生產紀錄

覺得是時候來寫一下我的生產紀錄
其實很想看能不能把欣怡的生產紀錄copy只要改個時間就好
不過這種東西還是不能抄別人的

話說我一直已為我會早生 因為媽媽姐姐都比預產期早生
而且我的肚子低到從二月底就有人警告我應該快生了
我還特地在預產期前一個禮拜開始請待產假
順便陪遠道而來幫我做月子的爸媽

等待的過程一天就像一個禮拜
爸媽已經等到很無聊了 我也等的沉不住氣
每天在散步 帶爸媽出門 及花兩三個小時工作下渡過
不知道為什麼我很不習慣這樣沒什麼目標的生活
可能是心裡一直牽掛著沒寫完的研究計畫(現在還是沒寫完)
我老公倒是趁著爸媽在的這段不用煮飯洗碗的日子
多花點時間在他的論文上

預產期(4/20)那一周的產檢 只開了1cm
那代表…我有可能當天會生…也有可能兩個禮拜後生 (反正就是不知道何時會生)
醫生說如過一切沒問題 要預產期過後兩個禮拜左右才會催生
那個星期五再去做一次產檢 一樣還是開1cm
這次內診搞的很痛 害我之後到生產時一直在出血
到這個時候, 我已經做了要催生的最壞打算
也不想再神經質得把一點點不舒服都認為是生產的前兆

星期六(4/24)一整天在外面趴趴走
早上帶爸媽去買菜 下午去家裡附近的Frick House看古董車展兼散步
下午覺得有點像生理期來時的不舒適 想說應該是內診出血造成的
傍晚的時候 覺得有經痛的感覺 不過也沒放在心上
一直到吃晚餐時才警覺會不會這就是陣痛 而開始做陣痛紀錄
這個時候 疼痛也慢慢變規律…不過還可以在疼痛的時候說話
(聽說到痛無法說話時就真的要進入產程了)
打電話問了醫生, 醫生要我在家觀察一陣子
我們還放了星際大戰來看 我也一邊翻譯給爸媽聽
晚上九點多 陣痛已經是每五六分鐘一次
這個時候的痛 讓我不能在邊看電影邊講解給爸媽聽
我決定去洗個澡 也把該帶去醫院的東西做最後整理
我老公還老神在在的繼續講解star war的劇情
由於我從前一天持續的在出血 所以也分不出是不是見紅
在醫生的同意下 決定在晚上十點半去出發去醫院

4/24 1130pm
醫師內診 開3cm (終於!) 雖然還沒進入active labor (要開4cm才算)
醫生想說也不遠了 就決定讓我住院待產
等到手續辦完到生產房也已經是要半夜12點多了
這時的陣痛已經很難忍受了

4/25 1am
再次內診還是3cm 醫生徵求我的同意要幫我破羊水 加速產程
(痛……………..)
由於星期六一整天都沒有怎麼休息
這個時候的我已經是又累又痛
我一直想自然生產不用無痛 所以還在ㄍ一ㄥ
陣痛時躺在床上最難受….可是又沒什麼力氣到處走
我就在搖椅和birthing ball上渡過這幾個小時的陣痛

3am
我已經痛到想打人了 再次內診 還是3cm
有種欲哭無淚的感覺 我不知道自己還可以撐多久
醫生徵求我同意說要打催生針 因為產程進行的有點慢
我痛到累到沒有印象說 “好” 只覺得好像有護士幫我接上IV
想說應該是為了避免我脫水打的IV
醫生也再一次的勸我打無痛 他怕我再痛下去沒有體力生小孩
再三跟我保證很安全
我心裡超級猶豫 想打 又覺得guilty
幾千幾萬年來的女人沒有無痛針可打 還不是照樣生小孩
想說自然最好 再撐一下看看好了

這個時候 陣痛越來越強烈 身體越來越沒力
整個人趴在Brian身上 痛到眼淚一直掉
心裡還在掙扎要不要打無痛 最糟的是還吐了起來

4am
這時才知道三點左右裝IV時 催生針也順便一起打下去了
所以才會痛的很慘又吐的亂七八糟
這個時候的我知道自己已經撐不下去了
催生針打下去只會讓我的陣痛更加難以忍受而已
所以我決定放棄堅持 淚眼汪汪的跟Brian說
“I can’t do this anymore, I just can’t. I need epidural.”
麻醉師應該是不到十分鐘的時間就出現在我的病房
依照規定是要跟我解釋整個過程及危險
心裡其實很OOXX, 因為我已經痛到不知道他的英文在講什麼
我只聽道在打的時候即使是陣痛身體也不能動 (這是最機車的地方)

打完無痛後的15分鐘 我已經可以說說笑笑了
套Brian說的 打無痛前後 像是 day and night的差別

7am
這個時候的我 已經斷斷續續睡了3個小時 精神好了很多
這次的內診大大進步 開了6cm
醫生說 我之前痛的難過全身緊繃 也可能是讓產程慢下來的原因之一
打了epidural 身體放鬆 反而有助益
醫生叮嚀等到我有持續感覺便意的時候 她會再過來檢查

930am
雖然打epidural不會痛 但是還是感覺的到壓力
這時我已經有持續好幾次的便意…可是好像也沒有很強烈
這次內診只有一兩秒的時間 因為醫生馬上就碰到baby的頭了
她說 ”It’s time to push”
這個PUSH是有學問的 有人幫忙扶小腿腳踝
可是自己要抓著大腿(或膝蓋)出力 讓整個上身弓起來
同時還要把臀部壓低…..我也搞很久才慢慢了解到底是要怎樣PUSH
我就這樣用力了70分鐘
好險有打epidural 有休息到 不然應該沒有力氣用力那麼久
終於在4/25上午10:41把baby擠出來
我的撕裂傷很小 只縫了一兩針 (感謝我兒子沒有遺傳到我的大頭)
(美國剪會陰不是routine, 有必要才剪….所以我也很幸運沒剪到)

Voila~ 這就是我的生產經驗
整個過程跟我的birth plan完全不同
(本來不希望催生 不希望打無痛 也沒料到會人工破水)
還是很高興一切都很順利
雖然最後還是屈服打了無痛
不過我也是有經歷到好幾個小時的想打人的痛 這也就夠了

還有 媽媽姐姐的生產經驗完全不能拿來做參考
Every birth is different.
And remember to keep your options open

P.S. 我後來發現我洗臉的時候臉頰好痛 沒料到PUSH的時候臉頰也出了那麼大的力

Little Bu Meets World

Well, it only took a few days since YT's last post and our waiting is over. Little Bu made his appearance to the world as we know it today, Sunday morning April 25 at 10:41, after a long night of labor. He weighed 6lbs 13oz and was 19 inches long. Things have quieted down a bit now, so I thought I'd take a bit of time to record for myself and posterity the ins and outs of how it went down. 

