Baby Babiak is on the Way!

Most of you probably saw my post on Facebook on Sunday night -- Where I posted this:

I had made up a big card for Chris's birthday from his unborn child.

Let me stop and say, no, this was not how I told Chris that we were going to have a baby. It would have been great to be able to keep it a secret and share with him on such a special occasion, but I am horrible at keeping secrets from him. I mean horrible. The man knows everything. And I don't think I could have waited that long.

We've actually known for a while. Sorry I had to keep you in the dark. Sometimes there are things that are best shared quietly with those closest to you and I really had to restrain myself from spilling the beans here before I could share with a few key people. (If you felt like you should have been one of those people, but I failed at contacting you, I am truly sorry. Please call me.) 

But now it is finally time to share it with you!!!!!

Anyway, back to the big news. It's true. Chris and I are expecting the arrival of our first child in early October. I'm just three weeks shy of the half way mark. So far everything is going very well. I have a lot to learn and prepare for but we are very excited to be parents.

 

So, there you have it! We're having a baby! 

From here on out, I'll most likely share (but hopefully not over-share) more about my pregnancy here with you. If you'd like to follow along, please do by clicking the "join this site" button on the left side of my blog. I will not be posting much at all to Facebook.

Most of you probably saw my post on Facebook on Sunday night -- Where I posted this:

I had made up a big card for Chris's birthday from his unborn child.

Let me stop and say, no, this was not how I told Chris that we were going to have a baby. It would have been great to be able to keep it a secret and share with him on such a special occasion, but I am horrible at keeping secrets from him. I mean horrible. The man knows everything. And I don't think I could have waited that long.

We've actually known for a while. Sorry I had to keep you in the dark. Sometimes there are things that are best shared quietly with those closest to you and I really had to restrain myself from spilling the beans here before I could share with a few key people. (If you felt like you should have been one of those people, but I failed at contacting you, I am truly sorry. Please call me.) 

But now it is finally time to share it with you!!!!!

Anyway, back to the big news. It's true. Chris and I are expecting the arrival of our first child in early October. I'm just three weeks shy of the half way mark. So far everything is going very well. I have a lot to learn and prepare for but we are very excited to be parents.

 

So, there you have it! We're having a baby! 

From here on out, I'll most likely share (but hopefully not over-share) more about my pregnancy here with you. If you'd like to follow along, please do by clicking the "join this site" button on the left side of my blog. I will not be posting much at all to Facebook.

Happy Birthday, Husband!

Yesterday was my husband's birthday. But really, we tried to celebrate all weekend long. After all, it was his 30th Birthday -- and he is incredible and deserved to be celebrated.

On Friday night, I took him out for a surprise Birthday date. My husband would rather do something fun like go to a concert or DisneyLand (of course) with me than have me go out and buy him something that he could get for himself. He's all about the experience, where as I, love the gifts.

So this weekend was all about the experience. I had been racking my brain with what we should do; a concert he really wanted to go to was out of our price range, and nothing else seemed to jump out at me . . . until the last minute.

A while ago, Chris mentioned that he wanted to see the Walt Disney Family Museum which is somewhat-new to the city. As I was pursing their website I discovered that once a month they keep the museum open late, bring in a DJ,  a food truck, a few bartenders, and a few other fun activities and have what they called "Animate Your Night" for people over 21. And as my luck would have it, this was going to happen the Friday before his birthday! Perfect! And the theme of the night was stop-motion. Even better! (Chris loves stop-motion movies.) Their special presentation was sold out already but I decided we should go and see the museum and enjoy the party atmosphere anyway.

We had a blast! We got to make our own stop motion short (short as in 3 seconds), have great food and drinks (non-alcoholic for me, of course) and wander through the vast museum of the history of Walt Disney. It was very cool. They had a lot of multimedia presentations and interviews with Walt.  It was more about him and how he became what we know him for than about Disney movies, but there were plenty of those shown and talked about too! They also have a miniature model of DisneyLand! (Not quite as awesome as actually going to the theme park, but it was still cool).

Then on Sunday, the big day, we got our friends together for brunch at Boogaloos, a small place in the Mission known for their breakfast that we had not tried yet. Then we headed back to our apartment for wine and cheese (okay they had the wine, I had water) and watched the newly released Les Miserables DVD. It was such a fun day with friends! Just what Chris wanted.

