Nope

Still nothing....

Santa

Hi again. Still no baby. And to answer Mindy's question...2 cm, 80% effaced, and -1 station as of Tuesday this week.

Bennett had a fun day though. We saw Santa TWICE!!!

We love our little town of Lansdowne. One of the small town traditions they have is Santa and the fire engines. Every year, the fire department drives all their fire engines up and down every street in Lansdowne with sirens blaring. Santa sits on top of one of the engines and they hand out candy canes to all the kids. It's a wacky little tradition but we love it.

Today was fire engine Santa day. Bennett just woke up from his nap when I heard the sirens getting closer (darn sirens woke me up, too...). Keith came running and took Bennett out of bed and threw his jacket on and took him outside. The engines were about a block away. First of all, it was pretty darn cold outside--a jolting difference from his cozy bed from seconds earlier. Then those loud sirens--what was going on? Bennett was excited in a sleepy, what-just-happened-to-me sort of way. He got his candy canes and hasn't been able to stop talking about it since.




Then, we went to our ward Christmas party where we saw Santa again. Bennett was surprised to see Santa NOT on the fire engine and wondered where his fire engine was. As you can tell, his first visit on Santa's lap was super exciting. He wasn't scared, he was just pretty much speechless. This Santa guy is so confusing....

War

Still no baby. Maybe I'll start updating the blog daily so no one loses sleep over whether or not I'm in labor.

A friend reminded me a few weeks ago of a remark I made shortly after having Bennett. They were expecting their own first baby at the time and were naturally curious what birth would be like. They asked me how it was. I don't remember saying this, but in their own words, my response to them was..."It was like WAR."

I do remember that my recovery was so bad that I had a hard time imagining that I could ever do it again. During those first few weeks when my memory was still way too vivid, I remember being stopped in my car at a red light and watching a very pregnant woman cross the street in front of me. I almost wanted to cry for her, knowing what lay ahead. That poor unsuspecting woman was about to go to war. She had no idea...

It feels really weird to be a ticking time bomb. I'm not really dwelling on it though. Life just goes on. I still have to go grocery shopping. I still gotta put gas in the car. I still have Christmas to prepare for. Life is still as busy today as it was yesterday. But when the phone rings and it's someone else asking if I'm in labor, that's when I'm reminded what a freaky position I'm in. At any moment, I could be minutes, hours, or even days away from war. :shudder:

Don't get me wrong, I'm beyond excited to meet our baby girl. And I'm ridiculously uncomfortable so the thought of going to war doesn't sound terribly bad if it means I'll be able to bend over again. But still, every now and then as I'm waddling around in some public place, I wonder if some new mom whose memory of birth is still fresh is shaking her head in pity for me, thinking 'that poor unsuspecting woman....'

I'll keep you posted.

Things are looking up

And no, I'm not holding a baby yet.....

But I was such a downer on my last post. I'm actually feeling TONS better. The real reason behind my whining was a fun little infection I had last week that did a number on my right kidney and other stuff (I'll spare the details). Thank goodness for antibiotics. A couple of days later, I'm feeling like a champ again. Well, as much of a champ as a 39 week pregnant lady can feel...

One week to go. Any bets on when she's coming???

Not only can I move again, I also got a little Christmas shopping done. That makes me feel better too! We also got our Christmas tree yesterday and we'll be decorating it tonight. FUN!

Also, I have to brag on my hubby a little....he was asked to participate in a art/craft show a few weeks ago and had anticipated having a lot of time to get a few new peices ready. Well, once again, work stood in the way and we weren't quite as prepared as we would have hoped. We did have a few small things though and we set up a little table and had a couple of peices of furniture there as well. Keith was still at work at 5:00 when I went to set up on Friday night. I set out our goods then left to get some dinner. When he got home at around 8, we went back to check in on things. We had almost completely sold out! He spent the rest of the night and woke up early on Saturday to whip out a few more things--which sold out again! We had totally expected the weekend to be a complete waste of time. AND, not only that......he got an order for a rocking chair. I gotta say, Keith rules. :)

December

I feel like I'm standing still and time is whizzing past me. I'm in suspended motion.

I've got 20 days until Christmas and I haven't bought a single thing. Not only that, we have no Christmas tree. No christmas cards. Visitors coming. Then throw in the fact that I have to somehow fit in having a baby within those 20 days. What am I doing sitting at the computer???

Rubbing my aching back and trying to give my swelling cankles a break, that's what. Whew. Less than 2 weeks until D-day. I can't believe it's already December 5th...but please oh please can't it be the 17th already? All I want for Christmas is my body back.... (waaaaa!)

