Halloween Part II

One of the party goers finally posted some pics from the Halloween party where Matt and Janelle went as roller girls. So here is the official evidence: Its Preggy Sue and Baby Mama!

Sorry it isn't bigger, since its not our pic, Janelle couldn't figure out how to make it any bigger. Its a little hard to tell how big the belly is in the pic, but for a little perspective this shirt used to fit Janelle just fine and hit at about the hips. Now it doesn't even cover the belly!

Halloween

We had a very busy October with Matt teaching two classes to try to save up money for Janelle's maternity leave, visits with friends and work. Check out our friend Jesse's blog exciting times (link on the side) for some pics from our pumpkin patch adventure with the Paulsons, and John and Amy. Jace documented the day!

For Halloween, Janelle dressed as a pregnant cheerleader at work on Friday and Saturday Janelle and Matt both went as roller derby girls. It was quite the sight to see with Matt dressed in a skirt and fish nets and Janelle wearing a half shirt with temporary tattoos on her belly. We didn't personally get pics but there are some out there somewhere....

We got several trick-or-treaters and many parents were very congratulatory when they saw our pumpkins.

Unfortunately we have fallen behind in taking belly pics, hopefully soon when we get new batteries for the camera! Janelle is feeling kicks all the time now and if you look closely they can even be seen on the outside from time to time!

5 Months!

We're more than half way there! Today marks the end of the fifth month of pregnancy for Janelle! In the last two weeks we've added a new chair and rug to the nursery and Janelle has started feeling the baby move and kick multiple times a day now. Matt has even gotten to feel some kicks over the last few days. Its exciting that now the baby is big enough to share this experience with both mom and dad!

Although it may be hard to tell from the picture, Janelle's belly has grown quite a bit over the last couple weeks as well and there is no mistaking that she is pregnant at this point.

Half Way!

Whew, we made it to 20 weeks! Its amazing to think that in just about 4 1/2 short months we will have a brand new baby GIRL!!!! in our arms. We found out the sex about a week and a half ago and we are over the moon with excitement that we will be having a daughter! Of course the ultrasounds aren't 100% but the tech was quite confident that there will be a member of team pink joining our family.

We have been working on the nursery and have finished the painting. Thanks so much future Uncle John! He drew on the rolling hills which turned out adorable and Matt and John had a beer and pizza night painting. We put on some decals of owls, mushrooms, birds, and hedgehog, which are super cute! Its definitely coming together. We have bought (and received!) some very very cute baby girl clothes and can't wait to see her in them!

Janelle is really starting to show now and likes that it is obvious she is pregnant now but not so big that she's super uncomfortable.

baby GIRL weaver!

On September 14th, we had the anatomy and gender ultrasound, and it went great!



The baby appears to be growing and developing right on track which is always very reassuring news. We were very anxious to find out the sex of the baby, and while ultrasounds are never 100%, the tech felt about 95% sure that we will be welcoming a daughter in February! While we obviously would have been happy no matter what, we both were hoping for a little girl and it took several days for the news to sink in that we really are getting that wish!

The first pic, the baby is turning her head away from the camera, in the second its a profile and in the third; the angle is sort of like if you were laying down on your back and looking at your own hand. And you can also see there isn't a whole lot visible down below..... ;)

17 Weeks and Camping...

Well, for some reason it is much more difficult to get a belly pic that is both cute and shows the belly well than you would think. So this is the best we could do this week.

Unfortunately, Janelle has been fighting off a head cold so was thankful for the long weekend to sleep, relax, sleep, watch tv, rest and sleep. Since she really can't take time off of her new job the three day weekend couldn't have come at a better time. In other baby news, in just about a week (and as long as Matt Jr. cooperates), the mystery will finally be over of if there really is a Matt Jr. or a Janelle Jr. in there! We could not be more excited and as the day grows closer its harder and harder to wait!

The last weekend of August had us camping with Janelle's parents which has become a summer tradition. The last several years have been less than ideal weather with rain and/or cold temperatures. We finally lucked out this year with our trip to Lake Alta with sunny skies and pleasant temps. The campground was quite full which resulted in the bathroom being occupied literally 24/7. (Janelle would know since one of the lovely side effects of pregnancy is many frequent trips!) You would think we were at a night club with all the ladies in their cutest clothes, doing their hair, make up and showering multiple times a day. It was..... odd to say the least. But overall it was a very fun and relaxing trip, filled with laughter and good conversation.

