San Francisco, APA 2007

This past August I went to the APA (American Psychological Association) convention in San Francisco where a group of women and I presented some research we had done together. It was wonderful to be able to go to APA again (was my third and probably final time for a while), and I loved being able to see San Francisco. I don't believe I've ever been to CA, so it was quite an experience. Helen, the professor I work for (and my supervisor on this research project), used to live there, so she enthusiastically took us around the city each night. Thanks to Maria, I have these pictures to share with you all.


This was one of the famous cable cars in San Fran. Apparently they're the only ones left in the USA. We took it down to Fisherman's Wharf for dinner.

Maria and I traveling on the cable car.

Here we are overlooking the famous Alcatraz Prison.


And here is the actual military fortress, Alcatraz, which was in use from 1859-1934.


This night we went to the Cliff House restaurant overlooking the ocean (at least, I believe... can't remember which night was the ocean and which night the bay). As we sat at dinner within a matter of minutes we went from being able to see all the water and shore to having the fog completely block our view! It was amazing and beautiful.


And last, but certainly not least, here we all are in front of our poster that we presented. For those interested, it was under Division 43, Family Psychology (there are many divisions at APA). Starting from the left is Helen, Lindsay, me, and Maria.

Thanks Maria for all the photos!

Little Baby Campbell

Yeah! I was able to scan the most recent ultrasound photos! Isn't he the cutest?



You can see his little heart up there and the different chambers... so exciting!
And you can also make out his nose and mouth- his profile :)






Some of them are more detailed than others and I wish I had a video presentation instead of these stills, but still... so cute!

Week 20

So Christian and I went for our Week-20 ultrasound today to find out how our baby is doing and see if they could confirm the sex of the baby. Can you guess? Well, our initial intuition was correct. We're having a boy! Yes, we are adding to the army of Campbell men. With only three girls and our child being the seventh boy in the Campbell family, the females are certainly being out-numbered. And... my sister, Ruth, has a little boy as well so I guess we're making up for the overwhelming amount of estrogen in the Lane family.

I wish everyone could have seen Christian after we found out the good news. When we reached the waiting room he raised his arms in triumph and walked around in circles as if greeted an audience of great applause. The lady at the front desk laughed and said, "I know what that means!" :) He is indeed a proud father.

I wish I could scan the ultrasound pictures we got today, but unfortunately I've already long-since packed our printer/scanner... but rest assured he is the cutest child I've ever seen. :) And active too!!! He's been moving and flipping around for the past three weeks, but actually seeing him move and flip around on the ultrasound was surreal. He extended and bent his legs, he rolled around, he flexed his hand, he sucked his fingers, and he looked like he waved at us! Amazing. And the coolest thing was that I could feel him nudge my near-by organs/tissue as he did it. :) Every time he moves, I say, "oh, he's awake again." Oh, and he was healthy too. All the organs and bones they can check via ultrasound were doing well (kidneys, heart, lungs, bladder, etc.), and his size is right on track with what they've considered normal development.

Okay, so now for the pictures!!! I received my digital camera in the mail today and now I can have fun posting photos via this blog. This first picture will help illustrate what our lives have been like for the last 2-3 weeks. I've been packing up all these boxes and Christian had the exciting job of piling them on top of each other in the corner of the apartment. I still have to pack up the kitchen and some electronic stuff, but we're making good progress. (and these aren't even all of the boxes!)


If you'll notice, the cat is enjoying the new adventure of climbing on the boxes and finding new places to sleep.... so, I just couldn't resist taking a picture of him laying there.


Isn't he cute? Okay, well, now for the long anticipated (at least by those family members who haven't seen me yet) photo of my growing 'prego' belly. So, here I was today at 20 weeks-- half way through!


I was thinking that I wasn't showing that much, but I guess this picture proves there's something there. :)

... I love my husband, even with his exaggerated sense of humor. :)

Apocalypse?

