On our way - Continued

We're done with our walk, and now the contractions are increasing in their intensity, not incredibly painful yet, but moving in the right direction.

Taken moments ago; the picture below shows Erin's belly lowering and shrinking. She must've lost half a gallon worth of fluid by now, but don't worry, she's making more.

I had to get in on all the picture fun too. I'm wearing a boring white wrinkled shirt. Erin didn't want me to wear one of my favorite striped shirts on the baby's birthday. Boo.

I'll forgive her, though.

Now, off to the hospital...

Stay tuned...

Baby Day - Continuation

It's now 10:30am and the contractions haven't quite picked up since early this morning. We made an agreement with the hospital that we would head their direction if there's been no progress by noon. We're trying some techniques to start labor at home: walking, squatting, cleaning chores. If something doesn't happen soon it'll be "tune in Tokyo" time.

Today feels like one of those days when you are going on vacation, but your flight doesn't leave until late afternoon. Most of your morning is just filled with anxiety and boredom. We're all packed and sitting, twiddling our thumbs waiting for departure time to come. It doesn't really matter when we get to the airport, the flight will be delayed anyway, then we're just waiting at the airport instead of at home.

It's said that the breaking of water precedes labor in only 10 to 12 percent of all pregnancies. I say those 88 to 90 percent of women should count themselves lucky, we've gone through a whole roll of toilet paper since 2am.

More to come...

It's Time!

It was 2 o'clock in the morning when Erin turned the lights to the bedroom on, and in the sweetest morning-scratchy voice says "Good morning, honey." She paused to make sure that I was awake. "Are you ready to have a baby today? My water broke."

It's 6am now and her contractions are only 5 minutes apart. They don't have much pain yet, but she is feeling them in her lower back where she's supposed to.

Since 2am was still pretty early, Erin wanted to get more sleep. Besides, who knows when we'll get another chance at sleep again? I placed a plastic bag and towel on the bed for her to sleep on in case of any more spilling.

We haven't called our doctor yet. Actually, our doctor is going on vacation today for a week. So we get to have an on-call doctor, which we're fine with because we didn't feel too connected to our current doctor.

That's it for now. Stay tuned for the rest of the day for more updates on baby Hardwick.

What's next:
Hospital Arrival Time
Doctor's name
Baby Arrival Time
Baby Stats
Baby Name

The Latest

Do you ever feel like you have to ask a zillion questions to get a straight answer from your doctor? Maybe it's just me. Anyhow, I went in for my non-stress test today. Baby has flipped sides and the nurse must have seen my panic at the thought of baby being breech or backwards. So she had one of the midwives come and check me out. Baby is still head down, s/he just has his/her back on the opposite side. Phew! While the midwife was there, I told her that my other doctors and support team were asking about my cervix, but the doc had not checked. So she did and my cervix is softening but not dilated yet. She asked if the doctor had scheduled me to be induced and I told her all the very limited info I had. She went to talk to the doctor and came back with this report: The textbook solution with gestational diabetes is to induce at 38 weeks. Since my sugar levels are OK and baby is doing well, she has decided to wait until she comes back from vacation to induce. That means unless baby comes on its own, I will be just about 41 weeks along at the time of inducing. Part of me is thinking "Hooray! I did NOT want to be induced and now baby has some time to finish cooking!" And the other part of me is thinking "Yikes! This baby had an estimated weight of just over 6 pounds three week ago! This kid is going to be enormous!" But, there you have it. Sorry Lighthouse friends, it looks like I could have finished out the year after all. All that thinking has worn me out. It must be time for my afternoon nap. :)

The Nursery

I know you can't see much of the room in this picture, but quite frankly, there isn't much to see. It's a very small room. But, here is the crib with the Winnie the Pooh bedding (I can't decide if the bumper is inside out or right side in - does it really matter?). The wall to my left is a pale creamy yellow (it's the wall with the window) and the other walls are a pale minty green. I put myself in the picture only because I really like that shirt and wanted a picture in it. :) I won't scare you this week with a profile of the protruding belly. Speaking of that, my father in law told me it looks like I have a tumor or a serious need for colon cleansing. Thanks a lot Dad! Soon enough it will be back to normal -with any luck and a lot of sit ups.
Today is Joshua's first Father's Day. Since it is sunny (finally) we are headed to the beach for a family BBQ and play day.
My wonderful husband, you are going to be the best Daddy ever! The baby already knows your voice and the feel of your strong hands and soft kisses. He or she will soon know the smile you have in your eyes and the optimistic outlook you have about everything around you. Baby will see the way you love me and make your family a priority in your life. I can't wait to watch you with your little one. Happy Father's Day!

Great News!

Sorry folks, no baby yet. And the great news is we still don't know when baby will arrive! At our appointment this morning, the doctor said that since baby and I are both doing so well, we do not yet need to be induced! Hooray! She scheduled my regular twice a week non-stress tests and an appointment next Friday to see how things are going. She also said it would be a great idea to start working with the naturopath to see if we can get baby out sooner than later. I will go see him on Monday, and he says that if baby is ready, I could go into labor right away! Joshua is hoping for a very special Father's Day gift, so come on out by Sunday baby! I'm sure none of our doctors will mind.

