So Thankful

Amy Jo and I infront of our feast after a long day of cooking and fun.


Yesterday was crazy, but in a really relaxing, low stress crazy kind of way. Bryant and I woke up around 8:00 and I immediately started cooking. I prepped the turkey and stuffing and baked two pies before we left the house with a car full of food and cooking gadgets on our way to Trev and Amy's. We stopped by a friend's house to pick up a bakery made pumpkin pie (a very last minute Thanksgiving request from my husband), and finally made it to the Everett's around 1:00pm. The turkey was in the oven by 2:00 and we were in the middle of a crazy cooking circus! By 6:00, the turkey was resting, and the food prepped. I was so anxious to taste the turkey as this was my first in about 6 years and that one was horrible. However, much to our surprise, the turkey was perfect. It was probably one of the best we have ever tasted, in fact everything was the best we have ever tasted! Thanksgiving dinner was a success! (On a side note, I used Martha Stewart's Perfect Roast Turkey Recipe and brined it per her instruction for 36 hours. The turkey was organic, free range and fresh...oh so good!)

As we sat around the dinner table passing around the food and filling our plates, we went around the table saying what we are thankful for this year. Here is a sample:

Khloe (age 5): Turkey and food (which she rarely eats anyway)
Kyla (age 7): Family
Karsyn (age 9): Family and food

This blog would be too long if I tried to list the many things I am thankful for this year, but first on my list is my family. We are so blessed to be surrounded by incredible family members who are not only our parents, cousins, and siblings, but best friends too. I am also thankful for our bun in the oven, and a healthy easy pregnancy so far. I am thankful for my husband, who is my number one here on earth, and the many adventures and exciting things the Lord has allowed over the last 2.5 years since He brought us together. I am thankful for my job and the many doors it has opened and blessing that have come from it.

And today, I am thankful for the dumping of snow that we woke up to. The Roaring Fork Valley is covered in a blanket of white. I couldn't rewrite a better day to put up our tree and decorate for Christmas (after work).

So, in the spirit of Thanksgiving, thank you to you, for your continued support, prayers and friendship. We are truly grateful and feel absolutely blessed to have you in our lives.

Our Sincere Thanks,

Becca, Bryant, Baby, and Mali Burger

The view from our back porch this morning, looking toward Aspen.

19 Weeks! Almost Half Way There!

Today I am 19 weeks pregnant and can hardly believe it! For the most part I feel great, with a few minor exceptions. I have been hiking quite a bit this week with different girlfriends, which has been really fun. I feel really strong, but I can also tell I am getting bigger. Per my midwife and Amy Jo's suggestions I started taking papaya enzyme pills for my heartburn which has all but eliminated it! I can even drink oj minutes before bed time and not suffer the consequences.

Two nights ago I had the first mid night snack cravings of my life. I was laying in bed half asleep and suddenly sat up, starving. I went downstairs and got a quick snack, and was just fine. I woke up the next morning laughing at myself.

This week, jelly bean is the size of a large mango, about 6" long from crown to rump. I can finally feel a little movement now and then when I lay down and really pay attention to my belly (and usually after a sugar jolt from a big glass of oj). Bryant always puts his hand on my belly and tries to feel something, but hasn't been successful yet. We are hoping for external movement in the next couple weeks. For more on baby this week, visit, What to Expect When Expecting: Week 19.

Next Thursday we have our big ultrasound appointment. We are so excited, not only to hopefully find out the sex of the baby, but to be reassured that everything is healthy and growing as it should be.

Thank you so much for your continued prayer and support. I will update the blog if anything exciting happens before then.

Best,

B, B, B & Baby

Claritza's Quince

 

Saturday night Bryant and I went to my little buddy, Claritza's Quince. This is a traditional party thrown for Latino girls who turn 15. The closest thing I can compare it to is a debutant party in the south. They wear really fancy dresses, she had a court of friends in tuxes who danced with her, there was a dj, and 100+ guests. The food was awesome and abundant. It was a great party! I met Clari when she was 11 years old and can't believe she is 15! She is becoming a beautiful young lady and I am so proud of her. Click here for more information on the Buddy Program.

Week 18...Already?!

