8 1/2 Months Pregnant in Sonoma/Napa Valley!

To make a long story short, Brett has been doing some research (in all his free time) and submitted one of his abstracts to a gynecology oncology conference. His abstract was accepted, and they wanted Brett to do a presentation on it during the conference! This is a really big deal to do as a resident, much less an intern. The conference was held in Sonoma, and we thought it would be fun for me to tag along as well. I was a little apprehensive about going at first, but my doctor said I could go, and after all, I was going to be at a conference filled with OB/GYNs. And I've really been wanting to go to Napa/Sonoma Valley for a while now... but not necessarily pregnant. But I'm really glad I decided to go, because we had a great time together.

Brett was pretty nervous about his presentation... I was able to sneak in the back of the room to watch and he did an amazing job! He seriously did better than any of his practice sessions and even answered the questions he received at the end like a pro. So after the presentation, we got to relax a bit and actually see some of the area.

Because we booked the trip so late, most hotels were booked/really pricey, but we ended up LOVING the cottage we rented with Hidden Oak Inn. It even had a little kitchen and deck area.



Here is Brett relaxing by the pool after his presentation.

We didn't realize it until the 2nd day, but the car rental place gave us a convertible! It was so fun driving through wine country with such beautiful weather.

Here are some pics from several wineries that we visited.

Brett has promised that we will return when it's just the 2 of us!

Boston Trip... in April

Okay, so I'm a little behind on this one. In April, I had to go to a Clinical Research Conference in Boston, and it happened to overlap with one of Brett's vacation weeks. We decided that Brett would come with me and we would turn it into a mini-vacation. We stayed downtown and enjoyed seeing the city and saw tons of historical sites along the Freedom Trail. The highlight of our trip was definitely going to a Red Sox game and seeing the Green Monster. They won in the bottom of the 9th!

We took a day trip to see the Harvard/Cambridge area.

The USS Constitution

Brett with Benjamin Franklin

The Holocaust Memorial

We ate several times in the Italian North End and had lots of yummy meals! I think we also incorporated lobster into at least 1 meal a day for the entire 5 days we were there!

Apparently, this squirrel LOVED me, as he kept following me around in the Boston Common and Public Garden area. I finally stopped and it started to crawl up my leg!

32 Weeks and Finished Crib!

Here's some pics of me at 32 weeks along with the finished crib! I absolutely love it, and I'm still so impressed that Brett made it from scratch. The mattress even moves up and down, so right now, I have it on the highest setting (which is what I've been told I'm supposed to do first). Bailey likes laying under the crib... he's ready to meet Taylor Grace! I'll post more pictures of the nursery once it is finished...

Girls Trip to California

A couple weekends ago, I went to California for a girls trip with my dearest friends from college. I still can't believe we were able to pull a trip together! We had the best time and Mary was an amazing hostess. We stayed at Mary's in Orange County and visited Newport Beach, Laguna Beach, LA, Hollywood, Santa Monica Pier, and Rodeo Drive. Shannon and Callen have already written great blogs about it, so please look at theirs for a more comprehensive overview.

The highlight of the trip for me was the surprise baby shower they threw me! We had a yummy dinner at El Torito Grill with Sprinkles cupcakes for dessert. My sweet friends are too generous! Of course it was appropriate for Taylor to receive her first owl from Callen, my Chi O big sis. Taylor also received a hand-smocked gown (by Callen's mom), a Baby Bjorn (to ride around in at the zoo, where apparently all the cool Memphis moms go), some adorable clothes, and toys. Thank you again girls!!! Here are a couple pics from it...

As I was 7 months pregnant, another big highlight of the trip for me was all of the delicious food we ate... We definitely didn't go to bed hungry at night! Here are some highlights:

Sprinkles cupcakes

Frozen bananas and Balboa bars on Balboa Island

Pink Berry yogurt

In-N-Out Burger

Taco Loco in Laguna Beach

The Counter... where you design your own burger

Of course, the BEST part of the trip was just spending time with Mary, Callen, Shannon, and Claire. Here are some of my other favorite pics from the trip...

I can't wait until our 2nd annual girls trip!!

My Talented Husband

I have to brag on my husband of many talents. He has been building a crib from scratch for a while now, and has finally finished! I'll be the first to admit that I was a bit skeptical due to his time constraints and was preparing myself to buy one at the last minute (especially after Brett hit a snag and said he was going to have a big bonfire in the back yard with it- thanks to Ryan and Stacey for your help). But he pulled through like always, and I think it is amazing... :) We are having it painted a cream color to match the rest of our furniture. Here is the picture of it pre-painted:

26 weeks...

I've had multiple requests for a side belly shot... so I'm reluctantly putting up a couple pics from this weekend to appease you. Enjoy!

Tucker Davenport's Arrival

Tim and Jen (Brett's brother and sister-in-law) welcomed their 2nd into the world on Thursday, April 10th! Timothy Chad Davenport, Jr. (a.k.a "Tucker") arrived by planned C-section and weighed 7 pounds. Brett and I went down to Jackson on Saturday to see our new nephew. We also got to go to McDonalds for lunch with Eady for her first happy meal ever. Did everyone know they don't put the happy meals in those cute boxes anymore? And the toy was a little American Idol punk rocker... weird. Anyways, so far, Tucker has been such a good baby, and we are so glad he arrived safe and sound!