The End

Today was the last day of school. I thought it would be fun to dress up to say good bye to by first grade friends. They all agreed that the baby had grown bigger since they last saw me. :) We had a little awards ceremony in our class and then the staff had a luncheon. It was sad to say farewell to those who are not joining us next year (wait a minute ... I may not be back next year either ...) but I am so glad I was able to attend! Lighthouse has been such a blessing to me from the very beginning. When I was offered the job I had another offer at the same time. I was seriously leaning toward taking the other job and can't imagine my life if I had! From the HR director praying for my decision about what job to take, to one of the teachers inviting Joshua and me to a Bible study group, to the other first grade teachers dismissing my class so I could leave early for doctor appointments, to kindergarten teachers coming to watch my class in the afternoons so I could go do blood tests, to students coming to pray for the baby and me, (I really could go on all day ...) Lighthouse has become a family to me! My wonderful class and their amazing parents have helped to restore my love for teaching, which I thought had gone completely after my burnout in California. Although there is no position for me yet, I have such a peace knowing that God will provide one way or another, and I am quite hopeful that it will be at Lighthouse in some capacity. So no good byes from me, just a see ya later!

Ahhh the Weekend

This is how my boys like to spend their Sunday afternoons.

My Poor Baby!

Yesterday Joshua came home from work looking like this:What in the world happened you ask? He fell. That's right, just plain old slipped and fell. He was moving the bar stools back after having had the carpet cleaned over the weekend and while maneuvering very carefully on the just mopped bar floor, he lost his balance. On the way down he hit his face against the wall. Luckily, what you see seems to be the bulk of his injuries. His hip is a little sore too, but it could have been much worse! He got some extra special attention last night. He was exhausted after a long day, so I set him up on the couch with a pillow, blanket, movie, and leftover pizza. Now you will know in advance why all the pictures of Joshua with his new baby will have that red spot on his cheek.

Still pregnant

Here we are at 37 1/2 weeks. The doctor says baby is quite content and not showing any signs of wanting to come out. So, next week I go in for my twice weekly non-stress tests, and on Friday the doctor will make a date for me to be induced. I am not looking forward to her drug of choice, and she does not seem willing to try anything else. As a back up, I have planed to go see my naturopathic doctor the day before the induction is scheduled for a more natural approach. I have to keep reminding myself that God has perfect timing for this baby and s/he will be born in the way that He has planned! It just isn't the way I had planned. It doesn't seem fair that baby has to come out so early when s/he could safely be in there for another 5 weeks. Sorry kiddo, diabetes hasn't been any fun for me either!

Just passing the time

Since I have had this week off from work I have been busy relaxing at home. A typical day for me includes 2-3 loads of laundry (this baby has a ton of stuff to wash!), a doctor appointment, 3 insulin injections and 5 blood tests (I think we have finally found a good amount of insulin - my sugars are much better lately), a couple hours organizing baby things, a movie with an afternoon nap, way too much time checking out Craig's list and blogs, an hour or so of school work (I turned in report cards today - phew!), reading parenting books, and running errands. It seems silly, but Joshua gets home after work and I feel like I was so busy all day! I know this is only a taste of what busy will feel like in a few weeks. :) At least for now I can still get 8 hours of sleep at night. I've been having lots of contractions, but nothing strong enough to push this baby out yet. I get to see the doctor again tomorrow so we'll see what she says about how long baby can stay inside.

Mom's 68th Birthday

It was my mom's 68th birthday yesterday, and we celebrated her special day at my sister Pattie's house. We had barbequed hot dogs and rhubarb pie with ice cream. Pattie's husband Jim (as well as the rest of the family) has built a large backyard railroad which we spent the evening watching G-scale locomotives chug in circles around infinite lengths of track.

It's always fun to see the new additions they add to the layout. An out-of-work clown with hobo friend camping on the edge of the forest, crime scene in motion as a cop stands nearby facing the opposite direction while eating a donut, and a countryside wedding can all be seen upon closer examination of their mini-world. Also included is a re-creation of the house that our family used to live in when Jim was dating Pattie only 25 years ago (pictured below, along with the car Jim drove).

As the sun set on our day, we closed the evening with a bon fire, s'mores, and relaxing in the hot tub. At 10:30pm, before the twilight ended, my tired Dad and Mom left for home. A half hour later I dragged my own sleepy and pregnant wife home for the night.

We love you, Mom. Happy Birthday.

Showered with love

I am not really as tired as I look in this picture, but I wanted to give you another baby belly shot. Here we are at 36 1/2 weeks. Only 2 more days until full term. (Did you hear that baby? Two days and you can feel free to come on out of there!!) Friday was my last day of school and the wonderful moms had planned an end of the year party at one of their houses. What I didn't know was that they also had planned a baby shower! I am telling you, this child has been so showered with love we may have to move to a bigger house to accommodate all the new things! It's a good thing I don't have to work this week. I have some serious nesting to do!