It was also one of the few times most of our friends were together, so we took that opportunity to spill our secret that we are expecting! (More on that later.)

Happy Birthday, sweetheart. I love you entirely!

Yesterday was my husband's birthday. But really, we tried to celebrate all weekend long. After all, it was his 30th Birthday -- and he is incredible and deserved to be celebrated.

On Friday night, I took him out for a surprise Birthday date. My husband would rather do something fun like go to a concert or DisneyLand (of course) with me than have me go out and buy him something that he could get for himself. He's all about the experience, where as I, love the gifts.

So this weekend was all about the experience. I had been racking my brain with what we should do; a concert he really wanted to go to was out of our price range, and nothing else seemed to jump out at me . . . until the last minute.

A while ago, Chris mentioned that he wanted to see the Walt Disney Family Museum which is somewhat-new to the city. As I was pursing their website I discovered that once a month they keep the museum open late, bring in a DJ,  a food truck, a few bartenders, and a few other fun activities and have what they called "Animate Your Night" for people over 21. And as my luck would have it, this was going to happen the Friday before his birthday! Perfect! And the theme of the night was stop-motion. Even better! (Chris loves stop-motion movies.) Their special presentation was sold out already but I decided we should go and see the museum and enjoy the party atmosphere anyway.

We had a blast! We got to make our own stop motion short (short as in 3 seconds), have great food and drinks (non-alcoholic for me, of course) and wander through the vast museum of the history of Walt Disney. It was very cool. They had a lot of multimedia presentations and interviews with Walt.  It was more about him and how he became what we know him for than about Disney movies, but there were plenty of those shown and talked about too! They also have a miniature model of DisneyLand! (Not quite as awesome as actually going to the theme park, but it was still cool).

Then on Sunday, the big day, we got our friends together for brunch at Boogaloos, a small place in the Mission known for their breakfast that we had not tried yet. Then we headed back to our apartment for wine and cheese (okay they had the wine, I had water) and watched the newly released Les Miserables DVD. It was such a fun day with friends! Just what Chris wanted.

It was also one of the few times most of our friends were together, so we took that opportunity to spill our secret that we are expecting! (More on that later.)

Happy Birthday, sweetheart. I love you entirely!

Weekend Away with the Babiaks

My in-laws made another visit to Northern California this past week. We've been very spoiled to see them so frequently. (This is not a normal year!) They spent a day in the city before heading up to Napa Valley to enjoy a weekend of wine tasting.

They arrived on Wednesday and joined us for homemade dinner of Potato-bacon soup and biscuits. We taught them one of our new favorite games, "Bang" and played for a while before turning in for the night.

They left the next morning for Napa and Chris and I joined them on Friday night after work. They had already had a full couple of days of wine tasting so we took it slow on Saturday and enjoyed driving further north to take a tour of Sterling Winery. The winery was on the top of a hill and looked to be quite large from the road. The only way to the entrance was via aerial gondola! The property was beautiful and the tour was nice. We ended the tour with a special tasting of their reserved wines on an outdoor patio. It was a perfect afternoon!

Afterwards we made a stop at Frank Family Winery. They were small and quaint and very personable. But we really didn't stay there long.

For lunch we went to the French Blue. Yelp had described it as "casual classy" which I would agree with. I wish I would have taken a photo of the seating because it was so unique. The chairs were almost like lounge patio furniture, some of it wicker with large cushions. The decor was white and simple but I felt it was cozy and elegant at the same time. It also had an open kitchen which made the space look even larger. Everyone had great food and left refreshed and satisfied.

We stopped at another winery just to pick up a few bottles that we already knew we loved and then headed back to the condo. After a delicious salmon dinner we had an evening of games. We played "Seven Wonders" and a few more hands of "Bang." I love playing games with Chris's family.

On Sunday, we headed back to the city and caught up on the usual weekend chores. For dinner we all went out to Suppenküche for German food and beer. After dinner we drove over to the Bay Bridge to watch their LED light display which I hadn't even heard of until our guests mentioned wanting to see it. Apparently, there are 25,000 white LED lights on the Bay Bridge individually programed by an artist to display patterns and pictures on the side of the bridge. It was actually very cool and I probably could have sat on the pier and watched them for hours. But it was Sunday night, which meant we had to go home and get ready for Monday morning. (I never like that feeling.)