Thanksgiving

It's the calm before the storm. I'm hosting dinner for 11 adults and 4 kids tomorrow. Although the shopping is done, I haven't hardly lifted a finger to clean the house...or cook for that matter. I'm in denial.

So, since I know that I won't have any spare down time tomorrow (and possibly won't be all that thankful anyways, ha ha), I thought I would share a few things that I'm really thankful for today while my house is silent (naptime is a beautiful gift), while I have my feet up on the couch, and a candy bar in my hand. : )

This year I'm giving thanks for......

-My sweet husband. He is my everything. I totally adore him and am so grateful for what an amazing husband and father he is. I can't even put into words how much this means to me. He has taught me so much and makes me a better person everyday. He works so incredibly hard to provide for us. I'm so lucky to have him as my best friend.

-Bennett--what can I say? He puts the smile on my face everyday and makes it all too easy for me to forget about my frowns. He has such a fun personality and I love watching him grow everyday. I feel so lucky to be able to stay home with him. He is such a sweet little guy. My favorite quote of the week: "Hey mom, guess what? I love you."

-Baby Sister. Although I'm getting a little tired of the backaches and the unexpected kicks to the rib or punch in the bladder, I'm already so in love with our little girl. With less than 4 weeks to go, this is a bittersweet time. Every day that goes by is one less that I will have Bennett all to myself. But at the same time, I'm so anxious to have her here. I've learned so much in the process of getting this baby to our family. It's been hard and sad and I'll always have a spot in my heart for the ones that we lost. Thankfully, it just makes having this one all the more sweet.

-Family--just a phone call away!! Of course, we'll miss spending time with grandparents, cousins, aunts and uncles. But at least I have had a lot of fun family Thanksgivings in the past. What fun times. I could tell a few stories here....

-Church. Almost goes without saying. Where would I be without this foundation?

-My home. I love my (too often dirty) house. And I love that Keith makes beautiful things to put in it.

-Health. I can only pray that we never know the alternative.

-Fall. It's so stinkin gorgeous! This will be our last Thanksgiving in Philly so I'm savoring how beautiful it is. After 8 years, I think I may actually miss this place!

-Our future. I'm so grateful to have so much to look forward to--new job, new home, new baby! What an adventure we have planned for the next few months!!

I could go on and on but I'll wrap it up with one final thing to be thankful for....PUMPKIN PIE. Bring it on baby! Good thing I'm wearing maternity clothes tomorrow. I won't even be able to feel the stretch from eating too much GOOD FOOD!!!! Anyone need to borrow some of my enviably cool elastic waistband wardrobe? ; )

Happy Thanksgiving!!!

Conversations with a 2-year old

Randomly over a PB&J lunch, Bennett announced:

"Mommy, I gotta check my e-mail."

Halloween and yummy food

Ok, so Halloween pretty much rocked. I'm still reaping the rewards due to the huge bowl of candy sitting up in my cupboard. :)

First things first...here is my sweet little blue-eyed zebra.


And in other VERY important news, my apple pie was AWESOME!!! I had to document it...


Also, the aforementioned pumpkin curry soup is a keeper. Honestly, it is SOOO good. Thanks and serious props to my good friend Emily Gray for making this a Halloween tradition for us. There isn't a Halloween in recent memory that this yummy soup wasn't a part of. Since they moved this summer, I had to be the one making it this time. Get out your pens, dear readers, this recipe is calling your name....

PUMPKIN CURRY SOUP
2 small pumpkins or squash
2-3 onions
1/2 stick butter
2 (14.5 oz) cans of chicken broth
3/4 cup light cream
1/2 teaspoon curry powder (or more to taste)
Salt and Pepper to taste

1. Cut open small pumpkins or squash and scrape out the seeds and goo. Pierce the pumpkins with a fork and steam them either in the microwave or the oven. (Cover with saran wrap in the microwave and cook for a few minutes or put in the oven at 350 over a 9x13 pan of water for 20 mins or so) The purpose of the steaming is only to make them soft enough to scrape the pumpkin/squash out of the skin.

2. Coursly chop onions ans saute with the butter. Add the pumpkin chunks and enough chicken broth to cover (roughly 2 cans--more or less depending on size of pumpkins). Cook until pumpkin is nice and soft (about 20 minutes).

3. Pour soup into a food processor or blender and blend until it is smooth. Add light cream and curry powder. Salt and pepper to taste.

4. If you want an extra bit of kick, add a bit of ground red pepper or garam masala (indian food spice) to taste.

ENJOY!!!!!!!!!


