Hello Again.

This weekend I went on a trip to Boston Bar, B.C. for a friend's bachelor party. On the way home we stopped at a Triple O's fast food joint. I was sitting near the counter where you order, reading a newspaper. Most of the guys had already got their food when Kevan finally steps up and I overhear this conversation between him and the 60 year old lady behind the counter:

Woman: Hello again.

Kevan: Did you say, "Hello again"?

W: Yes

K: Why did you say 'again'?

W: Because I'm bad.

K: Because you're bad??

W: Yes.

K: I'm not sure what you're referring to but I'd like to order some food.

A week of tests

Last week at my scheduled OB appointment the doctor told me that I was measuring two weeks bigger than I should have been. This was a first! Up until that point, my measurements matched my weeks exactly. He said that I should start coming in weekly. Usually, this starts around 36 weeks, and I was only 34 weeks. Brian and I left feeling like we had entered the final stretch!

Then this weekend I started feeling a lot of pressure low in my belly.

Monday, we finally got some results from a lab test we did on Otis in early December. He has a giardia infection and it is transferable to humans. My OB's office wanted to see me that day. The nurse practitioner tested me for, among other things, pre-term labor, but, thankfully, the results were negative.

I had to see my general doctor for the giardia test and haven't heard the results yet. But I'm not really having any symptoms, so it is unlikely that I contracted it.

Tuesday, I didn't feel well, and was exhausted after only two days back to work.

Wednesday, I had my weekly appointment. Dr. Mallory said that one of the tests given on Monday showed that I likely have kidney stones. He also measured me two weeks bigger again. So he suggested we do a "two for one" ultrasound to find out the size of the stones and the baby.

We were able to schedule an ultrasound for later that afternoon. It was so fun see our little girl again! She has grown so much! Her little lungs were practicing, her mouth was opening and closing, and no longer does she look like a little Skeletor!

The technician said that I have a lot of extra amniotic fluid, which gives her room to do the gymnastic moves I've been feeling. She also measured her size at 37 weeks, and estimated her weight to be 6 lb 11 oz--already! Most babies gain 0.5 lbs per week from this point on, so our girl is probably going to be a big one! Everyone assured me that though she is measuring further along, that doesn't mean that she will come early. So don't get your hopes up! We are trying not to; seeing her again made us want to hold her.

She's a girl for sure!

Oh, yeah, my kidney stones are really small. So hopefully, they won't cause too many problems.

8 Albums From 2007 That I'll Still Be Listening To In 2009

This time of year every literate chump with access to the internet posts a Best Of... list. It's overdone but I love it. I discover a lot of great films, music and miscellany from critics and enthusiasts who do a wonderful job of enumerating worthwhile cultural offerings.

I should just leave it to them, but since I've got you here I just can't resist giving MY opinion and pretending you care.

So, without further ado, 8 albums from this year that I can confidently predict I will still be listening to in a couple years:


Beirut - The Flying Club Cup

On his second full length, Zach Condon, has added a full band and a French twist to his previous Balkan appropriations. The result is a glorious but accessible melange that, despite its exotic influences, won't be banished to the obscurity of the World music rack.


The National - Boxer

Growing up in North America I've grown weary of the suffocating ubiquity of guitars-bass-drums-male singer. So The National had a strong prejudice to overcome, but overcome they did. It's not my favorite disc of the year but it's definitely the one I'd recommend to the most people.


Andrew Bird - Armchair Apocrypha

Pop? Jazz? Folk? Bird writes smart lyrics and vaguely familiar, but un-pigeonhole-able music. Occasionally, the literate and witty prose lends the music a little too much emotional detachment but, quibbles aside, I'm never disappointed when I give this album a spin.


The Twilight Sad - Fourteen Autumns & Fifteen Winters

With a squall of guitars thicker than the lead singer's Scottish accent, it's a wonder The Twilight Sad are able to retain so much nuance, wistfulness and even tenderness. Proof that loud music can have a heart.


Eddie Vedder - Into the Wild Soundtrack

I'm not a huge fan of Pearl Jam but I'm a sucker for Vedder's voice, which works perfectly here in these mostly quiet, acoustic numbers accompanied by mandolin, banjo, or acoustic guitar. This solo effort is, in my opinion, Vedder's best work. It worked really well with the movie (which is also great, by the way) but it also stands alone very nicely.