First of all, history will note that Little Bu (LB) was very nearly born on April the 22nd, which as you all know is of course also Earth Day (as I learned recently). This is relevant for reasons that will be more apparent soon, I hope. In the early afternoon that day, YT started to experience painful contractions, and we thought the time was upon us. They were somewhat regular, but didn't yet reach the magic 5-1-1 we had been told to wait for (5 minutes in between, 1 minute duration, for 1 hour). We took YT's mom's advice and went for a nice long walk in Frick Park, which is just down the road. It was a beautiful spring day, and we really enjoyed the sun glistening through the green leaves in the wooded park. I couldn't help but sing In the Bulb There is a Flower (1st verse) to him, which seemed quite fitting. Despite all our efforts to convince him it would be much cooler to be born on Earth Day rather than the day after Earth Day, he didn't listen. Instead of becoming regular and more intense, the contractions actually sort of faded away. They were painful, but probably Braxton Hicks and not the real thing. I think LB was just trying to help us learn to be patient.

Friday (4/23) went by with no developments, and it seemed like things were back to 'normal'. Saturday (4/24)  morning YT even went to the strip with her parents to buy groceries and other sundries at the Chinese grocery store. We even tried to find stuff to do to keep her parents from getting bored, so we walked back down to Frick Park to see the Clayton House (former home of Henry Clay Frick) and associated exhibits. After dinner, we started to watch a movie (Star Wars: A New Hope, mainly because YT's parents hadn't seen it before and I had it at home). There were no subtitles, so YT and I were both trying to translate/explain what was happening.  Before too long, we found we were translating/explaining between increasingly regular and intensely painful contractions. We saw Ben fall to Darth Vader before we got the return call from the OB and we prepared to head to the hospital. I guess LB couldn't handle the suspense. Poor guy.  If you see him, please don't ruin the ending for him.

 

We packed up the car and drove to the hospital around 10:30pm, and went into triage around 11:10pm. Not too long before midnight, we were officially admitted to the hospital -- 3cm dilated.

The rest of the story will be resumed later.  Mother and baby are down for the count, and I'm practically there myself.  I believe for the first time in a long time, I will really sleep like a baby.

Bb

39W

今天是39週的最後一天
也就是說明天就是我的預產期 (4/20)
一直以為我會比預產期早生
因為兩個姐姐的小孩都是比預產期早一到兩個禮拜生
加上爸媽3/30就到達Pittsburgh
就所幸的在預產期前一個禮拜開始請假
順便陪爸媽到處走走
沒想到他們已經來快三個禮拜了
我家的小Bu還是不肯出來跟大家見面

Today is the last day of my 39W, which means tomorrow is my due date. I always thought I would have this baby before my due date because my two sisters had their babies about 1-2 weeks prior to the due date. In addition to my parents’ arrival in the end of March, I took a week off before the big day to spend more time with them. Who knows…our little Bu is still happy inside mommy’s tummy.

我這個人本來就不擅長等待
這一個禮拜在家裡已經悶的發慌了
每天也盡量安排至少兩三個小時的活動帶爸媽出去走走 (買東西居多)
雖然還是有斷斷續續的在寫我的研究計畫 可總覺得提不起勁
我看我還是不怎麼適合當米蟲 注定是一生勞碌命吧

I’m not very good in waiting (Brian knows that pretty well). I’ve grew tired of waiting during this week-long off. I tried to schedule 2-3 hr activity for my parents everyday (mostly shopping) and also work part-time on finishing my grant, but I still felt certain level of weariness. I guess I’m not quite a material for being a long-term couch potato (who is??) and would probably work one way or another all my life….sighs.

不知道為什麼我沒有像姐姐和媽媽一樣早生
或是因為我生第一胎的年齡都比她們大
或許因為我兒子是半個白人….所以這招不管用
或許因為大家希望他出來的時間都不一樣…所以他confused
不過可以確定的是
現在大家都非常期待能夠早點見到小Bu
因為萬一過了預產期太久 要催生就不大好了
I don’t know why I didn’t “inherit” the “early labor” gene. Maybe because I am older than my sisters were when they had their first baby; maybe because my son is half Caucasian, so this “gene” doesn’t work; or maybe because he got confused about when to leave the womb since everyone has different agenda. But one thing is for sure that everyone is very looking forward to meeting him. I would not want to see this little boy being induced by medication.

小 Bu是個愛動的小baby
尤其是去看醫生或照超音波的時候
幾天前因為沒怎麼感覺到胎動 馬上很擔心的到醫院做了fetal monitoring
果然 才把監視器都還沒裝好 小 Bu就動個不停
害我這個做媽的覺得有點小丟臉

Little Bu has been an active baby, especially at the doctor’s visit. I didn’t feel much of his movement a few days ago and doctor wanted me to come in right away to do fetal monitoring. And of course, he started moving like crazy even before nurse finished strapping the monitor on my belly. It was a bit embarrassing.

親愛的小Bu…..你就快點出來吧 大家都很期待和你見面喔
Dear little Bu, please hurry up!! Everyone is very looking forward to meeting you!!!

Snow storm Feb 2010

週末(02/05, 06)讓我見識到什麼叫做下大雪
Pittsburgh 地區大概下了有50cm左有的積雪
星期二,三又要再下個20cm左右
目前PITT已經停止上班上課兩天了
不知道會不會整個禮拜都是放雪假(snow day)

The big snowstorm last weekend really opened my eyes. We got about 18.7 inches of snow in the city of Pittsburgh. There is another snow storming coming this Tuesday and Wednesday with about 6-10" of snow. University have been close since Monday...not sure whether we need to go back to work on Wed. Who knows...maybe we will have a whole week of snow days.

從星期五晚上開始 從窗外看去是一切都是雪白的
馬路和人行道都分的不是很清楚
星期六下午趁雪停後到家裡附近走走 順便照一些雪景
在及膝的雪裡走路真的不是很容易 
花了比平常多了兩倍的時間才走到附近的公園
才走半個小時我就累的半死了
積雪大到有人在公園裡cross country ski 呢
還有很多小朋友坐在雪板上給爸媽拖著在雪裡走     超可愛的
Post 一些照片給大家看看....有興趣看更多的請連至右下角的相片集

Since late Friday night last week, the view from our living window has been just all "white". It actually took a while to distinguish road and sidewalk. We went out for a snow walk Saturday afternoon after snow stoppped and took several interesting pictures. Walking in keen-height depth snow was not easy..it took twice more time to walk to the city park near by, and I got really exhausted after 30 mins of walk. Snow in the park was thick and fluffy....we heard people were cross-country skiing earlier. We also saw kids happily siting in their sleds hauled by their parents......it would be us in a few years!!
We posted some pictures here...if you are interested in seeing more, you can click on the photo album in the bottom of the right panel.

