Change...The One Thing We Can All Depend On

I find it somewhat ironic that uncertainty and change are all that I can actually "depend" on these days. While most details of my life continuously dangle up in the air, the one constant that always seems to remain is that nothing ever stays the same.

After spending the last few months in the frigidly cold Midwest for football season, we've recently found ourselves back in our sunny California, off-season routine. And just as we started to feel settled back at home, our rapidly changing reality began to feel somewhat unsettling. 2011 will undoubtedly be a year that will go down in the books.

Per usual, the past few months have been full of highs and lows, ups and downs, wins and losses. We enjoyed the immediate success of my debut novel during the first half of the year and then turned our attention toward the exciting commotion of football season for the latter half. Danny produced a career-high season of catches and yards, while also adding to his resume of "laid back/Cali swag" touchdown celebrations. There is no doubt though, that tangled among all the buzz, we endured our fair share of adversity. 2010 was also a year of overcoming unforeseen hardships, making difficult decisions, leaning on family for emotional support and resolving to have a stronger resolve.

I'm convinced that 2010 decided to end with such an intense amount excitement for the mere purpose of preparing us for the chaos looming ahead. We wrapped the year up by expanding our family by two! We adopted another puppy dog who has fit into our family like a puzzle piece. He's a nine year old yellow lab that looks just like Lily, but he's a calm and mellow cuddler, while Lily is her usual busy-body self. Two weeks after we welcomed the furry little love bug into our home, we found out that our brood would continue to grow. We're expecting a baby boy in June and couldn't be more excited/nervous/impatient.

The first half of my pregnancy went by smoothly and swiftly. Other than feeling a bit like an alien out of a sci-fi movie, I've pretty much felt like my usual self. Danny hit his lowest weight since college during my first trimester because I wasn't doing much cooking and I didn't have an appetite, so now that I've entered, what I like to call, the "bottomless pit stage" at month 5, we're looking forward to making up for lost time together.

The last few months have been interesting, to say the least. Towards the end of season, Danny often came home from work with little bits of pregnancy knowledge that surprised even me. He once explained to me his strategy for buying in bulk when I began to get specific food cravings, and on another day he asked me if I was finding that my equilibrium was off just yet. I soon realized that, as a part of the Rams baby boom 2010, we were in good company. I had a support group of amazing ladies to bounce my "Is it normal that..." questions off of and he clearly benefited from the "new dad" locker room speak going on at work.

I've heard that having a baby during the off-season has many perks, so we're lucky to fall into that category. Apparently the likelihood that dad will be able to get home (back to California in our case) for the birth goes up tremendously in the months of Feb-July. And I've also heard that the possibility of getting help during midnight bottle duty goes WAY up when the boys don't have to be at the facility, sitting in the cold tub, at 6am.

The excitement we have for welcoming a "mini-us" into the world is, quite frankly, the most amazing feeling we've ever felt, so we've been trying to completely ignore the many impending unknowns ahead. During a time when most expecting couples are painting their nurseries and scoping out local "mommy and me" activities, Danny and I are registering for foldable bassinets and strollers fit for travel. The only certainty in the months to come is that at some point we'll need to just pick up and go. Not sure when or where just yet, but we do know that it's inevitable.

So many more questions than usual seem to hover over us this year than they have in years past...Will there be football in 2011 or will a potential NFL lockout or strike keep us in limbo for months to come? Would lockout limbo mean we have no health insurance during the months I'll need it the most? Will Danny's free agent status take us to a new state, new city, new team? Will the potentially new off-season schedule allow him to get home in time for the birth of our son if he's in the middle of OTAs or a mini-camp thousands of miles away? Should we be buying west coast-friendly short sleeved onesies or cold weather baby gear for the Fall ahead?

I suppose there is irony in this post. I sat down at my computer to write a new "what we're up to these days" blog, and I'm slowly realizing that I have absolutely no idea what we're up to. I have no idea what we're up to, or even what we'll be up to in the near future. No idea what-so-ever where we'll be or who we'll be with. No idea how we'll get there, how long we'll be there, or how we'll like it. So I suppose that rather than being a blog of "updates," this has turned into a blog of "I'll keep ya posteds."

So here's to having faith that it will all work out, like it always does, and to being excited for the adventures around the corner. Thanks for all the love and support, the blessing of having amazing family and friends is the one we cherish the most!