Kick baby kick!

26 weeks!  I've definitely had a growth spurt in the last few weeks.

This pregnancy is really flying by - with chasing around Jack all day, working, traveling and of course, preparing to move to Cali, I don't have much time to really think about being pregnant...even though my body reminds me constantly - indigestion, heart burn, sciatic pain, sore feet, you know, the usual suspects.  So I can't believe I'm already 26 weeks....almost to the end of the second trimester. 

But with all the flurry of activity I have to admit I haven't taken as good of care of myself as I did with Jack.  The first time around I rested a lot, exercised regularly and made sure to eat nutritiously (for the most part).  It's not been so easy the second time around so my doctors are a little concerned about pre-term labor....ok I stress the word "little!"  My symptoms are very minor, but coupled with with my advanced age of 36, it's enough to warrant yet another trip to the perinatologist in 2 weeks to make sure everything is ok. 

In the meantime I've been told to rest (with an active toddler - sure thing doc!), drink lots of water (so I can pee more than I already do) and not to stress (um, doc, did I mention I was moving cross country in a month and have no place to live?).  Anyway, Christian is all over it and is making sure I follow the rules so I'm sure everything will be fine.  And I would hate to be put on any sort of bed rest so I am being a very good patient.

Other than that the pregnancy has been pretty routine and The Sequel is very healthy.  He's already measuring really big - over 2 pounds at my 25 week ultrasound - which could mean close to a 9 pound baby. I definitely like to grow them big!  He's also been very active lately which I think is the coolest thing about being pregnant.  I love feeling the baby move - or in the Sequel's case, kick, punch and roll.  For a while I thought he'd be a pretty chill baby because he only moved every once in a while.  But last week he started really getting going and now it's non-stop. 

I'll let you know how my next ultrasound goes but I'm sure I'll be telling you that everything is A-OK!  Until then here's the latest mugshot of The Sequel.  As much as I don't always like going to see the specialist, I love that I get to see the baby every 4 weeks.  He's getting so chubby and I can't wait to hold him and squeeze him!


25 Week Ultrasound...

Goin' Back to Cali...For Good!

Well, my friends, after 9 awesome years in Georgia, The David's are officially heading back out west to SoCal!  Yes, we're leaving Hotlanta for the beautiful LA sunshine.  For weeks I've been trying to think of a good way to blog about this because there are just so many emotions running through our minds...excitement, fear, anxiety, joy.  For as much as we are so happy to move and be with family, we will dearly miss the life we have created here - our dear friends, amazing church, Jack's school, our beautiful home!

We always knew we wanted to move back to Cali, but with the new baby coming and the down housing market, we thought it would be best to stay put for a few more years. But in February Christian got a call about an amazing job opportunity, one that he probably would have taken anywhere.  But the fact that it was in LA seemed heaven-sent!  After about 6 weeks of talking, waiting, interviewing and negotiating, we still weren't sure if it was the right time to move.  But ultimately the desire for our kids to grow up in California with their grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins was just too strong of a pull. And, this was the kind of job that Christian had been dreaming of.  So on April 1, he accepted the position.  Christian is now the Director of Sales and Marketing for Lift Safety, sister company to EVS, a popular motor-cross safety gear supplier.  http://www.liftsafety.com/.  He has worked hard for this and I am so proud of him!

And so begins our journey!  I had to keep it a secret for almost 2 months so I was beyond thrilled to finally break the news to my family in early April.  We had so much fun telling everyone over the phone and via skype.  As you can imagine there were a lot of tears by my mom and sister...even my tough big bro got a little choked up.  It was pretty cool to spread such happiness.  But after the initial excitement wore off, we realized that we were moving across the country....again....soon!  The deal was that Christian would officially start on May 1 and work from Atlanta until we moved to LA sometime in August.  There was much to be done!

So the last few months have been pretty hectic with Christian working 14 hour days and me trying not to let the stress of the move effect the pregnancy. In early May we put our lovely home on the market.  And last week we went to Cali to get our new life figured out. We accomplished 2 of the 3 goals - we found a great OBGYN for me, an awesome pre-school for Jack, BUT no home yet.  Since Christian's office is in Carson, we are looking in the South Bay area - specifically the Palos Verdes, Redondo Beach, and West Torrance area.  We're hopeful that something will come up in the next few weeks otherwise we will be residing at my childhood home in Covina with mom and Joey. Talk about coming home!

As for me, I am fortunate that my company is allowing me to work part-time from home in LA.  I'll keep the clients and events that I have been working on for the nearly 7 years that I have been with CEG.  I am truly blessed to work for such generous and kind women!  And I'm a Cali-girl at heart and have been wanting to move back for quite some time.  It's a wonerful place to grow up and live...it's part of who I am so I am giddy with excitement to raise my own kids there!

So I guess that's everything.  Not sure what else I'm missing.  I'll keep everyone posted on the rest of the move details as they come up.  We have about 6-8 weeks left here in Atlanta and I intend to make the most of it.  We have lots of fun BBQ's and dinners planned with all of our wonderful friends and I just want to squeeze in as much time as I can with everyone.  Our friends have been our like our family for 9 years and we will be so sad to say good-bye.  Saying we will simply miss them is an understatement.  I think a little piece of our hearts will always be here in the South.  I mean, we moved here as newlyweds, built our first home, had our first son and met some amazing people.  Life as been good.

But I have been praying for God to bring us back to California when he felt it was the right time.  So although it is a bitter-sweet move, the Lord has answered my prayers and I know it is time to go.  I want my friends here to know that I love them and I can never thank them enough for being such a huge part of my life. How lucky am I to have met them and shared such amazing experiences.  I know that I have developed lasting bonds that will be with me forever.

