Maternity Photos at the Orchard

Natalie was sweet enough to take some maternity photos of me and John when we were cherry picking, and I think they turned out great.  See for yourself!

Natalie climbed up one of the cherry picking ladder to take a few shots.  Pictures taken from above are a pregnant lady's best bet!

Our first family photos and baby girl's first time cherry picking immortalized.

Our daughter weighs about three pounds now and kicks harder than ever.  Even when they are inside of you they grow up so fast.

I'm so glad Natalie took these wonderful pictures for us.  One day when our daughter is older we can show her what her mom and dad looked like just a couple months before she came into this world.

Cherry Picking

John and I went cherry picking in Brentwood on Saturday with Natalie, Mitch, and everyone else in the Bay Area.  It was paaaaaaacked.

Luckily there were tons of cherries on every tree, so everybody got their fill (even those who tried to eat directly off the tree).

As someone who is 30 weeks pregnant, there was no way I was going to be doing any sort of picking that involves bending over.  Cherry picking is incredibly easy, you just reach up pluck them right from the tree.  Perfect for a big bellied lady like me.

We also went peach picking, which is just as easy and just as delicious as cherry picking.  Lots of the peaches were so ripe you had to eat them standing in the field or else they wouldn't make it home in one piece.  

After a couple hours working up an appetite in the orchards we stopped for a picnic of sweet and spicy cole slaw, zucchini appetizer, curried chicken salad, and whole wheat chocolate chip cookies.  It was great.  

  

They had gigantic baskets of loganberries for sale at the farm stand, and I picked up a quart.  

What better way to use a lot of berries than to put them in personal pies?  We bought the mini pie dishes just for this purpose, and they were perfect.  I made enough homemade dough to make personal peach pies tomorrow.  Don't you love long weekends?  Happy Memorial Day!

Sleepy Bunny et al.

Baby girl has quite the growing wardrobe, and I thought I should show off some of her new outfits. She's got a quite a variety!

When my parents went to Manchester recently, they naturally had to get an official Man U onesie for our girl.  I'm pretty sure she'll be the only one on the block with this one.

My mom picked up these adorable outfits for someone we all know will be a daddy's girl.

I was obsessed with bunnies as a girl, so we are starting our daughter early.

Arianna helped Anika pick out this adorable dress.  I know it will be perfect for spinning in circles in the living room.

While in Charlottesville I had to pick up some UVA gear for our future Wahoo.

Not to be outdone, John immediately placed an order at the Haverford bookstore.  I'm not sure these are the most gender neutral clothes I've ever seen, but I'm sure she will look adorable!

29.5 Weeks

I'm 29 and a half weeks pregnant, and getting bigger by the second.  This applies to both my belly and my cankles.

Lately I've been feeling most of the things the third trimester promises - exhaustion, swelling, and trouble sleeping.  It comes and goes though, and lots of the time I feel fine.  I've gotten the urge to get back in the kitchen, so I've been cooking 5 days a week again.  It feels good to feel like myself, mentally at least (if not physically).

I thought it might be a kick to post a photo comparison.  This is me at 29.5 weeks vs. 23 weeks.  Baby girl is growing in there!

John and I finished our Childbirth Prep classes last weekend.  It was eye opening to say the least, mostly seeing the painful look on every woman's face during labor videos.  We got to tour the hospital where I'll be giving birth.  Seeing a room very similar to where the "magic" is going to happen, was cool but frightening.

Only about 10 weeks left - give or take.  Pretty incredible!

The Rest of the Reunion

Here are a few more miscellaneous shots form the rest of the reunion.  I've basically included every photo of adults that I have - the rest are all of the kiddies.

Laura, Courtney, and Anika all looked gorgeous at the big Saturday night dinner.

The next morning at the farewell brunch Chad was very popular, and all the daughters wanted to be picked up.

Anika's arms were pretty popular too!

Arianna looked like such a big girl sitting on the bench.

 Amelia, Arianna, and Ramona loved playing together at the brunch.

Ramona has the cutest curls and chubby cheeks.

Nothing more adorable than sisters in matching outfits!

I managed to get in a photo with Khang just minutes before the last event was over.

When standing next to skinny gals like Courtney, we pregnant ladies need to accentuate our pregnancy with strategically placed hands.

I had a great reunion weekend and loved seeing all my old law school friends.  The past five years sure have flown by, and I'm sure it will seem like no time until our next reunion is upon us!

Reunion BBQ

One of my favorite events of the law school reunion was the all-class BBQ.  The food was probably the best of the whole weekend too (oh how I've missed Southern BBQ).  Arianna enjoyed the pasta salad off my plate quite a bit, as shown in the above picture.

I can't way I blame her - it was good pasta salad.

Our table was full of law school friends with their kids (all daughters, actually).  Elissa looks so much like her beautiful daughter, Ramona.

No one had as much fun as Arianna with her chocolate fudgsicle, though.  She much preferred to hold it by the chocolate portion instead of the popsicle stick.  Luckily Super Mom Anika was smart enough to bring a spare outfit - a lesson learned for me!

Lounging on The Lawn

Going to Charlottesville for the first time in five years, I couldn't help but be excited about visiting the Lawn again.  (What the heck were they doing to the columns though?!)

It was my first time hanging out on the Lawn with a baby though (much less a baby holding her baby doll).

 Nothing more photogenic than a beautiful girl running through the columns...

And having a blast.  

I spent most of the reunion weekend hanging out with Anika and Arianna.

I would say I was getting a glimpse of my future, but I have no expectation that I'll have such a sweet and easygoing daughter.

Arianna is turning out just like her mama - smart, beautiful, and full of life!  Thanks for spending the weekend with me, ladies!

A Week in DC

Before I went to Charlottesville last weekend, I spent the week in DC visiting some of my best friends.

I got to meet Eve's boyfriend, Gregory...

And see Laura's new house.  Not to mention hang out with Angie for a few days.

I also got to meet this little man, JT...

And take a million pictures of him...

While chatting with his mama about pregnancy (she's due a month after me).


It was a great week, and I even got to see my parents, brother, and sister-in-law too.  I love California, but it's great to go back East to see my friends and family!