Reflections Along the Way

New valance and crib skirt and bumpers made my my mom!

It started snowing right as we got back from Chick-Fila on Friday night, so it seems like our timing was perfect.  We had an Open House scheduled on Saturday morning at school, but of course it was cancelled, so Steve and I had a nice day together at home.  We slept in, worked in C-squatch’s room for a little while, and then took a break and did some ear candling. 

Steve appearing a bit uncertain about his ear candling technique...

Yes, ear candling – Steve found them on Friday night at Earth Fare and figured that it would be a fun snow day activity.  (We’d done them before, but it had been years).  We watched the X-games in the afternoon, and daydreamed of future winter vacations with C-squatch!  After dinner, we settled in for a Time Warner Cable on-demand movie that night, only to find out that the system was down, and that we could not access our movie…

Sunday morning church was cancelled, so Steve and I had our own little service, and then did some more organizing (nesting…) around the house. 

Steve enjoying the Lake Lynn winter wonderland

Since it was such a beautiful day outside, we bundled up and walked up to the main road to check things out – they were HORRIBLE!!!  We continued walking down to Lake Lynn and watched the kids going crazy on the sleds. 

When we got back I decided to make a snowman while Steve took out the trash (there WAS an impromptu snowball fight at some point…I’ll admit it, I started it.), and ended up making a snow lady, complete with a 31 week baby bump. 

And since I just found out that school is cancelled for tomorrow, I guess the winter fun will still continue!!!

Comparing bumps with my snow-lady.

What are the odds that a sunny January day in the 50’s would line up with a day off???  We had no choice but to go climbing!!!  We headed west before the sun came up and met up with our friends Marc and Marie, who we met at Triangle Rock Club.  Steve had taken Marc on his first outdoor climbing excursion about a year ago at Pilot Mountain while I was rehabbing my shoulder, so it seemed only fitting that we also were there for his girlfriend Marie’s first time roping up outdoors!  We had a cold start to our day – in fact the gate to the summit at Pilot was closed due to icy conditions (?) when we first got there.  The person at the visitor’s center at first said we would have to wait “no more than two hours” (after we’d already driven for 2…) but we actually ended up only having to wait about 20 minutes. 

Marie concentrating on good footwork on the Papa Bear face

Here’s what we did:
Scarface:  5.6   We let Marie go first so she could get the “toprope onsight” and I think that really helped boost her confidence.  The temperature was rising, but the sun hadn’t come around the mountain yet so the rock was COLD!
Body Surfin’: 5.7+  One of me and Steve’s favorite warm-ups

Steve matching in the crack with the hand/foot jam!!! Here's the +3 ape index in action!

Not quite the same reach as Steve...

Since it was probably the first time in about 50 years that we had seen the 3 Bears Area not jam-packed with boy scouts (and since it was in full sun at this point), we decided to head back up there to stay warm. 

...but fortunately I've got loose, flexible hips these days to make up for the reach!

Baby Bear:  5.11a
Papa Bear:  5.10  This was by far my highlight of the day.  I looked back at my climbing log and realized that the last time I tried this route was in February of 2008.  I was really frustrated with it, and vowed that I would never try it again – it was too reachy and I was too short to make the move, my hands were too small, blah, blah blah.  Anyway, when Marc and Steve really wanted to get on it, I figured I’d just watch.  I’m 7 months pregnant, the crack in the roof was DRIPPING wet, and the last time I got on it it felt impossible – it didn’t seem like something fun for me to do.  But Steve did it, Marc did it, Marie made it up until the roof part, and the couple beside us were planning on having a go at it, and I felt left out that “everybody else was doing it.”  So I told Steve that I would give it one half-hearted try, but that “when” I fell at the roof, I wasn’t going to do any sort of shenanigans to try and get back on.  And lo and behold, I got it clean!!!  My fist jam and armbar felt really solid even though everything was wet, and evidently I had just enough core strength left at this point to keep myself from swinging way out when I released the jam.  YAY!!!
Mama Bear:  5.10d   I bailed at the roof.  My big ole belly was not liking any of those moves. 

Marc finessing his way up Overhanging Hangover - a stellar performance!

