Our New Addition!

We welcomed David Edward Lutz to the family on Monday, December 28, 2009, at 8:03pm. He weighed 8lbs, 6oz and was 22 inches long. We are both totally in love with him. Check facebook for pictures. More updates to come.

On Being Pregnant: 17 days and Waiting!

We are officially in the home stretch of this pregnancy, anxiously awaiting the arrival of our sweet son, David Edward Lutz. In some ways 38 weeks has seemed like forever and in others it has just flown by. We finally feel a little more settled into our house here in Virginia Beach and Daniel stays quite busy with his new job at UCT One. Currently I'm taking the advice of other mom friends and enjoying all the peace, quiet and fun I can until this baby comes. I love the mornings when I can sleep and the days when it rains so it keeps me homebound. My days are spent around getting exercise, hanging out with friends, keeping the kitchen stocked with food, and the laundry clean. The latter two items will be Daniel's biggest challenge when the baby comes...I might have to write written instructions on the washing machine and hope he doesn't throw a red shirt in with the whites!

For Thanksgiving we ended up staying here. The drive was going to be too long, I was getting too close to the due date, and Daniel was having a hard time getting away from work. While we missed the opportunity to go to my parent's in TN, we persuaded my sister Leah to drive up from Birmingham for the holiday. We had so much fun cooking, baking, shopping, putting up Christmas decorations and went to Busch Gardens for their Christmas shows. It has been a long time since I've gotten to spend time with just her and it might be awhile before we see her again. I am thoroughly enjoying all my siblings growing up and our relationships changing into deep friendships.

The belly has become so heavy now and quite the brunt of our jokes! Things I never thought would be so challenging to do on my own: 1) tie my shoes 2) pick up something on the ground 3) get off the couch or out of the bed 4) sit in a small booth at a restaurant 5) eat an entire meal (my stomach is cramped by a baby!) 6) put on pants without holding onto something, and 7) keep my balance. Daniel finds it most interesting to stare at my belly and imagine a full grown baby inside there waiting to come out. We also enjoy feeling our son's kicks, which are ever so strong now. While feeling his life inside me is a true joy, we are very ready to meet him and hold him.

Some of you have asked, is the nursery all finished? You might be surprised that two perfectionists have not competed the nursery yet. We should be receiving the furniture either Friday or Monday. The most important things are done, all his clothes and blankets are clean, a diaper bag packed, our bags ready to be packed, some frozen meals in the freezer, and the carseat ready to bring home the newest member of the family. While we know it's typical for most first babies to be late, I'm secretly hoping and praying he'll come before Christmas so we can be home with the best gift of the year!

We'll be keeping you posted!

On Being Pregnant: 86 days to go!

Praise God this pregnancy has been relatively uncomplicated. I am 28 weeks and counting down! This change to my body has taught me several things: 1) sleep is not my own anymore 2) my body will never look exactly the same 3) maternity clothes are a complete rip-off 4) my own bathroom is my best friend 5) I thought I loved backrubs before, but they are needed more often now 6) the feeling of my son kicking and moving inside me always brings a huge smile to my face regardless of the time of day/night 7) the expectation of a child and seeing him grow within creates a new and special bond in marriage! Daniel is my hero right now. He so often sacrificially gets out of bed to get the lotion and rub my back if I'm having a hard time falling to sleep at night. I enjoy watching his amazement when he sees my belly go up and down from kicks. He is going to be a very natural Dad and I'm so thankful.

Last month we celebrated our second anniversary with dinner at the Melting Pot. I'm not sure how, but we ate everything served to us! We also spent Labor Day at the beach and then several days in Houston for time with family and two baby showers. My parents even flew to Houston for the showers which made for a perfect time to introduce our son's name. We shared over dinner with both grandparents that he will be named David Edward Lutz. David honors my Dad and we pray that our son will be a Godly man like him and King David in the Bible. Edward is Daniel's and his father's middle names so we're continuing that tradition. We will call him David or the occasional Little David around my father.

A few days ago we scheduled a 3D ultrasound at an ultrasound center in town. We had heard good recommendations from friends. We spent an hour watching our son kick his legs, pinch his nose, open and close his mouth, blink his eyes, lick his arm and basically enjoy his time in-utero! He's one active little guy and we are so anxious to meet him. I think from the pictures he has his Daddy's mouth and legs, but we'll have to see.

This week we're headed to San Diego for Michael's BUDS graduation. This will be our last vacation before it's time to start planning for David's arrival. I'm beginning to feel quite uncomfortable and am more squirmy than a two year old these days.

On The Move -- Anxious to Settle!

