Saturday, December 19, 2009

laughing with papa



We are having such a wonderful time getting ready for Christmas! August is going to see Santa this weekend!

Sunday, November 29, 2009

Monday, November 9, 2009

Pics and video

Nursing August and typing w/ one hand... will keep this post brief!

Pictures

Videos

Monday, November 2, 2009

August's birth story

Can't believe our baby is one month old today! I finally got around to writing his story...


August Henry Gerhart Kober, born October 2, 2009 at 4:11pm
8 lbs, 11 oz; 21 cm

On Thursday, Oct 1 I went out to dinner with Julie and Delight after work (10 Mercer in Queen Anne; lobster risotto and a great chocolate dessert). After dinner I stopped by Thriftway for some odds and ends and got home around 8:30. John was watching the national parks PBS series on TV. I sat down to watch it with him but had trouble focusing on the show.

Around 10pm I wrote in my journal that I was having period-like cramps, and that they were the most regular/intense they’ve been. I’d had Braxton hicks contractions in the days before, so I knew what they felt like. I went to bed, but woke up at 11:30 because of the contractions – not painful, but noticeable and uncomfortable. I tried to go back to sleep but couldn’t.
Around 1am I got out of bed and got cozy on the couch. Made some tea and ate a nectarine. John was sick and had taken Nyquil, so I didn’t want to wake him up yet – I knew things could take a while.

I started timing the contractions, using the sheet Penny gave us in class. But I quickly found it too difficult to deal with the iPhone stopwatch, sheet, and calculating the intervals. Then I remembered the web site Penny told us about, contractionmaster.com – very grateful for that. Made it much easier, just had to click the button to start/stop, and it does all the math for you. My contractions were about 4.5 mins a part and lasted for 30-45 seconds.

At 3am (6am eastern time) I called mom and dad in Raleigh. Mom had planned to fly out to Seattle on my due date, Oct 5. I told them things were happening, and that she might want to change her flight. Of course she got right on it and said she’d be there as soon as she could. I wanted her to be able to witness the birth of her first grandchild.

John was awake at this point. We called Cheryl, our doula, at 5am. She got to our house around 7:30. It was a cool, drizzly morning. I have great memories of laboring at home – cozy, safe, supported. The news was on, but John turned it off and put music on. I remember three songs distinctly – Until I Die and The Story by Brandi Carlile, and Rexroth’s Daughter by Greg Brown. Cheryl said I should eat something – I think I had some apple date crunch bread and some lemon sorbet.

Cheryl had all the tricks to make me more comfortable. She anticipated what I needed. The pillowcase of dry rice that she microwaved and used as a hot pad – I remember the smell of jasmine rice. The hot rocks heated up in the crock pot. The rebozo used for counter pressure on my hips. I sat on the exercise ball and we took a walk around the block. We wore John’s big raincoats and walked slowly, saw the neighbors getting ready to leave for work, walking their dogs. I threw up in the grass, hoping nobody noticed. Cheryl said it’s great to throw up – spurs things along, helps with dilation.

I took a shower – the hot water felt wonderful, relaxing. John brought the dogs to Barb and Sierra’s house. I threw up again. We called the birth center answering service and told them we’d be coming in. Getting ready to go, I felt faint and had to lie down on the dining room floor. I noticed the dog hair and dust and thought, we were going to clean the house this weekend, oh well.

As we were leaving the house, we saw JoAnn on her porch across the street. She’d had her baby just 5 days before. She waved, and I tried to wave in the middle of a big contraction. Cheryl followed us in her car to the birth center. The ride was tough. It was hard being strapped in to the front seat, not being able to move. Cheryl had given me the heated rice bag for my belly, and a red ball that I leaned against for my lower back. They helped, but I was very uncomfortable. My phone beeped and there was a text from Cheryl, “hang in there.” I closed my eyes and all of a sudden we were crossing Lake Washington. Closed my eyes, opened them and we were on 405. Actually got there faster than I thought.

So relieved to get to the birth center (around 11am). Got into the tub pretty quickly, warm water felt wonderful. Kneeled on towels, leaning over the side. I was in that position for so long that my arms fell asleep and my hands felt tingly.

