Pregnancy #3, Week 4

June 14, 2016June 15, 2016Leave a comment

I found out on Monday, March 21, 2016 that I’m pregnant. This is my third pregnancy. My last one ended quickly by miscarriage. And so, for that reason, it is a very different experience this time around. I’m excited…? I am, it’s just that I have a lot of reservations. I don’t want to “get my hopes up” in case this one ends the way my last one did.

We decided not to tell anyone until I’m through the first trimester because maybe we jinxed it last time by telling family so soon. But truthfully? It’s that I’m afraid. Afraid this one won’t work out. Afraid of the pain of telling people (even just close family) that the baby they were so excited about welcoming isn’t actually coming.

I had a phone appointment with my doctor who asked how I was doing. I was honest and told her, “Well, I’m feeling incredibly anxious.” She said that’s normal for a first pregnancy after miscarriage and that the only thing I could do right now is take care of myself and try not to worry.

So that’s what I’m going to try to do. God has a plan for us. Ryan and I have talked about it and have decided that if something goes awry with this pregnancy, we should take that as a sign that our family is meant to be 3. In the meantime, as scared & nervous as I am, I am hopeful. Hopeful that I can see this pregnancy to full term and that around November 27, 2016 (a Thanksgiving baby!), we’ll meet Baby Riddle #2 (#3?).

Disclaimer: This post was written on Saturday, March 26, 2016.

Dream church

April 25, 2016April 25, 20161 Comment

Since moving to the Bay Area, we have moved around a lot and had some job transitions. But the one constant has been Grace Lutheran Church. You could say that we moved to this area for Grace. Ryan’s first post-college job was there. But even after he decided to move on to a career in the tech world, we knew we could never leave Grace. This was our home.

I think the thing I love most about Grace is that it’s a warm, welcoming intergenerational community. I can have great conversations with members of all ages and backgrounds. On any given Sunday, I find myself having great conversations with people ranging in age from 80 to 3. I look forward to going to church every week so I can catch up with and see some of my favorite people.

It’s a community that is extremely accepting. When we first had Nolan, I was so concerned any time he made the slightest noise during church. And like his father, he has a loud voice that carries. But everyone at Grace was full of love, acceptance and incredibly accommodating. We were repeatedly told by our fellow parishioners that they liked to hear the sounds of kids in church. They weren’t bothered at all. That’s very comforting for new parents to hear. And now that he’s older, people pass the peace with him, shake his hand, and engage him in conversation too. It’s great!

What makes Grace my dream church is that on top of what I’ve already mentioned, the staff and worship elements are top notch. I’m never disappointed by Pastor Matt or Pastor Tuhina’s sermons. The music that Tim Getz leads is incredible. Elizabeth Hood runs amazing children, youth & family programs. And Gretchen Rauch creates beautiful materials to keep us informed & help us follow along.

How lucky are we that we found our dream church on the first try, before we even lived up here? Maybe we have that Cal Lutheran connection to thank 😉

The Curious Case of the Lost Tooth

March 28, 2016Leave a comment

Nolan’s best friend recently lost his first tooth which has prompted worried, curious questions such as:

“Will all my teeth fall out at the same time?”
“How does a tooth fall out?”
“How will I eat if I have no teeth?”
“What if I wake up when the Tooth Fairy is in my room?”
and my personal favorite, “If the Tooth Fairy gives me money, do I need to write a thank you note?”

2015 Retrospect

January 1, 2016January 2, 2016Leave a comment

I’m the only one awake in my house on the first day of 2016. As I sit here in the quiet of my living room, I figured there was no better time to count down my top 5 moments from 2015.

5. Exercising consistently…for half the year
My goal was (obviously) to workout consistently for the whole year. That didn’t happen. But…I did exercise regularly for half the year and frankly, that’s better and more often than I’ve ever done in my life. So, I’ll take it as a win. And maybe in 2016 I’ll exercise 75% of the year.

4. Rebrand ACS
Checked something off my professional bucket list – I project managed ACS through a much needed rebranding. It went quickly and I’m extremely satisfied with the end result. I have hopes that this new look for ACS will help our brand resonate better with the community, but primarily with the youth we serve. Our new tagline, Strength through support, was the top pick of tagline options among the youth clients we surveyed. We chose this for them.

3. Watched Nolan build and develop friendships
Building friendships when you’re three is challenging. One minute you’re best friends. The next, you’re not playing with each other. It’s been so fun and fascinating to watch. He has a great group of friends at school (and their parents are fun for us to hang out with too!). And our neighbors have awesome kids too. My hope for Nolan is that we can try to maintain friendships even after they all go their separate ways (whether it’s heading off to Kindergarten or moving). Until then, it’s fun to watch the cute, silly, and chaotic moments between them all.

2. Spent time with family and friends
We are blessed with a great group of family and friends. Lots of quality family time in this year – in many locations, too! San Jose, Marina, Seaside, Monterey, San Diego, Honolulu… Perhaps one of my favorite moments this past year was having my immediate family and Ryan’s immediate family all together on Thanksgiving.

1. Traveled to Europe
This. This was amazing. I planned this trip for so long and had been wanting to go for years, but traveling to Europe (with my two favorite people) for my 30th birthday was by far the best part of 2015. We travelled to beautiful places. We fumbled our way through ordering food from people who only spoke French or Italian. We saw the world together as a family. People thought we were nuts for wanting to do this trip with a three year old, but I couldn’t imagine doing it any other way. I hope our future is full of traveling, discovery, and more adventures like this with my favorite people. Bonus: getting my first passport stamp on my actual birthday.