4 Years!

Well today marks 4 years from the best day ever...the day Thad and I both lost our virginity...our wedding day!! It feels like a lot less than that. It's hard to believe that it was really 4 years ago already. I have such joyous & special memories from that day that could never be forgotten. I just wish we could do it all over again!! Vow renewal at Montage?? Haha, I won't push my luck. :) Celebrating our anniversary this year feels so much more special knowing that it's our last one to celebrate alone with Baby Lily on the way. What an exciting time in our lives.

Time is really flying by these days - feels like just yesterday that we met at LMU and were doing keg stands and hitting up the Sunset Strip like crazy animals...but really that was 9 1/2 years ago! Gosh I am getting old. To celebrate the big #4 we're going to Ruth's Chris for dinner tonight and today, I am going to Burke Williams Spa for a pregnancy massage that my mom & dad got me for Mother's Day. A marvelous day planned if I don't say so myself! We opened a beautiful card from grandma & grandpa this morning. They are just the best & most caring grandparents that exist! In fact we already received a call from my grandma at 8 AM on the dot singing to us this morning. She is a riot :) My mom forgot to mail our card/gift so she mailed it yesterday overnight to make sure we get it today! I really do have the best family in the world. They make Thad & I feel so important & loved.

Speaking of family, we went up to Norcal this past weekend for a short family visit and to attend my friend Cara's wedding. It was a great trip but sailed by - way too short! Cara's wedding was so beautiful and she looked so gorgeous like always! It was such an intimate wedding, only 50 guests, so we felt really special to even be there. Cara & Danny are such a sweet couple and are just perfect for one another. We are so happy for them! Thad was pretty sad that "wedding Jen" could not come out to play. Usually I am the life of the party but this time all I could think about was going home and crawling into my bed to sleep for 12 hours. Quite a difference. :) My aunt Anne was visiting from Philly with her boyfriend Tony and just after we left, he proposed to her in Carmel! We are so happy for them too. It was my grandpas 86th birthday on Sunday and we celebrated my brother's HS graduation on Saturday. Such a busy weekend! It was truly a weekend filled with love, family & friends - three of my favorite things! I was very sad to leave.

I will post some shots of my belly soon. It's growing pretty rapidly these days! I can't even imagine what it will look like next month. This past month has been a growth spurt if I've ever seen one!

O'Grady Out.

Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies!!

I was just watching the unveiling of the new wimbledon center court and eating an oatmeal chocolate chip cookie from the batch I had just made, and BAM, I started to feel Lily moving like crazy in there! It was the first time I've really felt her moving! Amazing!! I'm not 100% sure that it was the cookies she liked. She also could have been signaling a strong interest in playing wimbledon one day. Either way it was crazy to feel her moving in there for 10 whole minutes! I'm glad that I have 24 cookies left....maybe I will eat them all at once and then see what she does...no, no I am trying to stay on the wagon here not fall off on my hiney which already has some generous padding these days.

I'm making another recipe tonight from my favorite foodie blog that my mom & I found. If I haven't already told you about it, it's www.fortheloveofcooking-recipes.blogspot.com. This housewife created the blog and she has some really yummy recipes that both my mom & I make on a weekly basis. I am making her asian chicken tonight which we absolutely love. A few of our other faves are her Kung Pao Chicken, Carne Asada Marinade (for steak tacos), and Slow Roasted Basil, Garlic & Lemon Chicken. She has TONS of great recipes with great pics and easy to follow instructions. Check it out!

Thad played in the club doubles championship this weekend and he made it to the finals. I watched the final match today and unfortunately they lost 6-4 in the third. He played well but his partner was not very good (hopefully he never reads this blog...). I think next year he will crush the competition with a solid partner like me :) He is so tired and at the jacuzzi soaking his tired muscles. I wish I could have gone with him but I didn't want to cook little lily. She doesn't deserve that.

We're headed up North on Saturday for a quick family visit and to attend my good friend Cara's wedding! I'm really looking forward to it. To-do list for this week - find a dress that doesn't accentuate my growing waste line, preferably in a dark color in case I pee my pants again.. Wish me luck!!

LILY MAY is on her WAY!

SO EXCITED!!! We had our gender determination 2D/3D/4D ultrasound today at Picture an Angel in Lake Forest and found out we are having a GIRL!! While it's not truly 100%, the ultrasound showed a very definite "three lines" down there, which means a baby girl! They also call it the "hamburger" method because the three lines resemble a hamburger with the middle line being a little longer than the other two. If it were a boy, especially considering that Thad is hung like a horse, we would have seen a "hot dog" if you will, even this early in the game! There is no hiding that monster.

We've decided on Lily May O'Grady (middle name is also the month we were married in!). The last name was a tough decision. I was pushing for Nadal but we thought that may confuse little Lily down the line..."No, mommy was not sleeping with Rafa, sweetie..." and so on...so anyway, we settled with O'Grady. I'm okay with it I guess :)

The 3D/4D is amazing. She still looks a little skeleton-like with the lack of body fat and oversized head, but we were amazed at how much she has already developed. She was sucking her thumb a lot of the time and it looked like she was talking up a storm in there - moving her mouth constantly. At one point she gave us a tenacious Nadal fist pump..it was awesome! We will be doing at least 2 more 3D/4D ultrasounds down the line. Probably one in 10 weeks when I'm about 25 weeks, and another one towards the very end too. By then we should be able to see full facial features and everything! Yay!!

Here are some pics for you! I think if you click on the pics you can view them larger. One is 2D of the "girl parts", look for the three lines in between the two sets of arrows. The other is a 3D pic showing you our baby Lily! Enjoy!!