Girls' Night + Piglet Update

I headed out with my girls, Kels, Gina, Sara and Julie, to Bastille last weekend for a final happy hour hoorah before Piglet's arrival. It was so great to see them all and to have a final evening out with before my life (and weekend free time) changes. (I know it'll all change for the better, but I know it'll be much harder to plan outings with my girls for awhile after Piglet arrives.) We shared lots of yummy food, great laughs and delicious cocktails (don't worry - just mocktails for me). Thanks for the super fun night, ladies!

And now C and I are just waiting for our little man to arrive. No contractions yet, but definitely getting more and more tired, my ankles often look like cankles, my wedding rings don't fit, and I'm feeling VERY large. The doc confirmed at my appointment this week that Mini Moran is still head down (yeah!) but still feels pretty high. That said, no dialation to speak of...yet. Next appointment is Wednesday, so fingers crossed for some progress by then. And aside from beign exciting for my next apointment, I'm looking forward to my final day of owrk --- Friday, April 15!

Still can't believe we have only about a week left (assuming he plans to come on time) until we meet our little man!

Upcoming Fatherhood

[By Corey]

In the Expecting Fathers class I took a couple of weeks ago, the instructor encouraged all the dads to write down what fatherhood meant to them and what kind of father they wanted to be. At first I dismissed it, but now, on second thought, maybe it’s not such a bad idea. And why not put it on the blog for easy reference (and reminder)—sort of like putting a New Year’s resolution on here.

For starters, this is to Jenny, because I think being a good father starts with being a good husband. I may not have fulfilled my promise for back scratches every night when you got pregnant, but I did pretty well. And when it comes to changing diapers, burping (him not me), late night feedings and keeping the neighborhood safe with Roxy patrol, I promise to do my part, even when I’m back at work and you’re watching Oprah eating bon bons (read: changing baby, feeding baby, burping baby, swaddling baby, rinse, repeat). But going beyond the diaper years, I want you to know that we’re in it together deciding what we think is best for Mini Moran. (Jackson—if it feels like we’re teaming up against you, it’s because we are.)

Jackson-

My promise to you is to give you everything you need, and some of what you want. I promise to play catch and take you to your first Mariners game. I’ll teach you how to shoot a jump shot and how to shoot a photo; how to drive a stick and how to change a tire; how to tie your shoes and how to tie your tie (just not a bow tie). And by the time you can read this, know that algebra’s up next.

Although you don’t have to play a sport or play an instrument, you do need to give them a chance.

I can’t wait to see you play with Roxy, learn how to walk, learn your ABC's, score your first goal--and to accomplish everything you want to accomplish. But in the meantime, I can’t wait to meet you.

When you’re 15, you may not think I’m the most fun dad. When you’re 25, I hope you look back and think I was a fair dad. But if you look back at any point, I hope you feel like I was a dad who was always there when you needed me.

Love,

Corey/Dad

He Flipped!

Good news kids! I had the first of my now weekly doctor's appointments today and it appears Piglet has flipped! By feeling my stomach, the doc thought he was still breech but after an internal exam, she thought that perhaps he had flipped and decided to do a quick ultrasound to confirm. As soon as she started the ultrasound, she excitedly told me that she was right --- he had made the big move south. Even better, is that she thinks he's far enough along that it'll be pretty tough for him to flip back and he's facing my back, which is the position they'll want him in for labor and delivery. (In addition, she confirmed again that Piglet is indeed a boy.)

This means things get a whole lot more interesting and nerve wracking --- while I could have gone into labor at any time, even if we had scheduled a c-section, I still felt more like things would be very scheduled; however, now knowing that we are truly waiting on my water to break and / or contractions to start, it kicks things up a notch. I guess I had really been assuming I'd have a c-section so I hadn't started to worry about things like my water breaking at work (though Corey did the quick math and believes there is only a 3% chance of this happening based on the percentages of woman whose water actually breaks, how much time I spend at work, etc) or about having to do all the work that will come with pushing this babe out. Eek! Sounds like I'm not dilated at all yet though (and he's still 'high' or at '-2') so hopefully we have a bit of time for me to get used to this idea. But don't worry - Corey is ready to roll. Tonight, he showed me a contraction timer app he downloaded to his phone and also tried to have me practice my breathing, though I was laughing too hard to do much good. Better practice that some more this weekend, as well as get my hospital bag packed stat!

Fingers crossed that he stays in this position between now and whenever he decides to make his grand entrance into the world.

Girls Night at the Ballet

I had the pleasure of joining Jennifer and her sister Melissa at McCaw Hall for the Contemporary 4 ballet on Friday and had a blast. I'd never been to the ballet before and after seeing Black Swan, I wanted the opportunity to see a ballet in person so Jennifer's invite several weeks later was perfect timing and has been something I've been looking forward to for quite some time.

