Greetings friends and foes alike. It’s been a bit since I’ve graced these digital pages with my presence but rest assured I am sharp as a tack. I’ve been busy as a mug tending the financial side of our domestic situation, getting done a number of super-cool projects, and spending quality time with my special lady friend and our little one. She moves more and more (Ali, not Ashley) which is nice for me to be able to take in some of the rumblings. I was getting jealous for awhile there with Ashley feeling all the action and me being left in the lurch. Anyways, I think the fiancee has done a stellar job of keeping ye loyal readers updated. The next couple days should bring a couple projects to completion — pending a major national discount retailer getting our little cans of bougainvillea (supposedly its a color) paint in stock — and the commencement of a few more. I’m not holding my breath.

We got back tonight from Mother’s Day weekend in Oregon. It was (as it always is) a quick trip down but we had a great time, got to see a bunch of family and a couple friends, and actually got quite a bit done. Highlights include Ashley and I finally getting our Guitar Hero on, Jordan ordering his Wii (I am one jealous mug), taking some gold pictures of Alyss for her myspace, drilling a hole in a fishbowl for the fountain, Ashley tearing up some Quiddler, and getting our diaper changing pad upholstered (thanks Kathy!). Or, as we say in pictures…

On Saturday we met up with Cynthia and her lovely daughter Shayla. First there was some delicious Burgerville (mmm bacon cheddar whatever burger) and Shayla’s skepticism regarding my character. Then we picked Cynthia’s brain for awhile regarding the whole end-of-pregnancy/labor/first couple years stage of the game. With all due respect to everyone who’s given us much-needed advice, it is quite nice to receive some from a friend of similar age and disposition. There was also much talk of Cynthia’s upcoming wedding and doting over the cute-as-a-button youngster. After a few peace offerings in the form of french fries, Shayla warmed up to me and we had a good time perusing Goodnight Moon and dipping fries in some sort of tasty sauce.

Saturday also involved a trip down to OMSI, the local science and industry museum. A green lifestyle expo was going on which provided a bunch of free stuff (kudos to Chipotle for the guac and Clif Bars for the, uh, Clif Bars) as well as some insights into wicked new technologies. The museum has an excellent display of preserved feti (Ashley’s term for more than one fetus) at all stages of development. It really was pretty neat to see how far we’ve come in the past eight and half months and how close we are. There was a little girl around us at the exhibit who spent more time staring at Alizabeth than at the preserved fetuses — sorry, feti — which I found pretty cute to watch. We took the below picture of Ashley at the birthing exhibit for Emily, birthing class leader extraordinaire. Also took a picture of ourselves in infrared(?), I forecasted the weather via green screen, and we bought some astronaut ice cream which was delicious. OMSI was a ton of fun and I should mention much love to Ashley for sticking with me through the whole place. I know she was getting tired by the end of it, but I get a bit into those kind of things.

On Sunday there was a little get together for the Megrath side of Ashley’s family in which about everything within a six month period was celebrated. The weather turned out nicely and there was plenty of grilled meat to go around. Kathy couldn’t make it as she was still under the weather, but we had a chance to give thanks to Don and Yvonne for the crib and changing table and wish Uncle David a speedy recovery. We had to jet around five to get back up here, but not without first bogarting the leftover veggie tray and skewered chicken. Also it should be noted that I beat Ashley in a rousing game of table tennis.

Oh yea, and Alyssa had some trouble with the candles.

Things are picking up and getting ever-closer baby-wise, which means we’re trying to make the most of the time between now and active labor. This week, that means the usual routines — prenatal fitness, school, etc for Ash; work for me; birthing class together — plus our regular weekly doctor visits begin this Thursday and last through crowning. We hope to finish the fountain and crib and changing table in the early part of the week. As usual, check back here for updates on those fronts. Wednesday after class we have a tour of the birthing center scheduled. Friday is a long overdue trip to the aquarium (our first as a couple!) and possible lunch with my ma before leaving Saturday for Friday Harbor. Apparently there is a new baby Orca swimming around in those waters so I’ll use all of my whale-viewing prowess to share another part of my life with Ashley and hopefully get a great picture of Ali and J42.

And on a techy note, we’re making changes to some things about the site, so downtime may come to pass in small increments. Thanks for your patience as we make our upgrades and improvements, and hopefully you’ll notice and use some of the new site features. More details to come…