Update!

Just a quick update of the past couple of weeks!

We're busy, busy, busy as time winds down to Baby P's birthday! Lots of preparation going on. My parents came down last week to help out with getting the room ready and major home organization. It's still a work in progress, but it's painted, the furniture's put together, and Brian's amazing artwork is on the walls! (Very securely in case you were wondering) We're still in the hunt for a rocker/glider, and Brian's hard at work on even more flowers to decorate the walls, but we're getting there. We're so thankful that we had help...It's a bit overwhelming!

Just some of the amazing art...


A bit cluttered right now, but another view of the work-in-progress.


More pics are available on Brian's blog.

We've also been busy with work (Brian's especially busy), birth classes, yoga, doctors appts, and trying to squeeze in some fun here and there. This Saturday, after Brian's practice drive to the hospital, we had a YUMMY dinner at Via Tribunali in Capitol Hill. Absolutely delicious pizza!! On Sunday we took advantage of the sunshine, and went golfing for the first time this year. I think pregnancy's made me a better golfer...crazy! We also took a nice long walk with the dogs in the evening and cooked up a teriyaki bbqfeast upon returning home. We also secured tickets to see Jerry Seinfeld in a few weeks at the Paramount. Neither of us have ever seen him live, so we're really looking forward to that!

Have a great week...

Jen

Long Overdue...Hawaii Babymoon

A couple of weekends ago we headed off for a few days for our "babymoon!" Our last vacation...sans baby. We decided to spend it in Maui on the Ka'anapali coast. It was totally relaxing, we didn't do much except lounge by the pool & beach, explore Lahaina, eat some yummy food, and enjoy a massage. We didn't take quite as many pics as we usually do, but here's what we have!

We arrived late in the afternoon on Day 1...enough time to put our toes in the sand and catch a bit of sunlight (through the rain drops).

Jen tries to blend in with the locals upon arrival


Brian enjoys his first fruity umbrella drink of the weekend


Our dinner on night #1 was at a Benihana-style restaurant...hence the onion inferno.


Day #2 was a trip to Lahaina. We stopped at Longs Drugs where Brian picked up many, many pairs of Locals Flip Flops...His staple footwear. Then we were off to Lahaina town to wander around, explore local art galleries, and have lunch!

Brian in a Banyan tree jail on our rainy journey to Lahaina.


Jen also experience the Banyan tree incarceration


Brian enjoys a mai tai and a restaurant strangely enough called...Mai Tai's.


The sun came out on day three...and we spent quite a lot of time sitting by the pool and lounging around the beach.

The standard foot shot while lounging by the pool


A gorgeous tropical flower


Brian decided to spice up the lazy day by jumping off the "cliff." I swear...that is
him waving in the picture.


What I didn't know was that Brian had stepped on a sea urchin prior to his jump. His foot was full of spikes!


Despite Brian's foot injury, we headed up to the Westin for some shopping, a massage, and then Dinner.

Brian tries to offset the cost of the trip in an unusual way


A very relaxed post-massage dinner


On the beach for an evening stroll




The weather cooperated on our last day, so we worked on our tans (or touristy sunburns as it turns out), and got ready to hit the airport for a red eye home!

The view from the hotel as we got ready to head out


A farewell picture


After a particularly turbulent flight home, we arrived exhausted and relaxed...and surprised by the snow on the ground!

Other People's Opinions

I would like an explanation as to why being pregnant seemingly opens you up to any and all commentary about the way you live your life, and the choices you make. It is my understanding that I'm not in the minority on this, as most of my pregnant friends have experience this judgement. I just had the following exchange:

When ordering a tall coffee misto (heavy on the fat free milk) at Starbucks, I was met with hesitation and a a skeptical glare.

"What is the problem," I asked?

"Hmmm, nothing," the little barista squeaked at me as he hesitantly turned back to his register." "Well...you're clearly pregnant," he accused.

"I am, yes. But that doesn't mean I can't have a small cup of coffee in the morning."

"Doesn't coffee cause, uh, problems. I don't know if I feel comfortable serving you that."

I stumbled over an unnecessary explanation to a MALE STARBUCKS BARISTA about how coffee is typically avoided during the first trimester, but it's usually fine to have 1-2 cups of caffeinated coffee or tea after that. As I was making excuses for my horrible habit, I became quite irate.

"Actually," I said..interrupting my own explanation, "I would just like my coffee please."

I left the store (with my coffee) feeling humiliated and a bit embarrassed, as a line of other customers heard the entire exchange.

As I walked away, I went over the times in my head that I've been chastised or criticized for doing things while pregnant that are perfectly fine. I'm routinely questioned at the gym as to why I'm still working out while pregnant. As I walked a perfectly reasonable pace on the treadmill, the woman next to me told me I could be hurting my unborn child. I ran a 1/2 marathon when I was 9 weeks pregnant, and walking's COMPLETELY healthy and wonderful to do during your pregnancy. Was she angry at me that though I was 31 weeks pregnant, she still had about 30 pounds on me? I do not know.

I also apparently should not wear high heels, despite the fact that I am more comfortable in stilettos then in flats. I should not eat steamed crab meat, which is a complete misnomer.

Other people's opinions are not limited to my appearance and food/beverage intake. I was told that even though I've decided to give birth without the aid of pain meds or an epidural, that I will be "Begging for drugs" during my labor. What makes this particular comment so ludicrous is that it was made by a childless male fellow employee. (Which is all kinds of wrong) I've been given a wild amount of advice from strangers on child rearing, the benefits of catholic schools over public schools, and much, much more. Over-sharing is also a common issue. Did I REALLY need to know the size and shape of my hair dresser's wife's pelvis? Seriously?

My favorite comment this week from a strange man sitting on a bench at Nordstroms: "You look great....I mean for a pregnant person." Backhanded compliments are SO nice.

