Holy Matrimony

This year is full of weddings and wedding celebrations, which I love!  There's nothing sweeter than seeing two people commit their lives to one another.  It's beautiful and it's a privilege to be witnesses to that.  We attended the wedding of our good friend Louie's sister.  It was such a fun event (I even got a little tipsy)!  We are so excited and happy for Kimberly & Adrian!

Wedding Bells

The past few weeks have been quite a whirlwind, filled with weddings, plane rides, and a Hawaiian vacation (our first as a family of three!).  And through it all, it's felt like Ella has grown into a whole new baby--a little person almost--and it's really crazy to see her mature so fast.

First things first, Kelly's wedding, which kickstarted all the celebrating and traveling this month.  The wedding took place on a beautiful day in the Palos Verdes/Redondo Beach area.  The bride was blushing and the festivities were perfect.  It was so great celebrating the union of such a happy couple full of love.  Adam and I love being witnesses to such an important day for our friends, and this wedding was no exception.  (That, and we love adding to our "married club." Ha!)

Unfortunately, I didn't get a chance to snap too many photos.  But here are some of the beautiful bride reading for her big day.

A HUGE congrats to the new Mr. & Mrs. Belfi!!!

date night

With Ella's earlier bedtime, we took advantage of the extra hours in the evening to go out on a dinner date.  We had a really delicious meal at Bistro 45, a French-fusion restaurant that we really like.  It was crazy to think that we hadn't been there since our rehearsal dinner in 2007.  We definitely enjoyed the night out, even though we came home to a crying baby.  (Ella didn't sleep as soundly as we had hoped.)  We are very appreciative to be able to have time to ourselves, and look forward to many more nights like this (minus the uncooperative baby).

It's a terrible picture, but we wanted something to remember the night by.

Four years...

... two pugs, and a Babycakes later...

... and my heart still does flips when I think of you.

Happy Anniversary, Love. 

Then and Now

Adam was called in for jury duty today, so I met him for lunch in Pasadena.  He had some time to spare after we ate so we strolled around City Hall on this beautiful spring day.  We came upon the site where we took our wedding pictures three-and-a-half years ago.  It definitely brought back memories of a very happy day in our lives.  So we decided to take a picture of me with our baby in the exact spot we took one of my favorite wedding pictures.  (You'll have to excuse the quality discrepancy.  The iPhone is no match for the camera our photographer used.)

Adam + Yassie on November 24, 2007

Yassie + Bump on April 25, 2011

Morning Calisthenics

I've been feeling our baby move for quite a while now, but only recently has Adam been able to feel her movement.  Upon waking up this morning, she was particularly active.  I've gotten used to the twists and tumbles, the flutters and nudges.  But within the past couple of weeks she's grown stronger (and bigger) and her movements feel more alien-like.  Adam had his hand on my belly and was oh-so-gently nudged awake by her morning calisthenics.  Then, out of nowhere she pushed really hard and he was shocked at how strong her kicks have become.  He, of course, proceeded to nudge her back.

Every day the reality of her arrival sets in a little more.  Just as I get used to a certain stage of this pregnancy, a new one develops and I am in wonder yet again how our human bodies can grow a new life.  I've been studying about the anatomy of speech and the development of language in infants and it just amazes me how every baby is part of God's intricate design.  God's blueprint for creating life is simply awe-inspiring.  While pregnant, it's easy to think of all the things that can go wrong.  Sometimes it's nice to think about how all the things are just so right, so perfectly planned, so perfectly manifested.  Every toe nail, every hair follicle, every nerve ending is part of this beautiful tapestry of human life.  Every vessel and capillary, every groove and prominence, every muscle and joint--all of it to give this little papaya-sized baby the ability to breathe life.  

Laying there in the morning with Adam, his hand feeling hers, has been one of the most intimate experiences we've shared.  I know there are so many more to come, but it was a welcome glimpse into our little growing family.

