LA, Baby, LA

Just last weekend we made a trip to Los Angeles to spend some quality time with folks we don't get to see often enough. It's been three years since John lived in Los Angeles, and about two and a half years for Sarah. We don't miss the craziness that is LAX, but we do miss our friends. Surprisingly enough, we are not the only ones who are starting a family. Who knew?

Family number one is represented here. JP and Lauren celebrated their one-year anniversary as a married couple and are the proud owners of a rescue Weimaraner named Colby. Although they are going through the terrible twos with Colby, it certainly looks to us like all of their hard work and training is paying off. Colby is quite a wonderful dog, and, according to John, can run five miles without any obvious effort. Oh, Lauren and JP are wonderful too. They are great hosts, and Lauren even took us to In N' Out straight from the airport.


We first must note that the drink in Sarah's hand in the picture to the right is non-alcoholic. But yes, we were in a bar, living up the South Bay nightlife. It was great to have the Hermosa crew back together again, and to everyone's delight Rachel flew down from Sacramento to join the fun. Sarah's weekend was full of much needed time with her girlfriends and a significant amount of pampering. This included pedicure, manicure, waxing, and spa time.


For John, the weekend included big breakfasts every morning at favorite locations, runs on the strand, and a few Coronas with good friends. Two of those friends, Tyler and Ryan, are pictured to the left. Unfortunately, Stephanie Leshney eluded the cameras. And yes, let it be clear, the breakfasts are important to mention. Anyone who visits the South Bay must go to the Local Yolk in Manhattan Beach. John recommends Al's El Porto, or if you are really hungry, the Raider's Revenge.


One of the last events of the weekend was an outdoor concert at Pollywog Park in Manhattan Beach. It's a big park that John didn't know existed in the three years he lived there. In the picture here we have an appearance from little Josh, who made Sarah's weekend. He had a few questions for Sarah about the baby. "What does she eat? Well, Josh everything I eat. Oh, when I was in my Mommy's tummy she ate candy, that's why I really like candy. Is she wearing any clothes? Does she have any toys in there to play with?" His cuteness was almost too much for Sarah to take. And for anyone interested, if Josh has his way, Nutterbutter will be named Coco.


And there is another family to take into consideration. On our last day in LA, we were lucky enough to have breakfast(yes, at the Local Yolk) with our friends, Thomas, Amy, and little Santiago. It was great catching up and seeing how natural they are as parents. It certainly gives us hope. And Santiago was so tiny and fun to hold. It's too bad we didn't get more time with them, but now we will get to see them whenever we go to visit Suzy in Denver.


Now, just in case you are worried that Sarah is always running around, here is evidence that she finds the time to relax and have a grape or two. Nutterbutter is already helping out the cause by providing a good surface on which to balance the bowl. Fiona, if this isn't a good enough belly picture for you, you'll have to wait until next month. Besides, you'll be back in Lexington soon enough. Frankly, we can't wait.



There is definitely more to come. When we were in LA the Hermosa girls threw Sarah a fabulous baby shower. Nutterbutter was definitely spoiled by her California aunties. And Sarah's Mom, soon to be Grandma Gayle for the second time, flew down for the day to join the party. Pictures and stories coming soon to a blog near you.

Is it July already?

Apparently the first June update was the only one. Sorry about that. We'll be better this month. Really we will. And we can make that promise because a lot has already happened and there is more fun to come. But let's start by talking about the wonderful visitors we had right after the 4th of July.

We were lucky enough to have Sarah's Uncle Ronnie, Aunt Teri, and Bride-to-be Haley Rae stop by Lexington at the tail end of their whirlwind trip throughout North America. Seriously, we were the stop after Cancun and Utica. They don't kid around. Oh wait, they do.

Exhibit number one is the picture below. They don't always travel this way, but were kind enough to bring a baby shower with them. They say a picture is worth a thousand words, and so we will keep the description to a minimum. But we cannot thank them enough for the fun they brought to Lexington. And we must admit that because of them little Nutterbutter is on her way to being the most fashionable girl on the block.




We don't have pictures of everything we did that weekend. That means, no pictures of Sarah, Haley, and Teri visiting quilting stores, visiting baby boutiques, and picking out colors for the baby's room. And no pictures of Ron and John watching golf and Apocalypto. But there is a picture of the five of us taken right before we had one of the best meals of the visit. Wow, was it good. If you are ever in Lexington, we will definitely take you to Murray's on Harrodsburg Road. Sarah wants to make sure you know that it is a big farmhouse turned into a restaurant. John wants to make sure you understand just how tasty the mussels are. So tasty. And if you ever go to Murray's with Haley, make sure you order two pieces of carrot cake or else she will just eat yours. Apparently it is just that good.




And yet the food was not as good as the company. The visit was short, but full of good times. And it goes without saying that Haley and Teri did a lot of belly rubbing while they were in town. They felt Nutterbutter kick and move all around.