Baby Stats

According to today's ultrasound, baby is still on target as far as size. Baby weighs about 6 pounds 1 ounce (I was 6 lb 6 oz at birth) and has a normal head size (52nd percentile) Hooray! It is always a relief to see and hear that baby is doing well despite the diabetes. The doctor increased my insulin dosage again today, and all 5 of my blood tests were in range! Hooray again! In five more days baby should be ready to enter the world. After the appointments we stopped by a boutique today that I really enjoyed. I got two diaper covers, two snappis, and some baby bum cleaner. All we need now is the baby!

Testing 1 2 3

My doctor has ordered twice a week non-stress tests to make sure baby is doing ok in there. I went in for my first test yesterday and had no idea what to expect other than a non-invasive monitoring. They walked me back into a little tiny room with a bookshelf, leather recliner, coffee table, and lamp. I got very cozy on the chair while the nurse strapped a couple of monitors on my belly. Then she handed me a chapstick-sized tool with a button on one end. I was instructed to press it every time I felt the baby move. She turned on the machine which blared the sound of the baby's heart beat. Baby was taking a nap, so she rang a cowbell over my belly. That did the trick! So for the next 45 minutes I got to relax in the recliner, listen to baby's heart, and feel for baby's movement. This was indeed a non-stress test! We get to go tomorrow for another NST, an ultrasound (this will be number four and I don't want to look at the screen at all in case baby decided to reveal anything), and another appointment. My blood sugars are still wacky. The endocrinologist has increased my insulin every other day and I'm sure he will again tomorrow. We are praying that baby decides to come out early - any time after next Tuesday - so I don't have to be induced. My final countdown at work: 2 days!!

A state of crisis

The image above is an excellent portrayal of our current problem. I especially like the gas attendant heading up the ladder to raise the price another 7 cents while the family is still fuelling up. At Christmas our prices were at 2.99/gal at every station around us. Erin got tired of me telling her it was a cartel. Now, 5 months later, it's up more than a dollar with no end in sight. Where's the relief? Decades went by without prices ever going above even one dollar. The summer blend was only ten cents more than the winter blend of fuel. If you're gay or pro-abortion, now is your time to pass some laws, because the rest of us are standing agog at the rising prices at the pump and grocery store.

A decade ago GM came out with the EV1 and paved the way for a whole new line of Electric Vehicles, but now is but a distant memory. After watching the movie, Who Killed the Electric Car?, it wasn't discontinued for a lack of interest. GM and Ford still have on their websites information about the future of automotive advances, but it is too little too late, even hybrids are a joke. Rumor has it that a barrel of oil will cost $200 by veterans day and gas at $8.00/gal. I'm not buying a new car anymore. Gas-only cars are a relic from the past, no longer providing the value they once had. What are the alternatives? If you have a lot of money you can get a Tesla Motors Roadster, one of the only completely manufactured electric vehicles around, or you can pay $50,000 to convert your car to electric. Or convert your hybrid to a Plug-in Hybrid and get over 100 MPGs. Hydrogen fuel cells, I think, are a waste of time and are a major distraction, because of the need to create the infrastructure, shorter fuel capacity distance, high price, and climate restrictions. For more information on these cars: http://www.eaaev.org/eaaevsforsale.html

Is this an environmental issue that I'm talking about? No, it's a cost of lifestyle that I'm talking about. This is America and we're being priced out of our homes. I went to breakfast today, and the restaurant was packed, but only had one server. Ten percent of the people that walked in the door, walked out without service after sitting at their tables for 15 minutes. The place is known for the "Best Breakfast in Town", but I didn't see it with my overcooked bacon and over-buttered eggs. The owners are certainly trying to reduce their costs by shorting their labor, and several menu items were crossed out with a Sharpie (didn't even reprint the menus). How did this happen? Why is the dollar decreasing in value so quickly?

What is the Federal Reserve up to? Like Federal Express, it is not a government agency, yet they control so much of our lives. Why are we paying them to print our money? Soon we'll owe them so much money that they'll print their own. Talking about control, how about this war. Is it real? I have seen no benefit to my lifestyle. Let alone gas prices, visiting somebody at the airport for a relaxing afternoon is a thing of the past, now you have to arrive two hours early for your turn to be strip-searched in front of the general public.

I think this war is more about improving on technology to control and track people. I have read in the paper about how we are trying to stop terrorists by finding their funding sources and stopping them. Which leads me to think that we're moving towards a cashless society pretty quickly. Without cash there is no anonimity. If everybody became chipped, and trackable, (there's even talks about instaling tracking GPSs in cars--to pay taxes on road mileage used) then there would be less crime. Therefore if a chipped person committed a crime, they could be "shut off" and thus be punished. However, if you refuse the chip, you must be a terrorist. The general public would demand it, because they are getting more scared of others. They get more scared because they aren't leaving their house as often because of fuel prices, watching more television and becoming more frightened by the stories they see on the news.

Am I too off with this sort of social entropy? I hope I am, but looking at $4.00 a gallon is pretty depressing and makes me concerned for the world that I'm bringing my new son or daughter into. It's not the same world that my Grandfather lived in, which seems to me to have been the best years to be alive. But, as a Christian, I have faith that the best things are still yet to come.

