nursery colors

shane and i finally found some "nursery colors" we agree upon. we were kind of feeling guilty for a while there because people kept asking and to be honest, we hadn't given it much thought. we rent an apartment so there's not much incentive to paint walls or really put together a nursery. sure, if we had our own place and were done with school we'd probably put a little more effort into things (who doesn't like to decorate a new room?) but for now, we're keeping things pretty simple.

anyway, we found some bedding items that felt a bit less hokey (is it just us or are items for little boys always built around some zoo/truck/train theme?) and would work for a girl if one ever comes along. pretty much the color spread is neutral like the rest of our place: chocolate brown/tan/creme and then some baby blue and sage green for accents. think they work?

cravings

i can't say that i've had the odd cravings you hear about with pregnancy (are they mostly a myth?) but i will say that when i decide something sounds good, it's hard to talk myself into something else.

one of my favorite treats is trader joe's roasted vegetable pizza with fresh avocado mashed on top. for better or for worse, my cousin, amy, introduced me to it a while back and now there are times when nothing else will satisfy. pair it with hot soup or carrot juice and i'm a happy camper. plus, no cheese means my tummy appreciates it too.

it really is delicious. shane won't touch carrot juice with a 10-ft. pole but i catch him stealing slices of the pizza every now and again -- all the while denying how tasty it really is.

my other weakness is definitely dark chocolate. nothing new there but it sure hits the spot at times -- especially when coupled with raw almonds. yum.

35 weeks and counting

last thursday we reached the 35-week mark so shane snapped quick picture at the end of what had been a long day, which is probably why i'm giving him a little attitude (love you, handsome!).

oh, baby!

my sweet female co-workers threw me a little baby shower this week during our lunch hour. more than a dozen of us made the trek to two quail, an eclectic victorian restaurant near capitol hill. it kind of felt like one big tea party. on our plates were these candy bars:

(underneath "oh, baby!" it says: the larsen baby -- 3.26.09)

we played a game while waiting for our food and then just relaxed and visited over a yummy meal. before we left they had me open gifts from the group. the biggest surprises: a pack 'n' play and a boppy (if you don't know what that is, don't worry, i didn't until a few months ago). to be honest, shane and i have considered forgoing a crib altogether since the pack 'n' play comes complete with a changing table, bassinet, and mat for sleeping -- he'll never know the difference, right? i mean, my first bed was a cardboard box so this would definitely be step up. ;)

(just what i need: more chocolate -- ha!)

the whole outing was such a treat. i really enjoy the ladies i work with and was so grateful and surprised by their generosity.

v-day

valentine's day was quite the event this year. shane showered me with lots of fun surprises, including breakfast at my favorite little diner and some gorgeous fuchsia-colored tulips. probably the best part of the weekend was the time spent performing sealings at the temple, something we haven't done since our own sealing.

early in the evening we went to see "coraline" in 3-D (fun movie but i would definitely warn parents taking children about a certain scene). ironically, the theater was so packed we had to sit separately. however, we made up for it with a romantic dinner at carrabba's italian grill. neither of us had ever been before and we were not disappointed -- great atmosphere, great food and great service (reminded us a bit of maggiano's but at half the price).

definitely a boy

folks have been asking so i wanted to be sure and confirm: yes, we are still expecting a baby boy next month. our initial ultrasound was a bit sketchy (the little guy was squirmy and uncooperative) and the technician told us she really wasn't 100% sure it was a boy and not to go out and buy a bunch of blue clothes just yet.

we thought we'd have to go on that until delivery day but our doctor requested a second ultrasound to double check a few things and this time it was very clear that a little boy will be joining us soon. it was nice to have that confirmed because we didn't want to be scarring a little girl for life with talks about "our son" and all. besides, now we don't have to go quite so neutral on the nursery gear.

felicidades, em & burke

just wanted to be sure and send a shout out to em and burke. they got engaged last week and are getting married may 1st in the idaho twin falls temple.


we had them to dinner sunday and they were beaming from ear to ear. we are so happy for them. felicidades a los dos.

the dress

my mom spoiled me with an olian silk maternity dress i'd been drooling over in a magazine and i've been promising her a picture. so here i am, jan. '09, seven months prego.

every time i find an excuse to put it on i feel like a princess dressed up for a ball. love it.

wendy comes to town

one of my very favorite people came to town this past week, wendy elizabeth webster. here she is looking radiant in front of the capitol. (thanks to wendy's husband and kids for sharing her!)

tiana, wendy and i enjoyed a girls day out, eating at a fun cuban restaurant along the way. we've known each other since first grade, believe it or not.

inauguration day

we went, we waited, we froze, we watched and we left before the crowds could clear. whether you voted for him or not, it was definitely a historic day as president obama took the oath of office on jan. 20. shane and i probably wouldn't have ventured out if we hadn't scored seated tickets for the occasion. it was the coldest week of the year in washington and there was no way i was going to stand up for hours on purpose.

the whole event turned out to be relatively painless -- besides the bitter cold and hours in line -- once we got in. we thought we arrived in plenty of time but barely squeezed through security at 11:30 on the dot.

at this point we were about halfway through our time in the line. the senate office building where i work is on the left. the capitol is way up ahead, as you can see.

the breathtaking view on the way up to our seats. the red archway is where the presidents, both old and new, emerged from.

check out all the empty seats around us. we moved up to the end of the crowd once things got started. we felt horrible for people who didn't get through the line in time. it really was a nightmare for most people who tried to get in.

the crowd of millions behind us, all the way down the national mall past the washington memorial. notice people are piled up on statues to get a better view.

president obama giving his speech

hurrying back to union station to catch the metro out of town before the crowds caught up with us.