A VISIT TO BUTLER, PA

Michael ended up working on Christmas which was fine with us, we had already had so much going on that trying to pull off a formal Christmas was not in our place. Plus I don’t think Gilbert minded. But he was lucky enough to have his own Christmas stocking that my mom knit for him, which was filled with small gifts for the family….from Santa of course.

After Christmas we headed up to Butler to stay a few days with Michael’s Grandparents, Grandma Pat and Grandpa Gib (Gilbert) Taggart. It was really nice to spend time with family and connect during the holidays. Grandma and Grandpa loved Gilbert and were hands-on the entire time. It was nice because it gave me a little break. Grandma Pat was amazing, I don’t know how she does it, but she would be holding Gilbert one minute and the next minute dinner would be on the table. I guess that is the kind of skill you would expect from someone who raised six kids. Lucy also had a great time and actually sulked for about two days after she returned. I think she has a special place in her heart for Grandpa Gib.

Butler is a really cute town with a lot of family history. We drove by the house Michael’s great grandparents live in on the Taggart side of the family. We also drove over the see Michael’s Aunt Kris and Uncle Scott in Mars, PA. Mars is a great town with a subtle UFO/Mars theme to it. It seems like the have a great close knit group of friends, one of the benefits of living close to where you grew up. We also took one day and spent some time with the Gallagher side of the family, getting the chance to see Michael’s other grandparents and some aunts and uncles.

I was sad to leave Butler as the opportunity to see family is one of the reasons we moved to PA. But We’re hoping to get a chance to visit again in the Spring. Plus we will be seeing everyone on the Taggart side of the family in July at the family reunion. I must admit that after meeting more people from the family, I’m looking very forward to it.

TEMPORARY HOUSING

Before I arrived in Chambersburg, Michael was fortunate enough to find a great rental only two blocks from the place we bought. So for about six weeks after I arrived we lived in a great two story furnished apartment behind the house of a very nice couple. Biggest perk is that is has a stone fireplace! But we were still only living temporarily so we didn't have our crib yet, so Gilbert stepped it up snd slept in a drawer. Luckily we moved into our permenate place just before he grew out of it.

The couple has six kids and use to be military so they know what it is like to move around a lot. They were nice enough to add us to their numbers when it came to Christmas dinner and New Years dinner. The housing set-up was perfect and allowed us time for Michael to do the hardwood floors in the new place before moving in.

Oh and yes people that is snow. Not much has fallen since, but it is snow.

END OF THE SEASON

I arrived in Chambersburg just in time to get to go to Michael's last cyclocross race of the year. I arrived in PA on Friday and the race was on Saturday. So the family packed up in Michael' car and headed up to the race. It was sunny out, but cooooooold with a good breeze. Michael did well placeing fifth and got some loot for his winnings. Afterward we celebrated with coffee and treats at Panera Bread afterward.

MOVING WEEK

Moving day, or should I say moving week? We had the movers scheduled for Monday and Tuesday, then I would get the place ready for the new renters on Wednesday and Thursday, take the car to be shipped on Thursday, and fly out on Friday. Luckily my friend Jen was nice enough to have the crew, me, Gilbert, Lucy and Meowsey, stay with her while all of this was going on. SO the weekend before the move, I packed into two small suitcases what Gilbert and I would need for the next month. The remainder of our “stuff” would either be in transit or storage until we were ready to move into our place in Chambersburg. Somehow I managed to pull this all of, with a newborn in tow.

I left the movers alone for the most part as I let them know I was too highstrung to be around. I think they appreciated the space as they packed everything, even a few things they were not suppose to like dry goods. Then I had the handyman, the cleaner, and the plumber over on Wednesday to prep the place for the renters while I did some light painting and fixed a few items in the condo. By 2:00 pm I walked out the door of the condo, leaving it officially as a rental and me as a landlord.