29W

不知不覺中我已經進入懷孕的最後一期….
覺得才剛懷孕不是嗎?怎麼時間過的這麼快
都已經七個多月了…我才寫過一篇懷孕日誌
大概是史上最無敵懶惰的孕婦
那我就大概交代一下這幾個月的近況吧

All of a sudden, I’m in the 3rd trimester. Didn’t I just get pregnant? Where did the time go? Now it has been 7 months and 1 week, and I have so far only written one blog post about my pregnancy. I’m probably the laziest pregnant lady (at least one of them). I thought I would just give everyone a brief summary about the past few months.

孕婦我本身呢 其實健康狀況目前一切良好
幾個星期前的血糖測試一切正常 只是有貧血現象
我一點都不覺得去產檢很麻煩
因為醫生很nice也漂亮 又可以免費停車
而且覺得我體重控制的很好很高興 (目前大概只胖了 16 lb~=7Kg)
(不過有體重有加速增加的現象…所以可以維持多久很難講)
美國的正常標準是增加25-35 lb (11-15kg)
可我姐叫我不要胖超過10公斤
她說我是東方人要用東方人的標準 不然以後很難瘦下來

For me, everything is going well…really nothing to complain. The glucose test done a few weeks back was normal…just that I’m a little bit anemic. My prenatal visits so far have been very pleasant experiences. Nice doctors (particularly one), free hospital parking. Plus I am happy to find out each time that I’m doing a good job of controlling my weight (So far I’ve gained about 16lb, but there seems to be acceleration in weight gain in the last few weeks. So we will see how good I’ll be able to maintain my weight situation). In the US, the normal weight gain is between 25-35lb. But my sisters said: “You are Asian, you should use the Asian standard”, which means no more than 22lb. Otherwise, I’ll have a hard time giving birth and losing weight afterwards.

寶寶的話呢….是個男生啦
果然敵不過布先生家”生男生的傳統” (他16個cousin只有一個是女生)
應該會是一個好動的寶寶 每次照超音波都動來動去
上次醫生在聽他的心跳的時候 他也給人家翻滾了一下…差點嚇到醫生

As for the baby…in case you don’t know yet, it’s a boy. I still can’t break Mr. Bru’s family tradition (he only has 1 girl cousin among a total of 16). We think he is going to be an active baby. He moves a lot in every ultrasound visit. He made a big noise last time (by bumping my tummy) when the doctor used the Doppler to listen to his heartbeat. He almost scared the doctor.

話說 有一次跟我媽視訊的時候
寶寶突然在肚子裡大力的翻動
我就叫了一聲 ”我的媽呀!!” 結果被我媽罵
她說 寶寶動的時候要安撫他 要說好聽的話 不是大叫我的媽呀

One time I was chatting with my mom using the webcam, and baby made a big kick. Immediately, I screamed out something equivalent to OMG in Chinese. My mom warmed me not to scream like that and instead, I should calm the baby and say some nice words to him. Well...I’ll try my best. But when he kicks like that, it’s hard to not shout out.

以前胎動都要用感覺的
現在胎動看肚皮就看的出來
我很期待看到大家描述的
“可以在肚皮上看到寶寶的手或腳型” 不過聽說很痛就是了

Before the end of the 2nd trimester, I could only feel baby’s movement, but now I can see it too. It’s quite an interesting experience. Although it hurts a lot, I’m looking forward to see baby’s hand and/or foot shape on my belly.

我跟布先生偶而會唸故事給寶寶聽
布先生說我要多學習用英文唸故事 因為我的語調太平了
他還每天唱同一首歌給他聽 (In the bulb there is a flower)
有朋友說 將來寶寶出生後聽到這首歌 會有熟悉的感覺而靜下來
有沒有用 以後再跟大家報告

In The Bulb There Is A Flower

In the bulb there is a flower; in the seed, an apple tree;

In cocoons, a hidden promise: butterflies will soon be free!

In the cold and snow of winter there’s a spring that waits to be,

Unrevealed until its season, something God alone can see.

Occasionally, Mr. Bru and I will read stories to the baby (we only have English baby books). He said I need to practice this more because my tone is too plain. Also, starting from several weeks ago, he has sang to baby the same song, “In the bulb there is a flower”, everyday. He hopes this song will become a soothing song for the baby. It apparently works for a friend’s sister. Later, we will let you know whether this method really works.

已經29週了 還有一堆事情都沒有做
按照媽媽說我會早生的推算
(因為她的三個女兒還有我兩位姐的四個小孩都是提早生)
算算只剩下兩個多月的時間了…….啊

29 weeks, lots of things are waiting to be done. According to my mom, I should expect to give birth 7-10 days before the due date. Because her 3 pregnancies and my two sisters’ 4 pregnancies, babies were born about 7-10 before the due date. So, I guess I only have barely more than 2 month to get things done… augh!!

16W

隨著肚子慢慢變大, 懷孕的感覺越來越明顯
雖然現在沒有像之前一樣的疲累或不適
但我這顆孕前非常健康開心的胃
慢慢開始了解什麼叫做胃灼熱,胃酸逆流
尤其是傍晚 特別覺得好像有東西卡在食道的感覺
咳嗽或打噴嚏時 也會造成由胃酸逆流引起的嘔吐感
雖然醫生開給我胃藥 我還是想能撐著不吃就不吃

With my growing belly, the pregnancy seems to be a lot more real now. Although the fatigue and morning sickness have gradually faded away, I’ve started experiencing so called “heartburn” & “acid reflux” (which my happy tummy hardly experienced before). It seems like there is always food rising up in my chest, especially in the evenings. Or the nausea returns due to acid reflux induced by coughing or sneezing. My OB gave me a prescription for Zantac (she guarantees this is perfectly fine), but I think I can handle this without taking medication.

孕婦就是這樣 盡量將藥品視為拒絕往來戶
也不就是為了希望肚子裡的寶寶健康
但這次H1N1流感讓孕婦成為高危險群
在詢問過婦產科醫生及幾位醫生朋友
我也是毅然決然的挨了兩針(一般及H1N1流感疫苗)
雖然有人不信任疫苗安全性
或相信所謂”增加小孩自閉症機率”理論
我選擇相信科學根據(當然我知道科學不是100%)以及風險效應
尤其我冬天常常生病

Pregnant women often try to avoid medicine as much as possible for one simple reason: to keep the baby healthy. However, the outbreak of H1N1 has put pregnant women on the top of the high risk group. After consulting my doctors and several M.D. friends, I also received seasonal and H1N1 flu shots. Although some people question the safety of the vaccines and/or believe the “vaccine-Autism” theory, I chose to believe science and risk-benefit (though I know nothing is 100%). And on top of that, I get sick pretty often during the winter.

