Blogging...

Someone please tell me when I am going to have time to blog again?! Addison was two months old on Wednesday and I am hoping that soon I will have some time in my (I mean Addison's) schedule to blog again! I'm looking forward to reconnecting with all of my blogging buddies! :)

Addison Grace Weinberg

Addison Grace was born on October 8, 2008 at 3:46 p.m.. She weighed 8 lbs 12 oz. and was 21 inches long. To see pictures of our new baby girl go to:

http://addisongraceweinberg.shutterfly.com/

We are so very blessed!!!

CUBS...

I HATE BEING A CUBS FAN!!! That's it, that is all I am going to say right now b/c I am to upset to write anything more about it!! Really...can we PLEASE start playing some baseball before it's too late again!

I Wonder...

What my baby looks like? Will she have blue eyes or brown? Will she have Rick's adorable dimples or my freckled face? Is my baby really a girl??? I hope the ultrasound was right, otherwise my son will be going home in pink clothes!!!

I wonder if my baby will be cute when she is born or will people just tell me she is cute and really think she looks like an alien? I know that no matter what she looks like I am going to love her with all of my heart!! I can't wait to meet my precious baby! I have three weeks left until my due date, but something inside of me tells me that she is going to be born before then. We will see! A good friend of mine reminded me today that God already knows her birthday & he planned for her to be born on that specific day! I think that is so awesome!

I can't wait to meet you baby Addison! I already love you more than words could ever express!!!

Epidural?

Yesterday Rick and I attended a 7 hour birthing class!! I didn't think I was going to make it through! There was so much information to take in, but I am still so glad that we went.

During the class one of the things the instructor, who has also been a Doula for 18 years talked about was the option for an epidural. I personally don't handle physical pain very well, so early on in my pregnancy I had decided that I was going to ask for an epidural no matter what during my labor. Now after this class and hearing about all of the side effects for both me and my precious new baby I don't know what to do! I guess I will try to handle labor the "natural" way and if I can't bear it anymore I will ask for one.

To all of my educated mommy friends, what are your thoughts on epidurals and did any of you have them during labor? If you did have one, what was your experience?

It's Been Awhile...

It has been over a month since I last blogged! I wanted to be really good at blogging and posting pictures this summer, but it hasn't worked out as I planned.

First of all we still don't have internet at our house!! We ordered the bundle package from AT&T which includes cable, phone and Internet, and when the guy came to install the phone and cable LAST MONTH he said that there were too many people with AT&T Internet in our area and that we would need to wait to see if a line opened up! WHAT?!!! I've never heard of that before!! After MANY frustrating calls to AT&T we have decided just to find another provider for our internet. Unfortunately, it is not cheap to just order internet. Hopefully SOON we will be able to have it up and running so I don't have to rely on the Library to get online!

On a happier note...I will be 34 weeks along in my pregnancy tomorrow and I am getting so excited to meet my precious little girl! She is so active inside my belly and the last couple of days she has had the hiccups on and off throughout the day (my Dr. said this is normal). Yesterday our crib got delivered and now we just need to find the time to set it up. The directions say that it takes an hour and 1/2 to put together! WOW, this is quite the project!! Hopefully after I get Addison's room set up I can take some pictures and post them.

Well...I'm off to a doctor's appointment now. :)

No Internet!

My blogging and internet use has been put on hold the last couple of weeks due to the fact that we aren't going to have internet hooked up until this Wednesday. The only time I can get on the internet is when I am visiting my mom or I run to the library. I don't know what we did in life before the internet!! I feel so disconnected from everyone. Thankfully I only have three more days without it!

I have a ton of pictures to post and lots of stories to share, so check my blog in a couple of days.

Moving Day!

Rick and I moved into our new place today! It's nice to have a home again! I am exhausted and ready to go to bed so I will post pictures and blog more at a later date.

Oh, and did I mention that I never want to move again when I am almost 7 months pregnant!!

Three Years!

Today is my three year wedding anniversary! Wow how the time has flown by so quickly! Rick is the love of my life and I am so glad that I waited for God to bring him into my life! There were times when I wondered if I would ever get married and why God was waiting so long to bring the right man into my life. Now I look back and smile knowing that he was preparing Rick and I for one another.

Happy Anniversary to my wonderful husband and best friend Richard Weinberg!! I'm looking forward to MANY more incredible years together!

Sweet Home Chicago!

Rick and I are back in Chicago! YEAH! This past week has been super busy as we are trying to find a house quickly. I thought this would be the fun and easy part of moving back, but it is quickly turning stressful and frustrating instead of fun. Please pray that we find a place to live soon!

Rick started his new job today. I talked to him an hour ago and he absolutely loves it! Of course it is the first day, but it's a nice change to talk to him at work and hear him sound happy.

I'll keep everyone posted on our house hunt. Hopefully I will have good news to share in the next couple of days.

Lots of Packing!

Packing, packing, and more packing! Those are my plans for the rest of this week! I wish I could be like I dream of Jeanie and just blink my eyes a couple of times and have my whole apartment packed and cleaned!

Yesterday while I was packing I was getting really tired and I started repeating the Bob The Builder chant, "Can we fix it?" "Yes we can!" Only I was saying, "Can I do this?" "Yes I can!" Hey, whatever keeps me motivated, right?!

