Summer, I'm so glad you are here! I made sweet tea today in celebration of your appearance here in Central Ohio.

Our doctor informed us today that Baby Gatling is head down! There is still a chance that she could turn, but things are getting a little crowded in there and she just can't manage her graceful flips anymore. Usually babies that are head down at this point (33 weeks) stay that way until the end. Woo hoo! All those sweet little bumps that I have felt for the past months have become intense pushes. Lately she has taken to pressing against the top of my pelvis and my rib cage at the same time. It feels so incredibly strange.

We have been crazy busy lately, mainly with moving into a house. We are really excited about having a place of our own where we are not sharing walls with our neighbors (who by the way were INSANE--quite literally--at our last place. Ah, the beauty of thin walls). The house has an awesome fenced in backyard and we definitely anticipate lots of barbeques this summer. We also have plans to plant a big garden soon. Bring on the homegrown tomatoes! Mmmm....

This week is my last official week of work. Next week I'll still be in the office, but I'm training the new guy taking my place. It shouldn't be TOO MUCH of a hassle considering the new guy is...Ben! That's right, Ben applied for my job as the Director of Volunteer Coordination (at an awesome non-profit that works with OSU international students called International Friendships) and got it. This job coincides so perfectly with his classes and teaching schedule next year. We could not have asked for a better situation. I was planning on still volunteering with International Friendships and now I can do just that AND see Ben during his work day. The fact that our office is nice and kid (or baby) friendly doesn't hurt either. Again, God is an amazing provider.

I am truly sick of hearing ignorant, blatantly racist, Obama jokes.

http://www.cnn.com/video/#/video/politics/2008/05/14/bojorquez.obama.tshirt.controversy.wsb

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/05/12/AR2008051203014_pf.html

People are disappointing, that's for sure.

I miss sleep...

And eating a meal without feeling miserable afterwards...

And unihibited breathing...


Man, oh man, am I feeling pregnant.

Yesterday, Ben turned 26 years old! Without a doubt, this is going to be a big year considering all the changes coming up in his life. At 26 years of age, he will graduate with his M.A. in Persian (that's on June 8th), he will meet his first child (sometime around July 14th) and he will begin the Ph.D. program in Persian at Ohio State University (in September). He's going to be a busy man, but without a doubt he will handle it all with grace. I have so much confidence in the man I married. He's pretty darn wonderful and I love him. You should too. :)

Birthday breakfast...homemade cinnamon rolls. Mmmmm...



...Enjoying the best gifts that he could ever receive...books, of course.



...He wanted a Boston Cream Cake. He got it.


Happy Birthday, Ben!



And here I am at 30 weeks...getting rounder (EVERYWHERE) everyday. This pregnancy has been such a blessing. I was never really sick and I'm still feeling great and staying active. Just yesterday, we went on a 3 mile hike with our dog. Honestly, at this point it feels better to move rather than sit still. When I sit or lay down, it requires about a million strategically placed pillows and it's still just plain uncomfortable.

We're in the final stretch of this pregnancy and are staying busy preparing for our daughter's entrance into this world. We just hired a doula to help during labor. Her name is Amanda and she's great. You see, I really want to have an unmedicated labor and delivery. Unfortunately that's pretty difficult to do in a hospital setting where birth has been hyper-medicalized and it doesn't necessarily need to be. Don't get me wrong, we are very fortunate to have access to medical care and our obstetrician's very capable hands if a need should arise. I just don't want to assume that the birth of our baby is a high-risk emergency waiting to happen. With all that said, doulas are people trained to help women and their spouses during labor, particularly those who want to avoid medicated births. We are very excited to have found Amanda.

In addition to hiring a doula, we're going on a maternity tour of the hospital at the end of the month, and we're also going to be looking for a pediatrician soon. How wild does that sound??? I feel way to young for the word "pediatrician" to even come out of my mouth. Ha!

And before I leave, allow me to remind you that tomorrow's a big day for two reasons...

First, it's our 2 year anniversary. Yay! Second, it's the NC primary.

BE SURE TO VOTE!