Heike was our midwife. Two students were there, Sarah and Grace. They checked my blood pressure regularly, took my temperature, and listened to the baby’s heartbeat (which made me anxious every time – please, make everything be normal and ok). I had to get the quick IV antibiotics for Strep B, but that wasn’t a big deal.

I felt pretty confident the whole time, never thinking “I can’t do this”. I think it helped that I was 7-8 cm dilated when we got to the birth center, so I knew I was already pretty far along. Not sure how I would have felt if I was only 3 or 4.
I’m pretty sure John and mom talked when I was 7-8 cm and mom was at the Denver airport.

In the tub, they put cool washcloths soaked in ice water on my back. That was great – most of the pain and discomfort was in my lower back, and the coolness was a great counterpoint to the warm bath. They gave me water from my water bottle, and I sucked on Mamba candies I just happened to throw into our bag. The sweet/sour was perfect.

I threw up pretty violently 3-4 more times, and drew praise from everyone. It’s funny what people get excited about. They were all so encouraging, telling me I was so strong, doing great, etc. Good to hear, it kept me going.

By the time mom landed in Seattle I think I was at 9cm. Around then, things seemed to slow down a little. The contractions spaced out and I had more time to rest. I think I even fell asleep or blacked out for a couple seconds in between.
I started pushing in the tub, but wasn’t sure how to do it at first. The contractions were so strong and hard, they left me pretty out of breath – so I wanted to breathe out as I pushed. But Cheryl said to hold my breath and send it down to the baby. So I’d breathe in, push, breathe out. I’d do this three times during a contraction. They said the baby rocks up and down with each push, and on the third push it stays down, so that’s the push that really matters.

I got out of the tub to switch positions and keep things moving. Sat on the ball for a short time, felt good to rock. I thought, and then repeated the words ‘let it go’ to help me relax. After the ball I got on the birth stool. Cheryl said that was the most intense position but I was ready and all for it, I wanted to have this baby.

At 4pm my mom arrived. She made it just in time.

Pushing really hurt but I knew the harder I pushed the sooner it would be done. My water hadn’t broken so they popped it. The head was visible and I felt burning when he crowned. His hands were up by his head, and Grace the student tried to push them back but wasn’t successful.

Once the head was out the rest happened quickly. The most amazing thing was feeling the rush of his whole body coming down. Like a river in flood and I was the canyon, with rocks and trees and mud hurtling through me. Creative and destructive at the same time. And then he was here, purple gray and bloody and crying. I was wearing a purple t-shirt and lifted it up so we could be skin to skin. John was sitting behind me. He cut the cord and the placenta came out.

And then I felt dizzy and lightheaded – passed August to John and then passed out. Next thing I know I’m on the bed and Heike is waving smelling salts under my nose. I think I freaked them out – luckily my mom was there to tell them I have a history of fainting, nothing to worry about.

I ended up needing stitches because his hands were up by his head. We joked that he put his hands up to slow things down to give his grandma time to get there. August was born with quite a bump on his head - a hematoma. During labor his head must have been pushing against one of my bones -- which might account for the ache I felt in my lower back. The bump wasn't serious though, and ended up going away after 3 weeks.

I feel so grateful that I was able to have the birth I hoped for. It was an incredible, transformational day and we couldn't be more in love with our baby boy.

Thursday, September 24, 2009

Countdown

We are definitely in countdown mode to August's big arrival! He is punching/kicking away as I type this. Had a good midwife appointment earlier today, and everything looks good. Definitely feeling more and more uncomfortable, but I really can't complain, it has been a very easy pregnancy.

To-do list for this weekend includes installing the car seat, pack and play, and the car seat adapter for our Bob stroller. And packing the bag so we're ready to go!

A friend told me that if you have dogs, they know you're pregnant. But, they're expecting you to have a puppy, not a human baby. Which I think is pretty funny. Skeena has been following me around more than usual. Maybe she suspects the time is getting near?

Monday, August 31, 2009

Sunday, August 30, 2009

Oregon adventure

We had a wonderful 10 day vacation in Oregon. Spent time with the family on the coast, then headed up the North Umpqua for my b-day night, then on to Maupin for Dave and Summer's amazingly fun wedding on the Deschutes.

Driving all the way back to Seattle, we were wishing, wishing, wishing we lived in Portland! No offers on the house yet, but we're still hopeful. Great to be reunited with our pups. Now we're gearing up for work. Hard to believe I only have about a month left before my maternity leave!

