Celebrating 28 Weeks and Christmas in LA!

We have been back 'home' in LA for the week, enjoying the holidays with Jenn's side of the family and our friends that we sadly left behind when we moved up north. :-) We were really fortunate to be able to see so many people we love while we have been in town. (Thanks to everyone for making time to see us, too!)

We were also able to sneak in one last visit to Disneyland, just the 'two' of us. As one of our favorite date spots, we really miss our regular, quick visits to the Happiest Place on Earth! We enjoyed wandering around and riding all of the rides (approved for mamas-to-be of course). While it was our last trip as a twosome, it was the baby's 1st visit! We really look forward to passing on our obsession to our kid(s) and we can't wait to experience the magic through their eyes. :-)

How far along? 28 Weeks

Total weight gain/loss: Don't know - haven't stepped on the scale this week, but it hadn't changed much last week. I'm back to not paying much attention to it.
Maternity clothes? Yup - although I'm going to need some longer shirts soon as I am starting to notice a draft on the underside of my stomach sometimes.... :-(
Stretch marks? None that I can see...so that means no, right?
Sleep: UGH. Well, I think a return to my magical Sleep Number 45 will help, but this week has been a little rough. However, without the dogs around, we've been enjoying sleeping in for probably the last time in our adult lives.
Best moment this week: Too many to choose from! Between seeing my family for Christmas, visiting with friends, and taking our last trip to Disneyland as a childless couple... we have had a great week!
Movement: While I can't seriously use the acronym usually, OMG comes to mind! I'm slightly convinced that the poor child has run out of room in there and is trying to get out. We (namely, my rib cage and I) have noticed a major change in the movement this past week. Joel has been able to feel (and see) plenty of activity, however the baby protested performing for Nana Claudette. Sorry Mom!
Food cravings: Cheese Bread! Just kidding...well, not really - we went to Northwoods Inn for dinner on our first night down in LA. Yum!
Gender: Believe it or not, we've still yet to figure it out! ;-) According to a long list of old wives tales we read online the other day, most signs point to boy.
Labor Signs: Nope....
Belly Button in or out? Again, neither....
What I miss: Being comfortable
What I am looking forward to: Someday being able to lay on my stomach or back again. Oh how I wish I could just sleep on my back some nights!
Weekly Wisdom: When pregnant at Disneyland, wear compression stockings! I think that's why I was so comfortable for most of the 12 hours we were there. Seriously! I couldn't believe how comfortable I was all day on my feet. I'm convinced that the improved circulation made a huge difference.
Milestones: Santa brought us the crib for Christmas! Woohoo! Baby Corcoran has some furniture! :-) Aside from that, more frequent and new movement. We think we can feel the head (or maybe the rump?) pressing into my side. For those of you who have never experienced growing a human in your belly, let me tell you, it's just lovely sometimes.

Current Projects: Clean out the nursery room.... yes I'm aware that I believe that was the current project a few weeks ago. We're REALLY going to get it done this time. Really!

27 Week Kisses

Some of you may have seen these pictures on Joel's photography blog, but since they are pretty cute, I had to post them over here too!


Here are the sweet Christmas kisses for the baby from Jack & Bridget.


























We are excited to welcome the New Year, knowing that in just a couple of months, we'll get to meet our little munchkin. 2010 will certainly be a big year for us!

25 Weeks and Freezing!

BRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR!!!!!!!

Literally - we've had highs in the low 40s lately with lows in the mid 20s at night. Yowzers! We even had a dusting of snow at our house Monday morning. Chilly willy.

Anyhow, we finally broke out the Christmas decorations. Joel took some festive pictures (which he also posted on his growing photo blog here) for this week. Speaking of Joel... we really need to get some pictures of HIM on here, huh? I'll be working on that. In the meantime, here is the 25 week update, complete with a new category in the usual survey.

