There really IS a baby in there

I had my NT scan last week. The OB office out here sends the NT and anatomy scans out of office to the fetal something or other place at a nearby hospital. (Somewhat confusing because it is not in the hospital complex my ob is at, but apparently a related one on the other side of I-5). It was a preschool day for Ashley, but Davey got to come along. I brought a lot of snacks, and was ready to youtube George in a heartbeat. The was the most thorough NT scan of all three pregnancies. Baby was kicking and moving all over the place. Definitely a baby in there. Really having a third. I wonder when I will stop being shocked by that... Anyway, Davey did a great job. I only had to resort to George when the doctor came in the review the ultrasound results (all normal, blood work will confirm). Otherwise, life is good. We met some of Ashley's preschool friends for trick or treating in Multnomah on Halloween. It was nice chatting with the other moms. Ashley totally get's it this year, and Davey was a quick learner. That kid is motivated by candy. In other news, it looks like it is finally going to start raining soon. Believe it or not NC folks, you've gotten a lot more rain than us since August!
Next up: Veterans day trip someplace. Jason has thrown out the tantalizing idea of Idaho and on to Bozeman, Montana - gateway of Yellowstone... oh so tempting (but a lot of driving)

Bachelorette Fun

This weekend it was off to Denver (sans children!) to celebrate Claire who is getting MARRIED! Shocking as it is, Denver was the most centrally located place we could meet. The party goers came from Denver (2), Nashville, Lake Charles Louisiana, Los Angeles, Hawaii and Portland. We are a geographically diverse group to say the least. We ate fabulous food, saw a ridiculous amount of zombies (Denver has a yearly zombie gathering - think Franklin street but with a common theme) , prettified our toes with pedicures, and caught a burlesque show. The things those ladies can do with pasties and tassels was impressive. It was a fun, relaxing weekend. I managed to stay up later than I have in the past 5 years and spend quality time with Claire, her wonderful friends, and my awesome cousin Bonnie. It was a good get away. And even though I am tired, I feel refreshed. I miraculously have more patience today, and taking a deep breath is actually helping like it should. Now granted, Ashley did step on a baby snake on the way home from the gym (eeeeeeeeek) and morning sickness is back (yay public puking) but I am not cranky or counting the hours til Daddy.

In Denver we visited with Bonnie, Brett and the adorable Wyatt and Lucy. It was nice having a chance to relax for awhile and see some of the lovely Smith family but seeing them at home, in their house, with their things made me want to be in my home. This hotel, while it is where my family is, is not where I wanted to go back to. Flying "home" to Portland just wasn't quite the same. 6 weeks til Christmas break! It will be nice to visit home, even if just for a few weeks :)

Next up- Regular routine. Preschool, swim classes,etc.

never say never

So before we left for Portland people kept asking me about #3. My answer was always "Not in the next year. I will NOT have a new baby while living in a hotel." HAHAHAHAHA. Jokes on me folks! The final installment, due May 6th.

(Oh, and I still will not live in a hotel with a newborn. I'll be home in March. Gotta be back so I can be a whale of a bridesmaid at Claire's wedding April 28th!)

Claire and Evan and life as usual

We have had a flurry of visitors out here recently, the latest being Claire and Evan who flew in for a long weekend. We crammed a lot of fun into 2.5 days. Poor Evan had wake up calls before 8 am - but at least they were cute wake up calls :). On Saturday we started off with a walk down the river to Voodoo Doughnuts. Evan and Jason ordered the infamous cock n balls doughnut - and they did so in a way that made me roll my eyes, a lot. Claire and I then got to enjoy listening to joke after joke after joke from the boys as they ate their massive donuts. And then joke after joke after joke for the rest of the day, and the next. It was GREAT. (If you are curious about the doughnut, check out their facebook, of course there are pictures.) We also walked back though Saturday market- where one weekend I will have lunch there, maybe from the Food of the Himalayas stand or the Horn of Africa food cart. The food selections are crazy! Since we didn't have lunch there we hopped the streetcar to Henry's and then dragged two very tired children home. So tired, in fact, that Davey fell asleep on the streetcar. It was amazing. He has never been so still for so long. Sunday we went to the Children's museum, and then on a whirlwind tour of the waterfalls and Mt Hood. Let me tell you, it was COLD on Mt Hood. Unfortunately, we couldn't see much because of the fog, but there was still snow to throw at Uncle Evan. Good times.

This week has been the usual. Swim lessons and preschool, twitching mommy and loss of sanity around 5 each day. Davey is far too energetic to be contained in such a small space and well, it now rains. Today was supposed to be upper 60s and partly cloudy. Well wouldn't you know, it was in the 50s and POURED. Even the weatherman said, "Today's high ended up being far lower than expected 24 hours ago." Ya think? The weathermen out here astound me, it is crazy how wrong they are - all.the.time. We occupied ourselves indoors post nap. Ashley put on an impromptu fashion show involving as many clothes as she could reach in her room, all accessorized with her new sparkly pink shoes. Davey used a stick-like part of a toy to hit balls around the room, then proceeded to beat his sister. It was great fun. He is lucky he is such a cute little stinker! When he senses he has pushed the limit about as far as he can, he will stop and say "Me hug you, mommy." Too cute.

Next up on the itinerary, Northern California and the giant redwoods! This was one of the two things I had on my must-do list prior to coming out here. Since it starts snowing, well, now in that area, this may be the last weekend we can go. It's a long drive, but far closer than NC!