Well that part is good news

So today I went to visit the endocrinologist and got my prescription to help control the diabetes. Since my levels have gone so high, I am no longer eligible for the oral meds and require insulin injections instead. Injections?! I know!! But, insulin IS safe for baby and the oral meds are only "probably" safe. So that part is good news. I get to take 3 injections a day in my belly and increase my blood testing times to 5 (or more) times a day. If this baby had any idea all the poking I am doing for him/her ... So far I have made it through 1 injection with Joshua at my side comforting me and encouraging me and telling me how proud he was when I managed to actually do it. I don't know how I would ever get through this without him! Also, I have decided to end my school year a little early and am calling it quits as of May 30. The doctor today said they wouldn't let the baby stay more than 39 weeks, and that is just 4 short weeks away! We are meeting with our new ob this Friday, and she may have a more specific plan in mind after monitoring the baby. We'll see. We will now have visits every week and lots of extra monitoring to make sure baby is ok in there. It amazes me that the human population has continue to grow with all the complications that can come with pregnancy!

A Losing Battle

As many of you know, I have been fighting with all that I am to control this diabetes with just diet and exercise. It has been a difficult battle, and until this week I was putting up a pretty good fight. But I am sorry to say that the diabetes has won. My blood sugar is completely out of control no matter what I eat or how many miles I walk a day. It is too high when I roll out of bed. I have tried multiple supplements from my naturopath to no avail, and so on Monday I will call my endocrinologist and get my prescription for drugs that will certainly lower my sugar levels and "probably" not harm the baby. Next I will call and cancel my appointment with the midwife and try to reschedule with a doctor. Last, I will call the hospital and request a tour of their facilities. I am so bummed about this whole ordeal, but trust that it is the Lord's plan and am peaceful knowing that it is what is best for the baby.
Today is a rare day in Washington ... the sun is shining brightly over the 80+ degree day. So we are off to enjoy it and forget about the stinkin' diabetes for a while!

Eight month baby belly and Joshua's first baby shower

I know it's been a while since I've shown off my baby belly to the world, so here it is! 32 weeks and a few days along. Please ignore whatever it is I have spilled on my shirt and the sagging non-maternity sweatpants. We were on our evening walk (gotta keep the blood sugar down!) and we decided then and there it was high time for a picture.
After the amazing day of yard work fun, our home group threw a lovely baby shower. We were showered indeed with everything from a money tree to be used for diaper service to a round trip airline ticket so my mom can be here when the baby is born! Thank you everyone!

I get by with a little help from my friends

Joshua and I joined a home group through our church before we even began attending the church. I knew several of the couples (or halves I guess) from work. What a blessing this group has been to us! We were looking for a service project to do together and someone came up with the brilliant idea to serve each other! Our turn was first, and what a service it was! We spent the day working in our yard and the evening was a BBQ baby shower! I am so thankful to have found a group of couples our age who serve the Lord in tangible ways. What an honor to be a part of such a group!!

Trying to Beat Diabetes

I realize that this disease affects so many people, but I am just not yet willing to accept how much it is affecting me. I have followed my meal plan exactly (which leaves me feeling constantly hungry by the way) and increased my exercise level four times over. And yet, I have failed half of my blood tests. It is a very frustrating situation to be in, and now I get so nervous every time I have to test that it is probably making it worse! Stress is a major factor in increasing glucose levels. Stressed? Me? What, with a baby on the way, diabetes staring me down, a must-pass-or-will-lose-teaching-credential test next weekend, no job to speak of for next year, and all the day to day work and personal issues? Hmmm ... Did I mention that I had a week long hives outbreak too? Ok, enough of my ranting. Just had to get those feelings out to someone other than my poor husband. At least you don't have to see me crying all the time ...

Snow Day

Today is April 19th, and for the first time in my life I'm having a snow day in Spring! That's right it snowed big flakes that stuck at my house for the hour between 6 and 7 am. Erin and I jumped into the car and drove ourselves to the YMCA for a little bit of poolside excercise.

-Later in the day-

Now it's hailing!

I Got Da Beat

Diabetes that is! After taking the standard pregnancy glucose test last week, it was determined that my glucose levels are off the charts high and I have what is called gestational diabetes. Apparently 3% of pregnant women develop this condition which goes away as soon as the baby is born. Tomorrow I get to go learn how this will really impact my life for the next 8 or so weeks (Can you believe that is all that is left before the baby arrives????). Some of the big bummers that came with this diagnosis include: Not being eligible to deliver at the Birthing Center we had chosen with a midwife and no drugs; having a high risk for C-Section due to diabetic babies having extremely large heads; having a higher risk of a premature baby and all the complications that could follow; having to stick my finger with a needle every day to test my blood. SO... I would much appreciate your prayers for a healthy baby, a complication-free delivery, and peace about the whole situation.

Galloping Gertie

I was online today and found a great video displaying how our first Narrows Bridge collapsed back in 1940. It was designed by an arrogant architect named Joseph B. Strauss, who didn't take into consideration the high winds and insisted on constructing a ribbon-like span across the Tacoma Narrows.




Today there are two bridges containing a total of 9 lanes of traffic. A far cry from only two-lanes of the first bridge. The newest bridge (which opened only last year) was designed to hold a second deck for more traffic or mass transit depending on which demands the most need in the years to come.