我雖然贊成用疫苗來保護媽媽寶寶以及廣大社群
但打不打疫苗是個人選擇 我也尊重反對意見的人
每個人的情況都不同 (至少我不會正面去批評)
但我就遇到有人當面嗆我說
“我才不相信流感疫苗這種東西, 那會導致自閉症, 我才不打”
不知道講的人有沒有心…
但我聽起來就是在批評我是個壞媽媽
或許是我太敏感 (孕婦很敏感喔…大家請小心)

Although I strongly support getting flu shots to protect expectant mothers, babies, and the greater community, I also think this is a personal choice. I respect those who choose not to get vaccinated; at least I won’t confront them. However, I encountered someone that brutally said to my face (can’t remember exactly how that person phrased it) “I don’t believe in flu shots, I never get them. They cause Autism. I don’t believe that kind of ****”. Maybe this person didn’t mean it, but I took it hard. I felt I was being criticized as a bad mother that put my baby at risk. Maybe I’m too sensitive….but I guess pregnant women are sensitive in general because of all the hormones.

不過願意打H1N1的孕婦還真不少
這個禮拜二下午接到醫院打來的電話
說當天四點到六點可以免費到醫院打H1N1
我翹班準時四點到…已經有一百多個人排在我前面
整個走廊擠滿孕婦坐在地上等著打針 (有點像孕婦難民營)
在我等待的45分鐘 大概來來去去有兩三百人吧
從來沒同時看過這麼多孕婦 應該照個像的 真的很壯觀
我想醫院也沒料到會有這麼多孕婦願意打H1N1吧

However, there are a lot of pregnant moms out there (at least in Pittsburgh) willing to get H1N1 flu shots. I got a phone call from my OB office Tuesday afternoon that they have a free H1N1 vaccine clinic for pregnant women 4pm-6pm that day. I arrived on time at 4pm, and there were already 100 pregnant women ahead of me. The hallway was packed with pregnant women sitting on the floor (like a refugee camp) waiting to be called. During my 45 mins wait, there was probably about 200-300 expectant mothers. I’ve never seen so many pregnant women at the same time; I should have taken some pictures!! The hospital probably didn’t expect so many women so desperate to get an H1N1 flu shot.

還有還有, 這個禮拜接到移民局的通知
我的兩年”條件式”綠卡正式已核准轉為十年”永久”綠卡
(由結婚拿到的綠卡只有兩年, 屆滿前要申請移除”條件”轉為永久綠卡)
這次移民局的動作還蠻快的 居然六個月就通過了(聽說有人等一年)
至少申請費變貴是有改善成效的

By the way, we got a letter from USCIS that they approved the removal of my “conditional” status on my permanent residency (which was necessary because I got it through marriage), and will give me “permanent” permanent residency within 60 days. I’m very pleased with USCIS’s processing time. It only took them 6 months to approve it, but it’s often twice that or more. I guess the increasing fee is worth it.

所以….這個禮拜很開心
打到H1N1, 永久綠卡沒問題, 星期六還去看了場學校的足球賽
只是工作上的事永遠做不完……………..

In general, I had a very good week, getting H1N1 shot, having my green card conditional status removed, and watching Pitt’s football game in Heinz Field. The problem is…….I’m still so behind in my work.

應該讓大家知道囉!!

很早以前就想和大家分享這個好消息了

不過我們還是決定穩定一點後再跟大家宣布

自己的好消息要忍很久真的事件蠻痛苦的事

對於懷孕這件事 其實已經計畫了一陣子

就在我們覺得 這檔事可能不會在我們預期下順利發生時

我懶惰的不再天天吞一大顆臭臭的”prenatal vitamin”

吃東西也不再戒口　生病了就吃藥　也不再等確定沒懷孕才吃

沒想到　這件事就這麼奇妙的發生了

或許上帝是要讓我知道 祂有祂的旨意 不是我能安排的

知道懷孕的當下 我們的反應一點都不像電影或電視裡演的

我沒有高興的大叫 反而是鎮定的盯著驗孕棒遲疑了一下

靜靜的沉浸在欣喜與訝異中 互相擁抱

懷孕的第一期 身體及心裡的不適其實大於欣喜

一方面是因為一點都不覺得自己懷孕 肚子也沒凸 也沒什麼人知道

只是一整天持續的噁心(倒是沒有吐太多),疲倦(平均睡眠9 hrs) ,食慾不振 (瘦了6磅)

在加上媽媽姐姐不在身邊, 總覺得少了那種”及時分享喜悅”以及”交換經驗”的感覺

兩個姐姐年齡相近, 結婚懷孕的年齡也相近 我好像永遠趕不上似的

想到若是媽媽在身邊, 至少可以和媽媽撒嬌請她煮我想吃的東西

所以 其實前三個月 有點小 depressed (因為疲累和頭暈 無法專心 工作上的進度也很慢)

懷孕對男人而言其實也是很不公平的 因為他們完全沒有辦法真正的體會

不太會煮中國菜的老公 只能看著我每天碎碎唸 這個不好吃 那個不想吃

或是在我吐的時候 站在旁邊很心疼的看著 問我要不要喝ginger ale

不過他倒是蠻認真的唸 “Daddy is pregnant too” & “Baby Bargain” books

進入第二期 身體舒服多了(頂多只是每天偶而的胃不舒服)

精神體力也好很多 三不五時的肚子餓 一餓就一定要吃

大部分的家人及身邊的朋友都慢慢知道這個消息

這幾天 肚子也慢慢突出來 也開始穿起孕婦裝

一切覺得比較真實了

接下來 就等到下次的超音波揭曉baby的性別囉

因為H1N1流感的肆虐 以及幾乎24 hrs 的旅程

我們決定今年冬天不回台灣了

下次回去的時候….就會帶著新成員和大家見面囉!!!

Till later….

Without further ado...

... I am pleased to introduce to you initial images of our little (very very little, as of yet) daughter or son (!). We expect to make more personal acquaintance with him or her sometime in April 2010.

I think it's pretty good timing for a birthday, since it's also the same month as YT's and the year is a multiple of 10. That means 2 birthdays around the same time, and it will always be easy to calculate his or her age (ha ha). I also believe (and have been told) it will give the sense of re-birth in spring a whole new meaning.

As you can imagine, we're both pretty excited.

I'll let the pictures speak for themselves right now, and let Little Bu* sign off with a smile and a wave. Or, if he/she were wearing a hat, he/she could be tipping it at you right now. Actually, I suppose he/she could be thumbing his/her nose at us all, but I prefer to think our prenatal child would have better manners than that.

