The difference 10 weeks can make . . .

Pregnancy lasts 40 weeks and it is amazing how much things change from month to month. It has seemed like it has taken forever to get here but so far I've been blessed with a fairly easy pregnancy. I've not been afflicted by many of the undesirable symptoms and I really appreciate that - thanks body. Oh I've been very tired at times, had days when my back was not happy and felt like my sinus's were going to explode but all in all I really feel like I can't complain. 

Here I am at 26 weeks at the Public Gardens in Boston. Back then people used to ask "How far along are you?".  I was being approached by more people than normal, it seemed lots of people like to talk to random pregnant ladies. They usually made some polite small talk and then went on there way.

Here I am at 35 weeks. Funny, I felt very pregnant and large at 26 weeks. Obviously I'm much larger 10 weeks later but I didn't really notice it until I picked up on the change in the conversations I was having with random people.  Now they ask "How much longer do you have?" and "When is the baby due?". I must look close to being "done". Before I thought that lots of people were bringing up my pregnancy but now it is every person I encounter. The bank teller, people on the T, the check out girl at the grocery store, etc. 

I am starting to feel ready for this little guy to arrive. I've switched from pregnancy to infant care books and have been purchasing new clothes for my new job as Chief Nourishment Officer.  I soon will be practicing my dog walking skills with an empty stroller. Though I probably will take a few weeks off while everyone gets settled into this new life, I am hoping to be back walking around the neighborhood soon. We live in an area with great sidewalks and parks, I'd really like to take advantage of the outdoors and the exercise before the winter comes. I'm already getting nervous about the cold.

Here is a great photo of us after dinner with Sol, Rachel and crew. We were able to meet up with them and two of their Boston friends as they drove to New Hampshire for a family vacation. It was good to see them, I'm hoping our new location brings many more visitors!

Anyway, I'll keep you all posted on the baby's status as things progress!

Siena

Bringing Siena back to the US was much easier than taking her to Cayman. A little too easy, if you ask me. She really didn't need anything except her vet records and a certificate from the island saying she was disease free (they just took the information from our vet records). When we arrived at the Washington Dulles airport the Department of Agriculture had no idea how to check in a dog. They never took her out of her kennel to scan her ID or check her health. They called the CDC to double check that Cayman was a rabies free island and then let us through. They actually had more issue with me bringing in a bit of dog food than the actual dog. I expected a bit more border control, especially flying into Washington DC but whatever. Made my day easier. 

We drove Siena from DC to Boston due to the cold weather. She was very happy just to be with us and was a wonderful dog the entire trip, which included a night at my friend Rachel's and a night at a Holiday Inn. We had to stop early to watch KU play (and win) in the Elite Eight game. 

Fast forward a few weeks and Siena settled in nicely. We found an off-leash, unfenced dog park that is a 15 min walk away. Siena has enjoyed running around with the other dogs, meeting people and taking sneaky runs through the forest. 

About a 20 min drive away is another awesome dog park that is all forest trails with a pond. We've only been twice now and Siena has really enjoyed beating the heat in the smelly water. The first time we went she just bounced around the shallows for about 20 min without a break. I think she misses the beaches of Cayman.

People ask me if Siena misses the iguanas and I think she did, briefly at the beginning. She was looking in the bushes and trees for them but found something she's really been missing, squirrels. So far they are her favorite things to chase, followed by rabbits and chipmunks. Here she is trying to stalk a bunny. 

The other day Siena also caught her very first bird. It is a dove of some sort and was unharmed (I assume as he flew away shortly after this photo was taken). She jumped in a bush and pulled him out, dropping him immediately and just stared at him. I think she was as surprised as I was!

Here is Siena at home, enjoying her new favorite spot - half on the futon and half on the ottoman. 

She likes this spot because she can hop up and stare out the window all while staying relatively comfortable. Silly dog. 

Around Town

We arrived in Boston at the end of March 2012 but the first few weeks we were here are kind of a blur.  After waiting a week for our things to arrive from 3 years of storage in KC we spent a lot of time unpacking and dealing with logistics. Plus it was really cold outside (like 50-60 degrees F)!

Once things settled down we began planning fun adventures for the end of April/beginning of May and most of them included sports. 

We went to two Red Sox games on back to back weekends. 

The first weekend we bought fancy seats on the State Street Pavilion that included wait service and access to the club room. It was a wonderful way to watch my first game at Fenway Park. Here is Bob with the State Street sign, the company that made this whole move possible. Bob looks super excited about his new employer.

Great view, right? We didn't stay to the end of the game because it went into extra innings! We left after the eleventh and I think it went another three innings or so before Boston lost. I would have been fine staying but the ballpark stops selling food and drink after the seventh inning, even when the game goes long. Not good for a pregnant lady.

The second weekend we were directly across the field, near the bleachers. The tickets were cheap and the view was okay. I forgot to take pictures but we went the next weekend.

With our baseball fix sustained we felt ready to move on to other sports. The Celtics were in the NBA Playoffs and doing fairly well. We spontaneously decided to go on a Saturday and found reasonable tickets for the first game of the second round that evening.

It was my first NBA game and it was alright. As a HUGE college basketball fan I was skeptical but I found I could enjoy myself. I assume watching former KU great Paul Pierce helped with that a little. The game reminded me of a Royals game, lots of extras and crowd involvement, with a lot less serious focus on the game. I'm glad to have seen a playoff game though because the game did matter a lot more and the crowd was very excited.

We haven't only been scoping out sporting events. We also have spent some wonderful afternoons walking around town and looking for great spots to take our guests. We found this awesome rooftop bar that overlooks downtown. The harbor is to Bob's left, keeping it nice and cool in the summer.

I've been keeping active during the pregnancy and still enjoy walking around town. I usually want to walk further than Bob but only because the extra walking can take us by one of my two favorite treats - authentic Belgian waffles from Saus and Pinkberry.

Here I am at 26 weeks in May. I remember feeling like my belly was so big at this point, boy was I wrong. I am 34 weeks now and look much larger than this! I don't know that I feel that much bigger but I sure look it. I haven't taken any photos of myself recently, I'll have to get on that this week!

Welcome to the New Blog!

Hello and welcome to the new blog. This blog will follow the same tone as our Cayman blog but with a bit more focus on our growing family. 


Since returning to the states we have acquired a lot of new technology and Blogger has changed its format. I'm hoping to learn quickly how to utilize these new tools, especially when it comes to loading photos. Until then, thanks for reading!