New G in Town

Hey all! Just popping in while I have a spare moment... and I do mean 'moment'! All I have to say is thank goodness for mother-in-laws! Sandy has been wonderful... not only with advice but with food, household stuff and transportation. Chase has been on a couple different outings so far... He had his first doctors appointment on Monday and unfortch the doc was a tad concerned about his Bilirubin levels so he had to be tested at the hospital on Tuesday to see which way the numbers were headed. They were still higher than the doc wanted but lower than cause for real concern so we had to go again Wednesday to get tested and YAY hooray they are on the trend down which means he will be fine, no treatment necessary and no more testing!

I wanted to say thank you to everyone that wrote, called and sent carrier pigeons! I feel so overwhelmed with love (which is a great way to feel!) I am trying to get back to everyone when I can but this little 6 lb'er keeps me running!

Here are a couple of pictures...








Thanks again to everyone for all their help, love, support, prayers and well wishes. Adam, Chase and I are truly blessed ;~)

Chase Harper Has Arrived!

Hi Everybody,

We are pleased to announce that Chase Harper G entered this world at 9:40 am, on October 19, 2007, weighing in at a light 6 pounds, 7 ounces, and a long lean 20 inches tall (he gets it from his parents!).

Mom, Dad and Baby are all doing well. Riley (the Wonderbeagle) can't wait to meet his new little brother.

- Adam and Jessi

38 Weeks Today

This is for Di and Carrie! Looking good ladies!

Closer than I thought

So apparently I am way closer to delivering than I thought... and not very good at handling situations that are out of my control.

Rewind to yesterday... I took the day off work because my doctors appointment was at 11 in the morning and driving back and forth just seemed like a colossal waste of time. Adam actually did go to work since we figured this would be fairly routine and his presence wasn't necessary ;~) Everything was going along fine... Dr. H and I were up close and personal and he mentioned that he didn't think I would be pregnant more than a week... I am already 3-4 cm. Hmmm, ok, my head spins a little since I still have things to do but I can handle that. Then he goes to measure my belly and is a slight bit (I stress the slight bit part) concerned with the fluid levels around little Peabert. Just for precaution sake he wants me to get a sonogram downstairs and make sure that all is normal. Then he says the words that throw me in a tailspin the rest of my time at the doctors office. "If the levels are below average then we are going to admit you and your having a baby today"... I am sorry... come again? This coming from the same guy that said Nov 2 is your due date... I want a refund, not only were you wrong, but you sprung your wrongness on me out of nowhere! He also says "If everything is fine with the fluids, I want you back on Friday morning to be checked out... if you are 6-7 cm then we will admit you and you will be having a baby". Holy crap... I might seriously fall over.

I manage to keep upright, trek downstairs and get in line to get a sonogram... correction, I thought I got in line to get a sonogram... what actually happened is I got to watch every person that was there before me and came in after me, walk through the doors and get seen. I get it... I am being 'squeezed in' because I didn't have an appointment. However, I am 9 months pregnant, very uncomfortable in the chairs in the waiting room, extremely hungry while watching all the staff parade through with their lunches and as I found out... very unprepared mentally to deliver that day. And for 2 hours I sat there with those issues. I was not happy.

Regardless, they finally find it in their cold cold hearts to bring me back and check in on my baby. Turns out he is an A student... he got an 8 out of 8 (not sure what for but it was a perfect score!) and the fluid levels are fine. I go back upstairs, inform the secretary that Dr. H is in trouble for sending me there because it took forever and that I truly can't wait any longer to see him.... I needed to leave and get food NOW! She took down the information they gave me and let me go on my merry way.

So I said before that I was SO not ready to deliver that day... in truth, if it happened that way, I would have been fine. I think the idea of not knowing for a few hours really tripped me up. I am however, preparing that Friday might be our day... or Saturday... 10/20... cute ring to it. Who knows, this kid has a mind of his own already! Regardless... I doubt that I will be pregnant much longer! Stay tuned for updates!

Quick Story

I was walking through the main hallway in my work building and in front of the elevators were at least 15 - 20 younger (early 20's) girls who were part of some sort of organized sport. They were most likely heading to Under Armour who has the top floor of our building. So I make my way through the crowd and just when I get out of earshot, or so they thought, I hear whispering and this statement "She's about to pop!"...