BB & YT

















*Yeah, we're calling him/her Little Bu right now to ease the pronoun ambiguity. I considered 'Pat' or 'Jean' or some other gender-neutral name, but thought it might stick prematurely. Plus, Little Bu rhymes with 'Bru' and it's around Halloween, so it seemed fitting. I also thought of 'Baby Gaga', but that was vetoed pretty quickly.  Cherry cherry boom boom, anyone?

Could my father's great aunt be indirectly responsible for Hershey's chocolate?

I recently heard an interesting story about Brubaker family history from my dad, which he just learned at a family reunion not too long ago. The scoop is that Mr. Milton S. Hershey, yes THE Milton S. Hershey of Hershey's Chocolate fame (shown here), once had the sweets for my great great aunt. He asked her to marry him - and even gave her a wicker chair, which is still in the family today (dad's cousin's to be specific). To the detriment of future Brubaker fame and fortunes, she turned him down.

One can only speculate what impact this had on the young Milton. Perhaps he turned to chocolate to nurse his spurned affections, his hurt feelings, and tarnished pride. It is true (according to Wiki) that he did have several failed business starts in Philadelphia, Chicago, and New York, before finding success shortly after returning home to Lancaster County, PA -- where my great great aunt lived. A coincidence? Perhaps not! Perhaps Annie's rejections spurred him to achieve greater heights. Perhaps the seductions of the cacao bean substituted for the lost comforts of his love, and he poured his devotions into discovering the perfect recipe and business that would prove his worth as a man. What other reason to explain the origin of, yes -- the Hershey's kiss! Each tiny confection consumed could be a message from Milton, a not-so-subtle reminder of the lifetime of his sweet affections she had rejected.

Milton did ultimately marry, but produced no offspring other than an answer to boring plain vanilla ice cream, chocolate-milk mustaches on the smiling faces of countless satisfied kids, an industrialized town bearing his name, and an international conglomerate called the Hershey Chocolate Company. As for Annie, she remained a spinster her entire life, perhaps burning with regret and resentment at the opportunity she passed up. Or perhaps she just wasn't the marrying type. Still, who knows the influence great great Annie had on the development of Hershey's chocolate? And yet, no mention of Annie in the Wiki.
At least, that is, not yet. Ha ha ha.

Babymaker

A friend of mine hooked me up to this "babymaker". Simply uploading photos you and your love one (or celebrity, if you wish) to create looks for your future babies. Here are the five pictures of our potential future baby (doesn't really look like bi-racial).
同學部落格上介紹的"babymaker"網站, 只要把爸爸媽媽的照片依規定上傳, 就可以看看未來小孩長什麼樣子. 以下是我和布先生將來小孩的模樣...長的不太像混血兒


1) I like this one. very elegant.








2) What's with the hair?








3) Naaah..... don't like this chubby baby.






4) This one is cool, especially the hair.








5) This one looks more like a girl. Not bad.

The Story of Stuff (有中文字幕連結)

A friend of mine sent me this link. It's a short documentary film about stuff we use. Where does it come from, what process does it involve before it gets to us, and what's going to happy after we don't want this stuff, and also how we end up living in a society of "buy more" (well, at least part of the reason). It's a very nice film...I think everyone should watch it.



(中文字幕影片點這裡 http://www.storyofstuff.com/international/)
謝謝小莉寄給我這個link, 看完以後馬上覺得一定要和大家分享. 這個短片是有關"東西的故事". 是以一個美國人的角度來描述, 告訴我們日常生活中所用的東西是怎麼來的, 如何行銷到我們手裡, 丟棄後去了哪裡, 還有.....我們的怎麼變成一個以"物質"為導向的社會 (至少解釋了一部分). 我真的覺得這個影片蠻有啟發性的....請大家有空點去看看. 下面的連結會帶你到影片首頁....可以選擇繁體中文字幕喔!!!

Once: Falling Slowly

耶誕節的時候我和布先生看了一部愛爾蘭獨立製片的電影 "Once". 這部片是描寫一個以修吸塵器維生,默默無名的愛爾蘭創作歌手, 和以賣玫瑰花維生, 彈的一手好鋼琴女生的故事. 藉由對音樂的喜愛及才華, 他們共同創作一個Demo專輯, 希望藉此拿到唱片合約. 在創作的過程中, 他們共同回首逝去的感情, 也藉由歌曲默默抒發對對方的情感. 整部電影其實就是創作一個音樂專輯的過程. 故事情節以及電影裡穿插的歌曲都相當動人(而且沒有Hollywood那種膚淺結局). 還有, 我後來才知道主題曲"Falling Slowly"得到2007年奧斯卡最佳電影原著歌曲)
前幾天我終於記得上網買電影原聲帶, 雖然已經過了幾個月, 一聽到"Falling Slowly" 眼淚就不停的掉. 我的iPod今天撥這首歌已不下十次, 但每次聽, 我都還是覺得心有揪在一起的感覺. 或許是因為看過電影, 知道歌詞背後的意義, 讓我感觸特別深. 所以, 我想和大家分享這首應該是我最喜歡的歌!!

Brian and I saw an independent movie "Once" on DVD over the holidays. It is about an Irish guitarist/singer/songwriter who makes a living by fixing vacuum cleaners and as a street musician and a immigrant girl who sells flower on the street and plays piano. They get to know each other as the girl helps him to put together a demo disc that he can take to London in hope of landing a music contract. They work through their past loves, and reveal their feeling for one another, through their songs. This movie is a making of an album. Very beautiful story and songs.
A few months later, I got soundtrack of this movie and listened to it over and over again. "Falling Slowly", the theme song of this movie, is my favorite and even after listening to it for more than 10 times, I still got emotionally attached. I've never been so "haunted" (in a good way) by a song before, and I think it has a lot to do with how the story ties into this song. I think this song is going to be my all time favorite. I highly recommend it!!! (And we later found out this song won the best original score category in 2007 Academy Award)
by YT

-----------------------------------------------
Falling Slowly--Glen Hansard & Markéta Irglová.

I don't know you
But I want you
All the more for that
Words fall through me
And always fool me
And I can't react
And games that never amount
To more than they're meant
Will play themselves out

Take this sinking boat and point it home
We've still got time
Raise your hopeful voice you have a choice
You'll make it now

Falling slowly, eyes that know me
And I can't go back
Moods that take me and erase me
And I'm painted black
You have suffered enough
And warred with yourself
It's time that you won

Take this sinking boat and point it home
We've still got time
Raise your hopeful voice you had a choice
You've made it now
Falling slowly sing your melody
I'll sing along

I paid the cost too late
Now you're gone

Superbowl XLIII Champion.....Pittsburgh Steelers!!!!!!!!!!!

