Pregnancy Post

I am 13 weeks along now!  Due April 5.  So far this pregnancy feels almost exactly like Shane's did- I felt just kind of yuck for a couple weeks and didn't really want to eat, then it went away pretty quickly and I have been feeling fine.  Mostly I just did a lot of this: 

(well, not usually with Shane but you get the idea).  Thankfully I am starting to feel a lot more energized and not like I need to take a nap every day.  I went to a doctor in Roseau a couple weeks ago and got to see the baby on an ultrasound.  I was pretty impressed with how high tech it was, and not even just for here!  Everything seems to be growing right so far, and it appears that I am doomed to have large babies.  I am definitely feeling like I am starting to show a little bit, but I'm not gonna post any belly pics til it looks more like a baby and not just some extra flab! 

One of my favorite parts of the day.



      Most every day around 4 or 5 Shane and I go for a little walk down the street.  It's around that time that he's been up from his nap for a little bit, the house feels unbearably hot, and we're both a little crabby and need some fresh air.  I ask him if he wants to go outside and he shouts "Walk! walk!" and we both perk up almost the second we're down our steps- there is almost always a good breeze by then, and with a great view of the ocean and lots of things to interest a curious toddler, it is a good way for both of us to just relax and enjoy the place we live.  He narrates the whole thing for us, pointing out the dogs, houses, leaves, trucks, and colors he sees (or thinks he sees in the case of the latter sometimes ha ha), looking for crabs and roosters and sometimes getting disappointed when he doesn't find them in the spots he thinks they should be in.  He is getting a lot better at saying "Hi!" to people passing by, and always has to stop at the cute old British lady's house to talk to her.  And today I think he may have started a new tradition by stopping for a minute in front of the Mexican cantina to dance.  We don't need much to be happy, that's one thing I have learned here (though Lightning and Sally always help).  

Announcing...

Indian River and Iguana Cafe

Well, I'm finally getting around to posting the final post from our break.  The last day my parents were here we went with the Bergs and two girls from our church branch on the Indian River Hike.

This picture makes me laugh, cause it looks like I'm thinking, "Hmmm, which way is it again?"  It makes me laugh because it probably is exactly what I was doing!  Jessie and I were the only ones that had done this before and somehow we managed to find the way without too many problems, even with my awful sense of direction.

We introduced my parents to guavas

And enjoyed a refreshing swim in the river

Shane is always happy when his buddies Matix and "baby" are around

Group shot in the river.  It was a great day with great friends.

Before they left we had to make sure we took them to our little Iguana Cafe

Josh was brave and got octopus, my Dad got tuna, and me and my mom were lame and got spaghetti. "Crayfish?  Octopus salad?  I think I'll stick to this graham cracker..."

The owners. 

What a quaint little place

And what a good looking couple.  Hope I look that good in 30 years!

We are so glad they were able to come and stay with us for a week.  You really can't completely get a picture of life down here unless you experience it, and I'm pretty sure they got a good taste of our life down here, and made lots of memories.  We'll still be here a few months if anyone else wants to come!

All good things must come to an end

Yesterday Josh went back to school.  Sigh.  We miss him around here.  Good thing I've got a cute little boy to keep me company.  Here are a few things about him that made me smile today:

-He has discovered crawling- at the ripe old age of 21 months, ha ha.  It is pretty funny because he is so big but still kind of awkward at it. I think he thinks he's being funny though.  Today he started crawling and said, "Baby." 

-More often than not when he says Big Bird it comes out "Big Turd."

-He shouts "yucky water"- and then proceeds to step into each and every puddle on our way home.

-Going on afternoon walks with him and seeing that the "fairy" is still alive and kicking when he starts to run.

Cabrits/Fort Shirley

On Sunday after church and naps, (my parent's first full day here), we headed out to Cabrits/Fort Shirley.  It is just a couple minutes drive from our house, with lots of ruins from when the British had a fort here on the bay.

And some restored buildings too.  Man, daddy sure is a lot more fun to ride in the backpack with than mom, he jumps up and down.

Checking out the history...

Ha, this is how I sometimes feel about Cabrits- it's hot, with bugs, and there's no place to swim.

But, it does have a breathtaking view.  What a good looking couple.

"Boat! boat!"

I like this picture.  What a romantic place we live in- well, at least when you wipe off the sweat :)

Scott's Head

Thursday we made the drive down to the very southern tip of the island, a place called Scott's Head.  There is a little isthmus and this is actually where the Caribbean and the Atlantic meet (the left side is the Atlantic and the right is the Caribbean.  We hiked a little ways up that hill to check out some of the views.

We were in no rush so we let Shane walk- if there are any rocks around or anything else interesting he likes to meander and take his merry time checking it out. 

Hiking up the hill was H-O-T!  But totally worth it.

A beautiful view of the Caribbean with cute little villages on the hills

And there is the Caribbean on the left, Atlantic on the right.

It was amazing how you could really see the difference, the Atlantic was wavy and different colored and the Caribbean was smooth as glass.

We found a little spot on the Caribbean side to rest and eat lunch, and we took turns snorkelling and playing with Shane.

Can you see us out there?  It was great snorkelling, I am still waiting to see a sea turtle but we saw gorgeous reefs and tons of fish and even a puffer fish.  Not very far out we quickly found what he had heard people call the "Finding Nemo dropoff".  You swim along the reef and then all the sudden you can see it just drops off hundreds of feet.

We got some coconut from a man selling it (not realizing when we told him we'd take some that they were the kind good for the milk and not so much the meat- oh well)

And we sat for awhile just basking in the beauty.  I think we would all agree this was probably our favorite day and the most beautiful place, one of those places where you try to take as good a mental picture as you can so you can remember it (cheesy I know, but true!) 

Secret Beach: Take 3

On Wednesday we took my parents to Secret Beach.  I realized that this was my third time going, and each time I got there a different way.  It's kind of like Goldilocks and the 3 Bears- the motor boat ride Shane and I took there the first time was a little too easy, the swim Josh and I did was a little too intense, but I think we hit it just right with the kayaking this time.  A little bit of a challenge, but relaxing enough to just enjoy the scenery around us.  This is the guy we rented them from, pulling them into the water for us while, yes, smoking a doobie.  Oh Dominica.   

We each had our own kayaks and Shane sat in between Josh's legs.  It must have been pretty relaxing because he fell asleep on the way there.  We made it to shore and chilled for awhile on the beach while Josh went out to check out the snorkeling.  It was a little too murky to see anything, but we swam in the water and enjoyed our private beach for the afternoon.

We ran into some friends when we got back to take a little picture for us.

And then we went to the pool to clean off.  This picture was just too cute not to include.  He may not really have any rolls, but the boy's got some junk in the trunk!

Bense Pool

Tuesday we headed to one of our favorite places on the island, Bense Pool.  This was actually my fourth time going there!

A bunch of our friends came with us which made it even more fun

No matter how many times I do this hike I always underestimate the level of difficulty in my head.  Let's just say I was glad that Josh was there to carry the little man! 

We did make it to the pools and it was as picturesque and stunning as ever, it truly feels like it is some tropical paradise from a magazine slapped into the middle of the jungle- except all to ourselves!  And here is photographic proof that I have the coolest parents ever.