POD "Lounging Poolside"

Yesterday I joked with Matt... that I needed a pool. Not a big pool. Just a plastic little kiddy pool that I could get into and cool off in. Summers are hot here in Southern Spain, and although the beaches are very beautiful and relaxing, sometimes you aren't up to making a trip to the beach (ahem... 37 weeks pregnant). Sometimes you just want to take a quick dip to cool off and then get back to whatever you were doing.

I was pleasantly surprised when he agreed to my crazy pool purchase. So, upon finding that the NEX had little to offer us, we made the 20 minute drive to Jerez in search of my glorious bath. After stops at 2 stores... we still weren't finding what we wanted. Matt had decided that we could "upgrade" a bit from the little plastic tub to something a little bigger, but everything we found was MUCH too big, or too darn small. So Goldilocks, I mean Matt, continued on to the third store where he found the pool that was juuuuuust right. :) She was a beaut. Not only was she the perfect size... she wasn't your typical borrrrring blue pool. She had FLARE! Hehe

Anyway, I had a long list of things that I should have been doing yesterday, but with our exciting new purchase, they all went to the back burner. My new to-do-list included: blow up pool, fill pool, get in pool. Needless to say, it was a pretty fabulous afternoon. Enjoy the photos of "classy" me... lounging poolside. :)

Filling up the pool

Annnnnnnd I'm in. Check out the sweet decals.
It was a bit chilly with the water fresh from the hose, but it was a hot day... and I managed to slowwwwwly slide in.

What an ingenious purchase. :)

The Finished Nursery :)

I am SO excited to FINALLY be sharing the photos of our Nursery make-over! What started as a cold, white, empty room is now a warm inviting nook! :) Matt and I had a lot of fun making this place special, but I did feel it was truly important to make the space ... well... happy. Not just for the psyche of our lil man, but also for me! I'm going to be spending a lot of time in that room, so I'm thrilled it's feeling so cozy. In fact, just now, I took advantage of my insomnia and decided, for the first time, to scope out what the finished room looked like in the wee small hours of the morning. :) Of course, I took some photos for you. BUT, I don't want to get ahead of myself. Let's start from the beginning.

We started the transformation in early April. Matt's first task of putting together the dresser was done, (used in these photos as a prep table!) and it was time to get started painting! Here are some photos of us setting up and getting ready to start. Side note: We were a bit nervous that our crazy idea of painting the ceiling was going to be a bust... but we were brave... and went with it! Here's the stark room before we got started! (You can click on any photo to enlarge it!)
Matt starting the measuring and taping.
And now for the paint test. Wait a minute... that doesn't look navy blue. That looks PURPLE! Our first setback! We had to wait for 3 different coats to dry in our little "test area" just to make sure we were going to be okay with this strange shade of purpley-blue. A day later, we decided with all the different shades of blue and purple we were going to have in the room, the color was going to be okay. :)

And so we got started! Well, atleast Matt did anyway. I erred on the cautious side, avoiding the paint fumes. :)
I couldn't beleive we were finally off and running! While Matt began slaving away, at 24 weeks, I shot our first ever video message to our baby.



Matt worked so hard!
Almost finished!
Ceiling COMPLETE! And our crazy idea was a success! WE LOVED it!
And so, the finished ceiling sat for over a month while we anxiously awaited the shipment of our crib and various other baby supplies. Finally, around mid May, we had a nursery! There were still some finishing touches that we needed (You know, like a mattress!) and other fun decorative gifts that wouldn't come until later, but all the main items were in place!
I just love the wall decals we picked out together off Etsy and Ebay!
I was also very excited to find the perfect place to display a very special nursery room item: Matt's very own tattered and worn baby blankie! :) It's now safe on display under the glass of the table. :)
Again, we waited over a month, and just yesterday, I decided now that the nursery was TRULY complete (Only awaiting the beautiful handmade quilt to come from our dear friend Shelley!) I needed to take a video tour. :) So here it is! Yes, it's 8 minutes long, but it's not just the nursery. You get a 36 1/2 week belly shot too!


As I told you earlier, I awoke with a bout of insomnia this morning and finally, at 5 AM, decided to just get up for the day. Little did I know, this would be my opportunity to creep into the nursery and take some "sleepy" photos. Still very dark outside, while Matt and Sultan snoozed away in the next room, Takoda and I clicked on the nightlights and enjoyed some peace and quiet. I just couldn't believe how cozy it felt all lit up with his solar system of stars. Yeah, there will be many sleepless nights, but how amazing is it going to be snuggling up in the corner of this room, gently rocking him back and forth while he snoozes and makes his cute little baby noises?



Well baby boy, the nursery is finished, and we are ready for you. We can't wait for you to get here. :)

INTRUDER!!!

