A Trip to Texas!

I traveled to Texas recently for a number of reasons, to include attending my first baby shower hosted by my mom and sisters!  Although it was a long 12 hour drive (don't worry, I stopped and stretched my legs often), it was worth it to see my family and friends.  They did a great job and it was awesome to see so many friends and family, including my sister-in-law, Jill, who flew all the way from California!

This is the photo my mom included in her Christmas cards this year...to break the news that BOTH my sister, Andie, and I are expecting!  She's due in June.  :)

Guests signed the inside cover of a Christmas classic, "The Night Before Christmas".  We plan to start a Baker family tradition and read this book to Samantha each Christmas Eve.  

The shower theme was "Baby It's Cold Outside!", but the Texas weather didn't cooperate and it was actually closer to 80 degrees that day.  Sigh...

Yummy cupcakes from Lone Star Bakery...so good!

Andie made this adorable burlap bunting!  And we had a baby photo guessing game (an idea we used at another shower that I LOVED!)

Hot chocolate bar goodies!

The food was great and made such a pretty display!

Guests playing the photo guessing game!

My friend, Tammy, had this cute caddy made and filled it with adorable gifts!

Opening gifts...one of many sweet outfits we received!

Baby Sam's first monogrammed outfit!  :)

The Sutton girls...Cassandra, me, Mom, and Andie.  Thank y'all for a beautiful and memorable shower!

So I mentioned that I traveled to Texas for a number of reasons...besides attending my shower, I drove there to celebrate an early Christmas with family and I took our dogs there so that my parents could watch them over the next two weeks.  Why, you may ask??  Blaine and I are leaving for Germany tomorrow!!  I can't believe we are actually going and I am beyond excited!  Our dear friends and old neighbors from Hawaii, the Knapps, moved there when we moved to Alabama.  Thankfully they were serious when they invited us for Christmas because we accepted the invitation!  We will spend nine glorious days touring the Christmas markets and castles in Germany, spending Christmas with our friends in their home, and enjoying Paris for a few days, too!  I'm sure I will have plenty of pictures to post and adventures to blog about when we return.  :)

Since we will be leaving tomorrow, Blaine and I celebrated Christmas at home last night.  We went out for dinner, exchanged gifts, and watched National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation.  We also reflected on the thought that this will be the last Christmas with just the two of us...and for that, we are thankful and feel so blessed!  

This card was in my stocking and was addressed "to the family".  Blaine found a card with characters that he could name all three of my babies.  It made me cry.  :)

I got Blaine a new scarf and gloves to keep him warm while we're in Europe.

Blaine got a pull up bar, something he's been wanting since joining the local Crossfit gym.  He is also getting new golf shoes, but they have yet to arrive.

I got a new toaster (ours has been acting up lately).  And then Blaine led me to believe that we were done with gifts, until he returned from the garage with this...

A new sewing machine!  This is what I asked for and I was thrilled to see him carrying it inside!  Of course, I don't even know how to turn the thing on, but I am planning to learn.  I figure I should learn so I can teach Samantha how to sew...and so that I can sew all those cute things I keep pinning on Pinterest.  ;)

Stay tuned for a post on our Christmas vacation in Germany!!  

2nd (I think) Annual Baker Beer Bash and Chili Cook-off!

Tonight was our annual Baker Beer Bash and Chili Cook-off!  2nd annual by my records...5th annual when Blaine welcomed everyone.  Hmmm...  Anyway, we had a great turn out with 11 beers and 13 chilis entered for the competition!  And this year was a bit different.  Besides being much colder outside, we made it kid-friendly with a bounce castle so that more friends could attend...that was a huge hit and worth every penny!  I think we had almost 40 adults and 20 kids!!

Back porch with two tasting stations

Chili tent

Gift basket of chili-related items for the winner of the best chili

Rogue Chipotle Ale with a gift card for the winners of the beer tasting

How well do you know your beers??

Partaking in the chili tasting

Best babysitter ever!  The other 18 kids were apparently in my house at this time eating cake shots!

Blaine takes his role as taster very seriously

Chocolate Stout Cake Shots...yum!

I know this shouldn't be funny to me (however, it is), but I had to grab my camera when the bounce castle blew a circuit and collapsed on the children inside.  Oh, the screams...of fear first, but then of excitement!  Everyone was okay.  :)

Blaine gives a prize to the winner of guessing the most types of beers...a tie between Matt and Edros!

