Happy Holidays & Week 36!

Happy Holidays everyone!

This year was a different holiday experience for Tim and I since we stayed at home. We typically go to Chicago to spend it with family, but I wasn't allowed to fly this close to our due date. We missed everyone!

It was nice to not travel with all of this crazy weather! We kicked off the holidays by going to my Galileo work holiday party, which is always fun. On the last day of work(pre-vacation), my work threw us a Baby Shower. It was wonderful to celebrate the coming of our little one with everyone. Everyone has been so supportive and thoughtful. THANK YOU!

Over the weekend we went to Sarah's annual Chanukah latke party and filled up on some yummy latkes and then ventured over to Erica's for her holiday party. The next day we got to spend the first night of Chanukah with our family here at Debra & Joes. It was really nice and again got to indulge in some yummy latkes! Unfortunately, we had to leave early to get to one of our last baby prep classes: breastfeeding! Wow, there was a lot to learn. Now we feel more ready for the breastfeeding challenge.

To celebrate Christmas, Tim and I have always filled each other's stockings and one for Bubba too, of course. This year we didn't have any space for a tree with all of our boxes, so we hung them there instead! After eating some yummy pecan sticky buns we opened our stockings and Bubba had a ball. He had been sitting under his stocking for several days now wimpering because he could smell the treats! Then we went to see The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, which was ok and just way too long. Amazing and creative story and good acting, but 3 hours was way too long to sit. Has anyone else seen it? After chowing down on some movie popcorn (thank goodness we got some), we got home and prepared our Christmas dinner as quickly as possible. Ham, green bean casserole, creamed corn, rolls, etc.....all of the good stuff! It was a really nice and relaxing Christmas.

We hope you are all having a wonderful holiday and want to thank you for being such a special part of our lives. We are so grateful!

PS. Baby Horvat is doing well....1 more month to go! On the house front, we're back hoping to move into the home in Oakland on Majestic since we discovered, after inspections on the San Leandro home, that there was way too much work to be done. In the meantime, we've created space in our 2nd bedroom for the little one in case he comes before we move!

Week 34 at the Henna Lounge!

I went to my last hip hop dance class yesterday and then went over to my yoga studio for the Henna Lounge. My friend Johannah joined me too! Darcy, this amazing henna artist, did my belly and hand in just 45 minutes. The artwork is so beautiful. Here are some pictures. The color looks a little different now....it's more orange, now that the paint dried and the dye is on my skin. It lasts about 2 weeks. I think it's beautiful.

For those of you who are not familiar w/Henna. Here is some more information!

Henna during pregnancy is an ancient practice and is soothing as well as calming. It is believed to help bring about an easy birth and healthy child.

Lawsonia Inermis or henna is a small bush that produces a red dye that has been used cosmetically and medicinally for over 9,000 years.

Many countries including Morocco and India have traditions of applying henna during the third trimester of pregnancy. Henna is believed to protect and bless the mother and child from any evil or malicious spirits that may be near during delivery.

The red coloring of the dye and protective images used in the patterns guard against the evil eye and are thought to protect the pair during the child's difficult passage into this world. Special attention is given to the hands and especially the feet as they are considered to be vulnerable connections to the world.

Home #2: 282 Peralta Ave in San Leandro

Some of you may know that instead of waiting for that lovely Oakland house to close, we've gone ahead and started looking for a back up. Well, we found a great back up in San Leandro in a wonderful neighborhood! It's a foreclosure, good deal, 3 bedroom 2 bath, and bigger than the Oakland house on Majestic Avenue. It has a lot of character and some parts of the house that have been remodeled (kitchen, added back room, etc.).

However, we just did inspections this week and there is some major termite damage and a couple other things that would need to be fixed. So we're at a crossroads and will most likely have to re-negotiate with the seller (the bank) to see if it's worthwhile. We are just having terrible luck! In the meantime, we haven't walked away from the Oakland place, so we still have that an option.

With either home, due to the holidays, we probably wouldn't be able to close until mid-January (1-2 weeks before the baby is due). YIKES!

Tim and I are both hopeful that something will work out and we'll just take it one step at a time. Have you ever heard of or experienced so much house buying drama?!

Here are some of the pictures from the Peralta place....we would rip up the nasty blue carpet (beautiful hardwood underneath) and probably repaint the entire house. It would make a world of difference. Please keep your fingers crossed!

Our Chicago Baby Shower

On Saturday, we had a baby shower in Evanston with family and friends. It was wonderful seeing everyone and getting to celebrate our soon to be baby with everyone. Special thanks to granny Carol, grandma Anna, step-mom Heidi, BF Karen, and sister Kathy for hosting! Here are some pics. More are on facebook!

Thanksgiving in Chicago

Tim and I flew into Chicago on Thursday with no flying problems. We had a wonderful Thanksgiving with Tim's side of the family: Carol, Fred, and Sister's Family (Kathy, Bill, Timmy and Caroline). Here are a couple pictures.

Thanksgiving is one of my favorite American food meals...the sweet potatoes especially! Thanks Kathy for making them perfectly!

I am so thankful for having a wonderful husband, family and friends and especially for having a healthy pregnancy so far. Baby Horvat is kicking and moving around more than ever!

Did you have a nice Thanksgiving?