Settled in...(oh and 35 weeks)

Well we finally made it. We're almost completely settled into the new place, walls are painted, everything is put away and we're just a few hung pictures away from being done. Zoey's room still needs some more oranization but even that is looking pretty good already. The move went really smooth with the help of movers and some amazing family and friends that helped paint, lug boxes and bring us food. This place really feels like home, not that the other one didn't but we're really comfortable here. Even the kitties are settling in nicely after they discovered we're tree level and have tons of windows for them to bird watch.

Currently we have TONS of family in to visit. The Barnes and their 4 kiddos from Arizona and the Cruz kids (totallying 3) are down from Canada too!! It's going to be so much fun to watch our own join the loving madness of the pack. It's been great having everyone around, the choas of doing anything with a group our size is a wonderful distraction from how much time we really have left before she's here. I'm SO excited to NOT be pregnant anymore! Although I've been really comfortable throughout I'm SO ready to go for a long run or a hard workout. Not being able to do anything myself is starting to get really old.

My mom held a baby shower at her house for me over the weekend and it was BEAUTIFUL!! Bright pink and purple everywhere with ducky details. Just perfect. It was mostly my side of the family (along with my sister and mother-in-law) and a couple friends.

For the last couple Fridays we've been taking our childbirth class. This Friday is our last class and we'll get to do the hospital tour and then we're supposed to be ready. EEK! So, in class last week we saw a video of an actual birth....all up close and everything. I have to say that the look on Jay's face was hillarious. There was sheer terror in his watery eyes (and not emotional-watery, but I'm-going-to-yack-watery) and was a very pale shade of grey. Poor guy. Hopefully that will remind him of my request of NO LOOKING. Trauma and nausea aside, in just a few short weeks our first little monster will finally be joining us and we couldn't be more excited. After years of having multiple guest rooms/den/office/workout rooms we can finally have one always be designated as our daughter's room. I can't wait to see it change over the years as her personallity comes out and she gets to pick how it's decorated.

Alright here comes the 34 week picture. For any who have a wide screen setting now would be the time to use it.

Hello 3rd Trimester!!

Finally in the home stretch!! We've got 14 more weeks til her due date and TONS to still do. Thankfully the big stuff like registering, ordering the furniture (complements of my parents!) and buying the stroller are all complete. Mom and I spent most of Saturday all over the place picking up and ordering the furniture and stroller. We bought/ordered 4 items....at 4 different stores. Phew! Somewhere between the Peets coffee and Taco Bell run, between 2 Babies R Us', IKEA and Lullaby Lane and LOTS of gabbing we were complete. It's all in boxes or still on order but it's off the list. We're not putting anything together until we get to the new place.

Now comes the hard part....the move. Our lease is up August 1st (yes, we're aware that's about 3 1/2 weeks from her due date) and we're trying to get into the new place by mid July. The move is for many different reasons, one being that rent is going WAY up with the new lease renewal and the other is that she'll be spending Monday thru Thursday afternoons with Nana so being closer to Grandpa and Nana's house will help relieve a lot a stress from everyone. The organizing began weeks ago though, prepping us for the big push. I'm actually not too worried about it though it will go smoothly I'm sure.

The one thing this pregnancy has brought me is patience to allow people to help. I tend to have the stubborn "I can do it myself" method for most tasks, frustrating those that love me to no end because they want to help. Zoey is allowing me to accept help....not too bad I have to admit. They old saying is is that "it takes a village" right? I'm starting to allow the village into my world. I'd say 1/2 of all my communication with Jay start with "baby wouldya mind..." He's been SO amazingly supportive. Poor guy has been on countless milkshake and pizza runs...thank goodness we currently live next door to both establishments. I'm so incredibly lucky, he offers to go on any food run or help with any task or chore, can't imagine being able to do any of this without his love and support. I like to think we make a pretty great team and as he so poignantly put the other day, phenomenal potential contestants on $100,000 Pyramid since we never know what we're talking about......."these are things that swing from trees and eat bananas.........THINGS A MONKEY WOULD DO!!!"

