the bump...

special thanks to brian carson...the magic man who recently photographed joshie and i with the big ol' belly. he was also responsible for our engagement pics, my bridal pics and of course our wonderful wedding pics. here are a few of our favorites...

THANKS BRIAN!!

AND HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO MOM!!

just the two of us...

for almost nine years it has been just the two of us. we've had so much fun growing, learning, living, laughing and loving every day (3,166 days to be exact). i thought i'd recollect on some of my favorite trips, memories and moments as we anxiously await baby ya ya's arrival on wednesday!!

1999: of course the night we met...

2000: skiing in sante fe...

2001: looking up at the twin towers in nyc


2004: stanley cup playoff hockey game (tampa bay vs. phili)

2005: our wedding day

2007: happy anniversary, happy new year

2008: and then there will be three of us...

my short circuit...

so i've been working from home since last tuesday for soooo many reasons: (1) the thought of going into labor at the office was far from appealing, (2) my belly is VERY close to the steering wheel and driving in rush hour traffic every day is emotionally overwhelming and finally (3) none of my maternity clothes fit around that bulging belly anymore.

anyway, two weeks locked up in the house just me and deacon all day long waiting for daddy to come home and this baby to arrive has been relaxing at times but mostly an emotional roller coaster of anxiety, excitement, disappointment, stress, you name it...

so when i decided to get out the house yesterday to meet my dad for lunch, i was excited. i actually got dressed, put makeup on, etc. we were going to cafe express and then i suggested we go eat something spicy -- clearly this "labor inducing" wives tale is bunk! so we went to this great little mexican place in southlake, mi chulas. lunch was great, dad left and i was going to make a quick shopping trip out of my excursion. i hit up swoozie's which is right next door and was planning to stop by the grocery store on my way home. only when i got back to my car in the scathing heat, it decided it wasn't going to start...SERIOUSLY??!!

ugh, so i called dad to turn around and then called josh to see what the heck to do. both came gallivanting to my rescue. dad and i went to walmart for some jumper cables and then sat in his fully functioning automobile (air conditioning!) until josh arrived. it jumped pretty easily, dad left, josh drove my car home and i drove his new, reliable truck!!

josh is pretty good with cars, so he tested a few things to see if it was in fact the battery or worse a problem with my alternator. another run to walmart for a new battery, which he swapped out himself, and now i'm back in business. although, not sure baby ya ya and i are brave enough for another outing by ourselves...

hotel za za?

one week to go and baby ya ya is seemingly very comfortable at "hotel ma ma". i showed no signs of progress at our appt last friday and the hospital's first availability for an induction is next friday. so we're on the calendar for 9/5, but will certainly keep our fingers crossed we go earlier...

in the meantime, i'm trying to keep busy?! but with the Olympics over and the Fall TV premieres not starting until late september I'm struggling. so, i'll help joshie draft his fantasy football team tonight and get ready for college football to start this weekend. is it time for hockey yet?

fishing for signs...

our doc appt on friday was pretty disappointing, only because I hadn't made any progress (dilation, effacement) since the week prior. doc estimates the baby is already 7.5lbs and i've still got two weeks to go...ahhhh!!! i'm sooo ready and anxious for baby ya ya's arrival. we've tried all of the wives tales to spur labor (spicy food, bumpy roads, walking, etc) and thus far no luck...

so, saturday afternoon josh suggested we take advantage of the GORGEOUS weather (it's 80 degrees in august, can you believe it?) and go fishing in the neighborhood's stocked ponds. unfortunately, we didn't have much luck with the fish either...

ABCs...

We are just about two weeks out (hopefully less), so I put together some thoughts and memories to describe this wonderful, emotional and life-changing experience. Can’t wait for you all to meet Baby Ya ya!!

A: Airlines – 26K miles flown in the first half of this year, actually in flight when I felt the first baby kick
B: Brownies and milk almost every night in the last trimester
C: Cereal cravings – Golden Grahams, Cinnamon Toast Crunch, Honey Smacks and Raisin Bran
D: Drew Hudson is our boy name
E: Events (Sporting) - baby has already been to 5 Stars games, 2 Ranger games and 2 NASCAR events
F: False alarm – contractions and a hospital visit at 33 weeks got us all thinking and preparing for the big day
G: Gender? My guess is boy and Josh’s guess is girl
H: Heat – we’ve had 30+ days with temperatures over 100 degrees this summer
I: I can't even explain how excited, nervous, anxious, overwhelmed and happy I am...
J: Joshie has been such a wonderful, supportive husband and best friend thru our journey, he's going to be such a GREAT dad
K: Kicking all day, every day – the most active baby in history in my opinion ;)
L: Lbs gained thus far = 30
M: Merry Christmas – Josh and I found out I was pregnant the day after Christmas
N: Nursery – we had such fun planning, painting and decorating the polka dot theme
O: Olympics – like the Opening Ceremonies, we were hoping for an 8/8/08 birth day, but that’s come and gone
P: Peanut – first nickname for the baby when he/she was about the size of a peanut, likely won’t ever outgrow that one
Q: Quilts, burp clothes, blankets, bedding and more -- thanks to Molly!
R: Reese Kennedy is our girl name
S: Strawberries – on pancakes, ice cream, angel food cake, french toast and more
T: Tea, oh my McAllister's sweet tea -- how I've missed you!!
U: Up all night! I've never been a good sleeper, so bathroom breaks and overall discomfort certainly hasn't made it any easier.
V: Validation - hearing the heartbeat at that first doc appt was AMAZING
W: Water? Don’t drink it! Charlotte, Ali, Rachel, Leslie and myself all pregnant in 2008
X: X Box – wondering if the X Box or Deacon will feel more neglected once the baby is here
Y: Ya ya – another nickname given to the little one, shortened version of Yarger
Z: Zutano - cute baby clothes with fun patterns, can't wait to buy pink or blue?! -- http://shop.zutano.com/

reduce, reuse & recycle

for those of you in the dfw area, Sony Electronics and Waste Management are co-hosting an electronics recycling event on saturday, august 23rd at the Dallas Waste Mgmt facility located at 7601 ambassador row in dallas. the event will begin at 9 am and close at 4 pm. all brands will be recycled free of charge.

please pass the word on to friends and family!

for more information on the global ewaste problem:
http://www.totalreclaim.com/e-waste_problem.html

yankees WIN!!

Josh and I have been taking every opportunity to enjoy a night out these days...movies, dinners, shopping, etc. So when my office offered last minute suite tickets to the Yankees vs. Rangers game last night, we couldn't pass it up. Seeing that we'd had a "cold front" come thru which dropped the temperature appx 10 degrees (to a balmy 95), I wasn't too worried about being outside in the heat :) And since the Yanks had lost the first two games in the series, I felt obligated to be there and cheer them to victory. Much to Chris's (Josh's dad) dismay, my strategy worked and the Yanks pulled out the win. It was a late night and a LONG waddle back to the car, but we had a good time!