almost there!

Today I am 34 weeks and 5 days pregnant. Its very weird and surreal to me for a variety of reasons. Most of all, because I remember how i felt when i first found out that i was pregnant. We knew pretty immediately, (@ 5 weeks). At that time, it felt like being full-tern was eons away. Now its only 1 week and 2 days away. Granted, that doesn't mean that my due date is 1 week and 2 days away, but still, it means that he COULD be born as soon as 1 week and 2 days.
So anyway, on our way home from the Birthing Center yesterday (yes, we are having our baby at a free-standing birthing center, not a traditional hospital - www.brooklynbirthingcenter.com for more info, its so COOL!!) Tyler and I were talking and it's just been hitting me the past few days that in a few weeks we're actually going to have a baby! EEK! It's really exciting, and yet terrifying at the same time. You spend all this time - months (...10 to be exact) anticipating the arrival of this little baby, and then its happening, and all the sudden it feels like you're not ready at all. Until i started showing, and feeling him move (around 21 weeks or so) it kind of felt like being pregnant was something that was happening independent of me. I didn't really have symptoms at all, no nausea, no crazy cravings, or hunger (i still don't really). So i knew intellectually that i was pregnant, but didn't really feel pregnant otherwise. Now, i'm clearly showing, eating more, and can feel him move around, kick, punch and somersault all the time. So it feels more real, and yet i think when he's actually born, i will be surprised...shocked.
Tyler and I started to get ready last night, sorting his clothes that need to be washed (did you know you're supposed to wash all baby clothes before they are worn for the first time? I didn't), and packing our bags (just in case!) We bought some last minute items we needed, and at this point, pretty much have everything that we are going to need. We're practicing our relaxation exercises (per The Bradley Method) and focusing on the actual labor and delivery part of this whole birth process. Its really exciting, but it will still be shocking when it first happens. They say you can never be too prepared, which is probably true, but how about feeling even a little prepared? Here's to trying at least. CHEERS!

Belly Pictures

Tyler's Dad used to be a photographer, and so when we went to West Virginia a few weeks ago he took some pictures of me. Here are some of them. Enjoy!


 
 
 
 

A Quarter of a Century Old....and more to come!

So last weekend, Tyler and I celebrated our 25th birthday. It was lots of fun. Tyler got a bunch of our friends together, and we went to Southern Hospitality, a restaurant co-owned/founded/somehow related to Justin Timberlake. The food was great and the company awesome! Below are some pics from that night. Somehow i managed to not get one picture of me with Jenny and Ari, which makes me sad.....but they were there, i promise! After dinner, we went to a pool hall nearby and played darts, pool and arcades. All in all, a very enjoyable evening.

Why my iPhone rocks and winter will soon not rock.

Hi-Ho There.
Tyler here.

Kermit the Frog used to do that. From now on I'll do that...
...If a blog starts with "Hi-Ho There" don't be afraid, it's not Kermit...it's me.

So you may notice that Raquel and I are once again attempting to be bloggers. I guess we figure with a kid on the way, what's one more thing to try and squeeze in every week. My philosophy is to add as many features to the blog as possible. Thus the picture gadget to the right.--------------------->
(Good use of arrow, TD.
Why thank you!)

I have come to find that my iPhone has become an expert documenteur of my life. Better than myself even. Well, at least from your perspective. So in conjunction with this blog revival, I am from this day forward going to be better about NOT clicking cancel when the AutoPlay window pops up when I plug in my iPhone, and INSTEAD importing my iPhone photos to Picasa and uploading for you beautiful people to see. So enjoy...or else.
(and I can see you're concerned...there WILL be captions to further educate you on the scenes I choose to submit you to.)
[trust me, it's gonna be fun]

Furthermore...and I do mean furthermore...winter is going to quickly become my least favorite season.
(Why TD?
Thanks for asking!)
BECAUSE! It's the season that I fail to sleep. I constantly fail to occupy myself enough to create tiredness...and it sucks.
Bring on golf season!

So there you have it folks! I'm back to blogging.

Was it good for you?

Almost old...sorta...

So in three days, Tyler and I will turn 25....eek!! I feel like this birthday has snuck up on me. Normally, I'm hyper aware of my birthday, and extremely excited about it for the month before. But not this year. Today, I was at work and all of the sudden i realized, "our birthday is in 3 days!" My next thought was "maybe i should get Tyler his gift." :) In talking to Tyler about my realization, he made the accurate point that this year, unlike years past, we have had a lot of things going on, more important things than just turning one year older. We're having a baby (soo soon!), moving to Philadelphia, trying to figure out finances and jobs for next year, and oh yeah, having a baby. So maybe its a sign of maturity that I'm not birthday-obsessed this year. It is the last year that it can be 'all about me' though, so i'm going to enjoy it while i can. ;) I'm excited about our birthday, and excited about spending the weekend with Tyler. We have only a few left before he starts work, and only a few weeks after that before Isaiah makes his debut, so I'm enjoying all this chill time while I have it.

