The time has come to say farewell to lil' ol' T Scoop...[sigh]. When we first bought the Mini Cooper back in 2005, we had many friends who chirped, "What are you going to do when you have a baby? How are you going to fit a car seat in there?" We were trying to conceive back then and were convinced that we would still be able to manage a car seat regardless of the tight space. In fact, just to prove people wrong, we were bound and determined to get that car seat in there. Little did we know that we would enjoy the Cooper for a good 5 years before we actually had to rethink our decision of car seats and stroller space.
We put the Cooper up for sale, and it didn't take long for her to get snatched up! I'm a little sad to see her go, but know that it's better for my back (the seats are not the most comfortable for traveling longer distances) and it'll give us more space and convenience for car seats, strollers, luggage, and all that baby gear.She was a great car and so awesome to handle...maybe some day we'll meet again...
We were able to travel to both sides of our family to celebrate the Christmas season. It is always a special time to be surrounded by family. It seems this year, on RT's side, we were missing a few people because of illnesses and such. On my side, we also celebrated my nephew's 1st birthday!
Thanksgiving Day was a day full of preparation and logistical manuevering--all for food. It was just my family, plus my brother-in-law's mother and my niece's friend. You'd think we prepared enough food for an army! We definitely had plenty of leftovers and lots of dishes to wash. My mom was pretty ill, even though she doesn't look like it in the photos, so we were down one set of hands. As my dad, sister, RT, and I cleaned up, we thought, "this just isn't worth it!" We need to scale it down. When we got ready for dessert, we had gotten all the pies out. As my sister grabbed the last one out of the refrigerator, she turned and thwack! Her pumpkin cheesecake slid off of the plate and onto the floor! We all just stood there in shock and then started laughing.
I was so stuffed, I had a hard time staying asleep since I was so uncomfortable. I really didn't eat a whole lot since I have to be really careful, but I had to sample a little bit of everything!
My little nephew is just one month shy of his first birthday. He is standing and taking a couple of hesistant steps. But, boy, is he starting to get into everything. Curious Max that's for sure! My other nephew couldn't join us this year as he was with his dad's family. We missed his presence as well as my sister's, who is in Florida. Throughout the whole day, I kept thinking, it's going to be so different next year with a little one. My mom is excited to have 2 little ones for next year's Thanksgiving.
Looking at this past year, we have a lot to be thankful for. Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday There's not a whole lot of commercialism associated with it--thanks to the overshadowing of Christmas sales. Thanksgiving combines my two favorite things--family and food! I have always loved this time of year as well. Too bad it always goes so fast.
"Let us remember that, as much has been given us, much will be expected from us, and that true homage comes from the heart as well as from the lips, and shows itself in deeds."
We started dismantling our spare bedroom to get ready for our impending arrival in March. Unfortunately the yellow I just painted in that room isn't going to work with my color scheme; so it's off to Home Depot for another round of painting. We inherited a rocker from the McConnells, and RT thought it'd be a good idea to practice rocking the baby in the rocker. Poor Jannu was the guinea pig, and she was not happy, even with RT singing a lullaby! We are at 22 weeks in our pregnancy. There have been moments, lately, where we both stop and wonder, "Are we ready for this?"
I don't want to start posting soley about baby stuff; I know there are mommy blogs out there so I'll try to spare you all my heartache, but I do need to unload. How come nobody ever talks about all the "pain and miserableness" that can accompany pregnancy? I know everyone's different, but for those women out there who say they loved being pregnant---I hate you!!!
Now, don't get me wrong, I am completely and utterly grateful and thankful that I am pregnant and have the ability to carry our baby without a surro. It's just funny because all of my pregnancy experience, up till now, has been through my friends at my surrogacy forum--so obviously the majority of that group has never carried their own baby. In their world, everything's sunshine and rainbows, and everything is so blown-out-of-proportion wonderful! That's because they didn't have to carry the baby, and I thought I would belong to that group! I can't sleep throughout the night; I can't get comfortable. I have all the pillows and lay on my side, but nothing feels good. My back hurts. I get these cramps or sharp pinches in my belly (my uterus stretching apparently). I still have headaches off and on. And, I still get the nausea at different times of the day and there is no pattern to their madness. I can't take hot baths because the temperature is not good for the baby. I can't sleep on my back because I don't want to pinch a major vein. I'm a tummy sleeper anyway, but that's out because I certainly don't want to crush anything.
Hmm...if there's anything else, I'll be sure to post it. I'm told all of this is normal. So, if anyone has any advice for me or can share some of the icky things they went through, I would love to hear about it because right now I'm feeling a pity party come on. Poor RT, everyday is so different from the next, but he's been so supportive and knows how to keep me happy (Big Stick Popsicles!!!).
