Friday, July 30, 2010

Baby Update!

Here "we" are.... 18 weeks here, and growing leaps and bounds by the day!




So... we've learned a few more things in the last several weeks... Care to know?


- Maternity pants stink. You'd think after thousands of years of women going through this, that they'd come up with a better system. A piece of elastic attached to demin? C'mon... Do they actually work for some of you?! I'm not having much luck... *Stretchy pants* (for you Nacho Libre fans out there...) have become my saving grace...


- Dehydration causes the uterus to freak out... like really freak out. Like, want-to-drop-to-your-knees-in-the-middle-of-Freddies-'cause-the-pain-is-so-terrible kind of freak out. Yeah... not a fun experience, but I sure learned my lesson. The lid to my water bottle is never on, unless I'm en route somewhere. Otherwise my water bottle is practially attached to my mouth. Which also means I'm never far from a restroom!


-So, I'm not sure what this "fluttering" sensation is all about, because it feels more like someone is gently poking me with his finger from the inside, out. Either way, it's incredibly exciting and mind-blowing all at the same time. Here was the scene a few nights ago: Scott and I are laying in bed, chatting softly before falling asleep... "I think I feel the baby moving!" Scott reaches over and puts his hand on my belly... In a 'I'm-sorry' kind of voice, I tell him, "Babe, you won't be able to feel it..." "Shh!" he says, his hand still pressed against my belly, hoping for something... anything. Too cute... I love his excitement... Gives me a great peace.


- Picking a name is probably one of the hardest, most overwhelming tasks. Waiting on God to give us one feels like we not "doing" anything to help (which is obviously the wrong perspective), but looking for one feels cheap, like shopping for a piece of clothing.


- Baby still can't get enough fruit and bread...


- Tea... it's hard to find a tea that "they" say is not only good for you, but that isn't potentially harmful to Baby. Even the "pregnancy" teas out there contain herbs that aren't recommended during pregnancy. Sheesh... Somebody should just tell me that all teas are bad so I'll at least stop looking for one!


- "Nesting" started long ago for me... For many, many weeks now, I've had the itch to rid my house of anything unnecessary, unused for some time, and to organize the heck out of things. Thinking ahead to all the "stuff" that accompanies Baby makes me want to gut our house and all that's in it, to "start fresh" when the little one arrives. The Arc of Anchorage hauled away several boxes and bags of items just this week, and I already have another growing pile that will need hauled away here soon. I'm seeing corners of rooms that I haven't seen in a year or more! And I feel that I've only just touched the surface... So much to do. It's work, but it sure feels good to get rid of it all, and to organize our house a little better.

July Adventures

For the 4th of July, we headed back into the mountains as far as an old beat-up Toyota pickup would take us, and as far away from as many people as is possible on that particular weekend. We headed to "our spot" in Hatchers Pass looking like hillbillies for sure... Vince, my brother, was at the wheel of Ol' Blue, I was riding shotgun, and the bed was loaded to the hilt with gear, guns, fireworks, dogs, and 5 other people. It's a shame we don't have a photo of that... Quite priceless. Anyways... here's some evidence of the fun that weekend...
This little guy came for a visit while the boys were out galavanting amongst its friends, and while I was in camp catching up on some much-needed R & R. He poses quite nicely for photo shoots, I must say...
Grampa and Gramma Bertolini came for their annual summer "fishing" trip. Grampa got to fish from a private dock and smoke his cigars (the highlight of these trips for him), and they both just soaked up all the quality time with family. Love, love, love my grandparents... they're one-of-a-kind.
The third weekend in July, Scott and his cousin headed to sheep country to do some scouting, and encountered some unique terrain, as well as a handful of the much-sought-after animals...
It's a shame this first picture is so small here; those animals really are quite stunning, even from a distance.... I sure enjoy my fair share of hunting, more for the adventure involved and knowing that it will fill my freezer, but there's something about these sheep that just draws some excitement out of me... They're quite majestic... Just like the country they live in...

June Adventures

The first weekend in July, we found ourselves drifting in the ocean waves for halibut... in a zodiak. A great new adventure for us, and likely not the last time we'll be seen out there...A few dozen eagles decided to camp out along the beach as fellow fishermen tossed their "leftovers" aside... Made for some good entertainment, to say the least.
A gal I work with and her boyfriend offered to have us up to the Copper River out of Chitina to go dipnetting with them out of their boat. And who could turn down an offer like that?! So... the second weekend in July, we got ourselves all kinds of slimy and sandy, as we camped on the beach and fished at odd hours of the night. We took home 30 reds and 5 kings. Just what we'd been hoping for....And then we proceeded to processes the fish for days thereafter... most of which included smoking and canning it.
Third weekend included some rather unsuccessful fishing on the Kenai, and then a 5 hour-long stint of wood cutting. Do you think we'll have enough for the winter? I don't know...
We wrapped up June with an annual rafting trip down the Kenai. Not many salmon to be caught then either (thanks to the no-show run of fish). But the boys had fun trying their hands at fly fishing, even catching a few trout.
When we're not backpacking, we sure do camp food well. It's actually probably one of the highlights of these types of camping trips for us - we eat so well! Let's see... pork loin, deer chops, corn on the cob, steamed mixed veggies, and...
...A baked potato bar that would rival any found in any restaurant. We have... s & p, sour cream, bacon bits, butter, scallions, and shredded cheddar cheese. Mmm... Makin' me hungry!
And the aftermath: one pooped puppy. We couldn't have kept him awake if we'd tried!

May Adventures

The beginning of May found us atop some new terrain, looking for what most folks try to avoid: bears. As you can tell by the snow, we were a little early for the area, so our bear sightings came in at a grand total of: 1. We had a fun chase, but that bear was not to be had this spring. Maybe he'll stick around 'til this fall or next year...
And yes, in spite of the snow, it was quite warm. Warm enough that Tucker was a little particular about finding just the right spot to stop and rest...

Our next adventure took us to a new-found spot for falling birch trees that will provide wood for our beloved wood stove this winter. Though it was just a one-load day trip in my Ol' Blue Toyota, it provided a few days worth of work for Scott as he split and stacked it.

A second trip back to "Grizz Ridge" later that month brought a little more excitement and wildlife, with a couple close enounters with bears and... ptarmigan? And lastly, the month came to a close with Scott's annual Proving Trail Adventures' Youth Hunt. Three bears were taken on this trip, but you'll have to ask this rugged bunch for the details...