Seriously, it felt like Halloween was about a week long with all the fun things we had happening. First we had our ward party where Bennett learned the finer art of trick-or-treating. He LOVED it. We invited our neighbor Rilynn (the giraffe). They had a blast running around together.

Bennett and Amity--too cute!!


The next day we went to the zoo for their big halloween bash. We made out like bandits with tons of loot since it was raining. We were so brave and stuck it out in spite of the weather...

Bennett and Addie with the otters.


Bennett also had a fun party with his playgroup on Monday.


Then, of course, Halloween itself. Keith and I took Bennett around the neighborhood and he was such a trooper. He just wanted to keep filling up his bag. People were handing out handfuls of candy everywhere we stopped. Sadly, towards the end, the bag got so heavy that Bennett couldn't carry it anymore. Ha! When we got home to examine the loot, Keith and I were slightly disappointed. It was totally full of chocolate. I remember when getting candy bars were the really good houses to go to. In my old hood, it took HOURS to get a bag full of candy because each house would give you ONE tootsie roll or smarties or maybe a dum-dum sucker. I would end up with piles of smarties and maybe 10 mini candy bars. That's the kind of candy I associate with halloween. People are all getting rich on us these days with nothing but candy bars. Don't get me wrong, I have nothing against chocolate. In fact, chocolate and I get along very well. But, I am more of a chewy, fruity kind of girl so chocolate lasts a lot longer around my house. Don't worry, I'm working on it though. It will all be gone in good time.... :)

Happy Halloween!

I love this silly holiday. Especially now that I have a toddler. It's just way too fun to dress him up in something silly and laugh at him. This year he's a zebra. Stay tuned for some cute pics.

I am taking a break right now from my yummy halloween dinner prep. I took Bennett to a local farm this morning to run around on thier cute playground and pumpkin patch. Actually, I really just wanted an apple cider doughnut but we had to make a day of it. While I was there I picked up some fresh pumpkins and yummy apples. So, I'm in the middle of making pumpkin curry soup and I'm attempting to make my first ever apple pie. After our feast, we'll dress Bennett up and laugh at him for a while. Then, we'll probably take him trick or treating to a few neighbors then Keith and I will eat all his loot. I love this holiday!!! :)

And the winner of the derby is...............!

It seems like a joke. It can't really be true. Have we seriously been in this town almost EIGHT YEARS?!? If either one of us had guessed that we would have stayed in Philly this long, I guarantee we never would have even started podiatry school. For crying out loud, Keith wanted to be a custom shoe maker 8 years ago, not a surgeon. What a truly bizarre series of events that have led us to this point. And even though we never would have guessed that we would ever be where we are now, we are so grateful for every little step that has brought us here.

We got a job!!! Not that Keith hasn't been working non-stop in some fashion since we've lived here (having remodeled 2 houses, plus built every peice of furniture in the houses, plus sold a bunch of other furniture along the way...), but we will finally be legit--we'll start paying off student loans! If that isn't something to look forward to... :(

This job decision was a tough one. We basically spent the entire month of September traveling around for interviews. Plus Keith was on the phone or sending e-mails late into the night for two months prior trying to narrow down and weed out the options. It was really exhausting! We are just starting to be able to have conversations again that don't revolve around "what should we do?" Although, now they are taking on the tone of "what else should we do to the house so that it's ready to sell?" I have to keep reminding Keith that we are having a baby in 2 months since that is almost never a topic of conversation. We have just had so much other stuff going on!

So, where are we going? We are taking what we always thought was our most unlikely option. We are moving to Kentucky! Of all the people we talked to all over the west, we NEVER thought we would end up in Kentucky. But in the end, Kentucky won out pretty big and we are super excited about it. We have the final contract in our hands and are just waiting for Keith to have a spare minute to get it notarized so we can send it back. YEEEHAW!!! We're fixin' to get on down south and get ourselves some friiied chikin! Corbin, Kentucky, here we come!

The job in Kentucky has everything we've been looking for--except that it's not in Washington. Or Northern California. We wanted those to be dreams jobs in such a big way. We really wanted to live there!!! But they just weren't right for various reasons. We always thought we would end up in a mountain town in the west. We wanted somewhere that we could live and be close to a forest, plus have lots of other good fun outdoor things really close by. Basically, the job in Kentucky shot the others out of the water. But, we had never been to or remotely considered that Kentucky would have anything on our list of outdoor requirements. Here's a quick peek at why we changed our minds....

All these pics are within a half-hour of our new Kentucky home:






And finally, for the foodies out there, Corbin, Kentucky is the center of the known universe for friiiied chikin! That's right--the secret recipe of 11 herbs and spices was developed in a secret laboratory/gas station in north Corbin. Folks, here you have it--crispy or regular? The HOME of KFC!!!!!!!!!!!!

