Twofer

Can you spot the Pregos in this picture? (I'll give you a hint: There are two and unmarried Anne isn't one of them!)





Chelsea and Mark are expecting, too! Isn't that fun! We're so excited that our kiddos will be the same age and Rick and Sue are over the moon to have TWO grandbabies on the way! Chelsea is due May 17th. Unfortunately, she has been very ill, so send all your good thoughts her way!

Birthday Girl, once again

Well, my 26th birthday was full of fun and lasted for many days (in the true Barbarakah tradition) this year. However, the excitement of finding out that we're having a BOY the day before my bday overshadowed the birthday celebrations and I'm just fine with that. Birthdays become less of a big deal the more I age and I'm excited to have a little one in our family to lavish attention on instead!

My in-laws threw a lovely birthday dinner for me and Sam (the other November baby) on November 2nd. (They also took me and Johnny out for a double date last night.) I received lots of love and good wishes and birthday gifts and cards from my loving second family and John took that opportunity to really spoil me with his gifts. He bought me some new pillows to help with the crazy sleep configurations I attempt at night now that belly sleeping is no longer an option. And then, he completely floored me with a new iPod touch! Wha??? I love it (of course) but mostly I just loved that he worked hard to surprise me!


On my actual birthday (Friday) I received delicious treats and fun gifts on my doorstep, as well as numerous calls, texts and emails wishing me a great day! I love technology! John and I went out on a date that night just the two of us and I was still on cloud 9 after seeing our little guy on our ultrasound. I hardly talked about anything else!



The next night (Saturday), my pals took me and John out for dinner at MacCool's, an Irish pub nearby. Andrea, Susie, Brent and Evelyn made sure that I was remembered, which I loved. More than anything, I just like hanging out and talking and catching up!


Then on Sunday, my family had a big meal where I was again showered with gifts and love. I feel so spoiled this year! I think part of that feeling comes from actually being relaxed on my birthday, instead of spending every day up to it campaigning!

Proposition 8

My pal and fab blogger, Casey, has a great post up over at Moosh in Indy about California's Proposition 8. I encourage you all to check it out! I left a comment about how I feel about the brouhaha surrounding the passage of Prop 8:

I think there are a lot of strong feelings on both sides of this issue, but respect and love for family are at the heart of both sides as well. I would posit the question, do protests and threats and sweeping generalizations about any group of people accurately represent the values of respect and love?? I think not!

Kate's New Job

My wonderful and talented sister-in-law, Kate, just got a new job as the Esthetician for Splendor Beauty Emporium in Park City. She is a wonderful resource for skin care, makeup and waxing, a few things that any girl could treat herself to! Here's a message from Kate:

I believe that beauty begins with clear, healthy skin and is complemented by flattering makeup. When you feel good about yourself your energy and confidence will enhance every aspect of your life. I love helping women to look and feel their best!

Splendor Beauty Emporium @ Redstone
1635 W. Redstone Center Drive
Park City, UT 84098
435-575-1800

Thankful...

Swistle got me thinking of the things I am thankful for today, right now. With Thanksgiving coming soon, I want to cherish this time of thankfulness.

-Lovely blogs to read and bloggers to know

-Friends, both far and near

-Feeling this little boy tumble around in my belly

-Being able to stay in touch with my dad despite the continents and oceans that separate us

-Today, veterans, and the sacrifices they make to preserve freedom around the world

What are you thankful for today?

Baby's First Photo

Our cute little guy- even in Skeletor black and white he's adorable!

Little Cub, What Are You?

John and I were able to schedule our ultrasound for yesterday morning. We were determined to keep the gender a secret until later that evening, when we had a "Gender Announcement Party" with our family and a few friends. It was hard to not slip throughout the day!

It our pleasure to announce that the ultrasound went well, the baby looks healthy (and very active!), and that we are expecting a BOY!





Knowing the gender makes my baby seem so much more real to me, instead of just some baby that happens to be growing in my womb. It was so fun to see his little arms and legs, check out his cute profile and chubby cheeks, and see him kick and stretch his legs and move his arms. He's a mover and a shaker!




photo source

A little housekeeping

I'm editing some of my archived posts to take out personal information, sorry if the old posts show up in your reader.

A new day

I woke up this morning to freshly falling snow washing the world clean, a perfect accompaniment to my feelings today. I feel renewed, refreshed and hopeful after watching last night's election results. I feel that this will be a new beginning for our nation that we so sorely need.

As I watched Senator John McCain's concession speech, I was teary-eyed. I know how it feels to have worked so hard for something you believe in and to fall short of your goal. I felt that Senator McCain was full of grace and humility last night, something that is rare in politics.

I was also struck by how for the first time in a long time, both candidates were such quality choices. Instead of recent elections when the choice has been between the lesser of two evils, I truly felt that this year the choice was between two good candidates! That is how it should be!

