Back from Hawaii

Gaham is back from Hawaii- he had a great time and said the whales were amazing. They got some great footage from the critter cam- so overall it was a great and productive trip. I couldn't help but take a pic of the adorable little outfit he brought back for Isabella. We already decided we are going back next year when she is big enough to fit into it!

23 week belly!

My belly is quickly growing and I thought it was time for an updated belly pic for the blog! Graham felt her move for the first time yesterday- so exciting! I love when she moves around- makes it more real each time I feel her that she is really in there! Keep on growing Isabella....but we can't wait to meet you!

Babies that have changed my life

I have loved being with kids my whole life. They remind you to relax, have fun, enjoy life, and help you remember the power hugs and kisses have to make you feel better. There have been some very special relationships over the years that I will never forget.

This is Zander. When I was in graduate school I started taking care of him when he was 4 months old up until a few months before his 2nd birthday. We had great times together at his swim lessons, hanging out around his house and in his garden, and taking walks and runs together. His family was amazing and I learned how to make homemade baby food for Zander while helping his mom in the kitchen.
I miss you Zander!














When I started graduate school one of my classmates- Roy- had just had a baby with his wonderful wife Angela. Her name is McKinley.

She would come to the office to hang out and we would see each other when all of us would get together for dinners, birthday celebrations, or holidays.

I grew to love McKinley and was so thrilled that she could be my flower girl at our wedding. She was the best flower girl you could ask for! I miss seeing her but am glad to keep in touch with her and her family through their family blog! Thanks for all the great times and laughs McKinley!

Book Clubs

I have loved being part of book clubs off and on over the last 5 years. My first book club was in Eugene with some women from work. We met monthly at one of our houses and would make a meal that would pair with the theme/setting of the book. When I moved to Colorado it wasn't until after I was out of school (of course...who has time for book clubs while in grad school?) that I asked around at work to see if anyone was interested in starting a book club. I was thrilled that around 8-10 women were interested! Again we met monthly and would have dinner and good conversation together (Picture is my CO bookclub at my last meeting). When we moved to DC I was so sad to say goodbye to the amazing group of women that had come together for our book club in Denver, but told myself I'd just have to start up another one in DC!

Well after a few months I made the first attempt with some friends/co-workers, and was excited when they said yes! It is a small group of women so far (6 when we are all there) but has been fun so far. Some meetings it is more "social club" than "book club"- but it is great to have time with friends and good conversation. The book we picked this month is Three Cups of Tea. We decided to go out to a middle eastern restaurant for our meeting in March-which will be a first for me in my book club life!
Some of my favorites over the years--Eat, Pray, Love, Lovely Bones, and The History of Love. All well worth the read!

Graham's off to Hawaii!

Graham is off to Maui tomorrow for work! He is going to be deploying the new Crittercam on Humpback Wales. He's going to be gone working and hopefully also enjoying the warm weather and the beach until next Thursday. I'll be here holding down the fort and planning a trip back to Hawaii when me and Isabella can go! I asked Graham if he wanted to add anything to the post and he says....."hang loose!"

Baby Bump

We finally figured out how to post the video we made a few weeks ago! (Thanks to my friend Erin for the tip and Graham for getting it to show up on the blog!) And of course thanks to mom and dad Ayres for the video camera!

It's a Girl!!

We had our 20-week ultrasound today and found out we're having a girl!! I cried of course- I was hoping for a girl! She was facing my back during the ultrasound so this is the best picture they could get. It is a side view - her spine is clear, and then you can see a leg that stretches down on the left and her head on the right. It is so amazing what you can see -and she is only 12 oz big! We saw the heart - all 4 chambers and working well. Arms and hands, legs and feet-- check, check, check, and check! Her head and facial features also looked good. She sure was kicking away during the visit--so cool to see on the computer screen! Wow my cheeks are really tired--I couldn't stop smiling all day!

orchids, orchids, and more orchids

Today I went to the orchid show that started at the Botanical Gardens . The main exhibit was called orchids from A to Z. The room was filled with orchids, big and little--it smelled amazing and had misting periods--couple that with classical music in the background and one could stay there forever! Wish my dad lived out here! It was breathtaking to say the least ...wanted to share a few pictures .

A walk by the river

One of my favorite walks is on a path luckily just a few blocks from our house. It runs along the Potomac River and goes down into Old Town Alexandria. There are always other walkers/runners and lots of dogs! I snapped these pics today-- what a beautiful day!

Show me the belly!

I'm almost 1/2 way there! It's amazing that next week will be 20 weeks! Thought we should start documenting the belly growth for all our family/friends that can't observe in person. =) Hopefully a video will follow once we figure out how to get the file small enough to download onto the site. Girl or boy? Super Tuesday and we'll know!