breathe in deeply...now slowly exhale

whoa...tina and I attended a birth education class last night. it was the first of seven, every monday night from 7-9:30 pm. at first, tina and i thought, "why are the classes so long? what do they cover that we need to meet for so long?"

Well, a lot really. Yesterday we talked about signs of labor, positive changes in the body, negative changes in the body, relaxation and breathing techniques, nutrition, pelvic thrusts, and kegel exercises. We even watched a video that described and depicted what happens when the mother's water breaks, when the baby drops into the pelvis, and what contractions look like.

I know I speak for Tina too cuz we talked about it after class: watching the video gave me goosebumps. i mean real goosebumps. the kind that reflect dizzying thoughts such as..."holy sh*t! what am i getting msyelf into?! am i prepared for this baby? am i gonna know what to do? holy sh*t! i'm gonna be a daddy"

i can profess how excited I am...and let me tell you I am. but when our instructor pressed stop on the VCR/DVD, i imagine i looked like a wide-eyed deer, frozen, mesmerized by the high-beam headlights of reality...i'm gonna have a baby soon.

when i snapped out of that daze, i looked over at tina for a little reassurance that she doles out so readily. but she had that same wide-eyed gaze too! (though i think hers was catalyzed by thoughts such as "holy sh*t! that baby is gonna come out of me??!"

i wanna say that i've lost that anxiety, but i haven't. it's now there mixed in with the excitement that i already had. i suppose my best bet is to take it all in stride and not get too anxious about it all.

i'm gonna go practice some calming breathing techniques now...

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Sa gitna ng apoy

Ay-sus-ma-ri-osep! Ang init-init dito! Parang nakabalot ako sa poyl at nakahiga ako sa BBQ-han. Sabi nga ng lolo ko nung isang araw, "Eh eh! Ano ba i'yan! Ang init. Parang na sa Pilipinas tayo. BUWISIT!"

Nag-i-intay ako dito sa trabaho dahil susunduhin pa ako ni Tina. Sumama si Tina kaninang umaga dahil nagtulong siya magbantay yung anak ng kaibigan niya. Buti nga, maaga dumating ang ina. Kung hindi, baka magiintay ako dito hanggang alas sinko.


saglit lang...


tamang-tama...tumawag si tina at naan dito na siya.

peace...

oo nga...pasensya na lang kung mali-mali ang tagalog ko :)

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there's something about sleeping in your own bed

long, winding road climbs:
silver streak through snow dust peaks
hail. sun. home at last.


trip down went really well. our second leg took 12 hours instead of 10, but i think we should have crossed over to highway 101 from I-5. this way we would have avoided going through the shasta mountains and maybe shaved off some time.

i welcomingly drove most of the trip, but i started to feel the effects of sitting in one position for almost 8 hours. sharp pains occasionally crept in, shooting through my right hip joint, probably because of the bring-your-own-cruise-control feature of the car.

we probably won't do a long drive again until summer 05. i'ld like to spend extra time driving up the coast, stopping along the way to enjoy the ocean views, forests and small towns.

maybe it was the long and tiring drive, but i slept really well last night. it could be our soft bed, supportive pillows, or cool sheets. but really, i think it's because it's OUR space. it's nothing big, just a little bonus room. but it's the first place that we've built together: painting, decorating, choosing furniture and figuring out where the crib is gonna be, etc.

it's been nothing close to blood and sweat! yet, our joint efforts, no matter how small, have still created that sense of belonging which greets us at the door, invites us to kick off our shoes, snuggle in, and relax...cuz you know, you're home now.

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Follow the yellow brick road

tomorrow we begin our road trip from north vancouver, british columbia to fremont, CA.

we plan to leave in the morning, as our first leg will take us about 6 hours. aside from taking much needed breaks so that tina can stretch her legs, we'll be bedding down tomorrow night at ninang alba's place in beaverton, oregon. on saturday morning, we will commence our second and longer leg, travelling about 10 hours to fremont.

we've had to put some money into prepping tina's little silver bullet (ie honda civic) for our trek down north america. we changed the plugs, brakes, timing belt, and the thermostat. we even found a slow leak in one of the tires and had the shop patch it up. hopefully it's now ready to streak across the land...figuratively speaking of course... :)

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one of our treasures in life

Tina and I have had a good time in Canada. When not running errands related to our upcoming drive down, we've enjoyed the opportunity to hang out with family and friends! As I mentioned in a previous post, we spent most of last weekend with Tina's brother's and family. Last night we hung out with some of her high school friends, catching up, sharing pictures, and planning for upcoming trips. Tonight, we were just as blessed to have some of the KP folks come out to enjoy the food at Boston Pizza while we watched Game 4 of the Vancouver-Calgary series (sorry vancouverites...). Thanks to all who came out, called, or even thought of us at all...:)

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C'mon in...the water's fine!

What a welcome...sunny bay area weather in the beautiful northwest. Temperatures in Seattle this past weekend hit the mid-70's and we're probably enjoying low 70's in North Vancouver tonight. An added bonus that we don't get back home is the longer daylight. Being farther up north, the sun sets at a later time. So, it's 6:40pm right now and it's still bright bright bright.

I've always had an affinity for the outdoors. I like camping and hiking and fishing. The crisp mountain air and evergreens all around bring me back to childhood stories about White Fang, Daniel Boone, and Grizzly Adams. North Vancouver and BC have an abundance of this all, and if life goes as planned, I look forward to spending more time up here in the distant future.

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SPOILED

In a few days, I embark on a much bally-hooed Rite of Spring where young collegiates oft revel in liquid-depressant-induced stupors: Spring Break. Years prior would find me longing, counting the days to this blessed event! But alas, I no longer heed that siren's song which lulls young men to sun-bleached sands and smoke-filled bars. The song is still there, but only faint and ignored. No, this Spring Break, I and my newly found life-partner + offspring will venture forth North to the expanse of British Columbia in Canada where I will spend a much coveted 11 days away from work.

And when I return, when I return to Contra Costa College mid-April, my countdown clock resets as I tick off 6 weeks to the start of yet another seasonal break: Summer Vacation.

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