Happy Easter. It is really spring!!!

Wow. My life is going by too fast all of a sudden. I am so bummed that I haven't blogged in a while. I was doing so well then totally fell off the boat. Oh well now thatit is a new season I will try again.

Spring is really here in MI! It is amazing. We have had about 2 weeks of mild temps in the 50's and 60's and now all the leaves are starting to come out, the spring flowers are blooming, the birds are chirping all over the place. It is really wonderful and uplifting.

I just took Kaia and Beethoven (my parents' dog) for a walk and the whole time I could smell the wonderful fragrance of new flowers and trees blossoms in the air. It was awesome and refreshing. I have been feeling really great lately so I have very little to complain about except my busy life. I am really going to try to slow down over the next month or so. The past 3 months have been ridiculous and I don't like to live this way. I am constantly going from one problem or job or experiment or meeting or strategy session to another back and forth. It needs to stop.

Unfortunately I must continue at this pace for another 2 weeks then I cna chill out a bit. This week I am off ot Califrnia for a business trip. I will be seeing Ellen and spending a few noghtsI am going to the MRS (Materials Research Society) conference in San Francisco and giving 2 talks (both on tuesday). I am part of special session on the new (relatively) field of interfacing implantable electrode-based biomedical devices with tissues in the body. There are many current road-blocks related to this interface that need to be overcome in order to generate the next generation of devices such as drug-delivery implants, glucose sensors, pacemakers, and brain stimulators for tretament of epilepsy, spinal cord injury, chronic pain, and parkinson's disease.

Then on wednesday we are meeting with patent and business lawyers to discuss the possible start-up company I am working with a couple of fellow researchers to found. Then on thursday we go to Stanford to give another research presentation to some of our collaborators. and finally on friday we go to the silicon valley to meet with researchers at a company called NeuroPace in hopes of setting up a research partnership to develop new materials for their epilepsy devices. Then I get to fly home friday night and be back just in time to celebrate Bill's birthday on saturday!!! He will be 32-wow. Of course he is more and more annoyed at each year at getting older. I guess we all are.

So let me think-what has been going on lately....
Well 2 weeks ago we spent the weekend at Kevin & Stephanie's. we had a really nice time hanging out. Bob & Joy brought dinner so we ate a wonderful home-cooked meal. Kev & Steph are hurrying to et house prjects done before the baby arrives. Sounds familiar to us!!

Last weekend and yesterday Bill & did projects around the house and out in the yard. My mom, dad, and Gerogia ame over to help us a bit. We are making really great prgress but we still have a long way to go. Although now that the weather is nicer, I am much more hopeful. I am still getting used to the conept that I can't do as much work as I once could. With baby on board I need a lot more. help. So if you live aorund here-be ware I may come asking soon!!!

Today Bill is at his parents' having Easter dinner. Sadly, I am left at home to finish preparation for the conference b/c I leave early tomorrow morning. I had to take a break so I decided to write this blog entry. My family is down in Georgia visitng my aunt and uncle and doing some river kayaking. I wish I could be with them b/c I am in major need of some vavaction and camping! Howver I have to just keep holding out for our trip to Colorado at the end of May. I am really really looking forward to seeing everyone there and going camping in the southwest. I just love the desert and the mtns and I can't wait!

I am also really looking forward to my next doc appt. We'll be scheduling the 20 ultrasound that I have been waiting for! I am really anxious to see how my baby is looking and find out what sex it is. Right now my growing abdomen is just a "black box" (really). I have no idea what is going on in there and I hope we can get a good look at the baby at the ultrasound. Of course I am at that stage where it is now starting to seem very real and now I just want everything to be OK for the baby and for it to be here already. I know I have a long way to go but as of last week I was half-way there!! That seems like an accomplishment, doesn't it???

So I have some photos I want to post here. Bill took this one the other night-I fell asleep on the couch and my dog Kaia was "helping". Needless to say this happens alot more often now than it used to.

















also back in March we had a big bday party to celebrate all the March bdays. Here is a cute photo of them all getting ready to blow out the candles on the cake.

















I guess I am at 20 weeks of my pregnancy!! hard to believe. I have started to feel it move a bit but not much. I think this is b/c my life has been so crazy that I haven't taken a breath. This can't be good for the baby or me so after I get back from my conference I am vowing to slow down!!

pregnancy info at 20 weeks

Take care,
Sarah