under the weather - a post from jen's blog

Under the Weather

It's been freezing outside recently, and usually I would be stoked about breaking out the sweaters, scarves, and my favorite peacoat...but lately, we have been sick. Some say it's bronchitis, but I am thinking that it is just a lingering cold. A very sinus-y cold. Post-nasal drip central. It's ugly. Eyes are puffy. Throats are itchy. We are officially all open mouthed breathers.

Olive has given us some scares at around four in the morning. She wakes up coughing and choking. It doesn't help that she is trying to break some teeth through. I'm not complaining but we are officially tired.

Work has been just fine. I think I am still winging it. I don't know the materials yet. I know the content, but getting used to another classroom (that someone else has set up) is hard to do. Especially when I don't really care. Let's face it, all I can do is think about Olivia all day. At snack time (at 10am), I come home via taxi to feed her. I thought that I would start her on cereal one of these days but I didn't want to start something new when she is already having a hard time because she is sick. Anyway, the parents of the students love me. They show it with American food and kindess. Works out, that's my love language.

Big news here, Olive is now 5 months old. She rolled over. I got it on video. She hasn't done it since. She has started to cup our faces when we hold her. It's adorable. She is such a sweet little baby. She laughs and smiles all the time, especially at Boone and Dave. Olive is now sitting with the support of her chubby little hands. She weighed 7.6 kilos at the last doctor's visit.

David's team lost (boohoo) to the team that they hired him to beat. It was a good go but the AkBars didn't meet their potential in the first quarter freethrows and gave up about 12 points and didn't recover after that. The team's players said that he needs to yell at them more and they would do better. It's not David's style but he said that at the next practice he would have a 'constructive criticism discussion' with each ot the players. Several Americans came to show support to the team (and the coach).

The highlight of the week was the arrival of the mystery packages that Jenna sent about 8 weeks ago. We both partially gave up hope. And, as it happens, that is when the packages showed up...in black, unmarked, Glad garbage bags. One was partially opened. One had a paper in it from the embassy saying that something was removed...it was fun. After appropriate excitement (we waited until we were on the phone together), we opened the packages full o' goodness. I miss American food so much. But, I miss my friends more.

Good things are happening. Jill is having a baby--little Stella Sandler. I can't wait to see her this summer! Jilly, I am waaaaaaaay excited for you and Morgan! Being a mom is the best feeling ever and it is so amazing to love a little person so much. I guess our parents really do love us! : )
My Bff, Jenna, got accepted into a PhD program. I might not be smart, but I've got a smart friend! : ) Family is healthy and happy and leading lives that they are proud of...and I am proud of them.
___________________________________________________________________
Addendum 1:
David got mad at a car parked in his way (the driver was there cleaning his car and refused to move). He did what any mature man would do. The driver walked away and that is when David picked up two big handfuls of mud and threw them at the car. No comment. (But you can comment on that!)

back to work - a note from jen's blog

Back to Work

I went back to work today. Going back to work itself was not a stress at all. I just couldn't bear the thought of leaving Olivia. Nina brought Olivia to the school right when Olivia woke up. It was perfect. She arrived happy. She visited me and we had lunch together. She napped. Dave drove Nina, Olivia, and I home and Olivia napped again after our walk to the store.

While I was at work, my director gave me the best news ever (it might have helped that she is pregnant)...she told me that Olivia could be at school with me the whole day. I can't believe it.

I don't want to miss a thing because it seems like every day Olivia is doing something miraculous!

Olivia is intentionally grabbing for things and when we go to kiss her face she puts her
arms out in front like she is trying to stop us. It's so cute because she is smiling the whole time. She's been such a ham lately! She turns her head away while she's smiling like she's shy.

Our Little Malinki Tikva

a post from jen's blog...

Our Little Malinki Tikva

The Russian language is extremely difficult to learn without constant practice, we think. We are pretty cushioned by a large English speaking community so what Russian we know is often spliced with English words. What would I call that? Russ-lish? Eng-ussian?
Having Nina around has helped me learn some useful terminology...

She went cupatza popa. (she went poop butt)
Olivia wants to hochet spyet. (olivia wants to, wants to sleep)
I'm going to coujet. (i'm going to feed her)

Put those together and you get a fun combination of baby talk.

Of course, Nina only understands the Russian words that I say but we get by. Charades helps too.

what we do... joy in the journey

a post from jen's blog.