How far along? 25 weeks

Total weight gain/loss: About 22 pounds it appears. I got in trouble with the midwife, but everyone tells me if I feel good and the baby is on track, not to worry - so I'm not going to. I've been increasing my exercise and watching more of what I eat (have you ever checked Sodium content? HOLY COW!). I hadn't been allowed to really exercise for so long (I was on a mild form of bed rest for a couple months) that I got pretty sedentary and I think it caught up with me a little. Oh well I guess.
Maternity clothes? Yes. Once again... temperatures are dropping like crazy around here and I've had to take up wearing Joel's jackets, as mine are all pretty snug fits and no longer zip closed!
Stretch marks? Nada....and hoping my Palmer's Cocoa Butter lotion helps keep it that way
Sleep: I'm so grateful for our Sleep Number bed - I think it's made it much easier for me to stay comfortable throughout the nights. The flannel sheets don't hurt, either!
Best moment this week: The other night, the baby was doing some serious kicking/bouncing around. I thought maybe we could "see" it if we looked. I was right! Seconds after I told Joel to watch, the baby did a monster jump and my whole stomach moved. We were both laughing at how crazy it was! We saw a few more full tummy movements. It's so weird!
Movement: Yes, aside from the above example, he/she seems to think my uterus is a bounce house. During the relaxation part of my yoga class the other night, the kid kept doing some spastic move every time I took a deep breath. Kinda hard to relax with all that action going on sometimes!
Food cravings: Nothing too specific but I crave good home cooked meals. Sadly I also crave really not good for me take out food that I am trying to avoid.
Gender: The other day I told Joel I think it's a boy. Not really sure why. We'll see at some point!
Labor Signs: No thank you!
Belly Button in or out? Is neither an option? :-/ That's pretty much where we are now folks.
What I miss: Being able to get a better stretch in some yoga positions... I was a little surprised at how limiting the belly was during yoga. I haven't done yoga since pre-pregnancy so it was weird to go to do moves with this body that knew what to do, but couldn't quite manage.
What I am looking forward to: Baby showers and nursery decorating! Fun stuff!
Weekly Wisdom: Did you know that a Chipotle burrito covers the ENTIRE recommended daily intake of sodium??? One burrito! Boo. Of course, I'll still be eating there, but at least I'll keep in mind that if I don't want to have cankles at the end of the night... I'll at least be skipping the tortilla for now. Sheesh.
Milestones: Going to the gym and walking almost every night this week. Woo hoo for feeling like an able body again!

Current Projects: It's time to start clearing out the nursery - it currently has a LOT of scrapbook stuff, craft materials, fabric for burp cloths (yes, still making those, but have been on hiatus), sewing machine, and ironing board..... aka the random room of stuff.

An Eventful Thanksgiving Week

We hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving this past weekend!

At the start of the week, we had a great visit from one of our very favorite people! One of Jenn's (and at this point, Joel's) best friends, Corie, came up to take full advantage of our teacher schedules (we both had the week off - alleluia!). We watched Cal beat Stanford (Go Bears!), enjoyed a drizzly morning at Apple Hill, cooked, shopped, and watched some movies. Corie is like family and we loved having her up for a visit again. Thanks for coming Cor!

On Thursday, we headed down to the Driscoll's house in Scotts Valley (Santa Cruz) to celebrate with the rest of the Aymeric family (Joel's mom's side). As usual, it was a wonderful weekend filled with lots of food and laughs. Of course, with 26 people in the house, there is never a dull moment! Between the Rock Band competitions downstairs, the drummers in the living room, the "Second Life" demos from Kevin, and the endless Uno games with Sarah, Riley, & Allison, the baby got a (surely muffled and quieter) taste of life in with the Aymeric clan. :-) Thanks again to Kevin & Andrea for hosting, and to everyone for the delicious Thanksgiving dinners (yes, plural)!