Dan is proud to have submitted the winning beer...Shocktop Wheat!

Jeff and Marie take the prize for best chili!

It's almost 10 p.m. as I write this...at this time last year I was thoroughly enjoying the different beers with our friends in Hawaii.  Now, I'm ready for bed as a few guys sit with Blaine in the living room watching the UFC fight.  I imagine next year's party will be different, too, when we have a baby to put to bed.  :)  

Prayers Answered

For 20 weeks now, I have prayed for a healthy baby.  That's all that matters to us.  I'd have taken a boy or a girl, as long as our baby is healthy.  We were thrilled four weeks ago to find out we were having a girl...but we were even more thrilled yesterday when our ultrasound appointment assured us that she is, indeed, healthy and growing right on track!

I just love seeing her on ultrasound...it's so amazing to see all of the little parts of this little person inside of me.  She squirmed around a bit, but we got to see everything we needed to see.  My favorite was seeing her face, I think she is beautiful!  

Who do you think she looks like?!

Her little legs crossed!

Sweet baby foot...I can't wait to kiss those toes!

20 weeks!  I can't believe I'm already halfway through my pregnancy.  Only 20 more(ish) weeks until we meet our baby girl!!

Baby Sam weighs 12 ounces and is about the length of a banana now...and I can surely feel her moving around in there.  She particularly likes to punch and kick me right after I eat, so now I just sit back after meals and wait for her to say "hello".  I love it!!  

Happy Birthday, Blaine!

Today was a very special day.  First and foremost, we remember the fallen and honor the living veterans of war today.  But we also celebrated for another reason...today is Blaine's 35th birthday!  It is only fitting that someone as patriotic as my husband be born on this day.  :)  We had a nice breakfast with Blaine's brother, followed by gifts and yummy cupcakes.  I don't think Blaine was expecting any of it, so it was nice to see a look of surprise when he woke up to all of this.  I really love to make him feel special!

Perhaps the best gift of the day came later...when Blaine finally was able to see and feel our baby girl kicking and moving around in my belly!  I started to feel flutters and thumps a couple of weeks ago, but wasn't exactly sure it was her I was feeling.  But then I was reassured a few mornings ago when I decided to sit still and watch my belly.  Much to my surprise, I saw it move with one of those thumps!  I laughed and laughed until I cried.  So amazing!  Since that morning, I've been trying to get her to move for Blaine, but I guess she was waiting for today to give him a special "birthday kick"!  The look on his face was priceless.  :)  I think we are both so ready to meet her, we have so much fun talking and dreaming about who she will be and what our sweet little family will be like.

My growing belly...I haven't even taken the 19 week picture and I'll be 20 weeks on Thursday!  I think I'm even bigger now since this picture was taken.

Samantha's first pair of shoes...oh, to imagine those little kicking feet wearing these!  Melts my heart.  :)

Boppies, Bottles, and Bibs, OH MY!

This is for all my mom friends out there...

It's time to register and shop for baby items, and I have to admit that I'm a bit overwhelmed.  Where to start?!  Every product that I need gives me a gazillion choices.  And they all come with good and bad reviews.  I've spent a lot of time on Consumer Reports, researching the best and safest products for our baby girl.  There are worries of BPA, carcinogens, suffocation risks, etc...I thought this would be easier with more obvious choices in products!  For years, I've been tucking away thoughts while having conversations with all of you about your babies, so I feel somewhat prepared when it comes to caring for and raising children.  However, I could use some help in the baby products area.  So, I turn to you...all of my mom friends who have tested products.  What do you recommend?  Are there any products you found that you couldn't live without?  Or any products that you thought you needed but never used?  You're the pros, so I know you'll steer me in the right direction!  :)

It's a...

...GIRL!!!

Our ultrasound today revealed that we are going to have a precious baby girl!  To say that we are excited is an understatement.  I woke up this morning between 5 and 6 a.m...it felt like Christmas morning and I just couldn't sleep any more!  I was excited, emotional, and nervous all day long...in hindsight, I would have made our appointment earlier in the day rather than waiting until the end.  ;)  But, instead, I spent all day feeling queasy with an accelerated heart rate.  The wait was worth it, though, when SHE came into view.

