Miles is Born!

Here he is...all 8 pounds 14 ounces. He's quite the kid. A very content and happy baby. Miles Asher was born on February 21st at 4:46 pm at the Birthing Center in Holladay. We are so glad he's here with us. He and his mom are doing very well. His father on the other hand is still recovering from the whole experience.


Here's Miles' mom, the most amazing woman in the world...Miles and I are lucky to have her around.


Here are a few more photos:

And one completely unrelated photo just for fun...

Baby, oh baby

Last week we brought home not one, but two, new babies. Neither of them will be named Miles. You'll have to ask Alvin for the crazy story, since he's the one that can't pass up a good deal.

But how could you refuse a cute guy like this?

Obviously I am still in one piece, but separation is imminent. I hope.

10 days to D-day

Or as the HypnoBirthers would say, my "estimated birthing day/week/month." No signs, unfortunately, that the baby will come early. Which really is fine, because it gives us more time to choose a pediatrician and read about how to care for an infant. And come to a consensus about circumcision.

Yesterday we took a break from car-hunting (Alvin's Accord is going to die, so he wants a Lexus) and house-cleaning (this so-called "nesting instinct" has quadrupled my desire for a clean house) to go snowshoeing. Destination: Little Cottonwood Canyon. Ahh. . . to be above the Salt Lake City smog. And it wasn't cold enough that your fingers instantly freeze outside your gloves. Just nice and refreshing. The top layer of snow on the ground had crystallized like corn flakes.

For those curious about how 8.9 months of pregnancy and snowshoeing mesh: the snowshoeing part was not that difficult. But it was exhausting trying to bend over and strap my gaiters around my boots. Miles is not as squish-able in my belly as he used to be!

Look how vibrant and healthy Alvin's coffee plant is! He got it at Smith's almost three years ago, and since then he has nurtured the plant like a father, awaiting the day it would bear fruit. He nearly cried with joy (not really) when the first tiny pink star blossoms appeared. Now the fruit has matured into beautiful midnight-blue berries. I'm no expert in coffee beans, but that seed sure doesn't look like a Starbucks candidate to me. Alvin, only slightly devastated, is ruminating over how to go about identifying the precise plant species. Any botanists out there?

Happy Holidays!

Christmas

Christmas is the surely the greatest time of year. On Christmas Eve we had a "Jerusalem supper" with Laura's mom, step dad, and sisters. It was great...we had flat bread, cheese, olives, grape juice, and dried apricots...yummm...tasty. That night we read Luke Chapters 1 and 2.

Christmas morning we opened presents. This year we decided to donate money to charity for at least one of our presents. I decided to give money to a charity called Global Impact. They are all about helping people out of poverty and providing basic essential health and food services. Laura suprised me with a ceramics class which we will take together in a few months. Oh...and I hope you all notice how cute Laura is. We are sooo excited for the upcoming birth of our new baby boy Miles. Only seven weeks to go!

That afternoon we went to Laura's grandparents' house and had fun talking (well, listening to Laura's grandma talk) and they fed us some famous split pea soup and chili.

Then it was on to my parents' house for ham, cranberry relish and Christmas steam pudding. We exchanged gifts, played games, and I lost a chess game to my intellectually superior brother-in-law Ian.

Holiday Fun

With five full days off work, we had time to spend relaxing and playing. We had so much fun talking and spending time with family. It was also fun to have a giant snowstorm on Christmas. Although, I'm pretty sure the day after Christmas alone I spent over two hours shoveling snow off the driveway. It must have snowed at least a foot.

Thank goodness for a warm living room. I pulled out the original 8 bit 1986 Nintendo and played Metroid...one of my all-time favorite games. After much toil I made it past the metroids, whereupon I did away with the Mother Brain and made the galaxy a safer place!

We're happy and well, and we wish all of you the happy holidays you deserve!

Kidnapped

For Alvin's 30th birthday, we headed south to Kolob Canyon and Tuacahn Theater in St. George. I felt rather devious planning the whole trip because Alvin didn't know a thing about it. Saturday morning, October 18th, I snuck up behind him, blindfolded him with my pink bandana, and announced, "You're being kidnapped."

I escorted him to the car (already packed with clothes and food for the weekend) and said he could take off the blindfold when he guessed where we were going . . . or when we got there. With some time to contemplate while we drove on the freeway and some hints, Alvin finally pinpointed our destination. His surprise was my best reward for all that careful planning. "Whoah. That's big," he said. Then for the finishing touch: "What about Primary on Sunday?" he asked. "I got you a sub," I told him, as nonchalant as I could manage. (In the past Alvin has taken days to decide who to call and make the phone call to get a substitute for his Valiant 10 class).

We stopped in Kolob Canyon, which is actually the northern section of Zion National Park, to hike up a slot canyon. The yellow-green fall leaves were a striking contrast to the glowing red-rock walls towering above us. And the canyon was deliciously cool.

Next on the itinerary: Les Miserables at Tuacahn, the outdoor ampitheater near St. George. The story of Jean Valjean is laced with themes of forgiveness, frustrated hopes, sacrifice, and redemption. The music and story were so emotional and moving. Great set, too, because they incorporated the rocky outdoor landscape into the battle scenes. If that wasn't enough, you could glance upward and feast your eyes on the magnificent Milky Way. Alvin enjoyed feasting on our licorice: Red Vines and Twizzlers. When I gawked at him chomping on 5 pieces at once, he said that was routine.

The only glitch in our trip was the campground. We got there at 11 pm after the musical ended, only to find that the campground gate closed at 10 pm. Ehh. We hopped the gate with our tents and sleeping bags and found our spot in the dark.

Sunday we went to church in what was probably a characteristically "St. George" ward: a lot of seniors who were very tan. Before starting the 5 hour drive home, we took a stroll in Snow Canyon and saw a baby owl! On the way home we stopped in Provo for dinner with my parents. Thanks, Mom, for the taco soup.

What a fun weekend. Short, but a great mid-autumn getaway. Thanks for being born in October, Alvin.

Hungry Man

Alvin's back from Tulsa! Maybe I should pack him a bigger lunch to hold him over until he gets home from work.

Whenever Alvin hugs me and our bellies hit first, I think,
"Whoa! Alvin's getting a pot!" Then I correct myself, "Oh yeah, that's me." And this squirmy little boy inside me! Only 4 more months to his birthday.

By the way, I don't think Alvin could lose his six-pack if he tried.

Savasana

I went to yoga this morning, and I have to admit that my favorite part is the very end: every yoga session ends with savasana, or corpse pose. I think it feels best after a good yoga workout, but I'm going to tell you how to do it so you can all try.

First, you lay on the mat on your back, arms at your side, palms up, heels together, toes flopped out. Then you close your eyes and concentrate on your breathing: slow and even. Earthy yoga music helps, but it's definitely optional.

Today during savasana, we imagined the sun slowly rising over our toes, then up our shins, and on to the rest of our bodies. While laying there, you try to release any lingering tension in your body. Even relax your eyebrows and let your tongue fall away from the roof of your mouth.

Lay on the mat until you're ready to get up - yoga is all about being in tune with your body. Enjoy!