Ruby Slippers

As you may have suspected, the year 2013 was a whirlwind for us which included leaving our home of eight years and heading off on a new adventure as a travel nurse in surgery.  We lived in three apartments with tiny kitchens, added U-Haul on our favorites toolbar, met some fantastic new people and incurred a great deal of exhaustion.  Borphan became a stay-at-home-Dad and learned that he'd never worked so hard before.  I learned how to work in whichever hospital the wind blew me next.  But like Dorothy in The Wizard of Oz, something kept calling me back home.  And we began to hope for a whole new life in that far-off land of Raleigh.

We traveled for nine months (is it just a coincidence that's the amount of time it takes the average human to conceive a new idea, incubate it to perfection and manifest it, making visible to the rest of the world what only they have imagined?).  The photo above is from our balcony in Charlotte, NC.  I took naps on that balcony.  Borphan hung a bird feeder there within the first week and we enjoyed watching different species come to feed.  It was a beautiful, peaceful respite for us and we lived there from August to November. 

In the "Queen City" Ethan enjoyed riding the "CHOO-choo" as often as he wished.  Charlotte's LYNX Light rail is a fabulous way to get in and out of downtown without worrying about traffic, one-way streets and finding parking.  Also, Borphan finally got to see a live NFL game.  A group of our friends came to visit and they took him to the football game for his 31st birthday.  The Panthers smashed their opponent and it was a really great experience for them all.  Jenna came down for a visit as well, and we toured "Scarowinds" in early October.  Carowinds completely converts the park into a Halloween-themed extravaganza.  It's ridiculous and fun.  We didn't have the luxury of waiting for perfect weather to go, so we went on a night with 100% chance of rain.  The park opens for Scarowinds at 7pm.  If you've never ridden a 70mph roller-coaster in the dark with cold, pelting rain smacking you in the face, well . . . let's just keep it that way.

We visited a place in Mooresville called the "Lazy 5 Ranch" twice because it was twice as cool as we thought it would be.  There are hundreds of animals, roaming freely over about 800 acres.  You are free to feed them and touch them if they will let you.We drove our car through on the first occasion and felt trapped in our own vehicle where large animals accosted us for their next meal!  On the second trip, we joined a hayride.


 It was a more social experience, enjoyable in a different way.  We rode in a large, open wagon with benches along the sides and center that was drawn by two enormous horses.  The guide was kind enough to give us the rare opportunity to feed the giraffes sweet gum leaves . . . from our own mouths if we so chose.  It was a strange and intimate moment to have a giraffe breathing hot, moist air from it's lungs straight onto your face.  And to feel it's soft, furry snout wiggling toward the sweet gum leaf and brushing your lips to get it. . . invigorating.  I know, it's weird.  But it was awesome and unforgettable too.  The Lazy 5 Ranch will teach you something about our nature and how it overlaps with animal nature and how . . . well maybe we're not so different after all.  Don't we all simply want to be fed, kept from harm and adored for our beauty?  At least that's what Borphan tells me.

Being away from home for those nine months gave us time to sort through some things.  Like what REALLY is most important to our family?  Why DO we work and how much should we work?  Where do we WANT to live?  Traveling affirmed my love of nursing and my chosen profession.  I saw my husband differently than I ever had before.  Who was this man who would pack up everything and give up his home to see me happy again?  An old relationship became new again.

To sum it up, in 2013, we learned to see failures as new opportunities and endings as fresh beginnings.  For the first time in our lives we learned how to pray out loud.  Together.  One more item, checked-off my bucket list.

I am happy to share that I clicked my heels together enough times to land us back in Raleigh.  We are working towards creating a stable life again.  Ethan is overjoyed to be near his grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins and sees them on a weekly basis.

And the next time we travel . . . it will be for vacation.

 

Adventures in Charles Towne

 

     My last post, dated Dec 2011 promised that the next topic would be pregnancy.  Change of plans! That was so long ago, I've forgotten all about it.  (Hardly . . . but lets move on anyway) 

 

     After a string of fortunate events we've now landed in Charleston, SC.  I am now a travel nurse, working a 13 week contract at Medical University of South Carolina.  It's a fascinating place to learn and share what I know.  Borphan is a stay-at-home Dad to fabulous little Ethan, who is now 16 months old.  

 

 

     Today, we visited Folly Beach.  It's a Friday and there was hardly anyone around.  It was about 57 degrees outside and perfectly sunny.  The sand was warm . . . but the water?  Cold!  It didn't stop Ethan from running his fingers through the salty mud and wading in the shallow tide.  At one point, the tide crept in over his feet and he cried, surprised at the gall of mother nature.  We scooped him up and he wrestled us to get back down.  He has big curiosity and very little fear.

