Happy Father's Day!

I actually started this post last night on Father's Day, but got distracted by one of the many projects we have going on and forgot to come back and post it.  Better late than never!

Happy Father's Day to all of the dad's out there, especially to our special dads! 

Zach says he's only a "half" dad because the baby isn't born yet, but I think he's already a great dad so I had to include him too!  He's had a lot of practice with his niece and nephews who LOVE him!

8 Months - 32 Weeks

32 down and 8 more to go!  I definitely feel the baby move multiple times everyday.  This little baby loves to move and is very active!  I'm sad to say we had our last HypnoBirthing class this evening. I LOVED these classes and our instructor, Emily Brown.  She was absolutely wonderful.  I can honestly say that I no longer have any fears of giving birth; I'm excited!  I am of course a little anxious, which I think is to be expected, but through HypnoBirthing I have learned how to relax and I have a new understanding of what giving birth is all about.  If you're interested in doing a natural delivery I highly suggest HypnoBirthing and Emily if you live anywhere around us.

On another note, I have some ultrasound pictures to share of little Baby M.  I've had some persistent symptoms of PreEclampsia over the last couple of weeks, so to be safe my doctor asked me to be seen at the Overlake Birth Center last night.  What I thought was going to be a 45-60 minute check up, turned into about 5 hours of testing.  After a non-stress test, blood work, and an ultra sound, I'm extremely relieved to say everything is great!  I feel much better knowing that Baby M is healthy, active and breathing on his/her own at 32 weeks!  During the ultrasound we could see the baby's little chest moving up and down as it was "practice breathing".  For those of you who don't know 32 weeks is early for a baby to be breathing on it's own because usually the lungs are quite developed enough yet.  The baby also kept yawning and even stuck out his/her little tongue.  It was also nice to see the birth center where we will be delivering.  We had the most wonderful nurse while we were there, and if she is working when Baby M arrives we'll be requesting her.  (Zach asked her while we were there, and she happily said yes as long as she was working!)  Again, although it was a long night, it gave us the relief we needed to hear that everything is fine with the baby.  I'm hoping for an uneventful next 8 weeks!

Gizmo

Our little Gizmo went to doggy heaven today.  We got her 11 months ago today, and although she has tested our patience at times, we loved her dearly.  It may have only been a little under a year, but if feels like we've had her forever.  She was the "boss" of the house, and was a member of the family.  Everyday when we get home from work she meets us with her wagging tail, shaking body, and her "spin moves" from excitement.  She was a little cuddly dog, and we will miss her. 

We knew when we got her last summer that she had a heart condition.  Although she's had regular visits to the vet, and has been on heart medication, the doggy autopsy today confirmed that her enlarged heart and small valves just stopped working.  It doesn't make it any easier losing something you love so much, but it gave us the closure we needed knowing that she went peacefully.

July 10, 2010

Gizmo's ride home with us from Zillah, WA

Gizmo and Buster became great friends, cuddling together and chasing each other in the backyard.

Gizmo soon discovered that she preferred Buster's big bed over her small bed, and since she was the boss, Buster didn't argue.

Every once in a while she would still use her bed.

 She was never particular about who she cuddled with, she just wanted to always be on someone's lap.

 And she LOVED human food.  She was the worst beggar, but was so cute you couldn't resist.  Emily loved her because she was "just the right size".  She was a "little girl sized dog".

She was a member of our family, and we will miss her greatly.

Gardening

Zach built me a new garden this year in an area that will get more sunlight.  We've been itching to get some plants in the garden, but with the cold, rainy weather we wanted to make sure we wouldn't have any more freezing nights before planting anything.  We also decided to do a smaller garden this year since I will be rather "big" this summer.  We always plant stuff to make fresh pico de gallo (tomatoes, onions, jalapenos, and cilantro).  We also planted leeks, sage, and Italian parsley.  The sage and Italian parsley were inspired by the cooking class!

I have to include some of my favorite plants in our yard this year.  One of my favorite books growing up was The Lupin Lady.  Because of this book, I LOVE lupins!  

 

This cala lily gets bigger and bigger every year.  It is Zach and my favorite plant in the yard!

This is my favorite pot this year.  I don't know what these flowers are, some kind of daisy.  They have purple and yellow centers and are beautiful!

Girls Day Out

For Mother's Day my sister and I got my mom a cooking class at one of our favorite restaurants, Il Granaio, in Mount Vernon.  We coordinated calendars and this Saturday, June 4 was the day!  We had the BEST time!  Alberto, chef and owner of Il Granaio, was fun and amazing to watch.  The food was absolutely wonderful. 

First he made Pasta e Fagioli Soup (a soup made with onions, carrots, celery, beans, and pancetta).

Then he made Spaghetti A.O.P. (spaghetti with olive oil, garlic, Italian parsley, and salt).  I was so excited to try it, I forgot to take a picture before digging in!

And finally Merluzzo con Arancia e Scalogne and salad (cod topped with orange peel, shallots, and pine nuts).  Again, I was SO excited to taste this since cod is one of my favorite things to eat!  I remembered to take a picture as I took my last bite.  Luckily my mom took her time eating and I was able to get a picture of her plate before it was gone!



Finally we were treated to homemade gelato, a special for the month of June!

Alberto's dad was visiting from Italy, so when we asked for a picture, we had to include him too!

All of the dishes had very "simple" ingredients, but were absolutely delicious!  Authentic Italian cuisine is definitely not what we think of as Italian food.  Simple ingredients put together to make wonderful, refreshing dishes!

"Showered" with Kindness

A few weeks ago the staff at my school threw a shower for Amy, Beth, and me.  It was a wonderful celebration with good friends and great people!

My good friend and teammate Tiffany and baby Kellan. 

Amy is a first grade teacher who is expecting her first baby in October.

Beth is our music teacher and is getting married in July.  Some of you might recognize her from my wedding.  She was the flautist at the church.

 

Today I was surprised by a classroom baby shower!  One of the moms in my classroom along with my educational assistant Vickie put on a surprise shower for me.  I was definitely surprised and the kids were so excited!  It was VERY thoughtful and wonderful.  They had the kids make predictions on whether they think Baby M will be a girl or a boy, draw pictures of what they thought the baby will look like and name him/her, and make a really cute scrapbook of baby advice from my kids.  Everything was wonderful and I loved sharing all of the excitement and fun with my kids!

I was adorned with a special "Mom To Be" sash and crown.  The kids told me I was the queen teacher!