GORILLA BLOGGING

Chanda has NO idea i am going to post this. I have been given quite a hard time about not reading the blog but I subscribe to the philosophy that if you share a bed with someone you should not have to read their blog.

So last weekend we took a trip to Auburn to visit family and celebrate our nephews twenty second birthday. It just seems like last week he was twenty one*. We also got to meet Dane Chanda's cousins second child who came into the world with a full head of blond hair.

One of the great joys I have had as an uncle has been watching my four year old niece grow up. On this trip she was infatuated with Chanda and her pregnant stomach. When she would see someone with Chanda she would say "Look at that big 'ol belly... touch it". Quite cute.

We also got to go to her Tee Ball game. A few things to note. No one keeps score. Everyone gets to hit. sitting on the grass is acceptable. One size fits all for hats is a misnomer.

After the game we returned home to watch the Preakness Stakes. My horse came in second. We then went to our nephews baseball game, in which he pitched. A few things to note. They do keep score and if one team leads by 10 in the 5th, they call it. Well, the our team got 9 runs in the first inning and the other team went through four pitchers in the same inning. Needless to say we won in the 5th. Go Justus!

To put a fine cap on the day we ended with a song and dance performance by our nephew Tyler (FYI we have 6 nieces and nephews). Tyler is a killer singer not to be confused with The Killers singer. The show is an annual production called Putting on the Ritz. I have to admit, it was my first time at a Broadwayesque show and i was pretty impressed. As it was the last night they pulled a few pranks which added to my enjoyment. One in particular involving two mascots** got my goose. Tyler, any man that can rock a Morning Coat and sing about the Virtuous Fantine is alright with me.

So that plus 16 hours in the Prius about sums it up. Peace out bloggers and bloggettes.


*It's because he was
**You can see they have red eyes. And according to Twilight this means they eat humans...

A Windy Camping Adventure

This month Keith and I finally made good on our promise to go camping, pre-baby.  We knew we needed to go before the baby was born so it wasn't so overwhelming of a task once the tiny human is here.  Both of us love camping and want to make sure its part of our lives and the raising of our kids.  

We received some camping gear for Christmas and got a killer deal on our tent and stuff on Craig's List so we were anxious to try out it all out.  We had scheduled to go with our dear friends Esther and Ian the month before but I came down with bronchitis and it was raining so we had to cancel (boo).  But this month we had a free weekend so on a whim we packed up and headed to Leo Carrillo (on the coast just north of Malibu).

Highlights:
Awesome time camping with my husband.
Quick access to the beach from our campground.
Good food.
I was surprisingly comfortable sleeping on the ground at 5 months pregnant.
Awesome REI tent.
Upgraded our spot when we arrived from "worst" site to one that was really great!

In the middle of the night Friday, 30+ mph winds picked up and tried from every angle to pull our sturdy tent out of its stakes.  Unlike most of the other tents in the campground, the now highly recommended REI tent stood its ground and didn't fall, break, or end in demolition.  Success!  Saturday was still very windy which made cooking on our stove a bit tricky but Saturday night was not as wild so we were able to get a little bit more shut eye.  We can't wait to go again!

Sort of windy!

Our awesome camp site and the highly recommended tent from REI (its so tall Keith can stand up inside!)

Keith having fun with the camera at night.

Week 23

Time is flying by as we finish up Week 23!  Everything is on track with weight gain and size measurements... though I do still look like I am having twins.  Sigh of relief, my doctor confirms again there is only one tiny human in there. Keith is working hard and doing an excellent job staying in shape as to not add any sympathy weight. 

Side Note: Black is a slimming color and was probably not the best choice for the weekly photos as it can be hard to really tell how big I am week by week.  Lesson learned.

Half Way Point

Last week we reached our half way point of pregnancy... 20 weeks!  It is funny how it makes the due date seem so much closer but yet so far away all at the same time.  Earlier in the week I had told Keith I felt like I had hit a growth stop with my belly and hadn't grown much in the past week or so.  He emphatically let me know that I in fact was growing and looking quite large (in a good way).  I guess since I see me all day every day the changes aren't as obvious to me.

Another exciting event was feeling the baby move for the first time during the Good Friday service at church.  Maybe it was the first time in a while that I sat that still for an extended amount of time so I actually could finally feel our little Sprout moving around (we call the baby "Sprout" sometimes since we don't know the gender and don't really like using "it".) 

Current cravings:
Lemonade (or anything tart);
Creamy ice cream or shakes (though I try not to indulge too often);
Mexican food (just about any variety, any time).

Imagine turning on your computer at 5:30am to see this larger than life size as your screen saver.  Scary!  Keith had some fun with Photoshop making fun of my Lemonade addiction.