Recent photos

SO, I spent 5 days, 4 nights in scenic CABO SAN LUCAS with 4 very photogenic girls and I have ONE SINGLE PHOTO to show for it! (My battery died on day 2, and day 1 was too much fun for cameras.) I'll post some of the other girls' photography soon, but here is the beautiful bride to be:


The next weekend I recharged the camera and we went to the 2nd-most-famous Pebble Beach on the California coast.




The beach is cold and windy, dotted with tidal pools and covered with these interesting rock formations called tafoni. My geologist dad would love it.


For a stretch of about 30 yards, there is no sand or rock, but little pebbles. The pebbles were deposited by Arroyo De Los Frijoles, the Bean Creek, as it flows into the Pacific. Fun! Pretty! Thousands and thousands and thousands of smooth little gems!

Good trip. (Neighbors, it's 2 miles south of Pescadero on Hwy 1 and you must visit.)

The next week, Scott gave himself a lipgloss facial and smelled of mango and passion fruit for hours after:


I love that little mess! I love motherhood. And I love my mother. Happy Mothers' Day to all you women out there who have or love children. And thank you aunts, teachers, babysitters, for all your surrogate mothering.

Second season in Northern California

It is officially second season here in Northern California! (Isn't if funny how all states say "Northern/Southern/Eastern/Western" except for Texas? In Texas, it's "North/South/East/West".)

First season: rainy and cool. You don't necessarily have to wear socks, but it's a little too cool for sandals. You might need a light windbreaker. The grass is green. At night, you probably don't have to turn on the heater, but you may want a down comforter.

Second season: dry and sunny. Perfect naked-baby weather! Warm enough during the day for open windows, so the fried-chicken scented air from the neighbors' yard blows my white curtains charmingly as I type this. (It also carries sounds of apartment living -- babies crying, people being called inside, occasional fights -- which made me feel like I was intrusive for a few months, but now feels normal and communal and less sealed-off than the air conditioned apartment buildings I lived in before.) The plants are starting to dry out and the roses in full sun are down right giving up. Grass is turning brown.

I think the rest of the world might call these seasons Spring and Fall? They were mostly missing in South Texas, so I'm not sure :)

Latest craving

Smoothies!

You need:

1) Something frozen: frozen fruit is great, like mango, blueberries, or strawberries, but if I'm using fresh fruit (honeydew is great), I'll add ice
2) Something creamy: banana, or yogurt, or ice cream
3) Something liquid: coconut milk, or fruit juice, or soy milk

4) a good blender ... we were given a Cuisinart for our wedding and it has been wonderful, blending margaritas and baby food and everything in between

5)and maybe add flax seed for a little extra fiber & health benefit.

Enjoy!

Lime Tart, YUM

I JUST MADE THE MOST DELICIOUS THING! It is a lime tart from Not So Humble's food blog, and it is the best food to ever come out of my kitchen. It is sort of like a key lime pie, but slightly less tart. It is intimidating, as it takes several pans and planning ahead to give first the curd and later the entire tart time to cool, but IT IS WORTH IT! I'm dreaming of other things to put in that browned butter crust ...

Are you in close vicinity to my sister-in-law, Bridget, who has just completed her first year of medical school? Yes? Perhaps you will make her one for her birthday! It is TODAY!

BOY oh BOYS!

We're expecting a baby boy! BROTHERS! How cute!

ALSO, in our 8-unit apartment group, 3 of us ladies are pregnant and all due within a month of each other. This is going to be one fun and noisy fall for the Alpine Meadows. (<-- what kind of name is that for an apartment in mediterranean Calfornia??)

I have been home from CABO SAN LUCAS for 24 hours now and am still completely blissed out. It was amazing to celebrate Karen's finding Daniel with tropical snorkeling, sun, sand, and lots and lots of (non-alcoholic) pina coladas. I am the luckiest girl ever and can't believe I got to spend 5 days and 4 nights here:



and then return home to the man I'm in love with and our darling, funny little son. Lovely, lovely, lovely life.

I get to see my sister and mom in person this week! Which means I get to tell them the baby's gender in person. Which means ... I can't tell you until I tell them!

But if you're Luke's family, call him, I bet he'll tell ya.

Unknowing

It is ultrasound day. Little baby Wagner is 20 weeks along, and today we get a sneak peek at him or her. I am so excited that I had a hard time sleeping last night ... and if you know pregnant me, you know that is amazing. At lunchtime, I'll pick Luke up from work and we will go together to the office, and afterward we'll eat a gender-appropriate meal for the little one. (Hamburgers for a boy, salads and cucumber sandwiches for a girl? I honestly have no gender preference at all -- though I still feel like I'm destined to birth a herd of adorable, loving little boys -- but hamburgers sound pretty tasty.)

Right now, I'm half reveling, half fretting in these last few hours of unknowing. The time when anything is possible and nothing is certain. When I still have to use both gender pronouns, because (s)he is still a secret to me. And the time when my mind runs to worry because maybe (s)he isn't forming properly, maybe his/her organs aren't properly tucked inside his/her body, maybe maybe maybe ...

And I have to be calm. And remember that I am tiny, and that God IS, and rest in that.

But Luke kind of thinks (s)he is a girl, and he is right about things a surprising percentage of the time.