Happy New Year!

Well, we have lived in Denver for 2 1/2 years but this was our first new year's here! Matt and Lorissa came over on New Year's Eve and we made cheese and chocolate fondue. It was yummy and WAY cheaper than going out for fondue. Denver does fireworks on New Year's Eve so we went down the street to watch them.

We actually stayed up until 1 (no small miracle for the pregnant lady!) and then went over to their house on New Year's Day for brunch. The guys made us brunch while we put our feet up and drank tea. I LOVE "Man Brunch!" =)

A Look Back at 2009...

In January, we went to see "The Color Purple" at the Denver Performing Arts Center.

In February, David turned 29...

went skiing with his dad...

and I was invited to preach at Trinity's Ash Wednesday service.

In March, we were honored to be a part of Matt and Emily's wedding. (Yay for a new sister-in-law!)

...and we went to California to see our "California Family."

April and May must have been uneventful because I have no pictures from these months! (I'll just insert two cute pictures of our adorable puppies...)

The summer was BUSY! In June, we celebrated our 6th wedding anniversary...

and my 28th birthday...

and Bob & Sally's 60th wedding anniversary in St. Louis.

In July, my mom and brother came to visit...

and I went to Israel/Palestine...

with Christian Peacemaker Teams.

In August, David hiked his first "14er"...

Carrie & Greg came to visit us...

and so did Lauren.

In September, we went camping in Colorado for the first time...

and ran our first 10K together...

and Steve & Patty came to visit.

In October, I went on retreat with the women at Trinity...

and we celebrated Halloween with friends.

In November, we celebrated my brother's 21st birthday...

and announced to our families that we are having a baby.

In December, David was the best man in his friend's wedding...

and we celebrated Christmas with our families.

2009 was a REALLY great year! We are so thankful for our family and friends who helped make this past year so special and we eagerly anticipate all the adventures that 2010 will bring...David will turn 30 and will graduate from nursing school, I will graduate from seminary, and we will become parents in July!

We wish YOU a year filled with joy, love, and blessings. Here's to 2010...

Nothing like it...

Our dr's appointment was really brief yesterday. No ultrasound--we have to wait until 20 weeks to get another picture of Baby Baker! (We'll just have to trust it's growing limbs and losing its tail...)

BUT, we did get to hear the heartbeat and it was spectacular. I think I could listen to it all day long if I could. The doctor told us that by 20 weeks David will be able to hear it with his stethoscope so I anticipate he'll have his ear to my belly quite a bit when the time comes. =)

Christmas in KC

My first trip to Bentonville

Lauren and Rusty recently moved to Bentonville, Arkansas so that Rusty could take a position as associate pastor at the Nazarene church. While I'm sad they didn't move to KC or Denver, Bentonville is only 3 hours south of KC!

I'm so grateful for the chance to visit them there and see the new life they are making for themselves. I got to see their home, their church, and much of their community. (Including the Bentonville town sqaure!)

It was a short visit but we squeezed a lot into it. Perhaps most special for me was Lauren treating me to a "Yay Baby!" lunch at Sushi House. (Don't worry, everything we ordered was cooked...)

Chris and Kerry's wedding

We are in KC again...this time to be at Chris and Kerry's wedding! Chris is David's best friend from elementary school and was one of the best men in our wedding 6 1/2 years ago. Last night, David got to be the best man at Chris' wedding and it was VERY special. Chris and Kerry are a great couple and we had such a great time celebrating them. We wish them well as they begin their new life together!

Most days...but not today.

Most days I am THRILLED about being pregnant. I wake up and cannot believe that I am lucky enough to have a baby growing inside me that is making me a mom. Most days I feel warm and fuzzy toward this unborn baby and my heart feels so swollen with love for it that I worry it might burst.

Today is not one of those days.

Today I am tired. And I'm tired of being tired. I'm tired of feeling sick all the time and trying to force food down my throat. I'm so irritable that I took off my snow boot and threw it at my dog (don't worry, it missed him). Today, I'm not sure I even like this baby. I feel like telling it to hit the road and find some other sucker to grow it.

Lucky for me, a package arrived in the mail today. My friend Carrie sent me a book called, "What to Expect When You're Expected." It is from the perspective of the unborn fetus and it is hilarious.

Here are a few of my favorite excerpts:

"Why is Mommy throwing up all the time?"

Short answer: You make her sick.

Long answer: She's suffering from a condition called morning sickness. In truth, the name is a double misnomer--not only can its symptoms strike at any and all hours, but as the daily result of a voluntary condition, it is technically not a sickness but a lifestyle choice.

On Nutrition

Ordering all your meals in is convenient. But it's also risky. You're putting your diet in Mommy's hands, and good nutrition is not something Americans are known for. The old cliche that pregnant women are "eating for two" is true only insofar as every American eats for two. At least two. Five, in Alabama. Many expectant moms have even come to believe that eating healthy may endanger their unborn child. They fear it will set him up as an outcast in a society that, at some point in the nineties, deemed the burrito a worthy addition to the breakfast table.

(And perhaps my favorite one for the day...)

Parental Diagnosis

Eyes, hair color, personality: Fetalcy is a time of uncertainty when it comes to many subjects. Most of these prompt little more than fun debate. But there's one question no embryo likes to joke about, one few even want to discuss: "Are my parents idiots?'

Until recently, that question could only be answered at birth. But breakthroughs in the field of parental diagnosis mean it's now possible to find out as early as the middle of the first trimester whether your mommy and daddy have any idea what they're doing.

There are now dozens of tests used to help determine if your parents are neither all that nor a bag of chips. These include analyses of TV habits, iPod playlists, ball-scratching frequency, even voting records. (Nader '04=mandatory adoption)

***

Most days I might think this book is crude, crass, and not lovey-dovey enough...but not today. =)

(Thanks, Carrie...)