A Day At The Rodeo

Ever been to a rodeo? People are always surprised when they find out I like to watch bullriding (though I don't really give out this information). It's quite entertaining. When you watch it on TV, you learn about the rider -- his skills, past performance, etc. You also learn about the bull, which way it tends to turn and its past performance. Put them together and it's unpredictable. It's exciting when they make it to the coveted 8 seconds. It's stressful when they fall off in the bull's path or when one of their limbs gets stuck on the bull. Maybe my fascination is in part due to wondering why on earth anyone would want to ride on such a massive and untamed animal.

The rodeo came to Rancho Mission Viejo which is not far from where we live. When we stepped onto the fair ground, it no longer felt like Orange County. Almost everyone was in a cowboy hat and boots -- including Derek (no hat, just the boots). We watched the bucking broncos, steer wrestling (the least favorite of mine), and of course, the bullriding.

Don't knock it 'til you've tried it. ;)








- Lena

A Good Laugh

I had such a good laugh today. I haven't had one of those in awhile. We were at the most unexpected place for a gut wrenching laugh -- the Maternity Open House for Mission Hospital.

It was a pretty nice Open House. They had finger sandwiches, fancy desserts, fruit, lemonade and coffee. They also had a bunch of vendors that donated prizes for a raffle. As we sat through the program, we heard about the hopsital's offerings, capabilities, and got a virtual tour of the maternity ward...blah, blah, blah.

While sitting through the presentation, Derek's friend was also at a maternity-related meeting, but his was about breastfeeding. He was hurting. As his text messages indicated, he could use a little sympathy and Daddy-to-be support. Derek dutifully answered the call to encourage by responding with text messages of how great of a time we were having. Derek told him about the great food and "game" we were playing -- Wheel of Mission Hospital (aka a raffle in a Wheel of Fortune format). It was hilarious. Then we actually won a prize... a $25 gift certificate to Super Suppers! To pour salt on the wound, and to make his point, Derek sent the picture below to his friend. Look what a great time Derek is having! We were laughing so hard after we took that photo. Derek was in tears.

Non-baby talk

So I've been meeting more and more neighbors the past week. The couple that lived across the stairs moved out a week and a half ago. They knew most people in our neck of the complex. I was going to ride their coattails to meet folks... but I've been getting opportunities of my own.

• There's Jersey downstairs who lives with his mom. He's a young guy who dresses gothic. He actually stopped to talk recently. So we're making progress.
• Then there's another neighbor with whom I had my first conversation where he was sober and without beer in his hand. He may be getting a full-time job as on-site maintenance guy at a 250 apt complex in Santa Ana. He's been working random construction jobs the past 2.5 years so long as they are near the train stops and within one bus ride (He had one too many DUI's and had license revoked... he may get it back early though). He lives with his girlfriend. His son Johnny (from previous marriage) visits every so often.
• Dennis lives downstairs from John. He's divorced and his daughter lives with him and his dog Nacho.
• Just met Daniel who has divorced for quite some time. His daughter just turned 18 and has a new apt in Riverside. His 20-yr old son Ryan lives with him. Daniel works at local motorcycle dealership and often commutes on his dual-sport motorcycle. He opened up to me pretty quickly about his dating woes. He's a pretty mellow guy.
• Also just met Jordan down the way. He has a SV650 motorcycle and a nice mountain bike.
  
• Finally, there is Cooper. Nice guy who lives a couple of doors down. He's got a familiar looking face... it may be because he is in a Cox Communications commercial. Ha!

Anyhow, this past Friday I was asking John about the local bike paths. Since he doesn't drive, he bikes often. I was looking for a connection from a path out of our complex up to a trail that eventually goes the ocean. At any rate, John refers me to Cooper. Cooper encourages me to get on my bike right now so he can show me the trail. Well after we started out, I realize that he's taking me on a mountain bike trail instead. I don't have a mountain bike. I don't have a street bicycle either... I guess it's a hybrid. Sits like a mountain bike, but doesn't have shocks or the big nobby tires. It's good on the paved and well-packed dirt bicycle trails.

I had a blast. It wasn't too treacherous... no dodging branches along the trail or any crazy inclines/declines. But it was thrilling with the speed and lack of definitive traction. It was a good workout.

I saw Cooper as I was returning from my instigated conversation with Daniel. Cooper said, "get ready and we'll go riding again." So I did. I was a little more comfortable this time and made mental notes of the path and turns so that I could do it again in his absence. Hoping to ride with co-worker Leo on occasion.

