The "New-Mom-Time-Vacuum"

Can it really be only a month until Christmas?? I knew life would change, and I knew time would be much harder to come by... and yes-- sleep is a dream (pardon the pun). ;-) As most of you already know, here's our big news:

Little Bryson joined us on October 17th (also Aunt Barb's birthday). Our day started early (4:30 a.m.), but he waited to make his appearance, by C-section, at almost 8 o'clock that night. I have to say the whole process wasn't half as hard/painful/bad as I had imagined it to be. Or perhaps the appearance of the little man really did just supercede anything else I recall from the day.

He is, of course, perfect in every way. He's also, of course, the cutest baby that we've ever seen. :-)

He's ready for me to hold him again. This is what I'll call the "New-Mom-Time-Vacuum". Before I know it, Rob's home from work and I've spent all day cuddling with our little guy. :-) More pictures to come soon!!

The Barrel

Yes... you know you watch too much TV when "Simpsonize Me!" is a phrase you're familiar with. Since when did televised advertising take on this cultural dimension? Truth be told we really like South Park better anyway. Edginess in animated characters is so critical!

Ah well- I needed something to smile about. And at this point in the pregnancy I was thrilled to see that a barrel was one of the clothing choices. Now if they just came in more colors...

Halfway through the week and "OMFD". I realize a limited audience will get that inside acronym, but it also makes me smile.

Doh!!

Summertime and Babytime

I'm sure it's fairly obvious to our small and dedicated readership that we've been working a lot again. Maybe "as usual" is better wording, but when I go almost a month without blogging it's a good assumption that work is taking over. I heard the old phrase "Our favorite company, God, then Family" the other day and had to cringe. We certainly need to rewrite that mantra before our little boy makes his appearance!

We did make it to a Rockies Game (thus the picture of Rob and Izzy all decked out for the Dodgers). And we did order a crib (now THAT makes it all feel real, if the motion in my belly wasn't enough). What else have we been up to? Mmmmm... the tough questions. I am, sadly, drawing a blank. Trust me- if I hadn't imposed the no-blogging-about-work rule I'd have plenty to ramble on (or vent) about. :-)

Now that I'm solidly in the third trimester, here's what I am very much looking forward to:

* Holding little man for the first time
* Seeing the look on Rob's face when he first lays eyes on him
* Getting a break from work (labor-- bring it on!)
* Starting to run again

Of course, I could go on forever with that list, but I thought I'd focus on a few positives for the moment.

Pictures as Promised

It's time for pictures from our trip to North Carolina! In random order are family, friends and some additional wedding (yes OUR wedding) pictures from Bill...

Here's the family BBQ'ing for the 4th of July...

And here's a wedding picture Bill took back in May '06...

Another wedding picture, taken by Bill just after the ceremony...

This is Heidi and Rob comparing Bellies :-)

Maw-maw and Paw-paw Humphries on one hot day in North Carolina...

Captain Rob, Bill and Marc smile big...

Can it really be July already?

Yes... it's been far too long since I checked in with blog-land. What have we been up to?

We had a wonderful and relaxing trip to North Carolina where we visited the Humphries clan. I saw my first lightning bug (yep- they don't "grow" in Oregon!), got lucky with fairly "cool" southern weather, and spent some quality time eating crab legs with friends. (This was Rob's first experience with Alaskan King Crab Legs too... makes sense that we had easier access in Oregon to those, despite being deprived of lightning bugs!) Once I take a moment to download pictures- I'll post a few here.

Sampson (the dog) is on the mend. His back surgery went off without any complications, Rob built him a handy handicap ramp for the front yard, and he looks awfully cute in the bright green polo the vet gave him (to cover the scar down his spine). All I can say there is "He is the bionic dog... we had the technology... we DID rebuild him."

Our little baby boy is busy moving around in my belly. The unreal energy I had at the beginning of the second trimester has now converted to a NEED to organize and clean every last nook and drawer in our house.

And... Laurel is all signed up for the NYC Marathon (YEAH Laurel!!). She's also running for a wonderful, wonderful cause. Check out her blog for more information on how to donate, if you feel so inclined. :-)

We're also thinking of our dear friend Jaimee as she studies her little behind off for the Bar!!

To close, in my never-ending quest for perspective, check out this website. :-)

Olivia Rose

Little Olivia joined us all early last Saturday!! We visited at the hospital that afternoon and just couldn't believe how small she is. Here's a picture of us thinking "four more months"!

