The Final Countdown...

Well, I have been thinking lately that maybe this little girl really likes her home in my belly; she has dropped significantly in the past week, but there's no sign of effacement or dilation. So, here Dan and I sit, simply playing the waiting game. We just got back from a doctor's appointment this morning and he said that he detects no dilation at all--that isn't to say that I still can't go into labor any time, but it just means that she's not making any great attempts to jump ship! So, we'll continue to anticipate her arrival while my stomach continues to balloon--she's totally hulking out! The official countdown is at 6 days!

I think she may come in around 8lbs. I originally thought she would be smaller, but she's bulking up right now, collecting her fat stores or something. I kind of picture her sitting in the womb laying down fat on her skin with a trowel, much like a brick layer would lay cement. I picture her cramming clumps of fat into all those cute, little divots, nooks and crannies. I am hoping for some nicely formed marshmallow-segmented arms, the kind that resemble the Michelin Tire Baby! You know, really chubby and soft. I could go for that! I will take her any way I can get her though.

In the meantime, Dan and I have been racking up QT. It's been really nice to have time to simply hang out. We've watched some incredibly dumb movies; one that tops the list is Scream 4. It was a nice slasher flick, but pretty stupid. At least it entertained us! I think Courtney Cox needs to lay off the botox though, just saying. She's pretty without a weird, frozen, swollen face. Dan and I have been making the rounds to see family and friends too. We had breakfast with the McLendon's and lunch with the Komer's recently (separate trips), and it was nice to hang out and chat. Here are some pics from those events:

Mommy and Daddy To-be

Uncle Andy

German Grammy

Aunt Jaime and Uncle Matt

So, things are going smoothly thus far! It's certainly weird not having to work right now. I think of my students often and then realize that I am a crazy person! I am convinced that once little-one is here, I will worry  A LOT less about my classroom. I think it's just one of those "letting-go" things. I love my job, but now is that time in my life where I need to learn to relinquish a bit of control, which is really HARD when you're OCD like I am. Heck, I have two vacuums in my room! FREAK! Anyway, we're learning as we go!

Maybe next time you tune in...baby will make her debut! We're kind of hoping for an 11-11-11 due date! :) We'll see...

Things are getting REAL!!!

Attention folks! The nursery is complete! We are so excited! Dan spent the better part of his work days a couple weeks ago putting the nursery together. He then added final touches this past weekend! We are so excited! We sometimes go in the nursery just to hang out! The smell, the books, the fun colors--it's a little baby-sanctuary.

We also installed the car seat, which we thought would be a painstaking task, but it wasn't. It's weird to look over my shoulder while in the car and notice this little seat in the middle! She'll be in it soon! It's just so WEIRD! Now that we're in the final stretch, we're finally realizing that it's only a matter of weeks or even days!

The doctor's visits have been good. Everything is checking out great! Baby is growing happily and she's moving like a juggernaut! We'll be sure to keep you informed of her arrival!

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

So, as you can see, we're having lots of fun with her room! Dan has adorned the walls with all sorts of original work--we're super excited about that!

Until next time...

Birthday Time, Shower Time, Doctor Time...

These past two weeks have been more than eventful! With the final countdown on the clock, Dan and I are brimming with excitement, but overwhelmed with fear too! I guess that's to be expected! So excited to meet baby girl, but nervous about how we'll adjust. Anyway, with all these emotions permeating in our brains, it was nice to have other things to distract us: More birthdays and more showers...oh, and some doctor visits too.

Celebrations #1: My birthday! The actual day is the 11th, but we started celebrating on Saturday. I insisted that Dan take me to Tea! I LOVE TEA, so we went to The Tea House at Los Rios; this is a place located in San Juan Capistrano! It's in the Los Rios District, by the train station. It's adorable! The area is really quaint, with old houses lining the street and Saturday vendors selling arts and crafts. The food was really scrumptious and very well presented. Take a look:

Doesn't everything look amazing? We ate until we wanted to nap--I practically did once we got back in the car! My stomach was content and my eyelids were super droopy, but Dan came up with an inventive Country song that he kept singing while we drove through OC, so that kept me from nodding off.  The tea we had was really something too--Vanilla Bourbon Rooibos tea (decaf), name after Bourbon St. in New Orleans!

Celebration #2: Kelly Hosted a Baby Shower!

My very dear friend and colleague, Kelly, threw a great Fall-Themed baby shower for me and my friend Nicole. Kelly hand-made these amazingly decorative pumpkins and planted gourds and pumpkins all around her house. It really added to the charm and quaintness of the day:

So many of our friends from Vista arrived to celebrate the arrival of our little girl and Nicole's little boy!

And this is what the two "pregos" looked like on their fine day:

Yeah, we're awesome! 

Kelly made incredible treats for her guests as well! She did a fantastic job and it was truly sweet of her to host such a lovely event. She had a co-captain in our friend Jess too! Jess rocked it like a super star and made sure everything went smoothy. Kelly and Jess were quite the team! 

