House Anxiety!!

I haven't been sleeping very well lately. I have just realized how much work there is to do in the house and yard and how little time and energy I've been having to do it. My schedule will slow down a little bit soon when the college quarter is over. I only have 1 more day of my WWU class and the dance recital is in 2 weeks, so I'll have less dance classes to teach after that. It will be nice, but we'll have to be really responsible since there won't be as much money coming in. Andy will get a summer job I'm sure. Andy reminded me that I don't need to stress about details so much. Our home is ready for the baby. It's not perfect, but it's ours and we'll have lots of times for renovations when I'm not pregnant and sleepy! God has always provided for us and I know he won't leave us now.

Busy Weekend!!!

Wow! We had a busy weekend. Saturday we (tried) to ride our bikes out to Sudden Valley, but I could only make it about 1/2 way (it's 9 miles up some wicked hills), so we turned around and rode home to get the car. We drove out to see our friends' new baby Jonah. He was very sweet. After that we did some grocery shopping and then drove to Blaine to have dinner with Mindy and Taylor Swedberg (Andy's co-workers) and the rest of their Ski-to-Sea team. Sunday morning, Andy woke up at 4:30 and got ready to leave for the race. I slept in until about 9:00. I felt like a bum, but the extra sleep was wonderful! He was up on the mountain around 7:00. He did really well for someone who has only crosscountry skiied once before. Everyone on his team placed somewhere in the mid 300s (out of 400 teams) and said they had a lot of fun. After he got home around 1:30, we ate lunch (shrimp pasta! Yum!!) and I napped for a while. He said he thought about napping, but I was on the couch and he didn't want to go get in bed (he was sure he'd sleep too long), so he just laid down on the living room floor. Comfortable, right? We biked over to Fairhaven around 5:00 and saw the last leg of the race (kayaking) and took a team picture. Afterward, we all went to dinner at Mi Mexico and said goodbye to all of the teammates who don't live in town. I hadn't met any of them before Saturday. They were really nice people. Monday I had to visit a couple of my "old ladies" (as Andy calls them), then we went and met the midwife, Ann. She was great. Very knowledgeable and friendly. She seems pretty laidback too which is a plus for me. She answered all of our questions and it looks like we're going to have her as our birth attendant and we'll have the baby at the birth center. I don't think we took any pictures while we were there, but you could go to their website if you want to check it out. www.bellinghambirthcenter.com
Our midwife's name is Ann (she's about 1/2 way down the list with red curly hair) and they only have 1 picture of the rooms. There are 2 big rooms and a waiting room that can become a 3rd room. They have big beds, couches, cool triangular tubs, birth slings, birthing stools, birth balls, and pretty much anything you could want. If an emergency did happen, the hospital is only about 1.5 miles away, so we could be there in a few minutes! I still have some apprehension about what would happen if an emergency did occur, but I'll just have to leave that in God's very capable hands. He has brought us this far, but that is no guarantee of the future. He is still in charge and we just need to do our best. Monday afternoon we went to a birthday BBQ for our friend Jocelyn (Andy's worship team leader) at her parent's house they just bought a little ways outside of Belligham. It's a log cabin and looks more like a bed and breakfast than a house, but it's really nice. Her parents were so friendly. We had a really good time. Then we came home and it was almost time for bed. I had a little trouble going to sleep. The baby had hiccups and then they kept moving around. I could sleep through is, but I don't like to because it's so cool and I don't want to miss it. Andy was even still awake for the hiccups. Well, I need to get to church to help with mailing out the newsletter and then over to Donna's for her shopping and cleaning. Better get moving!

