Weekend on Whidbey

So we got lucky and have made some really good friends while here in Seattle. I don't know how it happened but we fell into great company. One such person, Pam who's here from Austin, rented a beach house out on Whidbey Island just northwest of Seattle. It's a half hour drive to the ferry to Mukilteo, a fifteen minute crossing on the ferry, and then a thirty minute drive to the house right on the beach facing Mt. Baker, still covered in snow in late August. It was pretty magnificent. The island is the largest in the contiguous (whatever that means) US. It's home of the famous Penn Cove Mussels and the town we were pretty much beside, Coupeville, is where Practical Magic (Sandra Bullock / Nicole Kidman film) was filmed. So it's a cute place right on the water. The top photo is Ash and David Wolfe on our hike across Ebey Point. From the highest spot you can see Mt. Ranier, Mt. Baker, and if it's clear enough Vancouver Island. All of it over the Puget Sound just before it becomes the Strait of Juan de Fuca (what'd you call me?). Awesome sight. Um, so we hiked and drank and relaxed and read. Great relaxing weekend in all. The next photo is Ash coming down the ridge. It's just to make some of you nervous. About a 45 degree angle and about a hundred or two feet down. She was a real trooper and never fell. An artsy composition sunset photo ala Jason and finally what the day of our hike looked like. So that's Ash's 30th week of prego-nancy as I like to call it. To me she just looks like the same wife I love and honor and cherish just with a big lump in the center. All's cool with me. Simon's a mover. Just now Ash called me to the bathtub to see him doing the shimmy-shake all over. Only nine and a half weeks to go. We have a crib and a stroller which means we can put him down to sleep and push him around. O - we're so prepared.
Adios, we'll be in Austin in a week and a half so until then...

29 Weeks

Just 11 more weeks to go. Yes, I can still see my toes. It is starting to get a little heavier, harder to sleep, and you won't see me in these pants again.

My mid-upper back has been hurting and after googling away and talking with our OB, decided I'd try a chiropracter. After the adjustment, I immediately felt better. He basically gives me a little more room in my ribs. If he could help me find a bra that fits comfortably I'd put him up there for saint status.

Simon won't have to sleep in a box

Thanks to Grandpa and Grandma Doerfler, Simon gets a beautiful new crib/baby prison to sleep in when he comes home. I didn't get a picture of Jason smiling sweetly as he dove into the box with great gusto to put the crib together. This one will have to do, ignore the slight glare in his eye, it only took him an hour. :-)

Twin Falls

Another beautiful hike just 30 minutes outside of Seattle. At 28 weeks, it's definately getting harder to go uphill, or downhill for that matter. But we've got to take advantage of the fantastic weather and nature while we can.

Help, I'm irresistable

Seriously, though ... can a brother get some alone time before he never has it again! I didn't even have to smear tuna on me this time to get them to do this. All I had to do was lie down and a-runnin' they a come. Even with Ashley I have to convince her I have a present or that I'm gonna rub her back, feet, head...whatever.

All in all it's nice to be liked. I just hope that Simon likes me as much as the cats do.

Week 27

Well, it's a good thing we took this photo BEFORE going to register for Simon. Good God, I thought I was all prepared with my little spread sheet and the Baby Bargain book. 3+ hours later neither of us can remember what the hell we picked out. And then we went to Target!

So consider that a little license to anyone looking at our registry: I'm sure we left off plenty of stuff we shouldn't live without and I just started zapping clothes left and right, could very well be little pink dress in there for all I know. We're counting on all you experienced parents to fill us in.

Two more things while I'm thinking of it: 1). Most of you know that I am a pretty practical person, if not down-right cheap. So if you see something on consignment or are done with your own baby item, put it in a cute bag (recycled is even better) and consider it new to me!

2). We don't have a "theme" for Simon's room. Odds are we won't be in our place for more than 6 months of Simon's life. Light green/blue/yellow is the theme, how creative is that? The bumper I bought has cute little animals on it. And now, it time for a nap.