Wildlife I've seen today

I've got lots of stories for you- and we're only halfway through our trip! I'm on McDonald's internet connection in New Hampshire right now, so I gotta be quick. Here's three wild animals I've seen today:


This squirrel's not so wild. In fact, it probably would have eaten out of our hands (or climbed into our car!) if we didn't keep trying to chase it off. I suppose I prefer the little squirrel to the fat raccoons we have at campsites in Indiana!


This little chipmunk wasn't quite as brave as the squirrel, but was still pretty fearless, and was obviously used to the campers.


The last wildlife was very unexpected- a black bear! Luckily, this guy wasn't anywhere near our campsite- he was strolling down the road as we drove up to Mount Washington, which was an adventure in itself! We had to drive right past the bear, and he didn't seemed fazed (thankfully!).

We haven't seen any moose yet, but lots of road signs warn of the possibility. Towns nearby are even full of moose safari signs! We're keeping our eyes out- I'll let you know.

OK, I've sat in the McD's parking lot long enough- hope everyone's enjoying their week! I'll check in again if I can!

Going (Really) Unplugged

The last time Josh and I went on a vacation that was more than just a long weekend, it was to Georgia with my parents to visit my grandparents. That was over a year ago. We're ready for another break!

We're leaving Saturday for a road trip! We're camping along the way- the first couple nights at Niagara Falls, a couple more in the White Mountains of New Hampshire, and most of the rest of the nights in Maine near Acadia National Park. Oh my, I can't wait.

We figure, it will be a long while before we'll be able to do another trip with multiple 8+ hour drives and many nights in a row sleeping in a tent, so this is our opportunity to get it out of our system. Also, we can't wait to see this part of the country, where neither of us has been. I'm coming home with a LOT of pictures. Brace yourselves.

I'm a little nervous about this 10-days-camping thing. I mean, I think 2 nights- maybe 3- is the most I've ever done. I expect we'll get really good at cooking over a fire and setting up the tent. Also, I'm praying for good weather- a long camping trip in the rain would be no fun. I'll also be more "unplugged" than I've been in a long time this week- not only unplugged from the Internet, but even without electricity! None of the sites we've reserved have electric hookups. So, don't let anything exciting happen while I'm gone.

Any tips on what to see or where to go in these areas? At Niagara Falls, we'll have to stay on the US side since we don't have passports (I know, I know). Besides that, we have an open schedule. What should we plan?

Clues

A friend on twitter mentioned she had caught some of the clues I had been dropping. I didn't think anyone would pick up on them, but I couldn't help myself! Here's a list of the very subtle hints I mentioned online. Were you paying attention?

• I talked about drinking more water. While this is good for my health in general, I was mostly doing it because it's really necessary in pregnancy.
• In my post Growing Things, I mentioned I was tired and ended the post with "I'm looking forward to seeing what will be growing this summer!" I wasn't speaking of the vegetables...
• In the post Real Life, Savored, the house was a mess because I've been too tired to clean (though, a friend thought I needed an intervention), and I talked more about growing things and being surrounded by life. because that's how I was feeling- a life was growing in the midst of the mess I didn't have the energy to take care of.
• That big weekend? I specifically mentioned planning to see a bunch of family members in person- because that was the big weekend we broke the news! We were going to Oshkosh for the wedding, where we picked up (of course) some Oshkosh B'Gosh overalls!
• The anniversary post was the most obvious, really. The next 4 years is a "new stage", a "new adventure", "will be totally different than how it is now"...
• Also, as Alisse pointed out - "you kept tweeting about being tired and you NEVER EVER EVER do that!"

Anyone else pick up the clues?

So many mamas!

So many blogging families are expecting! Here's a list I've come up with:


Stacy - October
Jes - December
Kacie - December
Karen - December
Susan - October
Jenny - December
Jessie - December
Amy - September
Operation Mommyhood - February
Erin - August
Jennifer  - Pretty much Now.
Andrea - Adopting later this summer/fall
Alissa - January
Matt O's wife - November
James' wife - January
Tyson's wife - January
Gun's wife - February

I'm looking forward to watching all these pregnancies & new babies as I experience the same things & follow them either in "real life" or through their blogs. A few of these friends are local, and I hope to see them as we're going through some of the same ups and downs and excitements of pregnancy. And, hey, this is a pretty good playdate list for a couple years from now!

