A wonderful day, despite the setbacks.

I turned 27 today. 27 on the 27th, the so-called Golden Birthday. I don't really know what that is supposed to mean, but that is what today is. And it has been an incredible day. One of those incredible days that just feels wonderful despite all the things that happen during that day. If I were to list the things that went wrong today (and just wait, I will) one might think this birthday had gone awry, but all the sucky things that happened just couldn't compete with the overall greatness of the day.

Let me tell you all about it.

We were able to leave the house today. That in and of itself is great. After almost two weeks of being pretty much home-bound by the snow, I was ready to leave the house. We have gone on small trips, but they have been terribly nerve-wracking, so it was a treat to just leave the house confidently. Plus, we were running out of toilet paper. Our day consisted mainly of errands. We had to go to PaperZone to get a self-healing cutting board, and then we had to go to Glazer's to look at camera bags for the new camera that came last night!! I want to get a camera bag that might also double as a diaper bag. Meaning, one that has a nice padded area for the camera, but also enough room for a couple diapers and stuff...I don't actually know what babies need when they are out on the town, I suppose we'll find that out soon enough. Anyway, we found one we both liked and would both be comfortable carrying around and we toyed with the idea of buying it, but we just couldn't commit to the $150 price tag. It felt a bit ludicrous to pay that much for a bag, even if it is nicely padded and nice to look at. Good call, cause we then found it on Amazon for half the price! Still too expensive, but we're thinking about it.

After this we went the auto parts place on Stone Way where we got BRAND NEW WINDSHIELD WIPERS.  It seriously feels like a whole new car when you can actually see out the windows. It seems like we buy windshield wipers really often, but my grandfather was the West Coast Rep for some wiper company and apparently you are supposed to buy them every 6-8 months, and we all know they get a lot of action up here in Seattle.

Then, we went to Northgate Mall. I hate Northgate Mall. It is kind of full of the dredges of society (not to be overly judgmental or anything). But for my birthday, I really really really wanted Rob to get some pants without holes in them, so we went to Macy's where we have a gift card and all the jeans were so ugly. And expensive! I find it interesting that even men's pants are so fancy. They have the euro-fade and the embellished pockets, and are just kind of silly. Nothing good, so we went to Nordstrom's where they at least had a couple pairs that seemed to be just jeans, till you look at the price tag that says $220! Call me what you will, but that is just insane. Denim should not cost $220. Thank goodness for the sale rack. So we got him some jeans. And by this time, I could feel the hanger coming on strong. Hanger is the anger one gets when one is hungry, and this manifests itself in pregnant ladies like nobody's business. So, I got some veggie mall sushi. I know, I was skeptical too, but man, it was delicious! Then we went to GameStop because we are both somewhat interested in the Shawn White Snowboarding game. I walked in for a second and had to leave because it absolutely smelled like nerd. It was gross.

So, since we were at Northgate, we thought we would just pop over to Target and get some essentials, things like toilet paper and aluminum foil. And I wanted to look at diapers. Well, at least, I feel like I should at least get acquainted with some of our options. We decided against cloth, because it turns out they are just as bad for the environment as traditional disposables, plus they are about a billion times grosser. So I want to look at the different eco-disposables like seventh generation, g-diapers, and nature baby. 

Anyway...we didn't get there. As we were walking on the non-icy, non-snowy, somewhat damp sidewalk, I turned my ankle, lost my balance, and totally ate shit in front of a bunch of people, shoving an older lady on my way down. So...that was fun. I don't know what hurt more, my rapidly swelling ankle or my pride. Falling in front of people sucks. At least I wasn't still at the mall.

So, we went home and iced my ankle. Let me tell you what is more fun than climbing three flights of stairs- climbing three flights of stairs while pregnant. More fun than that-climbing three flights of stairs while pregnant with only one good foot. The silver lining to the uncomfortable trip up the stairs was that our next store neighbor has a visible tv from the stairwell and they were watching some very hard-core pornography on a high def television. Ha.

The evening ended with a lovely meal at Circa out in West Seattle, which is our new favorite little restaurant. I could have stayed home to rest my ankle, but we hadn't been out of the house for such a long time, and it is my birthday afterall. 

