postponed

I guess it's a busy day for the Labor and Delivery ward at our hospital. Our induction has been postponed until tomorrow. Stay tuned.

not sleeping

I haven't been sleeping well lately for obvious reasons (to top it off I caught a cold last week). Tonight I'm not sleeping for different reasons. I'm just too anxious, oh and those silly little contractions make it tough too. It's the anxious excited feeling you get the night before your wedding or a big exciting vacation. Maybe the same as the night before the first day of school every year in grade school. Or if you're really weird, like me, it's like the night before swimming lessons started in the 4th grade. Anyhow, I'm just tossing and turning thinking about how it would be really great if I can get a good night's sleep the day before I give birth for the second time. Oh well, I hope the adrenalin kicks in later.

I'm ready for the labor and delivery part to start and then end so I can hold my little Bella in my arms. I already have an incredibly intense feeling of not wanting to let her out of my arms or sight. She's going to be beautiful and perfect and I just can't wait. Tonight as I was saying goodnight to Addie, I told her for the one hundredth time that tomorrow baby Bella is coming. She immediately told me we were going to greet her with "hugs", and "kisses", and we will "rock her". I can't wait for the sisters to meet. As a mom I'm excited about introducing my two little girls to one another. Sisters have such a special friendship and bond throughout life and it will be great to be present for the start of this great relationship in my daughters.

Justin was worried he wouldn't sleep either. Right now he's definitely sound asleep dreaming about the zombies in World War Z: An Oral History of the Zombie War by Max Brooks, which he's reading. I know this because zombie dreams and my husband go hand in hand. I am going to go slip in bed beside him and try to get some shut eye before the alarm goes off and we are off to the hospital.

dinner party

My cousins generously invited us over for a dinner party for family tonight. Besides dinner, it was nice to get Addie and Emme together to play. The adults were treated to BBQ, wine, and beer. The wine was very tempting this late in the game (but I probably would have had two sips and been babbling senselessly though so I stuck to soda). It was fun to see the girls together. They played really well this time. Emme's older brother was a big help entertaining the girls. He was a little irritated that they were stealing the center of attention though. We caught Addie with their cat's tail in her hands twice tonight. She's simply in love with Mara. Justin was on Addie duty the entire evening so I got some nice adult conversation time with my aunt, cousin, and Mom. It was a really wonderful evening. Hearing every one's well wishes for Tuesday is getting me pumped for Bella's birth. I surprised at how calm I feel about it seeing as it's only a day away!

3 days

Only three days until Bella arrives! We had a doctors appointment today and I'm 3 cm dilated now. The doctor scheduled my induction for Tuesday, April 28th. Unless she decides to arrive early (good chance now that we've made plans for Saturday, Sunday, and Monday), Arabella Jun will be arriving sometime on April 28th. We are so excited. I can't wait to hold this little girl in my arms and fall in love with her at first sight. Addie is loving all the uninterrupted Daddy time. She came with us to the doctor's appointment and was pretty interested in the baby's heartbeat and the nurse's call button. She got weighed on the scale and sat with me on the exam table. Then it was off to Kid's Club for some serious indoor playground time with Daddy. This afternoon they spent two hours outside. Addie showed Justin all the bug hiding placed in the yard. There wasn't a stone unturned. She finished off the day with butterscotch pudding. It doesn't get much better for a two year old than that.

It was an unexpected beautiful day here. 60 degrees and sunny. The trees are blooming in my parent's yard.

if you're happy and you know it...

...shout hurray! This is the song we sang yesterday evening while Addie ran around outside in the 83 degree weather barefoot. She was so thrilled to have her shoes off outside. She kept looking at me like she was getting away with something and she couldn't believe I wasn't making her put her shoes back on. It was pretty cute. Her first steps in the grass barefoot brought so much joy to her eyes.

Daddy's here

This morning when Addie was snuggling in bed with me I reminded her that we were going to see Daddy today and she said "hugs" and reached her arms out wide. She also said "miss you". I have been prepping her that when Daddy comes we are going to give him big hugs. I never mentioned that we were going to say we missed him, she just decided that on her own. She's in Daddy bliss right now. We picked Justin up at the airport and Daddy and daughter got reacquainted on the ride to my parent's house. We are both so glad Justin is here!

Heathman tea

Saturday, my Mom treated my sister Emily and I to high tea at the Heathman hotel in downtown Portland for my birthday. It's the first thing I have done without my daughter since we've arrived in Washington. Grandpa had babysitting duty and I felt like a free woman for two hours. It was wonderful. We all got to catch up on Emily and my adventures in life. The tea and the food was delicious. The scones with mascarpone cheese and homemade marshmallows were amazing. We sat in a quiet but beautifully decorated room and enjoyed the afternoon. It was the most civilized thing we have done, probably ever. We even put on some pretty jewelry for the occasion. It was the best time I've had in a long time.

