Lizard Invasion!

Did you know lizards can hiss? Leopard geckos can. How do I know this? Because WE HAD ONE IN OUR HOUSE. It was so scary (to me) it was ridiculous. I caught it behind the garbage can, it hissed at our dog Stanley, then it ran under the fridge, where I thought I was doing a pretty good job of a stakeout until Charlie came home, moved the fridge, and it was nowhere to be found. Until the next morning when we found it in the dining room and finally asked it to leave. The funny thing is, my description of the lizard to Charlie was something like this: "Well, it looked almost like a turtle, with a round body and a short tail... what could it be??" Apparently I would not make a good eyewitness because after we took it outside, we took a picture of it.



It is not a turtle. It just lost its tail.

Since then, we have caught another small lizard. We think they come in the garage when the door opens, and then when we open the door to the house, they are poised and ready for their day at the spa. (Don't you think that's what it must feel like for them to be in air conditioning?)

Baby Shower

I had a somewhat-early baby shower given by family and friends in June - the date kept getting pushed up because everyone was going to be on vacation or moving in July! However, I did not mind at all, because I got to see almost everyone and also I was not too large for people to look at yet. Ha. These pictures area all from other nice people who sent them to me, because I didn't take a single picture all weekend, despite having my family here from out of town.

As I look at these pictures again, I am realizing two common themes.

1: The hand on the belly pose
2: I am not looking at the camera






So fun! I want to do it again!

The Wild Side

So this morning I was taking Stanley for a walk before my water aerobics class (it is the best exercise ever and so fun and refreshing) and we were walking by a house that has see-through backyard fence. Background: they have 3 yappy dogs that bark constantly, and they even have this high-pitched alarm that goes off when they bark - I guess to try to get them to stop, but it never seems to work. But we love walking that way anyway because it is so nice and shady.

Anyway, we walk by their house, the dogs start barking, the alarm goes off, and then this incredibly loud screeching begins. I think to myself, "Wow, they got a new alarm sound." Then I look up and see a very realistic owl attached to the top of the fence. I think to myself again, "Wow, they really invested in a realistic alarm." Then before I can realize what is happening, the owl starts FLYING, circling just above Stanley. In about .05 seconds I have this discussion with myself:

"Self, do owls eat dogs?"
"Well, I'm not sure."
"I think they might eat something like small rodents."
"I think you are overreacting. Maybe you should just relax and keep going."
"The owl is still circling. Pick up the dog."

Hah! So I picked Stanley up and walked away from the house. As we were walking along the street, a large dog started barking from another house. When I looked up, the entire front half of the dog was over the fence. What is going on today??

As I walk the other direction back home, I look back to make sure Stanley is not being selected again by Mr. or Mrs. Owl for dinner and I see off in the distance beside the canal (we live kind of next to a canal) 5 or 6 little figures. Then I realize they are baby owls!! I think they are adorable of course, and so I no longer fear their mother. Or maybe Stanley was going to be their dinner. We will never know.

Being Productive

This was the back of Charlie's trailblazer after our Saturday shopping extravaganza to IKEA, Babies R Us, Home Depot, Staples, Target, and Costco. It was actually really fun to go to that many stores in a row, and it just got more and more funny as the boxes piled up in the car. Then later this weekend, Charlie's parents came over and helped us install a ceiling fan, paint the baby's room, and put together a filing cabinet. Then Charlie and I put together the crib and IKEA furniture for the entertainment center. It seems impossible the amount of things we got done.



Me at 23 weeks! Things are going great; it is getting harder to keep up physically at work, as I feel tired way faster after bending over/jumping/walking backwards/running/playing the guitar while walking backwards all day during my clients' music therapy sessions. Sometimes I think I must have one of the most interesting jobs physically. I kind of wish for the next few months I could have a job where I just sit down and stand up, haha. I am starting a water aerobics class on Wednesday morning so that should be fun or relaxing (hopefully?) or at least entertaining. Also, our Bradley birth classes are starting this Friday, which I cannot wait for!

We went to the Olive Mill with our friends on Saturday night and it was just gorgeous weather. We ate in the olive grove with the twinkle lights and semi-live music. So relaxing. Now back to the workweek!

