Best Christmas EVER!

Matt (5), Camryn (8), Thad (10 days), Jack (8) and Connor (6)

Grandpa Weldon (98 years old) my dad's dad

We had a wonderful Christmas with our handsome boy! We had lots of family in town and enjoyed every second of Thad's first Christmas.

Birthday Stocking

Today is my birthday. Yes, I am a Christmas baby. I have to say that for the most part I love my birthday. It is a kick off to Christmas, people are happy and the mood is festive. And no it does not matter that sometimes I get birthday/Christmas gift as just one gift. : )

When I came home from the hospital on Christmas day, 31 years ago (yikes!), the hospital gave my mom a handmade stocking to take me home in. I thought it only appropriate to put my Christmas baby in it. What a Christmas gift we got this year!

Special thanks to my parents on my birthday and everyday.

Thanks for having me. I love you.

One Week Old Already

So In Love

We are so in love with our boy. He is just perfect.

Thad's Debut!

The Devinger family is doing great and we're headed home from the hospital today! First car ride! Mom and baby are settling in beautifully and Thad is a hungry little guy. As many of you know, this has been the most amazing experience of our lives - big thanks to our moms!!! We can't wait for you to meet him.

With love,
Dad, Mom and Thad

It's a boy!!!

Mom and baby are doing great!!!! 8lbs 3ozs - 20.5 inches!!!! John Thaddeus Devinger - Molly is such a trooper!!! Can't wait for you all to meet him!!!

Patrick, Molly & Thad

Due Date - Come and Gone

Well, today was my due date. The blog baby ticker is down to 0 days left, but no go. No baby yet and no real signs of anything happening soon. I'm feeling good so we will be patient and let Baby D come when it is ready. We'll keep you posted. : )

Oh Christmas Tree, Oh Christmas Tree

We got a beautiful Christmas tree last weekend. We had a fun time decorating and even put up 3 stockings! We are excited to bring home a baby to a festive home. Merry Christmas decorating!

Snow!!

It does not usually snow in the Bay Area, but with the combo of unusually low temperatures and a big storm, we got snow! There was snow on the ground on Monday morning and the hills around Walnut Creek were covered in snow. There is a mountain in the East Bay called Mt. Diablo and it has been snow capped for two days now. I have never seen it like this. It is kind of magical, but a little too cold for us Californians!

Tick-Tock Tick-Tock

Our due date is quickly approaching - this Friday, December 11th.

Nothing is happening so far. I'll keep you posted!

We are SO excited!

The Blind Side

We saw The Blind Side on Friday. It is an excellent story and movie. It really makes you think about what more you can do in your life to make a difference in the world. Great holiday flick. See it.

Sunday Sundaes

My good friend Katie and her husband Matt are expecting a baby three weeks after us. We have met for dinner and sundaes as often as we could over the last 6 months at Fenton's creamery in Oakland (best sundaes ever!). Growing bellies are such a great excuse to hang out on Sundays and eat sundaes! Mmmmm. Can't wait for our babies to be best friends!

Before Baby BBQ

Last Saturday we had a "before baby barbecue" at my sister's house. It was our last hurrah with some close friends before the baby arrives. We had so much fun - good food, great company and lots of fun!

Happy Thanksgiving & Happy Birthday!

In true Richards family fashion, we celebrated Thanksgiving on Friday. My sister is a nurse and works on most holidays, so we often celebrate holidays a day before or a day after. We had a wonderful feast and celebrated my niece Camryn's 8th birthday. I love Thanksgiving dinner and had seconds of everything, for Baby D of course. : )

Happy Birthday Dad!

Happy Birthday to the best Dad ever!

November Check-Up

Pat had a check-up at UCSF on Wednesday. Everything is great! We have not been there for two months and it felt like a long time. They did the usual neck and mouth check and it all looks great! Pat's next appointment is in January and we can't wait to bring the baby to UCSF to meet Pat's doctors and nurses.

Go Bears!

My dad went to UC Berkeley and is a die hard Cal Bears fan. Growing up we went to every home football game and many of the basketball games. On Saturday, my dad and I went to the Cal/Arizona game. It had been about 10 years since I had been to a game and I have missed it. The Bears won and it was pretty exciting game. Grrrrr-Rah!

