Happy 9 Year Anniversary!

Yes, we are one of those couples who celebrate their "dating" anniversary. Call us cheesy or losers but we like to remember the day that we started to officially go out! It was April 27, 1997, the night of our junior prom, when Mike casually asked me "So, you wanna go out?". And I, the ever shy and modest girl said "Sure!" (In reality, I was really quietly squealing with joy inside). I can't believe that we are now in Denver, Colorado eagerly anticipating the arrival of our first child!

Wild and crazy kids circa 1999

My Trip

It's been a couple of weeks since I've been back in good ol' Denver and I thought I'd post a few pictures and thoughts about my recent trip to the Philippines. As most of you know, I spent about a total of 10 years of my childhood there. My Dad worked as an expat that required him to work in the Philippines and Korea two to four years at a time. I left the Philippines when I was eight years old, lived in Korea for four years, and then moved back to the Philippines for another 2 years. By the age of 14, we permanently moved to the United States. My childhood in the Philippines is marked with wonderful memories. There were picnics in the park, rollerskating in Camp John Hay, bicyling through Burnham, playing with my cousins, eating ice cream in Session Road...and these are only a few of the many memories that reinforces that the Philippines is my true home. I was very anxious to return after a 12 year absence. I was excited to see the changes but more excited to see what had not. After a torturous 30+ hour trip, we were finally in Baguio City, the city where I was born. It is about 6 hours from Manila, a beautiful city nestled in the highlands of the Philippines, surrounded by pine trees and sunflowers. It is known as the "Summer Capital of the Philippines" because of its mild weather. It is much cooler than the hot and humid Manila or the lowland provinces. Although the city is now overrun by houses literally built on top of each other, there are still some beautiful views of the mountains and the rice terraces that inhabit them. I was in shock by the amount of people that walk the streets and the number of cars on the roads (which by the way lacks any form of traffic signals or laws). Riding in a car required lots of prayers and gasps as we narrowly avoided oncoming cars left and right. I was able to visit many familiar places such as the churches I once attended, the grottoes that I once visited, the parks, the restaurants, and many other landmarks. Being pregnant, I did not hesitate to each every morsel of food that I had not tasted in years! That included many of the fruits such as star apples and chiccos or the vegetables---ararusit, zayote, cigarillas (sp?), and many others. I also enjoyed the roasted corn, siopao, and halo-halo. Nevertheless, Mike was VERY jealous. Aside from the food and the places I visited, I was also able to spend some time with my family. I am the only "girl" cousin who resides in the States so it was very important for me to spend time with my girl cousins in the Philippines. I grew up with them and always considered them my best friends. It was nice to reconnect and I already miss them terribly. The trip only reinforced my love for my country and the traditions that I hope to pass on to my children. Family, faith, and community are such integral parts of the Pilipino culture. I hope Mike will be able to join me on my next trip to the Philippines, no doubt he will enjoy it!

I'm very amused by the unsupervised cows strolling the street!

At the local market.

Yummy veggies!

Local delicacies- fish and ararusit!

My elementary school at a distance.

Nursery Painted!

As Mike has previously posted, he has been busily working on the nursery while I was away. Yes, he spent many anights (particulary last weekend) till 2 or 3 in the morning taping, priming, stapling, caulking, and painting. It was well worth the effort because it turned out beautiful! Since our little baby will be a surprise, we chose gender neutral colors like greens and yellows as the primary colors of the nursery. Mike also did a great job matching the colors of the bedding to the paint. I am so proud of him! He also managed to buy a few miscellaneous items such as diapers, wipes, and a cute little Microsoft teeshirt to accent the room! He bought the stroller even though my mom had already had dibs on that purchase. Needless to say we are counting down the days until we see our little one and put the room into use!

Blogging from L.A

Wow, Mike and I are jetsetters. Him blogging from Seattle and me in L.A. Nothing beats home though which I have been immensely missing since being gone for one month. Don't get me wrong, it's been an incredible experience going back home to the Philippines (a trip of which I will go into greater detail when I get back to Denver) but I miss the normal routine of life. Waking up in the morning to let Noodles out, fixing my bagel and coffee before heading out to work...(not missing work too much so we can skip that)...going home, watching Jeopardy, playing with Noodles, and especially hanging out with Mike. It may seem mundane to most people but I do miss it a lot. Check back with me in a couple of weeks to see if I still feel the same! As for my babe-in-the-oven update, the little one has definitely been very active. Just like my nightowl of a husband Mike, the baby likes to kick away at night while sleeping the day away. I'm definitely much much bigger than when I left, thanks to the delicious food the Philippines offered to me! No regrets though, just a few rounds in the elliptical machine and some aerobics should get me back on track (or so I hope!). Alright, bedtime for myself and the baby!

Blogging from Seattle

I'm just about to hop on a plane and return to home sweet home. I've been in Seattle since Monday, attending a kickoff for a new Microsoft product. It's been quite beautiful out here. I think Seattle keeps trying to trick me because every time I fly to Redmond it's clear and sunny!

