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!