On Saturday, the pups headed back to Grandma Emilie & Grandpa Ken's house for the night so that we could attend Joel's 10 year high school reunion (from Lafayette's Acalanes) in San Francisco. We met up with a few of Joel's closest friends and headed to the party at Sinbad's on the Embarcadero. They had a pretty good turn out and it turned out to be a lot of fun after all! After a restful night at Casa de Barbera in Lafayette (Thanks for the pancakes Diane!), we finally headed home.

Yesterday, we went to see the Nutcracker with Riley, Allison, Kelly, Ken, & Emilie, and then to dinner to celebrate Joel's birthday a day early. #29!!! Happy Birthday Joel!!!

Here are a couple of pictures from our week of fun....

Speaking of pictures... Joel has made some updates on his blog. Be sure to become a follower over there, too!

23 Week Update

Here is the latest at 23 weeks:

How far along? 23 weeks

Total weight gain/loss: After 2 Thanksgiving dinners??? You're kidding right? ;-)
Maternity clothes? Yes, and constantly feeling like I need to get more to accommodate the growing belly and dropping temperatures. Sorry Joel.
Stretch marks? Nope.
Sleep: Yes! I've been sleeping much better, even though the middle of the night bathroom breaks are back in full swing.
Best moment this week: Too many to choose from! Between having Corie in town, enjoying the holiday, and visiting with the "Spice Girls" - there is no way to pick a 'best' moment. :-) (See the next post for details on our fun week!)
Movement: Oh yes - Baby Corcoran seems to either be having a dance party or thinks that he or she is in a bounce house!
Food cravings: Loving big glasses of milk these days. Yum!
Gender: Pick a team or place your bets! We've heard that the Waltons all think it's a girl while some friends and co-workers are sure it's a boy. Everyone has a 50-50 chance of being right!
Labor Signs: No, March will come soon enough!
Belly Button in or out? In....still in.....barely.
What I miss: Well, I haven't had much drinking around me in the past couple months, but with the holiday and party season in full swing, I am missing a good glass of wine or champagne from time to time!
What I am looking forward to: Nesting.... I've been cooking a lot, but the organizing and cleaning bugs have yet to take over. But, I do love to organize and clean (when motivated) so I am actually excited to get going on some projects around the house.
Weekly Wisdom: Make sure you have a pregnant friend or wife around for your high school reunion. I hear they make great designated drivers. :-)
Milestones: According to our weekly Pregnancy email updates, we have graduated from the size of a large mango to an ear of corn. Oh, and the lungs have developed, too. Pretty crazy!

22 Weeks

This whole trimester has been flying by! We can't believe how quickly the 2nd Trimester is moving along. Thankfully, I've been fairly comfortable and feeling great. Joel and I are working on eating healthily and making our meals at home. Our Bradley instructor gave us some homework to pay closer attention to what we are eating. In doing so, we really noticed how much sodium is in everything - yikes! So, we've been spending more time planning and making meals ourselves. It's been great and we are enjoying the added benefit of saving some money in the process!

Here is the obligatory belly picture for the week. Enjoy! :-)

Here's the latest:

