March Showers... Bring April Babies

Kim & Bob threw us an amazing baby shower last Saturday. We had such a blast! The food was great and there was even a "pink bar" complete with daiquiris and cosmopolitans... well, at least they looked good from afar!!!!! We even got to subject the men folk to shower games. We played match the type of candy to the birthing term, draw what the baby will look like on a plate (with the plate on your head), and my personal favorite, who can drink beer out of a baby bottle the fastest (for men only). I was so proud because the Gimpel men represented! Ross and Papa G came in 1st and 2nd!!! Who knew they were so good at sucking! Everyone also brought a favorite children's book for the baby. I LOVED hearing why people chose the book they chose. Many of them have inscriptions so we can share the stories of the stories with our daughter.

My poor mom; in the almost 18 years Kim & I have been friends, I don't think we've let her get one decent picture of us!

Ross' Diaper Daddy vest- YES! It is a diaper "bag"... and apparently a wine cozy as well!

Grandma G's gorgeous handiwork.

Teryn was nice enough to give us some practice with baby girls!

The infamous beer drinking competition...

The Gimpel men comparing what's left in their baby bottles...

Moses (aka Papa G) posing with the fruits of Kim's baking labor...

Thank you to everyone who could make it! It was WONDERFUL! Our baby girl is so lucky to have so many people who already love her & can't wait to meet her! And thank you to Kim and Bob for throwing us such a fun shower! We love you guys!

Weekend Adventure

We decided to get away this weekend for some quality time before the baby comes... in fact we should take every opportunity that we can get! We didn't want to spend a lot of time in the car and my stamina just isn't what it used to be, so we opted to stay close to home & stay at a little Inn in Nevada City... cute little town, private cabin, & us... seemed like a PERFECT idea!

Well, the cabin they put us in smelled like someone had been smoking in it... for 30 years! No problem! Ross went to the front desk & they were more than happy to upgrade us to a 2 story chalet complete with gas fireplace, kitchenette & private deck overlooking the creek. GREAT! We drove over to the chalet & lo and behold, it had the same smoke smell... at this point we concurred that the facility was just old & all the rooms probably had that smell from back in the day... as we learned while house hunting, there's just no way to get that smell out no matter how much paint & remodeling you do!

So, we decided to buck up & deal... while Ross went to retrieve our bags from the cabin I had a little look around... the coffee mug with half a cup of old coffee out on the deck was a bit unnerving, the gas fireplace not working was a bit disappointing, BUT the rancid shrimp cocktail in the fridge was a whole lot of UNACCEPTABLE! The point of the whole weekend was not to endure and persevere but to relax and enjoy. I apologize for the lack of pictures.. apparently the woman who used to have the memory of an elephant now only resembles an elephant & left the camera at home... you will just have to use your imagination!

Ross very politely explained to the front desk that we would not be staying and they were more than happy to not charge us. We decided to return to our old stomping ground of Tahoe City & got a room at Sunnyside Lodge (where we had our 1st date). We had a lovely dinner overlooking the lake & enjoyed the view of the lake all bundled up on our balcony. In the morning we hit the continental breakfast, walked around town, and then went over to our friend Scott's house.

All in all it turned out to be a fabulous weekend! What was so wonderful was knowing that the next time we go back there we will be with our daughter; showing her our favorite spots, telling her stories about our courtship and passing along our love of the Sierras.

We are now refreshed and looking forward to finally getting the nursery finished! Mama & Papa G come into town Thursday. We have our shower on Saturday! We are so excited! Kim has worked so hard getting everything planned & prepared! My work is also throwing me a shower the first week of April & the parents of my students are throwing me a shower one afternoon as well. It's getting so close to the time when we finally get to meet Kicky and we are just thrilled & anxious & stressed & excited all at once! It won't be long now!!!!!!!!!

So, I don't think that I can call it a "bump" anymore... I must think of a more fitting name to describe the mountainous topography that is my belly these days! At least I'm still smiling... I hear fat people are generally more jolly! 31 weeks, today...
We went to our first childbirth class last night (after I got home from my Valentine's Day gift: a VERY relaxing pregnancy massage!)... and yes we watched "THE VIDEO"! Quite, um, enlightening... yes, yes... we'll use the word "enlightening". Ross does a pretty funny impression of what he says my face looked like during the money shot... well, laugh it up now baby; we'll see what your face looks like when you're seeing it happen in real time!
If you leave a comment, please be kind. As one of my first graders said"My mommy told me that you should tell pregnant ladies that they look BEAUTIFUL." So, even though I know she's just saying it, it still makes me smile :)

Last football post for the year...(sniff-sniff)

My lovely in-laws, Bud and Cindy, had the honor of seeing me as the true fan on Superbowl Sunday. They were kind enough to host, serve up some yummies, and let me watch on their LARGE TV. It's a good thing they are stuck with me (Ali being knocked up and all) because they got to see me at my most fanatic (and I almost broke their lamp after a touchdown!). On top of that, within minutes of the G-men's victory they were (unbeknownst to me) on-line and buying me an official Superbowl XLII Giants victory hat. Thanks to my wonderful in-laws! Here it is in all it's glory...

