more pool pics

free disney on your bday

thinking about coming to visit us? come on your birthday & go to disney free!

http://disneyparks.disney.go.com/disneyparks/en_US/WhatWillYouCelebrate/index?name=FreeOnYourBirthdayPage
you'll need to register beforehand on the link above...


If you already have a pass, be sure to register, too because you can get other gifts -- one is a free gift card to use at the parks... here are some faqs...
http://disneyparks.disney.go.com/disneyparks/en_US/WhatWillYouCelebrate/index?name=WDWCelebrationFAQsPage



ok -- i need to update this blog!

visitors

aunt jodi aunt danika
pappy!!

first steps...

first visit from aunt & uncle

big weekend 2

Hudson was dedicated at our church this weekend....

he did really well until the pastor's prayer went a bit long.

uncle Mat visited...

so did Mommee...

2 months

...mom's a bit late, but i'm 2 months old now!see how big i am getting? up to 11 lbs 14 oz at my 2 month check up :) (i was born at 7lb10oz, but went down to 6lb13oz by the 2nd day, so i've gained a lot since then!)
my first 2 girlfriends, juliet & olivia... with their dad, paul

my first pair of shades

my room... see the sweet blanket grandma made me?

here's where i sleep

thanks for the visit!

enjoyed having you grandma & grandpa!

busy weekend

ALL of the grandparents were in this past weekend for Mike's Birthday... and well, to see Hudson, too.

a little time outside in winter park...

first look for the Bazemores...

Mike's Birthday wish came true - at least for a few minutes...

almost baby

my mom came into town a week ago last wednesday for a little visit....
since she was going to be around, mike & i decided it would be a great time for him to get away for a few days for one last pre-fatherhood camping trip... being the responsible fellow he is, he set up camp at Moss Park, a campground just about 20 minutes away from home... i still had a month to go, after all, but who knows what can happen?

thursday morning, my mom came with me to my baby appointment & after a routine exam, i felt a little "trickle"... the midwife turned around & asked matter-of-factly, "did you feel that?"
"yes," i replied.
after doing some sort of litmus test on the fluid, she looked a little flustered & said she was going to talk with jennie, the head midwife.

after a few long minutes, jennie returned & explained that my water very probably broke... & that she would need to admit me to the hospital. immediately. to induce labor.
i was going to have a baby last thursday.

you see, current medical policy requires that once your water breaks, they want you to deliver within 24 hours... and because i was only 36 1/2 weeks pregnant (37 weeks is "officially" full-term), i had to do it at the hospital, instead of at my beloved birthing center, bc at that moment i was considered "high risk".

meanwhile at the campground, mike was peaking out at a family of turkeys outside his tent when he got a phone call from me. i can't remember all the details, but i remember being accused several times of joking, & mike reminds me i was a bit too calm about the whole situation for him to take me seriously.

about 45 minutes later, we all met at home (he actually beat us there, despite having to disassemble his tent & pack up camp -- wish i could have been one of those turkeys to watch it all) to get the "baby bag" together & go meet our firstborn...

so to make a long story a bit shorter, after about 6 hours in the hospital, lots of pokes & prods, tests, an ultrasound, & my very first IV, the doctor concluded that if my water had broken, it had somehow "sealed back up" & that i could just go home & wait for things to happen normally.

so far so good. whew.


come back later for more excitement about our recent move into our new apartment & the unwanted guests we met there.

Dirk

meet "Dirk" (giver of the football jersey mentioned in the previous entry)... we had the delight of forming an acquaintance with him when he came to Orlando to work on a recording project with us a few years ago. he acted as our brilliant director and general entertainment during his time here. the gracious fellow he is, Dirk also hosted Carly & me at his home in Winchester during our last-minute-can't-believe-we're-actually-doing-this-trip-to-UK last New Year's. He was our tour guide (as you can see) for the day introducing us to Stonehenge in all its glory, as well as to random Jane Austen historical sites we HAD to visit. But that's not all... he & his lovely wife had us into their home, feeding us a delightful vegetarian meal and giving us a much-needed place to rest for the night. if you'd like to join the Dirk fan club, of which we are unofficially a part, you'll also need to know that he's a rock star drummer. check out his band at http://www.riotousbrothers.co.uk/index.htm.

Dirk's quote of the day:
"Weight on? Caryn looks EXACTLY THE SAME as at New Year's but with a soccer ball up her smock!"
gotta love him.

which reminds me, i am tardy in sharing any photos of my trip with Carly... i'll start with the other famous people we met during our travels...

Jane Austen:
"A woman, especially, if she have the misfortune of knowing anything, should conceal it as well as she can."