After a long day and evening on my feet cleaning, organizing and then enjoying the Fourth of July festivities here on base (all without a nap, mind you)... I was MORE than ready for bed. So just after midnight, feet throbbing and back aching, I awkwardly flopped into bed and readied myself for a long evening of sleep. (Minus bathroom breaks. Remember, I AM nearly 37 weeks pregnant.)

What I was NOT prepared for was to be awoken some time after 2 AM by a very excited husband. "What's the matter," I asked sleepily as he flipped the covers back and pulled away the pillow I had comfortably wedged between my knees.
"The boys found a little critter in the yard... you have to come see," he whispered. "Hurry up!"

... "Seriously?"

Soooooooo, I made him get me my robe and I shuffled to the backyard where the dogs were awaiting our arrival. They were circled around a small lump at the side of the lawn. As I groggily approached the lump, I thought this was Matt's idea of some sort of strange joke. It was one of the dogs toys. Really? This is what you woke me for? Was that the joke? That the excited and curious dogs were now convinced their toy had come to life? Funny. Just not 2am-wake up-call funny.

Upon further inspection, and a closer examination (I'm practically blind without my contacts) I realized this was no toy.
I've provided a picture of the dogs toys as proof of the eerie resemblance.Remember, it was dark.

Apparently shortly before he work me, Matt was alerted by excited, woofing dogs that they had found something "of interest" on the lawn. He scoped out the scene and realized that this find was "wake-pregnant-wife" worthy. This poor critter waddled into the WRONG yard, but I must say, the dogs were very good about keeping their distance and not poking and prodding too much at the odd creature that had now curled itself into a protective ball. We shot a few photos of Koda keeping watch over his new friend. Yes, it was late and Koda was sleepy, but he wasn't sleeping on duty. He was just smart enough to shut his eyes every time the flash went off.

Poor little spiky bugger. Well, after a small photo shoot, I decided it was time to head back to bed. I asked Matt to promise he'd keep the dogs inside so the lil nugget would have a chance to sneak away in the night.

Oh, but it gets better. The dogs went inside, but Matt wanted me to stay up with him on some sort of covert wildlife photography session, laying in the dark on the back lawn, waiting for the hedgehog to uncurl and scamper off. He wanted to catch the little guy in action. At this point, I carefully broke the news to Matt that I didn't think I was up for it, wished him luck and headed back to bed.

Well, Matt DID stay up even later and did hold a small stakeout on the back lawn until the hog felt it was safe to wiggle himself back out of the ball and casually make his way back out of the yard. As hedgy "came out" Matt unfortunately realized he was staked out on the wrong end of the ball and didn't get the award-winning shot he was hoping for. AND, the kind man he is, rather than getting up to chase it, risking it balling itself back up, he let the hedgehog scamper off into the darkness. To freedom. Away from the strange place with the large, loud animals and annoying strobe light. :) Alas... here's the best shot he got.
It was a fun time... but I'll be happy when Matt has a son to wake up and show this kind of stuff. ;)

This morning, I decided to do a little research on our evening intruder. If you're interested in learning more, here it is:

The Algerian hedgehog is considered rare. Its habitat is restricted to the flat lands of the eastern Mediterranean coast where its numbers have been decimated by urban encroachment across the coastal plains, vehicles and dogs. The Algerian hedgehog was possibly introduced into the Spanish mainland from North Africa. It was certainly introduced into the Balearics, though I am unaware as to whether this was purposeful. It was more recently introduced in the Canaries.The Algerian hedgehog is slightly smaller and usually lighter than its European cousin - though in these photos, the Algerian is the darker of the two -many Spanish European hedgehogs are lighter. It's spikes are softer and can be almost comfortably held in your hand. Short of doing a full autopsy on its teeth, the best way of telling the two species apart is by the ears, which are far more prominent in the Algerian hedgehog and the lack of a widow's peak or "the spinefree 'parting' on the crown of the head" here. It also has a longer snout and longer legs, indicating that it walks more. Its other English name of vagrant hedgehog is presumably in reference to this.

POD "The Perks of Pregnancy"

So Matt decided yesterday that it's about time we (yes, WE) start cashing in on some of the perks of pregnancy. Which is why you have today's photo of the day.

Oh yes. Matt picked me up and drove me to my 36 week appointment and upon pulling into the hospital parking lot, THIS is where he chose to park. We couldn't have gotten any closer to the entrance unless I was handicapped or being wheeled in on a stretcher. Can I just say that as a relatively active pregnant lady, who still walks a mile or two a day, I have not yet opted for stork parking. Which leaves us all to wonder... for WHOM did they create such stork parking? The women?... Orrrrr the men?

Yeah, he also called me "Storky" the whole way into the hospital. "Come on, Storky, let's go." Let's hope that one doesn't stick.

POD "A Motorcycle Fit for a Father-in-law"

A very proud Matthew found today's POD. It's pretty priceless. He had one simple message to accompany the picture he took:

"Tell your Dad I finally found the perfect motorcycle for him." :)

Well Dad, what do you think?

