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October 30 Busy 2 weeksWell, in the last 2 weeks we have added a new member to our family and then done the unthinkable...we drove, yes drove to L.A. with a 2 1/2 year old and one week old. Call us insane but we thought, hey, why not? We did have a bit of a purpose...our friend Lisa lives there and her sister was coming to visit from Taiwan so we decided to visit. It only took us a mere 17 hours to drive the 800 miles south which we did in one go. We left at Midnight last Thursday night and had a really great time down there. Kevin and I actually really enjoyed the drive and the boys did great. We got to see lots of great scenery and spent a day at the Santa Monica Beach where we had some good food, got our feet in the sand, and enjoyed the small aquarium on the boardwalk. On the way home we did decide to make the trip in 2 days and stopped just south of Sacramento for the night. It made the trip even more pleasant, though the 11 hours on the second day was still pretty long. Either way, we are thankful for our time that we got to spend down there and appreciate so much Lisa's hospitality and generosity. Next week, Kevin and Edan will go to Taiwan for 3 weeks to visit family while Owen and I stay behind. I'll miss them but I love that they can go back and spend some time with Kevin's family too. I did add more pictures to the Owen album as well as created the CA trip album. Enjoy! October 19 Welcome Owen Tobias!Believe it or not, after the longest 9 months and 3 days imaginable, Owen Tobias was born! We of course were so excited to have the day finally arrive. He was born at 4:51am weighing 7lb 4oz and was 19 1/2" long. The delivery couldn't have been easier (I took the epidural route this time versus my brave all-natural with Edan and was pleasantly surprised) but emotionally it was a long night. Basically, Owen was one dropped heart-rate away from being delivered C-Section (we were running on a 3 strikes your out mode) but thank goodness things calmed down and we didn't have to do that. The sad thing about the whole experience was the crazy H1N1 stuff which forced Edan to have to leave the hospital (all kids under the age of 12 were not allowed in the hospital) and only my parents and immediate family could come in. Not that I was there long enough to see many more people than that, but it was a bit restricting. After 24 hours we were sent home, and I have been pleasantly surprised at how much more quickly I seem to be healing after this delivery than after Edan and have been running errands and Owen around to get blood work done regarding his jaundice. We now have to take him daily for a blood draw until the doctors say he doesn't need the lights anymore. At least we can do them in our house, rather than being readmitted to the hospital.
Anyway, I know that many people have been waiting and waiting for pictures, so I got up a few to get you going, and will post more as they come. Hope you all are well!
Love Tracy August 22 Seriously?Has is really been almost 5 months since I have written something? Wow...shows how much energy I have for that, and my apologies as well. I do what I can to get some pictures up though, so I hope I get some credit for that. I am now nearly at week 34 in my pregnancy which for anyone who doesn't keep up with weeks, is 8 1/2 months. So, 6 weeks to go is the main point of all that. At least in my world. As exciting as pregnancy is, being the second, the excitement has wained a bit, my body is feeling older and more worn out, and I am just ready to get back to my normal shape again. For those of you who don't know, we found out that we are having another boy, which is very exciting to us, though Kevin really had his heart set on a girl. He is still very excited though and feels the pregnancy is dragging along...(he thinks HE does!, haha). So, October 11th is the official due date at this point and I plan to work as long as I can until our office manager is hauling me to the hospital, haha. Other than the pregnancy, our summer hasn't been too eventful because Kevin was fortunate enough to get a job at one of the resorts here. He started as a dishwasher and was moved quickly (within a week basically) to prep cook and now is actually cooking for one of the cafe's both inside as well as outside at the BBQ. He is really enjoying it but it did kind of take away from our weekend time. Being as it is a resort, weekends obviously are the busiest, so we didn't have the chance to do as much this summer as last summer, but we have enjoyed many evenings outside BBQing together. I have also taken up much more gardening this summer. It is all in pots still because we only have a patio, but I am proud of it. It is fun to see things grow (rather than die as they did in China for me) while in my care. I already have ideas about how I might do things differently next year and what plants I might add/subtract from the mix. My most exciting plants are my Thumbergia (Black-eyed Susan Vine) and my tomatoes. I tried some vegetables in China but they all died or didn't produce at all, so having a successful potted tomato plant is very rewarding. I have put up several pictures since the 4th of July, hopefully you enjoy them. Some time up at the lake with my parents as well as some of my patio plants and Kevin and my fun night tonight miniature golfing and BBQing on the patio until 11, playing Scrabble. Hopefully you are all well, and I will be on here a bit more, particularly once the baby is born and we can add some of those pictures! April 06 So much going on and so far behindWell, as you can see, it is already April and I am not quite sure where the time has gone too. We have been incredibly busy but in good ways. I have added a couple albums finally. One from events in March, mainly the children's museum, which was a blast for us all until it came time to go...then we saw how much Edan really had been enjoying himself when the tantrum began. Always fun to deal with tantrums in public, but we made it outside, he survived of course, and we all moved on, relatively quickly. It was wonderful to see Edan getting into the roles of veterinarian, pizza chef, grocery shopper, outdoorsman, news reporter, plumber and painter all in one afternoon. I was quite shocked that he didn't think twice about putting the costumes on, which made it all the more fun. Oh, right, and little Spanish guitarist, which was seriously his favorite. We almost had a melt down when it came time to move on to a different room. I would love to take him again, but we will give it some time so it will be fresh and new all over (though I don't think that would really matter much to him!).