On Thursday Mindy went with me to drop off the Subaru to be shipped to Chambersburg, and then dropped me off in NW Portland to say goodbye to some friends and do some last minute boutique shopping. That night I was in bed by 8:30 out of pure exhaustion and with the knowledge that I had to get up at 3:30 to get to the airport by 5:30.

It took both Jen and Mindy with their station wagons to get the caravan of cat, dog, bags, baby and me to the airport. True friends will wake up at 5:00 am to take you to the airport. THANKS!!!!! People in line at the airport were amazed to see me bringing in the kennels and all the bags and asked what I was doing. When I told them I was moving back East they were amazed. I told them to wait as I still had the grand finale coming. When I brought in Gilbert, they cheered. So funny! Everyone at the airport was so helpful, from helping me with bags to holding Gilbert. Plus Gilbert was a gem on the plane and pretty much slept through the entire 4:45 hour flight. Note to other mommies, they do now have changing tables in the bathrooms, somehow they managed to fit them in those tiny rooms.

Luckily we were on a direct flight. We arrived a little early and waited for Michael to arrive. A friend let him borrow his truck with a canopy in order to pick up the crew. We all managed to fit and then it was off to our new home in Chambersburg. Reunited and it feels so good!

WEDDING WEEKEND

Despite have all of life’s greatest stressors all within two months, Michael and I managed to pull off a fun wedding weekend. The days leading up to the wedding were typical Portland rainy days. A Perfect reminder to our out of town guests that in order to live in such a cool town as Portland you have to endure rainy weather all winter. But luckily the sun came out on our wedding day. My mom called me that morning and quoted, “The sun shines on the happy bride”.

Friday my mom Judy hosted the out of town guests at the Laurelwood Pizza and Brew Pub in the Hollywood district. Michael’s Aunt Beth and Uncle Jeff were there along with his mom Cathy. Plus my mom Judy, my brother Fred and his family, my brother George flew in from England, and my Aunt Kathy and Uncle Bill. We were really happy that so many people could make it from out of town on such short notice. The beer was flowing along with stories of the past. My brothers got there chance to harass Michael a bit, the good old Dickson way. My niece Pearl was asleep the whole time after a long day of touring Portland, she was saving it up for the big day. My other niece Merrin was on fire being her usual social and joking self. Aunt Beth harassed me about being obsessively organized. Michael and I had a blast, but in the back of our minds we couldn’t help but have thoughts of little Gilbert at home with a sitter for the first time. Despite the fact that he was only a few blocks away and being watched by a responsible friend, we were out the door of the pub at 8:00 pm on the dot. Oh, early parenthood.

Saturday was a busy day for all. It seems like everyone I knew was helping to get things ready for the wedding. My mom and I had to pick up the rings, Michael and his mom went to get the keg with Gilbert, and the knitters were picking up flowers and all the decorations to head over to the venue to decorate. Last minute tuxes were picked up, the wedding dress was ready to go, and people were prepping at our condo to get ready for the big day. Despite being organized I still don’t know how everyone got from out place to the wedding, but somehow we managed. I headed over with my friend Laura, my brother George and a crying Gilbert. Luckily Gilbert seems to be soothed by sucking on George’s thumb. Gotta love it! Somehow everyone involved in the wedding arrived on time. To our dismay the tux rental place forgot to give George pants, hum jeans with a tux, I don’t think so. So it was down the street to the rental shop fifteen minutes before the ceremony to get some pants. Gotta love having things close here in Portland!

The ceremony was lovely. The flower girls, Merrin and Pearl, looked lovely in the dresses and did a great job. No rehearsal needed for this crew! My favorite part was Lee Gorsuch’s, our officiant and friend, introduction to the ceremony. He is a wonderful public speaker and was please that he mentioned both my father and Gilbert in the introduction. Many thanks to him! In our typical style, Michael and I wrote our vows just hours before the wedding. Hey, we have a lot on our plate right now! J But we managed to pull it off. To end the ceremony with a bang we picked the Rocky theme as our intro into the world as Mr. & Mrs. Gallagher.