So thanks again to the three of them for taking the time to visit us here in the Bluegrass. We had a great time and cannot wait to see them again in late October for Haley and Ryan's wedding. It is going to be a blast.

We were so inspired by all the baby talk and room decor selections that we decided to open the box that had been sitting in the baby's room for a couple of weeks. We prepared ourselves mentally and physically for the arduous task ahead. That's right, we decided to put together the crib.

Exhibits one and two below show John at the early stages of crib construction. Those who know John know that he has a low threshold for tasks such as this. He figured it was only a matter of time before he would be cussing like a sailor and wondering why Nutterbutter couldn't just sleep in a drawer.


First we have the opening of the box. Nothing too rough here. Just a few pieces of tape and a couple of styrofoam pads. So far so good. At this point, John simply hopes that nothing is damaged so that we don't have to take the darn thing back.



Part two. Construction is well underway and things are going almost too well. Could it be that companies are finally making these things relatively easy to put together? Are the four steps outlined in the directions really enough to make this thing work?



Well, as you can see, it turns out that this crib wasn't so tough after all. It was put together in under an hour, there were no extra pieces, and it is positioned in the room in such a way that John is in no danger of bumping his head on the angled wall. Isn't life swell? By the way, it is also important to note that Sarah also put together the crib. However, she apparently was a bit camera shy during this particular portion of the day. Go figure.



Now we have two and a half months to prepare the rest of the room. That is something that future visitors should keep in mind. That's right, we're talking about you - Gayle, Zac, and Keith. You could be building the next piece of furniture, painting, or constructing a tree house. You just never know. Seriously, we can't wait to get you guys out here next month. The patio at Murray's awaits!!!

First June update

Welcome to the first update of June. Surely the updates will come fast and furious as the weeks go by. For the time being, we have a few notes of interest before we get to pictures of Sarah, circa week 25. Obviously, if you are only interested in seeing Sarah's current condition, feel free to skip over the next two reports.

On the first Friday in June we received a surprise visit from Dr. Jason McBean. The good doctor happened to be in Cincinnati over the weekend for a prep class for his medical boards. It was great to see him and he was able to check out our place. We also went out to breakfast at Alfalfa's, which for some reason would be able to give him cut up bananas on the side, but could not make a banana pancake. Go figure.


The following weekend we were in New England for a big event. One of John's former roommates, Andy Downing, was ordained as a Jesuit priest. After twelve years (yes, twelve years) of study and preparation, Downing became Fr. Andrew Downing, SJ. For those of us who know Andy from college, this was an amazing weekend in a number of ways. And it was great to see everyone who was able to make the celebration. The picture here is, from left to right, Karl Loriega (flew in from Brazil), John, Downing, Jon Otting (of Newton, MA), and Grant Davis (of Irvine, CA). All fine Jonathan Edwards men through and through.


And now for what most of you are tuning in for - pictures of Sarah and her growing belly. Unfortunately we do not have any action photos with Nutterbutter's kicks. She is active, that's for sure. But these pictures should give you an idea of where we stand in the middle of week 25.













It may be difficult to tell what the numbers are on that measuring tape, but it is safe to say that they are higher than they would have been six months ago. Okay, let's get specific. At the moment, Sarah has a waist that measures 39 inches. Her skinny jeans that she hopes to fit into again one day have a 27 inch waist. By comparison, John's waist is 34 inches. Therefore, while it is fortunate that he cannot fit into the skinny jeans, it is also clear that he is not doing enough to gain sympathy weight. We have a lot to work on.

May 2007

Happy May!! It's made even happier by the fact that we are actually writing this entry while it is still May. We have caught up. As many of you already know, earlier this month we had our twenty week ultrasound. Below are two amazing pictures of Nutterbutter. It is incredible what detail you can see.




There is one ultrasound picture we did not include...that is the one where the technician "helpfully" drew an arrow to part of the picture and typed in, "I'm a girl." It is a long story that we won't get into, but we were not planning on finding out until the big day whether we were going to have a boy or a girl. After the initial shock wore off and we realized that the ultrasound also indicated it was a healthy baby, we just became excited about the impending arrival of our daughter. This being said, there are two requests. John does not want any princess stuff, and Sarah is hoping to avoid the color purple. I'm sure this will guarantee that when Nutterbutter is old enough to have her own opinions she will only want to dress up as a purple princess.

Of course, we also need to show what Nutterbutter looks from the outside. Doesn't she look great! Please notice the maternity clothes, which have now taken over the closets. The skinny jeans are in a bin in the basement, waiting to reappear in time for Christmas.






John has also been doing things, albeit somewhat less important than creating life. He finished his first year at EKU in early May and decided to take some time away from the books. This led to more domestic pursuits, with a primary focus on painting. The first room was the den...but per a previous post, no pictures of the den until it is truly presentable. That is why you get to see pictures of the bedroom.