Our second album that I put up is from yesterday actually. I had been wanting to make the jaunt to Eastern Oregon to see the Painted Hills for quite some time and we finally had the time and a gorgeous day to do it. They say the spring is the best time to go in order to see the wildflowers and NOT see the rattlesnakes. Fine by me. Well, we were a bit early for many wildflowers but it certainly didn't detract from the scenery. What an absolutely AMAZING place to visit! It is just breathtaking to be there. I can't explain it and pictures will never do it justice, but I would encourage anyone who is even remotely close to Oregon to make it a destination. They had several very short hiking trails (no more than 3/4 mile) which was ideal with a 2 year old trodding along. We did all but the longest hike, which was fine. I don't think Edan would have handled it well which would have meant a lot of carrying (which we weren't willing to do). Anyway, I hope you enjoy the pictures. It made for a wonderful day out.
Finally, in the world of big news, I am pregnant again! I have just officially finished my 3rd month and am going on strong. Well, more or less, haha. This pregnancy has not been the piece of cake that Edan was. I have had to battle with daily morning sickness which is slowly tapering off, but not entirely yet. Working full time has also paid a toll on my energy level. Since work hasn't slowed down (which is a good thing), I haven't been able to either, so keeping up with the number of calories I am burning at work has taken definite determination. Tomorrow we get to go in for our heart-beat appointment, which is very exciting for us. So far, I wouldn't really say I am showing unless I eat a lot and then just don't care to try to 'suck it in', then you could mistake me for being more like 8 months along, haha. It will all come, and I am enjoying that I haven't had to spend any money on new clothes yet. I'll be getting some pictures up I hope of me throughout the pregnancy like I did last time, but unfortunately, finding the time is a bit harder now, so don't hold me to it, but I'll do what I can.
I hope you are all doing wonderfully and I will talk to you soon! September 28 Fun in TaiwanWell, I have officially been on my own for 29 days. Kevin and Edan left for Taiwan on August 30th. Kevin was awarded his interview in Taipei which was scheduled for September 18th, so they left together to make sure that Edan got to spend plenty of time with Kevin's family as well. Though he didn't get his green card the day of his interview, after some other documents were collected, Kevin has officially be granted permanent resident status in the US. Now he just has to get back home. Unfortunately, he has ben called to serve one day in the military on October 21st and it can't be rescheduled or cancelled. So...here I wait for another 3 weeks. But, I am working full time now and that keeps me quite busy as well as spending time with family on the weekends. Anyway, I have put up some pictures of Kevin and Edan that he sent me of them hanging out and then some camping pictures. Let's just say camping in Taiwan is MUCH different than camping in the US. At least any camping I am used to. I hope you enjoy and I will add more as he sends them. July 24 lots of goings onWell, we have managed to keep quite busy this month and only have more time left. We enjoyed the Fourth of July festivities which included the pet parade, a tight walk through the park, then fireworks in the evening. An interesting hike to Tumalo falls where we learned the hard lesson that no matter how much patience you think you have, never attempt a long hike without a baby backpack and mosquito spray. We were caught in swarms of relentless mosquitos and flies while I carried Edan and Kevin carried/pushed an empty stroller. It was a nightmare actually, but now we just semi laugh about it, haha...someday we will laugh all the way I am sure. But we did manage to find a used pack that is in excellent condition and have bought some bug spray, so look forward to more hikes for the rest of this summer. We also spent a couple days in Portland with our friends Ryan and Marlissa and went with them to the zoo for a very long, fun day. We were smart to get there early in the day before all the animals went into hiding away from the hot sun, so we were pretty lucky and happy about that decision. Since then, we have just been spending time at home watching David and Elisha (neice and nephew) and enjoying being settled. I know it is a lot of pictures, but we hope you enjoy them!