I am THAT girl! I love it!

Riley the Wonderbeagle update

Riley came through with flying colors... blue in fact!

He woke up just fine from the anesthesia and we were actually able to take him home the same day. I don't think he is too terribly happy with us right now but I think everyone involved will be happier once he is healed up!

All hail the king of cones ;~)

Riley the Wonderbeagle

Riley is having surgery this morning... he is having an inter-digit cyst removed from his left front paw. Adam is dropping him off around 8:30 and we will hopefully get him back tonight... because the surgery is on his foot he might have to stay overnight ;~( Obvs we want him back as soon as possible. So in honor of our little old man here are a few pictures!












All hail Riley the Wonderbeagle!

City Slicker in a Corn Maze

Ok... so apparently 9 ft tall corn and a farmer on a tractor can produce a fun event for people.

Here we are '6 months after prom' as we were joking.... I am 36 weeks, Laura G is 27 weeks and Danielle is 18 weeks! Babies everywhere!

Here we are trying to actually follow the map they hand out... trust me, it didn't really help ;~)

Then there is my husband who can't pass up a good goofy moment ;~)

Adam and Peabert TOTALLY broke rules when they were in the maze so they ended up in the stocks!

We also went to Babies R Us this weekend and picked up some of the major items that we were missing. With a little coupon clipping and strategic separate transactions we saved about a $100 total. Score one for the us!

I spent a good bit of the 'putting things together' time doing laundry for little man (and for us as well). Sign of the times changing... oh yeah, this is only half of what he has... and I give him 6 months before he outgrows everything!

Adam putting together the pack and play...

and here is me with the final product (looking very tired, I know ;~)

Me with the swing!

And our favorite piece of baby furniture, the travel system stroller. This was what Adam and I couldn't wait to buy and put together! Now all we need is a little man to put in there ~ 3 weeks and 2 days!

Incredibly Proud

Ok... so it's no secret that I am proud (and severely entertained) by my husband but this one... this particular day... this is when I am pretty much the most proud of him.

Adam celebrates 11 years sober today.

For 11 years he has dedicated himself to living a clean sober and spirit filled life. His chosen method has been AA and it has done wonders for him. Not only does he 'just not drink' but he closely follows a set of steps for healthy living. I only wish I could get into all that goes along with this way of life but it's really not my place and it would take too long anyway. Just know that it takes commitment and dedication.

I love you Adam and congrats on 11 years sober. What a testament to what this program can accomplish!

PS - don't get too big of a head ;~)

36 Weeks Today

It's hard for me to believe I am in my last month of pregnancy... looking back it really feels like the time flew by. I think a lot about my first pregnancy ending and it's actually quite sad. To think that this brief time in my life... something I waited so long for... is almost over, well it's pretty surreal. Please don't get me wrong, I know the end result is this little person that I get to love and cherish... I am super stoked about that part of my life starting. It's just the ending to one chapter and the start to another. Very few things in your life are so very defined by an actual start and end date. Ok ok, enough with the mushy mind feelings...

Apparently we have also moved onto the invasive part of pregnancy! Until now I have remained remarkably... un-invaded. However, today I found out I was 2 centimeters dilated and Peabert is head down... and I also think my doc owes me a drink, at the very least. Oh well, this is only a sign of things to come ;~)

Here I am at 36 weeks! Diane, I am so right behind you!!!!

Baby Shower!

What a great time I had at my baby shower this past Saturday! I actually knew this was one was coming... it was at my house so that would have been a real surprise to pull off! It was actually a lot of fun to have it our house... I wanted to do some real deep cleaning before Peabert came along and this gave me the motivation, I was able to show off Peaberts room which actually debuted his name... yep... Peabert actually has a name now!

The day started off with Jaime and I getting pedicures at the Robert Andrew Spa which I contend that this is how every day should start. Once we were back at the house, Ali showed up with all her amazing food...

