29 Weeks

Steve is home!! I picked him up at LAX Thursday at midnight, after a long day of travel. This weekend we relaxed, shopped a little (Steve has been in a strange shopping mood,) ate out, saw "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince" (excellent movie by the way,) and enjoyed each others company...it is SO nice to have him back! Today he is back to the grind--where he has a LOT of work waiting for him.

On another note, this week I am 29 weeks along in my pregnancy! I am feeling pretty good, and the baby is extremely active. Sometimes I just sit on the couch and watch my belly as it morphs into funny positions when the baby stretches and kicks in all sorts of directions. Its like I have a little alien in my tummy. :) My prenatal appointments are every 2 weeks now instead of every 4. We're getting closer!

Coming Down the Home Stretch

I cannot believe it! Steve is almost done with his 15 week training at Fort Bragg, NC. (I haven't seen him since Easter.) He was supposed to come home this Friday, but they changed his graduation to Thursday and he booked a flight back to California for late Thursday night. Hooray!

These 15 weeks have been interesting.... It has been good for our marriage in terms of communication and appreciation for each other. I also enjoyed taking two long trips to Colorado to visit family and would not have had that opportunity if Steve had not gone. On the other hand, it has been difficult as Steve has missed some big moments in my pregnancy and will return when I am 7 months along. (Of course, he will be here for the BEST part!) There were some hard moments when I was alone at Edwards and felt overwhelmed. Fortunately I have some good friends that were supportive and kept me occupied. So overall, the TDY to NC has had its pros and cons. It was nice knowing that Steve was in a safe place and not overseas, but obviously I would rather have him here with me. :o)

Colorado Visit #2: The Return to the Desert

Somewhere along the Colorado- Utah border. Nice and cool and pretty!

Last Sunday (the 12th) my MIL, Joann, SIL, Kristi and I embarked on a journey back to California. We left early in the morning with the SUV pre-packed (thank you Bob) with the plethora of baby gifts given at the baby shower. We took the I-70 to I-15 route through Utah, Arizona, and Nevada and it was quite a beautiful journey until we hit the heat in the southwest corner of Utah. BLAH! Fortunately Joann's Honda Pilot stayed very cool. It was nice having 3 drivers, and every two hours or so we would stop and all rotate seats. Surprisingly the back seat probably became the most favored as it was the coolest. Originally we were planning on stopping in St. George or Mesquite but Kristi and I convinced Joann that it would be nice to stop in Vegas leaving us with only a 3 1/2 hour drive the next day. (By the way, the high we saw for the day was 113 degrees.) We arrived at Edwards AFB around noonish to Kristi's remark, "Wow." Joann had visited us here at Edwards before, but it's always interesting hearing what people have to say when they see Edwards/the Antelope Valley/the High Desert for the first time. They finally can understand what Steve and I have been complaining about for the past 3+ years! Fortunately it was only in the 100-105 degree range while they were here.

Kristi in the "favored" seat :)

Joann on driving duty

View from my room at Treasure Island. We did not see much of Vegas while we were there other than Starbucks and California Pizza Kitchen.

On Tuesday we decided to take a little adventure to Disneyland (where else!) It was surprisingly busy for a Tuesday and it was pretty hot, so we opted for rides that had lines with shade versus the shortest line.

Joann and I at "It's a Small World" a longer and cooler ride...worth the song being stuck in our heads all day

Overall, it was a very fun road trip and a great visit with Joann and Kristi. Thank you both for taking the time off of work and from your families to help me back with all the baby gifts! Hooray for girl's road trips!

All the gifts made it to our house on base safely! Look how spoiled!

Colorado Visit #2: Emily's Shower and Wedding

My last big event before returning back to California was Emily and Matt's wedding on July 10 in Colorado Springs! I threw a shower/bachelorette party for her the Wednesday before the wedding:

Bride to Be!

Later at the Cheesecake Factory...yummy!

Emily and Matt's wedding was BEAUTIFUL! Emily did a great job planning and preparing everything. Congratulations Matt and Em!!

Me and Emily before the ceremony!

Mr. and Mrs.! So cute!

Colorado Visit #2: Baby Shower

My SIL Kristi and MIL Joann hosted a beautiful baby shower for me and our baby with extra help from my mom, SIL Kim, and even my brother who made the delicious desserts! There was a great turnout of family and friends and we enjoyed yummy food, silly games, and loads of gifts! Our baby boy was certainly spoiled and I am still overwhelmed by the generosity of everyone. Thank you to all!

I wasn't able to take too many pictures, so I am using a few from my mom's camera...

The hostesses, Kristi and Joann

Some of the guests

Diapers galore!

Just SOME of the baby gifts!

Colorado Visit #2: Random Pictures & Events

Awww Colorado, how we miss you....

View of Denver from Daniel's Gate Park

My SIL, Kimberly and Linden

My Dad, Grandma E., and I went to a Rockies game the first Friday that I came in. It was a great game (the Rockies won!) Very fun!

Grandma E. and I (I was 24 weeks in this picture)

Linden playing in her new pool from Steve and I that she got for her birthday

Our nephew, Logan playing at his first t-ball game! So cute!

Our niece, Kaitlyn watching her big brother Logan's game. She was such a good girl!

Estes Park on the 4th of July. We took a mini tour of Baldpate Inn and their historic key collection- very interesting. Nearly every day while I was in Colorado it rained, (which was certainly a welcome change from Edwards heat.) The fourth was no exception.

My cousin David's wife, Julie at her baby shower. She just had her baby girl Bella on July 11.

Colorado Visit #2: Ryan & Linden's Birthdays

This past month I have been in Colorado enjoying time with family and friends. Everyone kept me very busy, so I am going to split up these blog entries by events and such.

Ryan and Linden's Birthdays

I flew in on June 18th in perfect timing for Ryan's birthday. My Grandma E. arrived a couple of days earlier to celebrate both Ryan's and Linden's Birthdays. That Saturday we celebrated Linden turning the BIG ONE with a bunch of her family and friends! Crazy how fast her first year flew by...she is sweeter and more fun than ever! Lots of personality!

Ryan and his carrot cake birthday cake!

4 Generations: Dad, Grandma E., Ryan, and Linden

Sweet Linden, posing for the camera in her party dress

26 Weeks

My belly is growing a little more rapidly these days, I can definitely see a difference from my last picture at 24 weeks. I am also noticing that I become winded a little faster and that it is quite difficult to bend. :)

I am enjoying my last few days in Colorado before heading back to California with my MIL and SIL on Sunday. My best friend Emily is getting married on Friday so lots going on in these last few days! I cannot believe how quickly these past few weeks have gone. My family and friends have kept me very busy with Ryan and Linden's birthdays, Grandma E's visit, Father's Day activities, my baby shower, my cousin's baby shower, 4th of July activities, and now Emily's Big Day! So glad that I have had the opportunity to come home twice this summer for lengthy trips while Steve is in North Carolina, but oh-so sad that they are coming to a close. :( I guess this just means that we are that much closer to Steve's return back to California, where he will be greeted by a big prego wife! (Only 2 1/2 weeks now until his return!)

My niece, Linden and I