15 WEEKS

We got a lot done this weekend in terms of preparing for the baby. We picked out paint colors, which are VOC free! So environmentally friendly. The main color is going to be a sky blue and then we are going to paint on rolling green hills. Janelle taped off the room and Matt painted the blue color. You can see it in the background of this extremely flattering picture of Janelle. She is excited that she is officially starting to show and even though it isn't that much yet, it makes everything feel a little more real....

BABY WEAVER




Its official, we are expecting our baby sometime in February 2011! We are over the moon excited and still trying to wrap our minds around the fact that we are actually finally going to be parents in a short six months!

We love to speculate what "Matt Jr" will be like. We don't know the sex of the baby yet, but we refer to the baby as Matt Jr since Janelle's cousin Daniel thinks this is what the name should be, regardless.

Here are the pics from the most recent ultrasound at 13 weeks 2 days.










Our next ultrasound will be in mid September and we will hopefully know the sex at that time! We thought we might be able to tell at this last ultrasound, but the baby was crossing its legs and the umbilical cord was in the way, so hopefully it will be more cooperative next time!

National Independence Day - 2010!!!!

After a relaxing Saturday at home, that allowed us to catch up on some much needed sleep, we packed up to get ready for our adventure planned for the national holiday. A good time was had as we took advantage of the three day weekend for Janelle and I to run up north and visit one of our favorite stomping grounds and site of our wedding, one Bellingham, Washington. We had a great room in the Fairhaven Inn; a very cool older building directly in the center of the historic Fairhaven area just south of downtown Bellingham. After checking out the sweet folk dancing and local music scene happening in the courtyard just across street from our hotel, we visited one of our local favorites for lunch in the form of the Colophon Cafe. All of the fun cow motifs, one yummy homemade milkshake, and some great sandwiches set us up for the rest of the festivities. Following the sandwiches we heard a little more from the local music talent and headed back to the room for a little R&R prior to the rest of the evening. Following the quick rest we headed through the familiar streets of the "'Ham" to hit another of our favorite dining locales with the always cool Boundary Bay Brewery. I proudly wore my "Save the Ales" sweatshirt as we dined on a great BBQ sandwich and some chicken enchiladas (Love the Southwest Style Mexi food in this town!!) and sipped on some of the unique and quite delicious home-brewed beverages. After perusing the in-brewery shop for possible gifts and fun clothes we decided to brave the crowds and head out to the site of our wedding and the site of the 2010 July 4th celebration for the locals. We got a prime parking spot just on the outside of the park and trotted right in with our large blanket and lawn chairs to experience all of the fun. After scoring one of the choice spots near the waters edge we cruised through the sweet vendors at the park and admired the small stage and beer garden that had been placed directly on the same site where Janelle and I stated our vows just a little more then a year before. There was a great small-town feel to the whole proceedings that fit just fine with the two of us. Great views, some amazing people watching, and a gorgeous sunset as the sky grew dark kept us content as we waited for the annual pyrotechnic show. Despite a little drizzle just as the show began, and lasting throughout the show and some following, there was a a wonderful display with many "oohs" and "ahhs" as the colors flared. Following the show we were able to hit a gas station for some snacks on the way back to the hotel and enjoyed lounging on the uber-comfy bed as we snacked and watched some TV to cap off the evening. In the AM we hit the continental breakfast and enjoyed a few waffles before cruising through our favorite Bellingham toystore and plant store. A great visit, and a fun way to spend the 3-day weekend in one of our favorite places in the Northwest; that holds a special place in both of our hearts. Till next time!!! ;-)

Our Jungle

So the weather here has been everything but summer like in the past few weeks. As a result we haven't been able to get out to the yard to weed or cut the grass, and its gotten pretty wild! Missy enjoys being a "jungle cat" though!

Finally on Saturday we got a nice break and had a gorgeous day! Tony even ventured out.


Other exciting Tony news is that Janelle had a friend, Kasie, from Bellingham come down for the weekend and Tony hung out in the living room for a long time while she was there! Progress!

