The Couture Couple

So today is the 9 day countdown until Charlotte is due! Of course with my family history that means that we should meet her in about 3 weeks!! Who knows! Anyways, My last official day of work was last Friday, which also happened to be the big fashion show that we've been working toward at work for the last 3 months. Sorry we didnt get any pictures of the show itself but here is a pic of Dave and I post- show (if you look closely you can see me personify a well known cliche) Dave helped serve drinks to all the snooty dog- carrying Carmelites, thats why he gets a t-shirt too.

Daddy's Day

Today is a special day for all of the Daddies in the world, whether it is their first Father's Day ,like Dave's, or their 27th like my own Daddy's. I feel very lucky to have both of these men in my life. Dads make us feel safe and secure, yet smart and independent...I cant wait for Charlotte to feel all of these things from her own Daddy...she has a really great one. Here are some pictures of Charlotte's room all finished I made all the cushions and skirt on the crib, Dave got her the fish tank. Our fish are named Little John (he is originally from our wedding centerpieces), Moto, and Sarah (she of course is the cutest fish with the white belly)

Baby Shower

So Im a bit behind on updating everyone on the latest haps. Ive been sick this week, so I apologize. Anyways, I had the most awesome baby shower last weekend thanks to Aunt Lu, Aunt Dana, Karen and everyone else who brought/sent such beautiful, cute, creative, unique gifts! I must admit these pictures were kind of hard to look at, I guess looking at myself everyday in the mirror is a bit different then a picture. I didnt realize how different (ie chubby) I look these days, Oh well, I guess it comes with the territory!
I was overwhelmed by all the thoughtful and beautiful gifts that we recieved including 2 handmade blankets, on handmade fabric, many things from our registry and one of my personal favorites the little pink Hello Kitty Kimono directly from Japan.
We played a few really fun games such as "guess the white powder"(baby powder, detergent, sugar, baking soda, etc.), "baby trivia" (did you know the largest baby at birth weighed 24 lbs!), "guess how big Meg's belly is using a string measurement" (Aunt Lu won) and "find the safety pins in a bowl of rice (blindfolded)" (this one was much harder than it sounds)!
Anyways, it was really really fun, if only a few more important women could have been there it would have been complete! Charlotte is gonna be a lucky girl!

my bike

my version of a "Turtle's progress" is my bike. it has been almost one year since I disassembled it for paint, well this weekend i finished the sanding and brought it back to the paint booth for a reshoot. it is nearly done... only 15+ hrs of sanding and another 2 of polish and it will be ready for a ride!

Happy Birthday Sis!

Today is my sister, Erin's, birthday (or Deedee as her family and some others know her as) Since she is the one that got me into this whole blogging business I think its only right that she get a birthday dedication post.
I truly have the best sister ever, any of you who know her, whether old friends, family, book club, church, etc would probably agree with me on this. She has the kind of heart that shines onto everyone she meets whether you've known her for years or are just behind her in line at the grocery store. She has one of those personalities that people just enjoy being around, not only because she is a loyal friend, but she is funny, intelligent, and makes you feel so special just by projecting all of her good qualities onto you.
Deedee has always been more like my older sister that my 18 month younger sister (she used to love to ask strangers who they thought was older...come to think of it she still does). In my shy elementary years she was my translator to teachers and kids that I wouldn't talk to, In my spacey teenage years she was my reality check (let me tell you, I needed it!) And now that we are both in the begginings of parenthood (ie adulthood) she is my teacher, as her Sarah will be growing just a stair step ahead of my Charlotte. Its nice to have a little cheat sheet on parenthood. (Im sure she is dreading the inevitable late night calls, me frantically worrying that Charlotte's poop isn't the right color)
So on your birthday Deed, just know that I am thinking of you and thanking you for all of you love, advice and thoughtfulness throughout the years. I will never forget the week long wedding preparation boot camp that you endured (while 6months pregnant!) for what I can only imagine was pure and sincere love and understanding for your poor unorganized sister! You are truly my hero and I hope this day proves itself to be as special as you deserve it to be!
I love you and HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!

How can anyone wonder where Sarah got her good looks?

Baby Talk

We spent the day yesterday at the Ryan's (the Dan and Kelly version)...we got another glimpse into life A.B. (after baby) Cody (big brother) and Jackson are two adorable kids! They were so fun to watch and it was so neat to see their different stages in life even though they are only 18 months apart! Dave enjoyed hanging out with the boys and getting a little Daddy practice in. I can really tell how excited he is getting to be a daddy when I see him holding little Jack, I can see him imagining his own little Charlotte.
King of the Castle
"Somebody take this kid!"
Three generations....of suckers!
Daddy Practice
Karen and Molly

What's more American than Classic Cars and Baseball?

Dave and I had a pretty fun day today, we decided to get our butts out of the house and enjoy the beautiful day. We headed down to Capitola Village were they were having a Classic Car show, there were some beautiful cars there, Dave was really into it....I was more into the pizza and icecream, (as you can see me in the background trying to decide between pizza or seafood) My favorite was the 'old school' tailgater, I thought that was so cute!





Then we went over to Grama's and picked her up to go to Aaron's game. They actually won! The score was 11-2. We smeared 'm! Look at that serious stance Aaron's got! We had a good day....

Nursery Preview

So I thought I would post some teaser pictures of Charlotte's room, these are just some little pieces going into her room, It coming together really nicely...Well it better be right with only 7 weeks left?
We took the hospital tour on Tuesday and saw one of the birthing rooms, they are all individual with their own bathroom and shower, Dave was excited about cable in all the rooms...I can just see it now..."Meg, are you feeling any labor pains, I think we might just make 'Monster Garage,?" Then there was this huge light that descends out of the ceiling that looked like the "eye of God" or something, it was seriously huge like 3x4 feet. I guess its good to blind the kid as she takes her first look at the world? All in all it was a pretty exciting experience, kind of set reality in a little deeper.

Mommy's Day

Karen (Mom in law) nosing her way through the garden
Karen and I in the rose garden
Karen with 3 of her boys


So today was a cool Mother's Day, we went over to San Jose and hung out with Steve, Paul, and Karen and Tom(Dave's parents). First we went on a little hike/walk on this trail that kind of runs through downtown along the river...it was really hot and tiring for this ole prego lady but I made it through okay. The best part was the end when we got to a beautiful rose garden with all different varieties of roses.
We went back to Steve's house and had an awesome lunch of chicken teriyaki. When the boys retired for their mid afternoon naps Karen and I headed out for a girls shopping trip consisting of fabric stores, shoe stores, and Old Navy. Sounds like the makings of the perfect Mother's Day...the only thing that would be more perfect would be hanging out with my own mom!I LOVE YOU MOM!!

The Band Wagon

Okay...so I'll admit, Ive never claimed to be immune to peer pressure or even blatent bandwagon jumping, so here goes with the first blog post for the Ryan family. When I asked Dave what we should name our blog he immediately chimed in with "The Rockin' Ryans, of course". Not only for the obvious conotation of cool but also because in just a couple months we will be rockin' our little Charlotte. Hopefully I will be able to keep everyone who is interested posted with updates on our lives as well as Charlotte's. I cant promise anything, all I can say is that I will try my darndest!
Dave and I have recently started our childbirth classes, which, I find very interesting. Also, scary at the same time. Those birthing videos definitely take the romance out of the whole experience...I thought the doctor was just supposed to emerge from under the crisp white sheet with our perfectly pink (and dry) baby :)) I guess its good to go into this whole thing informed right? I cant believe we have less than two months to go before our little bundle of joy (apologies for the cliche) is here! (July 5th for those keeping score)