Last Day At Work

WoooHoooo! Today is my last day of work before maternity leave. I feel like my life is going to change so much in the next month or so...I am embarking on a new life. I'm not sure if I am going to go back to work full time. I would actually like to do something completely different - something I am eager to figure out in the next few months.

As excited as I am to have an extended leave from my job in San Francisco, there is a little part of me that is sad I won't be in this beautiful city everyday of the week.

One Month To Go!

I can't believe we only have one month left.

We can't wait to meet our baby!

Picture is random - I took it at work in the bathroom. : )

I feel the need to share today, the one month countdown has begun!

Halloween

We had an awesome Halloween celebrating my friend Linsdey's 30th birthday. Pat and I dressed up as Juno and Paulie Bleeker. If you have not seen the movie Juno, it is a must see.

I can't believe it is November already. I was too slow in putting up our Halloween decorations - and now Halloween has come and gone. Sad. I should start putting up our Christmas decorations now! Ha!

Happy Birthday Michele!

Happy birthday to the best big sister a girl could ever ask for!

Apple Hill

A few weeks ago we took a trip up to our favorite fall place - Apple Hill. It is near Placerville on the way to South Lake Tahoe on the 50 - it is such a beautiful place. We try to go every year for some Halloween cheer and apple pie. When we retire we dream of living on an apple farm. Pat has memories of apple picking growing up in the Midwest. It has become our family tradition to go to apple hill in October, eat some apple crisp and bring home a pumpkin!

Baby D is going to love it next year!

Away We Go

Lately we've been spending our weekends at home relaxing. I'm getting bigger and slowing down quite a bit, and Pat is working his tail off. So renting a movie has become pretty exciting. Ha! We watched Away We Go this past weekend. We liked it. Quirky movie about two 30-somethings that are expecting their first baby. They are a little lost, but together they find their own way - which maybe is what being a family is all about.

Pat is now obsessed with Alexi Murdoch who does a lot of the music in the movie.

Two More Months To Go

Two more months to go until Baby D arrives. We are busy getting everything ready and so far so good. We have set aside some time right before the baby arrives to get some sleep, the biggest recommendation from all parents we know. My belly has been growing, the baby has been kicking and daddy has been doing a lot of hard work around our place. We are a happy family already. : )

Good Reads = Good Eats

Just finished these two books. They are both fascinating. I love learning about food and the impact it has on the environment, society and consumers. I recommend them if you are interested in where your food comes from and what is in it.

Pat and I also really liked the movie King Corn. It is about industrial farming in the United States, specifically corn. It is really scary how many chemicals supposedly go into corn syrup. Food buyer beware.

http://www.kingcorn.net/

Wedding Weekend

Pat and I spent the weekend up in the wine country for a fun filled wedding weekend. My friend Michelle and her new hubby Tom are the cutest couple and I could tell they had as much fun at their wedding as all their guests did! Friday night was a BBQ at DuMol winery and the reception on Saturday was at the Mayacama Golf Club - one of the most beautiful places ever! What a perfect wedding!

Hope you are enjoying your honeymoon Mr. and Mrs. McNeil!!

I heart my roomie!

Meeting my roommate in college was total fate. I joined a sorority my freshman year, but did not move into sorority housing until my sophomore year. After the first year, my group of close friends in the sorority all choose to drop out and opted to get an apartment. I decided to stick it out. Noelle called me and asked me to live with her - I honestly had to ask around to find out who she was, and I think she did the same. From move-in day on we both knew that we totally lucked out! We never once got in a fight or ever had an issue. We lived together for 3 years and were best friends.

Noelle came up for the baby shower and it was so fun to see her. Noelle is also pregnant and is due in January! It is so fun to be prego with such a close friend. I just wish she lived closer! Love you Noelle!

Out of Town Visitors

We had some wonderful out of town visitors for the baby shower. Pat's cousin Jamie, her husband Jacob and the amazing walking Ewan from LA. Pat's mom and step-dad from Arizona. My roommate from college, Noelle, also from Arizona. We had so much fun - wish the weekend was longer. Come back!