1) Beef & Red Pepper Crostini - pieces of toasted french bread with homemade red pepper mayonnaise and a slice of roast beef (parsley garnish)
2) Prosciutto Pear Cups – prosciutto baked into a salty “cup” and filled with fresh, sweet diced pears (lemon zest garnish)
3) Tomato & Mozzarella Skewers - skewers of grape tomatoes and chunks of fresh mozzarella with a basil pesto dipping sauce
4) Brie Bites – buttery phyllo dough wrapped around small pieces of brie cheese with raspberry jam, baked to crispy and cheesy perfection

One by one, friends started rolling in... Angie came... and brought punch! She just had her second bundle of joy, Jaden, a mere four months ago.... so incredibly cute! Danielle, Amy Jean and Nancy... (the other neighbor Danielle... oh yeah, we are totally taking over P Street!)...My darling Rose who organized the fantastic cake! All I kept thinking when I looked at that cake is how much my mom would have LOVED it! Christine was there... although, almost not... she is 13 (almost 14) weeks along and the fatigue is overwhelming... I totally understand girl! Amy Jean was there which was awesome... I don't think we have seen each other since law school graduation... unfortch she missed Badam but soon we will do a doggie get together with the 3 of us and Larry from Family Law! Nancy who I will soon be leaving behind at Ad.com... something she is not happy about but man is she ever thrilled about little Peabert! Not bad for our first picture together! Vicki and Joy... Joy of whom I have known since literally, she was born. At her shower I didn't want anyone else to hold her! Laura who is a hop and a sk... literally, she is that close... I don't even have to finish. She did so much to help Danielle throw this, I am so appreciative!

One of the games that we played was 'Celebrity Moms' and since I was talking about a certain celebrity mom earlier in the day, Jaime thought it would be funny to make me this her. But really folks, can she really be considered a mom... I think not! We also played 'How Big is Her Belly?' of which most everyone thought I was apparently at least the length of a football field! Actually Danielle won (shocking as she sees me pretty much everyday!) but she passed it on to the next closest... Lori! Congrats!

Most of all, I want to thank Danielle and Heather for throwing me an awesome shower (even though Heather had to work!). It is a really great thing when you have friends who care so much for you and your family, and living right next door... truly an awesome thing! Thanks girls!

You may ask what the father to be was doing whilst we were babying up the house... golf!... what else! Craig, the lovely Ali's husband, arranged for him, Adam and Josh to go golfing while we had baby shower mania!

We got many many fun things for little man... a carseat, bedding, thermometer, sleep positioners, slings, baby bjorn, books, grocery seat covers and tons of cute clothing! This kid will be sharply dressed for the first year of his life at least! More than anything though, I have the knowledge that I have some of the best friends a girl can ask for! Thanks everyone!

In the meantime

I am working on a post about my baby shower this weekend (which was great BTW and I have AWESOME friends) but in the meantime I thought I would share with you a video my friend Nicole sent me... Enjoy!

Ok... Kathi didn't actually tag me but I thought this was a cute idea so here's my post for Desktop View Tag. This picture is commonly known as 'freaky upside down dog' and is just one of the many pictures we have of Riley. As you can see my desktop is horribly unorganized... makes me cringe actually ;~) So unlike my normal life where I like to put everything in its place! Oh well ;~)



I am with Kathi... I don't tag but if you partake in this amusement... let me know and I will check it out!

Monday morning...

Today is dad's first day as a Googler! So far so good but it's pretty much all orientation right now! So proud of you dad ;~) Can't wait to hear about it.

This was a pretty good weekend... nice and productive, which in my nesting state is pretty much as good as it gets. We finished the great furniture migration on Saturday. Dad's couch is now part of our living room, Rose and Nick have our old couch and our church has Rose and Nick's old couch (which co-incidentally was at one point Adam and I's couch)... yeah, lots of swapping going on! Also, my in laws have been gracious enough to store my mother's solid oak table and 6 dining room chairs until Adam and I are in a house where we actually have room for them. I am super excited that I get to keep these pieces in my family even though we really don't have the room for them right now... thanks Sandy and Joe!