It has been a very intense week, so I'm glad to get back to Denver. The team putting on the product launch was nice enough to take everyone to a Seattle Mariners game on Tuesday night. "We" played the Angels and really whooped their you-know-what. Our seats were in the Microsoft suite which helped shelter us from the cold breeze.

Poor Noodles has been all alone this week since Genevieve is still gone. She landed in LA on Tuesday and will fly into Denver Sunday night. It will be great to see her again.....but this also means I have a lot of work Friday night and Saturday to finish off the nursery. Pics to come!

The Single Life

As Genevieve mentioned in her most recent post, she has traveled to the Philippines to visit her relatives. She has been gone about two weeks now, and won't be back until April 9th. Life here is totally different. Noodles and I are confused because the dishes are dirty, there are no clean clothes, and we are out of food for some reason. OK, I kid, I kid. We're managing, but it's evident there has been a disturbance in the force.

I've been occupying myself by working a lot, doing things around the house, and hanging out with friends. Oh yeah, I've also played a couple of video games here and there. :)

My main project this month is getting the nursery in order. I want to have it painted before Genevieve returns. We still have 4 1/2 months until the baby arrives, but I want to get everything completed as early as possible. I suppose I'm just weird like that. I ordered the crib (yay!) and it is set to arrive no later than June 18th. We decided on the Charleston by Munire in a natural wood. The natural wood should make it easier to match additional furniture pieces.

These are all the updates for now! Now back to your regularly scheduled programming.

Additional note: There was volcanic activity in the Philippines last week and some people have asked if this occured anywhere near Genevieve. Luckily, the answer is "no". She and her family are spending most of their time in Baguio, about 5 hours away from Manila.

Adios Amigos!

I am off to visit my home country of the Philippines. Not the easiest trip to make when you are almost five months pregnant but it will be worth it! I am leaving Colorado, Sunday March 12th and will not be back till April 9th! That's right, Mike will be all my himself for almost one whole month! What's a guy to do!? He has promised me that he will start on the nursery (painting at least) and he will surely indulge himself with all the XBOX 360 that his heart desires. He will also be solely responsible for taking care of Noodles. I wouldn't be surprised if Noodles had green hair and a mohawk by the time I get back. Mike has promised Noodles that they will have a grand ol' time partying! Ha! Although I am excited to take this trip, I am dreading spending the nights away from my two favorite guys. We've never been this far apart ever! I warned Mike that by the time I get back, I will be needing a crane to airlift me through the roof of the house because I will undoubtedly enjoy every bit of Pilipino food the country has to offer. I am also really curious how the country has progressed (or so we hope) in the last 12 years I have been away. It is hard for me to imagine what is like right now. Expect to see a full-fledged report about my trip when I get back! We have also scheduled the "Big U/S" for April 13th. Although we will not be finding out the sex of the baby, it will be exciting to see all of the fingers, toes, and more precise features of the baby this time. So, I am signing off. Mike will keep you updated on my trip, the nursery, and all the shenanigans he gets himself into while I am away!

How I know I'm in the right city

I read an article on 9news.com yesterday about a Boulder elementary school being the first in our nation to implement skateboarding as a P.E. activity. How cool is that! According to the article, practicing activities which focus on hand-eye coordination also help in the classroom because it stimulates both hemispheres of the brain. I hope they're right!

You can read the entire article here: http://tinyurl.com/gsyqy

Crib Crazy!

Mike and I have decided to tackle on the task of selecting a crib. We thought it would be simple, stop into a Babies R' Us, pick out a crib, hand over the credit card, and go on our merry way. Not quite. Our weekends are spent intently searching the internet for consumer reports, reviews, discount dealers, etc. We have gone to every specialty baby stores that they know us by name! Last night, I even had dreams of nursery furniture! It is exciting to prepare for the baby but I never knew how it can get overwhelming. There are so many options out there, you really don't know where to start. There is wealth of cribs from regular cribs to convertible units that convert to toddler beds and then into a full size! Mike and I have searched, jiggled, and inspected many cribs this past month and we keep coming back to our first favorite. It is a convertible bed made by a company called Munire. Solid wood construction with great lines and seems sturdy enough to withstand the many kiddies to come (am I scaring you Mike?). Here's a pic:

















The bedding we've picked:

Volkswagen does it again

This commercial has to be one of the best I've seen recently. Gene Kelly gettin' down wit his bad self to a breakdancing remix of "Singin' in the Rain". Enjoy.

http://youtube.com/watch?v=5cXWDKHrj3Y&search=volkswagen

Thanks for the link, Ryan.

Blogger acting up

Blogger has a mind of its own today. I visited the site earlier and our http://mikeandgen.blogspot.com showed a press release for Google.....later it was a site referencing sex, drugs, and gossip. Woah! If you return and it seems someone has temporarily hijacked the URL, trying pressing down CONTROL and click "Refresh". This will clear your cache and seemed to work for me earlier. Otherwise, if you like reading about sex, drugs, and gossip feel free to linger and get your fill of tabloid news.