Now we are back home, tinkering with the new camera. UPS dropped it off at 9:42 last night. Crazy. I think they are just trying to make up for all the packages that didn't get delivered in time for the holidays.

I'll post pictures once we figure out how to get them from the camera to the computer.

Also, Rob got us tickets to go see The Color Purple tomorrow.  I am excited! I love live theater, and appreciate that my wonderful, caring, husband (now nurse for all my maladies) is willing to sit through a performance with me. I think he'll like it!

Whew, that was a long one.

Love to you all, and thank you to everyone who sent me Birthday wishes.

Going a wee bit stir crazy...

Here are some more pictures...

Doesn't it kind of look like a giraffe escaped from the zoo? Is anyone else worried about the animals who aren't accustomed to this weather? They don't even have clothes.

This is the yard next door that is featured in the comparison shots in the two previous posts. Normally, when it snows in Seattle, snowman are just surrounded by grass, because there just isn't that much snow. In this shot you can see that there is plenty of snow left on the ground. I saw a five layer snowman on my little walk today. But I didn't have my camera. Note-this is with the 3X optical zoom...if UPS was delivering and we could take it with the 20X optical zoom, we could see it even better.

Here is proof that sunshine does not equal warmth or melting. 

So, I know that I should be relishing these moments of having nothing to do and nowhere to go, because very very soon, I will be up to my elbows in baby vomit and poop and pretty much at the disposal of the tiny human being who will soon be here. However, there are things I want to do, like go to the bookstore or go to fabric store. Somehow I am under the impression that I can make curtains for Futureman's room, so I want to go pick out some fabric. And while the main roads are slushy but drivable, our immediate little neighborhood roads are just compacted snow drifts. I walked to the little grocery and video store today, just to get out of the house, and it was incredibly difficult.  That may be the extra weight I am carrying around, or it might have been the slippery compact snow that currently passes for Seattle sidewalks. Either way, I am ready for the snow to melt. The snow, she is a beautiful jailor. 

But where is the snow going to go? Although I am no expert, I don't think that Seattle sewers are adequate to drain all this precipitation. When I was in college, we went on a biology field trip to a Sewage Treatment Facility (it was gross), but I remember the guy talking about how Portland had incredibly inadequate drainage for any excess rain or snow. I imagine it is the same here. Will there be flooding? Will sewage run freely down the streets? Like in the middle ages? At least we live at the top of a hill and not the bottom.

Here are some snow pictures.

Today is Rob's birthday. I won't say which one, because that makes him sad. However, it is his last birthday without a child, so I think he is (not so) secretly excited about that. We woke up this morning and it was even snowier than when we went to bed last night. This is definitely the snowiest we have ever seen Seattle, and Rob has been here almost ten years! 

For his birthday breakfast we walked up to a little place called Rooster's Breakfast Club and had a delicious meal and a lovely walk. The following pictures are mainly from the walk, also from the roof. Because that is where I take all my pictures. 

Now, we are watching the snow out the window, the snow at the Seahawks game, and drinking hot chocolate with lots of whip cream. All in all, it has been a quiet but lovely birthday for Rob. After the game, we'll watch Wall-E.  So here is something that just doesn't make any sense to me. Rob seems to have no interest in presents. He likes to space things out and enjoy them in a timely manner. This is very different from my style. I can barely keep myself from opening his presents right now, and I already know what they are! I am also ready to open the gifts that Rob wrapped for me and that are sitting under the tree right now. But I have to way 6 more days! I don't know. Anyway...Rob's real present is the one I currently keeping to myself. He can have this present sometime in early January or February

34 weeks pregnant in the snow.

This squirrel nearly jumped out of the tree to kill me. Not really, but there were definitely some gory images of squirrel violence running through my head.

Is there anything more Christmassy than snow covered red berries?

 I would have to say christmas lights on Palm Trees and pina coladas on an 87 degree day come pretty close. But maybe that's just me.

These people are just skiing on the sidewalks outside the zoo.

Rob tromping through the shards of snow.

