3 Weeks To Go... No Baby Yet!

I thought I would make that the title of this post, since I'm assuming that is everyone's first question.  :)  Not that I'm counting or anything, but it's only 2 weeks and 4 days until November 21st.  I only have 11 work days left.  I mean, woah!  At some point, we're going to have an actual, live, real, human baby.  Like, to take care of, and stuff.  That's pretty crazy.  :)

I'm still feeling pretty good, though I am definitely getting uncomfortable.  My belly is now 41 1/2" around.  Which is gigantic, in case you were wondering.  It makes a lot of stuff rather awkward, including tying my shoes, getting out of or off of pretty much any piece of furniture (especially in and out of the car, and in and out of the bed), bending down to get something off the floor, putting on pants... you know, all those things you normally do in a regular day.  :)  It's actually rather entertaining-- I've entered the stage where all of these things require involuntary grunts in order to complete.  Jason thinks it's hilarious, but then is also constantly asking if I'm okay, since it clearly sounds like I'm working rather hard.  Which I guess I am.  Pretty hilarious.

34 weeks-- 3+ weeks ago!

We've finished our series of baby classes, which were actually really cool.  We learned about newborn care and breastfeeding, and then took a four-class series on birthing, in which I saw several actual births.  You'd think I would have been prepared for that, but I wasn't.  It was a little intense.  Have you ever seen someone give birth?  Yeah.  It's serious.  I won't paint too much of a picture for you, but 'crowning' is a really mild word for something that looks INSANE.  I'll be sure to report back to you on my experience-- we'll see how all that goes.  They say, though, that by the end of the pregnancy you're so uncomfortable that the crazy process of giving birth is actually worth it just to be finished being pregnant... and I can see how that could be true.

Anyway, this sort of talk might not be what you signed up for in clicking on the blog link.  :)  Did you know that this month makes 10 years for Jason and I?  Yup.  A decade-- we are, in fact, that old.  It's pretty cool, I think we've accomplished some pretty awesome things in that decade.  I like him still-- so I think I'll keep him.  :)  And if this child decides to arrive this month, that would be a pretty awesome 10-year anniversary present.

We've had quite a few happenings in the last month or so-- it's been a month of baby showers and baby prep, actually.  Here are a few photos from a baby shower thrown for us by Julia Eschman and Michael and Crystal Lary:

So at this baby shower, Jason was teaching Brad and Allison's daughter Willa to climb up the hammock.  Of course, he teaches her that she needs to vocalize when trying hard, so he teaches her to say, "PASSAT!"  This is funny if you're a climber, because that's the kind of car we drive.  Anyway.  A little inside, I know.  The point is, when driving home from the baby shower, Willa asked Allison what we should name our baby.  When Allison asked Willa what she thought the name should be, Willa responded with "Passat!"  HA!  Willa is a genius.

We probably won't name the baby Passat, but that doesn't mean it's not a good idea.

Or that it won't be her nickname, which is not something I can promise.

My aunt Antoinette also threw us a baby shower at her place for the family in town, which was awesome.  The most hilarious part was the baby shower gift from my dad, which consisted of marbles, balloons, and special agent glasses that let you see behind you, all wrapped in a paper bag from Fred Meyer.

My dad is also a genius.

Adorable photo of Angela, Suzanne and Nicky.

Best baby present EVER.

We went up to visit my brother for a day, a short trip, but awesome regardless.  Look at how big my nephews are getting, I can't even believe they're growing up this fast:

Me, Alex and Matthew

Jason and Matthew ninja fighting.  This was HILARIOUS, mostly because Matthew refused to admit that he could be beaten by Jason.

My mom and I.

Was that cliché or what?  But it's true.  It was such an awesome visit-- I really love being able to hang out with those guys, and life just gets in the way too often for my tastes.  We basically got to hang out and play games with my nephews for hours, and those boys are just fun.  I also got to see my mom and my older brother, which was really nice.  They don't live that far away (only about 2 1/2 hours) but somehow we just don't get up there as often as I would like.

Anyway.  One big news item of note is that as of October 14th, I got a new job!  It's basically Dream Job.  I am now an Education Officer for the Mercy Corps Action Center, which means I am teaching classes about international development to middle and high school students and adults.  It's pretty much amazing.  I have wanted to work at Mercy Corps for years, and had been volunteering there since we moved here with the hope that it might help get my foot in the door, which it clearly did.  Check out what Mercy Corps does here: http://www.mercycorps.org/; and check out the Action Center here: http://www.mercycorps.org/action-center.  Yup.  I'm pretty excited.  And so far the team I'm working with is amazing, and really cool and flexible with the whole, "I'm about to have a baby and be off work for six weeks" thing.

