Friday, August 31, 2012

8-31-12




So.... Starbucks lied to me.

They told me the red tea was caffeine free... but it is the PINK tea that is caffeine free....

/grumble

Thankfully I actually prefer the pink tea, so it isn't a total loss. But it is annoying.

Headed into a three day weekend... headed into the month of your birth.... headed into week 37.... OMG!






Thursday, August 30, 2012

8-30-12



Little Richard using your high chair booster seat to eat his lunch.

He is never shy about sharing and he sure loves your blocks. Don't worry, I have saved a few special toys for you to play with for the first time.

It shall be so much fun for you to play with Richard once you get a bit bigger. 

He has been quite a good practice baby... I just set him loose and see what he gets into, then I know that is the next area I try to baby-proof.











Wednesday, August 29, 2012

8-29-12



Almost 50 thank you cards written, addressed, stamped, sealed and ready to go out in the mail.

Some people say that writing thank you notes is archaic and such, but I think it is a very nice gesture.

I have a sore hand but a happy heart.

And yes... you will be writing plenty of thank you notes as a child That is a must for a child of mine :)






Tuesday, August 28, 2012

8-28-12



So... I had a bit of a scare today, but all is well. Neal had to take me to the Birthing Center, but again it was nothing to worry about.

I was highly uncomfy for a while though.

After a dinner with Robin and James, I was feeling better and then Cynthia came over with some adorable bupr rags and abig wooden "E" for your room.

Daddy is out of town this week... it is his last out in the field job until after you are here.

I miss him, but I'm glad he gets this last bit of field adventure....






Monday, August 27, 2012

8-27-12



Week 36.

In one week... you will be full term.

You could come anytime after that.

I'm.... not ready.

But I will be, I promise.

We had our final shower tonight, from Daddy's co-workers.

He has great co-workers! We are so lucky that he has a good work family. I know his job can sometimes be stressful, but he really likes the people he works with.

Something odd happened at the shower too... A man at a nearby table sent us a gift certificate for $100 for the restaurant.... just randomly out of the blue because he wanted to say congratulations! Wow, right?

Sometimes people suprise you with how nice they can be.









Sunday, August 26, 2012

8-26-12



A quiet day at home...

After the brunch and before the event.  In other words, the calm before the storm.

Eric didn't get the table today... I hope he can get it soon though, tired of it taking up so much space in the living room.

We did have fun playing Cards Against Humanity... a card game you won't get to play until you are much much much older.

Soon the event... for now, a few hours of rest....


Saturday, August 25, 2012

8-25-12



We had the Fresno Baby Shower today.

This photo is of us with the winning team from the Trivia game.

(Ashley, Chris, James, me, Kristen, Daddy... and baby Richard in front wearing all the beads.)

The shower was great! We had about 30 people and it was so much fun! A lot of laughing and teasing and good food.

Afterwards we came home with a whole bumch of family and the kids andI went tot he pool while Daddy hung out with other guests.

It was a great day, but I'm pooped!

Oh.. and for fun... here are the trivia questions from the game!


Trivia Questions:

