Some pics of the new digs

We're moved out of Severn and into Pasadena! Some (not great) pictures of the new place follow:

Living Room



























Loo






















Laundry Room





















No pictures of the nursery yet, but we're going to IKEA to get the crib TODAY! Housewarming party set to occur this afternoon. School is out for both of us now, and summer is holding out her hands to us. "Do you always wait for the longest day of the year and then miss it? I always wait for the longest day of the year and then miss it."
-Daisy Buchanan

34 4/7 Weeks

Just thought I'd let you know we're alive and well at nearly 35 weeks along. We've just moved and we're MASSIVELY busy cleaning and arranging and all. But thriving! Pictures and leisure time are coming soon!

News from Lake Wobegon

With about 8.5 weeks to go, we have done what I thought was impossible. We have traded in our old dilapidated addled-wagon cars for a brand new one and transferred insurance AND we have obtained an apartment, signed the lease and everything. We move in on the 30 of May. We are so grateful to God and all his angels for arranging this for us! I was really discouraged there for a while... to say the least.

The car is a 2009 (yes, brand new) Nissan Versa and it will fit our lives perfectly and we only need one, for our new lifestyle. Isn't it pretty?

The apartment is in Pasadena, which is, interestingly, in the same neighborhood my current job. I'll have to be REALLY careful to avoid high school hotspots in the area... But it's about 20 minutes' commute for Jon, which is better than many apartments we looked at, and it's SO pretty inside! 2 bedrooms, Pergo floors in the living room, tile in kitchen and MUDROOM (very small) for our FULL SIZE washer and dryer. Vanity. Beautiul bathroom. bigger kitchen with PANTRY. Pretty paint and NEW carpet in bedrooms. Just, aesthetically, a HUGE improvement over this place which will be IMPORTANT as I'll be spending a lot of time in the house next year, at all hours of the day and night... We'll post pictures once we've moved. Look for those in early June.

We've now had two showers (thanks Annapolis Area Christian School!!!) and a generous gift from my English department, so this baby will have all the furniture and clothes that it needs; again, once we're all good and moved, I'll post pictures of nursery. I'm VASTLY looking forward to the end of the school year when all I'll have to do is arrange the logistic for our new lifestyle and NEST in our new flat.

We went to a three-year-old's birthday party this weekend! Got to visit with Baby Scarlett Barschinger and formerly Baby J, now toddler Jeremiah... time flies. Check me out with Alissa and Marijke:

And below, I close with a shot of Jon, practicing...

April Showers

They used to dress us alike as children, too.

We had such full hearts as we returned from our shower last weekend. Everybody's enthusiasm for us and good wishes and love and generous gifts.... made us feel really supported. And what a trip to be side by side with my cousin, sharing this experience as we've shared SO many of life's other big moments. We had a shared graduation too... This is a generous gift from God to be together in this, too.

We now have a STACK of baby items and are starting to believe we might actually be ready when Toodles comes :-)

Sadly, we are not yet there. Adding to our list of finishing the school year, finding a new apartment and moving, we now have decided that we really need to just get a car that works. We have had no end of drama trying to keep up with the chronic complains of the Corolla, and the Taurus has recently broken down.... we cannot be doing this drama next year. It's a hard call to make, but we've recently decided to trade them both in this month and get a new hatchback of some kind. Pray for us; we think this must and can happen, but it does add a lot to our to-do list.

We currently have two housing "irons in the fire." We hope to hear something more about both of them this next week. We're hopeful, but wary. This has been a three month endeavor that I'm really getting anxious to have settled.

This next Friday, May 1, is our 30 week midwife appointment, which will mean 10 weeks (approximately) remain to... get a lot of things settled. Please keep us in your prayers! We'll keep you updated.

...7 Weeks Later (sorry everyone)

27 weeks everyone, here I am...