Daddy Diaper Bags

So, I've pretty much exhausted every website that is known to carry diaper bags. It's become my own little obsession, much like my obsession with COACH handbags. But, I didn't want to neglect my right-hand man who too will be on diaper duty once the baby is here. Mike already has issues with carrying my purse when I look through clothes racks or if I need a quick run to the ladies room while at the mall. You know, he has to carry my purse like a grocery bag, with his hand firmly grasping the shoulder straps by the middle, not by the ends. So, I knew he wouldn't be too crazy carrying a brightly floral-printed diaper bag. As we were browsing a baby boutique a couple of weekends ago, Mike stumbled onto a very "manly" and "masculine" diaper bag that was actually made by a Denver-based company called DadGear. They even have a vest that looks like the one Vin Diesel wore in the hit movie "The Pacifier" (note my sarcasm there). It's a really neat and functional bag that any Dad would be proud to carry. It even has a quick-access wipes window at the base of the bag for those emergency diaper changes. I'm glad we picked a winner for Mike, now if I could only get away with 7 diaper bags...one for each day of the week...

Time to buy stock in Kleenex

I've been sick for almost a week now. Yep, it pretty much sucks. Finally went to the doctor today and picked up some antibiotics for my ear, nose, and throat. Last Friday, I went snowboarding with my work and most likely contracted something while in the mountains. The part I hate the most about being sick is feeling so useless (or as Genevieve would say, more useless than normal). You just keep popping OTC meds thinking, "maybe TOMORROW is the day I'll feel better." Luckily, Genevieve has been so terrific, making me spaghetti, soup, or pretty much anything I ask for. Hmm...maybe tonight I'll ask for steak and potatoes....just kidding.

On a lighter note, we had a baby check-up this morning. We were able to hear the heart beat again and everything is going fine. Genevieve has been visiting the chiropractor twice a week and the pain in her sciatic nerve is slowly vanishing.

Here's a recent pic taken by Mr. Mike himself. I'm definitely filling out, clothes are getting a bit tighter every day...maternity pants here I come!

Chiropractor Visit

My lower back and sciatic nerve has literally been a pain in my rear for the last three weeks or so. I've been experiencing a shooting pain down my leg that brings me to my knees and I've been avoiding painkillers as much as I can. So, I finally found myself in a chiropractice office praying that this will be the solution to my problem. The chiropractor examined my back and alignment and sure enough, there was lot of tension in my lower back. It was probably brought upon by the excrutiating 14 hour drive to and from Phoenix to Denver during the holidays. He did a quick adjustment (I never heard so many bones pop in my life) which brought some temporary relief. I have a follow-up visit tomorrow and hopefully we can determine a treatment plan that can provide permanent relief.
On the pregnancy front, Mike and I took our first trip to Babys R' Us yesterday. Although, I had to convince Mike to take the trip, it was him whose eyes lit up as we browsed the aisles. Suddenly, he was test driving strollers, checking out the bouncers, pack n' plays, and bedding. It may be early in the pregnancy but it was nice to get an idea what we would like for the baby. This is only one of many trips we will be taking to the store!

It's Friiiiiiiiiiday

The weekend is here. Sweet! This was Genevieve's last week working full time. Being on her feet all day is too exhausting, so she will be going to part-time in February and then doing side work at home. Lucky her!

I plan on playing Xbox 360 pretty much all day tomorrow since she'll be working 12-6. Yep, that's right. I finally mentioned Xbox after 4 postings. Get used to it because there's more where that came from!

No football this weekend since Super Bowl is coming up on Feb. 5th. Too bad for the Broncos. This was the farthest Jake Plummer had ever reached in the playoffs, and boy did it show. He pretty much choked. Maybe next year....maybe next year...

Thank you from the McLean's!

Thank you everyone for your warm wishes and congratulations that we received yesterday. It was very nice to see your responses and comments. We know that this is a life changing journey but we are ready to take on the task. We would like to thank our family and friends who have been so supportive of us this past 9 years (since we declared ourselves boyfriend and girlfriend!). Without you, we would not be in this place in our lives. We look forward to hearing your knowledge and experience that will not only help us throughout this pregnancy but through parenthood as well--we hope!

First Ultrasound

Ultrasound Picture 1 01/19/2006
Originally uploaded by mikeandgen.

Today we had our very first ultrasound! We saw the first images of our little baby and it was amazing. It measured at 10 weeks and 6 days, making our baby's official due date August 11th. But, you never know...Mike may just get a special present on his birthday - August 7th. At this point we're happy to hear our baby is progressing well and excited to see what the future holds.

Do you want to know a secret?

We have recently released some classified information. Genevieve is PREGNANT! How cool is that? She is a little over 9 weeks along, so it's still very early. We are super excited, and have the first ultrasound scheduled for next week. The due date is August 13th, 2005. If we are lucky, it will be a Leo, like me. Leos are awesome.

More details to follow.....

Welcome!

Welcome to our blog! Finally, we have a new site. Back in the day, we used to have an online presence over at http://mikeandgen.tripod.com. It ended up being kind of a bust due to many reasons. The new format for this blog makes it MUCH easier for us to post updates, so bookmark us and check back frequently!