It's been a busy couple months, but we're now beginning to feel settled into our house in Virginia Beach...well when the outside siding is finished and pictures are hung it will be better:)

We started the summer off with Daniel's dive school graduation and a big family reunion where we announced the upcoming arrival of Baby Lutz in December. We were 11 weeks pregnant when we shared the news so we had time to think of a good way to announce it! As suggested by a friend, Daniel typed up one of his typical itineraries for the weekend and the announcement was printed there. As we passed around the itinerary at the dinner table, it was fun to watch the quick reactions of some and slow reactions of others as they read through and saw the news. The first to catch on were my cousin Tara and my Mom. Everyone else quickly picked up on the excitement. My mother-in-law who had already been in town with us was surprised and I thought for sure she had a suspicion (especially when I threw up dinner the night before!). It made for a fun weekend of celebration for Daniel for his accomplishments in more than just school:-)

As soon as everyone was out the door Sunday morning, the packing fury began. Of course, you always think you can accomplish more in an allotted amount of time. We thought our packup from Panama City would be quite simple, but with a U-haul whose lights were out and a sick wife, Daniel had a lot of the weight on his shoulders. We finally left Panama City Monday evening and since we had already made hotel reservations in Savannah, GA, knew the night was going to be a long one. Daniel drive my car with the U-haul and we settled in for a long ride. We arrived to our hotel room about 3am that night and slept until we woke up. We made it into VA Beach around 7pm Tuesday evening and I was beyond exhausted. We took care of a few things here and then headed up for a couple days of R&R in Cape Cod.

We spent a few days at a lovely B&B near Hyannis Port. Even though the weather was a bit gray, we enjoyed the scenery and food on Cape Cod. Our B&B offered a three course breakfast every morning prepared by the owner, a professional chef. Normally breakfast doesn't do much for me, but at 13 weeks pregant I was starving all the time! Daniel and I enjoyed some long bike rides (which was difficult with a growing belly!), some walks, a train ride along the coast, watching a local triathlon and a sunset cruise (which wasn't so sunny with the incoming rain) through the Harbor and to the Kennedy compound.

After our weekend, we headed back south to Newport, RI, where Daniel had a two week class to attend. I stayed a few days and hung out before flying to Jacksonville for a beach week with family. While Daniel enjoyed beautiful cool weather in Newport, my family suffocated in a FL heatwave...even the ocean brought no relief!

By the end of June, we were officially tired of suitcases and arrived back to VA Beach to move back into our house here. The first order of business was to paint the spare room, which will be our son's room. It was a very bold blue and at the time we weren't sure it was a boy and wanted to go with a more neutral color. Daniel spent hours painting and doing house repairs before our shipment was supposed to arrive. I couldn't have been more excited to see our bed, couches, and my dishes!! It had been a long six months and I had forgotten how much our possessions made home feel more pleasant.

We are getting close to finishing some major house projects...having a baby on the way makes you feel pressured in a good way:-) Our house has been resided this week and Daniel's brother Samuel has been here the last two weeks rebuilding our fence, hanging curtains, changing out light fixtures, and fixing our two jetskis who never want to work. I do what I can, but my naptimes on the couch are becoming more and more necessary.

We have jumped back into the church we met and married at here and are enjoying a Bible Study with other couples on Thursday evenings. This fall I am hoping to join a ladies Bible Study, do some more projects around the house (like scrapbook organization and more blogging!) and also begin making a nursery for our little boy. I have also made friends with other Navy wives who are expecting and enjoy prenatal yoga classes and walking with them. I am very ready for the weather to turn cooler and the leaves to change. It feels like it's been perpetual summer since we arrived to Panama City in January.

The fall time will likely fly by with a trip to Houston in September to visit family and have baby showers, a family vacation/celebration in San Diego in October to Michael's SEAL/Buds graduation, and we plan to spend Thanksgiving with my family in Tennessee. And, December should bring a baby!!

Spring Break Country

Somehow March has just flown by! I don't know why we ever thought a 3-story, 4-bedroom house would be too big for us during out time here in Panama City. Since February, we've had 33 visitors and used every sheet and towel in the place. We've given new meaning to SPRING BREAK '09 in PCB! It's been so fun to have family and friends come from many miles away to see our beach vacation home and enjoy the beautiful gulf coast beaches.

Usually the beaches here are crystal clear and the sand white as snow. However, lately there has been some crazy thunderstorm action and the waves are crashing in and stirring up all the sand. It's not so pretty right now. We've fully experienced the spring break college crowds, learned not to drive anywhere near MTV's Club La Vela, and quit shopping at Walmart since everyone else and their sorority sister is there!

Daniel's schedule is beginning to slow down a little in dive school. Tomorrow will be his last dive and then supposedly they'll just be doing some classroom time until his graduation on June 5th. We're already starting to make moving preparations again!

