She's here!!!

My mom, that is. :)

Mom is patiently waiting for baby girl to make her grand appearance. And while she is waiting, she has cleaned my house top to bottom three times, done all my laundry five times, painted rooms and other stuff, otherwise prepared our house to be put on the market, and bought us food. She has worked really hard.

She took this picture of us. Yes, I am large.

And this one. This was at dinner tonight at Xinh Xinh Cafe, a Vietnamese restaurant. Yum.

As for baby, we are all waiting. I am almost a week overdue. Yes, I am getting a little tired of people asking me when I am due and giving me advice about how to speed the onset of labor. And yes, I am getting tired of being very pregnant. It dawned on me today that our daughter made us wait to get her here in the first place and making us wait to finally meet her just seems to fit. The difference is, the first waiting was an unknown amount of time from months to years. This time it feels like an eternity but I know it is really only a matter of days or less. I learned so many important things while waiting for her to exist. Certainly there are some things I can learn this time as well. 

One other picture I thought I would share: 

Maternity pictures!

Thank you so much Emily for taking our pictures! We had a great time and we love how they turned out.

A resourceful man and goodbye to a dear friend

A week ago, our washer stopped washing mid-load. It was already a frustrating day for me and that about put it over the top. So I called a repair dude who couldn't come out until Wednesday. He diagnosed the problem, gave us a (large!) quote to replace a part, and left.

Enter my husband. With the combined genius of YouTube, Google, and Amazon, Alex fixed the dang thing himself! I have proof:

 I told him afterward I should write him a check but he declined.

And an ode to my friend the broom:

Farewell pictures. 

You and me, broom
Sometimes that's all there was
Fighting a losing battle to keep the house clean.
We swept up crumbs, dog fur,
Many torn up shreds of paper (thanks, Lola)
And probably a few tears.
I gave time and energy to head off the tide of dirt on the floor
But you gave of yourself.
Piece by piece, stem by stem,
You gave of yourself to keep my floor clean (or cleanish I should say).
Unyielding devotion. You were always there.
When I needed you I knew where to find you.
Now I have already purchased your replacement.
I will throw you in the trash can
And not think twice about it.
But I will not forget your selfless service
In the name of kind of cleanliness.
Thank you, broom.


Don't mind the czapka. It found its way onto my head when I was going through boxes of stuff I didn't even know we had yesterday and it was so comfy I left it there.

A momentous occasion

Something happened yesterday in our family that has never ever happened before. I don't think Alex was looking forward to this day, and I can't say I was especially either, except that I was, because I knew it would happen and it was one more milestone of my pregnancy.

This is what happened: 

We weighed the same.

Alex looks thrilled, doesn't he? 

Here is a fun picture from my baby shower with some of my pregnant friends:

From left: Evelyn, Becca, Emily and Sara

For the record, I have loved being pregnant. I actually think I am going to miss it. Sure there is some discomfort  now that I am in the large-and-in-charge phase, but in general I feel good and healthy. I love contemplating the miracle that is happening and the fact that I basically have to do nothing and my baby and my body do everything. And in a few weeks out pops a new little human to be a part of my family. 

Hi from Boston!!

Actually I am not in Boston anymore. I woke up in Boston this morning, but currently I am sitting on a runway in Chicago waiting for other planes to de-ice and leave the gates so we can deplane. This is after we had to wait on the runway in Boston for an hour because of snow in Philly and consequently missed our original connection to Chicago. First world problems, I know. But the thought of getting home at 10:30 pm was much more enticing than 2 am. Bleh.

I will do a quick recap of our trip to Boston. Basically, it was a crazy whirlwind. Crazy because I am quite pregnant and because we didn’t actually decide to go for sure and buy tickets until Tuesday. Tuesday! As in, the day before we left!! The reason it was so hurried was that Alex received an invitation for a revisit to one of the hospitals he interviewed at and we decided it would also be good for me to see the city. We also thought it made sense to do it before I go into labor rather than after (or during…) So we rearranged everything in our lives and made it work. 

Alex enjoyed his extra visit to the hospital and meeting with lots of people. I enjoyed seeing some of the city and surrounding areas. Overall my impression was very good except for one thing: cost of living. We haven’t decided where we want to go yet but it was very good to see and get a feel for the city. I was able to visit the temple for an entire morning, see some historic sites at Concord and Lexington and downtown Boston, meet some very nice people from the two hospitals Alex is considering in the area, and see some old friends. 

We also had what I think was the best pizza we have ever tasted (Alex agrees). Alex went to grab his first piece and all the toppings slipped off and stayed on the pan. Silly Alex, I thought, then proceeded to do the same thing. Despite the topping slipperiness, it was a really great pizza. I would recommend Santarpio's to anyone in Boston. 

I had a lot of a day to myself while Alex was at the hospital and I was able to see some sites around Concord and Lexington. 

This is Old North Bridge in Concord where the first orders were given to the patriots to fire on the British regulars in April 1775, a couple months before the battle of Bunker Hill. This was the culmination of Paul Revere’s famous ride to warn that the British were coming (from Boston to raid the military stockpile at Concord). Minute man statue in the background, designed by Daniel Chester French who also designed the Lincoln Memorial in D.C.

Selfie in front of the Orchard House where Louisa May Alcott and her family lived. I need to work on my selfies. 

Me talking to Alex finding out how his visit went. I am at the Sleepy Hollow cemetery in front of the Melvin Memorial "Mourning Victory" also done by Daniel Chester French.  

We got to see the Petersons! I have strategically cropped this picture because I look HUMONGOUS. (Camera angle, I am sure). 

Mike’s Pastry shop in downtown Boston. Apparently there is a local dispute of which pastry shop is better between Mike’s and Modern (down the street a bit). We tried to go to Modern but it was too crowded and the pregnant lady said she couldn’t wait any longer for her cannoli. This cannoli was awesome (wish you could have been there, Tony!)