Aside from some rockin' celebrating, I of course, had to attend a routine doctor's visit to ensure baby girl is ripening just right. According to Doc, she's doing great! I feel wonderful, with the exception of my incredibly shrinking bladder, and Doc seems satisfied with her growth and heartbeat. I am hoping that with my next visit, I will get an ultrasound--it'd be nice to see her again! So, we're now at 28 days to go! SCARY! Stay tuned, people. Our little Turkey-baby is coming soon!

A Baby Shower Fit For a Princess...

Let me begin by saying this: if one should leave it up to Madeleine to throw a shower, they are in for the ride of their life! Boy, did she stop at nothing to make my baby shower a beautiful, tantalizing, exquisite success!

My SoCal baby shower was last weekend; Madeline hosted, along with the help of my two best friends Shelby and Crystal. The day began perfectly. I awoke early on Saturday morning to get a start on the day. It was so nice to wake up and have Dan's mom, Sue, sitting in our kitchen and sipping tea. It's always so lovely to have her in our home. We get to have really great talks when she visits and it's so nice to catch up. I was thrilled that she came down for this shower!

I went on my morning run (yep, still at it--a waddling freak at this point) and then returned home for breakfast and a shower. Shortly after, my aunt came over so we could all drive over the mountain together and head to Laguna (the shower destination). Upon arriving, I was greeted by this glorious spread that you see above. Madeleine included such detail in every single aspect of the shower, down to the hand sewn napkin holders that she made!

She even created the cutest theme for the shower: STORKS! In each napkin, she included a story that detailed the lore of storks and pregnancy. The tale even went on to explain the connection between Vlasir pickles (which include the stork as their mascot) and pregnancy cravings! It was adorable! Who knew? Apparently Madeleine did.

In mentioning the food, my mouth begins to water! She made exquisite quiches: Lorraine and Spinach, both of which melted on your tongue and had you begging for more. She accompanied the quiche with a colorful salad that tasted superb!

All I can say is: MORE! It was so good! I can go on and on about this shower--it truly was a wonderful day! Unfortunately, I can't post pictures of all the games, as sneaky Shelby managed to make one of them a little too realistic, bordering on pornographic! Okay, not really, but she blew up a picture of my face and then had her sister-in-law, Deirdre draw my pregnant, naked body onto a poster board. To put it bluntly, Deirdre made sure to include extra detail, just to get the point across. A boob draped over the pregnant belly and a tuft of...well you know, in the appropriate place! The name of the game was "Kiss the baby"; it was done in the same fashion as "Pin the Tail on the Donkey". The girls all took turns trying to find the baby that was pasted on my belly. Julie took home the consolation prize--she kissed my "bits and pieces" if you know what I mean! Madeleine was the WINNER; she kissed the ultrasound right, smack-dab on the baby herself! Way to go!

Crystal put together a relay in which we were meant to diaper a team member, spit a pacifier as far as we could and chug down a bottle of apple juice. That was so much fun! One, my aunt in a diaper was absolutely hysterical! Two, Jaime (my sister-in-law) should get a gold medal for binky-spitting, and three, I have never seen anyone chug down apple juice from a bottle until I saw my friend Jess do so! She was fiercely competitive and determined to win! It was AWESOME! She had that competitive fire in her eyes!

Here are some other highlights from the day:

Grandma Hipp

Great Aunt Lynn

My sweet friend Shelby! 

Bumble Bee bedding from Crystal! 

Aunt Jaime! 

My friend Nicole and I are both prego together! 

Thank you Madeleine! WE love you! 

Tears and TinTin Cookies

Alien!!!

This week Dan and I have run the gauntlet of emotion: joy, laughter, fun and tears! Here's how the story goes...

About a week ago, I experienced my first, full-blown break down. I had been hearing mothers talk about them each time I was asked to share a story about my pregnancy, but I continued to tell myself, "Buck up, Sunny! Ladies have babies all the time--no need for a meltdown." So, in true fashion-I have been holding up like workhorse. Go to work-check, run-check, garden and weed-check, clean the house-check, grade papers-check...I was moving along like a freaking juggernaut, but in the back of my mind, this little voice kept telling me, "Hey Sunny, you and Dan are about to have a baby! Just a matter of weeks now! Are you scared? Have you finished the nursery? Are you nervous about breast feeding? What about a long-term sub?" The questions continued and that little voice shifted into a roaring yell in no time. So, last week I retired to bed thinking I was in for a good night's rest. I attempted to ignore the roaring voice in my mind through reruns of The Office and witty exchanges of banter with Dan. Well, wouldn't you know, I woke up in the middle of the night and all those anxieties that I was trying to avoid had flooded my dreams. I popped out of bed in tears!  Dan woke upon hearing my sniffles and sobs and boy did I vent to him--what a great coach by the way! He knew exactly what to say! Despite the fact that snot was running down my chin, my nostrils swelled to the size of raisins and I was barely able to articulate anything--he understood and we talked through it. I realized that I am entitled to a meltdown or two--they are even necessary. Having a baby is scary business and it really freaks people out once they realize the life-changer they're getting into. It's strange to say, but I awoke feeling fresh and renewed. 
 