Things are coming together around the house... Adam and I did a whirlwind all day cleaning when we got home from Hagerstown on Saturday. So many 'list items' were able to be crossed off which makes me incredibly happy! What made me even happier was every time Adam finished one thing, he would ask what else was on the list. He just kept plugging away so we could chip away at my lengthy to do list. He's such a good husband ;~) Speaking of which, I know I have posted of his antics before... The Khakis' Incident, Trucker Hat, Fighting the Man, just to name a few... all these things remind me how much fun he makes my life and how much he makes me smile. I say all this to lead up to 2 separate instances... Saturday night and Sunday night at our house...

First let me start by saying that it is a common source of entertainment that our dog snores... when he is deep asleep, he will really get going and it's pretty funny (to us at least). As I finishing up cleaning something in the living room I walk into our bedroom where my husband is taking pictures of his latest self made amusement... I introduce you to the Doggie CPAP machine...


I about fell over laughing at this sight...

Then Sunday night... I am on the couch printing some things for Peabert's room and Adam is in the kitchen writing down things to get at the grocery store. I am actively contributing to the list but focused on my computer until I finish and look over and see this...


Apparently, this is how my husband thinks writing a grocery list should be done... I swear to you, life in our house will NEVER be boring ;~)

Thanks for making me smile Adam ;~) I love you ~

They're off....

Adam and I saw Dad and Maverick off at the airport this morning! By the time Maverick needed to be at the airport, Stacie was already on her way to CA. We dropped Mav off (well it took an hour to get him checked in but whatever...) and then we headed to the airport to drop dad off. We ended up grabbing some breakfast in the terminal (you know, where they still allow those of us that aren't traveling!).

It is so bizarre to think that dad is gone for good now... he will now be a permanent resident of CA. Stacie will be back to finish out her job and make the arrangements for the movers and then she will join the CA ranks as well.


Saying goodbye to Mavy!


Awww, he has no idea what an airplane ride will be like!


The look on his face can only be described as apprehensive, poor little man.


Dad and I at the airport restaurant... and yes, the food is as bad as you think.



One last shot before dad heads through security! I love you dad!!!

1 Year Ago Today

On September 19, 2006 my husband gave up smoking! This is quite a feat if you know Adam... he has smoked since he was 15 (late by some peoples standards ;~) and it took a solid 2 years for him to finally quit. He stuck with it and kept trying to quit and I couldn't be more proud of him! Congrats on a whole year sweetie!

I've been had...

Good luck following this story but here it goes...

A few months ago Sandy, Adam and I were figuring out when we would come up in September and it was suggested that we come up the weekend of the 14th - 16th so Sandy could throw Joe a surprise party on Sunday for his birthday (which incidentally is actually today! HAPPY BIRTHDAY JOE!)

So for the past month or so I have been trying not to say anything to Joe when I am around him because I don't want to spoil the surprise for Joe.

Finally the weekend is here and we are in H-town helping Sandy get ready for the party. She all over the place trying to make sure everything comes out right... making food, getting the house clean, trying not to spill the beans in front of Joe... who BTW, is oblivious to all the cooking, cleaning and chaos surrounding him. Adam and I get sent on several grocery store trips because things have been forgotten and we are both trying to help clean up wherever we can.

Sunday finally arrives and we go out to lunch for Joe's birthday, as we planned, around noon.

Debbie (Sandy's best friend) is coming over to set up for Joe's party while we are out of the house. So we do lunch, then work on stalling to go back to the house... it's only 1:30 and we aren't supposed to return until 3:15. We putz around shopping centers, in and out of stores... at one point I fell into Adam and told him I was tired of stalling, I just wanted to head back to the house. So finally the time comes and we head home. We haven't figured out a way to explain away the cars to Joe so we decided to just play dumb... as we pull up he is all "damn Sandy, I didn't want a party", "I can't believe you did this" and "you guys slipped up a few times"... we walk in the house and out to the back patio where there is not a party for Joe with the people I have been told will be there... instead there is a clothesline of baby clothes across the patio and an extremely high ratio of women.

Welcome to my surprise baby shower...

Sandy and Becky had orchestrated a baby shower for me up in Hagerstown and... along with everyone else... managed to keep me in the dark about it.

