Finished Quilt ... Finally

That's right. I finally finished my denim rag quilt. After months of having it all put together, I got it clipped up and washed. Clipping is the worst part, in my opinion, because it takes forever and your hands get tired after a short time. But Daniel, wonderful husband that he is, helped me clip it. We put on a few movies a couple of times and just cut it up. And last week, I washed and dried it, and this is how it turned out:

The finished quilt! Yay! Project done!

Daniel looks so comfortable, doesn't he?

I like how it turned out. I'm very pleased with the ruffly part.

Anniversary Date Extrordinaire!

Daniel and my 3rd anniversary was this past week, on the 23rd. We had a fine day, but it wasn't spectacular like other anniversary's that we've had. We did a puzzle. Doesn't that make us sound like an old married couple?

Anyway, Daniel took me on a spectacular anniversary date on Friday. He took me to the Magic Castle in LA, an exclusive club held in this old and totally awesome mansion. You can only get in if you are a magician connected with the club or a member, or if you know someone who is a member. Fortunately, Daniel has all sorts of connections with his firm. One of the clients that he's worked on is a member ... or a magician. I can't remember which. 

We had a dinner reservation at 6pm, so we got there a little bit before. Fun detail: after checking in at the lobby desk, you have to say the "magic words" to an owl statue in order to get in. "OPEN SESAME!" So fun!

The Old Mansion

Dinner was delicious. And expensive. The building is so hard to explain, but it looks like it could be a haunted house, were it not for all the living people that roam around. Just imagine the decor of a haunted house. That's pretty  much what it's like. 

After dinner, we went to a bunch of different shows. There are several show rooms, and you wait in line until you get into one. They also had a bunch of magicians just walking the halls, sitting at the bars and doing tricks, which was fun to see as you walk around. 

The shows were magical! Seriously. I have no idea how they did most of those tricks. It was amazing. At one of the shows, there was a ventriloquist, who was spectacular! We really enjoyed watching his act.

The Parlour of Prestidigitation

Daniel and I were fortunate enough to be participants in a couple of the shows. We always seemed to be near the front, so we were called on. Daniel was called up on stage to "learn how to be a magician". The Magician told him to pick a card and keep it to himself. Then, having Daniel employ some ridiculous methods, he taught Dan how to magically let the audience know what his card was. You would have had to be there, but it was hilarious! Daniel was so cute, even though he was doing ridiculous things on stage. And in the end, it was fun to watch him be the only one stumped in the entire audience!

We had a wonderful time. One of the more memorable dates, I think. I would definitely go again!

PS: sorry that was such a long, wordy post. I had to tell you how amazing it was.

Outside of the mansion. We weren't allowed to take pictures inside. Sorry, terrible pic of me.  This is the first restaurant we've been to that had a jacket and tie requirement for the men and a dress or pantsuit requirement for the ladies.  We felt all high-class.

The outside of the building. It was bigger than it appears in this picture. Very fun!

Pregnancy: the Good, the Bad and the Downright Ugly

Some family members and friends keep asking for a pregnancy update. Apparently I have been woefully neglectful in this respect. Here's an update, and some things that I'm learning about pregnancy:

1. We are having a girl!
2. First trimester means getting nauseous a lot of the time, but never badly enough for me to barf. And it means being unusually tired, all of the time. I could still carry on with my normal activities, though. And most people couldn't even tell I was pregnant.
3.  Second trimester means a rapidly-growing belly, and varying changes in my body. Sore ribs. Sciatic pain. Changes in breathing patterns and comfort. A smaller bladder.
4. The biggest surprise: breasts have this incredible ability to grow ... really big.
5. The best part: feeling her move. It was amazing the first few weeks. I would just lay down and be astounded in how much she was moving. It feels so cool! Sometimes it even tickles. She moves a ton. That came as a bit of a surprise, too.
6. The hardest part: being hungry ALL the time. I don't really want to spend a lot of time making food and eating, but I have to. Or I feel sick. I often wake up in the middle of the night feeling sick to my stomach, and the only thing that helps is a midnight snack.
7. Beware of stretch marks. Though I don't have any on my belly.
8. I shed a tear or two when I saw her on an ultrasound. It's awesome that I can grow a human being inside of me. And I feel so special and excited to become a mom.
9. It's amazing how much you can worry about a little being that isn't even born yet. It comes much easier than I would wish.
10. I haven't been keeping very good track, but I believe I am nearly 26 weeks, and I'm feeling pretty good.
11. I don't feel like I'm cute pregnant. I just feel big.
12. Your body temperature really does rise when you're pregnant. Poor Daniel is cold all the time. And it's going to be a hot summer for me!
13. I feel very blessed and fortunate to be able to get pregnant and carry a baby.
14. Having an excuse to do certain things and not to do other certain things is really a good deal.
15. As much as I enjoy being pregnant, I do miss my body sometimes. And being able to do everything I could do before.
16. Learning tips from friends and family is helpful. But, in the end, Daniel and I have to figure out our own way.
17. I'm already getting impatient to have this baby. Not because I'm uncomfortable and hate being pregnant, but because I want to meet her and hold her.
18. Drinking enough water is hard to do. I never feel like I drink enough.
19. Picking a name is also hard to do. She is as yet nameless ... although Gramma Fernandez likes to call her Rosie and I just like to call her Sprout.

So, there you have it. Straight from the pregnant lady's mouth. Daniel and I are so excited to have this baby! And despite all the surprises and changes, being pregnant really is great.

The Most Magical Place on Earth

Yesterday, I went to Disneyland with some girlfriends and their kids. Valerie and her 3 kids, Maelee and her Eli, and Alarie. We were there for about 10 hours, and we had a wonderful time! Since I'm all pregnant, I couldn't go on a lot of the rides. So I spent a lot of time walking, waiting, sitting, going on little kid rides (which was completely fine with me), and enjoying the magical ambiance.

Sawyer, Alarie, London, me, and Valerie

I bonded with these kids (Valerie's kids). It was very fun going on the rides with them.

Enjoying a Dole Whip! Delicious!

Valerie and the back of London's head.

My friend, Alarie, and I are both pregnant with our first babies. We look about the same size in this picture, don't we? Yea, she's due in a month. Me ... in 3! Yikes! It's hard to imagine I'll get even BIGGER!

Walking around Disneyland together, both big and pregnant, a bunch of people (mostly women) kept talking to us, telling us how cute we looked, asking if we were sisters. It was pretty funny. We had to take a picture. That's Sawyer on the left.

Alarie and I have been spending lots of time together. It's nice to have a good friend in the same stage in life as me. We talk and shop babies, and we have lots of fun doing it!

San Diego, According to the Baby Bump

Daniel and I went to San Diego this past weekend. Daniel had spent so much time working lately that we just needed a break and get away together. It was a quick trip, but we had a lot of fun. And, of course, Daniel had to take a baby bump picture wherever we went. So, let's follow Baby!

First stop: the San Diego Zoo. In the background, zebras!

Daniel, in front of the Flamingos. He kinda liked them.

Komodo Dragon. It was HUGE!

Picture with the seals! There was a polar bear at the Arctic Zone that was so cute! He was playing in the water with a bone, and so fun to watch.

In the background, a beautiful leopard, one of a handful of animals that wasn't sleeping.

Daniel and me.

Daniel, with the Rhinos.

 After a night in a fun hotel, swimming, eating and basically relaxing, we headed to the temple.

Baby, leading the way to the San Diego Temple.

We had never been to the San Diego Temple. It was so beautiful! It may unofficially be our new favorite temple (unofficially, because officially we love all temples ... right?)

The typical "Maternity" pose. We have noticed that mommy models all strike this pose. Gotta show off that Baby Bump!

After the temple, we went to La Jolla Beaches. We didn't get in the water or anything. Just laid out some towels, sat on the beach, watched people and talked. It was lovely!

The waves were huge, though they don't look it in this picture.

I have a feeling I'm going to be huge, by my 3rd trimester.

We stayed Saturday night and Sunday with our good friends, the Williams (Tyler, Ryan and Michelle). We had so much fun visiting with them and we love them!