Happy New Year’s Eve 2009
This year, Nate and I are alone at the cabin on New Year’s Eve. Ailey and Ritchie will join us sometime tomorrow, but it’s a quiet night with just the two of us and Galt. And truthfully, I wouldn’t have it any other way.
It’s been a crazy Q4 and I need a little downtime. This lady needs her rest! It’s not too hard to keep up on this blog since we hardly ever post, but in case you haven’t seen the last couple of updates, 1) We got a dog, 2) I got a new job at an amazing nonprofit called PATH, which started on Dec. 1, and 3) I started this new job when I was 6 weeks pregnant. Oy.
So yeah, this lady needs her rest. I’m just about into my second trimester, and I can’t wait for it to be here! I’ve never slept so much in my life! I guess I’m lucky since I didn’t really get any violent morning sickness… queasy, but nothing violent. I’ve managed to stay productive during the work days (PATH doesn’t all know they hired a pregnant lady), but I’ve often gone to bed between 7:30 and 8 p.m. And on weekends, I take naps… long naps… like 3+hr long naps. That’s a lot of sleeping folks.
I’ve been told by just about everyone the second trimester is the best part of pregnancy. The energy comes back, the queasiness goes away, and the belly is small enough to deal with it all. So second trimester here I come!
Don’t get me wrong, I’m thrilled about this whole thing. I’m just looking forward to fewer side effects. The other day, Nate and I grabbed a Dick’s Burger after an evening on the slopes. I woke up at 3 a.m. sick to my stomach, and wasn’t able to go back to sleep for a few hours. The whole next day my stomach was still in knots. Apparently, Dim Sum doesn’t like Dick’s Burgers.
Oh, did I tell you that we call the kid “Dim Sum”? Nate’s sister originally coined the name, and it stuck once we learned that dim sum means “a little heart” or something to that affect. At the time, a little heart was all that was there! I had another ultrasound earlier this week, and now Dim Sum actually looks like a baby. It was kinda amazing to see this thing, approximately 2 inches in length, holding its fist by its head and jumping up and down. Amazing.
I’ll do my best to update the blog with Dim Sum’s progress, but in the mean time, HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!
THE ANNOUNCEMENT (via our Christmas letter)
Post update and some pictures of our Christmas week:
… and a valid excuse for not posting anything since November 1.
2009 marks the fourth Christmas letter that we’ve written as a family.
It began like many others—we’ve settled into a nice rhythm that mimics the best part of years past. And while the first three-quarters of the year have been fairly predictable, the final quarter has made up for any lack of excitement in our lives! Read on…
Winter:
In the winter we went on numerous ski excursions that took us in all directions: to Eastern Washington, Mt. Hood, Whistler B.C., and Big Sky Country, MT. We took up telemark skiing this year, and now we understand what Nate’s sister and brother-in-law have been raving about!
Spring:
With spring came a heavier workload for Marissa, who took on more Microsoft work. She enjoyed the challenge of working within the Microsoft culture and preparing for the launch of the new Windows 7 operating system. Nate continued with his one man media company and resource for technology startups, nPost.
Summer:
As spring passed into summer, Nate and Mars frequented the Kaiser family cabin in Eastern Washington. We went with Kaisers and friends alike, and spent as much time in the warm sun and on the cool Columbia River as possible. We are also fortunate to be able to regularly sail Puget Sound aboard our friends’ 42′ Catalina!
Fall:
With autumn came a change of seasons and hints of new things in store. We celebrated Marissa’s birthday in Honolulu with friends and relatives, and then escaped to Kona for a week of relaxation with a couple of good friends. Marissa accepted a new position at a global nonprofit called PATH. She is now a communications specialist working on safer water and better vaccine delivery for consumers around the world. And we adopted a Golden Retriever puppy named Galt. Lots of changes, but the biggest was to come.
In November, Marissa’s grandmother turned 80, so the entire Ng clan met in Sacramento for a family reunion and celebration. At the event, Mars and Nate let it slip that we’re expecting our first child in July! The baby’s due date is Nate’s birthday, July 11.
2009 will be our last hoorah as DINKS… Next year will bring many, many changes to the Kaiser household. We look forward to celebrating those changes with you and keeping in touch in the New Year!
Much Love,
Nathan, Marissa, Galt the dog, and the little one on the way!
Kaiser Family Blog: http://kaisertales.com
On Twitter: twitter.com/mjkaiser, twitter.com/npost, twitter.com/galtthedog