Look how good we look in the snow!

This is our street. Those tracks are our driveway.

This is our garage. That's our car next to the snow-covered car.

Out our window. This is the same shot as in the last post. I don't know if you can tell how much more snow there is, but you can't even see the ground.

I know these snow pictures are silly to someone from say...the upper peninsula of Michigan or Upstate New York, but to this California girl, this is just crazy!

An Impending Storm

Several storms are brewing here on Francis Avenue North. The more immediate of the two is WINTER STORM '08, where the city of Seattle will be pummeled by up to eight inches of snow. Pummel is the word that KOMO news used, coincidentally it is one of my favorite words because it just implies so much. Sometimes a person just needs a good pummeling. In this case, the city of Seattle will be getting one.

This picture is pre-pummeling. The pummeling, along with 75 - 90(!) mph winds and lots of snow should be hitting the metro area sometime this evening and continuing into the early morning. Anyway...this picture is what I came home to after a cold week in California. I was afraid I wouldn't get home. I spent an extra four hours at the Oakland airport because SeaTac was operating with just one run-way. So, this is the base for the pummeling we expect tonight.

It has put a damper in my nursery plans. I was expecting several packages from Amazon.com yesterday. Several months ago, I accidentally signed up for Amazon Prime, which for $80 a year promises free two day shipping. I didn't mean to (or remember) signing up for this service...but I figured since I had it, I had better use it. Plus I found the changing table I wanted for almost $70 dollars less than BabiesRus (the world's most terrifying store. Ever) Anyway...the snow storm is interfering with my changing table, changing pad, changing pad cover, pack'n'play, and most importantly our new CAMERA!!! 

Now I never knew I would be so excited about all this baby stuff, but I did know that a new camera would make me very very happy. Even though I thought I wanted a digital SLR (drool) I played a little bit with my friend Drew's beautiful camera and found it to be a bit too much camera for me. Not to mention, they are very very expensive. With Drew's help, and the website dppreview.com, we decided on a Canon SX10. It is still a point and shoot, but it has way more pixels than the camera we are currently using (which has 4! Less than most camera phones these days) and 20x optical zoom, while the current camera has just 3x and then that horrible digital zoom.  And although I haven't actually used it yet, from what I understand, I will be able to control aperture and shutter speed and all that. So I am hoping it is a happy medium between an SLR and a point and shoot. The downside of this new camera is that I will no longer be able to blame my poor photography skills on the crappy camera. So I think I am going to have to start thinking about my composition a bit more. 

I used to feel like a fairly competent photographer. Although in all honesty,  I think I was better at the technical printing stuff than the composition and creative aspect of the art. So digital photography seems to put more focus on the creative aspect. Although I do plan on learning Photoshop so that I can kind of mimic the manipulation of the darkroom. Although I did just learn about RAW which I can't even process on my computer, but I should be able to do some photo shop manipulations...right? And I love the way Rob sees things through the lens, his eye is so much different than mine. But we will probably just use the new camera to document Futureman, and this blog will contain fewer pictures of our view, and more (possibly endless) pictures of the boy.

Now...here are some poorly shot (because of the camera or because of my skill?) images of the offisury or nuroffice. 
This is the crib that both my brother and I used, along with lots of my parent's friend's babies. I was a bit worried that it wouldn't pass current safety regulations, but a soda can doesn't fit through the bars and my mom pointed out that all of the babies who had used it are now fairly functional adults. I have some alphabet cards to hang on that wall. If we ever name the kid, maybe I will spell out his name with them. We are still taking suggestions.
A bit of a detail shot. I love bright colors. I think that is interesting because I tend to dress in pretty sedate clothing. I love to wear black but I like my surroundings to be colorful. Especially  in this gray Seattle environment.

