30*weeks!

Hooray! This week we found a few spare minutes to do a mini pregnant photo shoot of my bare-nakie baby belly. Good thing too, because at 30 weeks/7 months, I'd like to remember the size of this tummy before it reaches freakish proportions! After all, this babe still needs to double his size before he's allowed to greet the world. And I am just trying to enjoy, cherish, and embrace every moment of this time. It's an understatement when I say that the minor discomforts of growing a little guy really pale in comparison to the miracle that's continuing within. His hyperactive Olympic training sessions crack me up, even when he keeps me up at night. And even though the weight gain and spider veins are a little scary, I'm not even counting...It's all for an amazing little purpose that I could never complain about. But I will say that after pre-term labor scare #2 {long story, but just know that we're both perfectly healthy, safe and sound!} it's getting to be time to wrap things up at work. The 12 hours on my feet, night or day, scrambling and stressed in the ICU is just not working out so well these days. I've been exhausted! I am so looking forward to an early maternity leave...With plenty of time for nesting and yoga and figuring out how to knit baby everythings. And speaking of things to look forward to...I am leaving on a jet plane in the a.m., heading home for a long weekend + double baby shower w/ my best girl cousin Alisha {who's also expecting a boy this spring}! Am so excited to compare bellies with her and to see everyone!!


{As you can see, my former innie belly button has transformed into a somewhere-in-betweenie.}

sweet morning

I am delighting in this sweet+sunny morning: The kind of morning that involves sleeping in 'til long after the sun has come up. Then hanging out in my 'jams until I feel inspired to bake up some cream-cheesy cinnamon rolls. {The kind of rolls that you find in a guilty blue Pillsbury tube at the grocery store, perfectly paired with a gulp of O.J.} Sharing the ooey-gooey goodness of it all with a dear, sweet Jeff.

bird-brained nesting and spring chicken hatching

Suddenly after all of the holiday hub-bub subsided, it hit me: We are really and truly going to have a baby. Soon. It's crazy to think we've arrived in the wild 3rd trimester world already!

This little peapod is becoming even more real and more magical every single day. And he's definitely becoming stronger and bigger each and every day. And I believe it's starting to sink in more&more for that handsome husband of mine also. Just the week before Christmas, the most magical thing of all happened...Jeff felt those mighty little man kicks for the very first time. And since then he's had a hand on my belly, bonding with the wiggle worm within daily. So very fun.

The other night, we made an impromptu date and went out for some fancy schmancy dinner and a little shopping. {We've realized that such impromptu date nights are nearing extinction, so we're seizing every precious opportunity!} We stopped at Gap and I could not even resist taking home this little onesie. Isn't it soo sweet+perfect for our mini man?...After all, we've nicknamed him our little spring chicken since the beginning. Ready or not... 4.6.09 will be here before we know it. He'll be hatching in no time.
We're still at the drawing board with the name situation. Well to be honest, we have a pretty perfect first name in mind, but are still puzzling over a suitable middle. Not sure why we hadn't picked up a name book yet, because we had such a blast devouring this book while waiting for our entrees at the restaurant. I must say, I'd highly recommend it. It's clear+concise. But better yet, its authors are downright forthright about the name game. They write the most fresh+funny descriptions of each name and are not afraid to tell you if your choice is lame or completely awesome! We laughed so hard when we studied up on our own names...that the name Jessica is "ready for a well-earned rest" and Jeff is "the ultimate dad name." Better yet get a load of what they had to say about, Jeffrey spelling variation of Geoffrey: "Yes, there were actually Jeffreys/Geoffreys in the Middle Ages...but now they're just middle-aged." Am glad they have much more encouraging+pleasant things to say about our baby names of choice!
Oh, and the nesting progress definitely deserves a mention: The Christmas tree is officially dead and gone, leaving wide open spaces for a tiny baby nursery to move in. We haven't set anything up yet, but we've certainly been collecting! Just last week, we scored this super simple changing table off of Craigslist to the tune of $20. We've had such great luck finding deals on baby goods there! I'm thinking 6 square white wicker baskets will be perfect for storing all of baby's toiletries, toys, and linens beneath...

I know I'm long overdue for sharing a belly pic. Next week, I promise!:)

holiday rewind.

Look who's finally decided to come back to life. ;)

After a much longer than anticipated blogitty hiatus, I am finally back in action...Recharged and rejuvenated in '09. Truly, I've been alive and well this whole time. Just seemed to have kicked the blogging routine and for awhile and then forgot where to even begin again...I've been so distracted by all of the big changes and lengthy to-do's of the New Year. So sorry this is old news! We had a most Merry Christmas and I hope you did too.

Since we both worked Christmas Eve, we set out a bit late for our Christmas vacation to the perilous snowed-in-over-and-above Washington state to visit Jeff's fam in Spokane for 5 days. We had a completely dreadful time getting there, so I'll try to summarize: 1. I was traveling on zero sleep (gotta love the night shift) and so super uncomfortable, 2. we were delayed+canceled+delayed+delayed 3. We arrived safely and soundly the next morning without our luggage. No underwear, Christmas presents, or toothbrushes. Yowzers. Thankfully, Jeff's fam treated us as if our house had just burned down, offering up spare sweats and toiletries. Our luggage showed up later the next eve...A bit soggy, but I'm not complaining!Everyone in Spokane was scratching their heads over this winter's record snowfall (5+ feet!?) They never get this kind of crazy snow! I was indulging in the white Christmas, mostly because my pregnant diva status made me exempt from shoveling. :) The little brown buildings peeking out from snow piles above are the Kesterson home and the church where Jeff's dad preaches. So cute. We picked the most perfect year to give Jeff's parents snowshoes for Christmas {lower left}! They could have used them to walk from house to garage! And errr, apparently I've been in Cali a bit too long--I thought I could get away with wearing ballet flats out one night through 6" icey puddles. {See toesicles in upper left.} Thankfully Jeff was strong enough to carry all of me + babe across the threshold.We absolutely loved seeing+catching up with everyone. All of Jeff's fam were there--his big sis Heather+husband Justin, little sis Jenny, and little bro Mark {upper left}. We had the best time, just vegging in between snow dumpings and shovelings. We also had a girls' date pottery painting *my favorite!* {upper right}. We even stole away on a double date with our best couple friends Becca & Sam who are currently living in Spokane. In the pics, we're roasting our own s'mores for dessert at the swank underground restaurant called Catacombs.

We headed back to S.F. on 12.31 for a quiet New Year's Eve; just the two of us in front of our little Christmas tree. As much as we loved Spokane's magical winter wonderland, we couldn't help but grin when the bus dropped us + our luggage off on green grass and sunny skies in front of our own little apartment.

cupcake pin cushions

During our holiday Spokane visit, my crafting guru Becca & I got to squeeze in an afternoon craft party, along with my sil Jenny. We made these adorable cupcake pin cushions using this tutorial. {Not quite the caliber of Betz White's, but still pretty stinking cute...} They are so simple to make. All you need is a few old sweaters, a needle+thread, and an hour!!