The original Narrows Bridge is now listed on the National Register of Historic Places, even though it is sitting at the bottom of Puget Sound. It acts as an artificial reef for bottom dwelling sea creaures to live. Octopus' love it's dark and private crevases. In fact one of the largest ones ever found (if not the largest) was in the old Narrows Bridge.

What I Hate About Washington

I hate that my family is not here! How cute is my nephew Caleb? In this first picture he is laughing and smiling with me. We had so much fun hanging out together while everyone else buzzed around us getting ready for the shower. I will post shower pictures separately. :)













Here he is helping his mommy by holding her purse. We went to see Caleb's first movie - Horton Hears a Who. He had a fun time sitting on my lap and jumping up and down.




For Jackie's birthday we all went to dinner at Mimi's. Oh to be 22 again ... We had a wonderful dinner followed by an amazing dessert of Bananas Foster and Bread Pudding. We ordered two desserts for the six of us and still brought home leftovers! For the grand finale of the trip, Jackie, Jennille, Caleb and I headed to the Long Beach Aquarium. We had a great time watching the sea life and feeling some too. I'll post some pictures of our underwater friends separately.

Bringing the pregnant belly to fancy events

OK, I admit it- I am not one of those happy-to-be-pregnant ladies. On a typical day I feel fat and sluggish. Getting to dress up in clothes that fit helps, and I have had the opportunity to do so lately! I also got a haircut yesterday (it is not pictured here) and I'm feeling much better. Any how, pictured here is my six month belly all dressed up to go to the orchestra. My friend Heather is the Concert Mistress for the Gig Harbor Community Orchestra and we had the chance to hear her talents.
	Speaking of Heather, here we are at the Lighthouse Christian School Auction. The theme was "Sea you in Paradise", hence the leis. By the way, I found both of my dresses at the Goodwill for about $5 each. :) This one still had the original tags on it - they must get the rejects from Target. Works for me!
	The auction was a blast and the school made somewhere around $300,000. My favorite part was listening to the auctioneer - it sounded like some kind of rap song most of the night! This was the project my class "made". When I say made, I mean one of the moms came and helped us put our fingerprints on the tiles. Then she made the pictures (yes, I am the Queen Bee) and had a friend make the table. It turned out to be really cute! I wish I had one for my house.

How do people do it?

Lately I have been wondering how people live on one income. After analyzing our budget, we have found that we don't have much room to budge, and that's on two incomes. With baby coming soon and decisions being made for next school year, we are wondering how we can possibly make it on half (or less) of my income. I am wondering too how I could possibly make it working full time and being mommy full time. I think I would fall apart! I wish there was an easy solution, but there isn't. Thankfully, I know that whatever happens, God will provide for our family one way or another.
That's all... just getting my frustrations out there for all the world to see.

Garfield the Cat

As a kid my favorite comic strip was Garfield. It was better than it is today. I had garfield books, pillowcases, wallpaper, stickers, clothing, shoe lace clips, and alarm clocks. Today I discovered a new adventure in Garfield, one that is without him. It stars only Jon Arbucle, Garfield's owner. They have removed the fat cat and his thought clouds. What's left is just Jon looking like a lunatic that just talks to himself. Quite amusing, and interesting concept, it's not like Garfield could talk back anyway. It makes me think of all the times I have conversations with my own fat cat, the Six. (if you want to see a picture of our cat, do a Google image search for "Cat in Dryer", he's usually the second or third picture)

http://garfieldminusgarfield.tumblr.com/

We are a couple of lucky ducks!

Those of you loyal blog readers may remember a while back when we missed the opportunity to buy an awesome glider from Costco. Well, we went out to lunch after church with a friend who had never been to Costco. Lunch for a buck 50 can't be beat, so hot dogs it was. While meandering the aisles I told her about our disappointment with the chair. After we finished exploring, we back tracked to find Joshua. Low and behold, there on the end of an aisle all boxed up was one and only one of the very glider we loved! And better yet, it was $60 less than the last time we saw it!!! I sat on the box so nobody could sneak away with it while Joshua got a cart. Wahoo! Getting it into the car was not such a lucky story. It just wouldn't fit. But, Heather offered the use of her minivan to transport it. A fair pay back for the $1.50 lunch I think. :) So now I am home sitting in the living room with chair parts all around me waiting for Joshua to get home and get it assembled. I'm so excited to try it out!

We spent all day Saturday painting the baby's room. We decided to use a pale green on three walls and yellow on the wall with the window. Now all we need is a crib, sheets, car seat, stroller, diapers, .... you get the idea. :)

Babymoon!

It's Valentines weekend and after reading and hearing about this new popular trend called a babymoon, we wanted to try it. First the thought was to do another big road trip, but that would take too much time and a lot of expense. So we decided to stay more local, as there are already so many great things to see in this beautiful state of Washington.

We chose Leavenworth as our destination of choice. It is a small Bavarian village nestled behind the jagged peaks of the Cascade mountains. During the 1960's when the major railroad stopped passing through their town, the residents had to find a way to keep their community from becoming a ghost town. "Let's make it a German village and expand tourism." Everyone agreed and so became the town.

From the inception of the trip, I wanted to find a place that felt like home and had a place where people could gather at the end of the day and play games; like a bed & breakfast but bigger. The Enzian Inn fit all the criteria and more.