This is the Ikea Poang chair we got on Craig's list for super cheap. It is clean and red. I love red furniture. I was pushing for red couches in the living room, but those would have taken an extra 10 to 12 weeks to be delivered, and in that case, my need for immediate gratification beat out my need for red furniture. It seems like life is a constant tug-o-war between wants and the desire to be free of such material wants. All this baby stuff. What do I need? What do I want? What does the baby need? 
Here is a limited selection of the baby's clothes. We have been fortunate enough to have several babies around that are slightly older than Futureman and therefore willing to share their clothing with him. We love that. I love sharing and passing things around. This whole baby thing seems to be a bit of a racket. Babies can't tell the difference between brand new and shared clothing or items. It is all new to them. I am trying to keep that in perspective as I shop for the baby. Used items make me happier than new items. Although we certainly have ALOT of blue clothing. Which is fine, its just interesting that we start gender stereotyping our children so early in life.

The Next Leche

Who knew I was such an amazing baker of Tres Leches. I certainly didn't. Anyway, after the successful trial cake, which we shared with as many friends as we could before it disappeared, I made the second one, which I decorated with some fresh mint and raspberries. Its a little silly, but I thought it looked festive. 

Pastel de Tres Leches y bebe.

Pastel de Tres Leches sin bebe.

Here is our poorly photographed ornament we got to honor Futureman. We are thinking about getting a tattoo that looks somewhat like this at some point.

And, the crib. The ball is just a placeholder. Eventually, that will be replaced by a baby.

La Leche League

We are taking birth classes with the organization Great Starts here in Seattle. Our teacher is Kim James and our textbook is by a well-known woman in the baby making business. Her name is Penny Simkin and she has written half a billion books on how to have a baby. It is an incredibly supportive and inclusive organization that addresses all birthing styles from the very natural to the ultra medical and every option in between.

Ideally, we are going to try this whole natural thing, but our teacher did make the epidural sound pretty nice, that is until she did a demonstration of all the wires that the pregnant lady gets attached to once any kind of epidural is administered.  Without having done this before, the visual aides made being tethered to a bed seem worse than the pain. But I guess we will learn if that is in fact the case soon enough. I don't want to be one of those people that makes sweeping statements with no idea of what reality is. So while the goal is natural, I don't want to absolutely rule out drugs. I do love drugs, after all.

 

Anyway,  it is almost our turn to bring snacks to baby class. It just happens to be the class all about breast feeding. So my genius idea is to make a Tres Leches Cake. This cake is a very popular cake in Central America, and I am pretty sure it originated in Nicaragua. My dad makes a delicious one, but I hadn't, so I decided to do a practice run this evening. The following pictures are a documentation of the process.

Final Product- for the one I am bringing to class, I will decorate with some raspberries and maybe some fresh mint. But since this is just a practice round, I went basic.

Step 1. Make a cake. Allow to cool completely.

Step 2. Drench with a mixture of milk, sweetened condensed milk, and evaporated milk.

Step 3. Allow the three milk mixture to sink in. 

Optional Step 4. Make a whipped topping with whipping cream, vanilla, and sugar. Spread.

This cake is very moist and very very rich.  It is one of those things where it is best to not look at the nutritional information. All that milk isn't exactly the fat free kind, but hey...it does have a ton of vitamin d and calcium. Very good things for pregnant ladies. So, I will make another one for our Thursday class, and hopefully it will be even better than this one. Rob said he loves it and that it compares to some of the tres leches we had in Costa Rica.

Here's the only problem- I don't actually like Tres Leches cake that much. Its just a bit too rich. And I think the wet texture of the cake is just a little weird. But other people seem to love it. And I do love the idea of bringing a three milk cake to a breast feeding class. 

One Trick Pony

So again, I have taken a few sunset pictures.  Our December 4:30 sunsets are just so beautiful, and now we have our Christmas tree. Even though Rob and I have been together for several Christmases now, this is our first tree together. I must say, the apartment smells fantastic. One thing I really like about Christmas trees is that they make the home smell so clean, even it if it isn't. We should keep a pine tree in the house all the time!

