Check out this video I put together of our baby being built.

11 days until Drew is officially due to appear on the scene...

Andy is scrambling busily at work trying to get as much taken care of before he goes on leave as possible, and hoping we go all the way to our due date so that he's able to get another full week of work in before that happens.

I'm hanging out washing baby clothes, sleeping as much as possible, and calculating the probability that I will go into labor at the dog park given that I'm there for about an hour and a half every day trying to get in as much quality bonding time as possible with Manu and Webby before they get knocked down the totem pole of my attentions.

They have thoroughly appreciated my pre-baby maternity leave and I hope it's not too rough a transition for them as a result. But hey, that's why there are two of them- if nothing, they can sulk in a corner together talking about how much it sucks to be cast aside for some silly bald monkey that doesn't do anything but scream and poop all day long. (At least they know how to catch and retrieve tennis balls!)

We've been going to the doctor weekly so that she can check how things are progressing. It's funny- even though I didn't plan to be early and don't really want to go into labor today, it still makes me feel like my body is doing something wrong when I go in and she says "well, it'll be at least another week- nothing particularly different happening..." Like I was supposed to do my homework and didn't so I got busted and now feel a bit ashamed of my lack of commitment to the process

We're also homebound now which means no more weekend trips to take our minds off of waiting. And I finally decided I should suck it up and pack a bag to go to the hospital. Our lamaze teacher told us we should have a bag ready by 3 weeks beforehand, but I think my theory was that if I didn't have my things together, then nothing would happen, so there'd be no reason to worry. (A bit in denial about actually having to go through the labor process, perhaps...) Once we hit under the 2 week mark though, I began to see the fallacy in this stream of logic, as well as to feel an increased sense of guilt at yet again not living up to the expected standard of crazed baby fever, so at least now I've remedied that and we could hypothetically drop things and go if it becomes necessary.

So now there's not too much to do on the preparation side of things but wait. And wait. And wait. And hope that guy at the mall was right and the baby will just sort of fall out as I'm walking around one day to get the whole thing over with as soon as possible so we can meet this kid already!

Andy and I were at the mall yesterday and we bought one of those glorified rice socks from a very helpful if not rapidly speaking European gentleman who ran the little trolley from which they were dispensed. We bought this because we were told it was imperative that we bring said item with us to the hospital during labor so that we could put it on my neck or lower back or shove it in someone's mouth if they got annoying. Apparently a fair number of pregnant couples are given this advice during lamaze class, because he said he does good business with expecting women (I smell a "strategic partnership" there, but the idea of heating up a smelly old soccer sock filled with moldy rice convinced me we should splurge despite the conspiracy).

We took our sock and went on our way, and as we were circling back to leave the mall, he stopped us and asked:"Is it safe to walk around like that when you're pregnant? Don't you worry the baby will just fall out?"

While there are numerous reasons why I would be MORE than happy for the baby to just fall out these days, it never occurred to me that people would actually think this was possible- but that may be a product of all of the real birth videos we've been subjected to recently, and their stark contrast with birth as portrayed by Paramount Pictures. (I would at least have thought that a little bit of basic comparative anatomy of the size of a baby's head with it's entry route into the world might have convinced someone otherwise...) Either way it was a highly amusing perspective and gave us a good laugh.

I just found a fun site that relates musical lyrics and common sayings using a graph.
Check this one out.



see more funny graphs

We've had 2 exciting new developments on the family expansion front- the first is that Andy and I are doing lamaze class so we have something to completely forget when we panic at the inception of labor, and the other is that we went to get a 4-D ultrasound of the baby this week, and actually got to see his face (and toes, and hands- but we were particularly excited about the face since we haven't gotten to see that yet in any of our previous and vastly inferior 2-D viewings).

The class is interesting- I think I subconsciously chose to ignore the whole part of pregnancy where the baby separates himself from me for the past 7 months because, well, the past 7 months have been enough to focus on without thinking about that part. Now that we're only 6 weeks away from our due date, however, it's starting to dawn on us that we won't just wake up with him in my arms instead of my uterus one morning. And it's not necessarily going to be a quick and easy process. I'm trying to think about it the "right" amount- in other words, not too much, but not too little that I have NO idea what's going to happen when I go into labor. It's comforting to know that there are at least 15 other women (in our class) who will be going through the same thing within a week or two of me- safety in numbers, or something of the sort. We're working on our breathing techniques and how not to hyperventilate (last time we tried, both Andy and I felt like we had inhaled balloons, so some refinement along that line will be necessary). I will then plan to completely forget everything as the date approaches and make him deal with me.

