Baby Hayes!

Well, there you have it! Change #2. I am pregnant! As for the top two questions, 1- We do not know if it is a boy or a girl, we decided to have it be a surprise, and 2- The due date was October 2nd. The entire pregnancy has been really easy and beautiful for me and therefore, for Ryan as well ; ). My favorite quote about pregnancy is that "pregnancy is not a disease" and I have been enjoying my time with that in mind. I have been able to exercise regularly ( I went on a 5.5 mile hike today!), camp, dance, go out with friends, spend time with family members, bake, can fruit, plant bulbs for the spring, work in the yard, you name it, I have been so blessed to have such an easy pregnancy. Our baby's growth is marked by the great times we have had the past nine and a half months, and a few highlights are posted below.

The Due Date Oct 2,2010

Ryan and I went and had a picnic dinner at the local goat farm. He packed a dinner of avocado, tomato, crackers, and onion, and we enjoyed that with fresh goat cheese while enjoying a mild evening in Templeton.

Feeding the friendly goats and dreaming about getting a few of our own some day...

A perfect fit!

On the day I was due, I helped with the Atascadero Creek Clean-Up and worked cleaning up the Salinas River Bed with another good friend Jaime. We got a good amount of trash and loaded out a ton of tires. Jaime and I were unearthing one tire and an entire family of mice scampered out into the bushes!

9 1/2 months, four days before the baby is due! My friend Holly and I went to the beach, I went for another cold-water dunk and she snapped a few photos of me on the beach in Avila.

I miss surfing and the water so much! I had to take a dunk in this alpine lake, along with a few streams we crossed along the way, while we were on our trip (This picture and the one below it are out of order and I can't figure out how to fix them- they should be with the backpacking picture).

This was the lake we backpacked into. The area is called Spanish lakes. The second day Ryan and I hiked up near the ridge in the distance.

Terra and Garrett got married on August 7th! Ryan and I danced all evening. They had a picnic style dinner and great music. I can't beat dancing with my grandpa, I've been ballroom dancing with him ever since I can remember! He taught me how to two-step ballroom style and how to follow when dancing with a partner.

Also around 8 months the girls ( Jessica, Megan, Shellie) and I had a girls weekend in Santa Monica. We rode bikes on the boardwalk, went out to dinner, gave ourselves green facials and had some serious girl time!

Ryan and I went to the Mid-State Fair at 31 weeks or almost 8 months. We saw all the exhibits, some of my students and their animals, and went and watched the rodeo that night.

27 weeks, or about 7 months, Ryan, Jaime, Joe, Dave and I all went on a backpacking trip! This would be the baby's third camping trip since I've been pregnant, but his/her first backpacking trip. I'm pretty sure the baby loved it!

Terra's wedding shower- 6 1/2 months with my cousin Heidi who was due a week ahead of me. She just had her baby girl, "Ella" on Wed, Sept 29th. This is the next generation of cousins in our family!

This was right around the same time, maybe about 6 months along.

How much a month can change! This was about 5 months or so.

This is at about 4 months, I thought I was showing so much. My normal jeans were just starting to feel a little "too tight."

We waited about 11 weeks to tell even our closest family members. We wanted to see that first ultra-sound to confirm pregnancy and be able to tell our family members in person. In this ultrasound picture from about 8 weeks, the baby already has a visible heartbeat and major organs!