St. Patricks Day Festivities at Maher's Pub in Lake Oswego

Maher's Pub is a privatley owned place, that we have found in Lake Oswego! I have written about this place already... They have GREAT food and it's such a fun Irish Pub! We love it there. They had a week long festival for St. Patricks Day...and The Baker's were a part of all the events! They had arts and crafts for the kids, face painting, Irish Dancing and more. Dave enjoyed Darts with Miles while Katrina loved the arts and crafts with her friend Ella. I also joined some friends on Thursday night at the Pub for a girls night and that was really fun too! Here are some pictures from our weekend. Enjoy!

yummy fish and chips

Harp

My friend Emily and I under the Irish Flag...Hard to see...

Katrina and Ella after Face Paints!

They adore one another as you know.

sharing a sprite

Arts and Crafts!

The Aldridge Family

Coincidence?? Fate?? Who knows...but interesting...

Dave and I met at Enterprise Rent A Car, where we both used to work....Went to a holiday party for work, ended up at the same bars for after parties.... Fell in love... got married...( very short version)

Funny Facts/Dates that are quite interesting...in no particular order...

• I interviewed with Enterprise Rent A Car in 2007 and Dave was my third and final interview for the job! Had I known he would eventually be my husband, Maybe I would have been a little, ok, a lot less nervous in that interview...because obviously, I had it in the bag (the job AND the man! HAHAH!!!)

• Dave grew up in Southern California (we will live there again some day..LOVE IT THERE).... One of my greatest friends growing up, Laura Davis, moved to Huntington Beach after college, SoCal area off of PCH and lives minutes from where Dave lived for years and years. I visited Newport, Laguna and Huntington Beach to visit my friend not having a clue I was blocks away from where my future husband had once lived... a little over a year later after meeting/dating Dave for a while, went back to those same spots! Such a fun trip...great to see where Dave grew up etc.

• Dave's sister Karie and my Dad share a birthday on June 1st... 

• Our friend/part of our family/nanny at one time, Luciana and my brother Andrew share a birthday on October 7th....

• My sister, Ashley and I have a birthday on Aug 22nd and our niece (Dave's sister Karie's, daughter) Lucy was born on August 23rd.

• My sister got married on June 21st and Dave's Mom and Dad, Jay and Mary Ann got married June 22nd. 

• Katrina and I share a middle name...Heather Rene and Katrina Renee.

• Dave's nic name in college was 26 after his favorite baseball players number 26, Wade Boggs. We married on June 26, 2010, got a dog, and Dave named her Boggs!!

• Dave attended his friend Jeff's wedding in 2000 at St. Clements Church in St. Louis, Mo.(keep in mind he lived in California at this time) less than a block away from the home I grew up in and where a lot of our family friends attended school/church...At that time, I was most concerned about the next party I was going to attend with my friends!!! Little did I know my future husband was right around the corner! HA! 

• Dave moved to St. Louis in 2005 and lived 2 to 3 miles from where I grew up...his time in STL was fairly short. I swear he was moved to STL to find me!! :)

THE LIST GOES ON!

• Cheesy, but we were meant to be! haha!! I think it is funny what a small world it is and how paths cross and the rest is history!

Our family...how it was meant to be!!!

HAPPY 91st Birthday GG

Mary Jane McCaffrey is 91 today! Happy Birthday!

It is so special to have her a part of our lives!!!



Planting Trees at Ibach Park!

Miles is an ambassador (leadership students) at school and his leadership team volunteered to help our community plant trees in one of our many local parks!!! Our family was one of 85 people to show up to Ibach Park in Tualatin Oregon to plant trees today in the RAIN!! We loaded in the car this morning at 8am, got breakfast and coffee and headed to the park! We had a great time...Really, we did. Even in the rain! Our team (Baker Team of 4) planted over twenty trees this morning! To me, they looked like sticks with roots! It's amazing what a stick with roots can grow into! Though it would not have stood a chance in my yard until today, because I would have thought it was a weed! Go Baker Family for helping out the Earth this morning! We definitely felt like Oregon Tree Huggers this morning! HAHA!