My in-laws left on Monday morning, but we'll see them again next month as Chris's brother is getting married in Texas!

We had such a great time with them and felt truly blessed to have a weekend away with them in the beautiful Napa Valley.

My in-laws made another visit to Northern California this past week. We've been very spoiled to see them so frequently. (This is not a normal year!) They spent a day in the city before heading up to Napa Valley to enjoy a weekend of wine tasting.

They arrived on Wednesday and joined us for homemade dinner of Potato-bacon soup and biscuits. We taught them one of our new favorite games, "Bang" and played for a while before turning in for the night.

They left the next morning for Napa and Chris and I joined them on Friday night after work. They had already had a full couple of days of wine tasting so we took it slow on Saturday and enjoyed driving further north to take a tour of Sterling Winery. The winery was on the top of a hill and looked to be quite large from the road. The only way to the entrance was via aerial gondola! The property was beautiful and the tour was nice. We ended the tour with a special tasting of their reserved wines on an outdoor patio. It was a perfect afternoon!

Afterwards we made a stop at Frank Family Winery. They were small and quaint and very personable. But we really didn't stay there long.

For lunch we went to the French Blue. Yelp had described it as "casual classy" which I would agree with. I wish I would have taken a photo of the seating because it was so unique. The chairs were almost like lounge patio furniture, some of it wicker with large cushions. The decor was white and simple but I felt it was cozy and elegant at the same time. It also had an open kitchen which made the space look even larger. Everyone had great food and left refreshed and satisfied.

We stopped at another winery just to pick up a few bottles that we already knew we loved and then headed back to the condo. After a delicious salmon dinner we had an evening of games. We played "Seven Wonders" and a few more hands of "Bang." I love playing games with Chris's family.

On Sunday, we headed back to the city and caught up on the usual weekend chores. For dinner we all went out to Suppenküche for German food and beer. After dinner we drove over to the Bay Bridge to watch their LED light display which I hadn't even heard of until our guests mentioned wanting to see it. Apparently, there are 25,000 white LED lights on the Bay Bridge individually programed by an artist to display patterns and pictures on the side of the bridge. It was actually very cool and I probably could have sat on the pier and watched them for hours. But it was Sunday night, which meant we had to go home and get ready for Monday morning. (I never like that feeling.)

My in-laws left on Monday morning, but we'll see them again next month as Chris's brother is getting married in Texas!

We had such a great time with them and felt truly blessed to have a weekend away with them in the beautiful Napa Valley.

Beauty in My Eyes

Throughout this week several people have posted a link to a Dove commercial that sparked the discussion of how women tend to view themselves differently (often being more critical) than others view them. If you haven't seen it yet, you should watch it.

It got me thinking about the first time I saw a photo of myself and thought, "I'm pretty." Not in a big-headed-prideful way, more like a stunned "Wow, I can't believe that's me in this picture! It's not ugly!" sort of way.

I was thirteen and had just gotten contacts. It was the day our school pictures were handed out and everyone wanted to see everyone else's. We were excited to pass them around and trade, as had become the tradition. We wanted our lockers filled with photos of our friends (forget that we looked at each other all day long, everyday!).

One of the more popular girls in my class came over to my desk and asked to see my photo. When I showed her, she commented that it was a really great photo. I remember saying something like, "I don't think it looks like me though." And she said, "Yes, it does."

Yes, it does. That was me. That was what I looked like to my peers. I stared at that photo for days. And for the life of me, I couldn't see that girl when I looked in the mirror.

I hear the same thing from my husband. I'm beautiful, I'm pretty, and he goes on and on. But for all the time I spend looking in the mirror all I can see are acne scars and blemishes, fuzzy eyebrows and fading freckles.

I know I'm not the only one who thinks about themselves this way. My sister used to tell me shut-up when I commented on how pretty/gorgeous/beautiful she was (and still is). So in response I would say "You're so ugly" and she said "Thank you!" How messed up is that?!? I regret ever saying those awful words.

Growing up, I remember wanting nothing more than to be blonde and skinny like my couins. I had dark brown hair and was a little more round and was covered in freckles. Even before kindergarten I had an idea of what was pretty and what was not. Where does that come from?