After checking in, we were called back immediately and a wave of emotions hit me again.  We were about to find out if we would be parents to a son or a daughter!  What a huge deal!!  The ultrasound tech wasted no time and found Baby Baker right away...she's grown a lot and her heart was beating strong.  The technician had to poke and prod my belly a bit to get her to "reveal" herself, and she complied!  I've looked at enough ultrasound pictures online to know what a girl looks like versus what a boy looks like at 16 weeks (yes, I've been a bit obsessed with the subject).  I knew what she was as soon as that area came into view, and about that same time the technician said, "It's definitely a girl!"  She took several shots and each one looked just like the other pictures I had researched.  Blaine and I were ecstatic!  I cried (I was crying before we even made it to the appointment ;)) and laughed...to think of God blessing us with a little girl of our very own!  This is so surreal, I feel like I'm dreaming!  We left our appointment with pictures and a video in hand...and I'm sure everyone in that office knew what we were there for by the way I was carrying on while walking out.  :)

 So, a sweet little girl...we can call Baby Baker by her name now, Samantha Elle Baker.  Baby Sam, for short.  ;)  We are in love with her and this baby already has Blaine wrapped around her little finger.

Sweet little face with her hands up by her cheeks.  Is it just me, or does it look like she's trying to scare someone...perhaps preparing for Halloween?  ;)

Laying face down...she moved around a bit after the technician poked at her.  Look how she's grown since her last picture!

It's a girl!

16 weeks (tomorrow)...my belly is starting to feel really round and hard.  I actually look pregnant now!  And, yes, there's only one in there.

I'm so glad we decided to find out what we're having...I feel like I have a better sense of who this baby is and I already find myself dreaming about what she'll be like.  We can't wait to meet you, Baby Sam!!

We're ALL Still Here! :)

I know I have taken a serious hiatus from blogging...and at a time when I really have had so much to write about. For one, we have settled into our new home in Alabama after two weeks of fun in Montana and Texas!  But the real reason I couldn't get onto our blog is the fear of letting our little secret slip early...WE'RE GOING TO HAVE A BABY!  I got teary-eyed just writing that.  :)  I'm due on April 4th, which puts me at 12 weeks this past Thursday.  Believe me you, I wanted to blog about this when we found out at 5 weeks.  ;)  Now I feel comfortable sharing our wonderful news with my blog family, so exciting!

We couldn't be more thrilled and we feel so blessed to have been given this gift.  We found out while we were in Texas and it was so much fun to be able to tell my family in person.  Shortly after arriving in Alabama, we made the trip to Atlanta to tell Blaine's family in person, too.  I will forever cherish the memories of our families' reactions.

After having the medical clinic on base confirm my pregnancy, I was able to make an appointment with the midwife we wanted to see off-base.  Our first appointment was at 8 weeks, followed by the first ultrasound at 9 weeks.  I imagined it would be amazing, but I don't think we were prepared for just how awesome this would be.  I was so nervous, I guess I just didn't believe it...until we saw with our own eyes!  Our baby came into view immediately and all I could do was laugh and cry at the same time.  Baby Baker's tiny heart was beating strong and fast (178 bpm), which is what I really needed to see to calm my nerves.  And then the image moved!  No one told me that I might see the baby move at just 9 weeks!  The more I laughed with amazement, the more baby moved around.  It was incredible.  We left that appointment with so much joy, I can't even describe it.

Our precious baby at 9 weeks!  I can't stop looking at this picture, I just love him/her so much.  

I just had my 12 week appointment (Blaine was in class and couldn't join me) on Thursday and all went well.  My widwife tried listening for the heartbeat again (we couldn't hear anything at 8 weeks) and she found it!  Of course, I cried again.  I was not prepared for how much emotion a little heartbeat could evoke.  And then we heard these "thumps", which my midwife said were little kicks!  To imagine those little feet already kicking...I'm in love!  

Not sure if my belly is due to baby and my "rearranging" body or the yummy foods I've consumed.  ;)

Our next appointment is October 17th when we will already get to find out what we're having!  I always thought I'd be the kind of mom who would want to wait and be surprised, that just sounds so exciting to me.  But we are so anxious and like to plan...that idea flew out the window weeks ago.  ;)  I've been very disciplined and haven't bought a thing yet ( I know, that is SO not my personality)...but you can bet I'll be in the stores the afternoon of the 17th!  

I will keep you all posted on baby news...and I might just blog about our move at some point.  :)

Moving...