Otherwise, the past few weeks have been pretty crazy, Janelle went through an extensive interview process for a job and was finally offered the position! Unfortunately part of that process included needing to move the baby we had placed with us because there was a conflict of interest with having that specific child an this job. So again we had just a three night placement.

Janelle put in her two weeks at her current job last week, which she is glad on many fronts to be leaving, but it is bitter sweet since the families she works with depend on her so much and she knows it will be difficult to say good bye. But she will not miss the long hours, unsupportive environment and being on call 24/7! The new job is a pretty significant pay cut, but at this point it is worth it to minimize the extreme amount of stress Janelle has been under.

So there have been a lot of changes lately, but we are both confident good things are in store for us!

Speaking of a baby in your arms....

Matt is right now sitting with the new baby sleeping in his arms. She ended up being placed with us tonight and as usual we learned more after the fact. She will likely be with us a lot longer than the last little one, but the plan is still for her to go to her dad. So time will tell...

She is again super cute, has two or three little curls right on the top of her head and an adorable smile. Fun!

Janelle has already made a rookie move as a parent. She needed some baby supplies so decided to make a run to target. She brought a few diapers in the car, but only brought one into the store. She decided to change the baby since she was wet and Janelle wanted her to be comfortable for the shopping trip. Janelle got her settled into the cart and off they went to shop. Fast forward five minutes later and the undeniable sound of a major major blow out! Yikes, Janelle frantically threw the items she needed in the cart as she watched the baby's clothes turn a lovely shade of brown.

She checked out, ran out the car, grabbed another diaper, one of the new outfits she just bought and went back in to Target for some damage control. Note to new parents, no matter what always bring more than one diaper and a change of clothes....

And the Roller Coaster Ride Continues...

Well after our last experience being foster parents, we weren't sure if we could do it again. BUT, we're back in the saddle. We talked last week about whether this was something we wanted to continue or not and decided we wanted to give it another shot. As was the case last time, Janelle got several calls immediately when she let the licensor know that we were ready. Since we were heading down to Portland and would be out of state, none of them would have quite worked out. On Thursday, Janelle got a message from one of her co-workers in Tacoma asking if the Seattle office had an adoptive home for an 18 month old girl. Janelle knew nothing more than this all weekend, but of course the wheels started turning as to if this would be a good fit for our family.

We talked seriously about it and decided that if there were no major medical or developmental issues, we would do it. But Janelle talked to the social worker today and learned a lot more information including that the child did in fact has some significant delays and a medical issue. There is always a little bit of a feeling of disappointment because there is excitement around the idea of having a child in your home, but we knew this really wasn't a good fit for our family.

But low and behold a call came in a few hours later for a six month old baby girl in need of a home. She has already been in care for a while, which means it has already been determined of her need to be in foster care. So she won't go home after just a few days this time. As you may remember from last time, nothing is certain until that child is in your arms, but its looking like tomorrow we may have another baby in our home!

To Be Continued....

And The Winner Is....

No Game!!!

This past weekend Matt and Janelle headed to Portland for the North American Gay Volleyball Association (NAGVA) National Volleyball tournament. Matt decided to do a closer National tournament this year, which turned out to be NAGVA. It was a fun filled weekend, which included some of the best people watching you could imagine, a low key, welcoming atmosphere, and some very competative AA teams. Janelle was by far in the minority being a caucasian heterosexual (biological) female. She had a great time watching the competition from the safety of the bleachers and listening to all the crazy socializing going on, which seemed to be the primary focus for a lot of folks. The most exciting part was that the team Matt set for (No Game) won the whole tournament! An interview with him will be featured in a gay athletic magazine!

Also great fun was Matt reconnected with an old pal, Rich, from his days at Linfield. We went out to lots of great, fun little restaurants in the area and the boys drank whiskey sours for old times sake. All in all, a wonderful, fun, exciting weekend. One for the history books and that went WAY too fast!

PROOF!

We know there have been wild rumors that we might actually have two cats. Missy is super social and everyone knows she exists, but Tony is another story. There have been claims that he was seen by a few people other than Matt and Janelle. Well it is time to put all the mystery to rest. Here is rare footage of the elusive Tony!

Congratulations! Hooray, exciting news! Janelle passed her Clinical Social Work Licensing Exam Saturday morning! She is now officially a Licensed Clinical Social Worker, which means she can now change the credential at the end of her name from just MSW (Master of Social Work) to LCSW! Woo-hoo, look out world!