Some historic site in Boston. We saw too many to keep straight. Note the awesome unicorn upper right.

In Salem, Mass. So cold. 

And the best part of all… we got to drive a mały Fiat!! 

Addendum: We made it off the plane, got our car, and proceeded to drive right into a white out blizzard. Cars off the road every 100 yards, gusts of wind and snow so blinding you couldn't see the road, and a prayer of thanks when we finally came to an exit that had lodging signs. Of course, by that time there was no room in the inn but a kind Samaritan who had managed to snag two rooms for himself and the church youth group he was with offered us one of his. I was never so grateful to spend a night in a hotel. Our car didn't start the next morning but thankfully another good Samaritan gave us a jump and we got her going. 

This is a picture the next day (this morning) on the way home (again). I am wondering if this is the bus I observed idling at the gas station we were at before we made our way to the hotel. 

The State Police were very busy last night. 

Blogging on Monday morning, aka The Big Freeze

This will not be news to my Midwest friends, and frankly will not impress my friends that live in Canada and Alaska, but today in Champaign-Urbana it is a cold day. Case in point:

It is currently -12 which I guess is as warm as I can hope for today.

Church was cancelled yesterday, and I am not expected at work today, which is the only reason I would blog at 10 am on a Monday morning.

Alex, being the good man that he is, is currently shoveling our driveway, which is fairly long as far as driveways go. After he is done there, he will go shovel our backyard neighbor's driveway, which is longer than ours.

I offered to help but he kindly reminded me that my abdominal muscles are not functioning at peak performance lately. Besides the fact that we only have one snow shovel. Then he said that the only way he would let his pregnant wife shovel is if he had a broken hip, and even then he would call someone else to help me. I will note that I have in the past shoveled both our driveway and our neighbor's. It is not beneath me. Granted, I have never done it while it is -12 degrees outside. 

I decided to give the furnace a break today and keep the house at 60 degrees, that is, until Alex comes back in from shoveling snow and is freezing. The furnace is already on most of the time as it is.

When I was on my mission I spent my only winter in Warsaw. I had these lovely sheepskin boots that fit great without heavy socks but once I put on my thick wool socks they cut off circulation somewhat and my toes ached after a time in the cold. There was a period where my toes ached for days. I seem to remember people telling me that was the coldest winter in 3 decades (as a missionary you don't read the newspaper or listen to the news so you only know what people tell you) and I believed it I was so cold all the time. I just looked up historic temperatures from the time I was there and there were a couple weeks when the lows got down to the negative teens (cold if you are outside all the time which you are as a missionary!) but it doesn't look like it broke any records.

I am just glad I don't have to go outside today. And grateful for a warm house and plenty of hot chocolate on demand.

2013 Year End Interview

This year for our end of the year summary we decided to interview each other. Since we aren't the greatest journalists, I can't vouch for the quality of our interviews. But here you go. I (Katie) will start

What interesting foods did you try this year? The caramel bacon donuts we had at Pike's Place.

What do you regret most about this year? Not getting a good night's sleep before taking Step 2.

Alex's surprise pinata birthday party. 

What was your favorite experience this year? Our vacation. 

I know all our readers want to hear how our pets are doing. Can you tell us? All of our rabbits are in our freezer. Our chickens are living the high life retired on the farm. Our dogs are as cute as ever. Ruben pushes his limits every day. 

What home renovations have you made progress on this year? HAHAHAHA.

This is what happens to your car if you leave it in a rain forest for a few decades. 

How handsome and attractive are you this year compared to last year? At least 20% more attractive.

What was the best thing I made for you this year? The peach blackberry jam you made is amazing. 

How are interviews going? Very well. I am a rock star (I added that part). 

What are you doing right now? The dishes. Thanks.

Is there anything you really really want? I want to know where I should go for residency. 

If you could buy me anything in the world what would it be? I would buy you a house with enough land to let you have a little goat farm. 

What is your favorite thing to do on a Saturday? Spend time with you. Is that too general? Its the truth. 

What is one thing you wish you were able to do? Play the banjo. Think how cool I'd be.

I will miss our grapevines.

What was the best part of 2013? Finding out you were pregnant.

What was the worst part of 2013? Being told that our IVF cycle didn't work. 

Okay now you can ask me questions.

(This is Alex.) What is your best memory of 2013? Walking through the rain forest with all the moss covered trees in Olympic National Rain Forest.

What good books have you read this year? My favorites were probably Nothing to Envy: Ordinary Life in North Korea and Behind the Beautiful Forevers: Life, Death and Hope in a Mumbai Undercity. Right now I am reading a book about labor and I am realizing that I should also be reading about what to do once the baby gets here. 

Where do you want to move next year? Somewhere warm, somewhere cheap, somewhere fun to live, and somewhere where all my family also lives. That's impossible. I know. It doesn't exist. 

What are you most looking forward to about being a new mother? I am excited to meet my baby and find out who she is, to see her go through every stage and experience everything for the first time. I am excited to teach her stuff. 

I got a haircut this year. 

What goals do you have for yourself for the next year? To practice the piano, to learn how to sew better. To learn more about the scriptures and the gospel. To be happy as a wife and mother and not be too frustrated when you are gone all the time. My goal for you is to learn to not be grumpy when you are tired. I don't know if that is ever going to happen. I know. It would be nice, wouldn't it?

Thanks for tuning in! We are due in early March, we find out where we are going for residency March 21st, then we start a new chapter in our lives. We will miss our friends in central Illinois very much but look forward to whatever adventures life holds for us.

The best cat bite I have gotten so far at work. Right through the thumbnail. This was in February.