For Thanksgiving (and to celebrate our three year anniversary which was on Nov. 18th), we decided to take a road trip to San Juan Island. We thought an hour and a half drive would be a piece of cake, however, some of us weren't particularly skilled at practicing patience when we got stuck in a traffic jam on the way (and I'm not just talking about Elmo).But soon we were at the ferry terminal (thankful that we made it in time) and a little lunch put everyone in a much better mood. We were ready to embark on our hour-long scenic journey through the San Juan Islands.

We stayed two nights at a small hotel overlooking Friday Harbor, and enjoyed the gas fireplace and the view looking out of our corner room.

We thought it sounded like a great idea to leave Julianna asleep in her pack and play while we went down to the hotel restaurant to enjoy their five course Thanksgiving meal, but we weren't so sure others would agree. So we had it delivered to our room where we watched Ferris Buellers Day off, sipped wine and tip-toed around the room to ensure that Baby Jules would allow us the time to finish our scrumptious meal uninterrupted!
The following day we drove around the island and checked out the scenery. The next time we return, we hope it'll be in the summer when the weather is a little warmer and Julianna will be old enough for us to enjoy some of what the island has to offer (whale watching, wineries, golf and a lavender farm!). But for now, just being together as a family and seeing some beautiful sites was enough for us to be quite content!



This holiday season, we are so thankful for new beginnings and especially for conversations with this little Jule!

Kiss. Check!

Grandma said for us to give you a kiss, and then give you a hundred more. I think we have that covered!
Notice the little hand blocking daddy's kiss? Unfortunately, the goatee cramps Baby Jules' style. But it's so hard for daddy to resist those chubby baby cheeks.

Taco Time - 1 week old!

Hey Everyone!

We are really enjoying Julianna since she arrived home from the hospital. It's been hectic and crazy learning how to take care of a newborn and balancing feeding, diaper changing, rocking to sleep and then waking her up again to start the process over again every 3 hours from start to finish. It's a full time job for sure!

I know everyone is curious what we have been up to, and I haven't had much time to dedicate to picture taking and blogging! My mom however, has written a few emails to Matt's parents to let them know how things are going and to fill in the blanks for them until they get here on Sept. 19th.

Here is an excerpt from one of her emails...

---------------------------------------------------------------

Miss Jules is dealing with some tummy air issues that set her off screeching at times. Matt and Stephanie patiently experiment with different pats, rubs, holds and rocks until she manages to let out the air from one end or the other. She is then content to bless us with her wondering brown eyes......for about 3 minutes and then she is off to la-la land.Her favorite way to sleep is to be held, of course, and she has plenty of eager volunteers willing to do just that. However, occasionally we are forced to set her down, only because we need to eat or sleep ourselves, and she didn't like that at first. The only way to get her to sleep the second night home (so Matt & Steph could get some rest after their long nights at the hospital) was for me to lay on the couch and hold her for several hours. After watching what made her most comfortable, I devised a plan and for the last two days it has worked well. We already knew she liked to be swaddled - like a bean burrito. (When she "toots" Stephanie points out that she must be a "bean burrito.")

But laying her down was the issue. I observed that she seemed to like to be a bit squeezed. So, after making her into a burrito, I made her into a taco, in a wrapper.

Now, when we lay her down like that, all squeezed and snugly, she is content to sleep for 2-3 hours.........

......or longer. After a couple hours though, Stephanie is forced to wake Julianna up so she can feed her. You can only wonder at her confusion...."first you put me to sleep, then you wake me up. I'm not too sure about the rationale of this world."

------------------------------------------

So that's what we've been up to! Keeping busy with the basics of life and loving every minute of it!

Love to everyone,

Steph, Matt and Baby Jules

39 Weeks and Waiting!!!

This will probably be my last post before Julianna arrives. I can't believe it's only 2 days until my due date!

I have been doing a few things here and there the last week to prepare, including:

• Got my hair cut and highlighted (must look good in hospital pics! haha)

• Made two casseroles and put them in the freezer

• Installed car seat and had it "inspected" at the fire station (they were very helpful and gave me a thorough tutorial!)