27 Weeks

We are now 27 weeks pregnant. That means this is the beginning of the end! Well, at least the beginning of the 3rd trimester. Andy mentioned yesterday that we have 1/2 as long left. It still feels like a long time to me, but I know it will go by quickly. I'm guessing that the baby will come right before Andy starts back to school, but he thinks he'll just take the 1st week off if that happens and stay home with us. He said he'll just write really good sub plans for that first week over the summer. Then, if the baby comes earlier, he can just follow his own detailed plans and have less to do that first week. We got to see our friends Nick and Jasmine's new baby boy Jonah yesterday. Realizing that we were all pregnant and now they have a new member of their family made it all very real. I am really starting to get excited. We have realized that Dr. Mallory isn't really friendly toward the Bradley Method or natural childbirth in general, so on Monday we're going to meet one of the midwives (Ann) who delivers babies at the Bellingham Birth Center. If feels slightly funny to be thinking of making a change now, but somehow it also feels like the right thing to do. Andy said there are 2 ways to do it. You can go into the hospital knowing that they disagree and that you'll have to really stand your ground (stress +++) or you can put yourself in an environment and with people who think like you and will help you get through this the way you want to (less stress). Plus, it looks like the birth center option is going to be a little cheaper for us anyway. That's a bonus. Honestly, all I want is for our baby to be here. I can't wait!

Herb's Memorial Service

GrandDad's memorial service was this afternoon. We drove down to Port Orchard last night and stayed over at my Mom and Dad's house. It was nice to see them, but the visit is always too short. They have been doing a lot of remodeling, so it was fun to see the progress and I am especially excited to see the new bathtubs once they're installed. This morning we got up, printed off the programs and words to the songs, and picked up Sandy to go to the memorial. It was nice to be there early and really be able to help set things up and greet people. I couldn't believe all of the familiar faces. I was grateful for the opportunity to meet a few of Herb and Doris' friends that I had heard about, but never had the chance to meet. It was a wonderful service and it felt like a very good mix of respectful and reverent with a little fun and frivolity thrown in. I think the fun and laughter were what truly honored GrandDad's memory. I especially liked being able to go to the graveside part of the service. Seeing Donna and John's (Herb's 2 kids who have already passed away) headstones really made it hit me that they are all together now in God's presence. It made me sad for me and excited for them. Andy cried at the service because all the fun times he had with his GrandDad when he was a little boy are over. I cried because Herb brought so much life to everything we did together and I'm sad that our child won't know him or how much fun he was. I guess it's Doug and my Dad's turn to be so much fun for our baby that I don't miss his or her Great-GrandDad's place so much. Well, we drove to Port Orchard yesterday, drove back today, and have an OB appt. in the morning at 8am, so I'd better head to bed.
I hope all are sleeping peacefully and Herb is up in heaven greatly enjoying the visit like he always said he did whenever we all were together.

Exactly 1 week to go!

Andy is competing in this year's Ski-to-Sea race here in Bellingham. Oddly enough (even though he's only experienced this sport one time before) he is doing the crosscountry skiing leg of the race. His part of the relay is first. His team also has a couple of teachers from his school (The Swedbergs) and a few other people who aren't exactly "experts" in their sport. At the very least, it should be fun! He has been going for a run every other day and doing some exercises here at home. I'll try to keep you updated on his training and progress. This is a photo of me in my typical snowboarding "pose". As you can see, I am pretty crappy.

When asked how he feels about the impending race.....he responded, "Ready as I'll ever be...well I mean, I've got one more week, so I'm as ready as I can be a week before."

He's gone

GrandDad passed away this morning at about 10:35am. I still can't believe that I'll never hold his huge hand again. He'll never give me a big hug and say, "oh,oh, oh" when I rub his back. He'll never tell me I'm the prettiest little girl in the world or tell me that I'm his favortie granddaughter-in-law (I'm his only one, but it still made me feel special). He will surely be missed, but I know he is in a place now where he doesn't have any pain, memory loss, or struggle. Most of all, he isn't old anymore. Working with the elderly ladies that I care for, I have realized (as much as a young person can) how hard it is to get old. I am glad he doesn't have to deal with that anymore. My reasons for wishing he was still alive are purely selfish. I want him to be alive so I can hug him one more time. Not the way I hugged him at the hospice. That already wasn't the same. I will just have to remember the hugs we used to have (the ones where he sometimes almost knocked me over. He was huge!) and never forget what a wonderful person he was.
We love you GrandDad,
Sarah*

31 Years!

Today is my parents' 31st wedding anniversary. We haven't even been married 10 years, so I have no idea what 31 feels like. It must be wonderful to really know that someone knows literally everything about you and still loves you, trusts you, supports you, and truly wants to be with you and not anyone else in the world. It's actually a beautiful thought and makes me very happy for them. You should see them together. It's not that usual, overly comfortable, "old hat" type of thing. They really like being together and doing things together. I hope when I've been married over 30 years that I can still make Andy laugh and that we still do special things together all the time. Here' s a picture of them when they were dating back in the early 70s.

