San Fran Air and Checkup

Last night we went up to San Francisco airport to meet up with Nena ( Marks Mom) from Singapore. It was a good short visit , most of the time we were running around the airport. We had a little dinner , and that was about it . While waiting for her flight to get Bubba was all over that place. Even having a flight attendant tell how adorable and a flirt my son is. Thanks. I know.

We were able to see Marks mom and Unlce Jose. Bubba didnt seem that shy and acted pretty goofy for his Grandmother. I took no pictures.

Well I took 2 , and they were only from the airtran ride into the terminal when we first got there. It is ok though , she will be here to visit in a couple of months and many more pictures will be taken. Along with just visiting Nena in the airport, Mark was able to take a suitcase of " treasures" off her hands. I bag full of Polo shirts. I was very surprised and thankful to see a handful for both Bubba and I! Of course it will be a while before both of us can wear them , but they are great. Also the purses... I love. When we went to put them in the car I was scared someone would break the window trying to get in thinking they hit the jackpot of LV/Gucci/Coach purses. The time we spent was great. The ride there and back were not so cool. Well getting there I didnt think much of it , but getting home late.... well no one told me that crap is far! LOL , so is San Jose Airport which is not far from San Francisco. I know now that I would rather fly into Monterey straight away then have to make the trip out there. Not a pretty trip. We are home and safe though , and mentally survived.

Today I had a 32 week checkup. The doctor did an ultrasound, we really didnt see much. She is just getting to big... and so am I. It is always great and reassuring to here that everything looks great. We did get a bit of a side shot , and I will be the first to say she has a round nose. Marks nose was pointy , and hers is well round. The thing that drives me crazy the most is I have no clue what she will look like! I can only imagine, but there are so many different outcomes. The doctor recorded the 2 min ultrasound on VHS , yes, VHS. I didnt know they made those anymore.

" Alone Time "

Most of the time when he does leave I sit there and stare into space for about 10 min , then the cleaning begins.

So much in the past 2 weeks has happened. First Mark got a stock car bed , so cool , he loves it , c'mon its a giant toy. We had him sleeping in it , THEN he got sick and was stuck with us , and still has been stuck with us due to clingy issues coming up since the sickness. Yes I think I posted before that we had been staying inside due to some sickness going around , we stayed away from people but it still found my lil baby.

Then this past Memorial Day weekend my mom and brother came up to visit. Highlight of the weekend was Saturday morning we went to the Mushroom Mardi Gras Festival in Morgan Hill.

Mark ran the 5k and won for his age group! Im so proud of him , he didnt act that excited , but it was all over his face when they announced his name. He was given a little pin , which I know he was a little dissapointed there , he would have liked a medal Im sure.

At the festival there wasnt much but food. They did have a petting zoo though. I would have loved to have taken Bubba in myself but Im allergic to everything there was to pet. So Mark took him in , the whole time Mark was saving the animals from Bubba hitting,choking, kicking them. It was very sad and funny at the same time.

Other then these main things that have come up , nothing new and exciting has happening. It has been a fast and slow 2 weeks, the slow part was Mark being sick. We stayed in bed with him all weekend.

Tomorrow night we drive up to San Francisco to meet up with Marks mom ( and Uncle Jose )who is flying in from Singapore. Dont know where we are going to have dinner , but its going to be great to see her .

Found some....

Mark brought me a memory card from one of our cameras we dont really use anymore. First photo is from May 2008 at the Japanese Kitty Hawk Farewell. Took me all day to find a dress that fit! Its not easy trying to find a "big" size dress in Japan. Very little people.

The second picture is just something random of my sister and I from October 2008.

First Video!

The day after Thanksgiving Mark and I went out for the sales. One of our purchases was a little camcorder from radioshack. Now 6 months later here I am finally installed the program and have downloaded the clips from the camera. Here is a clip after we bought the camera . I had bought this headbed for the 100 yen storein Japan. He is just a little cutie pie. Mark is 8 months old. We are in our small but cozy apartment in Silverdale , Washington. Im the cameraman ( of course) , there is also my sister Vicki and Lil Miss Gidget. Of course the Marks are the stars.

I didnt really know you could upload videos. Thank you to Susan for letting me be a stalker to your blog and making get off my butt to get this done. Marks parents in Indonesia will enjoy wathcing some clips now and then!

Hidden Treasures

Today I set up my hotmail account in a Windows live program that works like Outlook Express ( dont know if computers come with that program anymore). This program has helped me delete emails so much easier. Well I was working on emails most recent and decided to go and start from the beginning. To begin with I pretty much keep all emails, I dont know why I just dont delete them right away after I have read them. When I first got my hotmail account was right before we moved to Japan. The first 20 or so have been between Mark and I . I sit here reading them in amazement.