Now we are so excited to begin a new chapter in our lives - one that will be filled with new babies, family, long-time friends, abundant California sunshine, beaches and of course lots of love and laughter.  How can my heart not be filled with joy to know that I get to experience these simple pleasures on a regular basis...


My husband finally smiling at his desk, knowing that he has a career that he loves...

Jack making his cousin Marseille laugh...

Watching my new nephew Charlie grow up...

Seeing Jack with his Mimi...

Taking my son to the beach...

Making Jack happy.  I think LA's going to look good on him, don't you...



HAPPY FATHER'S DAY!!!

Happy Father's Day to the coolest and cutest dad ever.  Jack just adores his daddy and I have a feeling The Sequel will feel the same.  I love my 2 cool dudes...

Blue Grass Wedding!

This past weekend Christian and I ventured north to Kentucky for a wedding.  Not only did we get to see our friend Chris Carson get married, but I got to mark the Blue Grass state off my list of states visited!  I'm up to 23 and have now officially been to every state in the Southeast.  But the main reason we were there was for the wedding, which aside from being rather warm, was absolutely gorgeous!  I didn't realize how amazingly beautiful Kentucky was with all it's lush, green, rolling hills.  Once the sun set and it cooled off a bit, being outside was little more bearable.  And aside from being stone-cold sober while everyone else there enjoyed the free-flowing Maker's Mark, I had a blast and danced my baby bump off until after midnight! 

Rockin the 23-week bump!  I bought this non-maternity dress at Banana Republic and loved it.  It was classy AND comfy, a dual feat that's hard to accomplish at almost 6 months preggers...

The breathtaking sunset on the farm.  This picture doesn't do justice to how gorgeous it was...

Chris and his beautiful bride Kathryn.  We'd all been outside for about 2 hours at this point so you can see we are a bit shiny.  But they were such a happy couple...

Chattanooga Choo-Choo!

The David's in Chattanooga, TN.  I'm about 22 weeks preggers here.  It looks like we're ignoring Jack here but he absolutely did not want to be held.

We wanted to get out of Atlanta for a few days over Memorial Weekend so we took a last-minute trip to Chattanooga, Tennessee, which is only about an hour and 45 minutes north of us.  It's a very family-friendly city with a lot of things to do for kids.  The city is very walkable with charming tree-lined streets, although Jack preferred to ride the free shuttles that run just about everywhere in town. There are also tons of great restaurants, shops and parks.  We took in all the sights but also took time to just relax and eat some really great food - can I just say yummo to Chat-town!  Our favorite meal was at Sticky Fingers where we feasted on ribs, brisket, mac n' cheese and FRIED corn on the cob....only in the south right?!

We went up on Friday morning and caught the most gorgeous weather all weekend, which was great because as we were leaving on Sunday it was beastly hot and has been that way ever since!  But the 2 days we were there were beautiful and we really had an awesome time just being together and exploring a new city.  As usual I took a lot of pics, and as a mom, I think all the pics of Jack are too precious to leave out.  So feel free to browse quickly....

First stop was the Tennessee Aquarium, which sits right on the lush and beautiful river walk...

Jack would NOT put his hand in the water to touch the stingrays...

They have a really awesome butterfly exhibit and at the end they let you hold one.  Daddy was first up...

When it was Jack's turn he wanted no part of it. Check out that face...

Look mom, almost 38 inches tall...

Not sure this photo does it justice, but Jack was so afraid of the sharks he was gripping my hair...

Next stop, Coolidge Park across the River.  We stopped here after getting classic homemade ice cream from Krumpies, a local hang-out...

A quick ride on the Carousel, which may I add was really fast.  Daddy and mommy got a little nauseous...

The park had this really fun water feature where all the neighborhood kids come to play.  In fact, there are water features all over the city and you can pretty much find kids in bathing suits (and some in just diapers - eek!) running around everywhere.  Had we known we would have brought his swim trunks but Jack didn't seem to mind...

Daddy didn't warn mommy when the water was coming on so Jack and I got partied.  It was hot out so it felt pretty good...

Next stop - the pool at the Marriott.  This was the very first day the pool was open so it was pretty frigid.  Christian was a total trooper and jumped right in.  I, of course, did not...

I can't believe the difference with Jack in just one year.  Last summer he was just starting to walk but now he was running all over the pool and insisted on getting in all by himself....

The next day we took a Duck Boat Tour, my first one ever...

Jack got to drive the boat...

Then all that excitement really wore him out and he slept for the second half of the tour...

The Trail of Tears Memorial. Jack didn't want to walk down alone at first...

But then he was a brave boy..

At the end of the waterfall, there's a small reflecting pool that overlooks the river.  I imagine whoever created this memorial, never intended it to be used as a swimming pool, but alas, the residents of Chattanooga have made it one. I must say it wasn't the cleanest looking water in the world but Jack really wanted to go in, so when in Rome...

Day two at the Marriott pool.  The sun had heated it up nicely so I was able to take a dip in my big mama maternity bathing suit...

Daddy took the plunge...

 Jack getting a little lift from Mommy...

And a BIG lift from Daddy...

Our final stop was the Chattanooga Choo-Choo Hotel.  It was a very cheesy tourist trap but Jack loved being so close to the real trains...

May 28 was our 11 year "dating" anniversary.  We spent it eating pretty bad pizza aboard an old train.  But just being there together, with Jack, made it special.  It still amazes us how far we've come and what an  amazing journey it has been so far...

On Sunday morning we took one last walk around town before breakfast and saw this sign...

What a great little city...