On the front of viewing our son, about 7 months ago when we were looking for an obstetrician, Andy had recently seen a National Geographic special that showed this high-tech new ultrasound technology that they call 4-D imaging (sounds spacey and cool, but it really just means a slightly more 3-D image that progresses through time, aka a series of photos). He REALLY wanted me to make that my primary criteria when searching for a doctor, but needless to say, that pretty much eliminated all other search criteria from the list including anywhere remotely near by, so I vetoed this as a heavily weighing factor in my decision. My concession, however, was that he could find a private clinic that we could pay for the service, so he would still get to see his son in "real time."

We went on Tuesday to a clinic in Glendale with all 4 grandparents in tow for our big-screen viewing experience. It actually was very cool- clearly, since people pay cash for this, they get that it should be designed to maximize entertainment value, so they were much more obliging about letting us hang out and watch the baby (although the technician seemed peeved at him for deciding to take a nap half-way through, because he wasn't being interesting enough, and proceeded to jab at my stomach with the ultrasound machine to see if she could wake him up).

We learned that he will most likely have adult aspirations towards either being a) a circus contortionist or b) an actor in the next remake of The Lord of the Rings (he had a very Gollum-esque sleeping position, which somewhat explained to me why I constantly feel his fist bashing into my bladder). He also has really large toes- something he clearly does not get from me. (Andy lives in constant amazement that I don't fall over because my feet are so small. He, on the other hand, usually can't find shoes in most stores because they rarely carry ones big enough to fit him.) We got LOTS of really great face shots and it was very exciting to see him up close and personal. We cannot wait to see what he looks like on the other side!

I've posted an album with some of the photos from the ultrasound, so you can check them out- this one is my personal favorite because he looks deep in thought and also like he's just about to suck on his toes (which, incidentally, he was).

I wanted to post some photos from the lovely baby shower that my mom and dad held for us this weekend at their house (courtesy of De and Lori, who were kind enough to take photos). It was so nice of everyone to think of us and we were very touched by the outpouring of so many heartfelt items. I still burst into giggles every time I see little baby clothes- they're just so darn tiny! Andy and I had a fun time trying to get stuff back to our house- even in Jason and Janeen's monster sized car we barely managed to squeeze ourselves in amongst all the stuff. It's strange how much really big stuff such really little people need. It was a very nice day, and Manu and Webster were on their best behavior (except for the part where Webby kept trying to lick the frosting off the cake plates that people left sitting around- but I couldn't blame him because it was DELICIOUS!)

We got our baby furniture in today.
Check it out


Before ...







After ...

I thought you might enjoy some photos of our dogs enjoying our newly floored garage.
We used interlocking foam tiles from Sam's Club. It was cheap and so easy to get it all put together.

I even took the time to cut the floor to shape wherever the borders were irregular.

Woof!

We went in for our last 2nd trimester check-up yesterday and discussed all kinds of fun things like what to do with the baby's cord blood, whether we want to snip him (anyone want to weigh in on that one? We're feeling relatively ambivalent overall), how much spinach I'm eating and whether this makes up for the fact that I don't eat meat (it doesn't, by the way- Ive been bruising every time the dogs bump into me and every time I fall over, both of which happen quite a fair amount these days), how the heck I'm supposed to get rid of the ringworm I picked up in Africa and have been slowly spreading throughout my entire body, etc, etc.

Despite the fact that I managed to break even weight-wise during my first trimester and finish the 3 months at the same place I started them, we've been making up for lost time at a hearty rate- this may have something to do with the fact that I wake up in the middle of the night and have to stumble into the kitchen to inhale some food in the dark because my stomach is growling so loudly I can't sleep. Apparently, our baby boy is measuring a week and a half large already, which the doctor says might account for some of the discomfort I've been having in my abdomen of late! (She assured me that my intestines are now habitating somewhere up around my bra-line, so it is quite unlikely that it's my digestive system I'm feeling.)