How far along? 22 weeks

Total weight gain/loss: Again...not keeping track. I'll update at my next appointment in December!
Maternity clothes? Of course. With Parent-Teacher conferences this week, I had to scramble to find some nicer dress pants to wear. Thankfully, the Gap carries some of their maternity pants in "long" in the stores, saving me the trouble of having to order online and rush shipping!
Stretch marks? None that I have noticed still.
Sleep: Getting a little better. Once I quit trying to use all of the pillows everyone says I should be using for support, it freed up the space in the bed for me to get comfortable and actually sleep. Now if I could just get myself to GO to bed sooner.... :-(
Best moment this week: The other night, the little one was being rather active. Joel had tried to feel the baby moving around a few times but usually - any time he does, the baby stops moving! (I hope he has that kind of effect on the munchkin when he/she is OUT of the womb, too!) Anyhow, I told him to try again as we were falling asleep and the baby did not disappoint! It was really cool to be able to share that with him!
Movement: Yes! We have a gymnast/soccer player/diver/circus performer in the making. The other night I swear this kid was turning somersaults in there. These days, I feel movement throughout the day. Baby Corcoran is most active in the evenings when I'm settling down for the night. Figures. ;-)
Food cravings: Well...I did go to In-n-Out today...you know, "for the baby". At least I tell myself that. I have however been cramming in the protein this past week - it's not easy to get 80-100mg of protein every single day!
Gender: Still no results there. I did try the "kick once if you're a boy, twice if you're a girl" suggestion, but apparently he or she was not interested in participating in my game. Oh well.
Labor Signs: Still none of those - let's keep it that way for awhile please!
Belly Button in or out? Still in!!! Flattening out...but in!
What I miss: I miss being able to lean forward and do things easily. Sometimes I go to do something and my big belly gets in the way and foils my plan. It will also be nice to sleep however I wish someday. Someday....many days away I'm sure. Like when the kids are in college, right? *sigh*
What I am looking forward to: Our friend Corie is visiting this coming weekend and I can't wait for that. I'm also really excited for the holiday season. It's my favorite time of year!
Weekly Wisdom: Take "the rules" with a grain of salt. Last week for example, I heard another "no-no" that was pretty over the top: No Cheerios!!! (Apparently, there is a concern over TSP?!) Well...since every woman I know has reacted the same way, I'm not going to worry about it. I mean really...Cheerios??? Everything in moderation....
Milestones: I am actually fitting into some of the larger sized maternity clothes I have been fortunate enough to borrow from some friends/family. Up until recently, I looked like I was wearing a tent - now things fit more comfortably.

Pssssst....

Be sure to check out the new link at the top of the Links I Love list on the right side of the page below. I'm not the only one with a blog in this family now! Joel is really developing his photography skills and already has a a few more photo shoots in the works. I'm so proud of him!

Today is also our old "dating anniversary". Hard to believe we've officially been together for 8 years. :-) Happy Anniversary Turbo - I Love You!

21 Weeks

Oops.... I guess it's been quite awhile since I have been able to update the blog! It's a busy time of the year with work so I'm a little behind with everything at home. Shocking, I know. :-) Here is a picture from last week. I will add some more soon to cover the missed weeks as well as the ultrasound pictures from Week 20!

How far along? 21 weeks

Total weight gain/loss: Probably about 10-12 pounds total. I really am not keeping good track.
Maternity clothes? Absolutely. I heart expandable waistlines.
Stretch marks? None yet...I'm making cocoa butter my new best friend and hoping for the best!
Sleep: Boo. I don't sleep through the night and whenever I do wake up, I'm usually quite uncomfortable. I hear that I ought to get used to it. Awesome. On weekends I can't get through a full day without a solid hour long nap.
Best moment this week: Last Thursday we had a follow up with the doctor about the 20 week ultrasound the week before. She said that everything looks normal! YEAH for being normal finally! :-)
Movement: Yes! I felt a flutter around week 18 or so that felt like my phone vibrating - until I realized the phone was across the desk from me. Now I feel little nudges and pokes throughout the day. It's pretty weird I must say.
Food cravings: I love milk. I drink at least a glass or two a day. Making quiche for breakfast has been my latest "must have". It's quick and gives me a better start than a bagel from Starbucks. :-)
Gender: It's a....... baby! We actually decided NOT to find out what the gender is. We are really looking forward to the delivery room surprise - we didn't want to miss out on that!
Labor Signs: Negative
Belly Button in or out? Hmpf... it's getting very flat. :-( I actually had a "pregnancy hormone" moment a week or so ago and cried because it looks all stretched out. Joel laughed. I cried more. He laughed more. Then I laughed, too.
What I miss: Being able to get off the couch/bed/chair/floor easily
What I am looking forward to: We started taking Bradley Method classes last week. The couples in the class seem really nice and we are looking forward to getting to know them.
Weekly Wisdom: When pregnant, sit down before trying to put on shoes! I learned this when I was unable to actually reach my foot like usual.
Milestones: We've passed the halfway point. How did that happen? I also had three different strangers comment on my expectant status on Sunday. Apparently it is officially obvious!