POOR MISSY!

Well, our cat Missy has had some ongoing issues with an area on her side. It would become a little wound and then reheal over and over and finally this last week it unfortunately got a bad infection. Janelle took her to the vet and they decided it was best to remove the area once and for all. While in surgery they also decided to remove another suspicious looking area on her other side. So Missy came out with a cone and two big incisions. Poor Missy!

She is doing well though and doesn't seem to be too uncomfortable at this point. She can't wait to take the cone off though!

Good-Bye and Good Luck!

Well we had a wonderful fun filled weekend with beautiful weather, multiple walks around Greenlake and loving getting to know our little house guest. We knew there was a court hearing Monday morning and we found out in the afternoon that it was determined that the baby would be placed with family.

On the one hand, this is really the outcome that is best. It is best if children can stay with their families. But for us, this was not the outcome we were personally hoping for as we already were quite smitten with this charming girl. We got to say our good-byes last night and we are praying that everything works out for the best in her life and she grows up to be safe, happy and healthy.

This whole experience was wonderful in so many ways, but saying good-bye is always extremely hard and we will need some time to decide if we can do this again...

1st Mother's Day!

Well, as we mentioned before, foster care is a very unpredictable road. So we finally found out Friday morning after much waiting that the baby we thought might be placed with us, was placed in another foster home. We were disappointed, but the more we learned about that specific situation and the needs that child might have, we were also slightly relieved. The blow was probably softened by the fact that in the same phone call letting us know that baby was no longer an option, that there was another baby, again a girl, this one four months old, that needed a home. We said yes and this time things moved much quicker! By Friday afternoon, our new little addition was in our arms. Or more specifically Matt's arms! Matt got a crash course in baby care all on his own as Janelle had to return to work after meeting the new little one and picking her up.

Matt did great, as Janelle knew he would and then she finally got home and got her baby fix! We played and admired the adorable kiddo and then ran to Target for a baby shopping spree! We took baby home and she crashed! She woke up about an hour later, had a little snack and is now off to dream land again, and hopefully we will be soon too!

We can't publish her name or pics, but all you need to know is she is super smiley, has Matt's hair, and loves to raspberry. We're in love!

The Journey Begins....

Well, here we go. Janelle saw a referral today for a 3 month old baby girl. (Hence the pinkish font!). She was working out in the field and so all she could tell from the email was her age and gender. Janelle emailed and texted Matt saying what do you think, are you ready for this?! He said let's go for it, so the wheels are in motion.

Nothing is ever written in stone in foster care, so until she is actually at our house, we won't be sure she will be placed with us. Currently she is hospitalized for injuries. It sounds pretty horrible, honestly one of the worst Janelle has seen in awhile. But at least for Janelle, this one just felt "right". Time will tell. There is a meeting tomorrow to determine if she will go to foster care and/or if there are relatives who might be options. As of today, it is looking like she will come to us at least for a little while.

We're nervous and excited. Janelle may get to be a "mom" for the first time on Mother's Day! We will keep you posted...

-The future first time (foster) parents (Insert huge giddy grin here)

ITS OFFICIAL!!!!

1st Anniversary and Janelle's B-Day!

Last Sunday was our first anniversary and Janelle's 31st birthday. We celebrated by starting off the weekend by getting 90 minute massages (and then Matt falling asleep back at home) at InSpa Saturday morning. Then we exchanged gifts, which had a decidedly zen feel with a Buddha statue from Janelle and a stone massage kit and a reflexology kit from Matt.

Next we headed to the Silver Cloud Hotel on Lake Union. We immediately jumped on the bed of course and sat in the "super lounger" which was a kind of like an arm chair with a foot rest attached. We checked out the cool view and then took the shuttle offered by the hotel into down town and explored Pike's Place and Pacific Place.

We headed to our home for the night and decided to go in the hot tub since there was no one there. Ten minutes later we headed back down and the hot tub was overflowing with people! Janelle was not happy since this meant she had to slowly ease her way into the "freezing" pool. She finally took the plunge and went all the way in after about 15 minutes of gradually walking further and further in and then the hot tub opened up. Janelle was in there in no time! We took the elevator back up to our floor, the elevator stopped, we waited and then we started heading back down again! We had to ride down and back up and luckily this time the doors opened! Unfortunately even after rinsing off, the hot tub caused some seriously itchy skin. UGH.