Nobody worry--that big lurpy dude in the overalls and beard is NOT Keith. Thanks to the internet, it's just a random sampling of true Corbin, KY townspeople. Finger lickin good!

Get this kid a sibling...

On days that Keith is actually home in the mornings (occasional weekends), one of our usual activities is a morning pillow fight. This morning Keith ACCIDENTALLY didn't go to work. He was supposed to go in and round before church but Bennett had turned off the sound to his alarm without us knowing so we all slept in. (Thanks Bennett!) Once Keith realized how late it was, he figured it wasn't worth going in at all (the benefits of being the chief resident--you can actually decide to do that). So, we got to have a pillow fight today. Bennett is hilarious to watch since every hit of the pillow knocks him over onto the bed. Of course, half of it is the drama of taking a fall. After a while, Keith and I got bored of the game but Bennett was still going strong. Since we weren't really playing to his liking, he made up a new version. He started hitting himself with the pillow and knocking himself over. Get this kid a sister.

NINE MORE WEEKS!!!

Take another look at this

I am reposting a pic from our Washington trip. Does anything look odd here? Maybe that big furry thing in the background?


Hi bear.



We ran across this little dude on our Labor Day hike. Well, he wasn't that little. But he wasn't super big either. We figured we could tackle him if he came charging at us. Or at least out run him.

Just kidding. No people or animals were harmed during this adventure.

We actually went looking for this bear in a way. Just as we started off on our hike, a few parties were returning and all of them said there was a bear about 3/4 mile ahead. We asked if they had seen it but none of them had. What, was there a sign up there? How could all these people know about a bear but no one see it? We kept going for a while. Just when I figured we had gone about 3/4 mile, I wondered if we should start singing real loud so as not to startle the imaginary bear. But right then, some people popped around the bend and said there was a bear. Again, we asked if they had seen it and they said yes--it's RIGHT around the corner. They didn't look like they had been mauled so we peeked around the corner for a look. This bear was off the path a little ways in a huge blueberry patch just mowing down berries. We watched him for a few minutes and he didn't even bother to look up at us. He could have cared less that we were standing less than 100 feet away. Another group came by so we got to take a family picture with the bear. How often do you get to pose with a bear? : )

TEN years?!?!

Married for ten years. WOW. Does that officially make us really old? It seems like it should. That seems like a stinkin long time. But what a blast it has been. I can't wait for all the adventures still ahead!

Happy Anniversary to us!!!

Home Sweet Home...for now

I've never missed my messy house so much in my life. We had SUCH a great couple of weeks (minus the flying part) but it's so great to have my own pillow back. There is just nothing like your own pillow. Truly.

The interviews are now all behind us. We have enough info to make this HUGE decision that now faces us. Where are we going to live for the rest of our lives?? What a freaky thing to just pick a spot on the map and plan to stay until we at least have sagging wrinkles and grown children. Yes, we could move if we really hate it. But Keith puts it this way: 'You want to pick the right job the first time. It's like getting married. You are far more likely to find someone cool the first time around than you are after you've messed up once'. I'm glad he puts me in the "someone cool" category. : )

Here's an overview of where we've been in the last couple weeks. Where would you vote that we live????

CENTRALIA, WASHINGTON
We started out in Washington in a town called Centralia. We were actually staying in the home of the doctor who will be retiring next year. Keith would be essentially taking his place and joining as an associate with another guy that has been there for 5 years. I was afraid that staying in the home of the person we were interviewing with would be awkward but it really wasn't. They treated us so well and they loved Bennett. They are great cooks and one night invited all the "young" docs from the hospital over for a BBQ. We had salmon grilled on cedar planks. YUM! They also gave us their very nice car for the week so we were able to get out and enjoy the Washington weather and scenery. This town is in a very cool location. We actually had a sweet view of Mt. Ranier from the deck of the docs house where we were staying. A drive an hour in any direction will get you somewhere cool--East is Mt. Ranier, North is Seattle, West is the ocean, South is Portland. How much better can it get?!?

Bennett got comfortable very quickly once he saw the "big one bike". He didn't even mind the pink helmet!



We spent Labor Day (my birthday!!!) by driving to Mt. Ranier Nat'l Park. It was an amazingly beautiful day.



We had a very nice hike that afternoon.



Then we had to chill at the lake for a while while Bennett enjoyed his FAVORITE activity of throwing rocks in the water. He could stay around a lake with a pile of rocks for hours....


The doc is a pilot and offered to take us out in his plane to see the mountains one day. We jumped at the chance--it was so beautiful!