Summer could not come fast enough though!! I cannot wait for the sweltering heat and I don't even care I can't have a cold beer. With the summer heat comes lots of evening BBQs with friends, family parties at the park and afternoons at the pool. It's typically a slower time for us and even with the move and the anticipation of Z's big arrival we're going to try to keep it the same this summer. I find it very suiting that Zoe is going to be a summer baby, suits our family very well.

Here's a new pic of the ever growing Jenn....and for those wondering the belly tattoo is holding up just perfect.....for now. (I'll spare you the photo though)

Let's have a little fun....to-daay!! Elllllleeeennn....

Well been back for a week now from the Ellen show adventure, sorry a little late on the notes.

Our taping day started off with an AWESOME 2.5 hours tour of the Warner Bros. backlot. We got to sit on the Central Perk couches!! I got chills being in there! Also got to walk around the Chuck set....after meeting him last year and walking around his set this year I'm either 2 steps closer to him professing his love for me or a restraining order....either have equal likelyhood of coming to fruition.

Being the Ellen alumni we are we were FIRST and SECOND in line....no surprise. I'll spare you the long details of the show but we ultimatley came out with 2 of the following items: stoller, high chair/booter seat, diaper bag, organic baby bjorn, I love Ellen onesis, angora booties, personalized necklaces with your childs name and birthstone, bottles, sippy cups, pacifiers, burp clothes, swaddlers, bath tubs, videdo monitors, organic lotions and wipes and 6 month supply of Huggies!!

So after the taping we were told to stick around in our seats so they could explain to us how we were taking our stuff home.....yes taking it home!! This, for 2 women who were so proud all we brought were a small carry on bag each, were now responsible for taking almost everything home! After filling out some forms, collecting our vouchers for the 2 large items (strollers and high chairs) and flagging down a cab, we followed our scavenger hunt map thru the labrynth of parking garage lanes to the pick up center where they were to load our cars with the remaining prizes. My mom was convinced we'd never get it all packed in the lack of lugagge we had but poor thing she was with me....Jenn "I gets what I wants" Cruz....I make things happen. After a 30 minute game of luggage Tetris we were packed...2 VERY heavy and packed roller carry-ons to check and 2 large shopping bags for us to carry on. Thank goodness the high chair and stroller didn't have to come with us....but come to think of it, the stoller would have made lugging those heavy awkward shopping bags through the airport SO much easier.

It took us a few days to finally recover from the stress, excitement and travel and now we're looking forward to our shopping trip next weekend; onto furniture and strollers!! Stay tuned!!

Random Post

Just wanted to post the 21 week (22 weeks honestly) belly pic. Just getting the last of my things ready to head to AZ for the weekend. SUPER excited to see my girl but am having a hard time dealing with the idea of not seeing Jay until Sunday night....I miss him already. Stay tuned for pics from the weekend!!

21 weeks

Time is REALLY starting to fly now! We're over 1/2 way there and she is kicking like a soccer star...or a Rockett, whichever she prefers. The belly has gone from the "well, maybe she just had a couple too many beers" stage to the "there is definitely a baby in there." I no longer get that really nervous face from people when they ask me if I'm pregnant. It's a real bummer too because I had so much fun mortifying people by responding "WHAT?! I'm not pregnant!" hehe, poor people, the faces were priceless though :) My apologies to any of those reading that I did this to.

The last minute travel has begun to make the final round to visit family before Zoey arrives. Come the end of May my flying will be a thing of the past for the rest of the summer. We got to go up to Vancouver to visit Ting and the kiddos last weekend and it was AMAZING!! We may have gotten the first 3 sunny days in a row in quite some time. The kids are beautiful, happy and very well adjusted...GREAT JOB TING!! Getting to spend some much needed time gabbing and laughing with my sister is priceless. I'm thrilled for her that she's back home in Canada but I miss her very much. Although we got some beautiful sunny days the nights felt like I was getting pelted in the face with snowballs. It wasn't just me either. The Cruzs are Cali folks. Jay wore his thermals the entire weekend (and almost to the club even, hehe). Enjoy the picture to the right of our reenactment of Winnie the Pooh stuck in the honey tree.