Who weighed more at birth? (Matt)
a.       Bonus for actual weight of heavier baby (9 lbs 2 oz)
b.      Bonus extra for weight of smaller baby: (9lbs 1 oz)
Who had more hair? (Matt)
Who was over 21 inches at birth? (Kay)
What was Kay's first word? (Ma-Ma)
What was Matt's first word? (Daddy)
 Who got in trouble for punching out a 1st grader while in pre-school? (Kay)
7How did Matt and Kay meet? (online, yahoo personals)
a.       Bonus: when did they meet? (Sept 2007)
Where was their first date: (Farmers market in Campbell)
Where did they get engaged? (Santa Cruz)
a.       Bonus: when did they get engaged? (April 2012)
Where was their first trip together? (Portland)
Who played Mister Solomon Crosby, the mustached evil villain, in the 8th grade school melodrama? (Kay)
Who was wearing a size 2 shoe prior to being even 6 months old? (Matt)
1How many total, including steps, siblings do Matt and Kay have? (11)
a.       Bonus: An extra point for each one you can name (Stephanie, Bethany, Annie, Michael, Hailey, Abby, Kristen, Gina, Ian, Sam, Maryanne)
b.      If you toss Matt and Kay back in the mix, what is the cumulative age all added up? (I think it is 307,anyone want to check my math?)
What extracurricular activities did Kay do in high school? (ROTC, Drama, Literary Club)
What extracurricular activates did Matt do in high school? (Electronics Club)
1What was Kay’s weirdest job? (Avon Lady)
1What was Matt’s weirdest job? (points for either aroma therapy salesman or women’s shoes salesman or black studies TA)
What is the meaning behind the necklace Kaylia is wearing? (given to her by Matt on their 2 year anniversary)
1Where is Kay’s favorite place to shop? (Target)
Where is Matt’s favorite place to game? (Crazy Squirrel)
 What is Kay’s favorite song of all time? (Boogie Shoes by KC and the Sunshine Band
a.       Bonus if the team can sing part of it
2  What is Matt’s favorite song? (Tightrope by Stevie Ray Vaughn)
a.       Bonus if the team can sing it.
What is Matt and Kay’s romantic song? (Stand By Me)
a.       Bonus if you can tell the story behind it
 hat did Matt want to be when he grew up? (Computer programmer or physicist)
 What did Kay want to be when she grew up (famous author or English teacher)
Baby Ella will have three grandmas: Name those grandmas! (Jeanine, Karen, Suzanne)
  Who wore a sparkly blue motorcycle helmet on his/her head because it was really really cool as a youngster? (Matt)
  Who was tormented by a poodle as a child leading to a still present slight fear of little dogs? (Kay)
.  Who was walking by 9 months? (Matt)
 Who insisted on using a real cup at 5 months? (Matt)
3  Who talked a lot as a child, to the point that he/she would talk himself/herself to sleep? (Kay)
3.  Who licked ALL the hotdogs one night at dinner to stake his/her claim? (Kay)
3  Who’s first novel (to be read) was Sherlock Holmes’ Hound of the Baskervilles? (Matt)
3  Who would get grumpy when being forced to share Calvin and Hobbes books with his/her dad? (Kay)
.  Who tricked his/her younger sister into picking up dog poop with her bare hands? (Kay)
3  Who would unconsciously hum, out of tune, while in school? (Matt)
.  Who was accepted to the wrong Master’s Program because the school didn’t think he/she would notice or care? (Kay)
a.       Bonus for knowing the school
Who’s little bare feet were a a surprise lunch for a hoard of red ants when he/she was only 2? (Matt)
Who’s first plane ride was at the age of 25? (Matt)
Ella is a pretty name. What are the two Hebrew meanings of “Ella”? (Ancient Hebrew: God, Modern Hebrew: Pistachio Tree)
a.       Partial point if you get one of the two.
Before she was Ella, she was Fishy. Who came up with the nickname of Fishy? (Kay’s sisters, Kristen and Gina)
What’s the first thing Kaylia bought for Ella? (Santa Cruz tee shirt)
What’s the first travel gift Matthew bought for Ella? (St. Jude’s teddy bear)
.  What’s the weirdest craving that Kaylia has had while pregnant? (Cigarettes)









Friday, August 24, 2012

8-24-12



Banana bread... it isn't a banana, but it is close enough.

Uncle Mark is in town, it is so good to see him and be silly together.

We had a committee meeting today for an event this coming Sunday and afterwards we celebrated with a Starbucks run.

I'm excited for this weekend... we have the shower tomorrow, brunch on Sunday with Eric who is going to pick up our old table, the event on Sunday evening.. and then the eventual crash and sleep on Monday.










Thursday, August 23, 2012

8-23-12



Daddy has introduced me to burritos.

They are easy quick and yummy.

And go well with milk.

I think you will have lots of them as you grow up.

Lately I haven't been able to eat too much at once... which makes the fact that I keep gaining weight really annoying.




Wednesday, August 22, 2012

8-22-12


Your mama isn't the only one who has gained some weight lately...

Olive has also gotten a bit rounder.