My scrappy friends and I had a debate a while back about the differences among cage-free, free-range, and organic eggs. When you go to the grocery store, you're inundated with a wide variety of eggs, and now they have included omega-3 enriched. You've got brown egg and Eggland's Best. Then, you look at prices and that means an extra five minutes to make your decision. Well, from what I've been reading, cage-free and free-range are pretty worthless as there are really no standard regulations for those labels. Good ol' marketing in the works! Organic seems to be the way to go in terms of what hens are fed, no GMOs or hormones, and hens are truly not kept in cages. If you really want to know where your eggs are coming from or what the hens are being fed, you could raise your own chickens. I'm not sure we're ready for that yet, but this is a good source if you're thinking about it http://www.backyardchickens.com/. Or, go for the next best thing and find a source close to home where you can actually see or visit the farm. I'm looking into a couple close by and found them through http://www.localharvest.org/. Even if the prices are higher, at least we'll be supporting the local economy and minimizing packaging and shelf life! I think eggs are the perfect food. Give eggs a break!
It's early...Friday morning...my alarm starts buzzing. Then RT's radio starts blaring. Ugh...where am I? What day is it? How many more minutes can I sleep in? You know the feeling. Sad thing is, both RT and I have today off. So, why are our alarms going off?
Well, I have to get up and drive myself to SLO to meet my personal trainer, and RT's hitting the waves for some surf action. I looked over at RT, and just started laughing. I thought, who are these people in this bed?
If anyone knows me, you know that I absolutely detest exercise. It's definitely the coastal air that motivates me, and the fact that everyone here is healthy and fit. Plus, I've found an all-women's gym (no, not Curves) that I absolutely love, and my trainer is fabulous!
For years, I've been whining that I need to get in shape. It's definitely ironic that when I actually started to get serious about excercising, I found out I was pregnant! Oh yeah, I also start my yoga classes tomorrow.
We are always our worst critics, but I must give a pat on the back for being committed with my training and with RT for his dedication to the waves and personal motivation.
In case you haven't figured it out yet--these photos are not of us. Are you kidding me? Even on my best day, I couldn't look that good at the gym. Maybe someday, I'll get there...
This was our 6th Annual Scrapalooza. Once again, our fourth member "Fern" did not make it this year, so the three of us were left up to our scruples to have a great fun-filled girls' weekend!
This weekend was also the time when we were able to let the cat out of the bag about my pregnancy. This weekend was equally special to me because three years ago on the same occasion, my friend KCo broke the news that she was pregnant and our baby is due around the same time that her son was born...wouldn't it be a riot if our children shared the same birthday?
I was so excited because for the first time ever, I was able to work on a baby scrapbook album for myself! I've done quite a few over the years (I think 7 of them) and have loved making them for special friends and my sister, but now it's my turn!
It's funny, because our first couple of years, we started out staying up all hours of the night; one time staying up till 4 am. As we're getting "older", we're hard-pressed to make it to midnight!!! We always have a lot of fun. I was so excited to catch up with my girlfriends, gossip, and snack the night away.
My cousin Masaki and his two girls, Moe [mo-eh] and Suzuka came to the US for their first time. My Aunt Sanae came with them, but this was her third visit to the states. Unfortunately, their stay was pretty short, about 7 days, because my cousin couldn't take the days from work. So, we had to pack in as much fun as possible and lots of driving within that short span of time.
It started on Monday as we picked them up from LAX. Even though they probably hadn't slept in 24 hours, we figured they were still running on adrenaline, so we whisked them off to Universal Studios for lunch and rides. After a long day, we muddled through LA traffic and found our hotel and had pizza for dinner!
The next morning we drove back to my folks' house where they were staying for the majority of the trip. A day of rest and relaxation, and they were off to Yosemite the following day. My dad did a lot of driving and a lot of cooking! They really enjoyed his cooking. They also had a chance to eat at some "American" style dining, and loved the food. The girls hardly eat when they're home, but they sure packed away a lot of food during this trip!
The following day, they loaded up in my parents' motorhome and came up to our place. After a yummy lunch at the local fish place, we whisked them off to Hearst Castle (nobody seemed too impressed by that!) and then a barbecue at our house.
The next day, we took them kayaking and spent some time at the beach. The girls had a homework assignment where they had to collect 30 pieces of something from their trip. They decided to collect seashells. Usually, there's lots strewn along the beach, but this day we were hardpressed to find them. Before returning to my parents' house, we had lunch at a local Mexican restaurant. I am so amazed at how much they can eat and stay so slim! (I guess I missed that gene!)
Their last day here, my sister took them shopping for all their souvenirs and to experience an American mall. They feasted at Inn N' Out for lunch.
They had a great time. They wanted to fit in a trip to the Grand Canyon, but there just wasn't enough time. We told them they would just have to come back!