Our days are finally becoming a little more 'routine' every day. I like that a lot because that means that our nights are becoming more regular as well. Olivia has always been a good sleeper once she gets to sleep. So, I jotted down what we do...

9:30/10:00 Olivia wakes up to eat, poop, play, read, and eat some more.

10:50/11:00 nap

12:00 wake up, eat, poop, play, poop, play, eat

2:00 nap

3:00 wake up, repeat above. Greet dad with a huge smile or a huge melt down (depending on when David gets off work)

5:00 nap (this one is great because Davey and I get to spend some time together.

6:00 wake up...repeat.

8:00-10:00 sleep, wakes up like her parents don't feed her. Feeding frenzy.

11:00/12 go to sleep for the night! Always wakes up about 45 minutes into the sleep and eats then is asleep for at least another 4 hours. Yep, around 9-12 hours of sleep...getting to have less and less feedings at night!

Today we went on a walk and she fell asleep in the front carrier. It was so adorable! Her little face was propped on the carrier and her cheeks were smooshed. Boone came on the walk too. We went down to the NGO that I to give the photos that I took. I'm home now and Olive and Boone are both wiped out...

She's been asleep since 2 so we will see how she sticks to her schedule today since we did a 'non-routine' thing. I haven't set her to the schedule, she just has created it herself. This is something I'm grateful for...and I'll eat lots of turkey to prove it. I'm so excited about Thanksgiving! 

motherhood thoughts from jen

a couple of post from jen's blog...

Olive at 6 weeks
6 weeks old
9 lbs, 11.5 oz
22 inches long

(We took her in early for her 8 week check up because she needed her immunizations early so we can join David in Bishkek)


Boy was I wrong!
I remember before Olivia was born when I thought that I would sing her songs all day long and hold her. I would never let her cry, I thought. I would always know what to do. Her outfits would always be spit-up free and her hours of sleep would always correspond with mine.

Since Olive was born and David left, we have been on 14 take-offs and landings. She is a lap child like some kids are latch key kids. She has been toted more than doted on lately. We have been in Texas, California, Arizona, Colorado, Oregon, and Utah. We have packed and unpacked bags as I pack up the apartment.

Olivia has been left crying a number of times while I finish putting stuff in the washer. She lays contently in her activity gym as I clean and type. We have had a few nights where I have fallen asleep while she is crying. I admit, I don't know how long I was asleep.

My left breast produces enough milk for quadruplets while my right one withers away. This has happened because I put her on the left side so my right hand is free to do stuff.

I had to look up how to entertain and talk to my baby because I seemed to talk to my friends' kids fine but when I look at Olive, all I can think of sounds ridiculous and I'm sick of saying "you're so cute." I narrate now and ask her questions then I answer them. She coos and I repeat the sounds. It seems like I am just satisfied with getting her clean, fed, and back to sleep.

I feel like a single mom except I don't get the free milk and cheese.

a post from jen's blog

a post from jen's blog...

Recap of Tuesday and Wednesday with a painful amount of unneeded details...

Dear HusbandDavey,

We are both pretty terrible at talking on the phone even after our good attempts so here's more info than you care to know about the last two days.

Our little baby girl looks so different sleeping than she does awake. Sometimes when she is very exhausted she looks like little fat bald man who fell asleep watching a game show with the remote in his hand after a hard day of truck driving. She becomes an OMB (open mouthed breather) and relaxes without reservation. All she needs is a little pint-sized LazyBoy.

But, when Olivia is awake she is so observant and alert. I noticed that when I was reviewing the photos I have taken in the last couple days. She seems to have looks on her face that deserve captions. You'll see what I mean. I think she has called me names a couple of times...and I would too. Olivia, I'm sorry I can't pull over every time you whimper...but believe me, I want to. I thought about getting one of those mirrors so I can see her, but I know it would be more of a distraction than a help.

The fun part right now is when she follows me if I move around and if I talk then she turns her head to try to find me. It seems like people are drawn to her. (It must be that our baby is exceptionally beautiful and perfect and smart...that's it, I know it.) Maybe people are drawn to babies in general, but it seems like countless people per day comment on how she looks like a little doll and how good of a baby she is since she is so young and remains awake and happy for much of the time.