I cannot believe it is already July...the very month in which we will depart our home in Hawaii and make a new one in Alabama.  Our packers have come and gone and we are living on 'Aloha furniture' (loaner furniture) and loan closet items.  (Side note: I am loving that we have these benefits while moving!)  It is very bittersweet...while we are so thrilled that we have been given the opportunity to return home to the South and for Blaine to continue his education with the Air Force, it is really hard to leave such a beautiful place with awesome people.  Our time these days is filled with farewells, lunch dates with friends, and all the joys that come along with moving.  ;)  Which brings me to what I really want to talk about...

Blaine has been incredibly busy this week with our wing commander's farewell...yes, the same week we shipped a car overseas and had all of our household goods packed up and shipped out, too.  I lost focus for a moment (okay, maybe several moments ;)) and felt stress and  frustration when our move did not seem to be the first priority in our household.  But then I took a deep breath and put everything into perspective...

As a supportive military spouse, a job that I view very seriously, I take care of things at home so that my husband can be effective at his job.  After all, it's his job that gives us this lifestyle that we so treasure and love.  Sure, without his job, I wouldn't have to deal with the stress and frustration of the moves.  But I love our life...the life the Air Force has given us...so much and can't picture living any other way.  Our wing commander spoke recently and his words resonated with us...he said that he and his wife decided a long time ago to stop focusing on and talking about the difficulties of the military way of life, but rather on the amazing opportunities the Air Force has provided them.  We have been afforded wonderful opportunities at the hands of the Air Force, not to mention that Blaine and I would have never met and fell in love.  :)   So as we sit in our nearly empty house this week on the 4th of July, I will give thanks for the blessing of being born in this amazing country and the military as a whole for keeping us safe...but I will be especially grateful for our Air Force in particular.  The Air Force is so good to us, and we really owe much of our happiness to it!  

Have a Happy 4th of July!!

G'Day, mates!

A trip to Australia has been in my sights since we moved to Hawaii, so I was thrilled when Blaine agreed to take some time off to make this vacation happen. After much thought about where to go and what to see, we decided to stay in Sydney and tour the surrounding area. There are so many other places to see, such as Cairns and the Great Barrier Reef, Brisbane, Melbourne, the outback...you name it! But seeing all of these places in eight days is like touring the United States in eight days...that seemed overwhelming to me. We decided to pace ourselves, stay in one city, and we will go back to see the others in separate visits. Here's a recap of our trip!

Day 1: After missing the Space A flight over (no seats due to cargo), we booked our tickets for the next morning and were off on our 11 hour flight. We stepped out of the train station in Circular Quay to see all kinds of lights and street artists...much to our delight, we just happened to choose to visit the week of "Vivid Sydney", where artists put on amazing light shows all over the city! It was beautiful! Our first full day in Sydney, we headed straight over to the famous Opera House for a tour. We saw a rehearsal for a show the following night, which piqued our curiosity...more on that later. We also walked around The Rocks area and made our way to the Sydney Observatory, where we learned about the "Transit of Venus"...more on this later, too.   I fell in love with Sydney the first day...what a beautiful city!

Sydney Opera House

Sydney Observatory

 Day 2: We visited the Taronga Zoo to get a glimpse of some of the wildlife since I was sure we wouldn't be spotting any kangaroos in downtown Sydney. It was a nice zoo, and we really liked being able to walk amongst the kangaroos and wallabies in their enclosure. After our zoo visit, we went back to the Opera House for the show that we had seen in rehearsals the day before. "Stop the Virgens" was touted as a "psycho rock opera"...I can't believe I just wrote that. I'm still not sure what it was about and found myself scanning the audience to try to figure out what I was missing. It was an excellent people-watching venue, however! And quite an interesting experience. ;)  The main attraction was Karen O. of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs...yeah, I don't know who that is either.

Koala!

Lazy kangaroo

 Day 3: We spent our third day walking around the city, taking in the sights and sounds. If I had to describe Sydney, I would say it's a mix between New York City and Charleston, with a little bit of Europe thrown in...perfect for me! Have I mentioned how much I LOVED all of the outdoor cafes lining the streets...and my daily (sometimes multiple) cappuccinos? :) We visited the National Maritime Museum and then cozied up to a blackjack table in the neighboring casino afterwards.  ;)

Adorable market right around the corner from our hotel...and an outdoor cafe!

Same market at night...not so adorable.  ;)

City Centre

National Maritime Museum

 Day 4: We took the train to the Blue Mountains, but didn't get to see much of anything due to the rain and fog. The little town, Katoomba, that the train stopped in was super cute and was the perfect place for a yummy breakfast, though...and yet another pub visit!

Cute town of Katoomba!