I used to run around in circles with string tied to my ankle.

Now I have to sit on a birthing ball and flick the mouse on a stick at her.

We can still play this way.. but it really isn't the same at all.






Tuesday, August 21, 2012

8-21-12



We had our Stork Tour today.

We had fun seeing the rooms where you are going to be born.

Let me say that again.... we saw the place Where You Will Be Born!!!!

Wow!

Words can't explain how that makes me feel.





Monday, August 20, 2012

8-20-12



There was supposed to be a star show, a meteor shower tonight.

Daddy and I drove out of town so that we could see the stars... and we really didn't see any falling stars, but we did have fun.

We now have an inside joke involving "the moon" and a shared moment of bonding.

I love your daddy so much, he makes me so happy. Even a failed star gaze attempt can turn into a delightful evening.

I also really hope that you will be able to grow up in a place where you can see the stars....







Sunday, August 19, 2012

8-19-12



Another book club!

Pictured are Twila, Laura, and Monica.

The book we picked to read for next month is "The Princess Bride"

The move came out when I was young... and I loved it. We used to play it for hours in the school yard.... I thought Robin Wright was the most beautiful actress ever.

Later, I read the book and it blew my mind. It is snarky and funny and has a totally wicked sense of humor that the movie only touched on.

I can't wait to see what the gals in book club thought of it!

Saturday, August 18, 2012

8-18-12



Today I organized my clothes.

Not Maternity vs Not Maternity... but Able to Nurse in vs Not Able to Nurse In.

In other words, I am going to be wearing the same 5 things over and over and over again while nursing you.

Still, it was sort of fun. I tried things on and tried to get my boob out and ready... rather glad no one was home to see me do this.

I feel like I'm getting more and more ready with each passing day.

Also, I need nursing bras. (Add another thing to the to-do list)

Friday, August 17, 2012

8-17-12



Today was one of those days where I had no energy to do anything except sleep and fiddle about on my phone.

Which led to this high score moment in Words With Friends.

Yeah.... I don't think it's pathetic that this was the highlight of my day.

Really.

Ok, maybe a little bit.

But see, my grandma Jean is a scrable queen... while I fit more into the category of someone who.. well, how shall i put this.. sucks.

At scramble anyway.

Proof that being good at one thing doesn't mean you are good at other closely related things...and that the opposite is true. Just because I suck at scramble doesn't mean I am an idiot.

At least, that;'s what I tell myself.






Thursday, August 16, 2012

8-16-12



Proof that I eat more than fast food and Starbucks.

Really.

Chicken, noodles, sauce, veggies... and milk.

Can't forget the milk.

I am a milk addict.

I have also been congested since February.

But I don't care. I LOVE milk.

Actual milk, none of this soy, almond, rice milk for me... no strawberry or chocolate milk... it's all about the white cow milk at 1 or 2 % milk fat.

So good!

It's ok if you don't like milk. You can be a freak of nature like your dad.

It just means more for me!

Yum!





Wednesday, August 15, 2012

8-15-12



Before Rachel headed back to Santa Cruz (lucky her) we went out for... yeah.. you guessed it... Starbucks!

I'm so glad she and I became friends. She is wonderfully goofy and so very open minded and sweet. I know you will love her as much as I do!

Life lesson from your mother: try to be friends with as many different people as possible. It will only enrich your life!






Tuesday, August 14, 2012

8-14-12


Rachel came from Santa Cruz to visit today.

We are going to do some filming for her youtube channel. She is interviewing me about life choices etc.

I'm so proud of her for deciding to follow her dreams. Some people might scoff and say she is too old to be reinventing herself, I say she is the perfect age to pursue her happiness and I am very excited to see where it leads her!

After she edits the interviews, I will have to come back and post them here for you to see.

Monday, August 13, 2012

8-13-12



Grandma visited us over the weekend (we didn';t get any good photos of us, darnit).

She bought you (and me) this adorable rocking chair! I was a bit cautios about having another piece of furniture... but it fits beautifully and it very comfy. I can't wait to rock you in it.

We also go the cubby storage unit thing... and I love it.