A week from today the movers will be loading the truck and the next day we fly back to Chicago to start a new chapter of our lives.

We're Moving!!

Yes...it's true!! I am so excited! Rick found out on Monday that he got a job in Chicago that he really wanted! God is so GOOD!! We are moving to Chicago (west suburbs) on June 24th!! I can't believe my dream to move back has finally come true! Now my sweet little baby will grow up knowing her grandparents! That was really important to me. Not too mention I will get to see the sun A LOT more often in Chicago and also we will finally be able to afford to live in something other than a small apartment. All I can say is THANK YOU JESUS over and over again!

Right now...I am in panic mode b/c I have so much to do in a matter of 13 days! Whoa! "I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength!" Thank you to all of my wonderful friends who have been praying for God's direction and guidance in my life. Our prayers have been answered!

Please Rescue Us!!

Something is really wrong with this picture:

I am sitting at my desk at work sipping on some hot chocolate with my space heater blasting on high!! Excuse me, what month are we in?!!! I absolutely HATE the weather here in Seattle! It is 52 degrees and raining today! The sad part is I just checked the 10 day forecast and it doesn't get over 60 degrees for the next 10 days! Not to mention there are only 2 days in that forecast that say we may get some peaks of sunshine here and there.

God please rescue us from this place! I feel like I have put in my time here! In July it will be two years that I have dealt with the clouds and rain in the Pacific Northwest! The punishment needs to end!!!

Pictures From California!

I am finally posting pictures of me with my short hair-cut and my pregnant belly. These are a few pictures from our trip to California we took a couple of weeks ago for my brother Mark's graduation. Unfortunately, we are learning how to use our new camera and none of the pictures turned out super great (not very clear). Hopefully, I can post some more pics soon with a closer view. Until then here are some not so clear shots - Enjoy!

This is my family with my brother Mark who graduated from Claremont University with a PHD. in Philosophy (I did not inherit those brains!).

This is Rick and I on the Santa Monica Beach (I think using the flash would have helped! oops!).

This is us out to eat at Tony Roma's to celebrate my brother's graduation.

This is me sitting down on a swing with some sparkling apple cider trying to cool off from a 104 degree hot California day!

Rick and I after eating at a Chinese restaurant in Ontario, CA.

My silly husband posing at the Getty Art Museum.

Me at Sea World looking at the Killer Whales.

Sick Day!

I am home sick today with a sore throat and congestion. No fun!! I wish I could take something to help me feel better, but being pregnant limits my over the counter medicine choices! I have been drinking a lot of herbal hot tea (which makes me have to get up and pee every 20 minutes!), and sucking on honey lemon throat drops, but that is the extent of my relief from pain.

Do any of you reading this have any home remedies that help with a sore throat and congestion? I'll take any suggestions I can get!!

WE ARE HAVING A....

GIRL!!!! I can't believe it!! I was sure it was a little boy! I guess my intuition was wrong!

I am so excited b/c now I can start buying all of the cute girly things I have wanted to buy and resisted since we didn't know for sure what we were having! YEAH!

Boy or Girl?!!

Today I have an ultrasound appointment at 1 pm (PST) to find out what gender our baby is! I am so excited!! I think it is a boy, but that is just my intuition and I know that I could be wrong! I'll blog again later today to let everyone know what we are having!

***On a side note I have a bunch of pictures to post online from my trip to California. Hopefully I can get them posted sometime today or tomorrow.

Prince Caspian Movie

Last night Rick and I went to see a pre-screening of the Chronicles of Narnia movie, Prince Caspian. I highly recommend this movie. It was absolutely incredible! Every time I see Aslan, (the lion who represents Jesus in the movie), I am brought to tears. C.S. Lewis is one of the most talented authors ever published, and Walden Media did a terrific job making this book into a movie that nobody will want to miss seeing!

The highlight of the movie for me was when Aslan talked to Lucy in the forest (don't worry I'm not giving anything away). I felt like he was talking directly to me. His words are full of wisdom and conviction. I found myself wishing during the movie that I could run up to Aslan and wrap my arms around his mane just like Lucy did! This movie made me fall in love with Jesus more. There aren't many movies out today that you can say that about! Definitely go see it if you get a chance.

On a side note...Rick and I leave for vacation tomorrow. Yippee!! We are going to LA, San Diego, and Palm Springs all in the span of 9 days! I can't wait for some sun and warm weather!

Mother's Day Card

I know many of you have probably seen this video clip on you tube, but I laugh harder each time I watch it, so I thought I would post it on my blog. Happy Mother's Day!!

Here is the link to the video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bhcA4Ry65FU

Hope & A Future....

Last night as I was doing my devotions I came across a verse that has been highlighted in my Bible since high school. We are all very familiar with this verse as most of us heard it quoted many times upon graduating both high school and college. The verse I am referring to is Jeremiah 29:11:

For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.

I read this verse along with verses 12 & 13 and peace came over me in such an amazing way. I always thought of this verse for others, specifically seniors who were graduating and stepping out into the real world, but this verse is meant for all of us in whatever season we are in right now. I know as Rick and I seek direction for our future this verse gives me comfort and hope. God has plans for all of us to prosper and he gives us hope and a bright future. I will end my post today with the entire passage I read last night, verses 11-13. Hopefully it will bring as much hope to your day as it has to mine.

For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.
Jeremiah 29-11-13