The reception was immediately following. I must say that the highlight, well there were two, one being the amazing food done by Dalton’s Catering, and the other being the four up photo machine done by our friend Manny. Friend’s and family had a blast having their pictures taken phtotobooth style then printed out to take home. The toasts were also great, with the highlight being my brother Fred stating, “There are three things my family though Jessie would never do, one get married, two have a baby, and three leave Portland, and she did them all within two months.” Very funny Fred! Really. J The evening ended at 10:00, just in time for new parents to get home to their little one. Gilbert did make it to the wedding, but my great next door neighbors, Anne and Bill, took him home after dinner and watched him until we were able to get home. Many thanks to them. Oh, Aunt Beth and Aunt Susan, did you ever check your stop watches to see who actually got to hold Gilbert more? We’ll for whom ever fell short there is always the family reunion in July for a rematch.

Sunday was another beautiful day and perfect for the Sunday brunch held by Adria, the maid of honor, for all family members. For me this was one of the best parts of the weekend, since Michael and I felt we were able to relax and just enjoy the company of family. Adria had quite the spread of food which her mom Anne, father Lee and new fiancée Daniel helped her prepare. I still don’t know how this happened but I managed to miss the mimosas, this is so unlike me. It was great to get to see family before everyone headed off either to airports or to further explore Portland or Oregon.

I have to give a special shout out to the knitters, Mindy, Ginger, Sara, and Christen. Between the four of them they managed to put together the reception flowers (with a little help from the Laurelhurst Park) and get all the decorations up for the ceremony and reception on Saturday afternoon. Oh, and received many positive responses regarding the unique invitations…that would be courtesy of my friend Monday. I feel so lucky to have such a great circle of girlfriends!

ARRIVAL

Hello friends and family, Jessica and I have great news to report!!!!

Gilbert Michael Gallagher was born on 29 October 2007 at 14:20 PST.
Weighing in at 7lbs, 11 oz and 20 inches long. He packs a head full of soft brown hair long eyelashes and a "soft" cry.

We are expecting to be home from the hospital this Thursday morning. Everyone is doing well and bonding during our recovery period. Breast feeding has started and moving along quite well. We all look forward to introducing Gilbert to each and every one of you when time permits.

Please take a look at the wonderful pictures. They speak for themselves!

Love Michael Jessica Gilbert.
"Aka" MJG

40 WEEKS & STILL WAITING

Greetings Friends & Family:

Well we have made it to 40 weeks and so far no major actions from Baby G. Still moving and shaking, but no sign of his grand entrance to the outside. So we all wait. I have a doctor appointment on Wednesday so we'll see what he says. But what it all comes down to is that it is really up to the baby. Well, unless we get too close to 42 weeks. But let's all put our positive energy together and hope it doesn't take that long. But our cloth diapers arrived on Monday and my mom arrived on Tuesday so the final pieces of the "getting ready puzzle" are in place.

Michael is doing great in PA. He is really enjoying his new job and is well respected by his coworkers and supervisors. He has already opened up many opportunities for potential growth both within government and military jobs. Go Michael! He has been racing every weekend and doing very well placing with the top national racers. Not only is he placing well, but more importantly feeling strong while doing it. If you have ever raced you know how important that is to racing.

So on top of all of this he is also actively looking for a house for us to buy. We were looking at renting, but no one will take us with a cat and a dog. But we have found a place that would actually be cheaper than renting so we are moving forward. Hopefully we will make an offer on it next week. Once again....Go Michael!

It has been almost four weeks since Michael left for PA and we are ready to be back together as a family. I keep telling the baby that the sooner he comes out the sooner his dad will come home. I hope he is listening.

As you can see from our "Not Gonna Happen" picture, we still do have a few adjustments to make before Baby G arrives. :o

Think good thoughts for us. We will keep you posted.