In other news, I've been trying to figure out what size I'll be as a bridesmaid in July for Shosh's wedding based on the current growth rate of my chest, which I assume is the limiting factor- sadly, J Crew has stopped making the Sophia Chiffon dress in Bright Berry size 14- this is unfortunate since my boobs are ALREADY voluptuous in the next size down and it's my assumption that this is nothing compared to what it will be like when I'm actually nursing at the time- should be very interesting. I might have to see if I can find a king sized sheet in bright pink that I can fashion into a toga of sorts instead I can't believe I was a size 4 just 3 months ago...

Andy has been doing a great job of nesting recently to get our house ready for me to begin nesting this spring- he feels the pressure that I might put pressure on him if he doesn't jump on stuff, and has been vigilantly slaving away in the garage, and even in putting the wall back together from the July removal of the heater- as of this week, we finally do NOT have a human-sized hole in the middle of our wall! Hooray! We're very excited to have a whole house again.

The puppies have been hard at work renovating as well- to make up for the filling up of the hole in the wall, Manu and Webster continue on their never-ending quest to dig a trench in our backyard that will eventually land them in China. They hear the dog chow is better there.

It is officially the crazy season at Teach California Charters- we've launched into full-blown operational mode for the winter and spring, and are holding trainings and interview events etc pretty much constantly for the next 5 months. It's definitely been a VERY different experience coming at all of these things in the second year, and of course being pregnant!

I actually took my first trip of the season up to the Bay Area last weekend to run a full-day training. I either forgot how exhausting leading 9 hour trainings can be, or they've gotten more exhausting because I'm growing another human inside of me- or, more likely, both.

The training went well but I've had a really tough time recovering this week from the trip- feel like I'm having flashbacks to my first trimester, complete with nausea, headaches, vomiting, etc. I finally gave up the ghost and called my doctor last night after having spent the week working on my laptop from bed, propped up on a stack of pillows.

SHOCKINGLY, my doctor feels that my symptoms are stress-induced, and a by-product of pushing myself too hard when my body can't handle it, and not providing down-time for recovery. Even more surprisingly, she seems to think that the best thing for me to do would be to attempt to reduce the chaos and stress that my work brings to my life, e.g. not fly all over the state every other week and work every weekend.

So, despite my protests that it is in fact my job to do these things, her response was that I'm grounded, and I can't travel anymore for work. Which means that my first trip up north this year will also have been my last.

Needless to say this is a bit hard to accept given that I feel I HAVE to be able to run around like a chicken with my head cut off in order to succeed at my job, but fortunately Andy, my much better and way more nurturing half, has convinced me that I need to actually follow her advice and that it is in fact the right thing to do. So it looks like the powers that be have "told me so" and I'm officially forced to try to take it a bit easier from here on out. At least, my version of "taking it easy"...

Some folks in the family have seen an ultrasound video of our baby boy. I finally got around to chopping it up into byte sized pieces for your enjoyment. Here are the four parts:
Part 1
Part 2
Part 3
Part 4 - Longer Video


I also put together a short sample video of something Mari and I are doing to document her belly's growth.
Mari's Growing Belly

I finally finished uploading photos. For those of you that are current:
The last album


Or check out all the photos here.

We just returned a few days ago from our southern African sojourn with the Lansford clan to visit Janeen and Jason for the holidays. Other than the fact that the airports all seemed thoroughly confused to be asked to process 7 passengers with the same last name, travel arrangements were relatively smooth (certainly so by African standards- they actually have a phrase they have to use there in order to remind themselves that things aren't supposed to go smoothly on the dark continent, and one is just supposed to grin and bear it: TIA- This Is Africa) and we had a great and event-filled vacation.

We first went to visit Janeen and Jason's home country of Lesotho, where we got to see the schools they work at, the home they live in, the mud they tromp through, the kids who throw poop at each other in their front yard, said kids throwing said poop, and the spectacular mountainscapes of their country that they escape to for vacations, amongst a myriad of other things. It was really interesting for Andy and I to visit a developing country that is on the complete opposite side of the world and for all intents and purposes very different from the location of our Peace Corps service, but to see first-hand how very similar many of the day to day realities and challenges of life are. I don't know if this furthers the truth behind the expression "it's a small world" or if it's more a statement about homo sapiens as a species, but it was both encouraging and discouraging to see that the issues we struggled with are more universal than we ever could have imagined. It was also a very strong reminder of how different our current pampered lives are in the balmy suburb of El Monte from the lives we were living last year- and how much we've already re-learned to take for granted on a day to day basis. That said, Lesotho is a stunning country and the people are amazingly warm and friendly, and it was really wonderful to get to see the community in which J&J have made their current home.