Overhanging Hangover:  5.11b   Oh, what a relationship I have with this route!!!  I have probably whipped off of this route more than any other route I have ever done (and if you’re familiar with the route, you know the spot!).   I have literally stayed awake rehearsing the crux sequence in my head, fallen asleep, and dreamed about this route, move for move.   I have analyzed my beta in detail (changing it several times) until I finally was able to pull everything together and get the redpoint in November of 2008.  I’m not sure why I feel such a tie to this route – its certainly not the hardest route I’ve ever done, nor is it the most enjoyable.  It’s not at my favorite crag, it doesn’t even have a serene wilderness view at the top!  But for whatever reason, I guess b/c its local and it’s always open to get on, I think I’ve put more effort into this route than any other.  So of course it only seemed fitting that at some point in my pregnancy I would have to get on this route!  Marc put it up for us in great style, and since I was on the safety of a toprope this time, I decided to try a slightly different line than what I usually do on the lower portion of the route.  I had to hang and rest twice (I knew there was no way I could get it clean dragging up the C-Squatch along with me!) but I had a blast on it, and was really proud of myself for finishing the route!

Trying to keep my belly close to the wall on the undercling traverse of Overhanging Hangover

By far, however, the funniest part of the day happened in the car on the way home.  The 4 of us are riding in the Element on I-40, minding our own business, when a car pulls up beside us.  Steve looked over at the car, and the driver had a huge smile on his face.  We thought that was a little weird, but he kept looking, so Steve kinda gave him a nod, and the guy proceeded to reach into his front seat and lift up a QUART SIZE ziploc baggie of weed…he then pulled in front of us, put his flashers on, and got off at the next exit.  Considering that the amount in his bag was obviously more than just for personal use, we can only assume he wanted us to follow him off the highway to play let’s make a deal…

Steve working up the face on Overhanging Hangover

All in all it was a great day!  For me it was a little unexpected – things I thought I would not be able to do at 7 months pregnant – like the Papa Bear roof, and the Overhanging Hangover crux - went down pretty easily.  However, other things that I had expected to feel a little easier took a lot out of me - I was really pumped after Baby Bear, and hadn’t expected to get shut down on the Mama Bear roof.  (And I also didn’t expect to be offered drugs in the middle of the freeway…)

It felt great to get outside and enjoy our day off from work in God’s creation.  The last few times we’ve gone climbing outdoors I keep thinking to myself – “This may be the last time before the baby’s born…”  I think that’s part of why I’m having so much fun, realizing that I have been blessed with a (so far) uncomplicated pregnancy that has allowed me to continue to stay active and to do the things I love!  People keep asking me when I’m gonna stop climbing, and I usually say that I’ll stop when its not fun anymore.  I expect that things will get really uncomfortable at some point when I get huge, but so far, so good.  I’ll enjoy everything I can get until that time comes!

Me, C-Squatch, and the Big Blue Seatbelt

Countdown – less than 11 weeks til April 2nd!  Since the holidays we have been busy bees trying to figure out all the stuff that needs to get done between now and then.  It seems like just when we get a few things crossed off of our list, we realize something else needs to get added to it!  However, the things we have checked off are definitely worth showing off, so I thought I would share some pictures!  (And in case you want more detailed pictures, I put loads more up on facebook)   

J-BEAN’S ROOM – As you might recall, my mom came down while Steve was out of town this past October and got things rolling by painting our walls a medium shade of blue (NOT Carolina Blue!!!).  Over the past couple of weekends, my good friend and co-worker, Kim Maples, has been working hard painting some absolutely AMAZING rainforest scenery and animals on the wall.  We scavenged children’s books as well as the internet to find ideas that we liked, in addition to using some of the cute little bugs that were on the fabric we chose for the crib skirt and bumpers.  So, here’s what we ended up with!!!

Kim filling in the vines.

Kim working hard while her daughter Cameron plays with the baby rat (aka HazMat's dinner...)

GLUCOSE TOLERANCE TEST AND ULTRASOUND – In other news, I had to go for my 3rd trimester glucose test this past week.  For those of you that don’t know, it is a routine test that makes sure my body is processing sugar correctly and that I don’t have gestational diabetes.  I was allowed to eat a light breakfast no sooner than 3 hours before the test, but was advised to keep it to protein and very low-carb.  (which I guess meant my gigantic bowl of cereal and fruit was out…).  I woke up early so that I could down a protein bar, but was helplessly hungry not more than an hour later.  Thankfully my appointment was at 10 so I didn’t have to wait too long.  I drank 10 ounces of a fruit punch flavored glucose solution (which I had heard a wide range of stories about, some of which scared me…) but surprisingly, it wasn’t that bad – I actually almost liked it! 