I have a prenatal yoga dvd I do on occasion at home. They have three pregnant woman participating in the program, all at different stages of pregnancy. One is at 18 weeks, the other at 25 and the instructor is about to pop at 37 weeks. I remember watching it and thinking, "wow, that woman is 18 weeks pregnant and look how much she is showing!" And now, here I am starting week 18. Last night I took a quick swig of oj before leaving the house and immediately felt like I swallowed a lit match. For one who has never experienced heartburn before, this is going to be a tough symptom to swallow, literally. All in all, I feel great. I can feel my stomach muscles stretching out, especially around my belly button where I had my surgery last year. Last night when I got into bed, it felt like my stomach breathed a huge sigh of relief from being tossed about all day.

Today I went on a hike at lunch with the girls from work. I felt really strong on the hike, which was encouraging as I haven't kept my activity level as high as I had hoped in the early days of pregnancy. The great news is that ski season officially starts next week, and I am really looking forward to (carefully) hitting the slopes this year. It will definitely be all about moderation, but there is nothing like a great day of skiing to drag you out of the warm house to tone your quads. And, I can officially then say that the baby started skiing 3 years before I did! :)

This week Jelly Bean is 5.5 inches long, and believe it or not, their little home (my uterus) is the size of a cantaloupe! They learn how to yawn this week, which I think is the cutest thing imaginable. For more details on the life of baby Ragan use the following link: Baby Ragan Week 18

Memory Lane

Last night I turned on my old laptop and took off a bunch of old pictures. I have posted them on a web album for you to enjoy. They vary from our marathon in Switzerland in 2006, 24 hours of Moab 2006, our honeymoon in Europe, the Christmas Bryant proposed, my trip to Africa in 2004, and various adventures in Aspen. Enjoy a walk down memory lane Ragan style by using the following link: Random Pics Through the Years 2004-2008

Sunshine + Skiing = Colorado

Today the sun is shining and it is so warm we ate lunch outside. This is really rare for November in Aspen, but we will take it, especially since I know we will be mostly confined to our offices/homes by the snow in the near future. Ski season is right around the corner and I am really looking forward to hitting the slopes this season despite having to modify my skiing style. :)

Staying home while everyone skis late in the season is going to be very hard for me this year, but at least, per my midwife, I can ski until I can't find clothes to fit anymore,which will hopefully be most of the season. I will just have to take it easier, which will also be hard. Bryant and I discussed the preliminary ski "rules" yesterday. No more fast skiing, no bumps, nothing extreme. I will definately have to watch my back for the psychotic beginners going mock 5 down the hill completely out of control.:) I am very grateful to live in a place where pregnancy isn't considered a medical condition and most adventurous activities are highly encouraged.

We are nearly finished with week 17, which is really hard to believe. Only 2 more weeks until we find out the flavor (hopefully). We are continually praying for everything to be normal and healthy. I feel great, and my energy level is still high, but I spent about 2 hours on my hands and knees scrubbing our floors yesterday and hurt in places I didn't know I had. Youch.

Thanks for checking in.

Best,

Becca & Baby

Week 17 Belly Pic and Heartbeat Update

What a relief. Last night I was finally able to find Jelly Bean's heartbeat with the fetal doppler. As much as I say I wasn't nervous that I couldn't find it, I was SO relieved to actually hear it. It was right at 150 still, which is perfectly average.

We are going to try to be more diligent about taking weekly pictures from this point on because my belly is completely changing from week to week these days. To view the progress so far, check out our belly pics album.

Baby Week 17

Today marks the first day of week 17. Things continue to change around my waist line, but my energy has returned in leaps and bounds. It is so nice to come home and actually have energy to clean and do projects rather than just plop on the couch and rest all evening. Bryant and I are anxiously awaiting our December 4th appointment, so much so that I bought a fetal doppler. So far, I can't find the heart beat, but that doesn't make me nervous, I just don't know what I am doing yet. We only have to wait three more weeks from tomorrow, but it seems like an eternity.

This week baby is 5" long from the top of his/her head to the bottom of their rump, about the size of an open hand. The baby also starts hearing noises, these are mostly strong white noises from inside my body, but he/she can also hear the muffled sound of what is going on outside. So, what does that mean for me? I have started (continued) singing to him/her at the top of my lungs on our way to and from work everyday, and Bryant talks to baby through my belly several times a day if not much more. There is so much to share with him/her that we don't even know where to begin.:)

Here is a picture of what our baby looks like this week, he/she is actually starting to look more and more like a little person:


For more information on the growth and development of baby Ragan this week, check out What to Expect Week 17.

