First Trip to the Doc

I went to Dr. Wiegman today for my first exam. He was so excited I was pregnant. He brought in the doppler. He told me not to get upset if we didn't hear a heartbeat. Since I'm so irregular, they couldn't really guess how old the fetus was or my due date. It took almost 2 minutes, and he got a heartbeat. It was so exciting. He told me that I was probably about 8-9 weeks, and that I could schedule my first sonogram on Wednesday (2 days away.) I was psyched.

Two days later, I went to Dr. McCullough's office next door. The sonogram tech said that Dr. Wiegman was a little off. The fetus was 7 weeks and 5 days. The heartrate was 154 bpm. Our due date is September 3. The pics aren't nearly as clear as Katie's sonogram photos, but that's ok. Dave and I were both super excited.

The Day After

This is how we started our final day in LA. Brad and Dave had their post-game moment. Then, we got started on the road toward the Ronald Reagan Memorial Library.
This seemed like a perfect photo op because it had Dave's name, of course.
We had lunch here. We were craving Tex Mex, and this is as close as you get in California.
We got to the Ronald Reagan library. I'm not a history buff. I always had fond memories of Ronnie as a kid. I don't remember the media bashing him much, but maybe I was just too small. He always seemed like a kind fella. I enjoyed getting to know more about him. It was nice.

R.I.P Ronnie

We drove up the coast and stopped on the beach just before getting to the Santa Monica pier. This is my favorite photo of our entire trip.
After our short visit to the beach, we headed to the Santa Monica pier to eat dinner. Where could you possibly get better food than Bubba Gump's? Brad is famous for his, "Mama always said..." jokes, so this really took the cake on our last night.

Cali was great, but we were all tired, and I was ready to return home to my Katie. So the next day, we got ready and headed to the airport to head back to DFW.

"It's Game Day, Baby!"

This was a day I'd waited for a long time. I hadn't been to a Longhorn game since the fall of 2001. I couldn't wait to see the Longhorns play in person again. Dave had gone with Brad this past fall. You have to truly "bleed orange" to understand what it's like to be a Longhorn football fan. I don't like the NFL..this is the sport I live for. I was nervous and psyched about the game. We were going in as underdogs, and 'Bama was definitely a favorite. I learned many things from my trip to the Rose Bowl. 1. 'Bama fans are nice (except for the white trash woman that was really rude on the street.) 2. They are also classy. They dress up in crimson, and this hideous black/white checkered stuff. They turn EVERYTHING into black/white checks. 3. Don't leave your seat unless it's an emergency because the tunnels at the Rose Bowl are tiny, and they only let so many people through. 4. Don't depend on one player, like Colt McCoy to get you through, or it will end in disaster. 5. Nick Saban runs up the score and has no class. 6. Drunk people in the restroom are jerks (poor Brad.) 7. You have to wait in line FOREVER to go to the bathroom. 8. The feeling of being at a National Championship game is like no other you've ever had before. 9. Even though, we lost, I still had a great time in Pasadena and LA. 10. I'm so glad I got to share that experience with my wonderful hubby, and my 2 best friends, Brad and Lisa.
Dave and I right before the game started. The pre-game show was amazing. Josh Groban sang the national anthem, and Naomi from the Private Practice sang America the Beautiful. Then, these parachute guys arrived, and that was incredible.
The game started shortly after that. Colt got injured, and the rest is history. Gilbert Garrett played a decent game, but he just didn't have the experience to pull of a win. I would summarize the game here, but I personally can't do it justice like Brad can. We have been told many times (and by many 'Bama fans) that if Colt stayed in the game, we would have won.

Rose Bowl...Here We Come

In a moment of insanity, I allowed my husband to purchase 2 tickets to the National Championship to watch the Horns go head-to-head with 'Bama. We were headed there with two of our closest friends, Brad and Lisa. We headed to the airport at 4 AM and had our first big day planned. After landing in Ontario and renting a car, we headed straight to the Rose Bowl. It was a media circus. There were people everywhere. We parked in Old Pasadena and looked around at the souvenir shops. Then, we headed to Pink's for the famous hot dogs. The place was swarming with people at 2 PM. After waiting in line about 30 minutes or so, we got to place our orders at the tiny hot dog stand.

For some disturbing reason, we always take shots of Brad and Lisa eating. After that, we headed to Grauman's Chinese Theater and took some photos of the stars and their foot and handprints.
After that, we pretty much just relaxed and rested to get ready for Game Day.

A belated gift

The morning after my birthday I woke up feeling different. I don't know why. I was on progesterone pills because I am not "regular" like other ladies. So, I went to Wal-Mart and bought a pregnancy test because Dave thought it was a good idea. I took one, and instantly got a plus sign. I didn't even have to wait the 2-3 minutes. Dave made me go back to Wal-Mart and get another test, and this time "I want one that says it in words." So, I did. After 4 positives, I think Dave got the idea. After 5 months of trying without getting pregnant, our doctor suggested taking a month off. He told me to call him in January, and he would put me on low-dose fertility meds. I planned on starting those right after our trip to Pasadena the next week. God sure does work in mysterious ways.

Happy 30th Birthday to me!

Well, my 30th birthday finally arrived. My mom was super sweet, and made one of my favorite dinners: steak, twice-baked potatoes, and zucchini fans. She even had us eat in the formal dining room. (That's usually only saved for Thanksgiving and Christmas dinner.)
Dave gave me a much-wanted (and needed) GPS, and Mom went ahead and wrapped all the clothes she bought for me the previous day. And, is it really a birthday without cheesecake?

Christmas Morn

My favorite holiday is Christmas. I love the look on people's faces when they open your gift. Katie is no different. She gets all lit up just by seeing the presents under the tree, her stocking full of goodies, and the trace that Santa left when he stopped by. This year was no different. Katie told Santa she wanted princess stuff, and he totally delivered. She got princess dress up shoes, princess dress up clothes, a princess castle with multiple princesses, a board game, and a camera.
Pugsley was also content with his hedgehog and his peanut butter bone. And, of course, you have to try on all the bling and dresses when you're done. She started out at Cinderella.
And, then she quickly transformed into Sleeping Beauty (and a photographer.)