And here are some belly pics from the coast...






Friday, August 14, 2009

North Umpqua

Very late in posting these pics! We've been busy busy with baby prep, baby shower, house selling (trying), our FIVE YEAR anniversary (!), etc, etc.

In late July we had one of our best vacations ever on the North Umpqua River in Oregon. Stayed at the Steamboat Inn. The river and trail were right out our back door. Swam multiple times a day. Hiked with the dogs. John fished. Saw friends and went to Crater Lake. So relaxing, such a beautiful place. And some excitement on the last day - a major forest fire! Had to take a detour route on the way home, and they ended up evacuating the inn. I don't think any buildings were damaged - we'll be back there in a couple weeks, so we'll check it out.

We leave for the OR coast for a family vacation on Aug 20. After that we'll drive to the Steamboat, spend a night there (actually, it will be my birthday night!) then head to the Deschutes for a wedding.

Here are some N Umpqua pics I posted on facebook

...And some that John took of me on the river (one in color, one in BW). I'm about 7 months preg in these pics!


Wednesday, July 15, 2009

Busy, but good

Our life is officially in whirlwind mode! I feel like we're juggling 600 balls, between the house, dr's appts, baby planning, dogs, travel, work, etc. But it's fine, because it's all hopeful, exciting stuff.

The house was listed on Saturday, and since then we've had people coming by and calling about it. We're having an open house this Sunday. Let's hope for some good offers!

Our first childbirth class was last night. We're taking it with Penny Simkin, a woman who has been on the frontlines of midwifery and women's health for decades. She's wonderful, and the class and everything we talked about made me even more excited about this time in our lives.

I'm playing with the idea of switching to a different midwife practice b/c there's another one I consistently hear great things about. Not that there's anything wrong with where we are now, I just want to have the best experience possible. We'll see. And hey, what's one more thing on the to-do list!

Skeena continues to be the best little puppy we've ever seen. She is so good, so easy, so happy and confident. And she and Queets are best buds these days. The game usually morphs into Queets chewing on the toy/bone and Skeena jumping on and barking at him. On Friday she gets her stitches out from getting spayed. That hasn't slowed her down one bit. The day after the surgery she was barreling around the house.

I can't believe that next week John and I leave for vacation. We're heading to the North Umpqua River in Oregon. We'll be gone for about a week - will be so great to get away, swim in the river, hike the trails and explore cool waterfalls. John is excited to take Skeena fishing for the first time. We're staying at a great inn on the river - John has gotten to be friends with the owners through work. No cell or email service!

This summer is flying by, as always. Amazing that July 30 will be our 5-year wedding anniversary!

Monday, July 6, 2009

Best kids' books

Just saw this list in the NY Times. Pasting it here so I remember the titles - need to start building August's library!

To this list I would add "Where the Red Fern Grows" and "My Side of the Mountain". Oh, and Where the Sidewalk Ends. Lots of comments on the story too, with other suggestions.

July 5, 2009
Op-Ed Columnist
The Best Kids’ Books Ever
By NICHOLAS D. KRISTOF

So how will your kids spend this summer? Building sand castles at the beach? Swimming at summer camp? Shedding I.Q. points?

In educating myself this spring about education, I was aghast to learn that American children drop in I.Q. each summer vacation — because they aren’t in school or exercising their brains.

This is less true of middle-class students whose parents drag them off to summer classes or make them read books. But poor kids fall two months behind in reading level each summer break, and that accounts for much of the difference in learning trajectory between rich and poor students.

A mountain of research points to a central lesson: Pry your kids away from the keyboard and the television this summer, and get them reading. Let me help by offering my list of the Best Children’s Books — Ever!

So here they are, in ascending order of difficulty, and I can vouch that these are also great to read aloud.

1. “Charlotte’s Web.” The story of the spider who saves her friend, the pig, is the kindest representation of an arthropod in literary history.

2. The Hardy Boys series. Yes, I hear the snickers. But I devoured them myself and have known so many kids for whom these were the books that got them excited about reading. The first in the series is weak, but “House on the Cliff” is a good opener. (As for Nancy Drew, I yawned over her, but she seems to turn girls into Supreme Court justices. Among her fans as kids were Sandra Day O’Connor, Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Sonia Sotomayor.)