The next morning we had a yummy free breakfast and lounged around until it was time to check out. We went home and Janelle's parents came up to celebrate her birthday. We had a great time and Janelle scored a new Ipod! Woo-hoo!

Suddenly, Matt got a text message and Janelle declared "I'm going to read this o.k.?" and promptly did so. This is really out of character for her, and of course the one time she did this, she read a text from John revealing a birthday surprise Matt had in the works! Poor Matt was super bummed, but Janelle was stoked to learn she was getting a mini guitar! She's played for years but because as she is a petite thing, her regular guitar is a little big for her.

So that is the weekend in a nutshell. Being the notoriously bad bloggers we are, we forgot the camera, so the only evidence of the weekend is our photo booth pics we took at Westlake Center. Matt had a difficult time figuring out where to put his head until the last shot!

DONKA DOO BALL


We originally saw clip on The Soup, but now we can't get this word out of our heads and say it randomly. We have no idea what it means but it cracks us up!

WE'RE BACK

Our trip to Disneyland was a huge success and a very welcome respite from our daily grind! Matt had an initial job interview at Fred Hutch the afternoon before we left and Missy got to spend the weekend at the Parker grandparent's. We suspect that since the Parker parent's cat Simon and Missy got along so well that there might be a new cat addition sometime in the near future at the Ruston house!



We were there on Valentines Day with our cute matching shirts, which we got quite a few compliments on and Matt got a little grief for too! Whoops, sorry Matt! This is the ONLY Valentine decoration in the park! Janelle was disappointed that Disney did not get more in the spirit of love!

Janelle was asked twice by park staff to carry the coveted line marker tag to estimate line waits. Here she is taking her jobs very seriously.

Getting scared for the Haunted House.


Our last night at the park, we managed to accumulate five fast passes, and added two more during the sequence for a total of 7 rides right in a row, which was a really fun way to end our trip. We went on Indiana Jones, Thunder Mountain, California Soarin', California Screamin', Thunder Mountain, Space Mountain and yes you guessed it Thunder Mountain. Overall we had gorgeous weather, very sore feet and an awesome time!

Hope you enjoyed our pics, and as an added bonus, here is a video of Janelle on her favorite ride California Screamin'. Sorry its sideways...

DISNEYLAND HERE WE COME!

We are flying down to (hopefully) sunny California tomorrow to spend some time with Mickey, Minnie, Donald and the whole crew! We have super cheesy matching shirts to wear on Valentines and are hoping that it is decorated for the day of love! Mostly though we are just super excited to get to spend some fun time together away from all the craziness of our regular lives! To Be Continued....

The holidays have come and gone and once again we have neglected to blog at all.

We had a low key Halloween with lots of trick or treaters including one dressed as a pirate who walked right in the door and chased our cat down the hall! Jace strikes again! Yearrrgh maties!

Thanksgiving was spent at Janelle's aunt Kris's house which included a nice visit from Matt's parents. We had a small celebration for Matt's birthday at California Pizza Kitchen and were able to see friends Trish, Craig, Lucas and baby on the way. We're so excited for you guys! Matt's dad took lots of great pictures (who Strode?) one of which we saw on the Fischer's Xmas card. However, we noticed that photography credits were not given...

Christmas was not white this year, which Janelle was VERY happy about. No delays in getting work visits done this year. Matt's parents were back in town and we got in lots of games including a night of Triva at Buckle's, no Buckbeaks, wait um, Barkleys. Oh yeah, Buckley's! It was tons of fun even with the less than stellar announcer. Matt even won a free beer with his knowledge of Zeppelins. We also were able to spend time with Janelle's family and even squeezed in a trip down to Port Orchard to Janelle's high school hang out the Family Pancake House to visit with an old high school buddy who was in town.

This year we again decided to just get some bigger things for the home instead of individual gifts to each other. So we now are the proud owners of Wii and the new Mario Brother's game. (Thanks for the help Steph!) Janelle was sore after one day of bowling, batting, and tennis. We also got a matching arm chair for the living room, so we finally have a little more seating!

Now here we are using the free wi-fi at Panera since we still are in the dark ages with dial up at home. Celebrating New Years day in style. (at least our style what what)