On another exciting note, one of Bryant's colleagues' wife went into labor today. I imagine she has a long day ahead of her as she checked in this morning at 3cm dialated. They are having a boy, and we can't wait to meet baby Buckingham.

Let it Snow, Let it Snow, Let it Snow...

This morning we woke up to about 5" of fresh snow in Woody Creek. It is a really wet and heavy snow, but we will take what we can get. The women's FIS Worldcup race will be held on Aspen Mountain the weekend after Thanksgiving, and it is always a sprint to get enough snow on the hill before the racers arrive from all over the world.

With the snow comes talk of the holidays. On our way home from dropping the girls off at DIA to fly back to Washington, Amy Jo and I were overcome with guilt that we hadn't bought our husbands anything in the midst of all of the insane shopping we did over the weekend. So, we stopped at Bass Pro Shop and picked up a few manly gifts. The store had unveiled their holiday decor and displays that day. There was Christmas music blaring and trees and decorations everywhere. On our way home we had several long discussions about what we should do for the holidays this year, as this will be our first "at home" Christmas as a big family since they moved here 2 years ago. I think we came up with some good ideas and I am really excited!

So in light of the snow and holiday talk, I have changed the background of my blog to a more wintery scene. Afterall, it is only 2 weeks to Thanksgiving when I finally get to trim our(much to my dismay...fake) tree and pull out the Christmass itunes.

Bryant and I are going to Myrtle Beach in early December to celebrate both Thanksgiving and Christmas with his family, and about a week after we get back home, my parents arrive in Aspen to help us celebrate Christmas. I am really looking forward to this holiday season...Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Years. Partly because it is always an amazing experience in Aspen, but mostly because we should know the sex of baby Ragan by then, and we are that much closer to meeting the little bean.

Girls, Girls, Girls

This past weekend 3 of my best girlfriends and I met up in Denver to spend a weekend catching up and hanging out. It was so much fun to see them and be in the big city for a few days. We laughed, cried (due to laughter), shopped until we dropped and ate at some great restaurants. We had our make up done 2x in one day, and enjoyed some truly great girl talk.

I finally found some maternity clothes and am finally comfortable during the day. It was a challenge not knowing the sex of the baby because I was so tempted to pick up a few things for him/her, but just couldn't do it before we know.

If you are even considering getting away with your girls, I would encourage you to bite the bullet and go. It will be well worth the time and investment.

The highlight of the weekend, however was coming home to a my husband and dog, to a clean house, laundry done and smooches all around. This morning he even surprised me with breakfast in bed. What a stud. :)

Until the next adventure,

Becca & Baby

Much Needed Girls Shopping Weekend

This Friday night two of my dearest friends in the world, Kelly and Sarah are flying into Denver for a girls weekend of shopping and hanging out, and Amy Jo and I are driving down to meet them. Ironically, all three of them were my bridesmaids. I am so excited all four of us to be together again. I feel so blessed to have such wonderful women in my life.

Tomorrow is going to be crazy with open houses and trying to get out of town, so I will be sure and upload pictures and stories on Monday.

All the best,

Becca

Nesting...and Purging

This weekend we decided to clean out some of our closets (literally) that have been filled to the brim with boxes since we bought our house, almost 2 years ago. My mom has been shipping me random boxes over the past 2 years of everything from my old barbie collection, to my high school cheerleading outfits. They have slowly piled up and consumed what little storage space we have in our house. I had no problem throwing away Bryant's old things, love notes, pictures etc, and I thought it would be easy for me to go through my boxes and purge, but on the contrary, I wanted to keep almost everything. It was a good decision on Bryant's part to stay outside at the storage unit and babysit my efforts, or I wouldn't have accomplished anything. In the end, I am down to 1 large box of "memory" items I can bring out and show my kiddos until they roll their eyes in boredom. Going through the boxes and looking at old school newspapers from both high school and college, reading cards from friends, looking through old pictures brought back a flood of memories and I am really glad we made the effort to do it. I am so thankful for everyone of the memories and the people who I was able to experience them with.

As for baby news, there isn't much to update this week. The only thing changing right now is my waste line, which is slowly disappearing. I am hoping to feel the little bean in the next couple of weeks.

All the best to you,

Becca, Bryant, & Baby Ragan