3. “Wind in the Willows.” My mother read this 101-year-old English classic to me, and I’m still in love with the characters. Most memorable of all is Toad — rich, vain, childish and prone to wrecking cars.

4. The Freddy the Pig series. Published between 1927 and 1958, these 26 books are funny, beautifully written gems. They concern a talking pig, Freddy, who is lazy, messy and sometimes fearful, yet a loyal friend, a first-rate detective and an impressive poet. These were my very favorite books when I was in elementary school. A good one to start with is “Freddy the Detective” or “Freddy Plays Football.” (Avoid the first and weakest, “Freddy Goes to Florida.”)

5. The Alex Rider series. These are modern British spy thrillers in which things keep exploding in a very satisfying way. Alex amounts to a teenage James Bond for the 21st century.

6. The Harry Potter series. Look, the chance to read these books aloud is by itself a great reason to have kids.

7. “Gentle Ben.” The coming-of-age story of a sickly, introspective Alaskan boy who makes friends with an Alaskan brown bear, to the horror of his tough, domineering father.

8. “Anne of Green Gables.” At a time when young ladies were supposed to be demure and decorative, Anne emerged to become one of the strongest and most memorable girls in literature.

9. “The Dog Who Wouldn’t Be.” This is a hilarious, poignant and exceptionally well-written memoir of childhood on the Canadian prairies. (Note, if you prefer sweet to funny, try “Rascal” instead.)

10. “Little Lord Fauntleroy.” This classic spawned the Fauntleroy suit and named a duck (Donald Duck’s middle name is Fauntleroy). An American boy from a struggling family turns out to be heir to an irritable and fabulously wealthy old English lord, whom the boy proceeds to tame and civilize.

11. “On to Oregon.” This outdoor saga, written almost 90 years ago, is loosely based on the true story of the Sager family journeying by covered wagon in 1848, in the early days of the Oregon Trail. The parents die on route, and the seven children — the youngest just an infant — continue on their own. They are led by 13-year-old John: spoiled, surly, often mean, yet determined and even heroic in keeping his siblings alive.

12. “The Prince and the Pauper.” Most kids encounter Mark Twain through “Tom Sawyer,” but this work is at least as funny and offers unforgettable images of English history.

13. “Lad, a Dog” is simply the best book ever about a pet, a collie. This is to “Lassie” what Shakespeare is to CliffsNotes. The book was published 90 years ago, and readers are still visiting Lad’s real grave in New Jersey — plus, this is a book so full of SAT words it could put Stanley Kaplan out of business.

Sunday, July 5, 2009

July 3 pics

Had a fun 4th of July weekend here at home. Here are some belly pics from July 3, before John and I went out to see The Hangover - hilarious movie!





Thursday, July 2, 2009

Move over, Sir Edmund Hillary

Bobby and Sara have returned from their Mount Rainier climb! Bob gave me the run down on the phone the other night. Sounds pretty intense! Got within 20 mins of the summit and had to turn back b/c of weather.

The funniest part was, on the climb down, almost done, who passes them on the trail? - Justin Timberlake! Even funnier was that everybody was too exhausted to even bat an eye.

Before



After

Saturday, June 27, 2009

Summer fun

I survived the trip to DC, and it's great to be home! After DC I spent Father's Day weekend in NC- my parents and I went to the beach. Still managing to squeeze into my regular bathing suit...

John is in Oregon for work, but he got to go fishing one day -- he emailed me that he was "having a ball" hiking, fishing, taking photos along the North Umpqua. I'm so glad, he deserves it! He has been working so much, so this is great for him.

I took the dogs for a big walk to the beach this morning then took a nice long nap after lunch. Did some yard work and de-cluttering around the house to get it ready to put on the market. And, starting to prowl Craigslist for cheap baby stuff!

At the beach --



Skeena in the backyard, not sharing her bone with Queets --



Cherries I picked from our trees today! (Rainier and Bing - they are delicious!)

Thursday, June 18, 2009

The joys of travel

I'm in DC for work, and boy, this trip is wearing me out! I guess you have a lower threshold when you're 6 months (!) pregnant. I took the red-eye Sunday night (I know, mistake #1). Not only did I throw up once during the flight (luckily made it to the bathroom), but I puked again when I got off the plane in DC on Monday morning. First time I've thrown up this whole pregnancy, so I guess I'm lucky. Not sure if it was turbulence, exhaustion, empty stomach, or all of the above.