To say the least, this weekend was filled with hysterical antics... at the end of last week I started to suspect something and I kept quiet until Friday evening when I was chatting with Danielle (who is planning another baby shower for me ;~)... I told her I suspected something but she shut me down so quickly saying that everyone from Htown was coming to the baby shower and that she didn't want me walking around all weekend thinking that something was coming when it wasn't. Impressive on her feet thinking especially since I sprung that on her and she hasn't been feeling well lately... well played Danielle.

Once we got to Htown and the fam really played up the "surprise party for Joe" lie... I really started to feel silly for thinking that this was about me and totally bought back into the whole Joe's party idea. And everyone really played the part well... Sandy would take me up on offers to run to the grocery store, she rattled off names of those that were coming to the party.

Then with all the stress that Sandy was under planning this I made a comment to her about not being allowed to throw a surprise party again because its too stressful... I am sure she got a good laugh out of that. Come to find out... the stress was more from trying to keep what lie she was telling straight... pretending to lie to Joe when he really knew and always lying to me about whatever was going on... I can only imagine the insanity that brought on.

The baby shower was awesome... the weather was fantastic and it was really great to see so many friendly faces. I am trying not to post too many pictures but you all know me (and my photographer husband ;~) we have a ton of them... plus 2 videos of them actually surprising me... that might get posted later.

Aunt Becky stealing all the blue pacifier pins from anyone that said "baby" and then managing to not say it herself... she won the prize!

Grandma and I... she knit the most beautiful baby blue blanket... I can't wait to put that out in Peabert's room!

My wonderful husband who was on "dog duty' all day long... which was a task because boy was Riley confused about what was going on ;~)

Madyson and I posing for the camera... she was my big helper during the presents... picking out my next one and trashing all the paper for me... #1 helper for sure!

"What happens at Grandma's House, stays at Grandma's House" -

Peaberts "Jr. Lawyer" suit courtesy of Aunt Becky

LOVED the cake... everyone wanted to know the meaning behind Peabert ;~)

Riley can't be bothered with the baby shower... he is too busy soaking in the rays.

Heather, Gracie, Madyson and Cori

Debbie, Sandy's best friend and her daughter-in-law Sarah

Sandy and her good friend Therese

Trust me... I could have posted hundreds more pictures but I will spare you all... needless to say, it was an awesome party and I can't thank Sandy and Becky enough for throwing it for me. I had a wonderful time and was thoroughly surprised!

You have a strange way of getting ready for bed

A joke around our house is that even when I say I am ready for bed, that means I have about 8 other things I need to do before bed actually happens. It can be a variety of things that need to be done depending on what occurred that evening or what is on my 'to do' list.

Last night Adam and I were getting ready for bed and as he was straightening the sheets, I was shredding receipts. Adam looks over and says "you have a strange way of getting ready for bed"... yes I do ;~)

Going Away Party

My Dad and Stacie's going away party was this weekend. It turned out to be a great party and I think everyone had a lot of fun. It was at Iggies in Baltimore where you BYOB and eat the worlds best pizza ever... seriously folks... awesome pizza, try it sometime!


Dad and Stacie with The Economist which just happened to have "Who's afraid of Google?" as the cover story... Adam and I couldn't pass up bringing it to the party!


Rose and Nick came to send my dad and Stacie off... Rose has basically been an extension of our family since college... holidays, living at the house, learning to cook from dad and many more memories to great to list here. BTW - doesn't she totally look glam... love your style girl!


I also got to see my lifelong family friends Vicki and Brooke. Our friendship started when I was 9 years old... Vicki had just had her first baby and agreed to watch me during the summers for my mom... years of that pass and then I in turn start babysitting for her family... as it got bigger and bigger with the addition of Jon, Joy and Josh. Not only are Vicki and Brooke like second parents to me but their kids are like my little brothers and sisters. I love their family... to which they have added one more... little Julia who is by far the cutest little pistol ever!

There were many other people there saying goodbye to dad and Stacie but I don't know many of them so I am not going to post their pictures ;~)

All in all it was a fun evening... a little surreal to think that dad and Stacie won't be around after this month... but exciting nonetheless. T minus less than 2 weeks ;~)