White Christmas

Christmas was super fun this year! We spent Christmas Eve at my parents house along with Tiff and Martin and exchanged gifts with them. On Christmas Day, Joe and I hung out together all day and relaxed! It was wonderful. Joe was eager as always to dive into gift opening and we both really did a great job of selecting presents for each other. Among my special treats were books about caring for Leo, the Project Runway Season 3 DVD box set (I am already done watching all the episodes!), and a day at a spa that specializes in prenatal care. I can't wait! Joe received many gifts that will aid in his quest to maintain a healthy lifestyle. He even decided to take a Christmas morning jog in his new Under Armour sweatshirt, gloves and hat, compliments of his Dad and Paula. We were even blessed with a white Christmas, which Portland hasn't seen in 17 years. We are both very fortunate to have such generous families, but our prized gift this year is Leo.

25 Weeks Pregnant

Here I am at 25 weeks pregnant and although I still feel quite big, strangers still aren't recognizing that I am with child. It is 2 days before Christmas and as you can see by the background, we have been showered with gifts! Leo is still moving a ton and Joe not only felt him this morning, he also heard his heartbeat through my stomach for the 1st time!

Jacob's 4th Birthday

My parents, Tiffany and I drove up to see Jacob, Mitch (Jacob's Dad) and Miles (Mitch's Dad/Jacob's Grandpa), to celebrate Jacob's Birthday. Jacob really enjoyed the day and was showered with many birthday and Christmas gifts. We played for hours and hours and Mitch and Miles were very gracious hosts. Jacob loved all the toys he received and when he hugged us all goodbye, he yelled, "thank you for all the presents!" It's good to know that in addition to being completely adorable, he has good manners too!

Otak's Christmas Cheer

At work, we have 2 spectacular Christmas displays: our beautiful Christmas tree and the huge poinsettias! Our tree is decorated in orange hues, which is magnificent and the poinsettias are the largest I have ever seen (yes, they are real)! I don't make a point of being photographed at work, but to capture the true magnitude of these plants, it helps to have a pregnant woman in the frame as a spacial reference. I spend many hours a day in this lobby, so it only makes since that I should represent it in the blog.

23 Weeks Pregnant

In between the process of moving boxes from the apartment to the house, Joe and I squeezed in a moment to get a shot of me 23 weeks pregnant. Not only am I showing off my new figure, compliments of Leo, I am also proudly standing in front of our new house. We are not officially moved in yet, but we are making great strides to ensure that this happens soon. Next Saturday will be the day to get all the furniture moved and since I am pregnant, I have an easy out from the heavy lifting (sorry Joe)!

Grandma Mary's Memorial

When looking back at the 2 services, my Grandad's funeral was a much sadder event. I believe this is due to the fact that he has a living spouse, my Grandma. I did not feel that photos were appropriate for his service. However, my Grandma Mary's Memorial Services was a celebration of her life and a family reunion of sorts. Attendees came as far as Nova Scotia, Canada, where her 7 children were born. It was quite an event and I was able to reunite with family members I had not seen in many years.

From top left, counter clockwise: Shelly's cousin Jennifer and her husband Dan; Shelly's youngest cousins Kiera (very shy) and Asyja; my Dad's Aunt Marge and Uncle Mac with my Mom; my cousin Lisa and her 2 sons Austin and Alex; my dad, his cousin Dave and his brother Jim.

Disneyland - The Rainiest Place on Earth

My sisters Kimberly, Tiffany and I decided to take advantage of our stay in California and visit Disneyland. Unfortunately, we chose to visit on the rainiest day in 2 years and were soaked to the bone. The good news is that there were virtually no lines, the bad news is that I lasted only 3 hours. We returned to the hotel room to change into dry clothes and then my mom used my ticket to return with my sister Tiffany. If it wasn't for Leo, I would have toughed it out, but I have a little guy to consider now.

Dana Point Harbor

My Mom, Dad, sister Tiffany and I made the 18-hour journey by car to Orange County, California to attend memorial services for my Grandfather and Grandmother. Since we stayed in my hometown, San Juan Capistrano, we were able to revisit some our favorite places. Dana Point Harbor was top on our list of must-see places and as the photos show, it is quite breath taking.

Sad Times

The end of November was a particularly difficult time for me, Joe and our families. Joe and I had to say goodbye to the following loved ones:

John Christopher Panos (Shelly's Maternal Grandfather), passed away on November 19, 2007

Mary Cleveland (Shelly's Fraternal Grandmother), passed away on November 24, 2007

Joan Perenyi (Joe's Maternal Grandmother), passed away on November 28, 2007

We are reassured that they are all in a better place now and will cherish the fond memories we have of them.

Registering for Leo

Joe and I had a grand adventure registering for Leo's baby gear on Black Friday at Babies R Us. Luckily for us, customers don't seem to hit up baby supply stores for Christmas deals, so we were spared the chaos that surrounds the busiest shopping day of the year. I have to admit that registering for Leo made this all seem even more realistic. Joe was a champ with the scanner gun, but he got a little trigger happy towards the end. Feel free to check out our registry at www.babiesrus.com under Joe and Shelly Morris (no obligation).