Feeling not so fresh and chipper, I went to the office and was kind of in a haze all day Monday. That night, my colleague noticed I had burst a blood vessel in my right eye. It's gross! It doesn't hurt or bother me at all (still wearing my contacts) but it looks horrific.

Tuesday, I came down with a sore throat. Wednesday it was pretty much gone, but I was congested. Still, I rallied Wed night because we had a going away party for a friend at AR, and it was so fun to see everyone and reminisce about old times. Today, feeling a little better, but still wishing I could take a nap! I know I need to be taking it easy, but it's pretty much impossible when work is going non-stop. Literally the only down time I have is when I go to the restroom and close the door of the stall, a great chance to close my eyes for a couple minutes.

It is fun being here though, since none of my DC colleagues had seen me pregnant yet. So that's definitely the topic of conversation. Well, that and my gross eye.

Looking forward to a mellow night tonight at Joy's house -- heading there soon for dinner. Then, a good night's sleep!

One more day in the office tomorrow, then I fly to NC for Father's Day weekend and some much-needed R&R in Raleigh.

Tuesday, June 9, 2009

23 weeks

John took this last night before we went out to dinner -- sushi! Yes, there are non-raw-fish things on the menu! I was excited I could have unagi, which I love, but then we discovered the Monterey Bay Aquarium Seafood Watch tells you to avoid it, it's not sustainable. Argh! I still had a little bit, John said I get a pass because I'm preg :-)

Catching up on photos - Memorial Day belly shot

I think I was about 20 weeks here.

Catching up on photos

Here are a couple of the dogs.

John built the planter in the back yard a couple years ago for a little veggie garden, but we're not doing anything with it this season (one less thing to worry about!) Skeena loves it, it's like her little personal hiding spot/fort/sand box.



Friday, June 5, 2009

MTV Movie Awards

Which family member attend the MTV Movie Awards last weekend? Bobby, of course! He stayed at the Beverly Hills Hotel and ran into every possible celeb, including the Storm Troopers. And I thought MY job had perks!

Wednesday, June 3, 2009

Summer, etc.

John left for his board meeting in Portland today. I'm working from home, enjoying having all the windows open. It's pretty warm here, but we have a nice breeze flowing through the house (hardly anyone in Seattle has A/C!)

Every time I think to upload new pictures, John is out of town with the camera -- still have some pics from Memorial Day weekend on there that we need to post. And we need to take another belly shot, I'm getting bigger by the day!

Sleeping has become a tad bit more challenging (moving from side to side, trying to position pillows) and yesterday I had my first case of pregnancy-induced acid reflux. All the fun side effects... But I really am feeling great, just trying to stay cool and wishing the pool was open on weekdays, not just weekends (weekday lap swim starts in a week or so).

I'm hoping this summer goes by nice and slow, relaxing, but it's already shaping up to be crazy. Work is busy, plus John and I both have work travel, fun travel, and the challenge of selling our house and moving. How will we find time for it all?! Oh yeah, and getting ready for the baby.

My across the street neighbor JoAnn is just a couple weeks further along than I am, and she has already picked out the exact crib, stroller, and high chair she wants. I'm thinking, high chair?! The kid won't use that for months! Why stress about it now? Oh, and a crib - well, we don't even have room for a crib, so forget that. But who knows, maybe we'll be in Portland before Sept 30 and our baby will have a big room of its own (wishful thinking!)

By the way, if anybody has recommendations on the best stroller, car seat, etc, I'm all ears...

Friday, May 29, 2009

Drunk on sunshine

I can't believe this weather. It has been perfect -- sunny in the 70's since before Memorial Day weekend. I think people who live in Seattle appreciate good weather more than people in other parts of the country. Everyone is in the best mood, everyone is outside. I worked from home today b/c John's in OR and we can't leave Skeena alone. Took the dogs on two walks to the beach. Warm sun, cool breeze off the water. Ahhhhhhhhh. All the windows are open in the house and I'm sipping lemonade and seltzer. And to top it off, I think I'm going to make multigrain banana walnut pancakes for dinner tonight (John laughs at me b/c they're so healthy, but they are delicious).

