My Little Sister

Here is Jaime, at 6.5 months pregnant. Can't wait to meet her baby girl!

BFFs and Babies

Not everyone knows the story of how Jen and I met in 1996, my freshman year of college. She was the one assigned to a group of freshmen, including me, to show around the campus for 3 or 4 days before everyone else arrived. We lived together our sophomore year, and spent many late nights goofing off and playing jokes on each other and our other roommates.

That's how we met, and it would take me FOREVER to write a post on all the in between stuff, but while we DID NOT EVER plan things this way, we both always secretly hoped one day we could be pregnant together. Well, we were (duh!) and now we both have newborns, four weeks apart. Here is Jen with her sweet Sarah Kate, born Oct. 24th.

Welcome to the Family, Bradley!

Bradley David Gonzalez
Monday, September 21, 2009
8:21 a.m.
8 lbs. 1 oz.
20 inches long

My Sister is Expecting!

For those of you who have not heard, my little sister, Jaime, is pregnant! She is due in mid-February, and we are so happy for her and Gary. I would appreciate (as would they) your prayers for her and little baby during this time. In a few weeks, they should find out if they are having a boy or a girl.

REVISED Baby Countdown

Well, now that I've completely confused everyone, the 19th is no longer the Birthday. The only reason I was a little disappointed was because that was my grandfather's birthday. However, it is what it is and there is no reason for me to be sad.

So, unless baby makes an early arrival on his own, his birthday is scheduled for September 21st.

We would appreciate your prayers for the next few weeks, particularly as we continue to discuss more with Andrew about what is coming and how best to plan for him during those days when baby is born and we are in the hospital.

Any wisdom you want to share in this area is also welcome!

Baby Projects

I don't know where to start about the long list of projects we had on our list to complete this summer while Dave was home. However, now that he has gone back to work, I am working on getting Drew back on his 'normal' routine (although I know in a little over a month it will all be disrupted again).

There are also various projects left on my list I need to complete before the baby comes. Some are directly related to Baby himself; others are just items that need crossing off before he arrives that don't really have anything to do with a new baby in the house.

Drew and I completed two of those this week that are kind of exciting. We washed all the bassinet linens and assembled the bassinet. Of course, Drew keeps asking to go for a ride in it, and we have the long conversation over and over about how he is too big, but he did 'go for rides' in it when he was a little baby. He has been practicing rocking his big teddy bear in the bassinet, and he likes to sing while he does it. Very cute.

Another accomplishment (especially in the heat and when your belly is out to ........... here), we washed, re-assembled, and installed the infant car seat in the van. Again, Drew thinks he is the baby and that he should fit in the seat. After I let him have his turn in it, I think he realized how uncomfortable it is for him. So, now, if baby comes at any point, they will let us leave the hospital with him because his seat is properly installed. That is always a good thing (to be able to leave with your own baby)!

So, the list goes on, but we are making progress, one item at a time, one day at a time.

My Favorite Chocolate

On Tuesday, Dave surprised me with my favorite chocolates from Ingo Wullaert. What made this surprise even 'sweeter' is that these chocolates were given to him from the family of one of his students. They have given Ingo chocolates to him in the past and know that we have thoroughly enjoyed them. So, for the end of the year, they gave him this box. During the day on Tuesday, he emailed me to tell me he had a sweet treat to bring home to his pregnant wife. So, besides the fact that I love, love, love him, and I love, love, love these chocolates, I was more than thankful he selflessly chose to give me the chocolates! When I opened the box, not even one of them was missing.

Your chance to name a boy!

Since we now know we are having a boy, the search is on for the perfect name. Because we found out baby's gender ahead of time, we will be keeping our name choice secret until baby is born. BUT, we are inviting an endless list of name suggestions to keep us busy. So, have at it, and submit all your baby boy names you think we should consider. Please join the fun!

Baby News

We are so excited, and thankful, for the Lord providing this child to us. We look forward to the day he is born, and the brother he will be to his Big Brother, Andrew. We are thankful that the Lord has seen it part of His will that we are to parent boys (plural) at this point. What a gift, indeed!

16 Week Belly

Here it is... funny- some people are asking where my baby bump is, and yet others are saying they can't believe I am showing this much. Tell me what you think... honestly.

Family Date and a Smart Little Boy

We went to the Evening of the Arts at the school tonight and then took Drew to dinner at Silver Spoon (yay for gift certificates!). When we were done with dinner and were waiting on the check, I excused myself to the ladies' room. Andrew was talking to Dave while I was gone, and this was their conversation:


Drew: Mommy crying?
Dave: Drew, why is mommy crying?
Drew: Mommy sad.
Dave: Why is mommy sad?
Drew: Sick.
Dave: Why do you think she is sick?
Drew: Baby tummy.
Dave: Does mommy have a baby in her tummy?
Drew: Yah.

Later, for comic relief, Drew decided to lift up his shirt and stuff his lion underneath it on his belly to make a baby tummy.

Also, as if we weren't already crying with laughter, he SCREAMS "Bye- love you!" to the waitress as she walks away from our table. The whole restaurant heard this. Never a dull moment.

We don't go out to eat much, mainly because of Drew's allergies, but also because I would just rather cook and eat at home. But, this was definitely one of the most well-behaved evenings in a restaurant we've ever had with Andrew. Go, Drew!

Do I Have to LOOK Pregnant?!

I am more vain than I thought. Okay, I guess I knew it; I just kept wanting to believe differently. When I was pregnant with Andrew, some of my early thoughts on the subject of size and appearance included: Who cares if I get big? I'm carrying a baby, right? No one is going to say anything about the size of a pregnant woman! And so on and so forth...

Well, I learned all too quickly how those were naive thoughts of the first-time, newly pregnant. It wasn't long before I felt overly large, considering my stature doesn't allow much room for baby to spread out vertically. Soon I was getting comments not unlike what any other pregnant woman has heard: Are you having twins? When are you due- you look like you are ready now! Boy, you've really popped out! Wow, you're huge (yes, that was my favorite - not!)! Now, before you all think this is merely a commentary on the thoughtless things people say, stay with me. It really isn't.

As the months went by, particularly entering months 7 and 8, I really thought it was a joke. My swelling kicked into high gear, I had started outgrowing some of my maternity clothes (yikes!), and I developed cankles: you couldn't tell where my calves ended and my ankles began. I began to refer to the lower portion of my used-to-be legs as elephant feet.

While I would never trade all this for the alternative of not having been pregnant, I entered quite a dark time about two months before Drew was born and it lasted until about he was six months old. The reason for this is because I felt the most unfeminine, unattractive, and uncoordinated I had ever felt in my entire life.

Fast forward to now, and as soon as I knew I was pregnant, I have been telling myself: Maybe you can be different this time. Maybe you can walk and run so much that you don't gain much weight. Maybe this time you'll be prettier while you're pregnant. Maybe you can try harder to deny yourself all the little edible indulgences you allowed yourself last time. Maybe this, maybe that... you get the idea.

I have come to realize I can do all I can to keep healthy, but (duh!), I am going to look pregnant! Why? Because I am! I am supposed to! I know I am going to struggle with this in my thought life. I am asking, with all sincerity, if you all will pray, first and foremost, for a healthy pregnancy and safe baby. Second, will you moms pray for me in this area with which I know I struggle? Your prayers, along with my own, and my daily casting this burden on the Lord, will make all the difference.

As excited as I am to be carrying our second child, it is still humbling to dig out the maternity clothes and even start putting some on (but just the small ones so far!). I keep wondering if I can just suck in my stomach, but as I learned last time, that only works for so long!