Kevin, Tracy and Edan July 03 Moving outWell, as of June 28th, Kevin and I are officially renters! We are so excited and have really been living it up this week. Well, we have actually been spending money on things you hate spending money on like dish drying racks, door hangers, and other ridiculous buys that seem to make life a bit more pleasant regardless of how painful it is to buy. It is all part of the fun I suppose and everyone knows the first month out is always the worst with so many hidden costs that you just can not anticipate. We have pretty much gotten settled in our little place and just have a few more decorations to hang up/set up. We also are on the hunt for a good deal on a coffee table and desk for Kevin to work on. Having him at the kitchen table kind of takes up more space there than we would like. We'll see. It is summer and prime time for garage sale hunting of course, so I am sure we will find some good deals. Edan is doing well and loving where we live. Lots of park time, pool time and people watching. Having so many ammenities around us really makes it easy for us to get out and about and you should see how excited he gets when he sees the stroller coming out of the trunk! Like a puppy when the leash comes out, I am serious. He starts stamping his feet as fast as he can, and if he could leap in on his own, you can bet he would. It is fun to see his excitement to get out and see things. So, many of these summer pictures are probably going to be in the pool. We can't get enough of watching him play in the pool and little sprinkler we bought. Oh, one of our new pastimes is catching little bugs to feed to our 2 Venus Fly Trap plants we found at the local discount grocery store. Haha, we are pathetic really, but it is entertaining for Kevin and I, and Edan gets a kick out of finding small ants for us to feed it. Well, it is later than it should be for me so I am going to go. I hope you all enjoy our new pictures for July, and I'll catch up with you all soon.
Love Tracy May 19 Camping weekendWell, we just got back from a wonderful weekend camping. It was such a restful weekend, and we all had a blast. Edan got to play in the lake which he LOVED, and Kevin and I just sat back and enjoyed watching him. It was a surprisingly hot weekend which kind of came out of nowhere for us. It was in the 90s and the water was really warm. A bit too nasty for me to want to swim in, but not too bad for dipping toes. So, here are some pictures to recap our few days...enjoy! February 16 Happy Birthday Edan!Well it happened. Edan turned one. It is so insane actually and I still can't really believe that he is on the road to being a toddler versus a helpless baby. He is becoming quite independent and rearing to get going without the help of mom and dad. We are relishing these last few weeks (we hope) of dependency before he lets go and runs rampant through the house, tearing up the houseplants and getting into the nut dish. It is all exciting though too, and as he babbles away, we wait in anticipation for those first words to be said. We had a really nice party though with just family (which is the most I could handle, haha) and just enjoyed spending the day together. Edan actually was pretty cranky for a lot of the day because he was getting over a 2 week cold, but once we started singing to him, he got all giddy and excited at the attention, really funny actually. All in all, it was a wonderful day, but I was certainly pooped that night. Man, I can't imagine having tried to coordinate a bigger party with more kids, haha. Anyway, please enjoy our few pictures, and I'll try to post more of Edan later. December 19 A long time again...Well, it seems 2 months have passed since I last put some pictures on here, and people are getting after me  so I guess it is time. November and December have been really busy for us, and for myself in particular. Finishing up my first term of school, along with working weekends and keeping up with Kevin and Edan during that time has been rough. So this break (a little vacation to Taiwan for 3 weeks), has been much anticipated. We arrived here on Wednesday I believe it was, haha, time changes mess me up...after a very LONG and semi-grueling flight. Let's just say that an immobile 4 month old is MUCH easier to travel on a long flight with than a very mobile and short-attention-spanned 10 month old. Not only that, but trying to get him to sleep with so much stimulation around was next to impossible, so around hour 6 (with 8 to go), we started going downhill fast. He was overtired, but couldn't get comfortable with his surroundings, so we found