Miles, Katrina and Dave..Get to digging!

My favorite boy

TEAM WORK

Planting, Planting and MORE Planting!

sweet girl...all smiles

DIRTY! We were soaked and muddy...what a mess



Tacos, Taquitos and well deserved Corona for dinner tonight!



~Ruff Life Dog Sitters~

OUR NEW LITTLE BUSINESS!

Never a dull moment in The Baker Home! Yes we have been thru a lot lately! Yes, we are waiting for our STL home to sell. Yes, we are very busy most days with kids sporting events, dance, school, etc. But we are ready for more!!! I volunteer with the kids school, plan on continuing volunteer work with The Children's Cancer Association and now I have a new little business!! Miles and Katrina will be my partners in the business! We are dog sitters/dog walkers!!!! As you know, we love dogs! I grew up with dogs in my home, many friends and family members had dogs, and of course we currently have our little rescue dog that we love, Boggs! Below is a picture of our brochure (It is hard to take a good picture of the brochure). We plan on handing out 200 copies to our future neighborhood and surroundings Yes, we are solicitors! HA! I am actually really excited. Spring break is coming up and maybe we will get some business. This will be a great way to meet people in our new neighborhood and surrounding area! Also a great way to earn a little extra cash. Maybe we will get one or two calls and that will be ok. Gotta start somewhere. Maybe we will get quite a few calls and that would be better!!!  



terrible picture of our ad, but you get the gist- click on the picture and it will get bigger-



The brochure says,

"DOGS ARE ALWAYS HAPPIER AT HOME!

We are Dog owners & Dog lovers from Tualatin with over 20 years of Doggy care experience. Do you have a vacation planned, a work trip, or a schedule that makes it hard to tend to your Dog? We’re on call & we’ll come to YOU! We’ll be sure your Dog is fed, given clean water, and has play time! Quite simply, we are a convenient & affordable alternative to Doggy Hotels and Daycares! We welcome interviews & we’d be happy to provide references!"

Getting to know it...

Dave and I were talking over a cocktail and dinner last night when we realized it has been 8 months since we've moved to Oregon (WOW!). We are quite impressed with how fast we moved, (though still waiting for our STL home to sell, went back on the market this month) got to know new streets (after getting lost many many times, what a better way to learn where you're going ...get lost), new places, new school, new sports, new people, new shopping, his new job, new grocery stores, friends and NEW RESTAURANTS! Dave and I have tried so many places we want to take friends and family when they visit. From downtown Portland to Tualatin, Canon Beach to Mt. Hood, Tigard to Lake Oswego and more we have eaten at quite a few places for such a short amount of time. We love to try new places. Especially places that are privately owned and not a chain. Last night we tried an Irish Pub in Lake Oswego called Mahers and we have quite a few people we want to take back there. The place was so busy, had great food, cold beer and the hostess had a true Irish accent. Come to Oregon for a visit! We have MANY places we want to take you!!!

http://www.maherspub.com/

A message to moms on my birthday! By Dave Baker

 A message to moms on my birthday!

I realize most of you are celebrating National Anthem Day, but today is also my birthday, and for 7 of the 10 people who read this, let's just say I'm stoked to be 32 today! 

Apologies for the rant, but here's my issue with today.  I'm really disconnected with adults who throw themselves birthday parties or go out of their way to draw attention to themselves on their birthday.  The only reason I’m writing this is to make a long overdue point.

