Mar 10, 2008 Big Momma Photoshoot

Here are some shots from my pregnancy photoshoot with KJ Landis.

Mar 3, 2008 Baby Shower in Detroit

Went to Detroit last weekend for the family baby shower. My sisters and brother gave us the lovely gift of flying Tom and I out for the event. It was great to see everyone (and overwhelming as usual). The shower was at my sister Jill's house. Outside of my immediate family, aunts and cousins attended, along with my friends Heather and Donna who still live in Detroit.

The guest get ready for the lasagna lunch made by my sister Julie and bro-in-law Nick.

Yep, that's the cake.

Present opening- complete with rocking chair and blue slippers courtesy my sister Jill.

Posing with my lovely nieces Stephanie and Carly (with their daddy, my brother Tom in the background).

>Donna and Heather

Michelle (sister) and Carly on the left and niece Shelby on the right displaying family madness.

Feb 19, 2008 Latest Baby Snapshot

Slightly distorted due to the umbilical cord blocking the face...looks like we will need another scan in a month- the placenta is still low lying, so they have to make sure it moves up before labor and delivery.

Feb 6, 2008 New Dance Show

Omigod I miss this show. Totally Detroit. Off the chain!

Jan 28, 2008 First

Just figured out that at 34 I will have my first child and at 34 my mom had her first GRANDchild. Pretty trippy.

Jan 14, 2008 New Family Member

My parents are officially adopting Shelly. She was a foster kid they had for several years who was sent back to her mother, who eventually abandoned her and she was returned to my parents. They just adopted her brother last summer, so the two were happy to be reunited. That makes 4 adopted kids, plus 5 kids that my mom had naturally (my dad adopted my mom's other 4 kids- I'm his only kid by blood)- which brings my family to a whopping total of 9. Woah.

So there they are- My dad, Shelly, my mom, Michele, Danielle and Noah (what's up with his smile???) in front.

Jan 2, 2008 Welcome Caitlyn Charlotte!

Congratulations to Josh and Kris on the New Year's Eve arrival of their sweet little girl!!

Jan 1, 2008 Tom's birthday, Christmas and 2008!

It was a great holiday vacation this year. Tom's dad Andrew flew into town just as we were finishing up our last days at work. He is staying on for a few more days. The weather has been amazing, and we've been able to enjoy a lot of time outdoors. We spent a few days in Boonville, CA, staying in a cute little cabin in the middle of nowhere. It was majestically beautiful once we finally made it, but we got terribly lost along the way (evidently it is pretty common as the roads markings aren't visible after dusk). It was amazing to wake up inside the cabin, which has floor to ceiling windows, and to be completely surrounded by wilderness. Beijo woke at dawn and nearly lost her mind! We took a lot of hikes around the 800 acres of hills and valleys.

We returned to the city on the eve of Tom's birthday and had a tasty meal at Range. We spent the next week and a half doing Christmas things (gift giving, eating, etc), shopping, walking Beijo in Glen Park Canyon, Fort Funston, and Crissy Field. She had some pretty amazing sunset walks. I think the 10 days were like a doggy bootcamp for her. She got into amazing shape and she really dives into the ocean now - she loves it! New Year's Eve we had a mini-disaster while cooking an amazing fish pie - the sink blocked up and we ended up just eating our starter leek and potato soup. After working on the pipes for several hours, Tom and Andrew were pretty wasted and pissed off, so we ended up re-doing our New Year's eve dinner on New Year's day and it was really tasty!!