Apple Hill 19 Weeks

A few weeks ago, we made our first visit to Apple Hill. Joel took some great pics with his new camera and we had a great time checking out the various orchards and farms. Here are some highlights:

Finally!

Well, I haven't bothered to post in a while because we were holding off on the public announcement until now and I didn't really have much else to share! Now that the secret is out, I figure I can share the journey with those near and far by posting on the blog! :-) I found this little 'form' and I am going to try using it to keep everyone updated...hopefully this will keep everyone in the loop without being too boring!

How far along? 16 weeks!

Total weight gain/loss: Still hovering at about 7 pounds - although after our 3 week eat-fest in Italy & Croatia in June, I don't think I ever really weighed myself until after we found out we were expecting, so I'm not quite sure but that's my best guess!
Maternity clothes? Oh yes - pants especially! I can't stand when things are too tight on my belly, it's incredibly uncomfortable.
Stretch marks? Nope
Sleep: Not getting enough and feeling like I always need more
Best moment this week: Hearing the heartbeat on Wednesday and recording it to listen to all the time! :)
Movement: None that I feel yet but we've seen quite a bit of activity on previous ultrasounds!
Food cravings: Nothing specific - I'm just always hungry!
Gender: Don't know - something makes me think it's a boy, but God only knows
Labor Signs: Thankfully no!
Belly Button in or out? In...but I've noticed a bit of change already...yikes!
What I miss: Wine, my normal clothes, deli sandwiches, and being more active
What I am looking forward to: Being obviously pregnant, not in the "is she...?" stage where people wonder if I just need to lay off the cheetos! :-)
Weekly Wisdom: To let go and just ENJOY my pregnancy... courtesy of the great doctor I saw this week.
Milestones: Announcing the news to the world - aka Facebook!

Adventures From The Money Pit

Ok. So last week, we noticed a leak under the sink (small thankfully) and realized our garbage disposal had a little hole busted in the side and we knew it would need replacing. My very handy father is 400 miles south so we figure, we're in trouble. But Joel's parents said they had a handy man who was pretty cheap and did a great job for them. So we call up Tim the Handyman and he comes out to fix it. All we had to do was get a replacement at Home Depot. Sweet! $25 an hour - we are stoked! I had him also put up three sets of blinds that Joel (who admittedly suffers from a lack of handiness) had had a hard time trying to put up, and he also swapped out a light fixture for us on the patio. $63 out the door and we are thinking it's the best money we have ever spent.

After being gone for the weekend, we are cleaning up from dinner and I look under the sink to grab the counter cleaner. I see a drip of water. We have another leak. We email Tim the Handyman and he says he will come back the next day. Fabulous. We figure this will be free as it is probably his fault. He comes, and identifies the problem as the unit itself and that we need ANOTHER replacement. Awesome. He takes it apart and puts it back in the box. Well, partially - Joel has to take the sink part off himself for some reason, Tim deems this as not important to return in the whole REPLACEMENT concept. Whatever. He leaves after what I'm thinking was no more than an hour, hour and a half maybe.

So Joel goes to Home Depot, returns it, and deciding to be safe, gets the new one at Lowes. That night, I go to empty the dishwasher that I know I had started the day before. Except, there is water at the bottom and it hasn't completely cleaned the dishes. Ew. So I hit restart on the wash cycle and suddenly, there is a tsunami flowing out from under the sink. FRIGGIN AWESOME. I stop it and look only to see that the dishwasher hose is detached, obviously do to the fact that we have no garbage disposal for the night and it must connect to that. We mop up the floor and leave a fan on it for the night, but the damage is done. The floor boards of my pretty, indestructible laminate, are warped....... #@%*!