Baby Girl!!!

On Cinco de Mayo we went for our 20 week ultrasound thinking we would see a little boy on the screen. At 12 weeks, they had hinted that they thought it was a boy. Well, apparently that is way too early to tell anything for sure, because it turns out we are having a little girl!!!

Charlie's face was priceless - he was pretty shocked. Actually, so was I, but I reacted by crying (no surprise). :-) We are so happy and excited, and we are gradually wrapping our brains around the idea that a little lady will be coming to meet us in 4 months. And it's going to be a long 4 months. I just hope I am not too complainey about being super pregnant in 120 degrees. Things could be worse, right?



This is a picture of me at 20 weeks. It is getting harder to take a picture of myself in the mirror, because I always take it right before I leave for work, and our little dog Stanley starts freaking out (aka jumping like a circus dog) and wants me to pick him up. As a result, the pictures are looking pretty blurry these days. As you can see, he made it into this picture!



Then last weekend, I went hiking for 2 hours with my parents in the desert of Picacho Peak. We have this picture from when I was 4 or 5, posing with my dad, wearing his hat in a lovely background there, and we were on a quest to find it. This quest took us off the beaten path. To be exact, we were hiking in spots where a pregnant lady should probably not be going. But we had plenty of water, and I packed a big picnic lunch, so after a 2 hour nap later, I felt slightly recovered!



We also had a nice Mother's Day lunch with both our families. I'm not sure if this one counts for me, since I have not been slaving away taking care of a baby, but it felt special anyway. :-)

Seattle!

We had a great time in Seattle! We had never been before. It was about 40 degrees cooler than Phoenix the whole time we were there. Loved it!


At the Experience Music Project. This actually plays music in addition to looking very cool. We were there for about 6 days and we saw so much it is hard to remember all that we did. We went to the Underground, the Aquarium, the Science Center, the EMP, the Space Needle, Pike Place Market, the waterfront, Bainbridge Island, the Locks Cruise, and lots of yummy restaurants. Fish, mmm. But even with all that fun it was a very relaxing trip, which we wanted. We loved that our hotel had this shuttle that would take you places for free. We did a ton of walking, and uphill walking, so I feel like we got pretty good exercise too.




Lovely pic of a lighthouse with Mt. Ranier in the background. Our camera was running out of batteries so we had to ration our pictures - just like the old days of actual camera film! It's hard to remember, ha.


There was a Star Wars exhibit so this is Charlie with the real Darth Vader suit!


At the science center, they had a table and chairs that would make you feel small. I love giant things so of course I loved this.


Two days til we find out the gender of our little baby!!

Spring Fun

Stanley got a haircut! He still has ears, don't worry, I guess he was just holding them back in this picture. His ears are very expressive, kind of like a cartoon character. He is hard to take pictures of now, because he is wary of the camera whenever I get it out.



I planted flowers and herbs and pretended to be a gardener for a day! We made fresh pesto from the basil plant because it grows so fast. It makes me feel a little better that the plants are doing so well here, because I tried several times when we lived in Colorado and nothing ever lasted long.

I have always wanted flower boxes on our balcony, so I got these from Home Depot before I realized that our balcony gets maybe 5 minutes of sun a day, which is not good for the flowers I picked. So now the flower boxes are hanging off the railing on our front porch, and I am wondering if next year I can find flowers that don't need sun. Do those exist? Would they be some exotic rainforest flower or something? Ha.

In baby news, our little mystery baby is growing nicely, I suppose - since I have absolutely nothing to compare this to, and my midwife says everything is going well. Yes, I am seeing a midwife. I am not going to have my baby at home though!! Much safer at the hospital. I go to this practice where there are about 7 doctors and two midwives, and they tell you that you get more time to ask questions and such if you see the midwife. And then if they attend your birth, they stay with you throughout the whole labor. Which sounds nice to me because I have absolutely no idea how to give birth. Obviously.

I have only seen her once, and they took me to this special room that was like having a doctor's appointment in Pier One. Mood lighting, art, furniture, decorative pillows, a fountain (ok, there was no fountain, I am kidding). Next time when I go back (on Cinco de Mayo!) we will find out for sure if it is a boy or girl. :-) I can't wait!!