I am having a hard time reconciling my non-religious beliefs with my love of Christmas stuff. What am I celebrating? While I can respect the birth of Christ and what that means to many other people, it really doesn't mean much to me. So am I belittling the beliefs of others with my non-denominational tree. At home, we would call it our Hanukah bush, because we did at one point in my life celebrate both holidays in honor of my grandparents.  Or am I just celebrating the retail mindset of our culture? I am not even really concerned about the presents. I really just like the smell and feel of Christmas. But what about Futureman? What do we teach him? Do we teach him about Jesus? Do we teach him about Toys R Us? Do we teach him about giving and generosity because it is the right thing to do, and not just cause some guy taught some people good things? Although it seems to me that others take his teachings and twist them to best suit their own selfish means....but anyway, thats not for me to decide.

Here is a shot of my favorite ornament with the sunset in the background. I am also a fraud here. But since I am just as much not Buddhist as I am not Christian, I figured it couldn't do too much harm to hang a likeness of Buddha on a tree. Look at how benevolent he looks. Maybe I should read up on his teachings.
Here is Rob putting up some decorations. He tried to take some pictures of me, but I looked terrible and pregnant and tired and gross in all them. That led to some arguing about why such a talented photographer can't take a decent portrait. Also, a word of warning....don't make a pregnant lady feel even fatter and uglier than she feels already. It won't make you or her feel good.
Here we are with our first Christmas Tree. We got it at the Dunshee House. It is their annual fundraiser and raises money for the Seattle Aids Support Foundation. I would recommend it. Katie recommended it to us and we loved it. The volunteers were super helpful, until they tied the doors of our car shut. 
Rob with the tree coming out of his nose. Before we realized the car doors were tied shut. It was very sit-commy.

Thanksgiving

Obligatory Green Lake Picture

So much for individuality. One of these three hairy boys is my brother.

My dad in the hotel lobby. He was sick the whole time. What a bummer.

We had a different kind of Thanksgiving this year. Growing up, both sides of our family descended on Danville, and my immediate family became responsible for the happiness and sanity of everyone. As the years have gone by, that task has grown increasingly difficult and after last year's wedding circus, we all just need a good long break from that quality family time. So, this year, my family- mom, dad, Jeremy (plus two of his look-alike friends) came to Seattle where we had a delicious and stress free Thanksgiving from Whole Foods with Rob, Rob's mom Portia, my friend from school Jeyson, me, and of course, little nameless futureman. It was in a nice hotel room, where we enjoyed The Sandlot, one of the best movies ever made, and we played some Trivial Pursuit. We also learned that Jeremy apparently can't read. Well, he either can't read or pretended not to be able to read so that no one could understand the Trivial Pursuit questions. So he's either an idiot or a genius. We couldn't tell which.

I forgot to take more pictures. I should have, but I was lazy and tired and pregnant and blah blah blah. When I voiced my concern to my friend Brent and his girlfriend Benet about using the pregnancy excuse, they reminded me that there is only a finite amount of time to use it, and I might as well. So, thats it, I was too pregnant to take pictures.

I also forgot to take pictures when Brent and Benet were here in Seattle. We only had the chance to go out to dinner with them, but it was fun to spend some time with Benet, and wonderful to see Brent and dinner at Cafe Flora was ridiculously delicious. Yum.

3/4 of the way there.

30 weeks pregnant

Getting Excited About a Cold Christmas.

So, this is the first year in about four, that we will not be traveling somewhere warm and sunny for the holiday/birthday marathon that happens in the Burg/Chambliss family. We have either been in Costa Rica or Mexico, but due to the impending addition to the family and the fact that I will be ten million months pregnant at that time, we will be spending our first Christmas here in Seattle. 

I have started to collect Christmas things. I have lights, some ornaments and this morning I got a tree skirt. I am kind of excited. I have two weeks left of school before I go on "Maternity Leave". I am planning on reading and playing Mario Galaxy on the Wii. I haven't played it yet, because of my inability to play video games, but I thought I would give it a try. I should probably read up on the baby books though. Ehh...we'll see.

Or if you have any suggestions for some good fiction, send it my way. I need to get all this econ and policy framework reading out of my head.

This morning when we woke up, the sunrise was just ridiculous. So I ran up to the roof and snapped some pictures. Again, I am flooding this blog with poorly photographed landscapes. But it is all about the colors anyway. Incredible.

