Singapore Baby Shower

We are so blessed to have wonderful friends on both sides of the globe. This past weekend we were given another amazing shower for the peanut. Our friends planned a wonderful shower and BBQ! There were games, fun, and wonderful friends. Everyone's gifts were so thoughtful and amazing. We even received a book that is made especially for the baby, using her Vietnamese name and everything. Then to top it all off, at the end of the evening we were presented with an amazing gift, a Rocking Chair. It has already gone to good use, and we know that it will when she comes! Thanks to everyone for the shower, and to Li and Mary Jo for organizing it all!

What a beautiful Cake!

Becky and Tuffli arriving at the shower.

 A wonderful card filled with all sorts of heartfelt messages!

 

That evening; Mary Jo, Mike, Rupert, Roger, Meg, Andrew, Li Chin, and Becky

Awwww what a cute couple- Roger and Meg

Rupert manning the grill, it was all delicious!

Later that evening. Around the circle starting on the left- Li, Rupert, Meg, Roger, Mike, Vikram, Padma, LiChin, Andrew, Becky, and Tuffli- and we are missing the photographer- Mary Jo.

 

 

Even later that evening, Tuffli preparing the rocking chair!

36 Week Check Up!

Well, two more weeks have gone by...the peanut is continuing to grow at a healthy rate! We are very pleased. In this ultrasound she even was sucking her thumb, guess she takes after her mom on that front! The image is a bit hard to see, but if you look in the center of the picture you may be able to see her side of the face and her fingers in her mouth. We will see Dr. Paul on the 23rd of December for our next check up, and we are anxious for Barb's arrival on the 29th. It will be a race to see who will arrive first, either the grandmother or the grand-daughter. Either way we will be excited to see them both. 

First Half Marathon

Last Sunday, December 6th, I completed my first half marathon in Singapore, the longest distance (to date) I've ever done.  Although the race course was considered fast and flat, it was one of the most physically & mentally challenging things I've done.  I felt great after 18 km, but then it quickly went downhill for me.  It didn't help that I ran past every drink station available on the course and relied solely on my fuel belt (32 oz of Gatorade), which I didn't completely finish.  Becky is still a bit peeved at me for this.  Needless to say, the last few kilometers felt like an eternity, but I tried to focus on the finish line and kept my legs churning.  3 months of training left me with a finishing time of 2 hours and 18 seconds, which I'm pretty happy about.  My worst case target time was 2 hrs 10 mins. Here's a pic of me towards the finishing area with a painful look on my face.

If that wasn't enough, here's a link with video of my finish:  http://www.marathon-photos.com/scripts/event_entry.py?event=Sports/2009/Singapore%20Marathon;match=40084

If that wasn't enough, here's a link on how I faired up against the rest: http://www.runpix.name/sin09/00/finord.php?LastName=40084&lan=&aset=0&dist=21

I think I'll stick with 10km runs for a while now, but I'm sure I'll find the half marathon (or even full marathon) itch in the future.