Baby Prep

My awesome co-workers threw me a baby shower this past Friday at work and gifted me with all this baby loot.  They are a very generous group!

Maude has been my shadow lately, and extra clingy and affectionate with both Brian and me.  She is also extra protective and defensive with other dogs when she walks with me.  I have had to be more mindful of when I take her off-leash, which is a new development.  She can smell a change coming!

Maude & I walk the Flume Trail on a rare rain-free morning for some exercise and fun off-leash exploring.

My cooking buddy.

Family time in Florida

Here are a few photos from Val's phone at the end of our stint with Lew & Val in Sarasota:

(Thanks for sharing the pics, Val!  And, thanks for making the trip to see us in the EST time zone!)

Hodge Podge of Florida pics

We are slowly transitioning back into reality after a great trip to Florida!  Brian had a workshop to attend, which happened to be nearby Caroline and Michael's new home.  She was kind enough to pick us up from the airport and let us treat her to dinner before saying goodbye to Brian and taking me back to her house. He worked, and she and I played for the first couple days of our visit.

It was so nice to eat really good, fresh fruit in the sunshine.

Caroline and I went to yoga one morning and she was impressed I could still do this while being over 7 months pregnant, so she had to take a picture.  Baby and I were flattered :)
We got to have one final dinner back in Celebration where Brian's workshop was.  

And some of us had a few drinks and stole the pregnant lady's camera phone while she was peeing for the 15th time!

Lew and Val picked us up from Celebration and the four of us enjoyed a couple days in Sarasota.  Fun times, warmth, sunshine, beaches, good food....and surprisingly not a lot of photos were taken, unfortunately.  Except for this one at Lido Beach.  This was just before a stingray jumped out of the water and Val ran back to the beach :)

Brian and I had a couple days of just us and enjoyed what we guess was our "baby moon".  Here is a pic he took at Myakka State Park:

We came home to a happy Maude (thanks to great neighbors and friends) and a brand new entryway organization structure built by one of Brian's students.

We are happy to be home :)

Baby Shower #1: UAS colleagues and friends

We had our first baby shower this weekend, hosted by Brian's colleagues at their home on Douglas.  There were about 30 people there!  Lots of well wishes, hugs, good food, and some cute baby gifts came our way.  (I say "first" because there are three more baby shindigs happening thanks to very supportive and generous Juneau friends).  We are definitely blessed and well-supported by our community here!

 

(nearing 29 weeks here)

Hello Third Trimester!

Yesterday was the 28 week mark.  I took this selfie at my desk after I happened to get two different texts from friends on opposite sides if the country for a belly update.  The update is: it's big and getting bigger!  :)

Here is a random sweet moment I was able to capture between Brian and Maude while the pack was winding down last night :)

Did YOU get a bib for doing your taxes?

Happy Third Trimester to us!  Got our taxes done last week and was reminded of one angle on this baby that I had not yet considered:

Juneau updates

A few snapshots of life in Juneau...

Here is what our Christmas card would have looked like, had we not decided to save money and not send them after all.  :)

Here is our door of Christmas cards which we are thankful the senders decided to send!  It is nice to be reminded of people we love and do not get to see much.

Juneau bounty: this is a pile of gifts people have given us since finding out we are pregnant.  More books than I could ever read, some cute clothes and toys and maternity clothes are buried in there.

A cute ornament that showed up in the mail this past week from one of Brian's cousins.

My co-worker got me those little knitted extra-tuf booties and  I couldn't resist this photo op.

I remember when Maude wasn't too much bigger than those little boots.  Now she is a approaching 75 pounds.

My maternal instincts caused me to bring home a friendly dog who was walking down the middle of the road one day while I was walking home from work.  He had no collar and so I just kept prompting him to follow me freely, and he did.  He was so sweet and I couldn't walk away knowing he could possibly get hit by a car.  We eventually tracked down the owner thanks to the humane society and he was returned.  In the meantime, he and Maude enjoyed begging for whatever Brian was cooking here and some good play time.

I will be the first to admit that I am decoratively challenged.   I am secretly hoping nesting instincts will help with that.  Here is my latest effort.

Brian is definitely outdoing me in the nesting category.  He spent 27 hours one weekend refinishing the rest of the hardwood floor in our upstairs.

We enjoyed a very cold, but rain-free hike yesterday up Salmon Creek Reservoir.

This is my belly around 19 weeks.  My body has felt awesome and continues to support my CrossFit and yoga habits, for which I am thankful.  This baby is a good workout buddy already.  Half-way point is just a few days away!

Other tidbits about this baby: it likes to reveal itself on somewhat memorable days.
First day of Fall: I found out I was pregnant.
Halloween: We saw it for the first time on ultrasound.
Christmas Eve: I felt movements for the first time
At this rate, I'm banking on either Memorial Day or my birthday for its arrival :)