ourselves in the back of the plane with the attending crew trying to keep his spirits up. I have to say that by the end of the flight I was quite frazzled as I was very tired AND tired of getting the opinions of every single mom on the flight as to what I should be doing differently to get Edan to calm down and go to sleep. I had one woman tell me I should pat his back, another say he was probably too cold, and yet another telling me he was probably overtired...oh really? haha, anyway, we did survive it, and our marriage survived it as well, haha, and here we are...semi relaxing. Kevin still has to work, so most of our days are spent at the factory where he works and I hold Edan and pass him off to Kevin's mom or sister every now and then. He has been taken to friends' houses, the bank, and relatives' houses to be shown off and is finding it quite easy to go to bed at an early hour and stay asleep for much of the night. For that I am very thankful, haha. This weekend Kevin, Edan and I are going to go to the northeast corner of the Island to an area called ILan to spend some time with some friends and hit some hotsprings. It is actually quite cold here right now so I am looking forward to that very much. I found that other than my coat, I really didn't pack nearly enough winter clothes. What can you do? Well, I am going to get going. I put up a load of pictures, I hope you guys enjoy them. Haha, the ones of Edan doing paddy cake crack me up because he has the absolute cheesiest smile, but what can I say? I love it! Enjoy! October 14 Fun outsideToday was a really wonderful day. Kevin and I finally had a day that we could just relax and go have some fun. About 1/2 an hour away, there is a giant corn maze and pumpkin farm, so we took Edan and had a great time. Edan got to pet his first goats, mini-horse and pigs, none of which excite him nearly as much as a simple house cat, but what can you do? There would have been more pictures, but unfortunately our camera battery died about 10 minutes into our day, so I had to run to town and buy a disposable camera, so if we ever have the time, some of those might get scanned, but if not, well, here are just some. I also had my first caramel apple in MANY years, which was so stinking good, and to top everything off, it was a gorgeous day at about 65 degrees. We also managed to find a 42lb pumpkin to haul home and I am very excited to carve it. Let me tell you, after 2 years of not having a 'Fall', I am just eating it up! I hope you all are well, and I'll try to catch up with more of you soon. Until then, get out and enjoy those leaves! August 12 finally the picturesWell honey, here they are, the pictures of Tisha's house are finally up. I didn't take a picture of the office (where I sleep) because it is a weird angle to get in there so you really can't see much. Hope you are having fun in Taiwan! I love you. July 13 a little less talk...Well, I suppose I have been rather quiet for some time now haven't I? I think that is because I haven't stopped going since getting back to the US and I am finally starting to feel like things are slowing down. Man it is hard to be a single parent. Kudos to anyone who has to do it on a permanent basis...you are incredible! I find I am pretty much completely exhausted at the end, and sometimes beginning of each day, but as I said, I think a lull is approaching, so I am going to grasp it with all my might. Right now I am spending my weeks living with Tisha and Joe (sister and brother-in-law) watching their kids for half days which is pretty fun. They are seven and almost five, so they are quite entertaining and have loved getting to know Edan. On my weekends though, I rush back home so I can use the internet to talk to Kevin. Wow, we did long distance while dating but this just doesn't compare. We are getting through it though, but let me tell you, I didn't know we would ever have a challenge like this one. God is faithful though, and I am confident we will make it through and be better off in the end because of it. (Trust me though, not everyday is such an optimistic one as today, haha...)
I am now registered for all my classes and will start the Dental Assisting program in September. I think it is going to be a lot of fun and I am looking forward to learning a trade skill that will actually get me a job. Don't get me wrong, I value very much all I learned to get my bachelor's, but the truth of the matter is that I just can't do a whole lot with it, so here we go again. Luckily only for one year versus four, and I get to skip out on all those aweful English courses I did so bad in the first time around.
