Expanded O'Brien Family: Where has the time gone....longest post ever!

I know, I know….I am late in posting again! Well hold on to your fruit of the looms because this is a long one!!

Week 24... Pixie is the size of corn and her respiratory system is developing.

What an awersome week! One of the ladies I work with at Rock Creek Gardens took a wedding off of my schedule so that I could attend Brendan’s dear friend Chu’s wedding in Vancouver, BC. It was the first time Brendan and I have been away from the house in a very long time…and I have to say…it was needed! Chu’s wedding was on a Sunday so we had all day Saturday to play. We were able to drive Chuckanut Drive which is so stinking beautiful and also lands us at Chuckanut Brewery! We then ventured over the border and stayed in a town called New Westminster. It is an up and coming town with lots of good energy. It kind of reminds me of Tacoma. We walked the boardwalk and ate at a very cool pub. Since we had to work on Monday, we unfortunately had to leave the reception early but the celebration (their wedding was technically in California a week before…and Iron Eagle (Louis Gossett Jr) married them! I am so upset we did not go to that!) and reception were beautiful! I think my favorite part of the evening was when Chu had a second to visit with us…it was just fun seeing the connection between him and Brendan and listening to them laugh. Here are some pictures from the trip!

Yummy beer at Chuckanut Brewery!

We went to Grannville Island Brewery in BC...it was more of a taprom with limited food. I really like how they did the tasters because they lined them up with the beer you were having...thought it was a cool idea. Brendan thought their beer was ok...I thought it had NO body to speak of which as a stout/porter fan it a big deal for me.

Look at how happy this man in when he is in the presence of beer!

So the brewery we went to was next to this big farmers market....it was the best happy accident of the trip! We had not idea it even exisited so we go to play for a couple of hours there...the food...oh man the food. There was fresh made pastas to take home and cook, meat, cheese, ice cream, when you walked past the fruit you could smell its happiness. I really wanted to move there for this market. Pike's Place really needs to take note of this market! Oh, I finally settled on a peperoni stick...it was cranberry buffalo with some kick! AMAZING!

Just the two of us at Chu's wedding. I did not want to take a picture of the bride and groom because it drives me crazy as a planner when people do it! They have been smiling all freaking day for a photographer...let them be and just talk to them that is all they want. I am confident that the bride and groom will share their photos if you are hard pressed for a picture....I have now stepped off my soap box, thank you!

Keri, this is the dress I was trying to explain. I told you I could not explain it!

Week 25...

We had our doctor’s appointment this week. Pixie’s heartbeat is strong and everything seems to be progressing in a health way. I did not know it was humanly possible, but I have proven that it is…a human being can gain 7 pounds in one month…that is right I have gained 7 pounds in just one month. Just for reference I have gained 7 pounds the entire pregnancy…and now in one month I double this! I gave Pixie a pep talk on the way out that we would not do that again. Maybe having a month with only one wedding really did me in! Thank God for August, I will be so active with weddings we will get back to 1-2 pounds per month. Here is my disclaimer to all of you saying but you are growing a baby and you need to make sure you are healthy…I agree and I promise I eat and will not wig and go on some starvation diet….but not one woman (or man for that matter) out there can say 7 pounds in one month…eh…no big deal…I do not care if you were gestating an elephant… you would still care!

My dad’s birthday was on Friday (and my dear friend Tori’s too). Brendan and I met up with the family at the Mongolian Grill and then I convinced everyone that we NEEDED ice cream so we crossed the street to 31 flavors! It was so good seeing my dad and Cathy.

I had two weddings one Saturday and the other Sunday. My Sunday one was the worst wedding I have ever seen and/or coordinated. There were some things that went down that are better left out of print…but just to give you an idea there was a fight by the hydraulic car show. All of that to say that the bride and groom were as sweet as pie! When I got home on Sunday I could barely move but managed to make it to work Monday morning so it could not have been that bad!

Pixie is starting to develop a schedule. I think she is a night owl! She really starts moving from 5p to about 11:30p and then wakes me up through the night when I attempt to lay on my stomach. I can now distinguish between a kick and roll. I am trying very hard to teach her to kick on command so that Brendan can feel her…but to no avail. She has been riding very low (not where I think I dropped) but just lower than the last couple of weeks. I notice it more when I am sitting because my stomach kind of rests on my legs…gross but true!

This week Pixie is the size of a rutabaga….seriously does anyone every know what that is…I mean we all know but do people actually have a reference point on the size of this?! She is gaining baby fat this week….good because I really wanted to gain more weight! Pixie, you just remember the pep talk we had!