In the mornings, a full buffet breakfast was provided for all guests, with a live performance of the Alpenhorn on outside deck. Afternoons could be spent Cross Country Skiing at any of the six surrounding trails with skis provided by the Enzian. In the summer they offer rounds of golf at their Championship Putting course. At night in the main lobby, which was opened up to the two floors above, they played piano music. Also provided were indoor and outdoor pools with hot tub, excercise gym, and a racketball court.

For our room, we chose the bridal suite; actually it chose us as it was the only room left when we booked our stay. But we couldn't have asked for anything better. His & her sinks, double headded shower, whirlpool tub, wood burning fireplace, balcony, and a king sized canopy bed.

When we arrived, Erin was tired from the three hour drive and wanted a nap before perusing the town. As soon as the front desk handed us the keys, she took her's and bolted to the room while I was left to get our luggage. It took me a while to move the car around the parking lot, find a dolly, and wait for the elevator. Meanwhile, Erin get's to the room, but the bed is on stilts. At 5'2" she's not that tall, and being pregnant, she's not that agile, and being tired, she isn't thinking clearly about how to get into the bed. When she finally does achieve success in climbing into the bed, I arrive at the door and cannot figure out how to unlock it. She reluctantly falls out of bed again and helps me in, and we laughed about the situation.

In town, the shops are fairly unique with original items from the area or imported from Germany and other mountainous regions of Europe. For dining, I really enjoyed King Ludwigs, as they had authentic German fare and had a live polka band with dance floor. Erin's favorite was the Gingerbread Factory, where they made some delicious sandwiches and, of course, fantastic gingerbread cookies.

The evenings were my favorite part of the trip, everyone gathered around the fireplace, listening to piano music, drinking coffee, and playing games or puzzles. We noticed several times that they would be playing modern Christian worship songs. It certainly felt like home to us, and I'm sure we'll be going there again in the future.

The picture below shows Erin smiling because she knows she's just about to whoop me at dominoes.

Click on the images below to see them larger.

How to use a Macy's gift card to buy shoes from Marshalls: a lesson in customer service.

We set off today to find a new pair of brown shoes for Erin's growing feet. Erin was given a Macy's gift card for Christmas and this seemed to be the perfect way to use it, since Macy's doesn't have a maternity department. We arrive at the Tacoma Mall Macy's and go through their selection of shoes, only to find a pair that almost works. We make the purchase anyway, exceeding our $50 gift card by $37. Knowing that we may get a better deal, we headed to the Super Mall Outlets. There at Marshalls, Erin found her favorite shoes, by Born, in the size, color, and comfort that she was looking for. The price tag? $50. Excited by this great find, but bummed for making the initial purchase, Erin was feeling anxious about her shoe buying adventure. I told her it was okay, we could go back to Macy's and get a refund on the first shoes. As we drove back, we wondered how they would perform the refund. Our question was answered when the clerk asked, "You want this all back on the credit card then?" Without pause, "Yes." came simultaneously from our lips. And that is how you use a $50 Macy's gift card to buy shoes from Marshalls.

 

In other objectives for the day: Erin's fingers aren't a slim size 5 any longer and her wedding and engagement rings don't want to fit as they once did. Since the sight of a bare finger is too much and sometimes leads to near tears, she wanted a temporary replacement ring. We searched several stores including Wal-Mart for a $15 CZ ring that would still give the appearance that she was still married. Side note: did you know that Wal-Mart keeps their CZ rings behind the glass counter for a sales representative to show you? Wierd. I thought that the ring should be a little different from her real one and perhaps have some colored stones just to be fun, but she was set on having one that looks similar to her real ring. We didn't purchase any because the options are either too "blingy" or of the incorrect size. However, a girl at Macy's said that they could resize it for us for $20.

 

Notables:

Distance between Tacoma Mall and Super Mall - 16 miles

CZ - cubic zirconia - a synthetic diamond simulant

What Joshua Wanted - Duck Shoes - Got 'em

Getting bigger

Tonight we're visiting my sister Mary's house. Our other sister, Debbie, called and wanted to see a current picture of Erin. So Here it is, at 4.5 months:

Little Flutters

Last night I felt a little flutter. I knew I would be feeling the baby moving sometime soon, but there is so much other stuff going on in my body, I wasn't quite sure if this was it. I put my hand under my shirt and sure enough, felt a little push! I told Joshua and he ran over, putting his hand on my stomach. Literally. I had to guide him to where the baby is actually located in my body. :) He tried for a while but felt nothing. He tried again after dinner, when I felt something, I asked if he did too. He didn't realize that was the baby. He said he thought his hand had a twitch. :) Next Friday is the ultrasound but don't expect any big news ... The gender will remain unknown until the baby is born.

You've Got to be Kidding!

