Saturday, May 30, 2009

Roller-Derby Barbies!!!

I just wanted to share with you what I saw in a
B'ham downtown hair-salon window yesterday.
(On Commercial-near Holly)
It's pretty sweet! If you go on a search to find it, let me know what the name of the Salon is...the hunt is ON!

Memorial Weekend Events

Last weekend Shaun and I went to our 2.5 hour crash course in childbirth and then on a tour of the hospital---which actually took 2 whole hours! I really didn't think it would take that long. It was more than a tour---it was like another mini crash course in having a baby at the hospital. (Have you seen how funny the hospital sign is? --Well, Shaun and I think it's funny to have "shipping and receiving" next to the "childbirth center."So, by the end of the day, the having the baby felt much more real and we were excited enough to try putting the car seat in the car. We haven't got it in correctly yet since it lifts up in the front--but we got tired and quit trying. We'll get to it later--before the baby is born.

On Monday, we drove up and over to Birch Bay, WA--and enjoyed looking at the ocean from a picnic bench. Shaun and I tried to capture the moment. We've had such beautiful weather in Bellingham that I actually find myself trying to "play it cool"--so that the sun doesn't run away by getting too much attention.


We are ubber excited for "B" Day!

Oh, and Shaun is now finished working with Joes---as the Mt. Vernon Store has been completely liquidated.

Oddly, they handed Shaun COBRA paperwork when he left. Apparently, we HAVE had insurance since January and has been taking money out of Shaun's paychecks...but Joes never sent Shaun's name over to the Health Insurance--so, while they have NO record of us...Corporate has now been called by Shaun--and maybe we can get our baby medical bills paid--as well as our lab work bills--which we've been paying for out of pocket the whole time we've been pregnant. AND---maybe COBRA won't disappear too quickly--since the company will be bankrupt and the policy will be cancelled. Maybe all the court stuff needs to be finished before the Insurance Policy is cancelled.

Anyway, this is a lovely blessing.

Thursday, May 21, 2009

Monday, May 11, 2009

Mother's Day is Fun and.... Delicious!

Believe it or not, I have a baby boy growing inside me! So, Sunday was my first official Mother's Day and I enjoyed the new perspective of this holiday...and the warm wishes from my family and friends.

On Saturday evening, my father and his wife Yuko came up to visit! They brought me some beautiful flowers---lilies--that I can smell right now. (I love pretty smelling flowers!) Then they took us out for dinner at Flats Tapas Bar in Fairhaven. Shaun and I took a picture while we were in the car before dinner. (Unfortunately, I forgot to take pictures of Yuko and my dad.) The Tapas Bar has fantastic Spanish tapas--with many ingredients imported from Spain--including delicious olives. The scallops with a garlic-aoli and hazelnut pesto on a bed of cannelloni beans were one of my favorites of the evening.

My dad and Yuko stayed at the Hampton down the street--so, in the morning they dropped by before we (Shaun and I) headed off to church. Shaun made me breakfast--and they had our extras (because they previously ate at the hotel--but somehow were still a little hungry). It was awesome seeing them. Finally, they could see me actually looking pregnant! Take a look at a picture I took on Thursday (at 31 weeks). On Sunday, I became 32 weeks--and eight months along (out of 10)!
Then today, when I came home from work at lunch, I found a few gifts laid out on the kitchen counter from Shaun (for mother's day). They included chocolates, "Meet the Robinsons" (the movie), and "Baby Mama" (the movie we watched before I brought up that I thought it was time to have a baby). Shaun wasn't home, so--I recorded myself opening them. (Sorry, you don't get to see this video...it's just for Shaun.)

Oh and FYI: According to Joe's, Shaun has about 2 more weeks of work...and then he'll be out of a job due to the finale of the Bankruptcy liquidation.

'Till next time!