The old color was mint green and we have gone with something officially known as prairie grass. Fortunately the pictures make the paint job look relatively professional, and you will have to see it in person to notice the imperfections. In other words, there is a reason John is an academic and not a contract painter. Nevertheless, we love it.

We hope everyone had a great holiday weekend and we will hopefully be good about updating this as the weeks and months go on.

April 2007

This month begins with what should be one of many updates on the condition of Sarah's belly. Although our key subject is reluctant, she is willing to take the plunge. We have heard from far too many people that they want pictures of the belly, so here you go. These two were taken in the first week of April, which means about week 15 of the pregnancy.



Now that we have shown pictures of the belly, we can move onto some of the other exciting aspects of our lives in Lexington. For instance, our new house has a gas grill that is connected to the gas line of the house. Below we have a picture of John, enjoying that wonderful piece of modern technology.



But there is more to life than babies and grilling. At least that is what we have been told. And indeed, we still have much to learn about the maintenance of the house.

Spring, once it finally arrived, brought yard work which allowed Sarah to use her Christmas gifts from Taffy. These gardening tools came in handy as Sarah worked to figure out what was plant and what was weed in our various flower beds. Tough to tell when you weren't the person who planted them.

John got back to his childhood by mowing the lawn. Fortunately this lawn is smaller. Unfortunately, John feels the need to keep up with the neat and tidy lawns located on either side. So far no complaints.



Some of you may ask, what about the inside of the house? Good question. Like an onion, there are many layers to our abode. Each new layer will be revealed as it a) receives a new paint job OR b) receives some furniture.
This is why you get to see a picture of Sarah in the dining room. The paint job came with the house and we like it. The table finally arrived and we like it too. And there is a new rug under the table. The only thing left to do is change the chandelier to something that is more...us. As a preview into the future, check out the color of the walls in the room beyond the dining room.

Last, but not least, we have a picture of the kitchen. No new paint, no new furniture, but we love it. It has a gas stove, which helps when warming up tortillas. And all the appliances work and are fairly new. All in all, we are fans. And if you come to visit Lexington, you can have a meal cooked in this kitchen and served in the above dining room...how exciting!

March 2007

March began with a trip out to see Suzy in Denver. We got a chance to see her new place outside the city in Broomfield. It looked very homey and an amazing view. And we must confess that we never fulfilled our promise to help her hang more pictures. Sorry, Suzy. We did, however, have a great day of snowshoeing about an hour outside of Denver. If we remember correctly, it was Eagle Creek. And, as you can see from the picture above, it was snowing. You might also notice a fourth member of our crew, Schuyler. We enjoyed spending time with Schuyler, a man who continues to live the dream of the nightsaber. (Ask Sarah if you have any questions about that.)

Besides snowshoeing, we also got a chance to walk around downtown Boulder and Denver. The weather was hot and sunny, and therefore vastly different from the day before in the mountains. We also lucked out by crossing paths with Dan Peltier, who was on his way to a convention about trains south of Denver.

What else does March mean to you? That's right, baby, March Madness! For the first time, after years of appreciating the festivities in local bars and Vegas, we took advantage of our new location in the place that invented college basketball fever. Four games on Thursday and two games on Saturday in the world famous Rupp Arena.



We were joined in this glorious escapade by Lauren, who, in an effort to dodge the local paparazzi, also managed to elude our camera in the five days she was here. We went to the games, and each night came home to watch a few more. In between, Lauren and Sarah went on a tour of local horse farms and saw one-day old foals. Basketball...check. Horses...check. The only thing missing from Lauren's visit was a trip to a bourbon distillery. Hopefully she will be out again soon to make up for that.

February 2007

The big news for February, of course, was that we found out that we were soon going to be parents. Our first visit to the doctor occurred toward the end of the month, and Sarah had an ultrasound. The two pictures below give you an idea of what we saw and hear. Both give a profile of the baby, and the second one shows the heartbeat as measured by the ultrasound.




Upon viewing these photos, a baby name immediately came to Sarah's mind. Based on the profile and the overall shape of the little one, it seemed only appropriate to dub him/her Nutterbutter.

As it just so happened, this official confirmation of the pregnancy arrived shortly before moving day. Hence, John and our faithful friends Charles and Fiona did most of the lugging involved in moving our stuff from the apartment on Cooper to the new house on Chinoe. And as you can all imagine, Sarah managed to participate quite well by providing all sorts of guidance and direction. Good times.

Mid-month we were also happy to welcome two more visitors to Lexington. Gretchen and Josh arrived to check out the Bluegrass and got a chance to see Lexington with a bit of snow. They were the first guests we had when we knew Sarah was pregnant.

This meant that Sarah got to talk to Gretchen all about it and Gretchen was thoughtful enough to take John out for a drink at Buddy's, something that apparently will be harder to do come September. Here are a few pictures of the fun they had while they were here.