Final normal doctor appointment...

Well, normal frequency anyhow. As of now, I see the doc every 2 weeks until we hit 36 weeks, then its every week. This means we are nearing the end. (!). How bizarre! I can't quite wrap my brain around the fact that in 8 or so weeks, a little human baby will be in our house. It's just too weird. I'm not exactly getting nervous, I guess it's just a strange feeling of reality settling in. Until now, it's been a sort of distant thought because we've gone through the busy months of buying selling the houses, moving, settling in, vacation, etc. Now, it's 2 months of just pure waiting, or something akin to it anyhow. I surely don't have much else going on. Jonathan will start school in a few weeks so he'll be semi-occupied with that. Otherwise, no distracting events on the horizon. Just waiting to get the last details into place before the baby arrives.

It appears that guesses on gender are nearly split down the middle in the family. I think both sides are secretly routing for a girl, since it's been 25 years since a girl has showed up on my mom's side, and all the other pregnant cousins in the Ruiz family are having boys. My cousin and his wife had their baby last week, which we thought would be a girl, but it was a boy. So "the pressure is on" to break the boy-spell in the Rohrbach clan and birth a girl. I'm nervous to have a girl, honestly. Those reasons may be fabrications in my brain or just the reality that little girls are a handful, but I'm still sort of hoping for a boy though I think I'm setting myself up to be disappointed. Well, not disappointed, that sounds terribly selfish to have an opinion on the gender of my baby...but you know. It will surely be the most spoiled little girl ever, so we'll have to work double time at making sure she's disciplined and doesn't become bratty! At least everyone seems to like the girl's name, contrary to the popular opinion on the boy's name.

I guess I have to count kicks now. This seems ridiculous, as most of the things they've made me do so far...I swear, the stupid hoops you must jump through with the medical world just to have a baby. So stupid. and we wonder why healthcare costs are through the roof-they keep adding ridiculous "necessary" procedures! Anyhow, the kick-counting particularly seems ridiculous because at this point, I'm pretty familiar with this baby's "habits" and it's rather active, so I would notice if an entire day went by without any movement. I mean geez, there's not a lot of room in there so I do notice every little foot and elbow that's moved as it situates itself "comfortably". So yea, two times a day, I have to pay attention for 2 hours and record if there are less than ten distinct movements. I'm lucky if I remember to pee in a cup the morning of my appointments, so we'll see how this daily assignment goes.

I received my first massage ever yesterday, which was specifically tailored to pregnant mothers. Quite relaxing. I could probably use a massage once a month when I'm NOT pregnant because my back muscles just become disasterously knotted, so they're especially a mess right now. It was nice to have those loosened up a bit. Apparently my feet are the most stressed out part of my body, which I am not surprised by other than the fact that there's no visible swelling, really no swelling of any kind in my legs or feet. I'm quite thankful I've been spared that. Of course, it could still happen in these last couple of months, but so far, nothing. Guess I drink enough to cleanse my system and avoid retaining a lot of water?

Anyhow, that's a brief update for now. Not much else new...

30 weeks...

...is a lot of weeks. Let's all give Jocelyn a round of applause for an amazingly easy pregnancy thus far...

....woooooooooooooooooooohooo
....goooooo teeaaaaaaaaaammmm
....yaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay
...yippppppppppppeeeeeeeeee.....

I must say it has been quite easy to have a pregnant wife. It's almost confusing after hearing all the difficult pregnancy stories when we haven't had anything really happen. So that is something to be thankful for.

At this point in the pregnancy I am ready for the baby. For multiple reasons:

Impatience
I need to learn to work on my patience, but I am just ready for the baby. I would also like, for Jocelyn's sake, for her bowling ball that is front of her body to be gone.
dsa
Surprise
I needed more "points" so instead of impatience, I can't wait for the surprise of this baby. Boy or girl? Hmmm Jocelyn often refers to it as "he" so maybe it is a boy. And if not, she will still be a good mom. In addition to the desire to be surprised I just am excited for whatever it is. Onyn Luis or Amaris Helen, we shall see.

