Melty Goodness

I have the best husband! He ordered chocolates for me for Mother's Day! He's so sweet and takes such good care of me! Sadly, the chocolates were shipped during the two hottest days we've had lately, so they were completely melted by the time they arrived (as you can see). But... that didn't stop us from digging in with spoons. The caramel apple chocolates had caramel running everywhere while the cherry cordials reminded me of hardening lava. So tasty!

Happy Mother's Day to all you mothers out there (including our own), to all you soon-to-be mothers (woohoo!), and all you mother-types!

30 weeks!

Wow, we made it to 30 weeks. Nice big number, only a few more weeks to go. Here's a picture of me from last night. I was probably the smallest belly in our childbirth class even though we fell in the range of due dates. Most of the other women had nice round basketballs. But I'm happy and not uncomfortable.

Hah Hee Hah Hee

We had our first childbirth preparation class last night. It was great. 13 couples all in their last trimester, sitting together. Paul and I learned so much, especially breathing (hah-inhale, hee-exhale) and relaxation techniques. It was good that the instructor made us get up and practice them, better than just reading out of a book. I have the Lamaze book too (borrowed from sis-in-law) which is great and will go in more depth than this class I think. I'll be 30 weeks pregnant tomorrow, it's hard to believe the little bit of time left!

Our baby boy is still very active. It cracked me up the other day: my stomach was making some loud noises and at the same time he was squirming around. I felt like I had a little noisy monster inside me growling to get out!

Good quote

I found this quote today and thought I'd post it.

"Faith is like spiritual oxygen. As we allow faith to freely flow within us, it awakens and enlivens our spiritual senses. It breathes life into our very souls. As faith flows, we become sensitively attuned to the whisperings of the Spirit. Our minds are enlightened, our spiritual pulse quickens, our hearts are touched. Faith fuels hope. Our perspective changes; our vision becomes clearer. We begin to look for the best, not the worst, in life and in others. We gain a deeper sense of life's purpose and meaning. Despair gives way to joy."
-David S. Baxter

She's gone

It's taken me several days before I could post something. It's so surreal still. My best friend, Allie, died in a private plane crash on Sunday, April 15. Her funeral services were Friday. She was an amazing and inspiring woman! Allie was about to graduate UC Davis Medical School as a doctor in emergency medicine (her lifelong dream!) and would have started her residency there this summer.

We met during my sophomore year at college (I was a year ahead of her), we were suitemates in the dorms. We went to Disneyland together when I graduated in 2000 and had so much fun together--two girls living it up!

She was the maid of honor at my wedding and was such a big help in planning it in the three months we had. She was gorgeous and smart and so generous. She was my own personal on-call doctor during my pregnancy and even before that. She was the best friend I could call any time. She gave me my cat Orion. This past week and a half has been one of the hardest of my life! Heavenly Father must really need the best angels right now to have called her home.

How does my garden grow?

Inch by inch and row by row. Dad and mom came over last Saturday to help with taxes and to start our garden. Yay! We now have strawberries and a few different kinds of tomatoes in the ground. Naturally, I watered the garden well yesterday afternoon (gorgeous weather!) and it rained this morning. Oh well. I'm so excited to have a garden started.

Quiet Passing

Grandma Rose passed away this morning. I am sad that she is gone (and will never meet our baby in this life), but it was a quiet ending. Mom was with her these last few weeks as the cancer spread quickly inside her. This morning, mom noticed that she simply stopped breathing. How peaceful!

Grandma was great at giving hugs and making people happy. She made yummy Pizelles (Italian anise waffle cookies) and I am glad I have the recipe so I can continue to make them in her honor! She always had a chocolate bundt cake and a bowl of candy on the counter when we came over. I also remember being very young and asking if she would make her chicken soup for me because I loved it so much. From her, I think I got the desire to crochet things without a pattern. She made lots of Barbie clothes and I am thankful that she made a baby afghan for us last Christmas. She will be missed, but her spirit lives on!