Here is some info to help understand. Mark and I have only been married a couple of months when we moved to Japan. We were in Jacksonville, and to say goodbye to everyone ( and to store Marks truck with his Grandparents) we decided to drive into LA , then have Marks Grandfather drive us into Houston ,TX to visit his sister. Well after we were all packed out Me , Mark and Gidget loaded into the truck to make our first stop to Pensacola, FL. Stationed in Pensacola at the time was Marks college roommate Auggie. I got to meet him along with his wife and handsome 5 month old baby boy Diego. What I remember from staying there was that Gidget tinkled on their couch because she got overexcited , and that sleeping on the floor wasnt as easy as it used to be. We also found out that Vanessa was expecting. I was so happy for them , and after seeing the baby wanted a baby of our own. Sitting there on their couch after they told us I turned to Mark and said "Baby, I want a baby." Marks reply " When God thinks were ready , then we'll have one."

( Mark and I goofing off as we are preparing for our roadtrip to Lafayette. Isnt that moustache ugly ?)

From there we went straight into Houma , Louisiana. We had planned only spend one night , but Paw Paw ( Marks Grandfather) had other plans.

( Aunt Nicole and Dave )

Ended up making a day trip to meet Marks rock star Aunt Nicole in Lafeyette, and I was able to meet her family. There were all so nice , and I remember thinking that Nicole was just way to cool of a person , like she could be in her late 20s. After spending the day there we made our way back into Houma. Before we got back though we stopped at one of the many casinos. Now Paw Paw makes this the thing to do and we had to stop. It was my first time in a casino.

( First time ever on a slot machine . Once we took the picture we were informed that it is illegal to take photos in the casino. I felt so sneaky.)

It was nice to have that experience but I dont think I would do it again. First I dont like losing money , second that place was FILLED with smoke! I seriously felt like I was going to die. Along with having an asthma attack , I wasnt feeling very good. Just before we left Jacksonville I felt as though I had the flu and could do nothing to feel better about it.

( I remember exactly how was feeling when Mark took this picture. BLOATED. I thought the Gumbo we had gotten from the casino had been bad. Turns out that I was just pregnant. Im wearing Marks shirt cause everything on mine seem so tight and I couldnt button my pants. I have no shame , lol)

Along with leaving Houma , we left Gidget behind with Marks Grandparents. Since Mark was filling in a hot fill billet we did not have the time to get all of her paperwork to have her shipped to Japan. She was left in amazing hands , and now still walks around the house like she is a little princess. Her attitude of being the only child is getting old.

Paw Paw drove us into Houston ,TX. We stayed with Marks sister and her Hubby Justin. They of course know how to have a good time.

We went out to eat , but also during the day .... well I dont remember. This is what I remember. I remember feeling like crap and realized that I was 8 days late... Mark had left me behind to go to the DMV to renew his license. I was bored and anxious so I took a run to a Walgreens I had seen down the street. I took 2 tests and yep I was pregnant. I cried and prayed , thanking God for such a blessing.

Then I told the Simon the cat. He was the only one there! Then Marks sister Ev called and I told her. Then I called my mom... Or did I wait till I told Mark ... I dont remember. Well I took a shower , while I was in the shower Mark came home, he came in and scared me and I pointed to the sink were the EPT were. He just stared at them , and I swear he was reading the directions to make sure he was understanding what he saw. " Great!" thats all he said , he was in a state of shock. He was very happy though.

We went straight to Barnes and Noble and bought a pregnancy book. Then had ourselves a mini celebration between the 2 of us at Cheesecake Factory. I got the first taste of my hate of food while pregnant while we were there. I remembered thinking that the Ceasar Salad was disgusting.

Then we fly out of Houston to Japan!

So you see all the excitment that happened just before we left?

Once we get to Tokyo we take the DOD bus into Yokosuka Naval Base. We stayed a night in a certain officers hotel , then got to check into the WONDERFUL NAVY LODGE ( it was terrible). First thing we found out about Japan is that it is just as hot and humid as Florida. Totally was not expecting that , then the A/C didnt work , and they were out of fans! We laid there , not even touching. So hot. Then the smell of Japan was making me so sick. Being pregnant ( at least in the first trimester) can do something else to your sense of smell. Then 3 days there , they fly Mark off to meet the ship. I dont see here for a month and a half.

I pulled through and was able to get us an apartment and a car. So back to the emails. They are full of all the emotions of both me being alone in Japan , to Marks emotions on being on a carrier. I find them funny now , but not so funny at the time they were sent. But also the love and support we expressed to each other, well it could make me cry.

My Child

Ah , My Child.

He is something else. Sometimes I think he is a monster at other times I think he is an angel. Most of the time though I think he is a monster. My husband has stated before that Mark is just like Stitch from the Disney movie Lilo and Stitch. I swear Mark even speaks the same alien language that Stitch does.