Honestly, want to know one of the best parts about the job?  It's only 32 hours a week.  I had no idea I would love not working full-time so much.  Or maybe I did, but I just pretended I didn't since the opportunity was never there.  It's been great!  I feel like I've actually been able to spend some time getting ready for this baby to arrive, which is critical.  And, since Jason's job is really flexible, and since he often ends up working some hours on the weekends, we've been able to spend a lot more time together lately.  It seems like that is going to work out amazingly for when this child does actually pop out.

Hopefully, we'll be able to use family for the few days a week when we will both be working, so we won't have to rely on daycare, which would be cool.  As you can imagine, both my dad and my sister are rather excited about babysitting, not to mention my aunt and my cousin.  We probably won't have a shortage of willing hands to help, at least in the beginning.  :)

I'm still climbing!  At least, I was as of last Monday.  I'll keep you posted on this week-- seems like the awkwardness has been increasing exponentially, so I make no promises.  Here are a few photos of the belly at the gym:

Cheesy posed shot.  Wearing the Bumps on the Move top.

The most awkward part is putting my shoes on.

Mountain Mama harness and top.

LOOK AT THE SIZE OF THAT THING!

I have to say, I get the most hilarious looks at the gym.  Either that, or people go out of their way to tell me how awesome it is that I'm still climbing.  I even had one girl ask me to sign her shirt.  Like, with my name, and stuff.  It's pretty entertaining.  It's like I'm a sideshow at the circus, which is totally fine with me, if it gets people thinking that it's okay to be active while pregnant.  Up to this point, I'd been feeling mostly normal, and yet everyone kept telling me to rest, and sit down, and not do things... kind of ridiculous.  I realize that not everyone feels great while pregnant, but still.  I'm not disabled, guys, I'm just making another human.

So yeah.  I'm still representing a couple pregnant activewear companies, which is pretty cool.  Mountain Mama is the company that makes the harness I'm using, as well as some awesome clothes, which I'm wearing in nearly every picture on this blog.  I think I like their stuff or something.  The other company I'm representing is called 'Bumps On The Move'.   And shortly I'll be a guest blogger for For Two Fitness-- I'll let you know when you might see that guest blog online.  Cool, huh?   

I've been hanging with my dad a lot, since I have more time off, which is really nice.  We've also been prepping the baby room-- holy cow, does this little girl already have a ridiculous amount of clothing.  The thing with baby clothing is that it's really CUTE.  And SMALL.  And when you put things that are cute in small sizes, it basically turns it into something as irresistible as a puppy.  Seriously.  Puppies are irresistible.  Try to resist petting a tiny puppy when you see one.  You can't do it.  It's physically impossible.  So my theory is that baby clothes are the same way-- people HAVE TO BUY THEM.  And after they buy them, they give them to us.  Oh, and for some reason, everything is pink.  The baby room looks a little like a bottle of Pepto exploded back there.  I had no idea there were so many shades of pink.

This theory actually pairs well with Jason's theory about puppies, which is that this baby is going to basically be kryptonite for me.  He thinks this is true because I really do think puppies are extremely cute-- Jason accuses me of thinking that all dogs are puppies, regardless of size.  I mean, they are fuzzy and adorable, so I can't really argue.  But, according to Jason, this baby will be so cute and so small that it will effectively be SUPER PUPPY-- Dunbar kryptonite.  I am not inclined to argue.  Things that are small and cute are definitely a weapon to be used against me, I'm a sucker.

Speaking of things that are really cute, we also went up to see my Grandma recently-- she is both small and adorable.  We went to the pumpkin patch, which I haven't done in ages. 

I just really love that lady.


Karen Darr and my sister threw us another baby shower, at which I took zero photos, like the slacker that I am.  Needless to say, it was awesome, and my friends are amazing, and my book club is amazing, and I can't help but appreciate the fact that I have such amazing people around me here in Portland.  Thank you Karen, and Nicky, for being so freaking awesome.

We carved pumpkins for Halloween at my sister's house:

Awesome.  It was actually really rather complicated to sit on the floor and carve for so long, but let's just pretend it wasn't.  And then the pumpkins lasted for all of three days before they started to stink.  Seriously, did that used to happen as a child?  I swear when I was younger pumpkins would sit out on our front porch for weeks, still looking pretty dang good.  For the last two years though, those pumpkins have had a porch life of mere days.  Is this selective memory from my childhood?  Or did days just seem like weeks back then?  It's an enigma.  Even scientists don't know the answer to this question.

Yeah.  The other day, on my day off of work in the middle of the week, I planned a Dunbar pamper day, where I had a massage, a haircut, and a pedicure.  It was awesome.  I highly recommend this to other pregnant ladies.  Also, I can't really reach my own toes well, so doing a pedicure at home is basically out of the picture.  So it was practical, in addition to being awesome.