A view of Mount St. Helens:

Mt. Ranier from above:



EUREKA, CALIFORNIA
Less than a week after being in Washington, we flew west again to Eureka, CA. It was a long series of flights to get there but Bennett actually did amazing this time around. I guess he's becoming an old pro.

The job would be a buy-out of a guy that operates in 2 towns. He is in Eureka 1-2 days a week, then down the road about 30 miles the rest of the time. He is getting older and wants to retire in 5-ish years so he is selling his Eureka practice in order to slow down and focus on his other office (in the town he lives in). This would be a real comittment since we would have to get a business loan to buy the guy out then start out pretty cold in a new town. But Keith would be his own boss from day one, which is appealing to us--but still pretty scary at the same time.

Eureka is a cool town. Literally. The average temp in Eureka is in the 60's--practically year round. The temp will vary some from winter to summer but really not by much. Pretty much it's rainy season, or not. The weather was so amazing every day we were there. We were expecting rain and fog at least a little bit but we had clear skies the entire time.

The town is very funky and has a artsy sort of influence. Lots of used book shops and cafes. We found one cafe that we kept going back to...best desserts ever!!! Brownie delight, chocolate dipped cheesecakes on a stick, huge cookies, ice cream...I'm putting on weight just thinking about it!


The town is literally right on the water, although there is a bay, then two little strips of land, then the ocean. Keith loves the idea of rowing in the bay every morning. The bay and harbor is literally five minutes from the hospital.


Then a quick 2 minute drive out to the ocean...with a chocolate covered cheesecake on a stick, of course...


But at the same time, you have towering redwood trees all around you. It took me about 40 minutes to drive to the start of Redwood Nat'l Park. This is a shot of the local park--just a couple of blocks from the hospital. HUGE trees--the pic doesn't begin to do it justice.


Would a week in California be complete without a day at the beach?



SOMERSET, KENTUCKY
I had a lot of reservations about Kentucky. I've never been there...but I've joked about it's redneck reputation more than once. But, I have to say, Kentucky proved me wrong. I actually didn't see a lot of redneck influence. There is WAY more white trash in rural Utah than what I saw in Kentucky. There is, however, a LOT of southern drawl going on. If we live there, I'm terrified that my kids will talk southern!

This job is another where Keith would be joining as an associate. No risk--guaranteed pay, partnership after 2 years. In all honesty...the best job opportunity BY FAR. Great pay, very low cost of living. This choice is not going to be easy!

It was a little hotter than what I like in mid-September but the winters are supposed to be really nice and mild. Plus, world class rock climbing is an hour away (Red River Gorge). There are also some big lakes and Somerset is known as a resort town for boaters. Lake Cumberland is a huge man-made lake surrounded by big rock cliffs (like Lake Powell) and is supposedly the houseboating capital of the world. Wahoo.

Anyway, despite being surrounded by snobby houseboat lovers, we had a great time. We went to Cumberland Falls--about a 30 minute drive from where we would live.



And of course, more time spent doing Bennett's favorite activity....


If we take this job, we would probably live in Corbin, a town about 45 minutes east of Somerset. There is a different big lake there named Laurel Lake. This little state park and boat dock is about 5 minutes from where the church is in Corbin. We could totally have a house on the lake in this town.



We loved visiting all these places and will have such a tough time deciding what to do! Also, I should mention that we still have Price, UT on the table as an option. We've been talking to the doc there forever about buying his practice. There is still a lot to work out on that one, despite the fact that we've been pushing on him for almost 2 years. Anyways, in fairness, here is a pic I found on the internet of Price......



So, there you have it....this is what we've narrowed our job search down to. Mind you, there is still a lot out there. While we were away this past week we got 4 calls from people who wanted to talk to Keith about job opportunities. We're probably not going to add much to the list for now though.

If you were us, WHERE WOULD YOU CHOSE TO LIVE????

Am I really doing this again?

Flying with a toddler that is. Here I am packing my bags for the second time in two weeks. I'm having a hard time getting super excited about what we have ahead of us. This is only because our last trip ended SO BADLY. Our red-eye flight home involved a total of one hour of sleep for the B-man. Of course, less than that for Keith and I. Let's just say the next day or two were....a battle zone. We slept until noon when we got home but we couldn't justify any more sleep or we would have been totally screwed up. Bennett is completely back to his old happy self now--just in time for us to mess with his schedule again. This is not going to be fun. But I do have a HUGE bag of tricks--lots of new little toys that should be interesting for a couple of minutes at least.

We'll be in California tomorrow then in Kentucky (via a red-eye...argh!) the last half of next week. Wish us luck!!! This has huge implications on our lives for a long time!!!