Rant over. Sorry.

I promise I will post pics of Hawaii and the baby shower soon! I've been sick this week!!

Weekend Update & New Belly Shots!

This weekend was spent relaxing, baby preparation, and a BBQ on Sunday. (And errand running of course) We have one more weekend until Maui, followed immediately by the baby shower, so it is nice to relax and get things done.

In baby news: We ordered our stroller and car seat...I know...exciting news right? Brian has made some major progress on the art/cutouts for the baby's room. Next step, dismantling the guest room after our round of guests in March, followed by painting and mounting cutouts. We're getting so close! Just about three months to go!

Then...Brian's request for me to make ribs turned into an impromptu get-together at hour house on Sunday. Several members of the Loose Cannon Crew came over, my friend Annie stopped by, and Rob, Nicole, Elliot, and Jacqueline joined us as well. The ribs take almost a full day to prepare, so it's nice to cook them for a group.

The preparation begins...


Many, many ingredients are involved in this recipe...this is just the tip of the iceberg.


The ribs...which took 5+ hours to slow cook. At least everyone was REALLY hungry by the time we ate.


Smiling now that they've been fed.


Jacqueline, Elliot, and Nicole: Post Feast


We also took some new belly shots...about 27-ish weeks!

Valentines Day Celebration

We decided to celebrate valentines day in a bit more mellow of a way this year...foregoing "amateur" night at all the restaurants for some lovely daytime fun in Seattle.

We hit Etta's for breakfast on Saturday morning, splurging on salmon cakes eggs Benedict (for Brian), and maple french toast for me!

Jen enjoys her delicious breakfast


Brian prepares to dig in


We then headed down to check out the Seattle Aquarium. I hadn't been there since my illustrious days of employment at the gift shop during college. They've done some crazy renovations since then. It was really neat, but it'll be even cooler to see it with our daughter who will be here in about 14 weeks! There were tons of kids marveling over the tide pools and colorful fish, and we got really excited to see it again soon with Baby Girl Patenaude.

Jen braves the tide pool full of starfish


Brian gets attacked by a giant blurry octopus


A cute little otter. (This shot would be better if I had the new lens that I want!)


The river otter cozied up to the glass for a shot


A fish! At an aquarium! Crazy!


This crab-like thingy seemed to be sort of angry


After the aquarium, we hit up Pike Place Market for some groceries for dinner, and popped into Serious Pie for a little bit of yummy pizza for an afternoon snack! On our way home we were thrilled that we weren't sitting in the giant traffic jam headed INTO the city for dinner. That evening, we enjoyed Alaskan spotted shrimp (Seriously...the best shrimp EVER!!), papardelle noodles with spicy red sauce, and some fresh bread for dinner. We topped it off with some cheesecake truffles we found at a little shop in the market....YUM!

The rest of the weekend was spent errand running, stroller shopping, taking some nice walks in the sunny (yes...sunny) weather, and some nice relaxation. Brian spent a lot of time working on the baby's room, and fiddled around with the mounting for the cut outs.

Some cut outs hung up in the office as a test!


Back to work...At least it's a short week!

I'm a lucky girl!

Happy Friday and Happy Valentines day! It may be Friday the 13th, but we're on the cusp of a 3 day weekend, and I'm thrilled. The gorgeous bouquet of flowers that Brian sent me doesn't hurt one bit!!

I'm a lucky girl!!


We're excited for a nice weekend. We're doing a valentines day brunch tomorrow morning, a trip to the Seattle aquarium, and then we're going to forage through Pike Place Market to find our Valentines day feast. (Which we will prepare at home, away from the crowded and over-priced restaurants)

Have a great weekend!

Wine Tasting Weekend. (Do we have too many posts with this title?)

This weekend was filled with wine tasting and relaxing. (No wine tasting for me). Several Woodinville wineries had releases this weekend, and we took advantage of the opportunity to visit some places that aren't usually open! My Mom and Dad made the trip down to Seattle, and my Aunt Linda joined us as well. I was the official designated drive/tour guide for the day...

Our tour started at Delille, which is a beautiful facility that is only open to the public a few times during the year. They had a band playing, lots of tastings, and yummy food!

Linda enjoying the yummy cheese at Delille


I was just HOLDING this glass for Brian


Through the wine glass...arty.


We then headed out to JM, where we're members. We picked up our wine allocation, and enjoyed tastes of their new releases. (I enjoyed tastes of their yummy tomato basil soup)

The group at JM


SISTERS!


Happy mom!


Brian still doesn't understand that you shouldn't wear flip flops when it's 35 degrees, so he tried to warm himself by the campfire.


Is this a group of hobos?


We then headed over to do a couple of quick tastings at Guardian Cellars and Mark Ryan (Mark Ryan is never open!), before our tasting appointment at Adam's Bench. Adam's Bench just recently started opening for tasting appointments, so we took advantage. It's located a bit out of the way on Hollywood Hill, but it's a gorgeous setting, and they make some really yummy reds!

Standing in front of some cool looking gadgets that I'm sure are helpful in wine making.


After one more quick stop at Hollywood Hill Vineyards, we headed home to meet up with Uncle Mike, and enjoy a yummy dinner. (And a few more tastes of wines)

Mom and Dad headed home in the morning after a stop at Brian's office. Brian showed us the game he's working on, and even let us play it. It looks really cool! (Though, I think my mom was most impressed with the assortment of candy and treats in the break room.)

Other than that, we've been working hard and preparing for a baby Patenaude! Brian has been especially hard at work on the room:

Brian...hard at work


The group of cutouts


You can see more of the progress here! I'm so excited that our child is going to have such a cool, original, imaginative room! Not many kids get a room designed by an amazing artist...just for them!

Until next time...

-Jen