Excitement
Wow! This is excting, we are about to have a baby. It is going to be fantastic. We are about to be parents. Our house is all set and the room is ready! As awesome as it has been to have cats, yeah I know it's sad, I know it will be an infinite amount of joy more to have a child. Callicky or not, it shall be great.

In other news, my pregnant wife is quite sexy.

vacation

wow, so last vacation without a baby i guess. camping seemed so simple this time. next year i have a feeling it won't exactly be "simple", however, we won't get bored at all. it'll be fun having a little human to teach things to...see the wonder in their eyes, all those sorts of things.

at any rate, this baby has had quite the "in utero" experience with cycling. first night we arrived we went out on bikes to explore the area. next morning happened to wake up at 5am and decided to ride out to an overlook point to see the sunrise. very much fun. plus, we were at the beach by 8am and enjoyed the solace that comes with an unoccupied shoreline. we left by 1130 because the crowds closed in on us and just ruined the magic of being there without any company other than dolphins. since we started that day out so early, we had the whole afternoon to entertain ourselves with nearby attractions, including Jonathan's childhood favorite (and his dad's i think!) "Funland." Now, first year we were married and went on vacation here, we had a huge conflict over playing boardwalk games, wasting money, etc etc. Clash of values and how we grew up...what else happens the first year of marriage? anyhow, we've developed a habit of throwing spare change and small bills into a piggy bank, literally-well, now that the pig's ear broke Jonathan bought a fancy jar that counts the change for you...but before that it WAS a real piggy bank. the piggy bank change is used for fun on vacations/daytrips. so a few rounds of the "Funland Derby" AKA "The Horse Game" were already funded. I enjoyed beginner's luck and won a "medium size" horse on my first try. Jonathan came around later on and won a white one as well. So now we have horse siblings that will um...sit somewhere in our house and freak out our cats I guess. they HATE the horses. They're still terrified of the Jumbo sized one we brought home awhile ago (won at the previous trip to that boardwalk but it lived at my mom's for the past 2 years). I guess it is the size of a 3 year old at least...maybe 5 year old.

(jonathan's early morning "pose")

the horses. and jonathan's aviators. whoa.

anyhow...hmm...yea that was tuesday. eventful. just fun to have a bit of friendly competition and enjoy doing silly things together. wednesday we slept in a bit-EVERYONE stays up so late at this camp ground! so weird. at least to us. usually...we camp at state parks or national parks. these campers have an agenda-and it involves waking up early to hit some trails or whatever at full force. people do NOT usually stay up super late. cape henlopen, we learned (though its common sense) is the beach-variety of campers who stay up until all odd hours of the night, children and adults alike. so with the early morning tuesday, and staying up late with everyone that night, we were tanked and slept in wednesday. spent some time at the beach and then went out for dinner at this amazing little mexican place in Lewes. somehow, the fact that DE is full of history, Lewes in particular, did not dawn on us until after we at dinner here and found ourselves wondering through a cemetary with gravestones from the 1600s. there were some prominant early political figures buried there, which was interestin to learn about and just think about. kind of extended the "Independence Day" theme contemplating the crazy time these people lived through and the immense amount of courage and passion they had.


We also determined on that dinner trip that I must learn to play poker. i hate gambling, betting, whatever...complex reasons that extend beyond "Christian Morality." has more to do with the socioeconomic impact it has on so many, but i needed to know. so a trip to Rite Aid proved successful and we came back with a set of cards. our piggy bank of change served as chips. and the lessons began. we took a break and went mini golfing at some point as well, which was quite fun. i won. yes. i did. its my secret talent. not really, i just had a small baby helping me win. it was fun regardless.