POD "Fields of Gold"

This time of year, the countryside of southern Spain is absolutely beautiful. The gently rolling hills of farmland are often filled with acres upon acres of girasoles (aka sunflowers). I, of course, noticed these vibrant fields of gold last year, but never took the time to pull the car over onto one of many small, eroding, dirt farming roads to take some photos. This year... I was not missing my chance! Here are just a few photos I snagged of the yellow beauties (and a lush, green vineyard) while Matty was in Germany. :)

Two Months in Two Minutes (or maybe longer)

Let's see what I can come up with for excuses.........
Nope. Nothing. Other than the fact that pregnancy= laziness and laziness= me no writey the bloggy. No, but seriously, it's been MUCH too long! In fact, I haven't written since my trip to MAINE! Man, I've got A LOT of catching up to do.

I know. Let's play a little game. It's called "Two Months in Two Minutes." :)

Maine: What did you miss?
I told my mom I was craving a Boston Creme Pie. I told her we could buy one. She said... "No, we don't need to buy one. They are easy to make." She might have even said... It's a piece of cake! (Okay... that joke was lame.)
Yeahhhhhhhhhh... umm apparently it's not as easy to make as she thought it would be. This photo was taken mid-cake creation and I caught her just as she was attempting to frost over and "hide" the hot mess she created. :) Hey, it might not have looked very pretty, but taste is what matters, right?
While home, my family and close friends threw me/mateo/the baby a fantastic shower. It was amazing to see everyone and the gifts were so so so above and beyond wonderful!

FERIA!!!
I caught a wonderfully comfortable C5 flight from Maine back to Rota JUST in time to make it to the Rota Feria festivities that weekend! Check out some of the great sights that can be seen every year at the fair!
The DRESSES!
The HORSES!
The HOT MAMACITAS!
The FLAMENCO!
The LIGHTS!

SNAILS!!!
I almost forgot. Do you remember from last year that springtime in Spain tis the season for caracoles? Mi amiga's mother hooked us up with some of her HOMEMADE snails. Which, I must add, were FAR superior tasting than those I sampled last year at the bar. I just had to heat them up a tad on the stove... and enjoy! :) YUM!

The Nursery!!!
I am going to do a WHOLE blog post on the nursery and how it's come from a stark white room to the warm, inviting place it now is. However, if I'm going to summarize 2 months in 2 minutes, I can't leave out the fact that we've been slaving away on our room for our little man!

The Last Hurrah: The Canary Islands
Matt and I decided before I got too big and before it came too close to our due date to travel, that we would take one last trip as "just the two of us." For this, we chose a 3 day get away at a gorgeous five-star resort on Gran Canaria island. It was only a short 2 hour flight away, and the resort was all inclusive, so we never had to leave! Our low-key trip was JUST what we both needed. Refreshing pools, sunshine, good food, and cold drinks. Ahhhhhh relaxation!






Matt's Work Trip: Germany
Early June, Matt left me for TWO WHOLE WEEKS for training classes in Germany. As much as I wanted to go, (still haven't seen Germany!) we both knew it was wise for my 34 week bellay to just stay home. The class was great, but he really enjoyed his evenings and weekends off! The highlights of the trip included visiting little villages in the Black Forest, Luxembourg and its American Cemetary and Memorial, and of course, the fantastic beer and food!




June Showers :)
While Matty was away, my amazing friends here in Rota threw me two more baby showers! The generousity of friends never ceases to amaze me~! Unfortunately I don't have the pictures from the shower the ladies of the NAVFAC wardroom threw for me, but when I do, I will share!!! The gifts, the cake, and the company were the best! The second shower was a quaint, intimate gathering of a few other women I am blessed to call my friends. Held right at one of Rota's summer beach bars, AKA chiringuitos, you couldn't have asked for a better ambiance! What a treat. How lucky am I?


Father's Day Surprise
Lastly, while Matt was away, I took the time to learn a bit about our new camera. I also took a few photos and had them developed before he returned home. Two days later, on Father's Day, I unveiled the surprise. I promise to post another blog about this self-photo taking adventure! :)

WHAT NOW?!
Okay, okay. So that PROBABLY took up more than 2 minutes of your time, unless of course you are one of those people who can read a whole page just by looking at it for a few seconds. The good news is, now you're all caught up on our lives!

School is out for summer, so that means, I'm no longer working. I'm loving the time off to nest, relax and prepare for our soon-to-be-arriving bundle of man, but I do miss staying busy. I'm 36 weeks now with only 4 more to go! I hope now that I'm all caught up, (and have lots of free time on my hands and not a lot of energy to go with that free time) I can plop in front of the computer every day or so to give you a new photo of the day or update on the good ol' pregnancy.

I must admit, my Blog Friends, it's good to be back. :) I've missed you.