Lately Mark has been a monkey though. Not as bad as Curious George. Side note : I strongly dislike George. We still watch it everyday but he gives me chest pains to all the bad things he does. Just this morning I was watching him and he buried all of the Man with the yellow hat things because he thought they would grow like a seed. Once I would like the Man in the yellow hat to just throw in him in a cage where he should be kept while he is out of the house.

Back to Mark being like a Monkey. Well he is climbing the impossible and getting to the very top of the sofa and attempting to just walk off the top. He looks like a little pirate walking the plank, except he doesnt splash into water , he crashes into the floor. Just as a monkey he uses his fingers and toes to grip to whatever can to climb on. It really is quite frightening . I believe he was enjoying the look of agrivation/ terror I would give him when I would catch him. I now ignore him , but in the corner of my eye watch that he doesnt hurt himself. Some examples of things he climbs are ; entertainment center, stairs, stools, high chair , sofa, dining table , side of our king size bed, the moveable ottoman (which makes him look like he is surfing), coffee table .... I should just stop . He trys to climb everything and accomplishes most. Right now I am watching him climb up and down the stairs. We do have a gate that sits at the bottom but its not secure and he just knocks it down.

Now only 9:45 am and Im ready for naptime.

Mark is a little angel though. Not right now as he just runs up to me to let out a high pitch scream then runs after Gidget to try and take her ball from her. I couldnt be happier though , Mark is a happy little man and that just tops me off. There are times when he is just so happy and runs up to me to throw his arms around my neck to give me a hug. I just melt. Every morning he wakes up with a huge goofy smile laughing at me. Even at times when he is doing something bad/dangerous I cant help but smile because I know he is so happy. He is just a little boy. Every day he is more and more like his Dad. I dont know how to explain that one , but its the looks they give me. Like when they both know they are in trouble , or when they are laughing. Even though Big Mark has almost black hair , brown eyes, and tanned skin . With Bubba , light skin , light brown hair and blue eyes , they look exactly the same.

I just also want you to know at 13 months what are his favorite things; Trucks, cars ,books (with cars or trucks), strawberries, sticks, dirt, balls, making a mess, running away from you , slides, tools that make noise. Favorite tv shows : Super Why , and Sid the Science Kid. Favorite movie ; Muppets from Space. Favorite stuffed animal ; a soft monkey. Favorite blanket; brown fuzzy blanket. Favorite drink ; water ( hes not big on juice). One of his most favorite things is an ABC song from the tv show Super Why. Every night we listen to it . I have it on my favorites from youtube. Now he loves and I mean LOVES this ABC song , so when he hears people singing the ABCs the original way he looks at them really weird as if to say " Your totally singing it wrong, please fix it". Here is the video for it. It really is the cutest thing.

Pardonable Lies

Monday I sat around and stared into space. In to much bodily pain to do a single thing , including cleaning up from the boys being left alone all weekend. After an hour of watching Bubba run back and forth I remember of my book sitting next to my bed that I hadnt finished ,it was lonely all weekend.

Again , I really enjoy these books and have already started another one. Whais driving me crazy is this women not wanting to settle down. She doesnt have to quit her job but ... ARR! I know there are women out there that are totally independent and have no want of being in any way tied down. Do they not get lonely? Do they not want a family? Does it make them selfish ? I dont know the answers but for Maisie Dobbs, well she is driving me crazy.

First White Hair

Sunday morning I get up and get ready for another long day of lecture. I roll ( well I can really roll but I grunt) out of bed and walk to the bathroom . While brushing my teeth I think I see something in my hair. Not untill Im trying to something with my hair do I realize that there is a white hair up in front! Im 23 , is this supposed to happen now. I yelped for Mark to come into the bathroom to see what montrocity I have found . How do I feel about it? To be completely honest I dont know. I blame husband for stress,LOL. He then points to the little one blaming him. I kinda of feel grown up , then at the same time I feel as though there is no going back to once was, whatever that is.

This picture is terrible , you cant really see it , its out of focus but my husband for some reason could not take a better photo. But I know its there.

The only real down fall is that now I HAVE to dye my hair. I have been dying it black for the past 4 years, this last time I dyed it the black didnt stick and only gave me a darker brown. At first I thought it was just the hormones in my body from being pregnant that was not allowing the color to stick. Now I know that my hair is just now to old and doesnt have the strength to be young and vibrant with black hair. Lol , Who knows. My husband cant believe Im posting this online , but as I have said before the is my sudo journal and this is a turning point in my life that has to be documented . So my children can look back and ask me when I started turning gray or white and I can say early 20's , so watch out !

