Deck the Halls with Marijuana

Ok, funny story. A week ago Mike and I decided to take advantage of some great sales going on for baby furniture. We went ahead and ordered all the furniture for Jellybean's room and saved quite a bit of money! We got a call on Friday afternoon that our furniture was already in. We decided we would head over on Saturday morning to pick it all up. When we got there, the boxes were so HUGE there was no way to fit it all in our Jeep. We ended up taking 2 pieces inside the car, tying one on top, and having to make a second trip for the last piece. We were both tired and hungry when we finally got the first three pieces ready for transport. We decided to get a hamburger at our favorite place on the way home. Traffic was terrible and it was raining. Needless to say, Mike and I got in a huge argument when he made a wrong turn and then tried to blame it on me (the nerve! Ha ha). We were sitting in angry silence by the time we pulled up to the correct intersection. A homeless man was standing on the median screaming "Merry Christmas!" and then cracking up at himself. He was drunk out of his mind. I tried not to smile. That proved impossible when the man busted out with a new version of Deck the Halls.

He sang, "Deck the halls with marijuana, decorate the tree with LSD." Mike and I looked at each other and began laughing hysterically. We were cracking up so hard we didn't hear the rest of the song. That was the end of the argument! I guess God really can use ANYONE to accomplish His will. We will never hear Deck the Halls and not think of that crazy man.

It turned out to be a great day! We got some furniture put together and ended the evening downtown at the Nutcracker Ballet!!!!! Mike bought me tickets for my birthday. It was AMAZING. Here are some pics.

This was the inside of "Spreckles Theatre" - it was gorgeous!

The Beautiful curtain

At the Ballet!

Our new glider and ottoman

Mike beginning construction on the crib

Jake was exiled to the hall with the help of the baby gate. He hates being left out.

Thanksgiving and More

Sorry it has taken me so long to blog about our Texas Thanksgiving trip! I have been a busy bee doing x-mas shopping for Mike and Jake lately. Also, I have been attempting to make a "guest suite" for my best friend Michelle who will be flying out here on Christmas Eve to spend Christmas with me! As many of you know, Mike was unexpectedly called in to work (standing duty) on Christmas Day. The shift will last for 24 hours. Instead of me spending an exhilarating Christmas day at home with the dog (sarcasm), we arranged for Michelle to come spend the holidays here!! I can't wait to see her. After losing everything in the fire I have been shopping like crazy to get sheets, pillows, blankets, etc for her stay.
AND...we have a date scheduled for our ultrasound! December 17th! Hopefully this time next week we will have a gender and quite possibly a name to share! We are counting down the days. I have already been explaining to Jellybean that he/she needs to cooperate and not cross legs on the big day. I think we may have a soccer player on our hands because the baby kicks me all the time!
Our Thanksgiving was great! We spent time with both sides of the family and with friends. Mike had the best surprise for me...he had emailed my big sis from Kojies after the fire and told her how upset I was to lose my drop (it is the gold necklace with the kojie symbol on it that we get when we make it into club). I had wanted to someday pass it down to my daughter. She showed up with a new drop AND a basket full of t-shirts, cups, tote bags, etc that had been donated by the kojies and the ACU alumni office to replace all I had lost. It was the best! Thanks Mike and Leslie...you guys are awesome. Here are some pics from t-giving!

My cousin Shauna & I celebrating our b-days together (family tradition)

The red velvet cake with cream cheese icing
Bro and sis in law

Sweeeeeet Nieces Avery and Brooklyn

Niece Avery with Aunt Amy and Uncle Mike

(I might have been tickling her. Ha ha)

A Hilarious Fakeout & a Belly Pic

I thought this was too funny not to share. This morning when we woke up, Mike asked if I wanted doughnuts for breakfast. I said "yes!" and he got up and got dressed. He went in the kitchen to feed Jake and I guess Jake could tell he was getting ready to go somewhere. As most of you know Jake is obsessed with riding in the car. He was so excited about the possibility of going that he refused to eat. Mike told me about his not eating so I went in the kitchen with Jake and told him he needed to eat his breakfast. He stood over his food dish but didn't take a bite. I decided to move a little closer to put the pressure on. I pulled a chair up next to his food dish and told him to eat. He never took his eyes off me, and proceeded with the most hilarious "pretend eat" I've ever seen. He would take a mouth-full of kibble and roll it around in his mouth letting the pieces fall out one at a time until they were gone. Then he would look up at me like, "did you see that? I just ate a mouth-full of food!"

I never heard him bite down on the food at all - he was totally faking. What kind of a dog does that?! One that I would pick out from a litter of normal ones apparently.