Chelsea looked absolutely beautiful and all is well. This is a good year for babies!

Snips 'N Snails and Puppy Dog Tails

Yes... it's the big announcement!! We had the 20-week ultrasound yesterday and it's a BOY!!!!!!!!!! And even more important, he looked healthy and moved around A LOT. Just like the 12-week ultrasound-- if in-utero activity is any indication I may just have a little running partner growing in there. :-) Of course we're (okay, maybe just me) already planning the awfully cute sailboat-themed nursery!

TGIF!!!!

The Fan Club

Yes, Rob has a new following for his guitar performances. The picture shows our friends' little boys rockin' out (to the theme from Young Guns, if I remember correctly!). We celebrated Memorial Day BBQing with Gregory, Eva, Gavin and Spencer... enjoying the time together before they pull up roots and move to Austria.

Spending more time around kids makes us more and more excited to welcome Baby Humphries. This is the big "Is-it-a-boy-or-a-girl-week", so we feel like Christmas is around the corner. :-)

Here's another picture of Rob with little Spencer. Yep-- he's a natural Dad (and Gavin and Spencer as just WONDERFUL boys). You bet we want to visit in Austria!!!!

Oh yes... and Rob's Hawaii goatee met the razor last night.

Safe BBQ'ing

Rob took this picture from the Arizona Memorial at Pearl Harbor, and I thought it was appropriate as we go into the Memorial Day Weekend. I hope everyone gets to enjoy the day off...and remembers the meaning of the day.

Oh yeah-- and pay attention to safe BBQ'ing!!

The week isn't quite over yet for us, and it's been a long one. Thankfully I DON'T have to work on Sunday this week. I'll count myself lucky.

We wish we were still in Waikiki, enjoying a drink happily decorated with one of those paper umbrellas. This picture was taken on our anniversary night, at a restaurant on the beach. We're hoping Baby Humphries adapts well to travel... whether it's cliche or not, we can't wait to see Disney World through the eyes of a child!

TGIF and all that. Despite any stress from earlier this week, life is good. I'm reminded of an earlier post where I was focused on the word perspective. It's always a good reminder.

Keep the view, keep the faith, and keep the smile :-)

The Karmic Aloha Spirit

Yes, we finally did it! We took a day off (well, more like ten) and went to Ohau. This photo is us in Waikiki, taken by a nice lady that was walking by the pretty waterfall on the beach.

We stayed in the most wonderful place in Waikiki (Ocean Towers...soon to be "Hotel Renew"). If you happen to be in the neighborhood, ask for Leonor. She is a superstar!! We had champagne (sparkling cider for me, of course!) and cake and chocolates and leis and mints and cookies and more Aloha spirit than we thought imaginable. All in honor of our anniversary.

It's ironic-- we thought the romantic, "award winning" Bed & Breakfast near Lanakai Beach would be the one to rave about. But, I won't go into that.

My question for today is this: Why is it that after taking a vacation we seem to somehow work double (or triple)? I know I'm slightly bending the aforementioned "no-talk-about-work-rule", but I can't resist. I was on conference calls (yes, meaning multiple people involved) at 9pm, 11pm, 4am, 6:30am, and the day keeps going. It is still Monday isn't it??

This is the "Karmic Law of Vacation" in the corporate world. After achieving a nice state of relaxation, the fickle scales of stress tip even more in the opposite direction. Yep- I'm a little punchy...

Although our little Hawaiian interlude deserves more description, I'll end it for now with another picture Rob took on day one of the vacation. This is me at 17 weeks pregnant for those that are trying to imagine the burgeoning belly.

An "Olivia" Celebration and Family

Yes...another girls picture, this time from Chelsea's baby shower. I love it when we have fun things planned every weekend!

Little Olivia Rose will be all decked out in lots of pretty pink things. Here's hoping the ultrasounds are right! (Just kidding Chels-- we know it's a girl.) :-)

And last weekend while Laurel was in town, Rob captured this great picture of us with Grandma Marge. It was wonderful to have some family time. This week Laurel graduates with her Masters Degree-- yeah Laurel!!

Girls' Trip 2007... it rocks!

A little time with the girls in Steamboat Springs last weekend was just what I needed. We lounged in the hot springs (see picture below), ate some GREAT food, and most of all--> enjoyed the time with some very QUALITY women.