Edan is doing well also. I suppose that is what people care about right? haha...kidding. But seriously, he is doing very well and is just such a bundle of laughs and giggles. He is now rolling over pretty consistently and would move all over the place if he could just get a bit of lift. I was planning to weigh him tonight for his 5 month numbers but he crashed while playing 'horsey' with grandma, so maybe tomorrow (the picture is in the July album). Otherwise, he is just becoming more and more intrigued with the world around him and is becoming much more tactile with it all whenever he can. Whether he is gently touching my face, or slapping down at a toy (and often vice versa), he is in exploration mode, which is exciting to see.
For those of you I have seen since coming home, it has been wonderful to catch up and I am so excited to become more a part of your lives again, and for those I have yet to see...well, we will, when the timing is right. For those that I can no longer see (everyone in Asia), I love you all and miss you tons!
Tracy April 20 NEW! NEW! NEW!Well, I am stinking proud of myself! I figured out how to get videos on here, so now you can look forward to all our fun videos of Edan or whatnot, haha. Hope you all enjoy!
Love Tracy April 01 here comes the summerWell, I think we are almost ready for the summer and rainy season to start. We revved up the AC last night to make sure it was in good, working order, bought a new fan to help circulate that air into our bedroom, had a screen door installed to keep the cats out of our room (a much needed door...the bed was just too crowded), and I think the last thing we need is a tarp to help protect our balcony from the rain. The heat is definitely here though and all blankets have been put into storage. I think our next investment will be a cheap kiddie pool to put on the roof for the evenings.
Otherwise, all is well, just trying to keep ourselves cool without using the AC full time yet. Hope all of you are well...I put up a few more pictures from the last few days...Edan is really getting into smile mode, so hopefully there will be more of those to come. March 16 Visit with mom and dadWell, we just had a great week and a half with my parents here in China, so I put up pictures of the highlights. We managed to squeeze in a visit to the Sun Yat Sen Memorial and a trip to Luo Fu Mountain where we visited Tao and Buddhist temples. Of course we also got in some good shopping and plently of good ol' stay at home family time. All in all, Kevin and I were very grateful my parents could make it all the way over here because we really had such a wonderful time. Hope you all enjoy the new pictures! February 15 He's here!!!Well, on Feb. 10 at 11:08am, Edan Lucas entered our world. It was a quiet start, but he pulled through and hasn't stopped crying since, haha. It is an incredibly long story (at least when I tell it), so I will try to summarize it up shortly because I still haven't figured out the balance of sleep and catching people up, and am basically failing miserably, haha. We went into the hospital on the 9th around 9pm and for almost 13 hours I labored in a laboring room. At 9:45am, my water broke and I was taken to the delivery room at 3cm dilated. (God is so good because in the end, Kevin was able to come in with me and we also were in a private room...I couldn't have asked for more!) After some hard work on mine, and the doctor's part, and definitely a lot of pain (I didn't have any meds because by the time I was begging for them it was too late), Edan was born. Let me tell you, what an experience! Anyway, so we stayed in the hospital 4 more days (they really take care of you here, no 24 hour stays like in the US) and just got home yesterday (the 14th) and are trying to settle in. I will put up a bunch of pictures for you all to see of our little guy up till now. Yes he is a bit jaundiced, so if he looks a bit 'oompa loompa-ish', that is why. ;)
Thank you all for your support and encouragement throughout the pregnancy, it made all the difference to the entire experience. February 06 still counting...Hmm...I'm definitely ready. Maybe not ready for all that is involved in a baby, but ready for all that is involved in NOT being pregnant. I have 6 days till my due date and am REALLY hoping for an early delivery. Who knows, I've been having contractions, but certainly nothing strong enough to make us think we need to go to the hospital. In fact, last night they were quite frequent, but just not strong enough to be concerned about...kind of annoying actually, haha. Anyway, today is a really nice day, I'm wearing a sun dress, worked with my plants a bit (though not much since they are still very small, but at least more hopeful than the last couple years) and am finishing up laundry. I think I'll test my endurance and climb the stairs to the roof several times...maybe that will get things moving. Anyway, I added one more picture from today, since it is getting so close, who knows when I won't be able to get another stomach shot right?
I hope all is well with everyone. We are doing very well.
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