And without further ado, the first belly pic! Here we are at 16 weeks.

Jellybean Update

Today we had another OB appt for our little jellybean. I was disappointed that they didn't have an ultrasound scheduled, but it was still a great appointment. This time they did a fetal heart monitor. The Dr. put the device over my tummy and all of a sudden we could hear the little heart just pumping away. Suddenly the heartbeat stopped at the Dr. said, "oops, the baby moved!" Mike and I both freaked. "The baby moved!! The baby is moving!! Yay!" The Dr. laughed at us. She explained that while I can't feel it yet the baby is moving around in there already. It was so amazing.
We may (if we are so blessed!!) get to find out the sex of the baby before heading off to Texas for Thanksgiving next week. She called for my ultrasound screening appointment a little early (I will be 16 weeks). In the screening appt a radiologist specialist will perform an ultrasound and check for any abnormalities in the baby's growth and development. They also inform you of the sex of your baby!! So, I am amxiously awaiting a call from the hospital to schedule the appt. If they have any openings I might can squeeze in before we fly to Tx.
I also had some blood drawn today to test for genetic abnormalities that may be present in my DNA and could be passed on to Baby. Hopefully all is well in that dept as well.
I figured it is about time to do some belly pictures! I got that idea from my sister in law. It was so neat to see her growing belly on their blog. I will try to remember to have Mike take one for me. The doctor measured me at 15 weeks and three days today...one week farther along than we thought. I am getting so excited about finding out the sex of the baby and picking a name!! Maybe we will just stick with Jellybean. haha. Just kidding.

The Marine Corps Ball

We had a great time at the Marine Corps Ball last Friday. It was a memorable evening and fun to get all dressed up! Mike's younger brother David is also in the Marines and is stationed here at the same base. His girlfriend, Amber, flew in for the Ball and we all went together.

The food was DELICIOUS! The first course was a yummy letteuce wedge with marinated artichokes, olives and tomatoes. They came to each plate and poured a balsamic vinegarette over the lettuce. It was one of the best salads I have ever tasted. The main course was tender short rib and marinated chicken served with mashed potatoes and seasonal veggies. Again, delicious. But the dessert was the best thing on the menu that night. They served cheesecake with a brownie bottom half served with a strawberry sauce and chocolate mint. Everyone was talking about it. We even snagged a little take-home carton to bring home what I couldn't eat.

I was really tired by the end of the evening. All that standing and walking in high heels while pregnant was not too great. But I still had fun. I bought my dress at Ross for $25.00 and was really impressed at how good it looked! I bought it before I knew I was pregnant so I was happy it had an empire waist to fit my growing belly! I also chose to do my own hair instead of getting it done. I felt very accomplished. Here are a few pictures from the evening:

I've Conquered the Bar Exam!!!

I found out yesterday that I passed the Texas Bar Exam. I cannot put into words what a relief that is. I had been thinking how much harder it would be to study and take it again with a baby next time around! Thankfully, that won't be the case. My study buddy from law school also passed - which made me just as happy. We spent an immeasurable amount of hours together studying, crying, yelling, contemplating starting over as Amish and cursing the legal system of Texas. Ok, maybe that was just me. She stayed pretty cool throughout the whole process. All I can say is good luck to those who will be taking it in the future. There just aren't words to prepare you for what is coming!!

On a lighter note, I am busy today preparing for the Marine Corps Ball tonight!!! Woo Hoo! I loved getting dressed up and fixed up and all that. It is like prom for adults...all the fun with none of the drama. I am charging the camera so there should be pictures on the next post! I realize it may be kind of boring to read my blog because I hardly ever post pictures. I am going to work on that! I am sure I will have lots of pics once our little jellybean arrives. Our next appt is November 18. I am always anxious for appts to come just for the reassurance that the baby is still ok!

To make good on my promise, here is a picture of Mike and me from the Kojie Formal my Senior Year of College. It seems like so long ago!!

Baby Cabrero is on the Way!!

It is official - we are having a baby!! Our little jellybean (as we call it) has a due date set for May 10 (which also happens to be my brother's birthday!). I am about 10 weeks along right now. I was suffering from some pretty strong morning sickness until about week 8, but since then I have begun to feel much better.
We are very excited and a bit overwhelmed with emotion because of all the changes that have taken place over the last few months. But, we are super excited to meet our little one too. Hopefully by May things will be a bit more settled and it will feel more like home out here on the West Coast.
We did get an ultrasound done but the baby just looks like a blob right now haha. We will post pics the next time we have an appt. We did get to hear the baby's heartbeat and that was amazing. We feel very blessed!
Please pray for the health and development of our little jellybean. We will keep everyone updated!