No denying it

**Just for fun. Here's picture of my giving our dog, Todd, his first bath in Feb '05 when we had just adopted him from the local humane society. As you can see, he doesn't like it much, but he's very well behaved. This pic is totally unrelated to today's post.

I was teaching my dance classes yesterday evening when I realized that there is no denying it, we are going to be having a baby.....and soon. I suddenly realized that I don't feel ready and I'm not even sure what "ready" would look like. I've never done this before! I realized how many things I wanted to accomplish before the baby comes and how little time there is left to do them in. We aren't sure of our job situations for next fall and that means we can't really predict the amount of money we'll have, but I know I have to leave that in God's hands. He has never failed to provide for us in the past and I know he is with us...wherever we're going.

GrandDad

Well, GrandDad is still about the same. He has periods of awareness and then takes long naps. Sandy (Andy's mom) talked to the Dr. and he still feels that Herb won't recover. I have such an internal struggle with my desire to hold on to this person that I love and my desire to see him at peace and know he won't have to deal with his brain injury(ies) anymore. We have all left it in the hands of the Great Physician and are willing to take whatever He gives.

I'm feeling well despite the unseasonably warm weather we've been having here in Bellingham. It's supposed to be 78 today and that would break the previous high temp record. It really hasn't been too bad. I am fairly busy with work which makes it easier not to think about being hot. Luckily the house stays nice and cool, so it's good to come home after a long-ish day. Speaking of work, I need to go shower and get ready to go.
Here are Doug and I putting a "family" badge on the baby at the hospice. I'll try to take some belly pictures this afternoon and put them up tomorrow.

Mother's Day Weekend

Well, this was a usual Mother's Day weekend for us. It seems that something always happens on this holiday that is hard, but makes us all realize how important family is and how blessed we really are. Last year, Andy and I miscarried our first baby. That was the scariest and most tragic personal event I had ever experienced. It's strange to think that it happened a year ago. As I type this, I can look down at my ever-expanding tummy and thank God for the miracle that this child is. I honestly never thought it would happen again. I do still long for the day when I can meet our first child and I do still ask the question, "why?". I will never know. This year, Andy's GrandDad fell and head a bad head injury on the Wednesday before Mother's Day. By Thursday morning he was comatose in the hospital and we didn't know what to expect. We headed down to Tacoma to be with him and Andy's family on Thursday afternoon. Over the next 3 days he went from a complete coma with no response to tracking us with his eyes, waving, making some speech-type sounds, and being aware of us off and on. I just talked to Andy's mom and GrandDad was sleeping peacefully when they went home last night to get some sleep. I know he is in God's very capable and loving hands, but I do wish we could still be with him. As Andy said last night, "Thank you Lord for the chance to say Goodbye if that's what we had to do this weekend." There are still so many unknowns. On a happier note, it was a very exciting Mother's Day for me because I have realized how soon this baby will be here. I love being with our families and I love the closeness that we all share. I only hope I can be a loving and diligent mother like my mother is to me. Well, I need to head to work. I'll put up some pictures later. Blogger isn't working so well right now.
Thanks for listening,
S*

And baby makes three

I know Andy hasn't been a very "avid" blogger as Lydia recently put it, but I will attempt to be. We are 25 weeks pregnant and I desperately need a place to record the ups and downs of our daily life. Here's a picture of the baby's crib and one of the walls. Later, I'll even try to include some ultrasound pics of the baby and even a few of my rapidly growing and extremely hilarious belly. I hadn't realized that while pregnancy looks "cute" on other people, it looks very funny on yourself. Maybe it's the perspective you get from always looking straight down on it. Who knows. Busy with work today. Andy left early, so I'll have time to do some housework and then go to work. Yeah me, right! I may even get a chance to pay some bills! Well, I'd better go if I plan on getting anything done today.