Matching bugs from the fabric swatch!	View from the wall opposite the main door (door in the picture is a closet)
Close-up in b/t closet and main door	Close-up of leaves above changing table

Although our doctor had originally said we wouldn’t get any more ultrasounds, at our last appointment she had said that since we had good insurance, and were waiting around for an hour to finish the bloodwork for the glucose tests, we could have another ultrasound just to make sure little J-Bean is growing okay.  I was informed that for insurance purposes, my paperwork would be coded to say “Insufficient Weight Gain”.  This key fact is important later on in the story…

My favorite part!!!

View from the door - also on display is the gorgeous blanket my bro and sis in-laws got us!

So we get into the ultrasound room, and of course J-Bean’s big ole head pops up immediately.  The sonographer begins searching for body parts to measure, and keeps saying things like, “wow…very healthy…no growth problems here…”  As it turns out, our little guys is not very little AT ALL!!!  According to the measurements, he is estimated to weigh 3.8 pounds ALREADY!!!!!  He is in the 81st percentile for weight…The sonographer also appreciated the irony of our coming in based on my low weight gain (although me personally would hardly call 15 pounds insignificant…) only to find out that we have a monster in there!  At this point we began to get a little worried about thte logistics of labor with an 81st percentile baby and a significantly less than 81st percentile mom…but the doctor just laughed and said not to worry about it at all.  He said everything looked fantastic and that our little monster looked very healthy! 

So J-Bean’s new nickname is “The C-Squatch,” which seemed a little more size-appropriate at this point than Jellybean…So of course the “squatch” part comes from “sasquatch”, but why the “C” you might ask?  Well…..we have picked out a name!!!  Drum roll please…our new arrival will be named Canaan Ray Lineberry!  Canaan = the land that God promised to the Israelites in the Old Testament.  However, it took them a while to be able to get to it.  They had to work through a bunch of things and did a lot of wandering around before they were ready to enter it – kinda like how we wait on God’s perfect timing and did some globe wandering of our own before we felt like we were ready to expand our family.  Ray = a family name…on both sides!!!  Steve and I both have a grandfather and an uncle named Ray – only on my side, its actually “Raymond”, and on Steve’s side, its “Rayford.”  We felt like “Ray” would be a great way to honor both sides of the family!

The C-Squatch - Check out those cheeks!!!

I had intended for this to be a Highlight Reel of sorts, but realized that some events had a ridiculous amount of pictures, whereas other important events had come and gone without ever taking the camera out…so I guess you could say its MOST of 2009 in pictures…

Snow days in January!

In February we discovered that we had two possum friends living under our porch - Pedro and Priscilla

Crazy Hair Day AND St. Patrick's Day all wrapped into one during School Spirit Week

First time climbing at Hawksbill Mountain, Western NC in early May

We had a great time at the New River Rendezvous Climber's Festival in mid-May - and even got to take a clinic with pro-climber Lisa Rands!

Memorial Day weekend trip to Seneca Rocks

Lots of climbing trips to the New River Gorge in West Virginia

Lineberry family trip to Yellowstone in June

Fantastic Utah Climbing trip with Norbert and Manuela, end of June

Ending our Utah trip with a ride to the emergency room...

First time bouldering at the Dixon School Rd Boulders in Gastonia, NC, early July

Father/Daughter biking and camping trip to Galax, VA in July

J-bean's first photos at 6 weeks pregnant in early August!

Labor Day climbing trip to the Red River Gorge, KY in September

We made it down to the Linville Gorge one last time before I got too preggo to hike into the gorge in early October

Our 18 week anatomy scan was in late October - that's when we found out our little jellybean was blue!

Taking advantage of Steve's work trip to Vegas with a climbing weekend in Red Rock Canyon, NV at the end of October

Day after Thanksgiving sales got us our 2007 Toyota Camry Hybrid!

