Our little girl's nursery

Finally, our nursery is almost finished. (With a lot of help from all of you in the form of baby shower gifts).

The transformation of this room from a spare room/study/music room into a nursery has been an interesting process. Earlier in the pregnancy many tears were shed over the lack of space for our baby. However, some months later, it appears that Dave was correct when he said we would manage to empty the room. Items that left the room (some also left our house) include a desk, computer, piano keyboard, bedside table, a closet full of junk, 3 bookshelves (tall ones!), a filing cabinet, a large electric guitar speaker cabinet, and a hideous desk chair (Dave interjection: It really wasn't so bad). Needless to say, we are delighted to be able to show you these pictures of the transformed room. We didn't include before pictures because they are so frightening (and we couldn't seem to find them).

Some key elements you see below include the pictures on the wall that Dave made (printed on canvas and attached to wood backing). We were also especially pleased with our changing table. It happens to be the one that matches our crib, and we miraculously found it on Craigslist! This nursery has a distinct tendency towards pink, so if this little girl comes out a boy, he'll have an interesting formative environment.

Here is a picture of the beautiful pink pooh quilt that is hanging on the nursery wall next to the crib.

We decided to keep our single guest bed in the room, even though it is now a nursery. The diaper bag you see hanging on the rocker is packed!

Here you can see the piglet rug on the floor, as well as the cute cubes we are using as a mini bookshelf. We really enjoy going into the nursery and dreaming about our little girl being in there.


This final picture is of her closet and the beautiful hair bows that were made for her and given to us by Lisa, Lauren's sister. The hair bows are clipped to a decorative ribbon to display while they are not clipped in her hair (on the wall). In the closet, we organized the clothes according to age group in plastic boxes. We received a lot of clothes from a couple friends who have had little girls, and then we also received clothes from friends and family as gifts, so our little girl will be beautifully dressed.

Merry Christmas!

Happy Christmas (that's what we say in South Africa), or Merry Christmas (here in the U.S.) to you and your family. May pondering Christ's birth bring you closer to him.

-Dave and Tracy

Luke 2:10 "I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all people. Today in the town of David, a Savior has been born to you. He is Christ the Lord."

Baby Shower

Shortly before Thanksgiving, we were fortunate to be thown a truly amazingly beautiful and special shower. It was made even more special by the friends and family who came and showed their support for us and our little baby girl. Here are some pictures of the fabulous event.

This is a behind the scenes peek into the shower set up. You can see my mother, Dave's mom, and Belinda working on part of the food table.

Here is the assembly line of set up workers, my mom, Dave, Dave's sister Janice, and me (Belinda and Dave's mom must have stepped away for a moment).

Here you can see how the tables were decorated. You can also see the gift table in the background.

Below is the picture of the diaper cake that my mom made for the shower. Isn't is gorgeous?

This picture enables you to see all the people in their seats, as well as some of the set up for the shower. The tables were decorated with balloons and candies/nuts and flowers.

Here you can see Dave's mom and Janice sitting at one of the tables. They drove down from San Jose for the shower. It was great to have them visit for the weekend and be a part of the shower as future grandma and aunt. They also helped with setting up and packing up, which was wonderful.

Here is my mom and some of our family friends who came to the shower. My mom did an enormous amount of work and pulled off a shower to remember!

Here are Bible study friends that came to the shower, including Danica who helped out in many different ways. It was great to see you guys! (Note that Naomi's baby, Jordan, is already here)

Here is a picture of Danica and the O'Donnell's and me. It was fantastic to have Jerilyn and Tyler and baby Jackson come down from Santa Barbara for the shower. That's quite a distance to drive with a little baby, and having them there truly made the shower extra-special.

Here is a picture of mom, Belinda, and me. My sister and mother gave little girl Fung an incredible shower. It was very special, and a lot of work for them, I know. She will be lucky to have such an amazing aunt and grandma.

Belly Pics. Only 5 more weeks to go!

We forgot to take belly pics for weeks 29 and 32. Ooops. Isn't my wife so adorable and cute?

35 weeks.....


34 weeks....


33 weeks....


31 weeks....


30 weeks.....

Hey, where'd you go?