Pittsburgh Steelers won the 6th Superbowl title!!!! We are so proud of our team. We are the first team in NFL history to win six superbowl titles. Our coach is the youngest to win superbowl. Our defense James Harrison had the longest play (100 yards..the whole football field) in superbowl history. And this is the best superbowl game ever.

(Steelers QB No. 7 Ben Roethlisberger)

Steelers dominated the whole game until the 4th quarter. Cardinals scored two touchdowns in the 4th quarter and took the lead from Steelers (23-20). It was so disappointing...I screamed and shout and burried my head in my terrible towel. I thought that was it.........we're going to lose the game. But our quarterback Ben Roethlisberger did it again like what he had done almost the whole season.....took the team to 4th quarter comeback. We scored a absolutely beautiful touchdown at the sideline/corner of the end zone by Santonio Homles, when there is only 35 seconds or so remained in the game. What a dramatic 4th quarter!! Cardinal only had the lead for less than 3 minutes...and we took it back from them. What a great game. I felt I almost had a heart attak. It's so surreal and unbelievable. Many sport commentators also said this is the greatest superbowl game ever. Here's a bit of video (NFL.com) of the game-winning final drive, starting with the Cardinals' touchdown in the 3rd to last minute.

We are so pround of Steelers. Great owner, great coach and great players. We are Steelers nation. Now Pittsburgh is the "Six-burgh".

We watched the game at AM's place. We wore our Steelers jersey, brought our terrible towels and black and gold pompom to watch the game. We had Thaid food (not very traditional football game food) for dinner and I made a Raspberry-Chocolate Hazelnut tart for dessert. We had a good time watching this great game. Photos are uploaded already.

新年快樂+ Pittsburgh's goin to the Superbowl

對於大概20位有在看我部落格的朋友 非常抱歉沒有依照原定計畫update部落格 (shame)
我也不知道自己在忙什麼 覺得好像有點忙 但是什麼都沒做好的感覺
這個星期三是我postdoc evaluation 因為我才開始一個學期 所以進度也不多
不過接下來這一年我手邊大概有5,6篇paper等著我寫 1個pilot study等著我去做, 3, 4個meeting要去
anyway...現在並不想想太多

農曆新年要到了 祝大家牛年行大運
健康快樂 該嫁(娶)的快嫁(娶) 該生的快生

匹茲堡依舊沒有過年的感覺
台灣同學會似乎成荒廢的狀態已有幾年的時間了
大家好像都是各組小團體 我明天也要跟我的小團體一起吃火鍋(自從布先生說在台灣吃火鍋吃到怕...我今年冬天到現在都還沒吃火鍋)

最近還有一件令人振奮的消息

我們Pittsburgh Steelers(鋼鐵人) 上星期日成功挑戰AFC冠軍
(美式足球有兩個聯盟 AFC 和 NFC, 兩聯盟的冠軍爭Superbowl冠軍)
2/1 晚上六點將要和亞利桑那 Cardinal 爭奪今年美式足球超級盃冠軍
沒想到這才在Pittsburgh這幾年就可以看到Steelers兩次進軍Superbowl(2006年我們拿冠軍喔)
這次Steelers 贏的勝算很高 所以我們很有機會拿下第六個superbowl 冠軍
如果真的是這樣 我們將是美式足球史上第一個拿到六個冠軍的隊伍 Oh Yeah~~~
我們的新教練也會是史上最年輕拿到Superbowl的教練

最近大家都在唱Steeler Superbowl 歌 "....Here we go, Steelers, Here we go, Pittsburgh's goin to the Superbowl...."

整個城市high到不得了 連教授們都在討論球賽 我從Pittsburgh搬去德州的朋友還特地叫我幫他寄幾條 terrible towels下去
Terrible towel是Steelers的招牌...其實就是一條黃黃的毛巾寫著terrible towel. 由來就請大家點這裡去看吧!!

那...就醬吧 下次再寫

Our first NFL game

很久沒有update部落格的下場就是 有太多事想寫 可是不知道從哪裡開始
先稍微列一下想寫的事情
然後慢慢把detail update上來 (順序是隨機的)

1. 我眼中的美國/美國政治
2. Our first NFL game
3. 博士後研究員的生活
4. 買新車了
5. My Family
6. 感恩節/布先生外婆
7. 剪短髮了

先從"Our first NFL game"開始 (NFL: National Football League)
話說匹茲堡最出名的球隊就是Steelers (鋼鐵人) 美式足球(橄欖球)隊
這支球隊已經在美國NFL史上拿過五次超級杯冠軍 最近一次是在2005年
聽說只要曾是Steelers的球迷 幾乎一輩子都會是
不管美國哪一個州 哪一個城市 總是能找到支持Steelers的酒吧及球迷
在匹茲堡住七年多了 我當然也是Steelers的死忠球迷
而且很確定的是不管我搬到哪裡 都不會變節
我甚至還有defense safety "Troy Polamalu" 的 43號球衣

(我把球衣穿在外套外面 所以看起來很胖)

football票是很貴的 最便宜的也要近美元100一張
所以即使再怎麼愛 我和布先生從來沒現場看過 NFL的比賽
都是周末窩在家裡看電視轉播
最近 同事有兩張11/20的季票想賣(比較便宜..不過還是貴呀)
我們鐵了心買了票 心想我們要在離開匹茲堡之前 到現場支持我們最愛的球隊
現場看football是很瘋狂的爆滿的停車場, 瘋狂的停車場 tailgating, 擁擠的入口(要排隊20分鐘才能進場)

全身上下都是Steeler商品的球迷, 到處喝酒叫囂的球迷
還有零度以下, 下大雪的夜晚
how exciting~~~~~我和布先生好像是劉姥姥逛大觀園

(Black and gold 是招牌顏色)

看現場球賽果然是完全不同的感覺
剛開始我只看到一堆人在動...完全看不到球在哪裡
也很難follow到底還剩幾碼(電視轉播 畫面上都即時顯示出進攻的碼數)
不過整個感覺就是很High
如果打不好 就聽到一堆球迷謾罵 髒話此起彼落
只要一飄大雪 所有球迷就很興奮的叫囂 (聽說Steeler在下雪天氣比較占有優勢)

(雪..一片一片一片一片~~)

我穿了T-shirt, 高領, 毛衣,羽毛外套,褲襪,牛仔褲, 兩雙襪子,winter boots 還帶了一件毯子
但還是敵不過低溫+凜冽的寒風 我幾乎是撐著把整場球看完 (聽起來我們好像瘋了 沒事去虐待自己)
這場比賽打的出奇的好 四分衛Ben在最後還跑了一個touchdown (按連結 看布先生拍的)
我的偶像Polamalu 表現也是相當傑出 甚至在明知道穩贏後 還是很努力的intercept
總之 布先生和我很高興能有機會到現場看我們最喜歡的球隊
這樣的經驗 一輩子能有一次就夠了



(Half time)



(My cute hubby)

美國伴娘實錄 part 2 (照片已上傳)

AM的婚禮在一個近零度的秋日中舉行

由於婚禮是晚上六點舉行 新娘又沒有囑咐任何工作給伴娘 我和久未蒙面的Rach在walnut street 享受悠閒的週末午後

沒多久 我們兩個各別接到AM的電話 要我們盡快抵達她的apartment.