But, whenever David calls she starts to cry. Like today for example. And yesterday. Little Olive had been quiet for hours and peacefully looking around. Then, out of nowhere, my phone starts to vibrate, I begin to talk, and Olive starts to CRY. Loudly. Then the kind of LOUD where you can barely hear the other person talk on the other line.

This is really effective for when one doesn't want to talk to an estranged husband. A simple pinch (who would do that?) and then the baby would give an audible reason to get off the phone. This crying however is not so desirable when one does want to talk to her husband!

Today and yesterday were great days with friends. Yesterday (Tuesday), Tania and I got together at a sushi place in Redlands...but it was closed so we walked over to Jersey's which was surprisingly dark inside. So dark that when we came inside from the sunlight all we could see was black until our eyes adjusted. I'm sure we looked really intelligent (sarcasm) or like we were just beamed there and were trying to figure out where we landed. We split a salad (antipasta) and then split a pizza. I think both of us were trying to eat like ladies or something because we didn't finish the salad or the pizza which is like unheard of where I come from. (I like saying that...where I come from...it's not said enough...and it adds clout. Olive woke up when we were done eating. It was perfect timing, like I had a little remote I turned her "on" with. So, I promptly fed her because she wakes up with increasing volume. Then, burped her. She looked so happy. So, I handed her off to Tania who was waiting really patiently and wanted to hold her so bad. Good timing, Me! Within 20 seconds of handing her to Tania, Olivia fills her diaper and covers Tania's shirt. Let me just say that Tania's face said it all. She just laughed. Which made me laugh, after apologizing. Tania then escaped to the bathroom to attempt to clean up (where I might add, she did a remarkable job). After the 'diaper filling' was done, Olivia had her first little rinse off in the sink of the pizza place. Hey, it was the only thing to do really. It was everywhere. Poor Tania.

In her semi-camouflaged poop covered shirt, we walked over to Trader Joes where I got some stuff to ship to Bishkek--pumpkin pancake mix, pumpkin bread mix, dried blueberries (for baking when I feel like a Martha) and some dried cranberries (for the same reason), and I got some Oregano. For some reason, David kept mentioning to get Parmesean Cheese because somehow, that is how he remembered it. I thought it was cute and funny so didn't correct him the trillion times he reminded me to get it for MaryKay and Sasha. I got one for us too because if it is that good then we must be missing out on it. Tania got some Chai Latte mix and a 3 buck Chuck. Then, we walked back to our cars and said goodbye for another year. Next year though Tania will her house that is closing now, and Olive will be crawling. Good times.

Then today (Wednesday) I had all of the good intentions in the universe to head over to get our marriage license and to go to the DMV but alas, it became noon then one then two before my eyes. (Don't worry Davey, I will do those things tomorrow.)
Amber and I got together at her really nice, huge house and had a great lunch she made (Grilled Turkey & Cheese Sandwiches with Pesto). We talked about our kiddos and asked questions and filled each other in on our friends we were curious about. Amber and I have known each other for about 15 years or so. We were in YW together and I had my surprise 17th party at her house. We were on the tennis team together. Seeing our babies together was really fun for me(her 4th is 4 months old and Olive turns one month tomorrow). Time flew by when we were looking at her HeritageMakers site. So, before we knew it her kids came home from school and it was time for Olive and I to hit the road.

Being here a week is a blessing and a curse. Since it is such a short time I have to make the visits short but the time together is condensed and it makes me make the most of it.

So, Patty and I were getting together at 3 at the Sushi place...which I forgot was closed (duh!) so we sat in the car where Patty adored Olivia and Patty just stared at her. We filled each other in on what the last year had been like for each of us and then we decided to actually go somewhere to eat. There is a little sushi place on Redlands Blvd next to a whole-in-the-wall Thai place and so we chose the sushi place. Eating again, you ask. Yes! (I am really digging the American food so I apologize if I am describing the food too much) Patty is the fittest person I know. She is working out twice a day and teaches classes as well as being a personal trainer. She has a killer body now...she looked good before but now she is doing a competition where she competes against other people and their figures. She's not one of those man-looking women. She has to look feminine, just toned. Anyway, I helped her out today by letting her have the extra sushi roll pieces. I just can't let my friend starve! Her kids are doing good (can you believe her oldest is 13?)and all is well for her.