I may just suspend my gym membership (which I basically got for racquetball use... but since Bob moved out of state, I haven't really played). =)

Looking forward to seeing where these relationships go.

Daddy feels baby girl's kicks for the first time!

Woo hoo! I finally felt our baby girl kicking. Three times in fact I felt a kick while I was reading to her. It was the first time I read to her... maybe I need to read to her more often. =)

There is a background to this. For the past several weeks Lena has felt the baby girl kicking and has tried to help me feel her, too. All the physical, emotional, and hormonal changes only she has experienced has left me feeling a bit like an outsider. So I thought Lena was making things up to get me more interested in the pregnancy. Countless times she'd call me in the garage, from the shower, out of deep sleep (okay, I'm utilizing my creative license on those)... or just have me place my hand on her belly while sitting next to her to feel the baby kick. Not once did I feel anything. Now that I think about it, maybe my baby girl was playing tricks on me and not her mother. So, Lena, sorry for implying you have been lying about feeling our baby girl kick. =)

a day at the oc fair

The pictures say it all!

I ate some crow pie at the OC Fair on Sunday

Yeah, there was plenty of other foods offered there (of which I think photos will be forthcoming), but the main thing I ate was a slice of humble pie.

We went with Herb and Tammy from our small group. I have been saying that I will not buy clothes for the baby (nor too many toys) for quite some time. It's not that I'm not generous, I'm certain that I will be. Perhaps to a fault so I'm mentally trying to stave that overspending now. But I also have a practical side of me that says the baby girl will not remember whether or not she rotated through two weeks of outfits as a a child or if she had a different outfit for the first 365 days of her life. And I don't what to be relegated to driving an SUV because of the baby toys we need to haul each time we go somewhere.

Anyhow, I was the first to cave in and it happened at the OC Fair of all places. I bought my first baby outfit. Here are a couple of photos.

By the way, the rest of the food at the fair was better. Not the same having to drive and park at the fair as walking down the alley back in the days of youth at the county fair in Reynolds, Indiana.

Happy Birthday Jessi

Jessi turned 1 on July 29!

We're Halfway There!

I can't believe our pregnancy is half over. Today the baby is 20-weeks old.

Here are the stats for a typical 20-week old fetus:
Weight: 10 1/2 oz
Length from head to bottom: 6 1/2 inches
Length from head to heel: 10 inches, the length of a banana

She's definitely getting stronger by the day. At 18 1/2 weeks, I started feeling little pokes. I now feel stronger pokes and her moving around. I can feel her throughout the day -- I love it! I can't wait until Derek can feel her from the outside.

People are starting to tell me that I'm showing. I grew out of my regular clothes a long time ago, but I guess I'm finally looking pregnant.

Though I'm super excited about our baby, my heart is heavy for others. We heard of one whose pregnancy just ended at 17-weeks and another who is currently in the hospital, trying to keep their 24-week old twin babies in the womb. I guess we're never in the "safe" zone and every day is a gift. This whole process is truly a miracle and all in God's hands.

- Lena

We had our 19-week ultrasound and discovered...

that our baby is shy and non-photogenic. Hands in front of the face and not turning for good photo shots. Here is the ultrasound scan to see if YOU can tell the gender of our baby. =)



Here are two profile pics. The first is the baby facing down, the second is the baby facing up (click photos to enlarge).



The doctor took a lot of measurements (e.g., brain, kidney, bladder) and also checked out the blood movement in the heart, the amount of amniotic fluid and even the lips. It was amazing how much she could see and evaluate. Everything looked "terrific." We are very excited and thankful for a healthy baby!

- Derek & Lena

P.S. It's a girl!

Slight disappointment today...

No ultrasound today. We have to wait until Fri when we go for our official 20 week "stuff." I think we'll technically be 19 weeks and one day at that point.

We did hear the heartbeat of the baby... a healthy 137 beats per minute. And Lena's stomach looked fine.

She asked if Lena has felt anything yet. Last night, Lena yanked my hand from the remote control (I thought to switch from a drama show to the Food Network) and placed in on her lower belly. She was feeling pokes. The doctor said between 20-24 weeks I could start to feel the baby's movements.

No sympathy weight gain for me this appointment. Yay!

More after Friday's visit.

- Derek