Oh, and I forgot to mention. I found a brewery that has pimento cheese on their menu. You know I ordered it! First taste of the south in a loooong time.

Banana Squash Soup...and Seattle

Years and years ago, back when Jason and I were young and did crazy things like go on dates, I had the best soup ever. A banana squash soup (that's a type of squash, not banana and squash) at Campania. It was amazing. Last weekend I finally found it on a menu again. Again, amazing. I could eat a vat of this soup. It was delicious. Unfortunately for me, it was not here in Portland, but in Seattle. Which, by the way, is a very cool city. Jason, the kids, and I drove up for a quick weekend trip. We hit a lot of the highlights. We walked along the water and ate at Ivars (yummm banana squash soup), wandered up to the space needle, and went on one of the tacky touristy duck boat tours. The tour was pretty neat, I especially enjoyed the water portion and seeing all the houseboats and floating houses (including the Sleepless in Seattle house). Sunday included a visit to Pike's Market, the original Starbucks, and the aquarium before heading home. Pike's was fun to walk through, but got very crowded in a hurry. The aquarium was a big hit with the kiddos. Ashley loves touch tanks, and encourages me to join the fun. I am generally ok not touching sea cucumbers, or anemones, etc. Davey was enthralled by the "Nemo" and "Marlin" fish. That kid loves a clown fish, and watching that movie over and over and over. (Ashley has declared herself bored of Finding Nemo.) All in all, Seattle was a great trip and I would definitely go again.

Around here nothing much is new. I was the parent volunteer on Thursday at Ashley's school. I was in charge of the art room for an hour. It was red day at school, and I was according coated in red paint by the end of the day. I am the helper again on Tuesday. Sue is visiting this weekend and it is so nice to have family around again. The kids are so excited to see Grandma, Ashley especially. Lot's and lot's of smiles from the Bears this weekend. Next weekend Claire and Evan!

So it's been awhile.

So I've been lazy. Not extra busy, extra lazy and it's been awhile. After a month of waiting around life has finally started in Portland. Ashley has preschool Tuesday and Thursday and both kids have swim. (I have yet to fully recover from losing Davey's 2x a week preschool. Sigh.) Ashley's preschool is wonderful. Her teacher has been there for 25 years and the general set up and schedule is perfect for a threes class. I am glad we found a good school out here since leaving such a wonderful school in Charlotte was one of my biggest anxieties. Since it's a coop I am parent helper 4x between now and January and on-call sub 4x as well. No preschool for Davey means what would have been his tuition each month now can go towards babysitters. Ashley's favorite things about preschool:
1. The babydoll/play house area (she loves the play washer and dryer)
2. The arts and crafts room, especially the glitter paint
3. The guinea pigs, Peanut Butter and Jelly (who will not be weekending with us)

The gym I belong to has great swim lessons. Members pay $35 a session. It's such a deal. Davey is in a mommy and me class. All the other babies have been taking swim since they were in utero. (well, 4 months, but you get the idea.) Davey didn't scream, but he said "no thank you" and "get out now" a lot. Ashley is the only one in her class. This means she is getting private lessons. It rocks. She practiced some strokes and getting toys from the bottom of the pool. She loves swim class.

The only trip we did recently was Crater Lake. It is a beautiful National Park, and the deepest lake in the US. Because it was formed when a volcano collapsed, no rivers or streams flow into it. It is 100% filled with snow melt (averages 44' a year) and rain. This also makes it one of the cleanest lakes in the world. There is all sorts of interesting info about Ceater Lake. You should google it because I am too lazy to type it on the tablet. The kids had a blast camping. The campsite was incredibly dusty so they were filthy. We planned better and cooked dinner (hot dogs) and made smores on the fire Jason made with firewood we collected. The general verdict on camping from Jason is that it's great until the sleeping part. Then the ground is hard and it sucks. We will work on improving that next time.

Up next is a trip to Seattle where we will rough it in a Marriott. :-)

Let's talk Portland

I've talked a lot about stuff we've done, but I haven't blogged about Portland. If I like the city, if I like living here. In short, yes and yes. Portland is a very interesting city. It is very liveable. Unlike Charlotte, there are shops and restaurants galore downtown. (And almost all are non-chains which I like.) Transportation is easy, and free pretty much everywhere the kids and I go. There are parks galore, shade, huge trees, and a nice river (it has yet to smell and actually looks clean). To top it all off, there are so many interesting places nearby - Mt. Hood, Crater Lake, Cannon Beach, Olympic National Park... There is a lot I have yet to explore in Portland, different areas and neighborhoods, the OSMI, etc.

I like walking on the river in the morning.
I like exploring new streets and stores.
I like finding new parks with the kids.
I love our weekend trips. I am dragging Jason to all the national and state parks I can.
I like the geography. It's hilly, and green, and very different.
I like the attitude. People care about being green. Not like Charlotte where most could care less.
I like the independent local flare.
I like trying something new.

As cool as Portland is, it isn't home. I miss my family and friends. Actually knowing other people, having adults to talk to during the day. Ashley starts preschool next week. Since it's a co-op, I will be there a lot working. Maybe I will meet some mom friends there? It's time to use the kids to meet people. They're pretty cute. In the meantime, anyone bored and looking to visit?? Like I've said, Portland is pretty cool.