Thursday, May 7, 2009

BOGA = Good Times

Have I ever mentioned that I love my health care provider, Bellingham OB GYN and Associates. Well, I do....or should I say I due! Today I went to a regular check up at the doctor's due to my impending baby birth arrangements. I have the lovely Dr. Amy Tu, whom Tom (my boss and friend) from work informed me is a great snowboarder. She is a savvy Dr. who I'm grateful for her calm nature and young interests (hobbies I mean). She's easy to relate to and chat with.
They have a great staff at BOGA ...and today I was also lucky enough to get, as her name tag states, "Kim, RN." She's hillarious!!! Shaun and I hit it off with her early on when she was so willing to make me feel like a funny person by laughing and my jokes. I gave Kim my blog address, so, if you're reading this...congratulations on using the computer. (She said she was a little computer illiterate--which I doubt very much.) And did I mention, after my appointment I spoke with her before I left when I saw her cleaning something in the side nurse room. It was the metal thing that is used in a PAP smear to hold open the female parts to get to the more inner parts (i.e. cervix). I am grateful that someone does this and that I never heard her complain. She assured me it wasn't a big deal...and well I'll stop there.
Also, while at BOGA today, I spoke with Lillia, Ruth, and Angela and a nurse (I can't recall her name) at the front desk about how to become a cloud. This came up when I asked if I'd be required to get on the ground and do tumbling excercises at the birthing class I'm taking there on the 23rd. They said no---and I told them I was well aware of breathing techniques from by 10 years studying theatre. In my freshman year in college, one of our class assignments was to become a cloud.I explained that although it was an interesting exercise, there was a part of me that couldn't fully commit to the cloud, but I'd totally practiced my breathing and enjoyed that part of warm ups fully. Ya know--I really had fun today. I hope they didn't mind my rambling on.
For those of you who don't know--my pregnancy has been going perfectly. I passed my Glucose Test with flying colors and my Iron levels were fantastic. I have wonderful blood pressure and I haven't had any problems physically. I even haven't suffered through many of the symptoms many other expectant moms do. I feel very blessed and delighted with this. Thanks for checking in with Shaun and I. Have a great weekend! (My dad is coming!!! Hooray!)

Tuesday, May 5, 2009

Shrimpin' like Bubba

There's nothing quite like waking up at the Booth's Cabin on Whidbey Island to see the sunrise. It was gorgeous! That's what Shaun and I did last weekend. The purpose was to enjoy catching shrimp in the sound. Shaun was the one working on the Booth Boat--since I'm pregnant. The fish from the sound are so good! There big too. Oh, and incase you were wondering, our shrimp were caught in shrimp pots with cat food as bait.


Amongst us were other Booth friends, including Val, Kirk, the Burleys, Ria, and Tim Mumford. It was great company! Maren, Ria, Val, and I spent some time in Langley at a thrift store. I took pictures of weird things I saw at the thrift store to bring back to the cabin dwellers. Enjoy some of the finds.
(This bin was in the pet section.)(Salt and Pepper shakers--that were in a special glass case. Valuable?)
(And no, the flash was off. His eyes are ALWAYS this color.)

Also, we stopped by Star Store and I took some pictures of some baby one-sie sayings...and a few other things.

We (Shaun and I) came back Saturday night to ensure we got a good nights sleep. Both of us woke up with injuries on Sunday--Shaun had a really sore/stiff back, I had a itchy finger (from wasp sting on Friday night) and a sore knee from slipping on the cabin's deck stairs. We skipped church to heal and take a nap. Overall, it was a busy and good weekend.

My FIRST Aquarium Visit...EVER!

Shaun and I went to the temple 2 weekends ago and had a WONDERFUL experience. After our traditional Indian Buffet, we decided to head over to Seattle to visit the aquarium. I've never been to one of these before. It was neat, although, I had a couple observations that I'd like to point out. One, I thought it would be A LOT bigger. Two, I didn't much care for all the tiny children crawling around my ankles. Yeah, yeah, yeah...I'll have a kiddo soon too, but these kids were in a massive cluster....and at lunch time they had Dorrito-fingers. Who gives their kid Dorritos at an aquarium where they'll be touching things all day?

Anyway, I'm super happy for these children who got to see an aquarium a such a young age. Although, I must say I had a sight advantage because I could see into ALL the displays without standing on a stool.
(Jelly Fish)

Hey, I also got to touch a sea cucumber and other things I can not name. I must admit, I was not taking the opportunity to LEARN about fish and sea mammals. I just looked at everything. Oh, and tried to get away from the mother with her kid who seemed to follow us while she baby-talked to her son. "Oooooh, what's that? Is that a fish? Yes, that's moving...!! Ohh, look, another fish...and what color is it? Ooooo, look at that Crustation!" (Meanwhile Shaun is whispering to me, "That is not a Crustation, it's a Cephalopod.")

Yeah, so I think I got the aquarium experience. I'm impressed with the amount of things that the ocean supports.