went for a rather long bike ride this morning-return trip was fully into the wind of course as we were traveling towards the coast. my legs (and entire being essentially) are quite tired, but it was good fun and i'm just thankful to be able to continue to ride and do physical activities even though i'm getting rather large and moving along in this preganancy. i think our waitress at the diner we stopped at for breakfast thought i was sort of insane wearing cycling knickers and a work out top, not to mention riding a bike, but o well. at least i burned off MY omlette. sheesh.

actually from our first day there....when we went out in the evening to explore.
looks uncomfortable, but i felt great for the most part.

well..we're home and unpacked. and i'm wiped out. more pics are on facebook. i just tried to find some that fit the paragraphs above. peace out.

growing things

i've always wanted to plant a garden, well, "Edit" that....to "successfully grow a garden full of vegetables." i've planted things in the past but never followed through and reaped a harvest. in the city, i tried to plant things in our backyard, but quickly found out that it was more work than i had bargained for. now...i have the whole summer, so i'm hoping to be a bit more productive with my free time. my seedlings are a bit late, though. i should've had this thing planted and ready to go a month ago. o well. sets the stage for next year. i think my peas will pull through at least.

in other news, i have not gotten used to nor do i think i ever will get used to seeing pregnant pictures of myself. sheesh. its just too weird. i feel fairly fit and able when i'm out working in the yard and then see a picture and think whoa...i have not accounted for the changes that are taking place physically! don't worry, no overworking. jonathan is quick to jump in and take over when things get to be too much. plus, having a garden means about 24 square feet less of grass to cut, so he was willing to help make that happen.

summer vacation mode is a strange thing. we do manage to keep busy for the most part, little yard projects and what not...but its a weird thing to get used to for me. i'm terrible at sitting around doing "nothing." or what i see as "nothing." i can if i have to, but for the most part just feel lazy right now or something. trying to at least be productive and read some good books, journal here and there, and be a good "home maker" by cooking and cleaning much more than i ever have. next year at this time, jonathan will be planted in front of the TV 24/7 balancing watching the World Cup and the Tour de France throughout the entire month of July teaching the baby abotu these sports, and I will be free to go ride my bike until my heart's content. So, I guess I can find things to do this year.

next week the baby will be 28 weeks along...which is crazy. 7 months, third trimester. yikes. i know i'll appreciate having all this time off at that point. i managed to track down a mercury free rhogam shot for next week, so if you know someone who is pregnant and has a negative blood type, it IS possible to avoid the serious overdose of mercury in the typical rhogam shot. its a bit of a hassle/run around, but i'm convinced that if docs want pregnant women eating less fish while they're pregnant because of mercury, there's no way a heart dose of it in a shot can be healthy.

well here are some pics from the day. they're on facebook as well.

FINALLY

We haven't posted all week because we've been settling in. For the first several days we didn't have internet. We finally have all of our furniture in place-have a few things to square away yet but with several closets and some empty drawers in every room, that shouldn't be a huge project.

I don't have any fantastic stories or recent thoughts to post...so I'll just put up some pictures I just took. I didnt' take any of the upstairs, just not quite exciting yet. While most things are "in place" we don't have pictures up on the walls up there yet and the baby's room is still being decorated as well. Soon enough...

The first two (red walls) are the dining room and the rest are the living room. more to come.

Numb3rs

24x7=168

It's true. It's math. It's also the amount of episodes of the tv show 24 we have watched since January. Wow. To give a relation to that, so far there have been 167 days this year (not including today). That is sad. Although it has been great sharing in those goofy nights of 8 episodes of 24 with Jocelyn and talking about the various issues that come up in the show. If nothing else we have watched EVERY episode together. That is something special in and of itself.

2 Years 1 Month 13 Days

When putting away laundry I forget which stuff is mine and what stuff is hers. Some days it feels as though I don't actually exist and she is me and I am her. Sometimes she is an alien too, but overall, more than just overall, marriage is amazing.
There is a song I have heard in my recent country music kick, called--well I am not sure what it is actually is called, but with the lyrics, "I thought I loved you then." This is very true. Love grows, reshapes, remolds, and simply gets better. I really thought I loved Jocelyn when we got engaged or married, but with all the days that have passed, I realize that that is only the tip of the iceberg. In 10 years, I am pretty sure this will feel like just the tip, but that is the joy in marriage.


