Reunited And It Feels So Good!

We had our first ever family reunion! My awesome cousin Stacy initiated, delegated and pulled off our first family reunion. It took place in Half Moon Bay and it was a fun and beautiful day. It was so great to get together with all of our relatives on Nana's side.

Nana & Papa

Auntie Cussy & Cousin Trina

D & Little Lady

Cousins & Spouces

Our Family

Nana's Siblings

Siblings & Spouces

Aunts, Uncles, Cousins & Kids

Extended Family

With Cousin Stacy & Little Kaia

Exersauser=Babysitter!

Auntie Cussy & Uncle Andy



D & Little Lady



Little Lady in her fluffy hairdo

Delighted to be Reunited,

D

Crazy Eighth

July was an extremely packed month. With a vacation, summer semester midterms and finals, a couple of weekends of housesitting, the second half of the World Cup, and a sprinkling of weddings, I didn't have too much time to take pics of the Lady. This is the best I could do:

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Waiting to Wind-down,

D

SacramenTrip

As fun as our Fourth of July was, it was only a small portion of our trip in Sacramento. We also ventured out to Lake Natomas for a day of fun in the sun and water. Little Lady was not too pleased with the water temperature, even though it was, in actuality, ideal. This was her first time in her new bathing suit which barely fit her and will probably never get to wear again... Oh well, still worth every penny!

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It was instantly clear that the Lady did not inherit my fear of open water in the boat. We enjoyed a little kayaking and others enjoyed tubing. It was perrrrrfect weather, not too hot or windy at all. We wrapped up the trip with a meal to send us off with full stomachs. Little Lady particularly enjoyed her first taste of watermelon in the "gnawing net" that my aunt got for her!

Staycation Satisfied,

D

First Fourth

I did it. I took a vacation.

Mid-semester I packed for what seemed like a four-month trip for eight and ventured off to Sacramento. It was well worth it. It was a beautiful change of scenery and we enjoyed great company with my aunt, uncle, and cousins. Auntie Cussy and Uncle Andy came up too.

The trip was packed with outings, sunshine, and delicious food (as always when we go to Aunt Shirlee's house!). Our Fourth of July eve was spent in El Dorado Hills where they had a gorgeous fireworks show that was right above our heads! It was a little loud for the Lady, but Auntie Cussy provided her hands as earmuffs for the show.

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Our actual Fourth of July started out going to church and then visiting our Uncle Byron's family for swimming and a barbeque. It was Little Lady's first time in a pool! I bought her first swimsuit and swim diapers to prepare for the adventure. (Those picture will come in a later segment about the remainder of the trip.) Afterward, we headed back to watch the neighborhood fireworks. We all gathered in a cul-de-sac and watched as they fired-off over $700-worth of fireworks!! It took about 45 minutes to get through them all (after taking about 45 minutes to unwrap them all). Little Lady loved to watch, but they were pretty loud considering how close we were and the echo in our little nook.

There was much more than we did after the Fourth of July, but I will post that in the next few days. It was so fun to get away for a little while, even if I had to do homework every night. Stay tuned for more of our adventures in Sacramento!

Loved the Get-Away from the Bay,

D

A Swing and a Laugh

Last week I met up with Nana and a couple of the kids she nannies and played at the park. It was a gorgeous summer day, but we found some shade for the kids to play in. Little Lady had her first swing ride! She was more fascinated by her new surroundings than the swing itself, but she did enjoy it... for a little while.

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As serious as she looks here, Lady is really actually a pretty giddy baby. She loves to talk and laugh (and drool)! Recently I caught her on video laughing up a storm. Don't mind the shaky footage, I was laughing pretty hard myself.

Swingin' in the Sunshine,

D

Gleeful Guests

Auntie Cussy and Uncle Andy came to the Bay for a couple of days to visit. They're visits are always too short, but this one was shortest by far! We had enough time to visit with some of Andrew's family that was also in town, have a few meals together and a little day trip to South City.

