Powerfully convicting...

Yesterday I was reading this article from Prophecy News Watch and was brought to tears... How someone can easily just throw away a human life because it doesn't meet your "standards" is beyond me.
 Today I was on Cerissa's blog (hold on, I was looking for a recipe, not a new updated post, I think we've all given up in that area ;) , blog-hopped to one that was on her list, then from there found Its Almost Naptime, where this was posted... It was everything that I would want to say, but since it's pretty obvious I don't have a way with words, God had her do it! ;)
   SO... all that to say, this is a must read. Please check it out!

Labor & Delivery

So, Gabriel was born! He was 7.1lbs & 20.75" on February 25th at 10:49pm. We are thrilled to have such a little blessing added to our family!

Here's a few pictures of the labor and delivery:

This picture is a good representation of my labor... I was at 7cm here with contractions 2min apart, and I'm on the phone joking to my sister about how I can hardly feel them(and I was on pitocin!!)! I am still amazed when I think back about how easy my labor was... that is, until my midwife broke my water at 8cm... Then the pain came full force!

Proud big sister!

First family picture! Unfortunately, this was the best one we could get...

Another post to come soon!

Night Out (with Ava, of course!)

So, last Friday, we decided to go out to eat since we thought it might be our last Friday night without a newborn for quite a while. No- we didn't go to some fancy, upscale restaurant, but instead to this little Vietnamese joint that serves delicious Pho soup & tofu spring rolls. Mo and I used to eat this soup back in Federal Way (where we're the minority among all the Asians) all the time, but we've never had it so tasty as this place's Pho (and they claim no MSG!). Well, I won't bore you with my rambling, here's some pictures:

Ava was determined to use the chopsticks just like Mommy & Daddy

"I did it!!"
So, there's this wierd pig in the front that Ava loves, and with no prompting from us, she just started trying to pose just like him... I don't know if it was one of those "you had to be there" moments, but it was hilarious!
And finally, a belly update- As of yesterday, I'm 4.5 cm dilated (woo-hoo!) still with no contractions! We'll see what happens tomorrow at my appointment...

Hopefully next post, I'll have a little baby to brag about!

Gabriel's Baby Shower!

So, I had an amazing baby shower on Feb 7th! My friends Michelle and Shelley both threw it for me, and let me tell ya-- this was no run-of-the-mill "let's just get everything green and yellow" baby shower! It was a classic, well thought out shower that was obvious there was a lot of hard work and effort put into it (and love!). --And I'm really not exxagerating!
The food was absolutely wonderful, but having all those friends there was even better! My grandma even drove 5 hours to come!

Alright, here's some pictures from the party-

Cerissa, me, my grandma and my mom

All the preggie ladies- Jessica 5/28, Rhiannon 3/31, Cerissa 3/15, Me 3/04

Sometimes games get a little cheesy, but this one was great. Everyone goes around and gives me a piece of advice (since this is my 2nd, it was advice for having a boy, having a 2nd child, etc..) as they put one block on the other. The last person to go without it toppling over wins!

I loved each and every gift I recieved, and so many were handmade! I'm not even going to try to attempt to say what my favorites were, since there are too too many (sorry, Lori!)! Thank you to everyone that was able to attend, and even not, I appreciate all that my friends and family have done in supporting me with love and prayers!

So now, I have begun the what is seeming like never-ending process of getting ready for Baby Gabe. --But I think it seems never-ending 'cause it really is...

Random Thoughts

* Ava had 4 potty accidents within 2&1/2 hours at a friends house yesterday... Can I just chalk it up to her not having a nap that day and being at a new house with LOTS of kids?? I think I will.
* There's white crayon scribbles all on the left side of this monitor screen, that's been there for at least 4 days. ...How come I haven't cleaned it? When it's hard to read/see something, I just take the mouse and move the screen up or down, but I think it would be a lot easier to just clean the darn thing...
* So, I went to WinCo that evening, and was in 7th heaven... Even though we did have to wait in the checkout line for about 20 minutes (well, not really me, I walked around some more while Mo & Ava waited!).
* My poor husband, why do I only really clean the house when guests are coming over...?
* I found out I'm 2cm dilated today! And my due date is March 4th instead of the 5th!
* It's really obvious to others and myself when I'm not consistent with disciplining Ava. Unfortunately, that's been the case lately :{
* Mo took Ava out on their first (hopefully weekly) "date" with him Saturday morning to Starbucks then the pet store. I think she might've been slightly disappointed though, since she kept talking about wanting to go see the giraffes and tigers on their way out, then, I guess when they were leaving the store, she asked Daddy where the horsies were. Lizards and rats are just as good, aren't they?!?!
* Hey, maybe the reason I don't clean the house as often as I should is because Ava pretty much follows me around and creates new messes! There- I'm justified.
* I have a deep affection for my crockpot. ...No, really I do.
* I offered Ava an oatmeal cookie tonight, and she turned it down because she was enjoying her grape tomatoes too much. Is it too much to hope that Gabriel will turn out like that also?
* My belly is so lopsided! Both Ava and Gabe prefer the left side, so much so that I don't have a single stretch mark on the right side, and from behind, you can see a slight bulge on the left, but nothing on the right.... Odd.
* I love praying with Ava. Especially hearing the prayers coming out of her mouth, she says the cutest things sometimes!
* I also love praying with Mo... Just thought I'd throw that in there.
* I had an amazing baby shower with amazing friends, but that's another post...
* I should be cleaning right now, but instead I'm doing this... Uh oh, I'm feeling conviction. I guess I better go and clean...

Growing... growing.... -still growing.

Can you believe I still have 5 weeks to go, yet my belly will probably double in size in the meantime?!

We are so excited for Baby Gabe's arrival, and with all the energy he seems to have (definitely inherited from his Daddy -thanks Mo), I think I'm at the top of the list for most excited! Although, this time around, I feel I'm more appreciative of what's growing inside me... Not that I wasn't with Ava, but I think I still kinda took for granted her being there in my belly, not truly knowing the love I would have for her as I came to know her more and more. I feel I already know Gabriel more at this stage than when Ava was in me, and I can't put into words why (or is it that I'm too lazy right now to try!)...

Am I making sense?? I'm just blabbing, sorry.

Well, I thought I'd give you all an update on the belly for those of you that live far away (we miss you!).