Why is it so much easier to hear, see and believe the negative about ourselves than the positive? Why are we so critical? Why are differences bad? Why do we long to look like everyone else?

I need to stop negative self-talk. I need to start appreciating who I am -- and who God made me. I need to be thankful instead of critical. I need to like myself. I need to look for the beauty in my eyes and believe that it's there.

I'm curious what you thought of Dove's video. Please leave a comment below!

Throughout this week several people have posted a link to a Dove commercial that sparked the discussion of how women tend to view themselves differently (often being more critical) than others view them. If you haven't seen it yet, you should watch it.

It got me thinking about the first time I saw a photo of myself and thought, "I'm pretty." Not in a big-headed-prideful way, more like a stunned "Wow, I can't believe that's me in this picture! It's not ugly!" sort of way.

I was thirteen and had just gotten contacts. It was the day our school pictures were handed out and everyone wanted to see everyone else's. We were excited to pass them around and trade, as had become the tradition. We wanted our lockers filled with photos of our friends (forget that we looked at each other all day long, everyday!).

One of the more popular girls in my class came over to my desk and asked to see my photo. When I showed her, she commented that it was a really great photo. I remember saying something like, "I don't think it looks like me though." And she said, "Yes, it does."

Yes, it does. That was me. That was what I looked like to my peers. I stared at that photo for days. And for the life of me, I couldn't see that girl when I looked in the mirror.

I hear the same thing from my husband. I'm beautiful, I'm pretty, and he goes on and on. But for all the time I spend looking in the mirror all I can see are acne scars and blemishes, fuzzy eyebrows and fading freckles.

I know I'm not the only one who thinks about themselves this way. My sister used to tell me shut-up when I commented on how pretty/gorgeous/beautiful she was (and still is). So in response I would say "You're so ugly" and she said "Thank you!" How messed up is that?!? I regret ever saying those awful words.

Growing up, I remember wanting nothing more than to be blonde and skinny like my couins. I had dark brown hair and was a little more round and was covered in freckles. Even before kindergarten I had an idea of what was pretty and what was not. Where does that come from?

Why is it so much easier to hear, see and believe the negative about ourselves than the positive? Why are we so critical? Why are differences bad? Why do we long to look like everyone else?

I need to stop negative self-talk. I need to start appreciating who I am -- and who God made me. I need to be thankful instead of critical. I need to like myself. I need to look for the beauty in my eyes and believe that it's there.

I'm curious what you thought of Dove's video. Please leave a comment below!

Trying to spice things up

I feel like it's been forever since I've written, had anything to really say or share. But I want to. I think about it almost everyday. I've been a little preoccupied lately, mostly with my own thoughts. Thoughts about starting my own photography (side) business, thoughts about my husband switching careers, thoughts about redecorating our apartment on a (very tight) budget.

I've been searching Craigslist nonstop for almost a month now looking for some sort of china hutch/cabinet that I can use as a pantry. I'll have to show you are current set up, which isn't bad, but leaves something to be desired. We've looked at one, but it wasn't right. I've contacted sellers only to find the actual measurements were just too big. Or people just ask too much for used furniture (in my opinion).

I've also been looking for a new entry way table/dresser. Something with storage options. Currently all of my craft supplies sit next to my bed and it is not pretty. I hate seeing my beloved hobbies sitting in disarray. I'd love to be able to store my sewing, card making, and photography supplies in a more organized fashion (and out of my sight).

I'm struggling. I've never been very good at picking out furniture and it's much harder when you have limited cash to spend. In the past when we've purchased furniture it has been completely functional which is fine, but I'm starting to want to show some taste or design in our home. I want it to be "pretty" if you will. Pinterest is great for ideas, but sometimes completely overwhelming. Where do people find this stuff and how long did it take them to find it? 

I love where we live and the space we have, but living in a one bedroom apartment has it's challenges. I think adding a few key pieces of furniture with more storage elements will really help . . . I just need to find them!

When in need of used/reasonably priced furniture, where do you look?

I feel like it's been forever since I've written, had anything to really say or share. But I want to. I think about it almost everyday. I've been a little preoccupied lately, mostly with my own thoughts. Thoughts about starting my own photography (side) business, thoughts about my husband switching careers, thoughts about redecorating our apartment on a (very tight) budget.