Tim comes the next morning and spends about 10 minutes chatting with me about the differences between here and the UK. (I'm thinking, that's fabulous buddy, now get to work - I pay you by the hour.) He installs the SECOND new disposal, and I say I want to start the dishwasher while he is still here so I can be sure all is well. He starts it, it makes noise, and I assume it is working fine. It's been maybe 30 minutes since Tim arrived and he's ready to go. I ask, "What do we owe you?" He says 90 bucks. I start calculating.....25, plus 25...plus MAYBE another 25...hmmmm now I am not a math major but I don't know how he is getting $90. So I question it and he starts doing math under his breath (which I now think is either incorrect or a bunch of bologna) and I start to stall more waiting for him to explain to me just how he gets to ninety and suddenly...he says $60...sixty is fine. Still, this is more than I think I really owe him, but I say fine and I hand him the cash. He leaves. See ya later Timmy.....

Today, I go to empty the dishwasher and there is still dirty water at the bottom and the dishes aren't clean. WTF??? So I try to start it and it doesn't work. It makes noise, but I realize it's not really running, it's just trying to. So I call my dad. Dad starts asking questions and I'm up under the sink explaining what I see. After a couple of minutes, Dad concludes that Tim the Handyman did not punch out a plug in the disposal where you connect it to the dishwasher. Apparently there is a plug built into the connection tube because you don't HAVE to use it with a dishwasher. In order to do so, you must punch out and retrieve the plug with a screwdriver. So the guy I paid to d the job, didn't freaking READ THE DAMN DIRECTIONS. So I'm beyond irritated that I have now paid $120 and I'm left to get it fixed AGAIN. So Dad tells me I can do it myself and I decide that yes, indeed I can.

So here I am...proving that I am in fact my father's daughter. Forget Tim the Handyman. I want my money back!

Practicing what I preach in my classroom every day.... reading and following directions carefully:

Holding the little plug that the handyman didn't remove but I easily did by FOLLOWING DIRECTIONS.....

Joel helped with some of the heavy lifting. He says he's proud of his handy-wife.

Tahoe with the Fam...both sides!

Last weekend, we got to spend time in Tahoe with not only Joel's cousins, but some of mine, too! We loved having my cousin Justin and Krys De and their two kiddos Brooke and JT with us for some typical Tahoe summer fun. :-)

Riley, Brooke, & JT dressing up at Living History Day at Sugarpine.

JT, Brooke, Allison, & Owen coloring in the kid zone.

Georgia & Owen playing on the beach at Meeks.

Brooke, Allison, and Sara play together at Meeks for our BBQ.

Joel, Brooke, JT, and Justin take out the kayaks.

Brooke waits for Joel to do the grunt work. ;-)

Me & Joel with Krys De, Justin, Brooke, & JT.

Jack Loves Lisa - & so do we!

While we were in Italy, Jack and Bridget stayed at the Animal Den in Sacramento (we highly recommend it!!!). The owner, Lisa, is a friend of ours that we met through the Aussie MeetUp group that we participate in. Lisa is the organizer of the group and we have been attending MeetUps since it began in April of 2008. We get together for monthly activities with our Aussies and love how Lisa always takes the time to make these fun plans to enjoy with our dogs. From camping to snowshoeing to hikes and general dog park visits - Lisa is always coming up with great ideas to keep our Aussies busy!

When we went to Italy, Lisa made sure that Jack and Bridget were well taken care of (read: downright spoiled!) in our absence! To thank her and sneak in a non-MeetUp visit, we had her over for dinner recently. Jack loves to cuddle so he crawled right up and claimed his spot as oversized lap dog. (We love Lisa just as much Jack, but she'd probably look at us funny if WE crawled into her lap to say thanks for all she does!)

Thanks for everything Lisa! You're the best!