Most people celebrate to recognize significant accomplishments, like the day America won its independence, or when the Red Sox won the World Series in 2004 (Sorry Cardinal Fans).  And even more people celebrate their own accomplishments, like passing the BAR exam, getting a promotion, or receiving an award.  I remember specific days in my life worth recognizing and celebrating every year. I should celebrate the day I quit sucking my thumb!  I think my employees would think I'm a little strange today had I not shaken that habit!  I should celebrate the day I saw my first R rated movie. I remember how cool I felt telling everyone in school that I watched 'Conan the Barbarian'!  Other days worth celebrating...  Graduating college, chugging a beer for the first time, and the first time I got...  well you get the point. I will always celebrate my dating and wedding anniversary because I actually accomplished something both those days. On Jan 13th I dismissed all logic and made my move on Heather. A move that could have destroyed a 15 year career. As it turned out... I made the right move!!!  Definitely worth celebrating!!!  And on June 26th I actually convinced Heather to spend the rest of her life with me!  An NFL kicker is always applauded for out kicking his coverage and with Heather, I out kicked mine, so those days I will always celebrate and recognize.

So here's my point. I did nothing on March 3rd other than enjoy my first 'water slide'. My mom did all the heavy lifting that day and the preceding 9 months! I find it ironic that tradition has me accepting gifts from her on this day!?!?  Shouldn't I be the one sending my mom a gift in thanks for pushing my huge dome through her privates'. I mean it truly is her accomplishment not mine!

So far all those who feel good enough about someone to send them a gift on their birthday, I say... save the money or send the gift to that persons mom. Heck, it's the moms fault for that person being there in the first place!  And for all those people with Charlie Sheenesk egos who throw themselves lavish birthday parties, my advice would be…  Save some of your lettuce and buy your mom some flowers or send her a thank you card or something!!!

May the 10 people who read this, share the idea!  Heck, maybe even forward this blog to 5 people who you think value where they came from!  Maybe we can go viral with this message and we can finally recognize those that deserve recognition on birthdays.  Moms.

Thanks Mom!  I'm a year older today and moving forward I'll hold you responsible for the all my discretions!!  Haha!  I love you!!!

Bloody Mary...New Hat....New Handbag

So there is no denying that the past couple of weeks have felt a year long. There is no denying there has been pain and sadness...but there is also no denying that having love, support, and shopping sprees takes your mind off of all the sad things. Nothing will change the events of the last couple weeks. Ibuprofen has been a pain reliever, but so has having a wonderful husband, having my Mom in town, having two wonderful step children and shopping!!! Not to mention the amazing support through phone calls, emails, flowers sent to our home and FB comments. Dave has been out of town on business and my Mom and I have been having some retail therapy! Below are a few pictures....Gotta love a great Bloody Mary over lunch, a cool new hat, and a really pretty new handbag! I have amazing family and friends and for that I am blessed....AND who doesn't love nice things to lift your spirits....

My Bloody Mary...

My New Hat

My new bag!!!

 

THANK YOU! written by Dave Baker

Until now, Heather has authored every word on this blog, and she has done such a great job sharing her feelings and our lives.  Those who know me, know how uncharacteristic this is for me, but for now, let this be my mountain top, and this is me yelling at the top of my lungs!  I do not take things for granite, and for the past 3+ years, I wake up every morning feeling so lucky and blessed to have Heather in my life, and over the past week it's clear to me how much her spirit and her story has impacted so many others, as well as mine.   I've never been a huge fan of social media, never had a personal blog, I don't tweet, and I don't have a facebook page.  I've really never been motivated to participate on this blog, although I treasure every post.  However this past couple weeks have been a grind in so many different ways, and I have truly been inspired by all the support, prayers, and well wishes that we have received.  To everyone that has sent well wishes, read this blog, or followed Heather on Facebook... I say to you... THANK YOU!!!

Today we realized what we have been dreading for over a week now.  We lost our babies.  We learned of the first last Friday, and today our doctor confirmed that our remaining baby, who's heart we saw fluttering like a butterfly a short week ago, had gone silent.  Over the past week, we remained hopeful, and appreciated all the support, but we also prepared ourselves for the bad news we received.  Last night, we lost sleep, confused, and conflicted.  What if our remaining baby's heart rate was still at 60 beats per minute today.  All indications from the doctor lead us to believe if that was the case, and if the baby had not grown, he would recommend ending the pregnancy.  Still...  What a sobering thought!  Thinking of all the possible complications and afflictions that our baby could have???  Still...  In any case, the baby, if healthy enough, would be the luckiest baby in the world to have such a loving mother, brother, sister, and father.  It just wasn't meant to be...