38 weeks

There is a serious count down to Arabella's arrival going on right now. Even more of a count down until Justin arrives on Wednesday morning. I will feel so relieved when he gets here. Right now I am doing my best to keep my legs closed and not walk too much (pleading with Bella to stay put has been occurring too). Every evening I am sore from the pummeling that Bella inflicts on me from the inside. Justin can't get here any faster! Bella's waiting for her Daddy but she's not going to wait much longer. Her arrival feels eminent.

frog hunt

On Friday my Dad, Adelaide, and I braved the light rain and spent some time outdoors. After hearing a loud "ribbit" we were on a serious frog hunt. Every time we got close to the bushes the frog would stop making noise and we'd have to wait and search. Addie got a kick out of looking for the froggy. Finally Grandpa caught the little tree frog in his hands. She was pretty excited to see a real frog, although I think the real thing wasn't quite what she was expecting to see. Addie now imitates the frog; hopping around the yard. She still looks in the bushes every time we are outside.

playgrounds

Since being in Washington Addie has visited 5 different playgrounds so far. Every one of them have been new and exciting for Addie. The slide and the swing are her favorite parts. I feel like I'm on a playground tour of Vancouver, WA. This playground is literally less than a block from my parents house at a local church and I felt like Bella was going to fall out after the short walk. There were some beautiful trees in full bloom on the way though.

girls

This is why I love having a daughter. Baby doll had to have a coat on too so I pulled one out of the drawer of Bella's clothes. The sun hat is Bella's as well.

looking for kitties

Today (again) was a no nap day because we made a trip out and on the way home Addie fell asleep in the car. It always tricks her into thinking she's rested and won't fall asleep for a nap. Total bummer. Anyway, we sat at the window for quite some time looking for kitty cats this afternoon. We never saw any but Addie didn't seem to care.

all in a days work

My Dad's work schedule allows him to hang out with Addie and I in the mornings before he goes to work. He always says he'd rather be at home with us than at work. Who wouldn't when you get to play with Playdough and bubbles? Addie's always bummed when Grandpa has to leave for work. Then she's happy when Grandma comes home from work in the afternoon. It's been a constant rotation of playmates.

The Temples of Angkor Wat and Angkor Tom, Episode III

I'm going to try and make this my last post, so I'm just cutting to some of my favorite pictures from the trip. The rest will be in my forthcoming book "I'm Okay, Euro-k: Travels".

This is my favorite picture from the trip because it makes me think I could one day quit my job and become a National Geographic photographer. Seated there is one of the monks praying in another of the temples we visited. I couldn't understand her but I think she was trying to tell me she had been there since the temple opened in 1163, or asking if I knew whether or not the Stones were still touring. It was hot, and I don't speak Khmer. Regardless, I thought it was a good picture.

Come on- tell me that's not cool.

As I approached this temple I was worried I was going to have to do more climbing; Buddha smiled upon me and made sure it was closed for tourists.

I wasn't sure if it was there, but I was ready to stay all day to find the Khmer treasure.

Boy was I surprised when Sara and Addie showed up! On the tuk tuk ride between temples, there was a clearing where monkeys could be fed. I almost jumped out of the tuk tuk to go do it. I fed a monkey one banana- that little monkey took it right out of my hand.

That's Angkor Wat proper- it was as crowded as the mall on the day after Thanksgiving. After spending the majority of the day at quieter spots, this one was kind of ruined by the fact that there were a gajillion people there. It was still cool to see but it would have been much more impressive before/after the crowds.

One thing I've learned living in the Philippines and traveling in SE Asia is that Asians really like to pose for pictures- as if they're all sitting for fashion shoots. Rarely do I see a "Say Cheese" type picture; it's more synchronized jumps and Blue Steel or Le Tigre. Maybe it was the heat, but we felt like we needed to join in.

This is a little more our speed:

All in all, it was a trip well worth taking. Good food, friends, and culture can't be beat.

That being said, I've got a trip I'm looking forward to far more than my journey to Angkor Wat- the one that'll get me back to this:

The Temples of Angkor Wat and Angkor Tom, Episode II

Who's ready to get stoned? Get it? Because the temples are made of...never mind. A few more pictures from my trip to Cambodia, and then I'll turn it back over to pictures of the prettiest little girl I know.

At each temple, the Cambodians had set up stalls selling souvenirs and drinks. At first it was a lot of fun to take a look at the different stuff they weren't selling at the night markets. The kids working the stands also had standard approaches to sucker me in. My favorite was the kids who recognized me as an American; here's how that went:

"Where you from?"

"USA"

"Capitol Washington D.C.! What state you from?"

"Murland"

"Capitol Annapolis!"

Now there are a lot of people from Murland that don't know that much, so of course I had to buy something from them (a rubbing of one of the temple carvings). Little did I know that every temple had kids pulling this trick. It was neat the first couple of times, but then it got reeeeeeeeal old. So old that I found myself making up states so that they wouldn't be able to seal the deal. Nobody knew the capital of Massatucky (Franksington).

The picture above doesn't capture how steep the stairs for this temple are, nor does it give an impression of how high it is. This bad boy is almost a straight shot up from the ground to the three structures at the top. As most of you know, I'm not the biggest fan of heights, but I figured since it'd be a long time until I found my way back to Cambodia I'd best climb on up.

Vertigo starting...now. No offense Mom, you never would have stood a chance on this one.

That's a picture of me looking down the FIRST flight of stairs. The Khmer might have been brilliant but they sure as hell didn't care a lick about the American with Disabilities Act. It was a tough climb physically, but well worth it. The structures at the top still functioned as active temples:

I was greeted by this Buddha...and another kid asking me what state I was from. I made it to the top, contemplated the likelihood that I would be able let go of my earthly desires and achieve nirvana, ate a CLIF Bar, and took some pictures.

double load

Justin will be mad when he sees this picture so I'm ready for his wrath. I'll preface it by saying that I don't pick-up Addie unless necessary now and was feeling extra sprightly for some reason. This lasted all of 10 seconds; just enough time for Grandma to snap a picture.

Arabella is growing a ton right now but I'm still measuring the same as I did at 36 weeks. The doctor said I've reached my maximum stretching size. Since my belly will not stretch further, Bella just gets to fill out the space inside. Boy is she! Justin arrives in just 9 days and then we may be in the running for an induction the week of April 27-May 1. Very exciting!