I know I've been slacking on blog writing. Work is work (although I'm abiding by my self-enforced "no-work-talk-rule". And we are ready for our little babymoon next week in Hawaii!! (Read this as --> more than ready!)

Hope y'all are enjoying spring and taking some time to be with family and friends :-)

Can anyone else see Rob's chin??

We had our 12-week ultrasound last week, and thanks to Brenna we have a picture to post here. It amazes me that our little tadpole is a fully-formed human now, and I definitely see Rob's chin in this profile shot!

If in-utero activity is any indicator, this will be one active baby. We also saw it do somersaults in my belly and the doctor captured a couple of headstands in the pictures. I can't feel it yet, but we were excited to see so much action!

The technician guessed a boy, but the doctor made sure we knew it was too early for any definitive predictions. Girl names, we're finding, are hard! (Not that naming a person is any small task...)

Cap'n Rob

I couldn't resist... check out what Cap'n Rob and his buddies do on sailing trips! It helps that Rob's life-long friend Bill is a talented film maker. Rob also had a cool role in the movie "Unresolved".

The trailer for "Unresolved" is also on YouTube-- although to see Rob you have to purchase the movie from Guerrilla Pictures.

Happy Friday the 13th!!

Just for Fun

In the vein of keeping "perspective"... here's a fun thing. I'm sure you've seen the commercials. Not only do I love M&Ms, why wouldn't you want to be one?? Certainly takes the serious look off MY face for the moment!

Yep- I'm wearing my Uggs because it's still dang cold here! And thank goodness I get one cup of coffee a day... it's a far cry from consuming the entire pot before noon, but I've adjusted for "junior's" sake.

Is it spring yet??

Yes... we're slated to get yet more snow tonight. Can I just say I'm ready for summer?

And just so everyone doesn't think I'll blog regularly about such a riveting topic as the weather, here's our BIG news. I am days away from the second trimester of pregnancy- and we've heard the heartbeat twice!! Despite our cautious optimism in sharing the news, we're ready to let down our guards and THINK POSITIVE.

In case you're curious, here's what our new little human looks like this week. The estimated due date is October 21st, and of course we'll find out the gender just as soon as they'll tell us! Anyone that knows me knows I struggle to not open gifts just AS SOON AS I GET THEM... how could we actually WAIT to find out such an important thing??

(And just in case anyone was wondering, I will NOT emulate pregnant Britney, and I will NOT buy any T-shirts that say "I've got the golden ticket!")

My word for the day is PERSPECTIVE. And it's a lesson that's resurfaced a couple of times this week already-- just where do our priorities lie, and how do we change them when we decide to?

Let it snow...

Laurel, you inspired me! After months of work, work, work I'm back to write a little.

First-- it's snowing! This picture is actually from our December blizzard, but take away about 10 inches and you have a picture of lovely Colorado this morning. Of course, it'll be 60 degrees by the weekend and I wore shorts yesterday. Ah... spring in the Rockies!

Second-- I was thinking about ground rules for blogging:
* I will not discuss work, satire focused on work (no matter how funny), or vent my work frustrations. We all have a clear enough picture of the American business environment right now. It'll be like an episode of Wheel of Fortune:

"Good evening Heidi, they tell me you've travelled here from Colorado..."
"Thanks Pat! I'm excited to be here!! I do live in Colorado where I work for a large technology firm [wink, wink]... and my wonderful husband is here in the audience!!"

* No other rules apply other than how I happen to feel about a topic or what my mental filters choose to sift through.

Third-- Okay, that's it for now. It's early and I'm still enjoying my cuppa Joe. I'd say that I'll be better about checking in to blog-land, but history has a way of speaking for itself. We'll see...

(As you can probably guess, we've taken no exciting trips yet in 2007, but we're hoping to change that soon.)

Happy Thursday!

Happy New Year!!

Can you tell we've been working a LOT?? Okay, so we did take time over Christmas to visit my family in Minnesota... and then it was back to work at that technology company where we spend so much of our time.

I started a new position at work-- we could wax on about all the details, but it's better bedtime reading than blog reading. Rob keeps at his manager position and promises to be busier than ever in 2007.

Yes... we survived the Christmas blizzard of 2006. And the one after that too. It's been a tougher winter than either one of us can remember in Colorado. However, six years doesn't give us a very representative sample!

Despite my best intentions to write more often... work has pulled me back in that direction. Sounds like there's cause for a New Years Resolution here! We'll see...

Happy, Happy, Joy, Joy!!