After Ryan's first week of classes we decided it would be good to get out and enjoy ourselves before we have a little one to worry about, so Friday evening we had a "night out on the town." Thanks to Andrea and Shane (Ryan's sister and brother-in-law) we had a gift certificate for the Dushanbe Tea House, where we enjoyed a wonderful ethnic dinner in a Tajikistan tea house, check out the amazing history of this place and see pictures of the beautiful Tajikistan artistry at: www.boulderteahouse.com.
After dinner we decided to take a short walk and ended up at the Pearl Street Mall - a section of shops, galleries, restaurants, cafes, etc. and of course street entertainers. The CU (University of Colorado Boulder) marching band was out in full force, Saturday was the first football game of the season and fans were gearing up for the big event - CU was up against CSU (Colorado State University), their cross state rival. (CU won in over time! Woo Hoo, I guess we are Buffaloes now.)
Saturday, since Jamie still had not started labor, we decided it would be good to get another hike in. Upon the advice of Anthony (Ryan's brother), we decided to find a shorter hike that we could do multiple times if so desired. Chautauqua Park was our destination - another historic place in Boulder (and popular place to go, the parking lots were all full and there were people everywhere!) At the Ranger's Cottage we got some recommendations on less crowded trails and picked one that was a 1.5 mile loop on the top of the mountain. The hike was quite amazing with views for miles! At "May's Point" we climbed up some boulders and had the most amazing views of both Indian Peaks to our left (snow covered mountains in the distance) and Boulder (to our right). Climbing up and down some of the larger boulders was a bit challenging for Jamie and her very large belly, but she made it. We also spotted several black squirrels along the trail that were quite unique - their ears appeared to be very long which almost makes them look like funny rabbits. On our way back down the mountain we spotted a mule deer doe and fawn grazing on the side of the road. The fawn was a bit more wary than mom, but we were able to take pictures of both.
That evening we played Settlers of Catan with our friends Phillip and Jana. Jana has taken over the planning for the baby shower that the Smiley Court ladies have planned for Jamie. The shower has been moved to this coming Tuesday (the day before Jamie's due date, we'll see if baby waits for the event).
The week started out pretty easy for Ryan with only one class on Monday, August 27th. His busy days are Tuesdays and Thursdays. On Tuesday he decided to drop his Monday/Wednesday class and take a class called Engineering for the Developing World, which is only on Wednesdays (for 3 hours). Ryan will likely hold office hours for his TA position on Mondays and Fridays, so he will have to be over at CU every day of the week. Unfortunately there are still conflicts between his Advanced Solar Design class and the class that he is a TA for. It appears that the best solution may be to have the TA class videotaped so that Ryan can attend the Advanced Solar class. Ryan has been busy doing homework and reading during his spare moments at home. This is a large undertaking and a good challenge for him.
While Ryan was in classes and meetings throughout the week, Jamie continued to prepare for baby's arrival. She cleaned the house, did the laundry, shopped for groceries and prepared meals to freeze for when the baby does come and she does not want to get out of bed. On Wednesday, Ryan and Jamie went to see the midwife Judy and her intern Peggy. They said everything looks good and Jamie is right on track. We are very grateful for Judy and Peggy, Judy is kind of like our mom away from home. Jamie's next appointment is Wednesday, September 5th - her due date. Jamie's mom is hoping that the baby arrives before her and Jamie's dad plan to fly out on Saturday, September 8th.
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