這位助理教授兼新娘 這幾個月一個人打裡大部分婚禮相關事宜(新郎住在北卡) 忙到我都不知道她是怎麼撐過來的

終於在婚禮的當天早上來了一個 nervous breakdown

於是在Rach 的安撫及我這個的行動小秘書幫忙下 讓我們的新娘高高興興的去做頭髮

雖然Rach和我口口聲聲說 這個婚裡的重點不是我們伴娘
我們仍花了兩個多小時的時間打扮
從膚臉 化妝 髮型 到指甲 一點都沒有鬆懈
布先生此時正從OHIO 趕回婚禮的路上
我們也肆無忌憚的讓家裡充斥著香水 指甲油 定型噴液 的"香味"

婚禮是在校園內的一做很漂亮的教堂(Heinz Chapel) 進行的 (有彩繪玻璃 管風琴)

聽說要在這裡結婚要事先在一到兩年前預約 否則就樣像AM一樣要有人取消才能卡位

教堂的走道蠻長的 Rach和我都差點在進場的時候跌倒(緊張+高跟鞋)

由於新郎很多親友是從墨西哥來的 婚裡也在英語和西班牙語中進行
婚禮中也有添加墨西哥天主教的傳統
我在AM和她父親走進教堂時 眼眶就溼溼的了 更別說當新郎新娘交換誓言了
不知道為什麼我總是很容易在婚禮上感動

婚宴的細節就不多說了 場地佈置 音樂 美食...一樣都沒缺

婚宴的場地有一個很大的舞池 正好讓熱情愛跳舞的墨西哥客人一展舞技

或許是受到熱情的墨西哥客人影響 或許是新郎音樂選的好 (有ABBA的Dancing Queen 喔)

我和布先生也"下海"跳了五六首歌

半夜12點半 我終於敵不過我痠痛的雙腿及疲累的雙眼
帶著新人交代的任務(把賓客所帶的結婚禮物運送到AM家)
向新郎新娘說bye bye 祝他們在義大利有個甜蜜的蜜月
The End~

美國伴娘實錄 part 1

AM的婚禮已經進入倒數一個月的階段
其實我這個伴娘當的也蠻輕鬆的
也沒陪AM去挑禮服
(本來是要陪她去的..因為我是唯一在匹茲堡的伴娘, 結果她大小姐趁我周末去Lancaster的時候自己跑去逛 ,兩個小時之內就買好了)
她又不想要有bridal shower
最多只有陪她偶而吃吃飯喝咖啡(其實是互相陪)
陪她挑頭紗 還有參加單身派對

話說伴娘的禮服在一個多月以前由AM, AM妹妹及我經歷兩三次的"逛街"之旅選好
其實我對那件禮服的感覺是OK啦 因為是緊身的 屁屁看起來有點大
但新娘喜歡最重要 她要我穿什麼我就穿什麼
結果上個週末Boston的伴娘收到禮服後 緊張的問大家是否願意換一件禮服
因為她有180cm, 禮服穿起來太暴露 她覺得像是特種營業小姐

Long story short...最後所有四位伴娘竟在三天之內全部換新的禮服
超級有效率 給大家拍拍手
新的禮服顏色原則上是和之前相近的顏色
因為是在婚禮禮服專賣店買(之前是在百貨公司) 所以大家選的款式不同
送上照片給大家看一下 這一件是我的禮服

順便一提
兩年前我在同一家店買我的結婚禮服 那時候穿2號
這次買伴娘服 2號的都太小 要穿4號 (sad..............)

我今天也終於找到了配紅色禮服的鞋子
我已經尋找了一個多月...前前後後買買退退了四次
要找金色或銀色 露腳趾 又不要太高 又要我喜歡的鞋實在不容易找
大部分我看上眼的都是高到我不太會走了
今天終於讓我找到了!!
只是這裝鞋是不光是大陸製的 還是大陸牌的
但我也是百般不願意呀

AM婚禮的消費應該要告一段落了
最後大概只剩下結婚前一天 大家去做個mani- and/or pedicure吧
說到 manicure and pedicure
在美國定期給人家幫你修指(趾)甲 上指甲油
好像是很平常的事 (當然也不是所有人都這樣)
我說的不是指甲彩繪喔 只是單純的上單色或法式指甲
一般平價的 mani and pedicure的店 都是亞洲人開的 (好像是東南亞比較多)
如果是去salon 就會比較貴了
我目前為止只做過一次manicure (在salon) 一次pedicure(平價店)
不知道為什麼 我還是對pedicure有點排斥
總覺得有人幫我弄腳 怪怪的

我看我應該還是不會習慣讓人家幫我擦指(趾)甲的這種文化吧
一方面也是挺花錢的 尤其是pedicure 我還是自己來吧
不過特殊的時候去 應該是蠻不錯的

媽媽 姐姐們 妳們來找我的時候 我們一起去弄漂亮的指(趾)甲吧!!!

超級明星臉

美國影集"急診室的春天" aka "ER" 即將在這個星期四進入最後一季.

以前在台灣的時候我也是ER的忠實觀眾

到美國後, 因為那些艱澀英文的專有名詞, 讓我打消看ER的念頭

等英文程度比較好了, 其他醫院相關的影集似乎比ER來的更有趣

eg. Gray's Anatomy(現在也越來越難看), Private practice and House (這個我現在還是會看不懂).

OK..這不是我要說的重點

我的重點是 今天看到一個文章 說ER裡的 Dr. Greene

在2002年離開ER影集後 將會在最後一季以"回憶"的方式出現

為什麼說"回憶"呢? 因為他在劇中得了癌症死了

OK..明星臉的重點快要來了

話說四年前第一次認識布先生的時候 (我當時室友和她男友請了些朋友來家裡吃飯)

我就一直覺得他長得很像一個人...可是一直到晚餐結束我才想起來

原來是像ER裡那個有禿頭的 Dr. Greene

(當然, 當時我只告訴他 他像Dr. Greene...沒有特別加"禿頭的")

我也不是唯一一個這麼認為的

我家二姐在不久後也跟我說 "布先生好想跟某一個明星長得很像..可是想不起來是誰"

我說 "是ER裡的那個 Dr. Greene是吧?!"