The yucky weather...and why we didn't get a glimpse of the mountains.  :(

 Day 5: The rain continued so we decided on a veg out day, checking email and surfing the Internet while sipping on cappuccinos at our hotel. Sometimes you need veg out days on vacation.  No pictures of this day, obviously.

Day 6: Perhaps my favorite day!  We decided on a "Boutique Wine Tour", which sounded nice but I was completely prepared for a "touristy" and cheesy tour.  NOT AT ALL!  Our driver picked us up that morning in a little Mercedes van with only three other people!  He was funny and knowledgeable and even asked if there were any specific wineries we wanted to visit.  The Hunter Valley wine region is about two hours north of Sydney and looks just like the Sonoma Vally in California.  We tasted wines (MANY) at four different wineries: Savannah Estate, Iron Gate, Constable Estate, and Ernest Hill...you may have not heard of any of these because they are boutique wineries.  They typically sell out of their wineries and really don't ship anywhere.  Of course, we brought six bottles home with us.  :)  AND we even pulled over to see a big mob of wild kangaroos!!  We thought it was SO cool, even though they view kangaroos like we view whitetail deer in Texas.  ;)

Savannah Estate

Iron Gate

One of the vineyards...one of my MOST FAVORITE sights in all the world.  

Constable Estate

Ernest Hill

I light up any time I see vineyards...I just love the way they (and their wines) make me feel!  ;)

Blaine's tasting notes...did I mention they gave us A LOT of tastings?  Sweet Awesomeness?!  HA!

KANGAROOS!  In the wild!  Awesome!!

Day7: I'm glad we saw just about everything we wanted to see at the beginning of our trip because the weather did not cooperate this day.  We caught the ferry over to Manly Beach, such great views and a beautiful area!  Of course, it began to rain as soon as we got there, so we found a couple of breweries to spend some time in.

Sydney Harbour Bridge

Manly Beach...and storm clouds rolling in.

Day 8: Remember our visit to the observatory on day one?  Well, while there, we read about the Transit of Venus, when the sun, Venus, and Earth align just right so that you can see a tiny, black dot (Venus) traveling across the sun.  It only happens twice in a lifetime...eight years apart (2004 and 2012), but won't take place again until 2117.  If you are super bummed you missed it ;), you can check out the Transit of Mercury in 2016.  Blaine HAD to see this, as this is what drew Captain Cook and his crew to Australia in the first place.  And it was quite popular in Sydney...they sold out of the viewing glasses all over the city!  We were bummed about that, until we had the idea to walk up to the observatory that day where I just asked some guy who had already seen it if we could have his glasses!  We paid the good deed forward and gave the glasses to a guy we met later that day.  :)  After the transit, we strolled over to the Sydney Harbour Bridge and climbed up one of the pylons to take in the views of the city and harbour...gorgeous!

Viewing the Transit of Venus!  (We are SUCH nerds.)

View from the bridge pylon

Blaine taking in the transit one more time before giving away our glasses to another guy on the pylon.  I love this picture.  :)

Another shot of the bridge

Sydney...notice the historic buildings in The Rocks area nestled in front of the big City Centre!  Too cool!

We had a great trip and I'm so glad we made it to Australia!  Our next trip will definitely be a diving excursion, though.  :)

Two days after we returned, we island-hopped over to the Big Island with our dear friends, the Amidons!  Since Blaine won't have many spear-fishing opportunities in Alabama, he and Nate chartered a "deep blue" fishing trip, where they went out into the open ocean for some spear-fishing.  They saw a lot of fish and some whales, but even more sharks.  : /  While they fished, Elizabeth and I enjoyed relaxing by the lagoon in our cabana, sipping our new favorite drink (see recipe below!), reading books...everything a beach vacation should be before I get my hands on it and make one of my infamous itineraries.  ;)  It was AWESOME to spend four days in Kona with the Amidons...with NO itinerary...just relaxation in the sun.  Thanks, Nate and Elizabeth, for a very memorable vacation!

And if you've made it this far in your reading (sorry for the lengthy post), you will now be rewarded with one of the BEST recipes I have stumbled upon!  

SKINNY PINA COLADA

2 oz. coconut rum

2 oz. pineapple juice

5 oz. coconut water

Combine ingredients in a cocktail shaker with ice.  Shake and strain into a glass filled with ice.  Garnish with a pineapple slice and/or a maraschino cherry (optional).  ENJOY!  This makes two drinks at under 100 calories each!!  So yummy!  :)