Ooohhh...

Ahhh...


That's right...we wanted it more! 'Nuff said.

I Love my hat and will wear it with pride! :-)

Camping in Bodega Bay

FINALLY! A weekend away to get the stink blown off us! We headed over to Bodega this weekend for a much needed three day weekend. We met up with Ma & Pa Wilford (and Maggie & Kaya). Here are a few of the highlights:

On Sunday Ross & Pa W went for a hike... they thought the trail was only about 2.5 miles round trip but discovered that it was closer to 4 or 5. They were nice & tuckered by the time they got back to camp!

Ross discovered a fort... no girls allowed!

Pa W enjoying the view...

Our campsite was right next to the Children's Bell Tower... the tower was designed by a local Norcal artist in memory of a little boy from from Bodega Bay who was tragically killed on a family vacation in Italy. The bells were donated by the people, schools and churches in the town in Italy where he was killed as a tribute & as appreciation to his parents who selflessly donated his organs to 7 Italians. It represents the continuity of life... which especially "rings" true for our family.

On Sunday afternoon we decided to go for a drive and see where the road would take us... Ross looked ready to hit the road!

We ended up at Fort Ross State Park... a Russian & Native Alaskan settlement just north of Bodega... Ross thought he was pretty special to have a whole fort named after him!

View from one of the buildings...

View on the way home... notice all the Harbor Seals lounging on the beach near the water's edge...

Speaking of Harbor Seals... in the evening we decided to have some fun with technology! Our doctor loaned us his "extra" $800 ultrasound heartbeat monitor... WHY? you ask? Good question! He thought it might be fun for me to take it to work & have my class hear the baby's heartbeat... I have not mustered enough courage to subject them to that, but we've been having fun at home. Grammy & Grandpa got to hear their granddaughter's heartbeat for the first time... er, I mean Grammy & "Mr. Wilford" as per my dad's request... he'd like to maintain some sort of formality, after all! ;)

On Monday, Ross & I spent some time at Salmon Creek beach

soggy monkey toes...

Awww... well, it IS Valentine's Day on Thursday!

Our traditional self-portrait pose... we have a million of these!

Hope ya'll had a great weekend too!

Super Bowl Upset!

An upset? What do you mean by"upset"? No, there isn't anybody UPSET in this house! You must be mistaken! As you can imagine, Ross is a VERY happy boy! New England is crying into their clam chowder and all is right with the world... thank God Tom Brady has Giselle to comfort him in his time of need!
Thought I'd share some priceless pictures of a boy from New Jersey who just had his dreams come true!

Enjoying some tasty Super Bowl munchies on my newly installed "T.V. tray."

Moments after the Giants win the Super Bowl: Ross' uncontrollable jubilation (following the celebratory dance, of course!)

Thanking the good luck Budda belly... a NY championship in the same year as the birth of his first child... someone is obviously smiling on him!

Then the phone started blowing up... so many people (some of whom Ross hasn't talked to in years) called to congratulate the man of the hour on his team's victory.

GO GIANTS!!!!!!

Let's Go GIANTS!!!

Ok, I've held back so far this season, but in case anyone didn't know I am a lifelong HUGE NY Giants fan! I don't follow many sports but I am a NFL junkie and the G-men are my team. Well, WE'RE GOING TO THE SUPERBOWL!!!! Eli Manning, after being much maligned in the New York press, has come around and been one of the most consistent QB's in the playoffs this year and the Defense has been its usual dominating force. We've had alot of injuries but have rallied back. We won 8 games on the road during the regular season(!) and have won three more in the playoffs. In the Playoffs we have beaten the Bucs, the Cowboys (booo...hisss) and the Packers (sorry Brett) and now the Evil Empire of the New England Patriots are all that stand in our way of becoming World Champions. So send your good thoughts the G-men's way! I mean c'mon, who wants the Patriots to win again, boooring! Tom Brady is a philanderer anyway, root for the good guys...
The little one is already getting used to my screaming and yelling at the TV, she will be immune at birth I hope. Anyway...
GO GIANTS!!!