What a bunch of slackers we are. There are a number of things we want to post but haven't found time to do it. In the mean time, lets turn it around. What do YOU want to hear about? All 2 of you who read this.

knitted booties

I couldn't resist showing you all the little booties I just knitted. Aren't they cute? I can't wait to put them on her little feet.

Genes really do work!

Our 32 week ultrasound has proved quite enlightening. For those of you who have joined us in wondering what our precious baby would look like, we have news for you. We have strong evidence that indicates that if you'd like to know what she will look like, take another look at . . . Dave!

Here is my baby picture (Tracy). Examine the tiny nose and thin lips.


Here are two baby pictures of Dave. Look particularly at the nose and mouth in the second picture.



Now here are the ultrasound pictures. Compare the nose and mouth to Dave's baby picture. Exclaim in amazement at the resemblance.
Isn't she beautiful? We can't wait to meet her.






Our 32 week ultrasound did have one incidental finding. She appears to have a single nuchal cord (the umbilical cord is wrapped once around her neck). There is nothing that can be done about it, and right now it is not causing any problems. Apparently 1/3 of all babies have a cord around their neck and in 99% of cases it does not cause a problem (according to the doctor). Please join us in continuing to pray for her healthy birth.

Welcome FunGirl

The women in my Tuesday morning Beth Moore Bible study group had a surprise baby celebration for me and Baby Girl this past Tuesday. What a surprise! These are women who have prayed for us and for this baby a long time, and their support and generosity was greatly appreciated. Here you can see what they wrote on the top of the delicious cake. (The cake was very good and was eaten quickly). Thank you again, ladies!

Insert dowel K through plane #2

Two weeks ago, we setup the crib that had sat disassembled by the front door in it's filthy box.

All the pieces...


Where'd those instructions go?


Final touches...


Done!

What not to do when your wife is in labor.....

For the love of crunchy potato chunks...

"So Dave, does Tracy have any cravings? You know pickles with peanut butter ice cream? oh, oh oh, what about cream of chicken with frosted flakes and orange juice?"

Friends have asked me if my sweet wife has had any cravings, and while I'd love to say that she's been eating 60 grit sandpaper w/ concrete, alas, nothing special. French fries are really the only thing she's distinctly grown a greater attachment to. But don't cast that stone too quickly. Can you really pass up an offering of curly seasoned french fries? Particularly the el cheapo Vons brand 2.5 pound bag for $3?

Here she is in action!

28 at 28 weeks

I'm 28 years old and 28 weeks pregnant. Fun, huh?

Belly pictures

As you can see, our baby girl is growing rapidly.

Week 27 (This week! - I'm not sure how large I'll be after 3 more months of this) . . .

Week 26 . . .

Week 25 . . .

Week 24 . . .

Also week 24 . . .

Week 23 . . .

Week 22 (Don't I look thin? If you don't think so, look up at week 27) . . .

Stroller take 2...

When I say baby preparation, what do you think of? Baby clothing, baby name books, wall decor, diapers, fitted sheets, birthing classes, pacifiers, college savings plans, or even gerber food. All these elements are normal and necessary things to consider/buy when readying your family for baby, but you have to wonder if dear old dad-to-be is feeling a little lost.

May I generalize? Thanks. Dads are boys. Boys enjoy boy things like: speed, loud noises, heavy machinery, smoke, pointless gadgetry, unsolvable problems, and frosted flakes. Diaper changing classes and pureed turkey dinners don't fall into the above categories. So as dad-to-be is preparing for baby, is there anything he can latch on to? Yes. The stroller.

In our case. The Bob stroller. Not only was it a bargain (+5 boy points), it also has wheels (+2 boy pts)! Surely something with wheels = fun. Let me show you some other fun features of our stroller....

- Weight: 24 lbs
- Max Capacity: 70 lb little human
- Frame: High strength Aluminum Alloy

- Shocks: Adjustable shock absorbers for big or small kids (2 position), 3" travel.


-Adjustable/Lockable front wheel. The wheel swivels freely in the unlocked position. A quick switch locks the wheel and turns the stroller into a jogger.


-Quick Release Wheels


- "Live Axle" foot brake


- "Moon roof": Window to check on/out your passenger.


-Adjustable seat back: Upright to lying almost flat


- 5 point safety harness: To keep baby safe in the event of a water landing or when Tracy is running at light speed. (Special thanks to our baby model, Doggy.)