I've been searching Craigslist nonstop for almost a month now looking for some sort of china hutch/cabinet that I can use as a pantry. I'll have to show you are current set up, which isn't bad, but leaves something to be desired. We've looked at one, but it wasn't right. I've contacted sellers only to find the actual measurements were just too big. Or people just ask too much for used furniture (in my opinion).

I've also been looking for a new entry way table/dresser. Something with storage options. Currently all of my craft supplies sit next to my bed and it is not pretty. I hate seeing my beloved hobbies sitting in disarray. I'd love to be able to store my sewing, card making, and photography supplies in a more organized fashion (and out of my sight).

I'm struggling. I've never been very good at picking out furniture and it's much harder when you have limited cash to spend. In the past when we've purchased furniture it has been completely functional which is fine, but I'm starting to want to show some taste or design in our home. I want it to be "pretty" if you will. Pinterest is great for ideas, but sometimes completely overwhelming. Where do people find this stuff and how long did it take them to find it? 

I love where we live and the space we have, but living in a one bedroom apartment has it's challenges. I think adding a few key pieces of furniture with more storage elements will really help . . . I just need to find them!

When in need of used/reasonably priced furniture, where do you look?

Courageous

I don't want you to think I haven't been reading lately, I have been. A lot actually. But the books I've been reading are hardly anything to brag about, much less mention. They were freebie Kindle downloads (I have a Kindle e-reader on my phone); there was one by Janette Oak that wasn't bad (I read a lot of her stuff in my teens), but most of them were cheesy romance short stories that I can't even remember anymore . . . and might be a little embarrassed that I read them.

There is one worth mentioning; it's a more well known title since it was made into a movie last year. Courageous by Randy Alcorn is about four police officers doing their best to fight a city filled with gang violence as well as trying to be decent Christians, husbands and fathers. Their day jobs often seem easier than tackling the struggles of their home lives. But all that changes when tragedy strikes and the story develops as these four cops change their focus and thereby change their lives.

It's a pretty encouraging story. Maybe even more encouraging since we have a friend who just joined the police academy. We knew we needed to hold up his wife and future family with this new career change but this book helped me understand how to pray better for them. Yes, I know it's a story, but I think from what I have heard, it represented the statistics of divorce and suicide among cops fairly accurately.

I'm not sure how the male population would rate the book, but as a girl wife, I always enjoy reading about men taking a stand for whats right and fighting for their marriages and families. The ending does go a little overboard in presenting the gospel, but I think if someone's heart were opening up to the Lord as they read this story, then it's important that the author do that.

Overall, I thought this was a good read and an encouraging story. Watching the movie may take less time, but I'm not sure it would compare.

I don't want you to think I haven't been reading lately, I have been. A lot actually. But the books I've been reading are hardly anything to brag about, much less mention. They were freebie Kindle downloads (I have a Kindle e-reader on my phone); there was one by Janette Oak that wasn't bad (I read a lot of her stuff in my teens), but most of them were cheesy romance short stories that I can't even remember anymore . . . and might be a little embarrassed that I read them.

There is one worth mentioning; it's a more well known title since it was made into a movie last year. Courageous by Randy Alcorn is about four police officers doing their best to fight a city filled with gang violence as well as trying to be decent Christians, husbands and fathers. Their day jobs often seem easier than tackling the struggles of their home lives. But all that changes when tragedy strikes and the story develops as these four cops change their focus and thereby change their lives.

It's a pretty encouraging story. Maybe even more encouraging since we have a friend who just joined the police academy. We knew we needed to hold up his wife and future family with this new career change but this book helped me understand how to pray better for them. Yes, I know it's a story, but I think from what I have heard, it represented the statistics of divorce and suicide among cops fairly accurately.

I'm not sure how the male population would rate the book, but as a girl wife, I always enjoy reading about men taking a stand for whats right and fighting for their marriages and families. The ending does go a little overboard in presenting the gospel, but I think if someone's heart were opening up to the Lord as they read this story, then it's important that the author do that.

Overall, I thought this was a good read and an encouraging story. Watching the movie may take less time, but I'm not sure it would compare.