"It's like a whoe new way to organize!" I gushed. Your daddy rolled his eyes but Grandma totally understood and gushed right along with me.

I wonder if you will be as into organizing things as I am. I don't think I was that into as a kid, but then, I didn't have thar much to organize.

Anyway, this new system will make keeping things put away much simpler.

And it goes so well with the new rocking chair.

I'm glad they talked me into the rocking chair, I think it will be a wonderful thing for us to use!





Sunday, August 12, 2012

8-12-12



Another SWAC brunch.

(Probably not my last one, but maybe....)

Alie and I took this photo to show off our baby bumps.  See how mine is higher? Well, statistically speaking that means I'm having a girl and she is having a boy.  As of right now, her little boy (due in early October) doesn't have an official name yet... everyone is just calling him Roo!

Your boy name would have been Edric.... yeah, I got it from a book.

Your daddy nixed the following boy names:

Conor, Corbin, Keetan, Taren, Joshua....

The girl names were easy. We thought about Emily... and then we thought of Ella and then we stopped thinking about it because Ella was just perfect.

Ella Marie Metcalfe-Armstrong.

What a lovely name, if I do say so myself!



Saturday, August 11, 2012

8-11-12



Daddy brought me flowers.

He knows that I am stating to get overwhelmed with all that is left to do before you get here....

It isn't the labor that worries me. *Maybe I'm just in denial). I know that it will be long, hard, and painful. I also know it will end and then I will have you.

No, what worries me is all the stuff tht comes after... the responsibility, the care, the protetion, the homework, the letting go...

I know that I need to just calm down and carry on, but sometimes I get so scared that we are going to mes you up or that you won't be happy... and that terrifies me.

I love you little Ella, I want you to be happy and safe and to feel loved!







Friday, August 10, 2012

8-10-12



Today I prepped 100 rainbow bracelets for the Rainbow Delegation.

I'm proud to wear my rainbow bracelet and I have a feeling that you will have your very own to chew on soon enough.

I hope someday they aren't needed... but for now these small and bright symbols of acceptance and support are essential to the LGBT community.

Getting the new sites up and running, getting the process for the RD orders done has been a big task, but I'm really glad to be a part of it.







Thursday, August 9, 2012

8-9-12



Today is National Book Lover's Day.

I am your mother, and I am a book lover.

I am a book worm.

I am a bibliophile.

I am a reader/

And I'm proud of it.

I'm not always proud of what I read, or some of the time I have lost to bad writing, but I keep reading (and trying new things) because I think it is important to do so.

I hope you get your daddy's good looks and your mama's extroverted personality.

But above all that, I hope you get our love of reading.




Wednesday, August 8, 2012

8-8-12



Meet Percival, my purse monkey.

He is attached to my keys.

He is there to help me not lose my keys... and to remind me of an important lesson: don't judge.

See, last week in the mall in Sacramento, I was "lucky" enough to spend a good loooooong while in a store called Claire's. This store is all about girly pink and fashion.

Things I am decidedly not really into. at all.

Things I hope you are not into either, but I digress.

This store, full of fake eyelashes, earrings, make up, hair things, things with glitter and sequins... this store sort of drives me nuts. BUT Olivia and Bailee are all about this girly crap ans so we spent some time there.

When we finally escaped they told me the next store on the list was the Hello Kiyy store... a similar store full of Japanese imports of girly pink Japanese crap.

I decided to not go with them and took refuge on a bench.

(Sometimes pulling the pregnancy card is a good thing)

Anyway, Auntie Ree asked me why I didn't want to go in and , suppressing a shudder, I told her I had had my fill of girly pink crap for one day.

So, she found something non girly, non pink and non crap in the Hello Kitty store and bought it for me.

Percival.

 He is adorable and I love him.

So, maybe there is hope for those horrible girly pink stores after all.

Or maybe there is hope for me to not be so judgmental.

Either way, he is on my keys and I couldn't be happier.


Tuesday, August 7, 2012

8-7-12



Coffee break!

Yeah, I do this a lot.

I never thought of myself as "that" type of mom... but.. yeah... guess so.

