Etherington Christgiving

The crew met in Bellingham for their version of the holidays before the snow bird, Kathleen, headed to New Zealand. I had the opportunity to meet Tim and Charlie for the first time after a gruelling holiday traffic infested drive from Portland. I had only heard about them from Ej and Kathleen and I was greeted warmly at the door by the doggies and soon to be uncles. We chatted over dinner and broke any tension that would have existed. I am extremely proud of myself for venturing outside of my comfort zone and surrounding myself with Ej's family for my favorite holiday. And thankful to Kathleen, Tim and Charlie for welcoming me. :)

Tim, EJ, Kathleen and I compiled wonderful holiday dishes, complimenting each other on our cooking prowess. Ej exercised his sweet tooth with sugary deserts, Tim prepared turkey and veggies and also allowed me to make my stuffing and cranberry sauce. Kathleen contributed a family tradition platter and we had a colorful feast. Charlie took charge of the dishes, the noblest of contributions to clean up after messy cooks. I, for one, can destroy a kitchen, let alone four of us in one kitchen in shifts..

I spoke for the first time with Leah over the phone, as she could not make the gathering. She sounds like a sweetheart! She commented on Tim's ability to turn over the kitchen to me and I quickly realized that we had several control freaks cooking. Good thing my stuffing and sauce turned out. I could have been banned from the kitchen for eternity!

My favorite Thanksgiving weekend activity had to be the drunken Apples to Apples tournament Friday night! Of course, the reigning queen of that game would be Kathleen in her sparkly crown and sceptor of wrapping paper! Had we taken out the camera once to capture any pictures, we would have been blinded by the glare of her enormous crown.

After several games and one polished off bottle of fine liquor between them, we started to retire. It was well passed midnight and I had fallen asleep in conversation with the boys.

Ej had already left for a boating adventure, Charlie was leaving in the morning. Tim, Kathleen and I ate a wonderful breakfast before I moseyed back home.

Kathleen, thank you again for the gifts, Tim for the haircut, Charlie for the laughs. I'm happy to have spent the holiday with the Etheringtons and Ratte.

Ultrasound Findings

El Nino is officially 4 pounds 1 ounce as of Thursday, November 15th. He is in the 51% for size and looks to be exactly on target for a regular birth weight, as opposed to small. I was small, Ej was small.

The doctor was very please over the ultrasound. So pleased that I am in the clear with all of that talk regarding my diet. I just keep eating. So.. Bring on the Turkey and stuffing, potatoes, yams, pie, veggies and anything I can get my hands on! Ah, my favorite holiday!

Sandra

Pregnancy Paddling

I have had a very hard time staying away from the water over the last couple of weeks. I had taken safety into account and the wishes of Ej's to steer clear for the baby's sake. But I am taking a mental beating. Not having a productive way to relieve the stress I am under creating a life and dealing with this very complicated situation has really taken a toll. I have taken up Yoga, but it's not the same. I don't get the physical exertion. I walk for exercise, but I can't clear my head.

And here I am, telling my doctor and Ej that I am going to paddle anyway. I spoke candidly to my doctor regarding the motions I take while paddling. The most dangerous aspect to paddling while pregnant would be to wet exit and expose my baby to anything in the water capable of piercing my gear or jarring my body hard enough, creating placental separation. I am confident in my skill level, safety on the water and judgement. I still have my roll, great mobility and a wonderful crew willing to give me my two hours of breathing and exercise on the river.

Class two and flat water are my options. I am unwilling to endanger myself or the baby on anything else. I take into account the length of the run, the character of the river, the remoteness as well as levels.

My crew is well versed in river safety, CPR and also confident in my ability to make sound choices. I started making plans regarding different runs by asking fellow paddling enthusiasts what runs they would suggest they would be comfortable on. The list was quite extensive from some people and others wouldn't support my endeavor at all.

My choice originally, for length, exercise and safety was the Dead Cow run on the Santiam. Firstly, there is enough draw for my class 3-5 paddling buddies to entertain themselves on the play wave while I shoot video from the banks. Secondly, the run is long. This means I would be exerting myself in my barge of a boat. Safety being a concern in any run, and cell phones, proper safety equiptment, and knowledge of the run was a crucial aspect. The run is lined with private property, fields and such, but the kicker is the hospital, in case anything happened, being within a mile of the take out.

However, high water this weekend forced me to change my plan and head to Barton to Carver... Cell phone service, housing lined river, but very short. I can't have it all!!

We picked up an extra boater, shuttled on up and pretended that there were rapids on the stretch of river we have only done as the Clackamas Clean Up effort throughout the years.

Fantastic to be on the water, with wind, rain and great people all bundled in Gortex! The run was extremely uneventful, however in every way shape and form, a release on every level for me, which really was my goal. I feel a bit more relaxed and ready to tackle the stress eating away at me. Maybe this clearing of the mind will make room for a bit more understanding.

I will also participate in pool sessions with my friends here and in Corvallis. If you are interested in bobbing around in flat water, class two and pools, give me a call.

Ultrasound

My ultrasound, from what they can see, was normal, other than my growth still being of concern for my doctor. I have been reassured, however, I am reluctant to say that I am healthy, only because, no matter what I eat or how much, I have yet to really gain weight. El Nino is 4 pounds at this time, which is great!

Over the last two weeks, I have gained another two pounds, so I am only slightly off track from what my doctor requested from August. I plateaued for a short time without any increase in October and Novemeber is only slightly better.

I am rounding the last 8 weeks. You'll be meeting the little man soon!

Sandra

Baby Showers

I have had one baby shower that my ex-boyfriend, Shane, and his sister Carrie threw for me. We have kept a great relationship as friends and as soon as he heard the news of my soon to be mommy status, he pulled together a planning committee to throw an outlandish, completely inappropriate baby shower that I wouldn’t invite my own mother to. And didn’t. I actually went as far as letting Ej know that he would be uncomfortable there too. Not only was it my old boyfriend , it was also the type of party he always rolls his eyes at. You know, the one where we talk Kathleen into whacking a baby piñata and drinking a shot of Patron….

I did, however, email the both of them and explain that the baby shower put on by my sister is the one they would be invited to attend since they would feel unwelcome or at least extremely uncomfortable at Shane and Carrie’s.

That being said, here are some absolutely insane photos of what my friends had in store for me:



more to come with the other photographer..



There were casualties everywhere! There were three trikes for relay trike races. Two of them broke. The egg-tossing contest with eerie baby faces glued to each egg splattered around the field. The battered and mangled baby piñata with candy and whistles.. And just as we finished up, the cops drove by the elementary school and everyone darted back to the house. Each prize was a bottle of alcohol they broke open and distributed shots from. By the end of the night, everyone was obnoxiously drunk, but it was soo much fun for my friends, and me I forgave their behavior.

I know Kathleen couldn’t make the more appropriate one. She assured me that this one was a good time. And I really did have to warn her of how crazy it would be. I don’t know if any of my friends that start having children will be able to do anything but a deranged coed party.