.

♥ Where was your first date? Our first date was to Disneyland, but it was with a bunch of friends. I don't remember where our first one on one date was...wish I did.

♥ Do you get flowers often? I've often told Chris that I would much rather have him pick me out a cute shirt as opposed to flowers. Flowers are beautiful and he has bought them a few times, but he knows that I prefer clothing...something that I can wear over and over.

♥ Who eats more? In general, Chris. When it comes to dessert, I can out eat him if it is something rich as he can't handle too much richness (go figure!!).

♥ Who does the laundry? We both do our own. Chris does laundry probably 3x as much as me, I think because he has undershirts, bigger underwear (boxers), etc. Plus he is a little more particular about washing his clothes after 1-2 wearings. I'm a little more lax, probably because I hate to do laundry!

♥ Who drives when you are together? Chris

♥ Who picks where you go to dinner? Since we both like the same restaurants, it is pretty easy to come to an agreement.

♥ Who is the first one to admit when they’re wrong? We both are pretty equal at this. Neither of us like for there to be tension, so we are quick to admit so we can get back to normal.

♥ Who wears the pants in the relationship? Chris. When a wife is said to "wear the pants", it always makes me think it is because she is a nag and the husband gives in. I HATE nagging and try hard to never do it.

♥ Who has more tattoos? Me, but only by one because I only have one. But I'm having Chris work on a new one that will incorporate all of our names. It will be very small, but I will probably get it on my foot (I can hear that gasp, mom!). hehe :)

♥ Who eats more sweets? Me. Absolutely no question. Me!!

♥ Who cries more? Me. Again, absolutely no question!!!

blonds

Last night our Bible Study had it's ending bbq. We played the newlywed game and had so much fun. One of the questions was to the wives, asking them what color wig their husbands would buy them (meaning what color would their husbands like their hair, if given the choice). All but two husbands chose blond. I know guys like blonds, but I still thought it was interesting how many chose it as their answer. A couple other fun questions were, "What item of your wife's closet would you get rid of?", "What meal would your husband prepare you if asked to cook dinner?".

Today three of my friends from college came over to celebrate Emily's birthday. While we graduated back in 2001, we just started this past year getting together on a semi regular basis. We all agree we should have started a long time ago, but it almost seems as though having kids brought us back together as that seems to be such a strong bond. :)

Emily (Abby), me (Cam was upstairs), Cheryl (Aubrey), Jen (Ella)


p.s. In case you are curious, Chris would get rid of my red "Alpha" (dorm I lived in) sweatshirt. No, it isn't stained or tattered. I guess I just wore out it's welcome in his mind. :) The meal he would prepare me would be homemade mac and cheese. I got that one wrong because I figured the meal would have involved meat! Oh well!