My short and sweet opinion on politics. In no way is this complete.

So....politics. Along with sex and religion, it is a very taboo subject, (not surprisingly, these topics are what I talk about most at work).  So, I think that the most important thing to note about about politics for me personally is - Christians have failed America.  I personally find it very difficult to navigate the Democrat-Republican debate as a Christian, because in my life I am very torn between the parties.  In many ways,  I share Democratic views, but in many moral and "family value" issues, I am extremely conservative. I think the way that Christians have failed is that they have chosen one, or a few very narrow issues, to care about,  (generally speaking, moral issues), and have ignored the other environmental and social issues (such as poverty, racism and discrimination) that are equally important.  

  The moral and "family value" issues are often the most controversial and dividing issues facing our country today.  By choosing to focus solely on those issues, Christians set themselves up to be completely opposed to the other (at least) 50% of people out there.  I think that the Bible teaches that God cares about EVERYTHING! For example, we as Christians have a biblical obligation to care about the environment, based on the fact that God gave us humans dominion over the earth, the responsibility to nurture it and care for it. Therefore, Christians should be leading the fight to conserve energy and combat global warming.  This is not to say that a certain amount of global warming (literally) is natural, but the rate at which our climate is changing is destructive, and we as Christians should care about it.

  Another example: poverty.  America is a wonderful land of opportunity, if you grow up in the right places. Poverty is still a HUGE issue in America. A huge part of why people live in poverty has to do with the fact that our schools are still unequal, (i.e. - poor neighborhoods have increased class sizes, lack adequate resources to train and retain good teachers, and a lack of physical resources for the classrooms - i.e. books, chairs, staff).  Education is the CORE of success! Without education, people are more likely to end up living off Public Assistance, or finding (illegal) ways of making money. Education is directly linked to increased rates of teen pregnancy, and lets face it, almost no one could make it with a young child, no high school education and an often flawed family support system.

  Now, I know what a lot of Christians' response to this is. Their response tends to be, "This is a result of sin, and you just can't be mad at natural consequences for someone's actions." While I do agree with this to a certain extent, my issue with it comes when we have not adequately tried to assist or prevent these situations. I have no problem  saying "bueno que te pase", or "serves you right," to a teenager who has grown up with opportunities at their fingertips who get pregnant, drops out of school or is in rehab for substance abuse addiction.  But I have to think twice about a teen who has grown up knowing literally NOTHING, but the life of poverty.  The fact that we still have children for whom poverty, ignorance, drugs, crime and violence are an everyday form of life, saddens me. And we as Christians, should again be racing to try to address the systemic issues of poverty, racism and discrimination, BEFORE pointing a judgmental finger at those who in our opinion "deserve it."  

  Jesus spent most of his ministry associating and ministering to the least of society. Not to excuse their poor decisions, or sinful behavior, but to show them His redeeming, everlasting, love. Until we as Christians have adopted this same attitude, I believe that we are sinning. And if we as Christians, (Republicans, if you will) would come along-side our (liberal?) Democratic colleagues and lead the cause to aid these people, we would garner a lot more respect in our society. Then they would be willing to listen to us about our other points of view. That would make them think twice about their ideas on "so-called Christians."  

And that, in a [very small] nutshell, is my opinion on politics. 

Enjoying the gift of literacy

So this is my (Raquel's) first attempt at blogging. Of course its about books that I want to read because I just went to Barnes and Noble today and saw all the books that i want. So in case anyone is looking to add to my collection, or if you have some recommendations for me, this is what i am reading.

Currently reading (on the subway): The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffeneffer & The Friday Night Knitting Club by Kate Jacobs

My Wish List: 

Barefoot by Lin Hilderbrand

The World without us by Alan Weisman

Wicked  by Gregory Maguire

The Reader by Bernhard Schlink

Revolutionary Road by Richard Yates

The Piano Teacher by Elfriede Jelinek

Little Bee by Chris Cleave

The atonement child by Francine Rivers

The House atRiverton by Kate Morton

Quitting Church by Julia Duin

The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd

The Translator by Daoud Hari

Girl meets God by Laren Winner

The Ten Year Nap by Meg Wolitzer

Those Who save us by Jenna Blum

War Child by Emmaunel Jal