This next one is Christmas two years ago in Mazatlan. That's my mom, brother, former fiance, and me. My dad is taking the picture. Notice all the short sleeves on Christmas day. Not this year.
I am excited to decorate the apartment. I will post pictures when it finally happens. I will probably post pictures of the Thanksgiving festivities first. Woohoo. I love Thanksgiving.

All clear on the diabetes front.

Alright, test results are back in and someone writing this blog does not have gestational diabetes. Woohoo. I do however have low iron count.  Which would explain the craving for Red Mill burgers and the sluggish feeling. I thought I was just wanting junk food and feeling lazy. But, hooray, I have something to blame those two things on. Yum...Red Mill Burger with no onions and extra pickles. I think I know what I am sending my wonderful husband out to get for dinner as soon as he gets home.

Anyway, I was worried about that diabetes thing. I have been trying to be healthy. I have been going to the UW swimming pool a couple times a week for the past few weeks now. I try to go at least three times a week, but sometimes it is only two. Life is busy after all. I have been trying to swim between 1200 and 1800 yards each time I go. It depends on how busy the pool is. I get the rage similar to the stroller rage I would get at Green Lake when the strollers would be in the wheels lane while I was trying to roller blade. I vow to always have my stroller on the correct side of the walkway. Just because strollers have wheels, it doesn't mean they belong on the wheels side. Anyway, that aside, I have been trying to swim at least two miles a week and on the days when I can, I like to walk around Green Lake. So, trying to exercise, trying to eat rightish. Blah...I need to eat more iron. More burgers, more lentils, more green leafy vegetables.

Today, however, was a beautiful day in Seattle, a perfect day for a Green Lake walk, but walking up the stairs last night, I managed to turn my ankle. All my weight is oddly distributed and I am not sure quite how to maneuver myself around. So rather than use this beautiful last day of sunshine to go outside, I took a nap and took some pictures using the natural sunset, which occurs at 4:30 in the afternoon, by the way. The first two are not from the sunset.

This is a silly picture. I was trying to get the raindrops on the window, so I lit the candles to illuminate the rain. It didn't quite work the way I had hoped, but I do enjoy reflections.
The light comes in into the bedroom in the morning through the blinds. I love the little dots. I also like sleeping in late enough to see when the light comes in the window. Since we're heavily into the short days now, sunset happens around 4:30 and sunrise comes around 7:30. We get get roughly eight hours of daylight and will be getting less and less as we head towards the Solstice, otherwise known as my husband's birthday. (circle C Rob Chambliss)
Sunset on the books.
Sunset through the Blue Chalk Plant.
Sunset and shadows.

So, it is 5:12 right now and pitch black out. All of downtown is sparkling. The Paramount Sign is glowing. Aurora is a ribbon of white lights, cars heading north away from downtown, with an edging of red lights.  Aurora is quite lovely when you can't see the hookers.

It seems only a short time ago that it was daylight till 10:00 pm. Oh well. The next time it is late till 10, we'll have a son. And we'll be stuck inside trying to establish good sleeping patterns anyway. 

Waiting for some Blood Work

So, I am just sitting here, watching the Cosby Show. I just drank some pretty gross liquid and have to go have my blood drawn to see if I test positive for gestational diabetes. I really hope I don't have it. I am worried that my blood sugars might be off because I had delicious honey-lavender ice cream with lemon curd last night. Yum. Oh my god. It was amazing. It was from this place called Molly Moon's in Wallingford and it is the best ice cream ever. I am trying to limit my sweets because I have heard that in the third trimester, the baby is just getting bigger so I am trying to just feed him healthy stuff. But, during the baby class last night, the teacher kept talking about a soft cervix, which I think is pretty gross,and all I could hear was soft serve, which is ice cream, which is delicious. And I had to have some.

This is my second attempt at the Glucose screening test. The last time, I drank the orange liquid as prescribed and then within maybe fine minutes, I had thrown it all up. It was an amazing color, and I only wish I had taken a picture of it. It reminded me of when I was a kid and would throw up after taking Pepto Bismol. That stuff is DISGUSTING. But the puke after would be that same pink chalky shade...pretty. And then my mom or dad would have to clean up. Man. Being a parent sounds gross. Wait...is it too late to rethink this plan? Ha! What plan? There was no plan. Anyway, if I learned anything from those days, it is to not feed kids pepto bismol. Unless they are being bad. Just kidding. But the Glucose test barf was similar in that it was the exact same shade as the sweet drink. Imagine Orange Crush or mandarin Jarritos spewing from my mouth. It was awesome.