Okay, so socializing was done for the day and I was off to try to find Little Olive an outfit for the autumn photo session with her cousins tomorrow (Thursday). Where to go? Really, I am sick of shopping. I just wanted it over with. So, I went to Marshalls...nothing. I have a love hate relationship with liquidation stores since they are always so disorganized and are a shot in the dark about getting what you have in mind. Basically, they are great if your target search is for "shoes" or "a dress" but not so hot if you are wanting something specific such as "a fall dress for a newborn" or "a headband with an orange flower on it". So, shopping-weary, I head to Target where someone called me the b-word in the parking lot...I won't go into that...so I didn't want to go in there. Like I said, I was shopping-weary anyway so I went to Jo-Anns to get stuff to make a tutu and a headband. Misson accomplished for $16. Let me just say, it is really cute. Especially the headband. It's like, ahhhh, so cute. I hope you think so, Davey. I know you like it when I'm crafty, Davey.

Then, I went to Babies R Us because our little munchkin had used ALL of the NB diapers and I had to get some more. I opted for the SeventhGeneration brand of diapers since they are good for the environment and they were cheaper. I questioned them because they feel like the gritty recycled paper that was sometimes distributed in high school and I didn't like it felt against the side of my hand. But, they did survive a blow-out so maybe they will be good for the environment in another way...preventing an extra load of laundry. Low and behold, when I was checking out, Olivia DuBois walks in Babies R Us. So, our baby isn't named after her, but we couldn't have named Olivia "Olivia" if this Olivia was a terrible person. She is quite the contrary--she is so nice and a really sincere and happy person. She was a photography client and she is pregnant again (3 months. Her first is already 14 months old). So, we chatted and caught up and exchanged info and she asked all about David. I love talking about David.

So, time to go home. It was about 9pm by that time so I head toward Moreno Valley from Redlands. As I'm going toward the canyon, Olivia starts to cry. So, I pull over and nurse her and burp her, and change her...and put her back in the car seat. She does her "baby Pterodactyl" cry since she was tired and then went to sleep after her whinnying.

I get home and mom comes to unlock the gate. Olive starts to cry. I hand her to mom. I unload the afore-mentioned tutu making stuff and diapers and head inside. I have had to poop for the last four hours and somehow, I haven't managed to figure out what to do with the baby in that situation. I don't like the idea of bringing her into a public bathroom. And, I don't really like the idea of a public bathroom either. Even all the purell in the world can't help there. So, I use the bathroom at home because hey, 'family doesn't have germs', right? : )

Mom made some whole grain noodles, chicken and veg pasta. We consumed it and talked about the baby. Mom had an eventful day and asked about mine. I did the simple bullet point answer as I made the tutu and then came in to write this email.

Because I love you.

I got our flight info today and that works out well for me. Let me know if you want me to call April about it. I love you!

Love, Your best wife ever

Posted by JenBartlett at 12:31 AM 0 comments

Labels: California Trip

waiting

a post from jen's blog...

Waiting.

This is such a strange feeling.

The Waiting.

Our doctor said that we could induce on Sunday but I really want to have the baby without inducing so we canceled the induction and are waiting it out.
Could today be the day?

Each day I think that it could be the day that would change our lives forever; seeing our little girl. With help, I finished the baby quilt tonight. Now she can come. Last night, I had about 10 contractions. I knew that they weren't painful and uncomfortable enough to be the "real thing" so I didn't even wake up David. Then today went by. I have had lots of Braxton Hicks contractions but nothing big enough to get us packing and rushing to the hospital. I can't make a call to my family members without the first question they ask being "Is she here yet?" or "Are you in labor?"

David went and did some errands today and I called a couple times. Each time he answered the phone in a panicked voice. After about the third time I told him I wouldn't call anymore unless I was in labor!

So, I think we have tried all of the recipes for jump-starting labor that I have heard of. I guess now she is just going to come when she is ready. And, really, that is just fine with us.

Anniversary Trip

from jen's blog...

Anniversary Trip

David and I ventured out far from home to celebrate our one year anniversary. We went to a little island (we had to take a ferry even) of Port Aransas here in Texas. Texas has an island? Yes. David's mom and stepdad, Bob, run a fishing tournament down there every year so that was great to see all of their work and how it all came together. There were huge boats and big fish.
David almost got into a fight with an old drunk fisherman. I had my camera ready.

We went to the beach on Saturday with David's mom, Janice. It was a great time (minus David's sunburn--he never lets me put sunscreen on him). When we got home on our real anniversary date David got bit by our neighbors dog so and couldn't walk around so we are going to celebrate our real anniversary today/tonight.