• Bought a video camera (the in-laws will definitely appreciate this when they have to leave their grand baby and head back to India... "we'll send videos, we promise!")

• Laid out Julianna's "take home" outfit. Will it be comfortable? too warm? too cold? Guess she can survive anything for the two and a half mile ride home in her safety inspected car seat!

Everyone has been asking how I'm feeling. And up until early last week, I was fine. I kept wondering what all the fuss was about. But lately, I'm starting to feel the changes: sore back, getting up 100 plus times a night to use the restroom, gaining a slight waddle in the evenings. I know the pain "THAT DAY" is going to involve, so up until now, I've been okay with putting it off. But since it is inevitable, I'm starting to think, lets just get it over with!! Grandma Cristy (my mom) is arriving on Saturday (my due date), so I'm willing to wait until then, but I'm going to grow ever more impatient after that! What? Only 5% of women actually deliver on their due date? I thought the point of surprise birthday parties was to surprise the birthday girl, not her mother! ugh.

Anyway, I'm posting some pics taken recently of Matt and I. My childhood friend, Amy - from Oklahoma, who visited about a month ago, did a fabulous job of capturing how excited Matt and I are about welcoming Julianna into the world.

Julianna Sleeps Here

It's ready. It's waiting. Here are a few pics of the nursery.

Here is the quilt, almost in completion. The nursery looks so empty without it, but I had to let mom take it back to Denver with her to finish quilting it. She promises to have it finished when she comes back for Julianna's Birth Day. (I wonder if writing it down in words on my BLOG will make her feel any more pressure to fulfill this promise!)

I'm so excited to have an original quilt designed and made by my mom and I. We made it large enough to fit on a twin bed, so Julianna can use it for years to come. And she'll always know that Grandma Cristy made something just for her!

The "mobile" hanging above the crib. Don't worry, it's securely fastened to the ceiling! Daddy was worried little wooden birdhouses might come crashing down on his Princess' head. We used fabric from the quilt to make the leaves and we painted the tops of the birdhouses to match the color scheme. This little jewel is from Lina who designed and cross-stitched it herself! Love it.

The other side of the room has the bird flash cards we used for inspiration hanging above the changing table (the same changing table my mom used to change my wee bum, I might add).

And a few shelves to store little knick knacks. There is still a bit of empty wall space here and there. I'm planning to hang black and white baby pics of Matt, myself and our parents. Hopefully that will come together before Julianna becomes a teenager!

Thanks for looking. :)

July 4th: 33 weeks

I seriously considered not posting any more pregnancy pictures. Thought maybe I could just leave the last impression in your heads of me pregnant at 31 weeks, and deny that in the last ten weeks of pregnancy your belly starts tripling in size. But then I realized that you are going to want to see shower pics and nursery pics and rather than stun you with my large belly that sometimes bumps into things on its own and often finds itself in pictures, I figured I should just get to posting.

We enjoyed a nice 4th of July weekend at home in Seattle. My mom was here for two weeks helping me set up the nursery and just prepare... mentally. Matt cooked us burgers, mom worked on quilting and we all enjoyed another year of spectacular fireworks from our own deck. Matt and I couldn't help but think that this will be the last year that there are just two Georges in this house for the 4th of July. Next year, we'll probably fall asleep at 7pm and miss the fireworks all together!

31 Weeks: Feeling Prego!

Several of you have asked me to post some pictures of myself. I know you are all curious what I am looking like these days, and I have been surprised actually how few pictures I have taken of myself since I have started showing. So here are a few to quench your curiosity!

And how has Matt been looking these days? Well, a bit strapped down! :)

Last weekend we went to a five hour "Day About Baby" class at the hospital where I am going to deliver. We got tips and information about Characteristics to expect when Julianna is first born, Bathing, Swaddling, Diapering options and various ways to "carry" the baby. Matt got some first hand practice with a doll and a body sling. It was a fun day, and only increased our ever growing anticipation of Julianna's arrival!