The growth of Gummy Baird

Hello, we are all still alive and doing well. For those of you who are unaware...we are going to have a baby. I am 28 weeks pregnant with Gummy Baird-real name to be Lillian Gabriela Baird, and yes, she is a girl. Here are pictures of the growth of baby and of me...

Here is where Gummy got her name...she looks like a floating gummy bear holding a balloon. Here, I was about 6.5 weeks.

Here is Lillian in her ever growing form. Really just a cranial picture...from another view she seemed to have my Bjarnason honker nose and Ryan's double jointed fingers and toes. She gave us thumbs up, hand laid back on her forehead...she uses the placenta as a pillow and kicks her legs around all the time. The other night, her foot was poking out of my tummy about 3 inches above my belly button.

Here I am at 12 weeks...and I was illiterate on the day because it was Sunday may 29, not 30th.

Here I am at Ryan's half sister, Leslie's wedding in Macon, Ga. I am 16 weeks pregnant (June 24th, 2011)

And here I am, today- 9/18/11 at 28 weeks. Same tee as 6 weeks...Things are going well for the most part. I am losing feeling in my hands at random times and my feet are getting huge because they are so swollen...but somehow, Ryan helps me manage. I couldn't be living the pregnant life without him (well literally, it is true)...but he helps me so much and takes care of me when I randomly start crying or can't even function to get into bed. Who knew that growing a baby was so EXHAUSTING. I am teaching classes at the Fitness Center, Aquatone, WalkFit, and a 30 min Spin class...as you can see, it helps me keep my slim figure. Lillian moves all the time and does NOT like when I lay on my left side..I always get a good, hard kick when I try to do it. Ryan and I have spent a little bit of time getting the nursery together...it has been fun. Even with Ryan being so busy, he is always available to help me and to listen. He always talks about holding Lillian and all the things that he will do with her so that I can rest. I appreciate him and I am glad that he is my best friend, husband, and soon to be father!

a long time coming...

oh goodness me, it's 245 in the morning and i just cannot sleep. i'm not sure why i'm awake so early, but here i am. lil d is participating in a half ironman so i'll have to be up in about 1.5 hours anyways...i suppose i'm getting a head start.

ryan got accepted to uva!! we are so excited:) he will start in the fall. he is working on getting financial aid, being accepted to the air force rotc...and we are working on finding new/cheaper/safer housing. it is all very exciting. work for both of us is going.

back in the day, when i would pick lil'd up from highschool, she was very embarrassed by me. i would get my friends to come with me to her basketball games or golf tournaments and i always made signs and screamed for her and routed for her. i would also go pick her up after practice in the crown vic and yell and honk out the window that i was here to get her. to me it was funny and today, to us, it is funny. well for the half ironman today-ryan made tshirts, lil'd and i made cardboard signs (who care if they get wet), we painted our car, and we have 2 cowbells to scream and route for her. i'm excited...i love this stuff. my children should prepare themselves because i am totally on their side and i'll be in the stand routing for them-band, sports, drama club...it doesn't matter, i'll be there (and most likely, ryan will too). get excited lil'd, today is all about you. you got it girl...woot woot...GOOOO LIL'd!!!

Moving Forward

It sure has been a long time, huh? Well we are both still alive and moving forward with life and the many things that are bumps along the way. A new year, brings new beginnings and many wonderful memories of what the old year had for us. We are looking forward to this new beginning in the new year. New beginning? Everyday is a new beginning...

Ryan will not be starting school yet. He is hoping to find a full-time job, possibly at a screen printing shop. I am still working at the Cancer Center as a receptionist. I am hoping to start as a Group Exercise Instructor at the UVA campus Fitness and Aquatics Center...I have heard there is a Aqua Instructor opening...I hope it becomes mine...I will be a fast Aqua class learner, not having much experience, but having the desire to learn and do it.

We are still participants in a running club-it's fun, I'm glad we do it to atleast run sometimes...I do hope to be better at running (especially in the winter). And that is life as of now.

Slammin' Tim Tams

Christmas season has officially arrived! Tim Tam cookies (from Pepperidge Farms, available at Target) have officially been stocked on the shelves. Nothing says Christmas time more than slamming Tim Tams. Tonight we had our first official slam of the season.

First, you take the cookie and bite a hole in 2 opposite corners...

Then you suck Hot Chocolate through the opposite corners until you feel the cookie become moist with goodness...

IT'S TIME TO SLAM- put it in your mouth and feel the good chocolaty taste of the cookie melt in your mouth

It really is that easy...You can become a pro on your first attempt. The Baird's taught me, the Lewis' taught them...really it's a loved, handed down tradition.

Now excuse me, Ryan is setting a mouse trap...

Our Accomplishment

Coming down the escalator as we waited for the train to take us to the starting line.

OMGosh-I was really nervous...not gonna lie.

We made it through the race and even found each other at the end.

So, as you have seen from the previous post, Ryan and I have been running. Well, we started training in June for a half marathon-and the 10 miler happened to be training:) On 10/16/2010, we ran the Balitmore Half Marathon and it was great, awesome, worth it, incredible, an accomplishment. Ryan and I stayed in a hotel for the weekend and made a vacation out of it.

10/09/2010

What a beautiful picture, no? And look who had to be pictured with us...see right there, between Ryan and I? Ryan and I signed up to run a 10 mile race in Manassas-it was called "General Ridge's Challenge." I didn't notice the challenge part of it until after we paid...it was 5 miles on the hilley, extremely hilley, golf course-the rest of the 10 miler was on the street through neighborhoods. Dorothy and Denise ran in a 5k and Nas watched the girlies-Chloe and Scarlett. Nas would have run, but she was out of commission for this particular run. We had a great time. See that medal I am wearing? Well, Ryan won 2nd place in his age group and he gave it to me because I am his motivation. It was an awesome run and I was grateful Ryan stayed with me on the golf course.

As of Late...

I've been missing from the blog scene. I asked Ryan if he would please post because I did not care to. It was the honest truth; however I am once again feeling back into the posting phase. Although there are no pictures, here are my words.

We have been loving the Charlottesville life. It has been so fun being on our own and getting to know each other again. We are in love. We have made some great friends-Sam and Sara and we spend a lot of time with them. We have 'Survivor' parties, eat dinner together, go on hikes, apple picking, to ikea and visiting mine and Ryan's parents, to highschool football games (where there is a real lion and fireworks at every touchdown!!!-really, I kid you not), to Sara's family farm, long drives, Yoders-a Mennonite store, eating at Charlottesville Buffalo Wings, trying new recipes, meals with the missionaries...really the list goes on. They are our friends and we feel grateful.

Ryan has been doing a great job at cooking meals, cleaning, and going to work. He has been looking into possible scholarships, working on puzzles, studying Russian, trying new recipes, and lots of reading. I love seeing him when I come home because we hardly saw each other the first 8 months of our marriage because of work/school schedules when we were on our own. We have been preparing for our half marathon in 2 weeks. We will make it to the end!!! We will be running a 10 Miler next weekend...a first for us on both of those occasions. I have been enjoying my job and decorating our home. Life is good, Ryan is cute, and I'm in love. We are well.