Amiina - Kurr

These ladies from Iceland play saws and other unusual instruments to weave the kind of spacious, ethereal songs that have come to define the Icelandic aural soundscape. But, while the similarities are definitely there, this is not the same otherworld of their compatriots and tour mates Sigur Ros. Rather than conjuring images of weightless astral ballets, these songs are more like lullabies from the alien homeland of a mother's womb.


Arcade Fire - Neon Bible

This collective emerged out of Montreal a few years ago to rescue indie rock from cynical irony and mandatory naval gazing. They take on big issues with a big sound and the gusto of U2 or Bruce Springsteen (though they don't sound like either of those). This is their second disc and it's almost as good as the first. If you like rock and you haven't heard, check them out!


Radiohead - In Rainbows

This album deserves mention not only for the band's cavalier and visionary marketing of it but also because it's just a really good album. I like Radiohead, but the excessive hype and their musical experimentalism usual keep them from heavy rotation in my CD player. So, since they gave me the choice, I only paid a couple bucks for In Rainbows. I feel a little guilty now though because I think I've already listened to this one more than any other Radiohead album.

Bunny Beanie

"cast on 3 sts, cast off 1 st, slip stitch now on right needle back onto left needle...

k2tog, k5 8 times (48 sts)...
purl 2tog, purl 6, purl 2tog, k2tog, k8, k2tog,..."

Those were excerpts from the knitting pattern of my first project. I recently saw this really cute baby hat in a pregnancy magazine, and thought it would be great if my sister made it for our baby. She had another idea: "You should make it, and I will help you."

My sister, Alli has taught me the basics before, but it was definitely like starting from scratch. I had to learn how to cast on, knit, purl, work with two colors, and join stitches! Fortunately, I didn't have to do any "character building" (undoing your work to fix a mistake), mostly because Alli was there to save the day. I did have to finish the last ear on my own at home though, a little scary, but it worked out ok.

If you walked past me while I was working you would see how hard I was concentrating, and might mistakenly think I wasn't having much fun. On the contrary, it was a blast to do a project again (I haven't had much time for my sewing hobby lately), especially one for our baby!

"I'm knitting, I'm a knitter, way far away from the Alli" -- in the voice of Bill Murray in What About Bob?

Christmas 2007

When Brian and I got married, we started the tradition of Christmas morning being just us (and eventually our family), and rotating Christmas Eve and Christmas dinner between our two families, usually tacking on an extra day on either side to make the visit a little more substantial. This year we were with the Rushes before Christmas and the Graceys after Christmas.

Here are some highlights:

• First Christmas since we've been married that all of the Rushes were together at the same time.


• Spiders! Brian's favorite Christmas treat (chocolate, butterscotch, peanuts and chow mein noodles)


• Our dogs getting to interact with baby Jamie and my parents' dog Murphy


• Being elves for Grandma and Grandpa and helping to set up Noah and Ella's Christmas presents: an air hockey table and an elaborate Barbie dollhouse



• Opening our stockings at midnight because we would rather do that than get up early


• Brian reading aloud to me while we drove


• Christmas morning service -- "Christ is born! Glorify Him!" -- followed by reading Father Mel's hilarious Christmas letter


• Snowfall as we drove into Everett for Christmas dinner -- the biggest flakes I think I've ever seen


• My cousin Cheyenne and her boyfriend Moses surprised us and showed up for Christmas dinner, even though they had to turn around and drive back to Yakima that same night


• Playing the drawing game with the Graceys and Mollers - we laughed so hard!


• Watching my parents play Guitar Hero 3!


• All the yummy food!


• Alli teaching me how to knit! (more to come on this soon)


• The chance to rest and do nothing...

Lowlights:

• Brian's mom made his favorite dessert, Mud Pie, in front of him, then he found out later it was for Christmas dinner -- She promptly offered to make him another one if we come up to visit again soon


• Our dogs taking turns vomiting in the middle of the night -- good prep for the baby, right?


• My increasingly aching back

Look who's 30!

Our friend, Eric Frazier, celebrated in style, at his surprise 70's-themed birthday party planned by his wife, Emily.

Happy Birthday, Eric!