I wanted Senator Obama to win and I am thrilled that he did. I am especially excited that he won 47.87% of the vote here in Salt Lake County, which is unusual in an extremely red state! McCain only beat him by 0.56%!

I was touched by the historic nature of last night. To see people from all walks of life joined together in celebrating Obama's win was very poignant. Like similar landmark moments in our nation's history, I know that I will always remember where I was when I heard that our nation had elected its first African American president.

It is my hope that we can put aside our partisanship for a time and join together in supporting all of our elected officials in bettering our communities and our nation.

VOTE!

Don't forget to vote tomorrow!! John and I are snuggled up at home watching the SNL Presidential Bash 2008! It's a great way to end this campaign season! If you are unsure of where to vote, you can visit this Google Maps link to find your polling location (note, you may want to double check with your state's election's registrar). I voted early and I'm glad to have gotten it done!

photo credit

Austin (long overdue post!)

For Fall Break, Johnny and I decided to head south and visit Madelyn and Cody. We'd never been to Texas before, so we were excited to explore Austin and get a taste for life there!

This is Part I of our trip:

We visited a funky toy shop, the Capitol (which, like our capitol building, is modeled after the one in Washington, D.C.), the Alamo Draft House (an incredible movie theatre), a music shop (where we tried out guitars), and a cowboy boot store. We also had a fun RockBand party where we got to know Codelyn's Austin friends and went to see the millions of bats migrating out from under the bridge in downtown Austin. I didn't take a picture of everywhere we ate, but trust me, it was the main activity on the agenda every day. We love to eat and Madelyn and Cody loved to introduce us to their favorite BBQ and Mexican restuarants (that's pretty much the majority of all places in Austin.)

This is one doodle that can't be undid, home skillet

We test drove our costumes at Liz and Steve's Halloween party on Friday. It was so fun to catch up and see friends we hadn't for a while. It was especially funny to get sidelong glances at my ENORMOUS and FAKE belly. The guys, especially, were reluctant to assume anything, so I got a lot of sincere (albeit confused) congratulations. I spent a lot of the night explaining that I was, indeed, pregnant, but the big, squishy belly I was sporting wasn't real.

Here we are as Juno MacGuff and Paulie Bleeker (I will have to get a full length photo of John- those shorts are REALLY short and he was the one pinning 'em up!)





And here's the movie poster:

Can't stop laughing at the baby arms...

Second try, this is addicting

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Harder than it seems

I saw this badge on Catherine and Christian's blog and just had to try it! It's quite a challenge (especially with pregnant brain!) I'm going to try it again, but I wanted to be truthful and post my first try results.


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Produce section

The little cub is about 5 inches long from crown to rump (who says "rump" these days?) The baby tracking websites compare him/her to a sweet potato or a turnip. I am always laughing at the random food analogies- how is that possibly a good indicator of size? Produce can vary wildly in size. Plus, I'm being given produce that I'm not that familiar with- a kumquat? I mean, really, people. I'm still not showing much yet and I'm still wearing my regular clothes. (I don't have a picture to post because my camera is dead and I can't find the charger, but I will post one soon.) BUT the exciting news is that I felt the baby move for the first time this week! I've been paying extra attention to every little twinge to see if I could notice the little one moving around in there but when I finally felt it, it was unmistakable. It really feels like someone is poking me from the inside out!

I can't believe I'm gonna have one of these...

Sam and Lily have been my little babies for four years and I can't believe I'm having one of my own! I still will love them and think they are the cutest children on earth!

Poelher's got game!

All I can say is, "Wow." I hope I can be half that dynamic and cool when I'm as hugely pregnant as she is... (it's just around the corner for me.)

Ethington Park Jewelry Sale

My wonderfully talented sister, Catherine, is having a jewelry sale this weekend! She is an artist and is incredibly fashionable, so when she began her jewelry business, Ethington Park, I knew she would create stylish, one-of-a-kind pieces!

I have been helping her prepare for this event, so I know first hand that she has a lot of beautiful merchandise- pearl, turquoise, silver, quartz- for affordable prices. I wear her jewelry all the time and always receive compliments! Ethington Park has several beautiful collections for fall and holiday!

Here's the info:

Ethington Park Boutique

Friday, October 17th 6pm-8pm
Saturday, October 18th 10am-3pm


2611 East 1300 South
Salt Lake City
*West Entrance*

Bring your friends!
Sorry, no credit cards.

If you can't make it to the boutique in person, please visit Catherine's Etsy shop, where she has beautiful pieces that you can buy and have sent to your door!

Saying goodbye is the hardest part...

My dad left this morning for his new job in the United Arab Emirates. I won't see him again until the summer. By then, I will have a newborn baby. He's a wonderful dad and an incredible grandpa. I'm so grateful that I have a dad that I love and who loves me and I'm so glad that I can tell him farewell and give him a big hug. But it's still hard to say goodbye, even if it's for just a short time.