A DAY IN THE LIFE: PEANUT GOES TO THE DOC

We took Peanut to see the doctor on July 6th. At that point I was almost 20 weeks along, so it was sonogram day! We already had a pretty good idea that Peanut is a boy because Doc Thompson had seen "boy parts" during a previous sonogram. However, it was confirmed once again that it looks like we have a baby boy headed our way. Doc also said that Peanut is the right size and has a good heart rate for his "age".

Our next appointment is on August 10th. In the meantime, we are excited that we will have two little boys in our family when Peanut makes his arrival! After not ever having any boys in our family, I am anxious to see what the adventure holds for us!

Below are a few videos and pictures the doc recorded for us during the sonogram. I must admit, Doc Thompson isn't the greatest photographer. I wish there were more still shots and that the videos were longer. But alas, I guess I don't put photography skills at the top of my priority list when shopping for a doctor! Enjoy...

A DAY IN THE LIFE: WEDDING PHOTO UPDATE

I got a message from Ragan Patterson photography saying that our photos should be ready for Ryan and I to view this Sunday, the 25th. We will look at them first and then release them to all of you. Can't wait! Here's a link to the photo website, in case you missed it the first time around:

http://www.pictage.com/866680

A DAY IN THE LIFE: MR. AND MRS. RYAN RODRIGUEZ

Okay, so I never got back here and posted any further updates during the last three weeks of our wedding planning. Things were just too crazy! The week before the wedding I was out of town for the entire week for some job training in Phoenix. Believe me, it was great fun trying to coordinate wedding details from there. Ryan was really great about helping me out with all he could while I was gone. Also, Marlys, the event coordinator at our wedding/reception venue was fabulous about promptly returning all my emails. I could not have done it without her!

We are now married! We are Mr. and Mrs. Ryan Rodriguez! I cannot believe it got here so quickly! Our day was beautiful and as close to perfect as we could have hoped for. We were worried about rain but ended up not having a problem with that. Instead it was just hot and humid. We are so happy that we got to celebrate our big day with all of our closest friends and family. I don't have any photos yet, other than those that have been posted on Facebook by others. Our photographer plans to have the photos available on their website next week. In the meantime, if you haven't already, go to the web address below and pre-register yourself on the photo website. You will get a $5 credit toward prints and you will also get an email notification when the photos are available for viewing. Here's the site:

http://www.pictage.com/866680

I'd like to give a big shout out to Jennifer Dominguez and Bekah Wiesner who did my hair for the big day. It looked fabulous and I am so glad both of them were there to make sure I looked beautiful for my groom!

An additional shout out to Bekah Wiesner for being my silent and unseen Matron of Honor. If I had chosen to have a wedding party she definitely would have been at the front of the line! She helped make sure that all of the little details were taken care of, from getting all of my "stuff" to the venue to making sure that all of the decorations were gathered up and brought back to my house after the night was over. THANK YOU SO MUCH BEKAH! I owe you BIG TIME!

Finally, thank you to everyone else who gave advice or were involved in the wedding details in some way. Dad, Mom, and Erin, this means you! And all of our guests! We are so glad that you were all there!

A DAY IN THE LIFE: WEDDING FEVER

Ever since we decided to get married on July 3rd (of this year!) life has been a blur. Entire weeks go by in the blink of an eye as I balance my full-time job with also being a full-time wedding planner. Our wedding date is quickly approaching and I will be so glad when it's here so we can enjoy the results of all this hard work! Oh yeah, and finally being married to the man of my dreams will be a plus too. =)

So far, I have a gown, we have a venue, a photographer, a DJ, a florist, and invitations. Major priorities for this weekend are getting the invitations in the mail, reserving a hotel room for our big night, finding Ryan a suit, finding available bakeries, selecting wines to accompany our reception dinner, making music selections, and contacting potential wedding officials. This weekend will be over before I know it!

Here's a photo of me and Ryan at our venue, standing near the area where we will become man and wife just three weeks from today. More updates to come soon. Wish me luck!!!

A DAY IN THE LIFE: WHAT A MAN

Ryan usually has to leave the house around 7:15 in the mornings and I typically don't have to leave until 7:45 to 8:15, depending on where I'm going. So, I've gotten in the habit of getting up a little early and putting together our lunches in the morning. Well, this morning (a fabulous Monday morning) I got done making lunches just as Ryan was getting ready to walk out the door. He came up and gave me a goodbye kiss and as we were hugging this little exchange unfolded:

Me: "Man, I wish we had one more day together."

Ryan: "Me too. But we have the rest of our lives."

This was the sweetest thing that has ever been said to me at 7:15 in the morning. It kept me smiling throughout the rest of the day. I am such a lucky woman to have such a wonderful man!

A DAY IN THE LIFE: MY EXPANDING WAISTLINE

Most of my work clothes have become pretty uncomfortable so, in preparing for another week at the office, I went shopping for maternity clothes today. I felt a little silly buying maternity pants when to most people it just looks as if I've put on a little weight. However, I know that my waistline will just continue to expand and soon enough the 12-inch plus wide band of elastic at the waist of my new pants will be very welcome. Mommyhood here I come!

A DAY IN THE LIFE: OUR ENGAGEMENT

As if I wasn't already as happy as I could be, Ryan made me even happier when asked me to marry him on Saturday, May 8th. We had just finished having dinner at Erin and Anthony's house for our Mother's Day celebration with my stepmom, Kathy. Anthony coaxed us all out into the back yard by saying that he had something he needed our opinion on and he needed us to look at it outside. So we all shuffled outside and stood around looking perplexed for a few minutes. Finally, Ryan stepped to the front of the crowd and announced that he was the real reason why we were all outside. He proceeded to make a wonderful speech in front of everyone and then he got down on his knee and proposed.












I was expecting a proposal sometime soon, but wasn't exactly expecting it to happen during Mother's Day weekend, and certainly not in front of so many family members. However, I am certainly glad that Ryan chose to propose in a way that we were able to share it with family.












I am such a lucky woman to have such a fabulous man in my life. Ryan is so loving and devoted and he demonstrates to me every single day how much he cares about me and the three pets he inherited when he chose me. He keeps me smiling and laughing constantly and I could not ask to be more compatible with my future husband. As if our compatibility weren't enough, Ryan's family has embraced me and mine him. Ryan's family has made me feel so welcome, just like I've always belonged there. I have come to love each and every one of his family members and couldn't ask for a better set of in-laws to share our lives with.












Ryan's family (from left): Santos (dad), Alexis (niece), Bekah (sister), Alenna (niece), Ron (brother-in-law), Lucy (mom), MaKenna (niece), and Ryan.