We've had a lot of fun with our company. We had Samford University and Texas A&M represented with our college aged siblings down for their spring breaks a few weeks ago. We had one of the jetskis my parents lent us up and running and did some tubing and wake boarding. While Daniel has been at school I've been staying busy mostly playing with friends and enjoying the pool and beaches. Emily (my friend from Oregon who is now stationed at Pensacola with her hubby) and her three girls came over for a night and we checked out the local zoo. And our most recent visitors got the worst of the weather unfortunately. Daniel's highschool friend Dana and her family came out for a visit, but somehow we ended up with huge thunderstorms and tornadoes. I was thoroughly impressed with how well the kids handled the weather and we did get some fun in once the sun came out. We went to the airshow at TAFB and even the USN Blue Angels made an appearance! We did hit the beach one day and everyone but Zasia liked it! At age 2 she'd already figured out the sand just wasn't her thing!

We have a few weekend trips planned for April and May, but other than that just enjoying the beach as much as we can. Of course we'll still be at the beach in Virginia, but it is quite convenient to have it right across the street!

Welcome to the Sunshine State!

It has been a long couple months, but we have travelled some miles since December 16th when we said "Goodbye" to our dear friends in Oregon and headed east...well south first, then east!

We started our adventure in the midst of an unexpected snow storm in Oregon. We must have left right in time because thankfully we made it out of the state before the weather really turned. With two cars completely loaded down and walkie-talkies in hand, we began the 4,000 mile journey!

Our fist night on the road was a hotel in Sacramento. We were so thrilled about getting a goodnight sleep and getting on the road early in the morning, until the fire alarm went off at 5:30am! The entire hotel had to evacuate. We grabbed the car keys and stayed warm there until the hotel was clear. Apparently somebody on the third floor had the bright idea of cooking some breakfast in their room and burned it. Rather than keeping the smoke in their room, they fanned it to the hallway and gave everyone an earlier than expected wake-up call.

After repacking the cars (we got really good at this!) we were hoping to arrive in L.A. late afternoon to stay with friends. But, L.A. also seemed to be getting the same weather as Oregon and the closer we got the farther we ended up being. The interstate was closed through what's known as the "Grapevine" or the pass that you go through before dropping into the L.A. area. Not only was the interstate closed, but every other road around it. A 6 hour drive turned into 14 and we never actually made it. We had to stop on the road and then head into L.A. via Hwy. 101 in the morning. This really put a damper on the trip, but we knew that would be the last of bad weather we would have...atleast snow and ice weather.

Daniel's brother Michael drove from San Diego to El Paso with us and then we finished the last drive on our own into Houston. We spent about 10 days with Daniel's family in Houston, New Year's in Dallas with friends, and then Daniel and I parted ways. He had a two week class in Gulfport, MS, and I rendesvoued with my mom and her friend in Panama City for a girls R&R time!

We were able to get into our rental house on January 15th and got out of our suitcases and cars as fast as we could! We were so tired of searching for this shirt, or that pair of shoes, or that book...etc! Moving is definitely adventure but, boy, can it drain the heck out of you!

Daniel started dive school on the 20th and his schedule has drastically changed since grad school. He's up and out the door by 5:25am every morning. It's been hard for me to get used to this schedule. I am making myself get up earlier too so we can go to sleep at relatively the same time.

The weather is starting to warm up a little and we're excited about hanging out at the beach. The water is so clear and the sand very white. We love taking walks, and throwing the frisbee and I'm enjoying sunset runs on the beach. We are very blessed and love Florida!

Come visit us in the Sunshine State!

Giving Thanks

This Thanksgiving was bittersweet. Daniel and I started the day attending the Thanksgiving service at our church. That was a wonderful hour of concentrated time on praising God for the many blessings and gifts He has given us. It was also nice to take our minds off the turkey and all the sides yet to be made! But realizing the time was getting close to saying goodbyes made the day all the more special and emotional.

We hosted the dinner at our house and invited several of our friends over to share the feast. Our Navy friends, the Donathans, Daniel's school buddy, Dave, and our church friends, the Binneys, all joined us. We combined family traditions and everyone brought something they were used to having on Thanksgiving. The greatest success though was frying the turkey! Dave had a fryer and offered to do the honors. I purchased a 13 pound bird and he did the rest. It was delicious! I also roasted a turkey breast and it too was yummy. The ladies worked on everything else and other than me forgetting to let the bread dough for the rolls rise twice, everything went fairly smoothly. I have always helped out at my family's house with the Thanksgiving dinner, but it's entirely different when you are in charge of the outcome! I know everyone says it will taste good, but I didn't want to be the one taking blame for flat rolls, dry turkey or a burned pie! Thankfully, none of that happened and we finally sat down to eat around 3pm. Daniel was the official turkey carver and with two birds and a ham, we actually made quite a dent in all the food. Afterwards, I made sure everyone took home leftovers -- I didn't want to be left eating leftovers for weeks!

As tradition goes, we all shared several things we were thankful for this year. Even 3 year old Dorothy contributed! And what better than finishing the dishes and plopping down on the couch to watch some football...except for the part where the Aggies miserably lost.