Love,
Jessica & Michael

37 WEEK UPDATE

Hi Friends & Family:

Well we have finally made it to 37 weeks which means that the baby is full term and should be ready to join us on the outside at any time. But officially the due date is three weeks from this coming Sunday, October 21st, so from here on out it is up to Baby G.

I am doing well and am looking forward to the arrival of the baby. The pregnancy is still going smooth, but I am definitely slowing down as the baby saps a lot of my energy. As a result tomorrow is my last day of work. I'm finding it hard to work all day and feel it would be nice to have some time to relax before the baby arrives. Plus I have that well known need to "nest" and am looking forward to having the time to get final things in order.

Michael has been having a successful Fall bike racing season, placing well in his last two races which had some national professional racers in attendance. He has been working with a coach and it seems to help with his focus and with making the most of his training. Together with the coach and his natural talent it is looking like it will be a good Fall race season.

He is currently making his way back East as his job starts on October 1st. His goal is to try and find a house for us to buy or rent by the time I move out there towards the end of November. Luckily the military has granted him ten additional days vacation for house hunting, which they are allowing him to also use to come back home for the birth of the baby.

I had a babyshower a few weeks ago with some of my close girlfriends here in Portland. It was a great experiece and a fun time with friends. Attached are pictures from when Michael showed up at the end of the babyshower.

We are as prepared as we can be and are trying to keep our minds open for our journey ahead.

Hope everyone is doing well.

Love,

Jessica & Michael

29 WEEK UPDATE

Greetings Family & Friends,

I hope this email finds everyone doing well.

Michael and I are doing great, as is the baby. He is now 30 weeks along, which means we are in our third trimester. So in two months I will be full term, meaning if the baby was ready to come out there would be no hesitation in letting him do just that. To put it in perspective, in eight weeks there could be a new Baby Gallagher.

I am still working and plan on doing so until October 1st or a little beyond. I just stopped riding my bike to work as it is getting hard to reach the handlebars. Most of my exercise now consists of classes at the gym. But as a result of continued exercise and overall good health, the pregnancy is still going very smooth. Breathing has become a little harder at times, but that seems to come and go.

Two weeks ago we started a series of six birthing classes on Thursdays for two hours a session. It has been a great experience for both of us, as it puts us on the same page as far as understanding the birth process and how to work through it as a team. Overall it is a great bonding experience. Plus it is located at the hospital where we plan on having the baby, Sunnyside Hospital. They have a new birthing center which opens at the beginning of September. We have signed up for a tour in mid September, but have already heard many staff members say wonderful things about it.

Now for the BIG news........Michael has accepted a job in Chambersburg, Pennsylvania at the Letterkenny Army Depot within the Division Office of Information Management as their IT and Project Support staff. It will start some time this Fall, with the plan of the entire family being in PA by the end of November. There are many great reasons for this move: One is that it is a great career move for Michael as far as military,future government jobs and retirement. The other is that it puts us closer to family. Michael's grandparents will only be 1.5 hours away, and many other family members on the East coast will be within 3-7 hours. Plus the majority of my mother's side of the family is in the Northeast and heads South to Florida for parts of the winter. Currently we don't live within driving distance from any family members and are looking forward to getting back to the roots by living closer to family. We both feel very strongly about the importance of having family close and therefore this move is one step closer towards that goal. Plus as far our immediate family goes, this allows me the opportunity to stay at home with the baby, which is our goal for at least the first year.

So now we just need to get through the big changes coming within next few months. My next appointment is in two weeks, and the next will be three weeks after that. Then it is the final countdown with appointments every week. Stay tuned!

We will keep everyone posted as changes are happening fast.

I hope you enjoy the attached photos. I threw in a picture of Lucy, as she thinks she is the only child despite there being a cat in the house. Boy is she in for a big surprise in about two months.