The events of the past week, have sparked some very interesting conversations with Miles and Katrina.  "How'd the babies get in there?" "How are babies made?" "What is Sex?"  "Is the baby not feeling good because you haven't had enough sex?"  You name the question and Miles has asked it.  I guess that's what you'd expect from a 10 yr old boy.  We've discussed what a future Baker would mean to our family, and the bond that our baby would create.  Finally a Baker that would share all our blood!  This is the thought that has brought all of us to tears this past week.  The last time I really cried was during my Grandfather's funeral which was roughly 10 years ago.  I've shed tears here and there.  I mean, who didn't cry when Rudy sacked the quarterback and got carried off the field at Notre Dame. But this week, I've cried for the babies who would have been so fortunate to have been born into our family.  I've cried for the lives that could have been.  I've cried for Heather, who no doubt would have been and has been the greatest mother anyone could ask for.  I've cried for Miles, who would have been and will be the big brother we all wish we could have, and I've cried for Katrina who turned 8 on Monday and used her birthday wish for the health of her baby "brother/sister".  And I cried after speaking with my Mom and Dad on the phone.  I truly felt their sorrow over the phone, and as a son, it was one of those moments where I really felt their love.

I'm thankful that Heather's Mom, Missy jumped on a plane from Florida to be here with us. Tonight, Missy and I took Heather out for some Sushi and Sake.  Afterwards we went to a jewelry store, where Missy bought Heather a double sided charm with a butterfly on each side representing each of the heartbeats we lost.  Heather is wearing it on a necklace, and we continue the healing process.

In the mist of all this pain, I continue to be amazed how strong Heather is and how lucky I am to have her in my life.  I feel so thankful that Heather and I are surrounded by so many thoughtful people. When you're 2000+ miles away from all of your family and most of your friends, you really learn and appreciate how important they truly are. We are lucky.  We are resilient.  And we are determined!  We will take the advice of our Mexican/Brazilian compadres who said... "Vamos Bakers"

We heard your voices and felt your prayers and I really just wanted to say THANK YOU!  We've really appreciated your support, as it HAS made a difference for us! 

Dave

Worst Days Of My Life...