After we left Lesotho we went to Kosi Bay, a series of inland estuaries and lakes on the Indian Ocean located just south of the border between Mozambique and South Africa (we were able to see Mozambique from a hilltop but were told if we attempted a border crossing we were likely to be sequestered by their government and locked up for good, so we decided admiring from afar would have to suffice). We spent a few very lovely days there boating around on the lakes watching hippos and other various wildlife, tracking spawning turtles down endless stretches of beach in the pitch black, trying to scream breakfast conversations to each other over the cicadas, and watching the birth of Carla the baby hippo, who we have unofficially named due to the coincidence of her birthday with Andy's mom's. Carla's mom was not so thrilled to have us drop in and join the birthday celebration, however, and we made a quick getaway as the largest hippo I've ever seen charged our vehicle full force from behind- fortunately this was not one of the many times on our trip that the jeep we were in refused to turn on! We all got a bit crispy snorkeling at the beach despite multiple layers of sunblock, but overall came away unscathed.

We then left South Africa to go visit Victoria Falls in Zimbabwe, where the current currency conversion rate on the street is in the range of $1,000,000 Zimbabwe dollars to the US $1, and rising daily. It was very sad to see a country in such a destitute state that people refuse to take their own currency as payment for services, particularly a country that has such promise for revenue and is so beautiful with so many natural resources. Hopefully the situation there will begin to turn around for the better in the near future- if not, then this might have been the last chance we had for a long time to visit the country. While there we had some truly amazing experiences- there was an elephant sanctuary that takes in abandoned baby African elephants and raises them in a pseudo-domesticated fashion, and we got to meet these impressive creatures as well as go for a ride on them. I must admit the thought of riding an African elephant was a little harrowing but these guys were all raised in captivity from a very young age and seemed to realize the sweet deal they've got arranged for them. We also visited a similar sanctuary that has been set up to raise abandoned lion cubs, and we got to go for a walk with four 8 month old cubs- you can see in the picture album that in many ways they're very similar to the housecats we're all used to, and they love to be pet and nuzzled, but we were told very explicitly not to be fooled by appearances and let them walk behind us- apparently, the second they're in stalking mode, it's a completely different story. Given that their paws were already the size of my feet, I could only imagine the kind of damage they could inflict if so inclined. It was a very interesting experience to see these two species of African wildlife in this context, which is so different from what you get when you go out game driving in a park, and we were very lucky to get these up close and personal encounters. We also of course spent time exploring the falls, where it rained from both above and below as a result of all of the spray that was coming up from the river. Jason experienced the Zambezi up close and personal by diving face first into it attached to a bungee cord- the rest of us just closed our eyes tight and were glad he rejoined us afterwards.

Last but not least, we went to a private game park just outside of Kruger National Park in South Africa called Sabi Sands, where we stayed at a luxurious bush lodge and spent our mornings and afternoons tracking the local wildlife. We all saw the obligatory "Big 5"- except for Janeen who had bad luck and had to settle for seeing a leopard tortoise rather than an actual leopard. We also indulged in the services provided by the lodge's private spa, which gave poor Andy a break from having to paint my toenails, a task that he has very kindly (if somewhat sloppily) taken over for me since I have become incapable of reaching my feet. We ate at least 5 times a day which suited me perfectly in my current capacity as general garbage disposal for all things organic, and napped as often as possible to try to make up for the fact that most days we had morning activities that preceded the sunrise.

We had a wonderful time and are very sad that we won't get to see Janeen and Jason for almost another year, but really enjoyed our time together and all of the experiences we shared. I'd also like to state for the record that our unborn child is already an accomplished world traveler, and has visited more countries in utero than many people get to in a lifetime- his current total is 7 (US, Spain, Morocco, Lesotho, South Africa, Zimbabwe and Zambia- we're not counting Senegal, where he technically sat in an airplane on a runway for a few hours). We certainly hope that he appreciates all the effort we're putting into trying to make him as worldly as possible before he's even born, and know that he will end up a much more sophisticated and open-minded person as a result.