What I really liked about this show was that it wasn't what you'd expect with a traditional ballet --- the costumes, the choreography and many of the song choices were very unique, and obviously much more contemporary that what you'd expect from the ballet. This is what I found most exciting, especially in the third (The Piano Dance) and forth (Concerto DSCH) sets.

We had a great time, and though I didn't get any photos of the three of us, here are a few photos of the show, courtesy of various sites local sites.

Surprise Shower

[By Corey]

Working in a small office, it can be hard to surprise someone, but that's exactly what the HMG team did today. They threw me a baby shower and I never saw it coming. Not only were their Cupcake Royale cupcakes--lots of them--and non-alchy libations, but it included two great gifts for Baby Moran. And, for a change, I got to do the opening.

After yards and yards of wrapping paper, I got to an Exersaucer and Swing & Seat. Two things that a year ago, I had no idea I'd need, but a year from now I'm sure we wouldn't have wanted to do without--Gotta keep baby entertained. (The ultimate goal is that by his first birthday he can throw a ball for Roxy to fetch and we can keep them both entertained.)

Thanks, HMG! A special shout out to Natalie, who I have a feeling was the driving force behind the shower.

Welcome Spring...

...you've been dearly missed!

With today being the official day first day of Spring, there are a few things I am so looking forward to over the next three months:

• Flip flops
• The smell of flowers on my and Roxy's daily walk
• Blooming cherry blossom trees on my drive to work
• Opening the sunroof for the first time in months
• Green trees lining the streets
• Being able to start opening the windows and enjoying a breeze throughout the house
• Leaving to go to work when it's light out, and returning home while it's still light (though, to be fair, this has been the norm over the last few weeks, and I am thoroughly enjoying it)
• Putting my peacoats away and knowing that soon, I won't have to wear a coat at all
• The need to wear sunglasses
• Attending Mariners games (it would be a lie if I didn't mention that this is mostly for the yummy hot dogs you can get outside the stadium)

But most of all, Spring means anticipating the arrival of Summer (my favorite season), and all the fabulous things it brings.

Get Your Guesses In

With less than one month to go before Piglet's due date (OMG, really?!?), we thought it would be fun for everyone to start placing their bets in regards to the date and time he'll arrive, along with his stats.

Using the 'Comments' section below, feel free to leave your guesses:

• Date
• Time
• Weight
• Length

Couple things to keep in mind: my due date is April 18 and he's currently breech, which may mean a c-section.

Whoever comes closest in all guesses will win a special prize (now we just have to think of something good...).

New Recipe - Salmon Noodle Bowl

In a quest to find something new to make this week, I started going through my recipe binder. I've had this binder since high school and I use it to file away recipes I find in magazines or online, get from friends, etc; however, I often find that I don't make many of these recipes since I tend to stick with things I've made over and over before out of sheer laziness.

This week, though, I decided to choose a recipe that had been in my binder since April of 2008, which is the date of the Better Homes & Gardens magazine I tore it from: Salmon Noodle Bowl.

It was super easy and very quick and overall, it was very yummy - definitely something we could make quickly after work in the future. I'll be adding this to our recipe rotation moving forward!

New Recipes - Southwestern Salad with Chicken Taquitos

I find that Corey and I often continue to make the same things over and over - it makes grocery shopping and cooking quicker and easier, but then we eventually get sick of our go-to dishes.

I recently saw a few new recipes on an old high school friend's blog that I thought sounded both easy and yummy. And with our love for Mexican food, how could we go wrong with southwestern salad with cilantro lime dressing and chicken taquitos?

Both turned out so yummy and were very easy to prepare. Thought I'd share in case these recipes strike your fancy as well.

Happy (Early) Birthday Dad!

We packed up and headed over the pass on Friday to celebrate my dad's 57th birthday with the fam. His birthday is technically tomorrow, but we wanted to spend some time with family and celebrate with them before they head to Hawaii for two weeks (so jealous!) next weekend.

We had a great time in Yakima - lots of quality time with the family, lots of celebrating, and lots of relaxing (including a pregnancy massage that my mom scheduled for me as a surprise!). Roxy had a blast with all the attention and with lots of fetch, both indoors and outdoors. It's crazy to think that the next time we make it to Yakima, we'll not only have Roxy with us, but a Mini Moran as well!

We celebrated my dad's birthday dinner last night by heading to Creekside West Bar & Grill, which just opened a month ago or so, and it was super yummy. We were also excited to see that it was packed - gotta love when new restaurants seem to be doing well. After dinner, we enjoyed presents, cake and ice cream at my grandma's house. At my dad's special request, my mom and I make a double layer chocolate cake with vanilla frosting and chocolate shavings on top - YUM!

Happy birthday, Dad!! You are the best dad a girl could ask for - I am so incredibly lucky. I can't wait for you to become a grandpa in a few weeks!

Here are a few photos from the weekend.

And this photo isn't technically from Yakima, but was taken the night before we left...and I just love it and had to share.