Ann Taylor
(yes that's actually her name, though we don't honestly know if she is any relation to the brilliant retailer):
"Where are you going? ...I can take you there myself!"
(her response to our request for directions to the bus that would bring us to our B&B in the Cotswolds... gotta love the English)

Unknown Scotsman
(though we are quite sure he is famous -- doesn't he look important?):
"[unintelligible conversation in a thick accent]"

may 7

mike got back safely over the weekend with all kinds of neat stories about his time down south... look forward to sharing about those soon!

can't believe i am going to be back in the states in like 11 days!!?? even more incredible when i think these next 11 days will include a trip to bangkok to meet carly, a trip down phuket & back then sightseeing & shopping in chiang mai with her, packing the rest of my stuff & most of the house, 2 goodbye parties, the long flight home, & who knows what else...
guess you can pray for energy.

i get into orlando May 18...
mike gets into Fort Lauderdale on May 27th (we'll stay with my parents for a bit down there).

looking forward to seeing all of you US residents soon!

yummy dinner

During her visit our sis-in-love, Mindy, very slyly got us a gift certificate for dinner at one of most amazing places in Chiang Mai, the Chedi. Before last week, we'd only heard about eating dinner there! (Though they do have a very reasonable High Tea which I have had the delight to experience!)
Here we are, drinking in the atmosphere & about to eat an incredible meal. I had the 2nd best steak of my life (the best was one Mike cooked over a campfire at Moss Park when we went camping with Matt & Deb) & Mike had a really nice duck curry.... thanks Mark & Mindy!!



In their lovely open air lobby...
Looking preggo, huh?

very thai 5

yes, this is another shameless plug for visiting us in chiang mai....
pictured: doi inthanon, waterfalls, orchids, thai-style manicure/pedicure, buddhist temple, river cruise, (& most tempting of all) random building construction

very thai 4

during their visit, my mom, grandmother, & i had lots of fun riding in a tuk-tuk, shopping at the night bazaar, and eating way too much khantoke dinner while being entertained by traditional thai dancers.

my ring

here's my first silver creation... made while my mom & grandmother were visiting...


here's the proof i did it (i don't quite have the stamp-engraving method down, eh?)...

summer

here's mike & me in our bungalow on Ko Jum... when we arrived in krabi (the closest city to the island), the locals tried to convince us not to go to the island because, "nothing is on Ko Jum... no one is there... it is closed!" what's the problem? we were even more convinced it was, in fact, where we wanted to go. we were often the only ones on the beach, save a few stray dogs. it rained most days, too... we didn't mind.

we had a wonderful visit with my mom & grandmother here... Grandmother said she really felt like she'd been "immersed in Thai culture" :). Here we are on Doi Inthanon, the highest mountain in Thailand....
and wearing the silver jewelry we made at a local studio... with some training from the master jeweller, we did the designing, heating, flattening, cutting, soldering, shaping, and polishing ourselves!

we've been painting our new office.... the previous color was an appetizing cross between cooked salmon & pepto bismol. here i am jamming out to johnny cash & trying hard to paint a straight line between "brittany beige" & "olive grove" (i'm a freehander). i am also working on curtains... found a great deal on some thai cotton... under $1/yard.

gardening... we've been planting all kinds of stuff.... cucumbers, basil, oregano, LOTS of tomatoes, peppers, lettuce, a flower i can't spell (thanks for the seeds Sandy!)... can't wait to make salsa & spaghetti sauce! mike made a lovely garden in one corner of our yard.... but you'll have to wait for pics.

all for now!

map to our house

(click for a bigger size)

29/16 Mu Baan Sri Suk

the 4th

we had a great time celebrating our country's birthday last week...

there is a US consulate in chiang mai, so we joined many other americans, as well as thai guests, in an evening of "american style hotdogs", sodas we'd been missing from the states (like sunkist & dr. pepper), make your own patriotic necklaces, and a "rousing sing-along" followed by fireworks to end things right.... all very fun, but we have no evidence of this fun since cameras & cell phones were "discouraged" at the consulate....

afterwards, we invited friends & neighbors back to our place for dessert, games, & patriotic movies...

it's amazing how patriotic you get when you leave the country... caryn decided to decorate the party cups and wrote a line from all 8 stanzas of "my country 'tis of Thee" on each one. yes... there are 8 stanzas! go here if you don't believe it: http://www.montney.com/flag/hymns.htm

a family from texas came... they brought a really cool cake, & we didn't try to explain to them that texas is only a part of the US, and not the entire country...


hope yours was great, too... feel free to leave a comment & tell us what YOU did!

very thai 3... songkran

here it is...
a national waterfight in action...
and we were right in the middle of it...

photo taken from the (dry) cab of our pickup by my aunt rosanna
pictured: caryn's cousin alyssa in foreground with goggles...caryn in the hat... our friend catherine squinting from a good dousing

chaos in the streets

fun chaos

my uncle Chris, encouraging the chaos

chaos in the backs of trucks

in on the chaos with friends

for background on songkran... click here & read the article in orange