To all my blog readers, I do not write this for sympathy. I don't write this to make you sad or to make you worry. I write this because this blog is about my life and this is current in my life. I know I will cherish this blog some day as a scrap book of life's ups and downs. I know there are many women who will read this who have gone through the same things. I know there are many women who will read this and be thankful they've never been through it. I know that 25% of all pregnancies end in miscarriage. I know there is nothing I did wrong and nothing I can do to change these events.
My Story:
Dave and I love children. We want more children and have been trying since our marriage in June to conceive a baby.
On January 25th I took a pregnancy test revealing we were pregnant! I instantly cried with excitement and sent a picture text to Dave and my Mom that we were expecting! The weeks to follow were so exciting! We told all of our closest friends and family out of excitement and could not wait to tell Miles and Katrina. We wanted to be sure everything was ok and planned on telling them after our first ultrasound. They were going to have a brother or sister!
On Thursday Feb. 17th I noticed a weird spotting happening and was instantly scared. I called the doctor and they scheduled my very first ultrasound for the next day. Dave and I went to the ultrasound so anxious and quite scared. The ultrasound tech zoomed in on the pregnancy and we saw a heart beat! Instant Tears! We were so relieved! Looking back, the technician was taking a while, and taking a lot of pictures of every little thing from every angle. Dave and I headed to lunch because the next part of my appointment wasn't until an hour later. We were relieved. The technician said she didn't have any concerns! We saw a heart beat! We were on cloud 9. I sent Dave back to work and I headed to the next part of the appointment. The doctor came in and began explaining concerns. She said that the pregnancy at one point early on were twins. We lost one twin, not sure when and there is extra tissue in the pregnancy sac next to the existing baby. She said the existing baby has a slow heart beat of 105 and is not growing. For those who don't know a baby should have a heart beat of 110 to 170 and should be higher in those numbers in such an early pregnancy. She said for being 7 weeks pregnant the baby should be doing better and she is concerned the baby won't make it. I was punched in the gut and my heart sank. She said there is nothing I did wrong and nothing I can do. That it is a waiting game and keep hoping. Things can change.
Yesterday, Monday, Feb 21st, I was with the kids and Dave at lunch when bleeding and cramping began. I panicked. I called the doctor, they brought me in to see them. The kids at this point know what is going on. We had to explain to them that we were pregnant but the pregnancy is not going well. They were sad, we were all sad. I don't know how else to explain it. Miles and Katrina amaze me with their resilience on a daily basis. They were so supportive and worried about me. I felt terrible to concern them with these problems. After all, I wanted to give them good news about expecting a brother or a sister! We headed to the doctor as a family. We say, "We're in this together".
The doctor did another ultrasound. The heart beat not nearly as visible as the first ultrasound. The doctor says about 60 beats per minute and could barely detect the heart beat but we saw it there. We saw it beating. Though the prognosis is not good and the baby will likely not make it, the doctor is hopeful and says, "I've seen crazier things happen"...There is always that miracle. He said he would not feel good doing a D&C (ridding my body of the baby) on a baby with a heart beat. So now we wait and hope for a miracle. Our closest friends and family have been sending positive vibes and prayers and I so appreciate it! Now if the blog readers would jump on board and think positive, maybe our hope and wish will come true!!! You NEVER KNOW! My next appointment is Friday, unless I need to be seen sooner, and we hope to see change!
I told Dave, if this baby makes it (which is not likely and I know that) and if it's a girl, her name will be Hope! We keep saying, "Keep Hope Alive" and stay positive etc. Anyway, I am sorry to share such terrible news, but these last few days have been an up and down and such a sad time. This thing called life is truly a miracle with ups and downs to say the least. PRAY FOR US! We want this baby so bad. We know God has a plan and sometimes people go through bad things to get to the good things....

Thanks for listening. It feels better to tell my story....Below are a few pictures of this journey so far.

Pure Excitement

I did not believe the first test, I needed a second...Yes we're pregnant!

A card for Dave, the baby Bible, the pregnancy tests

Our baby.....

Katrina's Birthday Celebration!

Katrina has been looking forward to this day for what feels like forever! She loves presents, lets get real. Sure she is 8 and that is cool and she has a really great friend she loves spending time with. Sure she loves cake and ice cream but to be exact, she loves presents! Who doesn't??! She had a great Birthday celebration which started at the movie theater. We enjoyed the 3D movie of Gnomeo and Juliet! Then it was back to our place for some presents, cake, ice cream and dancing! The girls danced to Justin Bieber, Taylor Swift and more...I should have taken video...Funny.

Movie time!

I am 8!!....(tomorrow)

PRESENTS!

Justin Bieber!!!!!!!

Hugs thanking Ella for her present of a beautiful Tangled Dress, best friend necklace, stuffed animal and Justin Bieber pins!

She wanted a cabbage patch doll after I explained how much I used to love them. They are so cute and smell so good!

A GUITAR!!!!!!!! She has wanted one for so long.



 The next Taylor Swift ladies and gentlemen



Another surprise....

TAYLOR SWIFT TICKETS!!! Concert in September @ Rose Garden!!! About this time she says, "This is the best birthday EVER"...Success....

Best friend, new doll, new dress ...HAPPY!

This is about as decorative as I get when it comes to cakes. Tasted delicious! Go me!

Make a wish (in her new dress)...make it a good one!

I hope her wish comes true! Blow out that 8 candle girl!

What a day!