Beautiful Baby Shower

Last Saturday my friend Molly and her mom threw me the most beautiful baby shower ever. I honestly had the time of my life. It was amazing to have people so close to me all get together at one party. And to be showered with love and gifts for Baby D was the icing on the cake! Thanks for everything! Baby D loves you!

PS Sprinkles Cupcakes = Heaven

For My Children I'd Like Better

I've been going through some old stuff and I found this amongst some papers. I love it and hope these things for our kids.

Paul Harvey Wrote:
We tried so hard to make things better for our kids that we made them worse. For my grandchildren, I'd like better. I'd really like for them to know about hand me down clothes and homemade ice cream and leftover meat loaf sandwiches. I really would. I hope you learn humility by being humiliated, and that you learn honesty by being cheated. I hope you learn to make your own bed and mow the lawn and wash the car. And I really hope nobody gives you a brand new car when you are sixteen. It will be good if at least one time you can see puppies born and your old dog put to sleep.

I hope you get a black eye fighting for something you believe in. I hope you have to share a bedroom with your younger brother/sister. And it's all right if you have to draw a line down the middle of the room, but when he wants to crawl under the covers with you because he's scared, I hope you let him. When you want to see a movie and your little brother/sister wants to tag along, I hope you'll let him/her. I hope you have to walk uphill to school with your friends and that you live in a town where you can do it safely.

On rainy days when you have to catch a ride, I hope you don't ask your driver to drop you two blocks away so you won't be seen riding with someone as uncool as your Mom. If you want a slingshot, I hope your Dad teaches you how to make one instead of buying one. I hope you learn to dig in the dirt and read books. When you learn to use computers, I hope you also learn to add and subtract in your head.

I hope you get teased by your friends when you have your first crush on a boy\girl, and when you talk back to your mother that you learn what ivory soap tastes like. May you skin your knee climbing a mountain, burn your hand on a stove and stick your tongue on a frozen flagpole. I don't care if you try a beer once, but I hope you don't like it. And if a friend offers you dope or a joint, I hope you realize he is not your friend. I sure hope you make time to sit on a porch with your Grandma/Grandpa and go fishing with your Uncle.

May you feel sorrow at a funeral and joy during the holidays. I hope your mother punishes you when you throw a baseball through your neighbor's window and that she hugs you and kisses you at Hannukah/Christmas time when you give her a plaster mold of your hand. These things I wish for you - tough times and disappointment, hard work and happiness. To me, it's the only way to appreciate life.

Year in Reflection

It is strange to look back one year ago. Things were so different, so many things changed for us, so many things now are oddly better than ever.

In August 2008, after approximately 4 years of tracking some weird irritation on Pat's tongue, the results of a routine biopsy came back as cancer. We had no idea what we were facing or what was ahead. We scheduled a 9 hour surgery for September 25, 2008 and waited. Everything stopped for us yet things around us moved at the same pace. We went on a planned vacation to Hawaii and tried to go about our "normal" life. I think we had a pretty positive attitude from the beginning, but underneath it all we were so scared.

The night before Pat's surgery, one year ago, I started this blog. The deal was that this blog was not to be all about cancer, but a blog about the life that was ahead of us - after cancer. It was to become a happy place to keep our families up to date on our lives. I'm so happy is has become just that. I look forward to many years of happy blogging to come. We can look back once a year with amazement at how it started.

Pat's surgery and recovery was the hardest thing both of us have ever been through, but we got though it and Pat is better than ever. One year down - 60 more to go! We eat better, exercise more and have a new appreciation of each other and of life. Thanks for being apart of our journey. We are getting so excited to start the adventure of having a baby. It turns out that our life is not exactly what we had planned, but it is oddly better than ever.

One Year Cancer Free!

On Friday we celebrated Pat's one year of being cancer free!! SO happy to reach this milestone. We had some friends and family in town for the baby shower, so we were able to celebrate the big one year with some special people. Keep up the good work Pat! Can't wait to celebrate many more.

Baby Molly

Baby Me.