Thursday, May 28, 2009

Feeling good

At our midwife appt yesterday afternoon, they REALLY put our minds at ease about the whole pyelectasis thing. Our midwife even said, "boring, boring, boring". Music to my ears. Not a big deal. I'll still go in for another ultrasound in a month to check on things, but I'm a lot less worried about it.

I woke up at 5am this morning to the little guy kicking around on my right side. The most activity I've noticed so far!

John took off for OR this morning and he'll be back on Saturday. So I have Skeena at work with me today (she's sleeping with her butt on her bed and her head and the rest of her body on the floor).

Tuesday, May 26, 2009

We're having a boy!

Wow. We had our 20 wk ultrasound on Thursday and we decided to find out - just couldn't wait anymore. And it's a boy! So now we can't wait to meet little August (Auggie? Gus?) August was John's dad's middle name, and it's my birthday month, so there you have it.

Now we're thinking about middle names. Since August comes from John's dad's side, it might be cool for the middle name to come from my mom's side. Van Reed? Miller? Lots of cool family names to choose from.

We were a little freaked when we found out at the ultrasound that the baby has pyelectasis. The doctor was reassuring though, saying it's really common in boys and often clears up just fine. Still, it stinks to have our excitement clouded by this worry. I have an ultrasound in another month, to check on it. Let's hope and pray it's all fine and that our little guy is perfectly healthy and happy.

There is something to be said for "ignorance is bliss"...

I continue to feel great, and we had such a wonderful Memorial Day weekend. The weather here couldn't have been better. I did some gardening, but spent most of the time sitting on the back patio in the sun, sipping lemonade, reading my book. So relaxing and summery. I think I even have the beginnings of a tan.

And Joy called this morning, asking if I need a maternity bathing suit - yes! Our pool just opened, and while I have a bunch of bikinis, I think I'll spare the public my belly. Plus, it will be great to have the suit when I'm in NC in June - looking forward to a mini-trip to Wrightsville Beach.

Our summer is shaping up nicely. We'll be in Oregon a couple times - I'll tag along on some of John's work trips. And we're planning a trip to Montana in July. I also want to do a long weekend on the Olympic coast - it will be nostalgic because that was where John and I had our first weekend away together. So, kind of fitting to go back there before the baby comes :-)

Oh, and in addition to all of that, we're going to put our house on the market! As if we don't have enough going on...

Thursday, May 14, 2009

Ready for the weekend

I'm already making my weekend to-do list:

* get new running shoes
* cut down the enormous pampas grasses growing in our front yard. Totally unruly and messy and I've had it!
* make muffins and Steph's tofu (recipe below - it's the best)
* get new book (I'm reading Fall On Your Knees, which is good, but a little too dark/disturbing for my taste right now. In one scene, the mom actually cuts twins out of her dying pregnant daughter's belly, and one of the twins drowns in a creek. Um, no thanks.)
* start thinking about Father's Day presents

Very excited about the new running shoes. I've been having increasing discomfort in my feet/lower calves. Not sure if it's a pregnancy thing or not, but hopefully new shoes will do the trick.

Tonight John and I are going to "Taste of West Seattle" with some friends. I'm looking forward to sampling goodies from all of our favorite neighborhood restaurants, including Cupcake Royale. Love their frosting.

Tomorrow night John will be in Portland for a PRC wine/auction event, and Bobby and Sara will be there too!

In other news, Queets and Skeena are getting along fabulously. They are loving playing together (S always liked playing with Q, and now Q has finally come around). Last night I caught Skeena licking Q's ear, and he was loving it, purring like a cat. So cute.



STEPH'S TOFU

SERVES 6

½ cup organic orange juice concentrate

½ cup mirin cooking wine

¼ cup organic low-sodium tamari

¼ cup organic toasted sesame oil

2 tablespoons organic sunflower oil

2 tablespoons organic brown rice vinegar

2 tablespoons finely minced organic garlic

2 tablespoons finely minced organic fresh ginger (peel before mincing)

2 pounds organic extra-firm tofu

# Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

# Grease a medium-size casserole dish with 1 tablespoon of the sunflower oil.

# Mix together orange juice concentrate, mirin, tamari, sesame oil, remaining sunflower oil, brown rice vinegar, garlic and ginger. Whisk well.