One of my favorite parts of being pregnant might be that even though throwing up is never fun, it has at least happened with a lot of laughter. In fact, if you have previously read this post, you'll note that Rob made me throw up just by making me laugh.

So, I have to leave in about 20 minutes for the lab. I could just go on talking about barf. But maybe I won't. That would be silly. Thats enough barf for now.

Great News for Futureman

Happy Happy Election Day!!

This is the third presidential election that I have been able to participate in, and it is the first election where I haven't been crushed emotionally after disappointing and shady results.

I feel very good about Futureman's toddler years.

What a relief!

Fingers are still crossed that Prop 8 in California is not passed. No on H8! 

A Swift Kick to the Face

So, Rob has been feeling the baby move for a couple weeks now. He is pretty much amazed by it and is having a hard time keeping his hands to himself. Which is fine, it isn't like he's a stranger or something.

But last night was really exciting because we could actually see Futureman moving around. A part of Rob still thinks that I am the one making my belly move, but it has become 100% Futureman. Last night, as we were in awe of the Lava lamp qualities of my new body, Rob was laying his head on my belly when Futureman delivered a swift kick to his face. Good Work Futureman! I'm sure you and I will get along well.

I've heard of Pregnancy Brain...

but is there such a thing as pregnancy apathy?

We are 27 weeks pregnant and I just don't want to do anything. Halloween was on Friday and I just couldn't be bothered. I am too tired or too disinterested.

I don't want to do homework. I don't want to get ready for the baby. We have nothing for the baby. Well we actually have ton of baby clothes, but I certainly haven't had anything to do with that. We just have some wonderful friends, whom I am incredibly grateful for. But the baby doesn't have anywhere to sleep, or anything to be changed on or anything. I am not even really freaking out about it. And freaking out about things is what I do best!

 I don't want to cook. I keep forgetting to bring my camera with me. I don't want to read for pleasure. I don't really want to read baby books, but I'm trying to at least do baby class homework. I just don't want to do anything. I am just in a state of waiting.

That isn't entirely true. I went to yoga on Saturday and it was incredible.  A place called Yoga Mama.  It is a beautiful old school house about a mile away from our apartment, a little past the zoo. I walked there and it was just such an incredible fall day. Then there was an hour and a half of challenging yet gentle prenatal yoga with other moms-to-be. And then I walked home in a post yoga daze with a gentle fall rain just barely falling. It was a beautiful morning. It reminded me that maybe I should just do yoga, be a yoga teacher. That would be ideal.  

One thing I am freaking out about is wondering what to do with this baby once he comes out. How am I supposed to go to school? We certainly can't afford a nanny and day care for infants...aside from the price, there is a wait list of like two to three years. Apparently some people plan their pregnancies. Some people are just so fancy. Ha. Not us. We're living on the edge. Anyway, school after baby makes me nervous. What about my internship? Billions of people go about their lives once they have children. We must be able to do it, right? I don't know what to do. If any one has ideas or knows what to do, please let me know. 

Oh...and another thing. What are we going to name this person? I had no idea what a responsibility it is to name a person. Right now we like Emmett, Milo, and the new contender is Beckett.  I loved Waiting for Godot when I read it in high school in Mr. Ault's class. I was told that it is Existentialism at its finest. I don't really understand it, but I still liked it. Maybe I should read it again. Because if being pregnant isn't existential, I really don't know what it. Something is certainly going to happen, we just don't know what or when or why or at this point who.

Who? Who is this person going to be? If we don't agree on a name, he is really going to be Futureman Elliott Chambliss on his birth certificate.

Ugh. So life is currently full of questions and then apathy in response to those questions. Again, would that be existential? 