So for those close to me you know that my Mom and I make an annual pilgrimage down to Burbank to see the Ellen Show. I've been looking everywhere and everyday for a place to enter to win tickets to the Mother's Day giveaway for first time mommies.......GUESS WHO GOT IN!!! Mom and I leave on May 5th for the May 6th taping. We've got this trip down to a science now, same hotel, same flight, same great Ellen Show luck!! Last year while we were on the lot we acutally got to meet Zachary Levi (the guy that plays Chuck on the show Chuck....meow!) The show will air on Friday May 7th on NBC at 4pm if you want to check it out. I'll be sure to fill you all in on the free swag though!! All much needed and appreciated when your prepping for your first and starting from scratch!

This past weekend was another crazy one split between trying to purge what will soon be Zoey's room, getting to see Kelly for the first time since New Year's for Caleb's Baptism and celebrating Dawn's 30th yeah! Lots and lots of fun but whew!! I'm spent!! Time to rest up for trip #2 this weekend.....off to AZ to hang with Kelly and Caleb and visit with the rest of the clan and munchkins. REALLY looking forward to some REAL heat....BRING IT!!!

19 weeks

Well after much anticipation and weeks of listening to me complain about having to wait to find out who was in there, we are THRILLED to annoounce that our DAUGHTER Zoey Makai Cruz is healthy and still due August 26th. When the technician told us she was a girl, being convinced the little one was a boy, Jay asked "How sure are you?" to which she replied "about 98%." After some quite time leaving the doctors office in awe of learning we were expecting a girl in the parking lot I lost it screaming "WE'RE HAVING A GIRL!!!!" My dreams of finally having a solid pink room are here!! Let the decorating and shopping begin!!

To celebrate my birthday, and the big news, we went to dinner with my parents where we told them by giving them a neutrally wrapped gift that had a pink I LOVE GRANDPA bid and pink teddybear sleeper for sleepovers at Grandma and Grandpa's house. Dad was SO excited to have a little girl running around the house again and my Mom finally has a full time shopping buddy. Jay is convinced her first words may be Valleyfair or Coach...not far from the relm of possibility knowing my Momma. After all, she taught me to do percentages by figuring out sales in the mall, still one of my only mathmatical strengths.

Enjoy the picture of our beautiful DAUGHTER!!!

17 weeks

So this week was the kick-off to March Madness...a holiday season in our house. My parents got Jay tickets to the first and second rounds for Christmas. Thursday we watched 4 back to back games downtown. We had amazing center court seats to begin with but managed to work our way down to the lower level by game 2 and were almost court level for the rest!! Felt bad we weren't able to drink ourselves stupid during the games because I'm pregnant (a typical tradition for any live sports game we attend) but since it was college sports they didn't sell booze anyway. We have the Sweet 16 tomorrow..WOOT WOOT!

For next week, Jay got me tickets to Jay-Z for my birthday (such an amazing hubby) and I CAN'T WAIT!! I have already warned him that ALL composure will be lost when he gets on stage. Can't wait to see the legend in person and can hardly believe we're going to get the change to do it. I hope to have some pics for the next entry so cross your fingers!!

Onto baby news, we FINALLY are coming up to our March 31st appointment to find out boy or girl!! We technically can find out any time after the 24th but made the appointment on the 31st since it's my bday.....we'll see if I have the strength not to change it to an earlier date. Here's a new pic of the growing belly!