New Blog

For those of you that don't know, Shannon and I have been regularly attending an Orthodox church. And I've just started a new blog to discuss anything and everything related to our journey toward this ancient form of Christian faith. So if you're interested in having theological discussions with us or just hearing about our story come to Liminal Incense. I hope many of you will come and ask us questions and discuss with us. But if that doesn't sound like your cup of tea, don't worry, Rushcapades will continue with its regular programming.

Messenger

Trudy is a very smart dog.  Even as a wee pup, we had to keep her mentally- as well as physically active. She catches on to new tricks pretty easily.  She's also eager to please and likes having a job.  So, in my pregnancy I've started taking advantage of that. 

It started a few weeks ago, when I decided it would be nice if she could bring me the dogs' leashes so I didn't have to look for them or bend over to pick them up. 

"Trudy.  Bring me your leashes."  She perked her ears up, and trotted purposefully out of the kitchen, as I smiled at the prospect of never again having to search for or bend over to pick up their leashes.  A minute or two later, despite previous success at leash retrieval, she returned empty-mouthed, unable to find them (I think they were in the car).  She looked everywhere.  Then she went into Brian's studio and sniffed a short piece of black webbing but left it, knowing it wasn't a leash.  A few minutes later, exasperated by the lack of leashes and desperate to go for a walk, she went back to the 12 inch strap and decided to bring it anyway. "Mom, will this do?"

A second case came when I took Trudy and Otis to the dog park. It was a typical blustery day, and I didn't want to have to get out and dig around in the car for the chuck-it with her ball in it.  I knew it was somewhere in the back with her, so I just asked her to bring me her ball. It took a few tries, since the plastic launching device was previously a doggy no-no, but she eventually overcame her learned inhibition and brought it to my perfectly warm and dry hand in the front seat. I'm starting to like this, I thought. 

Finally, last night I was exhausted. Dinner was ready, but Brian was downstairs in our bedroom. I had been up and down stairs all day at work and at home and didn't feel like yelling. So, I thought to myself, "I wish Trudy could go tell Brian that it's time to eat." Then I had an idea. And it worked perfectly! 

Not only did it get my message across, but when she brought the sign to Brian he thought it was so funny he came up right away, laughing hysterically  :) 

Swiper, No swiping!

For those of you that don't know, Dora the Explorer is one of the current kid crazes. It is an animated television series aimed at pre-school age children. The main character, Dora, is a seven-year-old Latina girl who goes on adventures with her special backpack, map, and monkey named Boots. Children are encouraged to respond to Dora throughout the show as she problem solves teaching kids math, music and other concepts you would see on any kid show. But what sets it apart for me is that Dora also teaches kids words and phrases in Spanish.

Like any phenomenon in the children's world, marketers have taken Dora to the extreme. You can find pretty much anything with the Dora characters on them. But until recently, I thought the show itself was pretty innocent.

On Dora's show there is a character named Swiper (a fox) that likes to steal things. Dora often catches him in the act and stands with feet apart, arm extended, waving her palm at Swiper saying, "Swiper, No swiping." This saves the day as she has caught Swiper in the act. 

This weekend, while we were at the wedding and catching up with friends, their almost 2-year-old boy was playing on the stairs near us with his grandma's cell phone. A few minutes later, grandma came to look for the cell phone and asked him if she could have it back. The little boy, immediately stood up and went into the "Swiper, no swiping" pose to fend off his grandma! A modern day version of "mine!" Grandma finally gave up and asked him if he wanted to go with her downstairs, and happily he left with her, cell phone still clutched in his little hand.

So parents out there with children watching Dora, beware!

Estie and Joel Parris

This weekend Brian and I braved the flood damaged I-5 (which ended up not being that bad) to head to Portland for our 26th wedding. Our friend Estie worked at Camp Firwood with us for the three summers we were there and we were excited to receive an invitation and an opportunity to reconnect.

We love going to weddings.

There were some similarities between Estie and Joel's wedding and ours. They too had a flower TEAM, though theirs was much larger than ours. There were 12 little kids coming down the various aisles, and instead of throwing petals they were ringing bells. Super cute! Also similar to us they do not like cake. They had a dessert buffet with a chocolate fondue fountain, but the big treat was homemade icecream sandwiches--hundreds of cookies all baked by her mom!

Congratulations Estie and Joel!