Sorry to be such a bummer. There really has been PLENTY going on, but for various reasons, I haven't been posting. For one thing, our camera was left behind a few weeks ago when we visited some friends. They very kindly posted it to us last week. For another... I like to post when I have good news, or at least, concrete, solid, factual news. There hasn't been a ton of either, lately. Here is what I can share now:

We are almost certainly staying in MD next year. (Almost). Therefore, we have been looking high and low for suitable housing. This place is a bit expensive for the lifestyle change we're hoping to make. I'm really planning to do only part-time work next year so that I don't perish trying to do something I believe is impossible: teach high school and have an infant. I'm pretty tough, but I'm convinced that would be beyond my scope. I am planning instead to try to do tutoring/home-teaching only a few hours a week, when Jon's able to be home with Toodles.

So, we search for a new place for when our lease runs out this June. It's tricky, because most craigslist deals are made last minute, and if you know me... well, I don't really DO last minute, especially with a baby on the way. So I've had to deliberately sit on my hands lately and try not to panic when we lose an apartment or when we don't have any leads for a few days... We're hoping to move in June to save money (though we wouldn't mind improved carpeting or something). Lately I get excited about a new lead about every week only to lose it (we can't rent till June) or find it profoundly unsuitable in some way. This is a bit of an emotional roller-coaster, and probably would be even if wicked powerful hormones WEREN'T already coursing through my body.

In other news, we recently celebrated our 3 year anniversary with a trip to Williamsburg and Jamestown. I took very few pictures. I seem to have a lot of pictures on my camera from past trips and mini-breaks and I no longer value the pictures at all; they're just taking up space. Suffice to say, Willamsburg is amazing (you should ALL go), and Virginia has an ideal climate exactly one month a year: this one. They do crap winters, falls and summers down here, but spring is a big dollop of good Karma. Lovely lovely lovely!!

I'm also really looking forward to next weekend's trip to the ROC to be showered and to shower my cousin who, for the first time in our lives, I expect to find bigger than I am (though I doubt very much she will be any heavier). We shall see :-)

I've had two flus and some rough patches dealing with Change and the Unknown since I last posted, but spring is here and everything is picking up pace... I am 9 weeks from the end of the school year, 8 weeks from moving, 13 weeks from Toodles' due date... Toodles, by the way, has developed elbows and knees. I can tell you empirically.

Finally, here are some shots from our trip about a month ago to see the Barschingers and their new daughter, Scarlett. I look TERRIBLE, I know; I was on my way down with the first bug. However: Scarlett. is. an. angel. Here is some Marijke and Jeremiah Sutter, too:

So here we are, half way through. February has been a lovely slow-paced month. Next month the pace should be picking up considerably as our plans... progress.

Toodles has arms and legs and feet, and toes. And a face. See? He was pretty much uncooperative during the ultrasound; mostly had hands and feet in front of face (baby will be yoga gymnast genius, like mom). Now, of course, I'm being kicked within an inch of my life (hyperbole. I don't really mind).

Older Belly Pics

Hi everyone,

So I'm pretty much rubbish at keeping this blog up, as I knew I would be. Here are some old pictures of my belly (at 17 weeks), soon to be followed by more this weekend as this Friday marks the 20 week mark. Halfway there! Unbelievable... you'd think I'd be used to it by now. Instead, I keep looking at Jon and saying wonderingly, "Huh. Looks like we're having a baby." I began to be sensible that Tootles was kicking me just after 17 weeks and he's been steadily getting stronger and more frequent. I'm not sure this child will sleep quite as much as might be desired when he is born...

We should also have some new pictures of Tootles because we're getting our anatomy scan ultrasound on Friday. Jon will be able to see his child for the first time; he's already felt him kick several times. We decided it compares to guppies in a plastic bag, sensation-wise. Pretty awesome guppies.

We are still waiting to know where we will be next year... I'm anxious to begin Planning Ahead, of course. I'm becoming a student of Serenity. Yoga is a wonderful thing.