P.S I would like to state that Mark has at least 5 white hairs growing on both sides of his head. Compared to him my one hair is gray. His hairs are the whitest things I have ever seen. He also blames me for them , telling me that they were not there till after we were married. Whatever, at least when he looks in the mirror he cant forget me.

Stroller Strides Training Seminar

Went to my first "seminar" this weekend. Did I enjoy it ? Yes. 2 days later though I am still recovering.

The training was to become a Stoller Strides and Fit4Baby instructor. We went over some great topics , and worked out butts off. Maybe it was just me but I know we were all feeling it. There was lecturing and there was constant examples of excercises that we did ALL day.

My favorite part of the whole experience was getting to know some of the women I workout with on nearly a daily basis. There was no children and it was just US all day , so you really get to see a different side of each other. Also meeting all the women that came from surrounding areas. To see that there are so many women like you that want to make a difference in other mothers lives through fitness.

The whole experience was uplifting. It wasnt a "pep" talk , but you just learn so much through hearing other peoples stories and to hear how and what Stroller Strides in achieving.

The first picture is with Faral and Jamie . Faral ( the tall one) is the Fitness director and she was our lecturer. Jamie owns the local franchise and is my stroller strides instuctor. The second picture of course if of the group. I made sure to do a side shot of myself for all those that want to see my massive belly.

Looking Forward to the Weekend

Started the day off early today . We did get to sleep in till 730 but not long afterwards we were eating breakfast and getting ready to get out the door. This morning stroller strides met up in Salinas for a "master class". The regional director ( Im not sure of her official name) came up from San Diego ( where stroller strides originates) to teach the Friday class along with doing the training seminar this weekend. This lady was AWESOME! Total and I mean TOTAL body workout in an hour. She covered everything and it felt like there was just no slowing down. I usually dont drink water after ( I know I should) but this time I just happened to have a water bottle with me and inhaled it when we were done. I was just so impressed. I guess they just have to be awesome to inspire you to get through the seminar!

The class was running a tad late and I had to miss out on the last of the stretching. I was in a rush to get back to the housing office to meet up with the hubby to go and look at one of the older homes. We currently live in home built about 3 years ago and is 1722 square feet. The house we went to look at was built in 1952 ( or somewhere around there) and is 1024 square feet. I deep down inside fell in love with it. Looking at the outside of the house ... well it is nothing to look at but inside was just perfect for us. One story , hardwood floors , and just enough storage space. That is the perfect place for us. Here in the home we live now is just to big. Unused space and nothing feels cozy. So now all we wait for is a intercommunity approval to move. Im already so ready to move out , with only living here about 5 months.

After checking out the house Mark went off to school for a Calculus class and then Bubba and I headed home. Im not sure what Bubba and I do when we get back but it seems to go by pretty quick. All that gets done is feeding him and then making sure he doesnt kill himself as he runs around with Gidget playing with his toys. Then 1:30 and we take a nap.

Only an hour into the nap Mark gets home from his test. He was to say in the least not a happy camper. I had to get a mouthful on how he somehow messed up his test , and it was coming across to have been my fault. ( now the only reason I bring this up is because I was talking to his mom today and she said type everything out , because its something to look back on, so here I am). We get into a tiff and I put down my point how it should in no way be my fault that he messed up on a question , then he states he wasnt trying to say it was my fault.... Then I dont know what happened . He walks out of the room , I get on Facebook because he has woken me from my sleep and then 10 min later he walks into the room with puppy dog eyes as if nothing had happened. While Im sitting there not even enjoying my stalker time because Im fuming. Now that I realize it I think all day has been like this. I think it might have been me now . Can I somehow being overewhelmed with hormones that I want any reason to get mad? I will say this though , he started everything . I dont get mad for no reason . It ends quickly because he always comes back with puppy dog eyes acting as though nothing has happened. That is how he says "sorry". Men.

The rest of the day ends is cleaning and chicken enchiladas for dinner. Along with a side of Golden Girls.

We also online chatted with Marks parents, which can always turn out to be a very interesting conversation.

Tomorrow Im up way to early to get to this seminar . I have a packet to look over but really cant soak anything into my brain tonight. Its just not happening. What has been my overall thought of the day? I really dont know . It was kind of a weird day with so much happening in the morning but then come afternoon felt as though nothing was done all day. I did find out that I can walk to Bay to Breakers in San Francisco. Its in 2 weeks , can I walk 7 miles 30 weeks pregnant? I really dont know , but I think Im going to try. Wish me luck or let me know if Im crazy , but it would be a big accomplishment in my eyes.

I wish I had some thoughtful advice to give or a funny story . Im sure something funny worth mentioning has happened today but I just cant remember , so it cant be that funny huh?

Ill post pictures tomorrow of the seminar , thats if I remember.