Sunday, January 05, 2014

An Update from the Arctic Tundra

They are using words like "arctic" and "polar" to describe the weather that will be hitting the Chicagoland area this next week.  It is moments like this when I channel my inner zen-friend (she's been on vacation as of late) and repeat mantras like: "This, too, shall pass", "Wherever you are, be there" and "Whether or not it is clear to you, the Universe is unfolding exactly as it should..." because sometimes I wake up and I think, "What the hell!?!" It was less than a month ago that I was living on a boat in the Caribbean and here I am - a world away - living back in Chicago during a winter of "record cold".  Man, talk about bad timing.  But, really, I'm not supposed to be too active at this point anyway so I guess it's a blessing in disguise that I get to be tucked inside a cozy, warm house with a hilarious toddler as a sidekick.  

Seems like I'm not the only one effected by the cold and missing the sunshine, though.  Isla now demands to watch our video recap of 2013 on repeat at least six or seven times a day, which kind of breaks my heart. "Video? Video?" she asks each morning in her sing song little voice.  She sits in front of my computer with her chin on her hands, tapping her fingers and bobbing her head to the music as she watches with a little smile on her face.  Up until now I would not have guessed that she missed the boat or the islands in the slightest, but the fact that I have now watched that video with her about thirty times is indicating otherwise.  I keep hoping we might be rounding a corner and "over it" but no such luck.  Just when I think her obsession has traveled over to the finger paints or toy cars, she'll suddenly drop what she is doing, climb up into the chair in front of my computer, look up at me with her soulful brown eyes and ask in the cutest voice you ever did hear, "video?"  Doh.

Scott is finished with work and after over 30 hours of travel via three islands, one "whoopsie" stop in Dominica and an unexpected overnight in Antigua he finally made it back to Asante only 22 hours after he was supposed to.  As the crow (and, you'd think, plane) flies - it's just over 400 miles from Grenada to St. Maarten but leave it to a Caribbean airline to play ping-pong in the air.  Luckily, we are well-versed with "island time" and he wasn't bothered in the slightest by the insanity of his travel day.  This little adventure was brought to him by Liat Air, which will surprise exactly no one who has ever flown that airline.

My father arrived in St. Maarten yesterday afternoon to help Scott deliver Asante to the British Virgin Islands.  While Scott was prepared to do the trip himself, putting a boat "to bed" for a year or longer is no small feat and having an extra set of hands to help haul the boat, get things organized, and pack up will be a huge asset.  It's a win/win really.  My dad and Scott are very close so not only do they get to spend some time together - but my dad gets to escape the coming cold snap (which is a gross understatement) and enjoy a ripper of a downwind sail while Scott gets some help and company.  They left at 3am this morning and should be arriving sometime in Tortola this afternoon.  I am anxious to hear how the sail went.  Hopefully better than our sail from BVI to St. Maarten.  Man, that sucked.

Moving along...

On the baby-baking front, I am now over 30 weeks pregnant which officially marks this pregnancy as the fastest pregnancy ever.  I mean, is it just me or has this flown by?  I can hardly believe that it is very likely that we will meet these two little fishies anywhere in the next 3-7 weeks (later would be preferred).  I had an ultrasound yesterday and got to see our little darlings.  They are both looking great and are clocking in at 3.5 and 3.9 pounds, which makes me very proud of myself to be growing them so well thus far.  The human body during pregnancy is so mind-blowing and carrying multiples makes it doubly so.  The fact that they are the weight of an average singleton at this stage is very promising as is the fact that they are within an ounce of each other (significant weight discrepancies can indicate problems).  There was one tiny area of concern; baby A's amniotic fluid was less than B's but the doc wasn't too concerned all things considered but to be on the safe side I have to see the maternal/fetal specialist next week to make sure we're all good.  Please send good vibes.  We'll keep you posted.

So that's the news from arctic Chicagoland.  Hope all is well (and warmer) in your neck of the woods!

9 comments:

Tom~Tom said...

From http://bit.ly/19JTQMQ
Leeward Islands Air Transport (LIAT) has some other nicknames:
Land In A Tree
Leaves In Another Terminal
Leaves Island Any Time
Lost In between Antigua and Trinidad
Lucky If Able To
Luggage In Another Timezone
Luggage Is Always Tardy
Luggage Isn't Arriving Today

Wishing safe travels to Scott and your Dad. Stay warm!

Turf to Surf said...

Lol. Laughing at the above comment. You look absolutely fabulous, Brittany, which is really not fair to all the pregnant mothers who can't pull off leggings at 30 weeks. You must be so excited... I hope you stay warm and I know this sounds like a lie, but I honestly miss the snow. I want to go skiing! So enjoy a little snow for me... I mean it!
xx
Tasha

Stephanie said...

Good Baby Vibes!!

WHERE did you get those legging!! I LOVE THEM.

Stay warm. Be safe up there. My folks are in Southeastern WI. (I grew up there) this is colder than they remember it being in a LONG TIME!

Anonymous said...

Can you get any more beautiful. All the healthy living aboard Asante has definitely helped you have a strong and trimmed up body to carry these precious"fishes"as you call thrm. Enjoy your time with Isla as an only child. Things will be crazy after. Her asking for video is sad but you are keeping her memory working. Thank goodness for videos. I look back on my kiddies lives and wish I could take a peek back into the past just to see the wee ones again.
Blessings for Scott and Dad to have an uneventful time putting Asante to bed.

boatbaby said...

You forgot one mantra... so grateful I am not living on a boat in winter time. Wishing you more health with the babies!

bnovelt@aol.com said...

Just sending along some good vibes, as per your request. So glad to know you're all doing well. Happy 2014!

(I'm also here in frosty Chicago and can hear the wind whistling past my front windows as I write this!) Brrrr!

Windtraveler said...

@Tom - haha - yes, I have heard a couple of those!! SO funny...and true!
@Tasha - thanks. We do kind of enjoy the snow and we REALLY miss skiiing, we'l enjoy it for you when the temperatures climb above zero! ;)
@Stephanie - thanks! The leggings are from whiteplum.com - I think I should be making commission because I guarantee I have sold about 100 pair!! haha!
@Anon - thank you :)
@Boatbaby - TRUE THAT!! Good grief, I don't know how you do it!!
@Bnovelt - Thank you :) appreciated.

Anonymous said...

Oh my, u really do have snow over there! Im reading your blog all the way from Finland and it seems that our snow has gone over there instead of coming here! South of Finland is totally out of snow, which is very unusual! Hopefully we will get some ;)

I really enjoy ur blog :)

pattig12 said...

We recently returned from a Windjammer sail where we had the pleasure of meeting and sailing with your Captain Scott. I feel just a little guilty, being party to keeping him away from you, Isla, and the fishes. But I'm paying my dues now, back in the Polar Vortex in Minneapolis (I guess that is the name for this bout of horrid cold). During conversation, Scott had mentioned his little Isla, and the expected twins, and like a light bulb going on, I realized he was one of the BLOG PEOPLE! Although I don't follow every day, I have read much of your blog, starting back with Rasmus. It's what I do in the winter - some people watch TV, I read sailing blogs. It was fun to meet him in 3D since you have made him famous! Our boat is on the hard (very hard) on Lake Superior with grand plan of eventual escape out the Great Lakes & ICW. So I just wanted to say hi, and wish you all the best for the new year and the new adventures you will have. Patti & Peter Giese

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