2 day climbing trip to Sandrock, AL before the holidays

Christmas with the Lineberry's in Atlanta

So I haven’t been good about updating my blog recently with all the holiday hubbub, but I thought I would throw out a quick holiday sum-up as my last blog post of 2009…

We started out our holiday with a doctor’s appointment for the J-bean on Monday, December 21st.  All was well, so we hopped in our loaded down car and drove down to Sandrock, Alabama for a couple days of climbing before celebrating the holidays with family. 

The Main Area at Sandrock, Alabama

Sandrock turned out to be really fun - by no means a must-do destination, but definitely fabulous for a side trip excursion!  Since the low temps were hovering around the freezing mark with a fair amount of wind, I decided to cut myself some pregnancy slack and spring for a cheap motel rather than a campsite.  I think this was a good decision, especially considering how cold it was in the morning even by the time we got to the crag, and also how good my nice hot shower felt that night.   

At the top of Thin's Evil Twin, 5.11c

DAY 1 ~ Main Area and The Islands

My Dog Has Fleas – 5.8+ – Not a good choice to start the day out in the shade…the rock was ridiculously cold, and my hands were completely numb.
Six Toes – 5.10a – Much warmer in the sun!  Thin, sequency crux led to steep jugs.�
Thin in the Middle – 5.10d – Awkward, thin moves in the middle with a weird, balancy roof section at the shutts
Thin’s Evil Twin – 5.11c - 30 feet of really techy slab climbing – crux around the second bolt, then backed off to 10+ towards the top.  I was psyched to get this one clean for my 25 week 5.11
Thin’s Daddy – 5.12b - a harder variation of the previous climb.  Only 30 feet, and I had to hang twice, but I definitely did all the moves, so Jbean can say he climbed 5.12 in utero!
Kennel Club – 5.8 - this route was back over in the main area, and was really fun – pretty tall, and a nice, casual way to end our day. 

Enjoying an Alabama sunset from the top of a pillar - great view of Weiss Lake!

Steve laying back his way up on Popular Science, 5.9+

DAY 2 ~ Sun Wall

Popular Science (aka Golden Flake) – 5.9+ – a little pumpier than I had anticipated for a warm-up.  I could tell its been a long time since I’ve done any crack climbing, but once I got started I didn’t have too much trouble with it.
Ale 81 – 5.10c - Really hard, steep move right off the block.  From there the climbing was much more straightforward but slightly overhanging and really sustained. I missed a hand hold around the corner about halfway up and had to hang.  Felt hard for 10c.
Misty – 5.10d – Definitely the best route out of all of the ones we did.  Crimpy crux moving thru the conglomerate at the 2nd bolt, then big moves to jugs the rest of the way up – this one would have been really fun to lead…
First Black in Space (aka Windows) – 5.8 – Really fun climb, got really overhanging for a 5.8 towards the top
Super Grover – 5.11b/c – Steve had to haul me thru the crux (which to me felt way harder than 11c…) but the rest of the route went down pretty smoothly.

Working my way up Ale 81, 5.10c

Next it was on to Atlanta, where we spent the next 4 days with Steve’s parents, both brothers, and my sister-in-law (who is also pregnant, due 3.5 weeks after me!)  We ate some great food, got some cool presents, and saw Avatar in 3D!  We also got to see (or not see, rather) a really cool exhibit in downtown Atlanta called “Dialog in the Dark.”  Basically we went thru different rooms with a guide who was visually impaired, in complete darkness, exploring different everyday scenarios with our other 4 senses. 

Megan and I comparing bellies!

We headed north on Sunday morning after breakfast, drove most of the day, and ate dinner at my Grandma and Pop Pop’s house with my parents, aunt, uncle, and cousin.  I spent the next couple of days relaxing at my parent’s house and trying to learn how to knit (any knitters in Raleigh that can help me finish off the cute little hat I made for the bean?).  Steve helped my mom move all of her networking and computer stuff for her business into her new studio, which is almost finished! 

Modeling our 3D glasses before Avatar

Even though we had a great time and thankfully got to see both families, we were glad to head home yesterday morning.  Neither Steve nor I have to work the rest of the week, so we plan on relaxing, working on the baby’s room, and celebrating the New Year in addition to my official entry into the 3rd trimester!  Stay tuned for a 2009 highlight reel coming soon!