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The weather was A-mazing! We have had a nice break from the rain and have been reaching 80 degrees for the last week. It was especially a treat for CassAndrew who have been weathering the snow for the last few months. Hopefully they'll be back soon since we miss them already!

Glad for the Guests,

D

Princess Playdate

I was starting to get major cabin fever from being cooped up inside too long (I still am not allowed to drive from my surgery), so Nana planned a day-cation to visit my cousin Stacy and her family. Her daughter Kaia is Little Lady's second cousin, but ironically, she came first. They are a little over a week apart in age.

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It was nice to have a change of scenery and to visit with my cousin and her husband. It was also fun to compare Kaia and Little Lady as they both have already developed different habits and personalities.

Anxious to be Active,

D

Coastal Festivities

Another weekend passed that was jam-packed with fun! My wonderful Aunt Katie hosted a baby shower for me at her house over on the coast. I was so blessed to have been supported by such awesome family and  friends who came from near and far. To sum it up: fun people, delicious food, silly games and LOTS of pink!

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After we were all done partying, Mom, my friend Abbie, and I all crashed at Aunt Katie's house and woke up early the next morning to head to the annual Half Moon Bay Pumpkin Festival. I've been going since I was a kid. It's probably the only time of year when a little beach town of 10,000 sees crowds of around 250,000! It was fun to run into family and friends as we strolled the booths on Main St.

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Don't mind the fact that it looks like I swallowed a pumpkin! Ha ha! It was a fun get-away trip full of laughs. It was less than 24 hours, but I was wiped by the time we headed back home. It was a beautiful drive along the coast. Thank you to everyone who made it such a fun and memorable weekend.

Big and Blessed,

D

The Green Bay Hike

Dad and I went to Fleet Week in San Francisco. It was a long day, but quite enjoyable. We cleverly found some free parking (saving $40!) and commenced out stroll along the piers. We hung out around Pier 39 for a little while, then went to the USS Green Bay to take a tour. While we were waiting in line, we had a great view of the Blue Angels show!

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Once aboard the USS Green Bay, we were able to take a semi-self-guided tour of the ship. It was a little claustrophobic when a crowd got stuck in one room with only one entrance and one exit, but we survived. What I almost didn't survive was all of the stair wells! I don't know why I never put two and two together, but it didn't even cross my mind that I would have to climb and descend that many flights of stairs! I think there were probably about 12-15 stairwells that are really more like latters than stairs.

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All in all, it was a great day. The weather, though overcast, was ideal City weather. No wind! And the fog lifted enough to allow the Blue Angels to complete their whole show. It was a looooong day, but at least I got my exercise in for the week!

Out of Breath, but Full of Joy,

D

Starting At 100

As many of you now know, I am expecting in December! I'm excited that today is officially 100 days until my due date (tho I realize the chances of Baby D arriving on that exact day are pretty slim). I found out in early June, but it took some time to gather family to let them all know at once. Announcement day came and went, and not only was it a great birthday lunch, but everyone was an amazing support to my surprise news.

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My last ultrasound was a blast! I trekked from the East Bay all the way to Roseville (passed Sacramento), but had the chance to see Baby D in 3D in realtime! It was truly AMAZING! I kept saying "Oh my!", "Wow!", "That's awesome!" and the tech commented that I must be really excited to be a mom. I told him I was, but at the moment I was more awed by the technology that allowed me to see Baby D, flabby arms, button nose, and all! Gender is inconclusive as of yet with the most recent verdict being "Today she is a girl, but I make no promises." Whatever that means...

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So this blog is here to document not only Baby D's first steps (eventually), but my first steps into Motherhood. It's also to keep my family and friends posted on my adventures when Baby D does decide to arrive and keep us all connected as I continue to travel as my move to DC is still in the plans for Spring of next year. For now, my blog URL is premature, but all too soon will reflect my daily endeavors and adventures. Feel free to comment as I would love to hear from you all.

Grateful, Grinning, and Growing!

D