I had such a fun time spending time with my cousin and his two girls. I just love the girls--they were so cute and funny! My aunt was as tearful as ever during the good-byes. I hope we can see them again soon whether it's us heading to Japan or them coming back. I hope they had a memorable time. My parents were wonderful hosts and bent over backwards to accomodate them--thank you Mom & Dad! Now, everyone can breathe a little and rest...Ja mata ne!
Our backyard is in desperate need of a makeover. We have ideas--that's not the problem. We knew we wanted to start a vegetable garden and to use raised beds, but with so many resources out there, we just weren't sure how to get started.
Working at the bookstore for years, I remembering always shelving this book, The Square Foot Garden. Never really paying attention to it. After all this time, I came across it again on an Internet search, found their website, read a little more, and decided to check out the book. Got the book, read it from cover to cover, and was hooked! I started telling people about it, and RT's family actually got interested in it, too. His sister and nephew already started one, but we were slacking.
If you're tired of clay soil, sandy soil, adding nutrients, fertilizing, and weeds---this is the method for you! It is such a simple and foolproof way to garden. I highly recommend this book or website.
When RT's parents came last weekend, they offered to help us get started. Since they were going to try it also, they figured this would be a good learning experience for them. Well, how could we pass up that offer?
Sure enough, we bought the supplies and got right to work. It really only took us about 2 hours to do 2 beds. I was impressed! We had some seeds and bought some plants and RT planted. We're starting to see some shoots and can't wait for our first bounty! Thank you so much J & L for your enthusiasm and helping hands!
RT's parents visited us last weekend to finish their weeklong "stay"cation. We had a fun time showing them a few local sites in the VW bus. Of course we had to fit in some shopping and browsed the shops around town. While they were here, they generously helped us get our Square Foot Garden started. We had such a good time and felt we accomplished so much and at the same time caught up on all the news and enjoyed having them over!
Here they are with Spooner's Cove in the background:
Elfin Forest, a local nature preserve, is located in Los Osos in the southeastern shore of Morro Bay. Elfin Forest is primarily maintaind by a local non-profit, Small Wilderness Area Preservation (SWAP). The name "Elfin Forest" comes from the short stature of the California Live Oaks. Their size is stunted by the local environment and, despite being centuries old, range from a high of 20 feet in sheltered areas to a low of 4 feet near the tallest ridge line.
Elfin Forest is pretty special because it houses several different habitats for plant communities in a fairly concentrated area (90 acres). These include the coastal marsh, brackish water marsh, riparian woodland, coastal dune scrub, coastal live oak, maritime chaparral, and oak/manzanita complex.
At times, we like to switch up our daily walks with Jannu and take her there. RT usually takes his Ecology class out there to show the different habitats and plants. I think that at one time, one of the SWAP members saw RT leading his class on a field trip and asked him to lead one of their weekend strolls. So, I think he's booked to do that in the fall. You're welcome to join in the fun!
The time has come to say farewell to lil' ol' T Scoop...[sigh]. When we first bought the Mini Cooper back in 2005, we had many friends who chirped, "What are you going to do when you have a baby? How are you going to fit a car seat in there?" We were trying to conceive back then and were convinced that we would still be able to manage a car seat regardless of the tight space. In fact, just to prove people wrong, we were bound and determined to get that car seat in there. Little did we know that we would enjoy the Cooper for a good 5 years before we actually had to rethink our decision of car seats and stroller space. 
![](http://pinterest.com/pin/create/link/?url=http://heretodaygonetomorro.blogspot.com/2009/09/scrapalooza-2009.html&media=https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBR2Y8loOd9MqBcnPKNxu8rJ36WHsCF4V0yLWAcfM9x_iH97j7LAKM_QF4QZIoHlGdWPcJNnUvfzs_u10c4GDVZQFjRNfOQ5VxHh9gZ4pPc95u3rsCFdFyNPcL6veeGgypA334M7_8Xm8D/s200/DSC09188.JPG&description= This was our 6th Annual Scrapalooza. Once again, our fourth member "Fern" did not make it this year, so the three of us were...){kind=link}
![](http://pinterest.com/pin/create/link/?url=http://heretodaygonetomorro.blogspot.com/2009/08/family-visit.html&media=https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqqGzI8hoJ-4_uwvywU25YQNqV84r58BiqjbcBvTo8ZQTY6odISbBwttp0KxX4Fuy8vndjidGPvkR2rVTgneaYPUeOHUeX-S8CYPQt0P0kYK2QJW4bXxBiRPQ6gwXJWdvL2GRVHoMGE-Nh/s320/IMG_4721.JPG&description=RT's parents visited us last weekend to finish their weeklong "stay"cation. We had a fun time showing them a few local sites i...){kind=link}
 ...){kind=link}