Dilation Envy

a post from jen's blog...
Dilation Envy

We went to our doula's house today for the birth prep class.
The woman sitting next to me at our birthing class was dilated to 2cm and had a due date of August 24th (mine is Aug 16th). I admit, it was the first time in a long time that I felt jealous.

David and I admit that we hadn't met our daily fill of cheesy 70s movies (remember those outdated church videos?) so I'm glad we went to the class today. Five hours is a long time for some pregnant people to sit. But, thanks for the complimentary water.
We reviewed charts and signs of labor, asked questions, and then watched 2+ hours of video (from a tape...who has a VCR anymore?) on videos of real labor and births, breastfeeding, and then what to expect after the baby is born.
Informative, overall.

And, don't worry, David, I won't say anything about you falling asleep during the videos. : ) They weren't about anything you didn't already know.

(He had a very long, sleepless night at his dad's house)

Anyway, I'm really excited to meet little Olivia. I wonder what she will look like, what her personality will be like, etc. It's hard to wait.

But, I'm enjoying my sleep in the meantime.

friday night date night

a post from jen's blog...

(FNDN= Friday Night Date Night)

My best friend I went out on Friday.
He is so great about planning fun things for us to do.
Earlier in the week he surprised me with a sealed white envelope and said that inside was what we were going to do on Friday.
FUN! I love surprises!
David ended up telling me that we were heading to a musical called The Producers.

We went out to dinner, the frozen yogurt(where we met a nice couple with a two month old little girl named Lilliana and we admired their stroller), and then to the show.
We were all dressed up. David looked so handsome.
I got caught checking him out.

Thanks, Honey for such a fun night!
(We are going out a lot more lately since every date could be our last one before Olive arrives)

Let me tell you, The Producers was so embarrassingly funny.
Sometimes, I felt weird for laughing although it was meant to be funny. I get like that when I watch The Office too. So, the summary of the musical is that there is a scheme to produce a flop of a show so the producers can make money. "Springtime for Hitler" is bound to fail, right? Wrong. Auditions take place...which are hilarious. The "flop" takes place...which was hilarious. And then it doesn't flop...it is such a success that it gets great reviews and the producers are so disappointed because now they won't make the money they anticipated. In "Springtime for Hitler" there were dancing fuhrers and giant pretzel hats and a song called "Keep it Gay" (remember, we live in Montrose, the gay district of Houston) ...like I said, it was funny,
awkward funny!
I can't believe that it was written in the 1960s!

Hardly a Martha

a post from jen's blog A Joy in the Journey...

I've always loved Christmas.
It might be the lit tree or the ornate ornaments that contribute to the aesthetics of the season.
It might be the caroling and the traditions.
It might be the Christmas story.
I love the baking and the feeling in the air.
People crowd the malls and shops to procure items for their loved ones whether they've been naughty
or nice.
All I know is that as long as I can remember, I have loved Christmas time.

But, I started loving Christmas in a new way once "Homemade Christmas" was initiated.
Whether it was because of financial constraints or because of pure wisdom, I don't know to this day.
I remember giving the quilted pillow to my grandfather that he sat with years later when our family took care of him as he withered away with Parkinson's Disease. I remember the attempted cross-stitch that I gave mom in a wood frame that she still has somewhere. I remember painting something "really unique" for my brother that hung in his room for years and he recalled on a letter he wrote home from his mission. I remember the letter/poem I gave to my dad that he read when I was packing my boxes to move to Rexburg, Idaho.
This year, I loved getting a homemade photo card via email from my brother's kiddos.
It was a pleasant reminder that things that made from love mean loads.

Because of that card and those days that seem not too long ago, I love gift-giving of things hand made.
As David and I start our family, we want to cultivate the same traditions. Not just for our family, but to continue it with our nieces and nephews.

I'm hardly a Martha, but making these little gifts for my niece, Eva, was pretty fun. Eva is turning 2 and has the same birthday as my her mommy, my SIL, Marie. So, we are taking these birthdays-in-a-bag to the post office today to ship off. I hope she loves having a doll that has a matching birthday dress as much as I love the concept.

Giving homemade gifts (not just for Christmas but for birthdays too) is something that we have made a family commitment to do, whenever possible.