Married to a 12th Man

Adam & his sister, Ashley, at the Seahawk v. Saints game

Adam is a huge Seattle sports fan and was beyond thrilled to watch Marshawn Lynch run 67 yards to score a touchdown against the New Orleans Saints this past weekend in Quest Field.  The fact that I 1) know who Marshawn Lynch is, 2) know that running 67 yards to score a touchdown is a big deal, and 3) watched it happen on TV at home and cheered while he was doing it says A LOT about how far our relationship has come.  And by "our relationship" I mean "my relationship with the Seattle Seahawks."  It's no secret that the subject of football (and sports in general) is a contentious one in our household.  You see, when Adam and I were dating I knew he liked the Mariners and the Seahawks, but I don't recall ever having to endure so many endless conversations about who got traded where and how the defense is looking good this year.  With the exception of the 2006 Superbowl and the few t-shirts and baseball caps that Adam had, I didn't really feel like the Seahawks were part of our dating relationship.  But upon being married, we have spent three football seasons (and occasionally a portion of baseball season) negotiating the number of games that were appropriate for Adam to attend.  He would gently bring it up, and I would shoot it down.  Then he'd bring it up again, and I would shoot it down again.  He'd get excited texting with his buddies the latest sports news, and I would roll my eyes.  Watching two grown men talk about Ken Griffey Jr's comeback to the Mariners was like watching two women enthuse about the latest Louis Vuitton purse.  I was dumbfounded.

I am not a sports fan.  There.  I said it.  Some women are, and sometimes I wish I was one of those women.  But me?  I'd rather be getting a mani-pedi and watching a musical.  But my good friend Grace once shared some wonderful words of wisdom for me when I vented my jealousies about the Seahawks: "You can win the battle, but you can't win the war."  *Sigh*  She was right.  Yes, Adam would give in and go to the Container Store with me on a Sunday afternoon instead of going to the Seahawks bar in Culver City when our arguments ended up with me throwing a tantrum and declaring that he loved his team more than he loved me.  But the next Sunday would come around and we'd be at square one again.  So this year I caved.  Well, I like to think of it as compromising.  I waived my white flag (with a giant blue and lime green 12 on it) and ordered the NFL Sunday Ticket and watched every single football game with him.  I learned the rules, found players I liked, and continued to giggle like I was 12 every time the sportscaster would say something remotely dirty sounding.  I go to games with the promise of an endless supply of hot dogs and popcorn and good seats.  I own many a Seahawks and Mariners sweatshirt and our pugs even have sports gear.  While I wouldn't say I'm a football fan or sports fan by any means (I can only watch games where Seattle is playing), I realize that sports is more than just beer and cheering for Adam.  It's an experience he got to share with his father when he was young, and that means a lot to him.  And what means even more is that he'll get to share the experience with our children.

So I'm happy to say that this is what our marriage is about: give and take.  And I am especially excited for when we get to apply it to the many musicals I have lined up for us to watch!  I think I'll even get him a sweatshirt with RENT on it.  Or better yet, Mama Mia!

Three Cheers for Three Years!

It's hard to believe that Adam and I have been married for three years.  It seems like just yesterday we were having the greatest celebration of our lives.  At the same time, it feels like I've known my best friend forever.  We have definitely had to work at our marriage, confronting the challenges of melding two lives into one.  It hasn't been an easy road, but it's been a worthwhile one.

When people ask me how I knew he was the man I wanted to spend the rest of my life with, two specific occasions come to mind.  One is when he first spent time with my parents early in our dating relationship, and he sat at the dinner table talking with my dad for hours.  My father is not an easy person to get to know, but he opened up to Adam and told him all sorts of stories about his childhood and emigrating from Vietnam and resettling here.  As I watched him and Adam talk, I knew I had found someone who valued not just family, but my family and my family's history.

The second occasion is when our first pug (and in many ways, our first "baby") had a debilitating seizure from his encephalitis and couldn't walk for a while. Adam and I slept downstairs with Frankie on the floor for weeks.  Franks was on prednisone, which made him have to drink a ton of water, and Adam would have to take him out to potty every two hours or so.  This entailed him holding Frankie up (who didn't have use of his hind legs) and spinning him in circles on the grass (a habitual ritual that Franks did in order to potty).  Adam's dedication to our pug and our ability to see Frankie through his illness showed me that Adam was someone I could depend on and journey with through life's up and downs.

And I was right.  We've held each other through a lot of heartache in the time we've been married.  From finding out Adam's mom had non-hodgkins lymphoma to the loss of our first baby, we've had to lean on each other when we felt like the world was collapsing around us.  But God has blessed us tremendously, and in those difficult times, our love remained as strong as ever.  Now that the cancer is gone and we have another baby on the way, we can't help but sit silently in God's goodness and be grateful for every single spark of joy that touches us.  We have so much to celebrate on our third anniversary.  I get to wake up every morning next to the best man I know.