Hello, this is Christian. I thought that since Emma has written so much I should at least pop in and give the minimum amount of effort... which is pretty common for me. Whatever she said about "Seven" being out of the running, I think she's counting her eggs before they're hatched. I find, after reading Emma's blog, I struggle with similar issues- except in a completely opposite way. Instead of worrying about controlling my child too much I worry that I will not be able to mold and completely and utterly control every aspect of our child's life... ultimately, I would like to vicariously fulfill all my goals through the genetic triumph that will be the melding of Emma and, of course, my powerful genes. But will I truly be able to give our child the skills to finally and truly take over the world? I don't know, but I know that unless our child reaches the utter peak of perfection -- that is, world domination-- he or she will not be spared the rod.

Musings on Moving and Mothering

Christian and I are moving yet again. :) For those of you who've lost count, this will be our fourth residence in our almost four years of marriage. We did manage to stay in our first residence for two years, but since then we've moved at the end of each lease in order to accommodate our commutes (among other various reasons). This will actually be our first move, however, where our square footage will be upgraded. :) We'll be moving from -what Christian affectionately calls- a "half"-bedroom apartment to a 2 bedroom so that we will have a beautiful baby room for our upcoming child... and, well, room for our furniture and guests.

It's amazing how modern conveniences can be taken for granted. For instance, I am really looking forward to having a real kitchen, with a real oven, a real kitchen sink, and a real dishwasher... and a refrigerator that's on the same side of the apartment as the above. :) I'm also loving the fact that we will be blessed by natural sunlight through multiple windows that actually open. Living in a basement can certainly take it's toll on people, and although our current residence has been 'livable' (and would have provided all the necessities of shelter and warmth), I will be happy to say goodbye.

There are a lot of memories in this basement. There were only four months, while living here, that I was not pregnant and during those months I spent them mourning, repressing/denying, and attempting to finish up a hard semester at school and clinical work. There were happy moments, though, too. I just recently developed some old film and came across a photo we took of ourselves with our first positive pregnancy test... I still remember the tearful joy of realizing that all of our planning had suddenly become a reality. And these last months, with our upcoming child, have been beautiful. Granted, the first trimester was not the easiest for me to get through, but I was blessed to have very little on my plate during it so that the nausea and moodiness was, for the most part, restricted to the witness of my husband and I. These last few weeks, however, have been wonderful! I'm loving my growing belly, my renewed energy level, and the feel of little flutterings in my tummy signifying the development of life in my womb.

I talk to 'her' now... even call 'her' by name... (man, it'll be weird if 'she' ends up being a 'he'), it's amazing how much a mother's mind wonders about who this person will be like when they grow up... and will I be the mother I've always wanted to be? Will I allow her (or him) to be her own person, filled with her own dreams and aspirations, or will I pressure her to achieve in ways that suit my temperament more than hers? Will I have the energy to be emotionally available to her when it counts? Am I really wise enough to guide another person in life... aiding in the development of empathy, morality, and justice? Perhaps this is all where grace falls into place, and where the sanctity of dedication (or infant baptism) allows the parent to fully trust the development of their young one to the Lord. I remember my father speaking about how the dedication services have been the hardest parts of his parenting career, where he truly had to give up control over his children's lives and give them entirely to his (and now, my) God.

I think the other thing I keep reminding myself of, as I prepare for this new season in my life, is that this person will not simply be an extension of myself, but rather another human put in my care. It's funny how, even now, as my child rests within my womb, I am preparing for my own separation anxiety... :), can you tell I'm being trained as a psychologist? Well, for the time being, I am enjoying my sleep, my freedom, and my ability to set my own schedule. Christian and I are making the most of these last few months by going to late movies and picking up midnight snacks at the local mexican restaurant affectionately named, "Los," and all-in-all staying up entirely too late on the weekends than our aging bodies can probably really take. :)

Well, I hope you are all enjoying a beautiful Labor Day,... and no, Jeff, I don't think we will be using the name Seven for our child, but thank you for the suggestion :)