The tutorial and template for the Black Apple Doll can be found here.
The dress pattern was just a simple reversible bodice with a rectangular piece of fabric.

as friends would do...

a post from jen's blog A Joy in the Journey...

as friends would do...we got together.

David still has quality friendships that he has maintained from his high school days in Friendswood. Not an easy feat, I'd say. These people are living their lives and mostly live in different places from where they grew up but manage to get together every summer. They are a group of really good people. Not just grown up kids who try to force a connection. They really are friends. And, as friends would do, they keep in touch and get involved in their lives as much as possible (in a good way). Phil has slept on our couch. His kids have stayed over. Brian and Giselle are the reason we considered teaching abroad. Phillip adopted Brian's dog when they moved. Get the point? These guys and gals are close.

We all got together for some food and fun at a little Tex-Mex place. Kids were running around in the sandbox and we all had good conversations and quizzed each other about the year's happenings.

Brian trying to smile although David has him in a head lock...

Ex-cheerleaders...

The Phil and The Dave...

Dresses for Olive

from jen's blog Joy in the Journey...

Anticipating a girl gives me lots of sewing options. Too many, perhaps. So, eventually, I made the leap to make this little dress. The first time was pretty experimental. It's not perfect but it is very sweet and have little shoes that match it perfectly. I love the lime green with this color pink.

The dress came out tons better the second time around. I used some fun Amy Butler fabric coordinates (about 1/4 yard of each). The ruffle is more organized on this one and I like the finished look that the border on the bottom gives.

Here are a couple dresses that I've made for Olive in the last few days. The pattern is really simple and only takes about half an hour to sew since there are no buttonholes or snaps. There are tons of ways to embellish (which I haven't experimented with much) besides the border at the bottom of the red and blue dress. The pattern can be found here.

For those following...

from Jen's blog Joy in the Journey...

We have a meeting scheduled with a doula on Friday.
Yes, we are hippies like that.
She will help us to labor at home, know when to go to the hospital, facilitate calming exercises and active-birthing positions.
Her name is Janet and she is from England.
I can't wait to meet our Mrs.Doubtfire-doula.
I spoke with her on the phone and she sounded so sweet and calm...the type I will need.
Not that my husband or my mom won't be calm and collected (they won't!) but they won't feel like they have to be not emotionally involved.
So, a doula is the answer, I think.
We heard about her on Saturday (the day after the drop-out) when David surprised me to a trip to Amy's Ice Cream. We sat next to some outgoing ladies who asked me everything about the pregnancy and even talked about the "mucous plug" during our ice cream indulgence. I was a bit off put at first, but they were so likable that it didn't stick for long (but I'm sure my face gave it away at one point or another--I've gotta learn to hide "the faces"). So, they passed some info our way about midwives that they used and this doula they both used...Janet.
Janet was really disappointed at the fear that the birthing class teacher tried to instill in us and was happy that we are choosing to have a happy birthing experience.

Naming A Person

from jen's blog Joy in the Journey...

I never really have spoken much of how we decided that our itty-bitty would be named Olivia but it is a precious story, actually.
It happened on a Sunday.
We had done our normal weekend things like nap, shop at the open-air market, and drive around listening to our favorite playlist from our iPod in our VW.
We had a list going of our favorite names up to that point; Kate, Grant, ...
We had prayed the night before at dinner, which is something we sometimes forget to do.
David said the prayer.
Not just a blessing on the food, a not-mad-at-God sort of prayer that was sweet and simple and asking for a blessing on our family.
David and I agreed that we like feminine but strong names.
This we knew, even if we the name we did not.
I woke up from (another) afternoon nap and had the name Olivia on my mind.
I wasn't thinking of names, it just seemed like it was there for me to notice.
So, Olivia it is.
We will call her Olive. Or Liv. Or Livy. Or Libby.
Our little peaceful girl. Olivia.

birth class dropouts

a posting from jen's blog...

We were pretty pumped about going to our first childbirth prep classes on Friday but after half an hour we needed to go. The class wasn't teaching us anything we didn't know. The teacher was such a downer and didn't seem to be at all positive about any of the pregnancy experience or delivery. I was totally in agreement with David when he asked if we could leave yet. It was that miserable. We are calling the midwifery group on Monday.

David was adorable and made Olive and me each a name tag.

With our Friday Night Date Night wide open, we headed to the River Oaks Theatre (a cool old theatre) and went to see Away We Go...
about a couple in their thirties who are having a baby and trying to find direction and a place of their own in this world. We just gave each other glances in the theatre since the movie seemed like the Dave and Jen story of the year.