2 Years and 5 Months-ish

The amount of time we have spent in our house in Philadelphia. It's odd to leave a place you call home. There is an obvious comfort there. Although it was only a short time, you get used to all the crazy noises and sounds and it what you call "normal". That being said, it was a place that I always knew we would leave. A place that would serve a purpose. Where Jocelyn and I would grow together. Learn the meaning of marriage--well, at least part of it. Where I learned to teach and Jocelyn learned she is a business woman. Seasons come and go.

5

The number of cats coming to our new house. In case there was any confusion since we have had easily over 20 stay out our house in some capacity over the past 2 and half years. They are the following: (some pictured in the previous post)

Marvelea (long hair short tail), Otto (orange), Landa (mut laying on the ground sprawled out in pictures below), Jaya (tortoiseshell, which basically is black with some odd spots, she looks like a "secret agent" or a thief), and finally Pequena (gray, scared of life)

It is exciting to bring them to the new house as they are part of who we are and we are super excited to bring them along.

25

When Jocelyn and I go out to the city or anywhere people of our age (post college) gather or something like that. We are always thankful even more so that we are married. We would not in anyway want to be part of that seen. That weird, awkward seeking of who you are or some ridiculous quest like that. Part of it, probably all of it has to do with the fact that we believe in Jesus and who he is and living life with purpose as opposed to getting drunk for "fun" and partying for "kicks" or sleeping around "to find someone" or buying fancy cars to look "cool" or to use "quotes just for fun because you are bored" oops i am doing that. Anyway, we have tried to live with purpose. Not for gain. We are not staunch republicans who believe in making money because God "blesses" us with stuff. Rather we have tried to live with purpose in where we live and follow his "calling" or "nudges" or "some words that don't make Jocelyn make fun of me".
And he we are at 25 on house number 2 and car number...oh geez I dont even know.

102

Potentially the number of days left until a baby is added to our life. It is a beautiful thing to have nine months to work through the range of emotions. We are so pleased to be moving where we are because there is so much to be said about living in community with family. There will also be so much to be said about how crazy it is, but we will adjust and all be better from it.

10

This is the number of cars we have had, I decided to add it after thinking through it a while.

DAD I AM COMPLETELY BLAMING THIS ON YOU. (not because you are a car dealer either)

When my dad and mom were engaged my dad had two cars (before he was a car dealer) and he gave my mom one to use, heck I don't even think they were engaged.

So Pops you are the reason i did it, I wanted to be like you. Let the record show.

I sold the Audi (#0) and when Jocelyn got back from Fiji and it was clear we were going to get married (at least to me) I gave her a Jeep(#1) to drive while I had a Mazda truck (#2) and then a Mazda Millenia (#3) for about a week. After the Milenia was a Mazda 626 (#4) and we also got a Hyundai Accent (#5) instead of the Jeep. We drove both of those for a while into marriage and eventually went to a Forester (#6) instead of the Mazda and a Saab (#7) instead of the Accent. Someone ran into the Saab, sad, soooooo sad, and we got a Subaru Legacy to replace it (#8). We sold the Legacy and bought the Passat (#9) and finally we are going to get a Vue (#10) instead of the Passat. Whew. Just wanted to document it somewhere.

28

The numbers of hours until we will be on the road to a new place of residence. It has been an insane journey. Better than we could have imagined.

quick pics...

Since I'm always told that pictures are exciting and people don't like to read long blogs...I thought maybe these would help to balance out my long entry below. Obviously, our cats have enjoyed the moving process.


Yes, they chose these spots on their own. An empty box is just waiting to be made into a bed.


Clearly, Landa has no concerns whatsoever about the move.