Week 16

Had our monthly check up last week and as usual all is well. Baby's heartbeat is pounding away in there!! So the countdown is on and KILLING me!! Less than 3 weeks til we find out the sex. I'm still thinking the little one is a boy but I would be THRILLED either say.

Well this morning was our official trip to Babies R' Us for some baby prep shopping/registering for the over-whelming amount of stuff that this little one will need. We spent about 2 hours test-driving strollers, testing weight and collapsibility ease...and if you know us together well (taking little to nothing seriously) we spent a majority of the time laughing at our incompetencies. During our 3 hour trip we managed to only find 2 things: stroller and crib. I guess those are big necessary items so no wasted!

My stay tuned for the monthly belly pic next week as my belly finally popped about a week ago so enjoy the pic! Make sure to tune back in March 31st when we share if the little one is a boy or girl!

13 weeks

13 weeks and it's finally starting to get real. Belly is starting to show a bit (just enough to warrant a new wardrobe) and officially in my second trimester. I was VERY lucky not to lose any energy (poor Jay) and stay heathly the whole way! Makes this pregnancy adventure so much more enjoyable. I can hardly believe that we're already 1/3 of the way there. Just had another ultrasound and doctors appointment and baby looks healthy and right on track!!

Starting to finalize nursery plans and getting REALLY anxious to starting shopping for our little one. Got a little too anxious and I broke down and bought some of my fav books that we're going to share with him/her, DR. SEUSS!

We find out the gender on my birthday...YEAH!! Quite possibly the best gift ever!! That's going to be a big week for us because we'll also be celebrating our 5 year wedding anniversary. 5 more weeks and counting so stay tuned for the updates to start referencing him or her.

We've been crazy busy trying to plan last minute trips before I have to stop flying and a baby shower for my other soon to pop girlfriend. I really feel like I missed my calling as an event planner, I just LOVE IT!! SUPER excited about our trip to Vancouver to visit with family and my long weekend in AZ to see Kel and meet her new son (arriving March 12th and not a day later if she has anything to say about it.) We're looking forward to a summer of family visiting and time prepping for our big arrival.

Check out the updated pics of Baby Cruz and Belly Cruz!! Leave your vote for who you think is in there, boy or girl!!

11.5 Weeks

It's been a long time since my last post. We just had our new patient orientation with our new doctor and it went great! She's really wonderful, thorough and patient with all the new parent questions. I'll be having the baby at the hospital I was born at too! When she did the ultrasound she said we're going to have a little soccer player, his little foot was kicking around like crazy! Hopefully that means we're on our way to welcoming a strong, healthy baby Cruz into the world soon!

Now that the nail-biting time of the pregnancy is over we're starting to think about the fun stuff like bringing home baby and family trips! First things first though, home prep. I think I've found the room decor that I REALLY love and it's very gender neutral. Although we're going to find out the gender (on our 5 year wedding anniversary April 2nd!) I really wanted to have the nursery gender neutral. As much as I would LOVE to do a PINK PINK PINK room for a little girl I don't want to push that on her. If she's a girly-girl and that's what she's drawn to I'll get her whatever she wants, I just don't want to MAKE her any specific way. Same with a boy.

I'll be sure to include the belly pic in the next update, although there hasn't been much change.

Well, till next time, big love from the Cruzs!!!

7 weeks

Yes, it's true, we are THRILLED to announce that we are expecting our first child August 26th!! Our due date means a lot to us since it is 10 years ago almost to the day from when we met for the first time. I knew my life was changing forever when I met him and it's been the most incredible, crazy and love filled ride ever since. After years of globe-trotting we can't wait to share our love of exploring the world and all the wonderful things and people there are to experience with our child. We haven't decided if we're going to find out if we're buying pink or blue but if we do we'll DEFINITELY share!

We're SO EXCITED to share our expanding lives with our loved ones so get ready Aunties, Uncles, Grandmas, Grandpas and all other honorary family....here comes the newest Cruz!!

This picture was taken at 5 weeks, check back often for new pics of the growing belly!