Pampering is totally necessary, especially because these last few weeks have definitely changed in terms of comfort.  My sleep is interrupted constantly now, either by having to pee, or back pain, or pain in my rib cage (the child thinks she's supposed to burrow under there, I think).  I've been having tons of the Braxton Hicks contractions, or practice/warm-up contractions, too.  They aren't painful, though.  Jason, of course, thinks that this means that the baby is ready to arrive, like, any minute.  In fact, he is so sure he installed the car seat in the car this morning.  I'd love for him to be right, but somehow I think I have several more weeks to go.

We are totally professional, and totally know what we're doing.  Right.

With the car seat installed, we are totally ready for this baby!  Except not.  But somehow, sort of ready.  What I'm really excited for are the holidays with a little baby around.  Oh man, my family is going to go nuts.  It's gonna be great.

Alright, this is the end of another ridiculously long blog.  Hopefully, the next time I post, I'll have ridiculously cute baby photos to share!  And then I can turn into just another one of those people, spamming everyone I know with baby photos.  Yes.  Excellent plan.

Fall Has Arrived in Portland

Good morning, lovely friends and family!  I'm currently sitting at the computer at The Source climbing center, bringing you another update from the Dunbar Marshall household. 

Why am I sitting at The Source climbing center?  Because it is rather complicated to find time to blog these days!  We spend a lot of time here actually-- it's a little bit like our home away from home.  It's as if all of our best friends are always at The Source.  So we are, too. 

Yes, I'm still climbing.  8 1/2 months pregnant.  I wouldn't say it's easy-- strangely, it feels like it gets harder every time we go.  It's almost like I'm just gaining weight or something!  :)  But yeah.  It still feels great-- and I got a new harness, which makes everything way better.  The harness is the only one made for pregnant women-- check it out here:  http://www.mountain-mama.com/collections/climbing-kids/products/the-mountain-mama-by-mad-rock#.UlIeqhjn-M8

Yup, it's pretty sweet.  It doesn't put any pressure on the growing belly, and feels way better to move in than the regular harness I was using before.

This was at about 7 1/2 months.

Oh yeah.  Toproping.

Check out that sweet Mountain Mama orange shirt I'm wearing!

 And actually, some awesome news-- I'm the newest Brand Ambassador for the Mountain Mama clothing line!  Exciting, huh?  It's especially amazing because all of their clothes are FANTASTIC, and I'm basically living in them these days.  I imagine that they will be great for afterwards too, when I'm breastfeeding, and then when I just want to wear comfortable, awesome clothes.  So, you should check them out, regardless of whether or not you're pregnant. 
http://www.mountain-mama.com/

I keep thinking that soon things will start to wind down around these parts, and less will be happening, and it just seems I'm totally wrong.  September was just as busy as August, and I'm not really expecting October to be any more relaxed.  Woe is me, right?  :)  There are just too many awesome things to do out here, and too many awesome people to do them with. 

Steve & Ariel came in to town for Karen's wedding in August, and stayed for about a week afterwards.  It was amazing having them around-- I just love those two.  They are always down for an adventure, and yet at the same time, they love to sit around and play Catan, just like some other people I know.  It was great to have them.  We got to explore around Hood River after Karen's wedding-- we drove around for what felt like hours on a super hot Sunday trying to find this lake, to no avail.  After we finally gave up, we stumbled upon this ridiculously cool little swimming hole area on a river.  We didn't have bathing suits or anything, and decided to jump in anyway.  It was awesome-- the water was frigid, which felt like the most amazing thing in the dry, dusty heat.  Those guys are pretty great. 

I don't have a photo of them from their trip, because for once I was lax and didn't actually break out my camera, but here is a photo of our freezing dunk from Ariel.  And a photo of Steve and Ariel, totally unrelated to this trip.  Just so you can see who I'm talking about, so that if you run in to them in Kansas or Missouri (they live in St. Joesph), you'll know that these guys are pure gold.

Post freezing dunk, which was amazing.

See?  I just love these two.

Speaking of pure gold, Dusty Hoesly came into town for another of his brief but excellent visits.  I just love this D. Hoesly.  Move back to Portland already!  We miss you!

Trivia night at Zach's Shack with Dusty.

What else is new?  The baby is growing, practically as we speak.  We have about 6 1/2 weeks left until my due date, which is insane.  It's like I'm getting so used to having a belly and gaining weight that I occasionally even forget I'm pregnant.  And then LTB kicks me, and reminds me that I'm not just waddling because I love ice cream.  Which I do, but that's not the point.

Jason's latest hilarious activity is standing behind me, grabbing my belly with both hands, and then shaking vigorously, all while declaring, "EARTHQUAKE!"  And then he'll turn to whoever his audience is and announce, "She loves that."  'She' being LTB, of course. 