Love,

Jessica & Michael

23 WEEK UPDATE

Greetings Family & Friends:

We just reached our twenty-fifth week of the pregnancy and everything is looking good. Calculating those weeks out means I'm almost into my third trimester and have about 3 1/2 months left until the baby arrives. It still seems far off, but then again the last three months went by really fast. We have signed up for a birthing and new baby care class that is for two hours every Thursday night and lasts for six weeks. Plus we just signed up to tour two hospitals in the area. Both of them have new birthing centers with the option to have a midwife instead of a doctor. We are going with the midwife as we would like to do everything as natural as possible, but still feel like we have access to doctors if need be. We did play with the idea of an at home birth but decided that we would prefer to have the first baby in a more supportive setting. Maybe next time. :)

So things are moving along quite smoothly and the pregnancy has been a positive experience all around. But things are changing...breathing is getting harder and yesterday I tried to get off the couch from a laying position and didn't quite make it all the way up. We both got a good laugh out of that. So much for core strength, guess those stomach muscles aren't what they use to be. I am still running and swimming, and biking to work, but much slower and not quite as often/far. It is getting hotter outside here so I'm pretty sure that water aerobics is just around the corner for me.

Michael is doing great and has a pretty solid job prospect. But we will give more details on that when we know for sure. But while that goes through, he is gearing up for a late season peak for his road cycling mixed in with a little mountain biking, which will set him up for a Fall cyclocross season. He is taking a few classes through the University of Maryland online and only has a few more left before he graduates. The finish line is insight!!!

I'm attaching a few pictures. One is of me a few weeks ago, as you can see I am starting to show. I guess it is the real deal. The other is of Michael on Father's Day. I bought him the bike onesie for the baby as I could not resist it. Too cute!

Hope everyone is doing well.

Love,
Michael & Jessica

20 WEEK UPDATE

Greetings Friends and Family:

Most of you already know, but to some of you it will be news, Michael and I are expecting a baby on October 21.......so yes I am pregnant. Just this week we hit the half-way point and things are looking good. We had an ultrasound done about two weeks ago and the baby is healthy and a bit of a mover and a shaker. As of last week I started to feel the baby move, and just two days ago saw it move for the first time. Which is great because Michael also got to feel it. I am starting to show, but I just started to inform people at work that I was pregnant, they couldn't believe it. So to people who know me well say I am looking pregnant, but to those who don't simply think look a little big.

I have been lucky because throughout the entire pregnancy I have felt great and have been able to continue exercising daily. I ride my bike to work and back which is about and hour total, then if I'm up to it I either run or swim after work. But if I feel tired I know I just need to rest, and I do so. So I am still racing triathlons, but really just participating and enjoying the experience. Plus I have to find some way to burn off all the food I am eating, and believe me I can really consume quite a bit.

Michael has been great throughout the whole pregnancy. He has been able to attend all the appointments and always has good questions for the nurse. I feel very lucky to have someone who is so supportive and plays an active role in the pregnancy. In the morning he even gets breakfast ready and prepares my lunch for me to take to work. Really, it doesn't get much better than that.

Some of you have been asking if we are going to get married, and I will confess there has been talk of it. But for now we really want to get Michael through the bike racing season, school, and the on the job track before the baby is born. Then, obviously, the baby will be born. So once we get settled into our lives together as a family unit and things are running smoothly, then I'm sure you will hear more talk of marriage. But right now we are enjoying life together as a twosome and preparing for our new little baby to arrive.

Our next baby appointment is in about four weeks at which point I will be about six months pregnant. I'll be sure to send out another update after that appointment. If you know someone who would like to be on our baby update email list, please send me their name and email.

Oh, and please send me family addresses and emails. We are trying to get them together so we can send out baby announcements and holiday cards this year.

Hope all is well with everybody!

Love,
Jessica

P.S. Attached is a sonogram of the baby at 17 weeks!!! Plus a picture of the two of us in Florida last Fall.

Scroll down if you want to know the sex of the baby ........It's a boy!

We are taking suggestions for names.