I think this little meltdown led Dan and me down a path of motivation. This past weekend we made sure to pick up our crib, which Matt and Julie had so generously offered to us, we popped by IKEA for nursery inspiration and we now have things in place to put the nursery together! Plus, we started our birthing classes this week. All I can say about that is that delivery sounds SCARY!


On another note: Dan was treated to a Tin-Tin cake and a yummy BBQ! We hadn't celebrated with Madeleine, so she made sure to treat Dan to birthday goodies! Check out the yummy cookie! SO FUN! 

So Cool!

Dannyboy has a birthday!

Birthday Time!

This week marked Dan's 33rd birthday! We both reflected on how this was a unique birthday, as it was closing the book on birthdays sans baby. Next year, we'll look at birthdays in a whole new light! We'll probably focus a lot more of our attention on our little girl's birthday. Does that mean that we'll start going to bakeries and ordering "Princess" themed cakes or purchasing pink, frilly pinatas? We may, but our hope is that we're sensible enough to realize that we don't need to go too crazy for a one-year-old--isn't the celebration often for parents anyway?

Dan's birthday was a great success--it was a low-key birthday, but it was just what he needed. With water polo and work in full swing, he needed a day to decompress. He was treated to coffee cake in the morning, a one-hour massage from Massage Envy, silly gifts, birthday songs and dinner out with his best friend Andrew. It was a lovely day and we were glad to spend it together!

We ate dinner at Wood Ranch, a local steak house that Dan loves! We got to talk lots and eat yum-yum guacamole, burgers, tri-tip and roasted veggie salad!


Upon returning home, Dan opened more gifts!

Dan and I also received a gift for the nursery--the baby's first picture for her room! Thanks Andrew!

It was fun to imagine what her room will finally look like once it's finished...that will be my birthday present--a completed nursery! :)

Birdies and Bear!


Happy Birthday, Danny!

A Fresno Weekend...

Well, here we are in our 29th week! The 30th week is around the corner and that number is really making Dan and I realize that babygirl is coming so soon! We became even more aware of this reality with our visit to Fresno over the Labor Day weekend! We had such a good time visiting with family and friends, especially our cutie niece, Caitlyn.

Papa Matt, Uncle Danny and little Caitlyn

Caitlyn was the most adorable highlight of our weekend and also the most eye-opening. Being with our niece over the weekend was a great mini-training lesson for what's to come. Now, I have been told by many of the sleep deprivation, feeding hours and surprises that come with infants, but it wasn't until I witnessed Matt and Julie relay their experiences to us over the past two months, coupled with seeing our niece firsthand and in close quarters that Dan and I put imagined experiences aside and traded them in for the real thing! We were given some sound, realistic, sometimes scary, but always well intended advice. While it did wake us from our little bubble that we so comfortably live in, it also made us really excited for the future. Caitlyn is adorable! She looks at everything with the wonderment and awe that only an infant can! If I got the same pleasure and amusement from watching a ceiling fan spin, I would be set for life! Now, she also spent a great deal of her time observing a harpoon that is hanging above the living room in the Hipp house; I don't know what that means, but it was incredibly funny! Maybe we have a mariner on our hands. It was so heart warming to watch Caitlyn curl into her G'ma's shoulder and nap, or when she would coo and form spit bubbles on her lips (why isn't it cute when I do that?). She is simply exquisite!

G'ma with her little lady!

In addition to our amazing adventures in the Hipp house, I also was honored with a spectacular baby shower, hosted by three lovely ladies: Jean, Gwynn, and Robin, three of Sue's awesome friends! The shower was so much fun! We drew babies on our heads (don't ask), ate yummy food, laughed a lot and managed to turn even the sweetest baby items into some twisted innuendo (Thanks to Robin and myself). All I can say is that these ladies know how to party--TOO MUCH FUN! My cheeks hurt from laughing so hard during the afternoon.

The host-i with the most-i!

Here are some of the sweetest moments:

Grandma and Mama-to-be

The party was really special to me. Dan and I both felt celebrated and excited for this new part of our lives. Thanks to everyone who "showered" baby with love!

Now, if this wasn't enough--I was even able to see my big brother, Rob and my sister-in-law Marybeth, as well as our nieces Bekah and Bethany! We did a little celebrating of our own too at a local yogurt shop. Did you know that there is shop that exists that sells both frozen yogurt and grilled cheese sandwiches?! Well, now you do! Who would've thought?

Big Bro serving up some tea!

Dan looking awesome!

Our weekend was awesome! We truly feel blessed. It was great to see so much family and know that all these people will love little girl SO much!

Crazy Grandparents!