The most beautiful sound

This was written on June 8, but I wasn't quite ready to share it yet.
--------------------------------------------------
I've known for a month and a half.
Well, technically.

I mean, I got a positive pregnancy test. But I had a hard time believing it. I wasn't throwing up, or even feeling like I was going to. I was wearing all my normal clothes, with not too much trouble. I was tired, but that could have lots of explanations. I hadn't had my period in 2 months, but there were other (long-shot) explanations for that, too. We told people I was pregnant- and it almost felt like a lie, because I had so little evidence to back it up. I just wasn't feeling it.

I headed to the midwife appointment knowing the facts- at 10 weeks, it's only borderline possible to hear the heartbeat of the baby with a handheld doppler, and that's if you're slender. I was poked and prodded and asked lots of questions as we went through all the normal check-up stuff, then, at the end of the appointment, she pulled at the wand and the gel, and I held my breath. If she doesn't find the heartbeat, it does nothing to reassure my fears, but it also doesn't mean anything- it could be just too early. I knew this, and promised myself I wouldn't be disappointed.

She swiped the black tool covered in goop over my abdomen, slowly, in circles. Nothing but my own pulse, and lots of squishy sounds. Now I know what my insides sound like! After a while, she added more gel, determined to keep looking. I appreciated her persistence. Finally, she stopped at a spot, she says, "Did you hear it?" I look at her- I don't even know what to listen for!

She adjusted the wand, and there it was, unmistakable. A strong heartbeat, going 160 beats per minute, sounding nothing like what I expected. I grinned from ear to ear, and tears welled up (and they still do, thinking about it). This pregnancy is real. There's two hearts in me. Two people.*

We listened for a while, and the midwife was so sweet. I'm not as afraid to tell people now, because I feel like I'm telling the truth- there is a baby in there. Such a miracle. Without a doubt, the most beautiful sound in the world.


* ("Two people" = Me and the baby. I'm not saying we're having twins. Let's not start rumors.)

My Mother's Day letter, belated

I'm wrote this on May 9th, knowing it wouldn't be shared for a little while, but it's something I wanted to get down, and remember. My first Mother's Day.

Hey Baby,

Thanks to you, today's my first Mother's Day. I don't quite feel like a mother yet- I haven't held you in my arms or changed your diaper or even heard your cry. But you're in there, reminding me with bits of exhaustion and feeling-not-so-great every now and then. A year from today, I'll be holding you in my arms, and you'll be tiny and sweet and I'll feel much more like a mother. Our life will be totally different.

This time around, though, I'm a secret Mom. No one- not even your grandmas or grandpas or your aunts and uncles- knows I'm a Mom thanks to you yet. The secret's fun- but it's going to be even more fun telling them. Speaking of Mother's Day... you've got some great 'mothers' in your life. Even before they know you exist, I know you're loved by your grandmas and aunts. They'll think you're the greatest!

I should probably mention your Daddy, too. He made me cry this morning when he surprised me with a sweet, sweet card and chocolate. (Remember, Mommy likes chocolate) You're a lucky kid, with a Dad like him. He's so excited to meet you- you're becoming more and more Real to us every day.

We're going to see the midwife tomorrow for the first time. Talking to her about how you're going to grow for the next seven or eight months and how we're going to greet you in the world, will make this being-a-mom thing seem even more like a reality.

You're much loved and anticipated this Mother's Day, and we can't wait to love ON you next Mother's Day!

-Mama

Good examples

"Always a bridesmaid, never a bride"

I was a bridesmaid just once before I was married- and, hours after the wedding, my boyfriend proposed. I was a bride about a year and a half later- four years ago.

And then, when I got married, I learned there was a new way to be "left out". Maybe I should coin "Always the babysitter, never the baby mama"?

In the last 4 years since getting married, I've had OVER TWENTY-FIVE babies born around me, to friends, family, and coworkers (yes, I counted). At least seven more are on the way as I write this. Six more didn't make it out of utero, and I grieved with the parents at the tragedy of miscarriage.