Yesterday morning I was getting ready to leave for work as usual. Hmmm ... my car key was not on the key hook. Nor was it on the coat rack. Oh yeah, Joshua drove my car last night and cannot seem to get the key to either of these locations. He likes to put them in his pocket instead. I ran through the house while calling his cell searching every possible place it could have been left. Nothing. The only place left was his jacket pocket which was at that moment in a locker at the YMCA with his cell phone. Rats! Our closest family members were at the Y with him, so calling them would do no good. My other sister in law works close to my school, so I gave her a try. No answer. Then I tried Joshua's parents. My father in law is the best! I quickly explained the situation and he said, "Well, I guess I better come pick you up then." Just like that he was on his way. My hero! I made it to school before the kids did (although I missed the morning staff devotional). As we were arriving Joshua called. He informed me that the key was in fact in his pocket, but he was proud of me for being resourceful. Sounds silly, but any little thing can become a huge drama with these pregnancy hormones, so it was lucky that I held it together and didn't have a breakdown! What a morning!

Joshua's Reply:
I just want to say how proud I am of my wife. As a husband, I have a certain fear that my wife won't adapt to her new home very quickly. Especially when that home is near her in-laws (whom she's only known for the last 3+ years). She felt comfortable enough to call my family for help. I'm just glad they're more dependable than I am.

You snooze, you lose

While out at Costco last week, Joshua and I spotted a glider chair that would be perfect for a nursery. We sat in it, tried rocking, and remembered the price so we could comparison shop. Neither of us had a clue what a glider cost. Yesterday we went to a 10-acre furniture store that we had heard had great prices. The 3 or so gliders they had there were almost 3 times as much as the one we had seen and not nearly as nice looking. So, we enjoyed our free popcorn and hot cocoa, then headed back to Costco. What do you know, they were sold out. So we tried the other Costco. Sold out too. They looked it up for us and found one in Oregon and one in Idaho. Bummer! Trying to make the most of our evening and the van we had borrowed, we went to Target to pick up a stroller we had found last week. Once again, our plans were thwarted as they too were sold out. Needless o say, we learned our lesson. When you see something you need but aren't sure of the price, buy it then and return it later if need be. Anybody know of any good baby furniture stores?

Sweet tea and Hush Puppies with Butter

"Well, butter my buns and call me a biscuit. Look who's here." This is the welcome sign to our new favorite guilty pleasure of a restaurant. Fat Rascal's Barbecue in Port Orchard offers wood smoked beef ribs, chicken, and pork that even the most discriminating North Carolinian would appreciate. We arrived with visions of sweet tea and racks of ribs in our heads. We were not disappointed. For starters we had hush puppies served with butter. Erin had a pulled pork sandwich, I had the Some of 'Dis and 'Dat Platter with Ribs, Beef Brisket, potato salad, baked beans, deep-fried corn-on-the-cob, and cornbread.

As we waited for our food to be prepared, which wasn't very long, we were able to play some of the table games provided. Much like the Cracker Barrel they had Golf Tee Solitaire, Yahtzee, and Trivial Pursuit questions. Perfect when you don't know what to talk about, as if having a baby doesn't create something to talk about. Our server was wonderful, obviously transplanted from the South herself.

So, if you're ever in the mood for some sweet tea and ribs, just let us know and we'll join you there. (don't forget the hush puppies)

Duh!

Today I was leaving for work at 0'dark thirty as usual. My windshield was just a bit fogged up and seemed damp on the outside, so I ran the wipers over a couple times. It helped a bit, so I drove off. Then it got really fogged up, so I did what I always do in such a situation: ran the wipers with a bit of wiper fluid. Duh Erin! It was 29 degrees outside! I couldn't see anything at this point, not even the side of the road to pull over, so I just stopped and put on the hazards. (Don't panic, I was still in my neighborhood on a very quiet street.) After scraping the ice I made off the windshield, things were looking up. One day I'll figure out this thing they call winter!

Just for laughs, here are some of the darling things my students have said regarding my pregnancy.

"Is the baby big enough that we can hear it yet?"
"If the baby is so small, how come you're getting so fat?"
"Do you have to eat baby food for the baby?"
"You haven't eaten for a while and the baby is probably hungry. Should I bring you a snack from your desk?"

Aren't they the sweetest?!

The Pregnancy Bump

As per the request of Michelle, here's the 16-week belly-shot showing my baby's baby. It's hard to tell with the outfit that she's wearing, but she has been seeing significant growth since Christmas.

At our last doctor's appointment we were able to hear the baby's heartbeat. We're only able to make out one heartbeat. (it's probably not triplets) Our next sonogram will be at the end of the month, where we won't be finding the gender.

I still think it's funny that we have all these tools to find out about the baby before he/she is born. Height, weight, sex, development process. And we just choose to not know the sex. What does it even matter to us to know the other things? If there's a severe problem, does it mean we'll abort the baby? No. Why do we need to know so much beforehand? I doubt it helps us to calculate the day the baby will be born. I still haven't seen a doctor predict that.

Well That's New

This morning we woke up to a beautiful blanket of snow outside! There wasn't quite enough for a snow day, so out I went in the dark (cause the sun doesn't come up until like 9:00 around here) to go to school. I had to scrape all the snow off my windshield before driving. Feeling fairly proud of my accomplishment, I jumped in and took off. Next time I need to remember to scrape off the back window too ... I wanted so much to take a picture for you all to see, but Joshua has hidden the camera in some secret location. I called to ask him to reveal it to me, but he ignored my call! Imagine that. In other news, we got to hear the baby's heartbeat for the first time. Today makes 16 weeks, so hopefully sometime soon I can feel normal again. I am still having days of nausea now with the added bonus of headaches all the while feeling totally exhausted. What fun being pregnant is!