According to Wikipedia (the world's most incredible although sometimes inaccurate source of information)- existentialism is "a sense of disorientation and confusion in the face of an apparently meaningless or absurd world" 

Alright...maybe its the change in weather we had overnight that is bringing out the blah. Last night was a blustery stormy night here in Seattle. I just miss the warm sun. And tank tops.

Ugh.

Well, if Hill is blogging...

Around 7:30 this morning. Look at Mt. Rainier, what a profile. South out the window.

Looking east at 6:30 this evening.  Also a reflection of our To Kill a Mockingbird poster. 

...than I had better blog also.

I have just been so busy with kind of not interesting stuff. I've been sick; three days ago, I might have used the adjective "deathly", but I've gotten over the histrionic stage of my illness.

Here's a highlight of the sickness: Rob made me laugh so hard I threw up. And then he almost threw up. And then he had contractions. That was fun. It was just like when we first started dating and Becca and I got so drunk and proceeded to tag-team the toilet bowl, while Rob held both of our hair out of our respective faces. There was a lot of laughter that night too. Laughter and singing. 

The baby has been going nuts, he still really seems to like econ. And Rob has finally been able to feel him. Rob is going to be such a good dad. He brought home a special present for Futureman today. A tiny little polo shirt. So cute. We love the Penguin brand. Although he didn't bring home any pants for the boy. Oh well, like father like son, I suppose. 

The other day, I looked down at my stomach and noticed a corner that I have never had before. I think it was a fist. And he has been throwing his 'bows around like a fiend. Ouch. And I think the other day he was doing some sort of jig.

In other news, it was an absolutely beautiful day in Seattle. I went for a walk around Green Lake and should have brought the camera, the colors were incredible. I'm going to try again tomorrow, and before we know this whole blog is just going to be pictures of the view from our apartment and Green Lake. Oh well, I don't go anywhere else anyway. I do have to get some shots of campus though. The University of Washington looks like a movie campus. And in the fall. Wow. It almost makes me forget about all the work we have to do! Eeek. I have so much to do in the next four days! Memos like crazy!

A Pickle Quest and Some Touristy Activities

I woke up Saturday morning and I absolutely needed a sour dill pickle. Not the kind from some jar, but the kind from a barrel, a vat of pickles, the kind where you are maybe not sure what is in or what has been in the barrel, but the pickle is so good that you just don't care, you know.

Anyway, the pickle love isn't just a pregnancy thing. I have always loved pickles. And the ones I like the best used to be available at the Safeway in Danville, up the street from my parent's house. They had the absolute perfect crunch to sour ratio. I would eat like two of them in a weekend. So, while the pickle thing isn't new, the urgency with which I needed one is pretty pregnancy related, or at least I can say it is in order to get Rob out of bed at 8:00 in the morning to drive on a pickle quest. 

So first I yelped Dill Pickles, and then proceeded to go to most of the Delis in downtown Seattle and then to Pike Place Market in search of Pickles. Everyone sells the same dill pickle. Boar's Head. Now, don't get me wrong, Boar's Head Pickles are good. They have a very satisfying crunch and are fantastic on sandwiches, but they just aren't very sour. And I am in need of a pucker inducing pickle. Anyway, we never found the right pickle, but we had a lovely morning wandering and sampling our way through the market. Yum.

That evening we went over to Becca and Amanda's for a housewarming gathering, where I got to watch people drink. It was actually a lovely evening with good company and delicious snacks.

This afternoon, Sunday, we (Rob, Becca, Fernando, Hillory, Julia, Sean, and Leila) went on an Electric Boat Ride on Lake Union. If you haven't been on one, you should. It is a great way to see Seattle. We love them!

The following are a smattering of pictures from the weekend. Enjoy.

Monorail tracks in the early morning.

Mmmm. Delicious fresh produce at the market. No Pickles, but we got an amazing mango.

Me and Rob on the boat.

Julia in a Pita Chip bag and me with a big fat pregnant belly. Six Months!!

The ladies with the Fremont Troll.

The ladies, two of our men, and the troll.

Boating is very relaxing.

An old fashioned paddle boat, that I managed to shoot without its paddle. Whoops.