Steve originally planned to go backpacking this week. I kept telling him he should go, since there wasn't a guarantee of the next time it would work for such a trip. He kept saying he wasn't really sure, and was I sure? The night before he was supposed to leave, he anguished over the decision for several hours and decided not to go. He said he would feel really guilty the whole trip that he was taking a second vacation during the pregancy and I hadn't had any. So, we decided that we'd take a short vacation together. We're leaving tomorrow and coming back Thursday. Short because it's not feasible for me to get time off at all during race season (now) and it was also so last minute. So we looked around at several options and finally decided to go to Big Bear. I haven't been there, so that'll be nice, and we got a really good deal at a B&B last minute. We'd had so much trouble finding any place at all that had availability at Laguna Beach (our first choice) that we were beginning to think we might not be able to go anywhere after all. But Big Bear saved the day!! I'm so excited. I haven't been on a trip since our two-week roadtrip last October. We're going to Seattle in September for my sister's wedding, and we're strongly thinking about heading up to visit Harry and Christa in Humboldt County in October. That'll depend a lot on how I'm feeling at that point and expenses blah blah blah. But hopefully that'll happen. Keep your fingers crossed for us! Fall seems to really be our travel time, for some reason. I know it's partly because it's slow at the spa at that time so it's a good time to take off, and the weather is pretty nice anywhere you go (not too hot or too cold) and it's not really peak season anywhere either. We're planning on doing our weekly photo at Big Bear, so you'll have to wait a few days for that!

I've really started feeling quite a bit better lately. I find that as long as I'm taking my medication, I don't really feel sick. FINALLY!!!!!! I've been able to eat a lot more normal foods and closer to regular sized meals, too. I still really crave fresh produce, and that's still a large portion of my diet (as it should be). I've started being able to eat small amounts of tuna and peanut butter the last several days as well, which makes me feel better about my protein intake. I know pregnant women need to be careful of their tuna intake because of the mercury content, so I really don't eat much of it. But other kinds of meat are still on the "ick" list. i'm just extremely grateful that I can eat (mostly) normal foods again! Yea buddy!

(STEVE'S ENTRY)

So it's my turn to "blog." A corworker told me the other day, "Being a parent is the hardest thing you'll ever do... and it's also the most rewarding thing you'll ever do." Now I think everyone knows (or should know) that raising a child ain't easy. It kind of goes without saying... raising kids is hard! We definitely knew what we were getting into when we decided to have a baby. However, it's one thing to know that it will be difficult, but it's an entirely different thing the first time you experience it. I'm not even technically a dad yet, and you know what, it just got hard! It hit me in a way that only reality can do.

Anyone who knows me knows that backpacking is a huge part of my life. I haven't missed a single backpacking trip in 10 years. Over those 10 years, people would bail, things would happen, but one thing was constant... my cousin (Harry) and I would strap on our packs and climb high into the backcountry of the Sierra Nevada mountain range. It was our unofficial "New Year." Spending a week in the High Sierra would rejuvinate/revitalize/re-energize us so that by the end of the trip, we were ready to head back into the world to tackle yet another year.

Well, at 18 weeks pregnant, I came to the realization that I could not leave my wife home alone for 8 days while I set off into the Sierra. I called my buddies, literally less than 12 hours before the trip, and told them that I'd be staying behind this time. It was the toughest decision I've ever made... but my family has to come first, and I knew that in that moment, my desicion to stay or go would set a precedent. The chance of something bad happening to mom-to-be while I was away was slim, but that's not the point! I knew I had to stay behind so that I could be there for my wife and unborn child in the event that they needed me... and even if if this upcoming week is uneventful (health wise), they would still need me and I would still need them. Regardless, this would likely be my wife's last chance at a "vacation" (our last chance for us to be alone on vacation) before the baby was born. Ultimately I knew the choice that had to be made, but it still wasn't easy... however I feel better for making that choice. I love my wife and unborn child too much to screw this up! :-)