Happy New Year

We arrived in Seattle at 4 pm on New Year's Eve and were greeted at the airport by our good friends Michael and Julia and their daughter Naomi. You may remember hearing about them in previous posts as they were our best friends here in Aberdeen and they moved to Seattle last summer. Although we were extremely tired we still brought in the New Year with them at their house in West Seattle. The next day we slept in then went downtown to look around while waiting to meet our friends Mike and Meghan at the Cheesecake Factory for dinner. The food was great until about 10 o'clock that night when I made my first trip of many to the bathroom. We think I had food poisoning. Needless to say, it was a long, horrible night and not the way I was hoping to spend my time while home visiting friends and family. Thankfully, it was only for about 24 hours that I felt too terrible so we were able to get on with the visiting. We went to Bellingham and stayed with Pat and Heidi for a night. Andy got to catch up with his good friend Jason while I spent some quality time with Heidi (just like the good 'ol days). On our way back to Michael and Julia's we stopped to visit Grandpa and had a great visit with him then stopped for dinner at Neal and Jessica's. They prepared an awesome steak dinner and we got to play with Penelope and meet our newest niece Phoebe. The day before we left Seattle we got together with family at my cousin Michelle's. It is always good to see family but it was especially fun for us this time because that was the night we told everyone that we're expecting a baby. Now that we had told my family it was time to tell Andy's family and our friends in Indiana.

So, off to Indiana we went. The first day we were there was on a Sunday so we went to church and saw some good friends there. Then throughout the week we hung out with Andy's parents and more friends. That next weekend I went shopping with Rebecca and we bought me maternity clothes as well as a bunch of baby clothes. We had so much fun buying everything but most of all spending the day together. While we were out shopping Andy got to spend time with his dad and one of his best friends Brian. Then, what better way to end the day than watching the Colts win their game and then going out for a big 'ol tenderloin and fries at the truck stop. The next day Andy's brothers and sister and their families came over to celebrate Jack's (Andy's dad) birthday so we were finally almost done telling everyone about being pregnant. It was fun to hang out with our nieces and nephews too. They're all getting so big! After that day it was only Andy's grandparents that didn't know and we saw all of them later in the week so it was fun to break the news to them too.

After being in Indiana for about 11 days we flew off to Hawaii where we met up with my parents and my brother and sister-in-law. My Aunt Berta and Uncle James were there as well so it was a fun few days. It was sunny, hot and beautiful in Hawaii. We definitely kept busy. Some things we did while there were 4-wheeling in the mountains, wine tasting at Tedeschi Winery (mmm... pineapple wine), laying in the sun, getting a massage, walking on the beach, horseback riding, a snorkeling cruise, a luau and watching the Colts win their way to the Super Bowl (by beating the Patriots none the less!). It was definitely a busy few days that we were there but worth every minute. Andy had never been to Hawaii before and he says it definitely lives up to every expectation he ever had. We had a blast hanging out with my family, eating good food and getting a tan. The time went by too fast (it always does).

The nice thing was that our vacation wasn't quite over after that. We got to go back to Indiana to spend a few more days with friends and family. The highlight of those last few days for me was that Rebecca and Kathy (mother-in-law and sister-in-law) threw me a surprise baby shower. I had no idea it was happening and loved every minute. Everyone I love in Indiana was there. We got so many cute baby clothes, stuffed animals and other helpful items. I can't wait until the little one's here to use it all!

Of course then we flew back to Aberdeen. It always takes me awhile to get settled again. We were so spoiled to spend all that time with family and friends so it's hard to get back into the swing of things once we're here. But we did it. Andy's been working really hard on his research and writing and I've just been working at Starbucks like usual. We loved our time at home though, it was a great start to the new year.

We have friends!

On December 18th our friends Troy and Katrina flew over from Indiana to spend 2 weeks with us. We had so much fun. Unfortunately I still had to work while they were here so I couldn't do everything with them but Andy was able to show them all around Aberdeen (he's a really good tour guide...full of facts about the city, etc.). We went down to Edinburgh for a couple nights and went to the castle, down the royal mile, walked around the city, ate at the Pizza Hut buffet for lunch (of course, what better place to eat when you're in Scotland?), played cards and ate digestive biscuits galore. I had to catch a train back up to Aberdeen for work but Andy, Troy and Trina continued on to see St. Andrews and Stirling on their way back up to the good old "Granite City". We were so excited to have Troy and Trina here to celebrate Christmas with us. Last year we really missed being with family for the holidays but they are like family so this year was different. On Christmas Eve we went for Christmas dinner at Andy and Abbi's, drank some mulled wine (well, they all did....the baby and I drank water), played some crazy uno and phase 10 then went to the midnight service at our church. On Christmas day we went to church then came home and made some chili (isn't that what everyone eats on Christmas day?). We opened a couple gifts, popped our crackers (a tradition over here...each cracker comes with a paper crown which you're supposed to wear throughout your meal, a joke and a toy) then ate our chili. The rest of the day we watched 3 movies while snacking, napping and enjoying each other's company. We loved it. A few days later, on Dec. 31, we all flew back to the states. Troy and Trina went back to Indiana and we flew to Seattle.

Wee one on the way!

Well, I'm pregnant and am due July 16. We are so excited and just can't wait to meet our little baby! Since we're having the baby in Scotland, Andy's parents and my mom will be coming over around the time of the birth to help us learn about the beginnings of parenthood. Of course I wish they could just move here and be with us all the time once the baby arrives but unfortunately that isn't very realistic. So far, the pregnancy has gone really well. Apart from headaches every day for the first 3 months, I haven't had morning sickness at all. We've had a scan where we saw the baby bouncing around and it's heart beating. We've also heard the heart beat. That was so amazing. I'm sure the baby's constantly moving in there but I haven't felt any kicks yet so I'm just waiting for the day. Now I'm about 20 weeks and I'm just tired and hungry all the time. Ask Andy and he'll tell you all I do is eat and sleep and eat some more! I've got a wee bump now (although it doesn't feel too small to me, as I grow larger every day). We are really looking forward to sharing this new part of our life with all of you who we love. Attached is a picture of me just a few days ago. As I grow we'll post more pictures.