Gingerbread Cathedral

This Christmas I wanted to make a Gingerbread House. For Thanksgiving our family in Washington got together to build the houses together. I, of course, built mine from scratch using a template I found online. (here)But either the templates were off or the recipe I had was off. The result was a poor example of a gingerbread house. (I'll upload the picture when I get back home.)

In California at Erin's Mom's house I knew I would have some time to find a good template and a good recipe to make a great gingerbread house. I tried another template from the site referenced above, but the pieces didn't even line up in the cutouts, and everyone else's templates were too simle. Four walls and an "A"-frame roof is too boring for me. I decided to make my own. With a pencil, paper, ruler and some foam board I started to create my masterpiece for this year.

Cathedrals have great shapes and are usually very ornate, so that made the perfect idea for my house. After designing the church (loosely based on St. Pauls Cathedral in London, England) I needed to find the right recipe. I lost the recipe that I used on last years gingerbread house After going through two not-so-good recipes, Erin's mom found a great one. I was a little discouraged that I wouldn't be able to make the house because it was taking so much time, but finally I was able to get it done.

The resulting structure stands at over 1 foot tall with the Point of the cross at 20½ inches. The footprint is 12in by 17in and consumed two full batches of dough. Next it needs to be decorated, probably by Erin's mom. And lit up. I cut out places in the bottom to install lighting.

For more pictures, visit: http://picasaweb.google.com/joshua.hardwick/GingerbreadCathedral

Christmas Fun and Our Newest Nephew

I'm having trouble putting pictures where I want them, so these are backwards. Oh well. Here is Auntie Jackie with her nephew. Is he cute or what!?
Christmas Eve we spent with Joshua's family in Gig Harbor. We had fun visiting with the Muellers from CA. The highlight of the evening was the surprise gift to Joshua's folks ... all the kids chipped in for new reclining chairs! It was a lovely evening cut only slightly short by our trip to the airport. We had a late night flight to CA and arrived just before midnight. After sleeping in a bit, we had fun opening gifts with my mom and sister. Then we had dinner with some other family members and enjoyed visiting. Last but not least we spent Christmas evening with my dad. He has two new kittens that entertained us all.

Seven days after his due date, baby Caleb came into the world. After 17 hours of labor (yikes!) they decided to do a C-section. So, at 7:57 pm on 12/27/07 we met our 7 pound 4 oz nephew. He is too precious and he and mommy are doing well.

13 weeks and feeling better

We have officially entered the 2nd trimester and I am feeling a whole lot better! Hooray! Now I only feel sick when I need to eat (which I still have no desire to do and am consequently at -5 pounds from pre-pregnancy). Yesterday was our last day of school for the year. My room moms threw an amazing party and I left with more gifts than I have ever had in my life! The children are excite about the baby and the questions have already begun. "Why can't I feel anything?" "How does the baby get out?" "Will you name the baby my name if it's a girl?"
On Monday we are flying to So Cal for Christmas, and hopefully to meet our newest nephew , courtesy of my brother and his wife. :) Today is the due date, so let's hope he's here before we fly back home! The fun is only just beginning ...

Blog Upkeep

I know we've been very bad at updating our blog. Thank you for not giving up on us. I've uploaded some pictures that we captured during the month of October. So much happend that month. Erin's birthday, Joshua went to the Albuquerque balloon fiesta, Joshua's birthday, and we carved a hole into the kitchen door for the cat to be able to eat his food in the garage.

Click here for all the pictures: http://picasaweb.google.com/joshua.hardwick/October2007

Baby's First Picture

Introducing the newest member yet to join the Hardwick family! Here are the first pictures of our expected baby. We aren't going to find out if it's a boy or a girl until his/her birthday. So please allow us the luxury of assigning a sex on occasion knowing that we will be using it loosely and interchangeably. Because, lets face it, the baby is a person and not an "it". So the very first picture of her/him from head to tail is located below. He/she is upside down with the feet near the top. The doctor also took a video (which we'll receive later) where the baby waved hello to us.

We are very excited to be new parents, still wondering if we're ready for it I'm sure. Erin wasn't sure she was pregnant for the first month. As soon as the test rang positive, she became positively sick. I thought "morning" sickness meant it happend only after sleeping. Erin corrected me that like a day is separated into morning, afternoon, and nighttime; so the first trimester of pregnancy is considered the morning, hence the term previously mentioned. It really should be called "before and after sleeping, between meals, not-excuse-enough-to-miss-work, until-Jesus-returns" sickness.

Lately we've taken to asking people how they got more than one child, "Did you forget the pain?" "Yes" is often the reply. Some weird amnesia must go on in a woman's head once she holds her new child that makes her think "I could do that again." I'm glad I'm not a woman. Even if a file cabinet gives me a static shock, the next time I'll have somebody else pull files for me.

Oh, I almost forgot, the doctor offered a new benefit that's being tested at their practice. You can get a 3D modeling of your own baby after the sonagram. I don't know the benefit yet, but it was a pretty good value at $1,500 plus the cost of materials.