Both experiences were eye-opening and at the end of the day we had a good laugh about the unfolding of the events. : () We are stoked about being parents, even if we are hippy-ish in our methods of giving birth and don't have a house yet. We are happy and couldn't be more ecstatic for our little Olive to join the family.

pardon me?

posted on jen's blog...

Pardon me?

As some of you may have read, it was a pretty funny experience getting our ultrasound pictures done. We went two previous times and didn't even get to see the doctor because of one thing or another. The third time, we got in. We were moved to the front of the line (of about 60 women) and David was ordered to push against the door because people would keep trying to open it. Really? We thought the doctor was joking. At about time number 6 that the door was opened I yelled, "Shut the door!"...We hadn't found out yet if it was a boy or girl. It was kind of confusing. Our doctor was trying to translate but we were trying to guess.

The doctor went through every body part before even mentioning the gender. We are having a healthy baby!

We saw the crossed little legs.

We saw the fast-beating miniature heart.

We saw the hands moving abruptly.

We saw the head and the eyes.

The doctor said SHE has David's head, but my "look".

Our favorite part was when the doctor assured us that I "had no pennies in the wound." I didn't know I had a wound. I wasn't expecting pennies. What? We both had confused looks on our faces. He repeated. We produced the same baffled look. Glancing toward our doctor, who at first looked at us with the expectation that we understood, repeated, "you have no pennies in your wound"...but said it a little louder than the doctor did. Turning up the volume always works on the foreigners, they thought. Then, almost simultaneously, we got it. It was that "aha" moment that can almost be detected.

He meant "There's no penis in the womb". It seemed like we were in there forever. At the end of the 3 minutes that colored our world pink, we walked out happily and with our heads spinning about what it means to have a baby girl.
By the time we got to the car, David had already cursed the guys she would date, mentioned wedding amounts and college tuition costs and managed to produce our list of "girl names" we had talked about over the last 5 months.

We are both very excited.

Although, hold your horses.

This IS Central Asia.

Nothing here is high-tech.

It could be a boy.

As mentioned, our "little lady" had her legs crossed.

I may have "pennies in my wound" afterall.

We'll see in August, for sure.

But it is pretty fun to ponder and plan in pink.

Posted by JenBartlett at 12:01 AM 0 comments

dear baby

from jen's blog...

Dear Baby

Meet Mr. Winnington. This is the bunny I made for you, our baby. He has a heart inside of him to make him real. He is hand sewn with love and stuffed with wool that we bought here in Kyrgyzstan at the bazaar. I altered the pattern a bit so your little hands could hold it when you needed consoling that only Mr. Winnington can do. Love, Mommy

joy in the journey... not your average story time

Dave came in my class today. It's something about working with him that I love. The 5 year olds pretty much attack him to get hugs and attention from him. After we were done with our activities, my husband read some poems to the class and then he started storytelling.

It started out, "There once was a 5 year old named Mrs. Conover..."
Somewhere in the middle he introduced Belinda the Booger Fairy...
And ending with..."Pick your noses, put your little guy under your pillow and when you wake up you'll have a surprise in its place left by the Booger Fairy..."

Kids looked at me for approval. Shaking my head along the way, the kids still listened with more interest than I had seen in their eyes all day. I just hope I don't have parents calling me about the Booger Fairy story.
Dave admitted he has some work to do in the improvisation arena. Ya think?

joy in the journey... pitter patter of a little heart!

This past week was one of lots of goodbyes, again. In Houston, we had some good company and some much needed family time. David's dad got a good prognosis about the success of radiation which prefaced the uplifting week ahead. I got some sewing done for our little "Apple" Conover. We still do not know if it's a boy or a girl, but we made a dress for David's hope that it is a girl. If baby isn't a girl, then we have a cute dress for the next little one.

We saw the heartbeat again. This time, Baby looked more liked a baby. We saw the head, the arms, and the legs. Boy, was that baby moving around a lot! I got kind of nervous when the dr said the heartbeat was going a little too fast. She suggested getting blood drawn to test for thyroid problems. So, we will find out next week, but our really great dr said it will most likely come out fine and if it doesn't then I will start on some medication.

We are currently in the Chicago O'Hare Airport where we will catch our flight to Istanbul and then on to Bishkek.