Just some new pictures

I took some pictures of RJ and Shooter napping the other day (Shooter woke up when he heard me turn on the camera, but it was still just as sweet - he is so protective of his little RJ!) Also, I took some pictures of RJ napping today - he is starting to nap in his own crib, in his own room, which is very exciting! He has a blanket over him that my long-time friend Miriam (shown with her husband Nate and son Jarrett) made for him - she also made a burp cloth, which is just so cool - thanks Mimi!

Our Family

RJ's last Dr. Appt. Update

RJ had an appointment a couple of weeks ago (12.17) and we were told at the time that he was 6 pounds 10 ounces (a gain of 1 pound 4 ounces since birth, which is good!) and 20 inches long (a growth of an inch since birth.) Over the last couple of weeks he has also really been holding his head up when you hold him upright and even pushing up on his arms when you lay him on your chest. We're still waiting to see what color his eyes will be. He is such a fun baby and we are just so lucky that he picked us!

Many reasons to celebrate

This weekend we also went to our friend's Jimmy and Cindy's new home. They recently purchased their first home together in Livermore and also got engaged on November 30th. We are so happy for them and have some pictures of the Christmas/housewarming/engagement/Jimmy's birthday party Party! (One is of RJ and Jimmy's mom dressed as Mrs. Clause - how cute!)

Christmas Baking!!!

This year I was invited to be a part of a Christmas ritual in the Bashor family - Christmas baking! We made peanut butter cookies with the big hershey's kiss in the middle, gingerbread men and sugar cookies. (Both the gingerbread men and the sugar cookies were hand-decorated by us, as well - eat your heart out Martha Stewart!) It was a very fun process - all of the kids were involved by either helping with baking, or by helping Ray and Ryan outside with the lights and lawn decorations. I can tell you that the cookies are all very good and I can't wait to finish them off come Christmas! Enjoy the pictures of the process...

2-week update

So, things are well in the "Bashford" home. We have been lucky enough to have many family and friends visit us and are still booking appointments! =) We are so thankful to have so many people loving and supporting us, so thank you! Also, thank you to those of you who leave such sweet comments for us; I do not always have a chance to respond, so I apologize and hope you understand...thank you again. RJ had a short stint with jaundice, but quickly overcame it, as my milk "came in" around that time and he just ate and ate and ate! The last appointment we had was Sunday 12/7 and the doctor weighed him in at 5 pounds, 10 ounces, so we will keep you posted about what his stats are; our next appointment is this Wednesday 12/17. (Ironically what our expected due date was.) He seems to be growing longer by the minute and sure sleeps a lot! We love hanging out with him when he is wide awake and so curious - he's really trying to lift his head by himself and getting close! We took Christmas and announcement pictures this weekend (Ryan's co-worker and our friend Tammy's husband Brandon does excellent photography and we were lucky enough to snag him for a few pictures - thanks Brandon!) and are excited to share those with all of you soon. Hope you are all well.

He's Here!!

After a 3 day hospital stay and only 10-15 minutes of pushing, our little Ray Jude (RJ) Bashor is in our lives forever. We are so thankful to all of our support team and couldn't have done it without them. Please help us welcome the new addition to our family.

One more I could not resist...

34 weeks - getting excited!!!

We're at 34 weeks and counting... I have a breast-feeding class on Monday and we will go in for another ultrasound the following Tuesday to make sure the baby is growing at the right rate. (I guess my tummy is a little smaller than usual, but you have to keep in mind that I was only 4 pounds when I was born...) I feel the baby move all the time, so I'm not concerned. My mom and sister came up last weekend and helped me pick out a crib and changing table - here is a picture of the changing table with the wall hangings we will be putting up and the baskets that will hold all of the baby's belongings. Thanks mom, love ya! I hope all is well for everyone and I can't wait for you all to meet the baby when the time comes! Enjoy the pictures!

More pictures from the wedding...

Marco and Catie's Wedding!!!

We had such a blast at our friend's Marco and Catie's Wedding...Ryan was a groomsmen and well, I was just plain pregnant!!! I am about 32 weeks at the wedding. Hope you enjoy the pictures...

Some pictures from the baby shower!

I am so lucky to have such wonderful ladies in my life! I was thrown the most fabulous baby shower this passed Saturday afternoon with a "Duckie" theme, and it was a blast! We played some traditional games and some not-so-traditional, like smelling the melted chocolate bar in the diaper! The baby isn't even here yet and he/she made out like a bandit! Once again, we are soooo lucky to have such wonderful people supporting us! Thank you to everyone who was able to attend and a special thank you to those of you who put the whole thing together! We love you all! Please enjoy the pictures...

The stork is getting closer to the home!

It is amazing to me how close the stork on our time counter is getting to the house! We only have about nine weeks left and it is unreal! Every time we have a class or doctor's appointment we get more and more excited! Ryan was taking diligent notes at our last class about my nutrition. I am thrilled about my baby shower and can't wait to see everyone! I am going to try to post pictures every two weeks from now on, since I will be growing at such a rapid pace, now. I am supposed to gain a pound a week from here on out - so pass the ice cream! I felt the baby doing acrobatics last night while I was trying to fall asleep - trying is the key word in this sentence... Ryan paid me such a compliment recently - he told me that I was doing really well in the pregnancy and that he was proud of me and that made me feel so good. He is going to be such a good dad! We are still hoping that this will be a natural birth and I am just going to try to stick to it - we will see... I hope this message finds everyone well and just a poll - who thinks it's a boy and who thinks it's a girl??? Let me know...talk to you soon!

28 weeks...getting closer!

28 weeks marks a lot in the pregnancy - we saw our new doctor this week and are very excited about that! We also made a "birthing plan" with her, which really makes me feel more easy about the process... I will hopefully have a nurse midwife in the room to help me through without using drugs...we'll see, right?! We are also seeing a lot more of my belly - it's getting huge! You can definitely see my stomach moving now when the baby moves a lot and the baby is reacting to Ryan's voice when he talks right to it, into my belly. We also went to an appointment for a child care and looked around. We have a lot to think about as far as our personal preferences, but we are hoping that it will all come to us, as we make our decisions in the next couple of months. Lastly, we are going to our "Preparing for Childbirth" class, better known as Lamaze this coming Saturday alllllllllllllll day from 9-5 (we both work nights, so a lot of classes don't work out for us.) It will be a long day, but will be informative. We have a lot of classes lined up for the upcoming weeks, so we'll keep you posted about what we are learning! Hope everyone is well...and enjoys the new pictures.

Is there an alien in there?

You can actually see my stomach moving when the baby is punching or kicking hard, now. Ryan was convinced it was just me, but just a couple of days ago he saw my stomach get punched out a little (or kicked, who knows?). It was really neat, and I can't wait to have others see my belly moving...this is such an amazing experience!

Self-Photos at 25 weeks

I took these self-photos the weekend that Ryan was on his cruise. These pj's weren't always so small...