(Although it isn't coffee for me, more like a milkshake)

Why? Well, see I have this slight allergy to caffeine.

I hpe you don't have any such annoying allergies....


Monday, August 6, 2012

8-6-12



Baby clothes means organization!

Must find the best way to get get things set up....

So far, I have the NB section, the 0-3, the 3, the 3-6, the 6..... Your little dresser is filling up fast!

I wonder how long you will be a newborn. Apparently, your daddy was hardly a newborn at all.... both he and I were over 9 pounds at birth.

/shakes head/

I'm trying not to think about that.

Back to sorting clothes!!!! (Some of them are almost too cute to be real!)

Sunday, August 5, 2012

8-5-12


Speaking of the nursery.... Daddy set up the changing table today.

Do you see the monkey cover? How CUTE is that?

We also have your cradle, but it is still being worked on.

I love your little room! I just wish it didn't get so hot back there in the afternoons... we need to get you a fan before next year.

I can't believe it is august already! You are going tobe here before we know it!

(Omg... I still have so much to do!)

Saturday, August 4, 2012

8-4-12



HOME!!!!!

Yay!

And... it wasn't the huge number of emails that I was surprised to find at home waiting for me.. it was the huge stack of boxes! 

More baby gifts! Hooray!!!

We have some very generous friends and family members!

It was So Much Fun putting everything away from the shower! Your nursery is really starting to feel well stocked!

It was also great to be home, to sit on our own couch, to play with Olive... to cuddle with Daddy!

Friday, August 3, 2012

8-3-12



Today I spent most of the day playing games with Max.

What I learned.

The cat, Mew, HAS to be involved in every game.

Max cheats.

Max cheats badly.

I, on the other hand, cheat with dignity and flair.

Teasing Max about his cheating while cheating myself is super fun.

Max is a good sport.

My eyes can't see black light words.

Ok, so if that last one seems random, let me explain. 

We were going to play the "new" Clue game. (Apparently the "old" Clue game is very much pase.

The new Clue game is all about spies and gadgets and intrigue. The cards all have secret things on them and you have to use the included black light thing in order to read the clues.

However, I couldn't see the words under the black light. Like.. not at all.  THere were no words, no letter, no smudges, nothing.

At first I thought I had a blank card... but upon closer reflection, we realized that in the same way that my camera phone doesn't pick up any of the actual secret words via the black light, neither do my eyes.

Weird eh?

I'm 31 years old and I am just learning this. I wonder what ele out there I can't see.

Thursday, August 2, 2012

8-2-12


Today Auntie Ree drove me to Modesto so I could visit that side of the family for a bit before hading home to Fresno.

(I miss your Daddy an awful lot.)

Ahem, anyway. It was fun having dinner with Aunt Bethany and aunt Annie etc. I think my favorite part of the afternoon/evening though was watching these two sisters, who don't always see eye to eye, cook dinner together. It was like... no matter what they might disagree on, they were going to work together to get food on the table for the families.

My sisters are much younger than I am, so we have very different relationships.... watching Bethany and Annie today made me realize how special that sibling bond can be, how powerful.

I'm so blessed that they have allowed me into their little sister coven!

(Great, now I miss my sisters too!)


Wednesday, August 1, 2012

8-1-12



I did it! I caught one of the few quiet happy moments of play between Olivia and Bailee!

Ok, that makes it sound worse than it was.. but really, these two little girls are a LOT of action, drama, and energy!

I keep going back and forth about you being an only child. Sometimes I think that might be too much pressure on you and unfair to you, etc. Other times I think having more than one might drive me insane.

Oh well, it's not like we have to decide right now, still watching these two play does make me wonder.

This has been quite a week. I still had to do a bunch of GCV web stuff and get the first newsletter out... which meant going to Starbucks and using their wifi.

But I had a great time! It was so much fun spending time with Auntie Ree, watching the Olympics, hanging out, talking about life and family, and the future.... I love my Auntie Ree!

I hope we can make this summer visit in Sacramento a regular thing... I really want you to grow up with Auntie Ree, Jennifer, and the girls as your friends and not just occasional visit people.