We've got another nickname for the small child-- we've been referencing her as the Loch Ness Monster lately, because she still has enough room in my belly to push out certain body parts so that we can see and feel them, and then she'll submerge again, like she was never there.  She's elusive. She also gets the hiccups all the time, which is such an odd feeling to have-- it's like a muscle twitch, only different.

I'm still feeling pretty good-- it's definitely getting more uncomfortable as the weeks go along, though.  Sleep is getting harder-- I totally told myself I wouldn't be the sort of person who built pillow forts while pregnant in order to get some sleep, and I was totally wrong.  All that crap they say about pregnancy-- it's all true.  All of it.  It's pretty ridiculous.  It's getting difficult to tie my own shoes; I have to pee basically every half an hour (and yet I'm thirsty constantly); I'm starting to waddle instead of walk; my lower back is sore; bending down to pick things up off the ground is really rather entertaining (it's like nature's way of making you practice squatting, for actually pushing this thing out).  Yup, all true.

Are we ready?  Nope.  Not at all.  But then again, in some ways, we're totally ready.  I'm really excited to meet this little thing, to see what she looks like, to get to actually play with her!  It will be really cool to have a tiny child at Christmas.  And since my family isn't excited at all... wait... just kidding.  I almost wonder if they are more excited than Jason and I are.  Yeah, it'll be pretty cool.

Other recent happenings-- two good friends of ours moved away from Portland, which was really sad.  Stephen and Mackenzie left at the beginning of September, for more easterly destinations, and more rock climbing.  We miss them already!

Fall has officially arrived in Portland.  It was crazy, one week we had 80-90 degree weather, sunny and gorgeous, and the next, the rains rolled in and it was 60 degrees.  We've still had some sunny days-- today was 80 and sunny, it was fantastic-- but it is definitely fall sun.  There is a bit of crisp in the air, and you can tell the holidays are just around the corner.  The days are beginning with misty, damp, foggy coolness, which I really love.  I love waking up on the weekends to weather like this, encouraging you to throw on a sweater, pour a warm beverage, and just relax. 

Weather like this is perfect for outdoor action, so we've been trying to get out a bit, but more often than not, not succeeding.  We did get in a really cool short hike/backpacking test trip with Michael and Crystal Lary not too long ago.  Mike was planning a big backpacking trip with his cousin on another weekend, and wanted to test out his new equipment.  We headed out into the Gorge, and the hike we found (though not the one we originally intended to do) turned out to be awesome!  It was up to a place called Gillette Lake, a little bit over 2 1/2 miles one way.  The weather was gorgeous, and when we got there, the lake was deserted.  We got to camp lakeside, and it was fantastic.  The hiking felt great-- granted, I only had a small pack, but it was still fabulous.  Check out these awesome photos, mostly from photographer Crystal Humble-Lary:

A lovely pause for Mike & Jason

Perfect Pacific NW weather

Seriously.  Look at that belly.

Chillin'-- in a Mountain Mama shirt, obviously.

The Team and Gillette Lake!

Woah.  Really preggers in this photo.

Mountain Mama capris photo shoot.

This is me in the morning.

Can you see our tents down there on the right?  And the campfire smoke?

We've been keeping busy despite the lack of adventurous woodsy-ness, though.  Karen Darr had so many cool people at her wedding that we wanted to see more of, that we made a pact to start hanging out with them.  So we've been slowly visiting these awesome friends of ours-- we've had dinner with Zach and Julia, Michael and Crystal, Jeremy and Kristy, Shane and Julia, Nicky, Brad & Kaitlin... it amazes me because Portland has such a confluence of amazing folks.  I feel really lucky-- to have so many great people to choose between on any given day that I can't choose at all.  This place is rich in awesomeness.

Jason's new job is going well-- he is really enjoying spending less time behind a desk, and more time out and about meeting with people and being social.  He had Crystal Humble-Lary take some glamor shots for his business cards, would you like to see a few choice examples?  They're pretty good. 

Right?  I have one handsome husband.

So, if you know anyone who wants to refinance or buy a house in Oregon or Washington, send them our way!

We've been taking classes at OHSU, where I'll (hopefully) be giving birth, on labor/delivery and baby care/breastfeeding.  It's been really interesting and informative.  As you can imagine, all of our classmates find Jason very entertaining.  I watched an actual birth for the very first time-- that was a little INTENSE.  I think it was a good thing to watch, but WOAH.  It definitely made me think-- 'I have to DO THAT?!?'  Yeah.  Seriously.  But I think I've got this-- now the most intimidating part isn't the actual birth, it's what we'll do with the small child once she's out in the world! 

Whew.  This blog is getting long.  So, I'll leave off there, but I've got a ton more pictures to post (of TWO baby showers-- I guess people like us and want to buy us stuff), so hopefully it won't be another month before I get them put up here! 

Until next time, friends and familia!