# Cut tofu into ½-inch cubes and marinate in the above liquid in the greased casserole dish for about a half-hour, stirring occasionally. It's best to use a wooden spoon to avoid damaging the tofu.

# Bake the tofu in the casserole dish at 350 degrees for about an hour, stirring every 10-15 minutes. Some sauce will be absorbed into the tofu while cooking.

Note: This versatile tofu can be served hot or cold with your favorite accompaniment. We like it served warm over rice.

-- From PCC Natural Markets

Monday, May 11, 2009

Mother's Day pics

John took these yesterday evening. I'm at 19 weeks. It was a quick photo shoot b/c it was starting to rain...


Happy Mother's Day!

We had a relaxing Mother's Day weekend. John surprised me Sunday morning with my first-ever M's Day present. Some lovely body lotion (my skin is SO dry these days, is that a pregnancy thing?) and an adorable baby blanket. I really wasn't expecting anything, so it was extra sweet. What a thoughtful hubby I have.

I tried to tackle the massive amount of yard work we need to do on Saturday, but fizzled out after 45 mins. Pulling all the dead lavender (it died b/c of all the winter snow we got) was just too tiring and I ended up needing a nap. I thought I had endless energy these days, but I guess there are limits.

Next week is our 20 wk ultrasound. We had decided we don't want to find out the gender. But then we've been talking to a bunch of friends who did find out early, so that kind of swayed me in the other direction. But I think we'll hold firm and wait until the birth to find out boy/girl. Of course, I'll probably change my mind again tomorrow...

We took some pics last night by our huge lilac tree. I'll try to post them when I get home from work.

Monday, May 4, 2009

Snugglebug

Queets, all snuggled up with Elizabeth

Yakima River fishing

Had a wonderful visit with Elizabeth! Lots of walks to the park and beach, ice cream and pizza, pedicures, fly fishing, and some great dinners. And the weather was sunny and beautiful - I actually got a little color yesterday. It's pretty cool that we've been friends since third grade, all the way up until now. Queets especially loved Eliz's visit - he snuck in to her room to sleep with her on multiple nights.

Here are pics from the river...











Belly shot, and more dog pics

This is the first belly pic we took, but just hadn't uploaded it yet. I think this was around 15 weeks? Plus, more pup pics - playing in the backyard.




Thursday, April 30, 2009

Turnip

So I thought I was 16 weeks, but I'm really more like 17 - which means the baby is the size of a turnip (I thought turnips were smaller than avocados?)

Anyway, we had our first "centering group" meeting last night. It's kind of a cool idea, where all the couples due in a certain month meet together with the midwives and we do all the usual checkup stuff (weight, blood pressure, baby's heartbeat) then we talk as a group about issues, questions, etc. I think we'll end up making some friends there. It was fun, and the husbands provided some good comic relief.

Eliz gets in tonight. Will take lots of pics over the weekend and post Sun/Mon. Tomorrow we're floating the Skykomish with John and the pups, and Saturday is pedicure day!

Tuesday, April 28, 2009

The little avocado

I love how all the estimates compare baby size to fruits -- apple seed, kumquat...Now at 16 weeks it's the size of an avocado. We have our next midwife appointment tomorrow afternoon. Hopefully John will get to hear the heartbeat, since he wasn't at the first appt where I got to hear it.

Also happening now (Baby) -
* starting to grow toenails
* patterning of the scalp has begun
* starting to move? I'm waiting to feel it! Maybe next week...

Me -
* Feeling GREAT - the tiredness and queasiness of the first trimester are gone! I have tons of energy, I'm going for runs and doing fun prenatal workouts. And, I no longer need to sleep 12-13 hours a night, which frees up quite a bit of time for other things.
* Excited about the bargains I've found on maternity clothes (Gap jeans for $6!) and the free clothes from friends.
* Enjoying "looking" pregnant - random people and neighbors have been commenting
* Stressing out about whether we can sell our house, childcare come January, and the cost of everything. But, trying to keep it all in perspective. All in all, life is good.

...and, Elizabeth arrives on Thurs night for her b-day weekend in Seattle!

Monday, April 27, 2009

Sunday, April 26, 2009

More photos - puppy and the belly

Skeena's about 9 weeks, I'm about 15 weeks...