她馬上欣喜的回應 "對對!! 就是他...而且都有禿禿的"

為了證實一下 我把Dr. Greene (L)的照片 和布先生(R)的照片一起登出來

布先生(還有少數一些人)說我長的像某位明星

但我個人並不是這麼覺得 也好像沒有很驕傲

畢竟被比喻成一個大我10多歲的人 好像不是什麼好事 (我有那麼蒼老嗎?)

她知國際名度高 演技好 得過很多獎

她的美是屬於一種成熟自信的美

也是在外國人眼中的"成熟東方美"代表 (至少我老公是這麼認為)

可是...並不是我想要被比喻的那種美 (應該說 I want to be more than that kind of beauty)

那就是 "鞏俐"小姐

anyway...I should go to bed.

My summer (3)

我的summer好像寫到六月就停住了
七八月也不是沒事發生..只是好像有太多事不知道怎麼寫

June
其實整個暑假我一直在擔心找工作的事情
原本老闆promise我的postdoc position在經費短缺下無疾而終
讓我忿忿不平的在五月多開始我的job hunting.
對於老公還在念博士班的我...
工作地域性選擇只能在距離匹茲堡開車四五個小時左右的地方
長話短說...這個月面試了我們學校aging center 的postdoc position
面試過程還不錯...只是要等和另一位教授面談

July
我們安排了一趟"結婚兩周年之旅"
今年因為時間和金錢的關係...我們棄守海邊
選擇Lake Erie沙灘和附近的小酒莊
我還穿我生平第一件比基尼(其實也沒什麼看頭啦!!)
照片之前已經上傳了喔

月中陸陸續續接獲幾個工作面談的消息
也和另一位教授面談aging center的postdoc
面談的過程幾乎是篤定我會拿到這個position
但因有前車之鑑 我還是要確定有拿到offer letter才放心
誰知道在我和這位教授面試一個星期後 她的先生過世了
我postdoc的事情就懸在哪裡沒有動靜 也不好追問
讓我一度非常之緊張

這個月收到一個令人遺憾的消息
布先生的外婆得了癌症 且癌細胞已經轉移
高齡87的外婆不想接受治療...因為她已經準備好要去見上帝

August
八月的第一個週末...我們和布先生在Maryland的朋友一起去露營
雖然營地有點無聊 但是我們四個在一起總是有一大堆歡樂
露營完繞到去Lancaster看外婆
外婆精神奕奕 開心的要我們替她高興 因為她要比我們都早去見上帝
好像真的只有信仰很虔誠的人 才真的能將死亡看得這麼開
我很佩服外婆的勇氣和開朗

月初..我收到aging center的正式通知
我的postdoc position將從九月開始
也終於消除了我這幾個月來不知道工作在哪裡 不知道要不要搬家的恐懼
這個月也是我要將我手邊工作結束的時候
由於實在沒有人接手我data management的工作
我只能盡力的把東西弄到好 弄到清楚 make things easy for everyone

月中...在毫無預警下 布先生的唯一姑姑去世了
姑姑本來身體就不好 但是走得這麼突然也是很令人驚訝
畢竟他最小的兒子還在念高中
喪禮的前一天是viewing and visitation
大概有四百人來吧...我真的沒有誇張
一個一個排隊和一排家屬慰問說話 大概花了五個小時吧
我和布先生都說 如果我們死後有一半的人來 應該就算做人很成功吧
意外的 姑姑的喪禮沒有很哀戚
或許大家已有心理準備 她會走的比較早
這樣對她來說也是種身體上的解脫
只是看著爺爺奶奶送走自己的女兒 覺得很心疼
爺爺在喪禮上說他還記得姑姑小時候對著她說 "Hi Daddy"的那個表情
我眼淚馬上就飆出來了
對活在諾大國家的美國人 婚禮和喪禮常常是所有家人相聚的日子
所以在某種程度當 喪禮不是那麼的哀傷吧

月底...表姐帶著她兒子來美國 順道停留匹茲堡幾天
由於我想力轉大家對匹茲堡"無聊"的印象
我可是每天安排他們出去玩
也把自己在工作和導遊兩種身分之間搞得團團轉

喔對了...八月還有一件事
即將在十月結婚的好朋友 AM 邀請我當她的伴娘(AM也是我美國婚禮的伴娘)
我當然是不會放過這個機會
這大概是我唯一在婚後當伴娘的機會了吧
(事滴....在美國結婚以後還可以當伴娘喔...懷孕也可以...反正沒有限制誰都可以當)
我已經花了$250的機票要飛去紐約參加AM的單身派對 (還不加吃喝玩樂和住宿)
還要買伴娘禮服以及金屬色高跟鞋
這次可是心在淌血的當伴娘呀!!!! 不過我相信這個經驗及回憶是值得的

我的summer應該就在這樣的總結下結束了吧
之後應開會發表一些做postdoc心酸
為什麼說心酸呢? 因為postdoc 都是超時工作 薪水又很低
不過...我也是想試試看自己到底是不是合走學術路線
光靠熱誠是不行的 要有寫研究計劃的能力才行呀!!

Anyway....goodbye my friend..and goodbye my summer.

My summer (2)

布先生堂弟的婚禮非常漂亮
在河畔的草地上舉行浪漫的婚禮
綠色草地+白色木椅+玫瑰花瓣
好像不浪漫也不行


儀式後的婚宴也是很不錯
場地布置的很不錯 菜色很棒 蛋糕美麗又可口
這算是個很classic的婚禮

我和布先生的婚禮就比較簡單
我們趕著那個七月結婚...場地都定不到
最後還是在學校禮堂用外燴 (聽起來好像台灣的辦桌)

新人年紀很輕 才剛大學畢業
但是已經交往多年 決定攜手人生 家人也相當支持
雖然年紀輕 但覺得他們有"成家"的成熟度
真的勇敢 我就沒有辦法想像一大學畢業就結婚的日子

這次的婚禮也讓Brian見到了久違的家人
然而這又是一次去Lancaster 但沒有做任何的"觀光"
布先生的爺爺奶奶外公外婆爸爸媽媽都是Lancaster長大的
我去那裡不下五次了吧~~還是沒真正給他好好逛一逛
每次去不是耶誕節就是新年....很多地方都沒開 sighs~~

anyway
婚禮過後的一個星期 陪伴我渡過Brian不再這段時間的室友May也搬走了
我們整整花了一個多星期的時間打掃及重新佈置家裡
六月的最後一個週末就在下大雨的BBQ party 中結束

==to be continued==