In this time, I've seen:

• babies adopted by their parents and babies born to their parents
• pregnancies that were long planned and those that weren't at all
• babies come two months early, and babies come over a week late
• babies born at home, and babies born at the hospital
• newborns home after just a day, and NICU stays of over a month 
• friends get epidurals and friends birth naturally and friends get c-sections, planned and unplanned
• babies with lots of hair and babies with no hair
• babies that wear Pampers and babies that wear cloth diapers
• babies who weaned in less than six months and babies who weaned in more than two years
• baby names inspired by the Bible, place names, culture, family, and literature
• parents who carry their baby in a carseat, and parents who carry their baby strapped to their chest
• happy babies and fussy babies
• social babies and reserved babies
• toddlers potty trained at 18 months, and toddlers uninterested in pottying at three.
• one-year-olds who talk and two-year-olds who don't
• moms who work and moms who stay home
• dads who work and dads who stay home
• parents who send their kids to babysitters, and parents who babysit others' kids
• parents who homeschool and parents who public-school
• "bow ties" to "hairbows" in about a 2:1 ratio (Boys! Everywhere!)

Most of all, I've seen all these babies grow up in loving homes, on their way to being great people, surrounded by great parents. Watching my friends, coworkers, and family, I've learned a lot, and filed it away for future reference.

And,

after all these great examples,

now it's finally our turn.


Coming New Year's-ish. Can't wait.

What I've been up to...

Picking strawberries


Shelling peas


Watching the boys (Josh, Mitch, Casey) start a fire, then put it out


Baking strawberry-mulberry bars


Almost starting my own fire inside while having the strawberry jam boil over and discovering that, if I ever need a horror movie prop, I can just boil over strawberry jam then try to wipe it up on a hot burner. Now, I have a pile of towels that looks covered in dried blood. I promise, it's strawberry jam.


And, the salvaged strawberry jam:


This better have been worth it!

4 years

Four years. I spent 4 years as a baby & toddler, then went to preschool and elementary school for 4 years before I spent 4 years in Hawaii. I spent 4 years in high school, and 4 years in college, and, now, today: 4 years in marriage.

It seems like every 4 years of my life marks a stage, milestone, where I move on to the Next Thing after the 4 years are up. I remember, after spending 7th, 8th, 9th, and 10th grade in Indiana, I was so, so ready to move on. Putting down roots for more than 4 years was a foreign concept to me, and I was antsy. Alas, our family stayed put, and I finished out high school in Indiana, only to begin another 4-year odyssey.

It doesn't feel like it's been 4 years since our wedding. The time has flown. I know the next 4 years will hold even more adventures than the last 4 have, and I'm beyond excited to tackle them with Josh. In a way, I'm not as antsy to move on to the Next Thing as I have been at the end of past 4-year segments of my life, because I love our life as it is- but I am so ready to embrace what's coming, too. In 4 more years, our life will be totally different than how it is now, just as our life looks totally different than it did 4 years ago. I can't wait.

Engagement - Wedding - 1st Anniversary - 2nd Anniversary - 3rd Anniversary

This weekend we were in Chicago visiting my sister, and, as I posted the picture, I realized that Chicago is where it all started, with our engagement in January of 2005. Seems appropriate.

Congrats, Aaron & Heidi!

From Aaron & Heidi Wedding

This was our first (and only?) wedding of the year. As our friends get older, most are already married, and baby showers are replacing wedding showers in frequency. Aaron is one of Josh's cousins, and we trekked to Oshkosh to celebrate with him and his glowing bride Heidi.

My favorite part of the ceremony was when the priest began to give the homily. Most weddings include a short sermon, and, while the bride and groom are being addressed most of the time, the sermon is only vaguely directed at them, with wider lessons and sometimes even a gospel presentation for the attendees. Aaron and Heidi were seated toward the back of the stage, and the priest unfolded a folding chair, and sat facing them, his back to the pews. He spoke to them directly- it was almost as if we were sitting in on the last session of premarital counseling rather than being preached at. I loved it, because the focus of the message was obviously to build into and support the couple- the whole point of all the friends and family being at the ceremony in the first place.

The rest of the wedding and reception was beautiful, too- check out the rest of the pictures:


After the wedding, we swung by Chicago & hung out with my sister and had a delightful time. Of course we visited Millennium Park, because, what better free activity is there to do in downtown Chicago?


I saw the coolest bike rack ever.


Also, they bought us frozen yogurt/kefir. Yum.