 

 

 

     Later in the afternoon, Borphan introduced me to James Island County Park.  It's a lovely place with gnarled "beach trees" (sorry, Dad) draped with Spanish moss, acres and acres of marshland, and plenty of paths for exploring.  Ethan enjoyed tromping around.  He is quite proud of himself for climbing "hills" and running down them . . . and by "hill," I mean a 2 degree slope that only he can discern.  But we are just as proud of him as he is of himself, so whatever.

 





       Beside one of the picnic areas at this particular park, there was a small pond with a sign "CAUTION: Alligator may live here."  Umm, thanks for the heads up!  Yikes . . .

 

 

 

        Besides beautiful scenery, Charleston has some great places to eat!  Today, we checked out the highly recommended "Home Team BBQ" joint.  We ordered beef brisket, smoked chicken, macaroni and cheese, coleslaw, collards, baked beans and corn bread.  And sweet tea of course!  (For that, I am GLAD I did not take an assignment up North)  The food was fabulous!  We have a growing list of recommended places to try, which satisfies our little foodie spirits.

 

   We hear that oyster roasts are really big in Charleston.  People hold them in their backyards.  Churchs and other social groups do them for fundraisers.  Really, any excuse is good for an oyster roast.  But only in months that have an "R" in them, according to my coworker and friend, Zeh Wellington.  That means we have just 6 more weeks to locate one and zone in on it!  It's part of the low country experience.

 

    Which brings me to another topic: One of the upsides of becoming apartment dwellers (besides not having to do ANY maintenance work anymore!) is that we now have a gym, open 24hrs a day that we can walk to.  Love that!  We hope to return to Raleigh in better shape than we left.  The fair weather here seems to be in our favor as well.

 

     So, friends and family, we are on a year-long adventure!  I hope to use this blog to keep you all updated of our travels and post pics of Ethan as he changes.  We love you all back home and miss you of course, but are super-thrilled to be having this experience of a lifetime.

 

Angela, Borphan and Ethan Limthong





In the Beginning . . .

I'm not sure whether to start with today and work backwards or start with Ethan's "birth"-day and work forward because neither way does full justice to the miracle we've experienced.  It is not a linear story.  It spans generations and time.  This is Ethan's birth story told by me, his awestruck mother, Angela Limthong.

Borphan and I met in high school in 2001 and were married in 2006.  We are best friends and firmly believe that it is our job to drive each other crazy nearly every day.  He is my soulmate and understands me on many levels. After many fulfilling adventures to other states and countries, in 2008 we decided we would like to start a family.  For some reason, we thought this was in our control.  It was not.  Months turned into years and we began to think we may never conceive a child of our own.  We purchased ovulation test strips, spent more time with our neices and nephews, and dreamt aloud about what kind of parents we would be and how we'd like to raise our children  . . . one day.  When my monthly cycle came, as it did predictably, I cried.  I prayed to God.  What fruit did we have to show for all our years of loving one another? Didn't we deserve a child to laugh and play with?  Someone who resembled us, to bring us so much joy.  It seemed it would never happen.  Borphan started nursing school and took a lower paying job in the hospital to get some experience with patient care. I turned my focus to eating clean and registered to compete in a women's triathlon.  We put our dream of starting a family somewhere on a back burner.  On New Year's Day, 2011, Borphan proudly announced that he would get me pregnant this year.  It was his New Year's resolution.  I rolled my eyes, said something like "Ha! Yeah right." and carried on.

He threw me a surprise 28th birthday party two weeks later, converting an area of our home into a dance room.  I had confided in him months before that I loved to dance and didn't think we did enough of it.  Our friends mingled.  Eventhough Borphan worked 12 hours that day, he came home and entertained everyone like he had so much energy to give.  Before the evening was over, he took my hand and we slow danced to "Marry Me" by Train.  It was the most special and thoughtful thing he had ever done for me, and hardly cost a thing.  I thought to myself how loving Borphan was and how lucky I was to walk through life with him.  (Oh gosh, sorry this is so sappy!  But I'm guessing you see where this night was headed?)

Fast-forward to February:  Valentine's Day was approaching us and I had been feeling physically exhausted.  I'd been following a strict physical training plan and eating an anti-inflammatory diet full of plant foods and low on refined sugars, starches and animal products. I had eaten this way already for over over six weeks but suddenly my body was putting on the brakes.  I was TIRRRED.  I told friends at work that I must be coming down with a cold; I just felt drained.  Where I had been eating lean meat and fish with lot of salad and beans, I was suddenly craving steak and orange juice.  I was nauseated two mornings in a row, and decided it was time to take yet another pregnancy test (by this time I had seen so many negative test strips that I dreaded seeing another).  It was positive! We couldn't believe it! We were finally pregnant!

Ethan's cousin, Jasmine, makes customized baby crowns

12.17.11

Motherhood . . . at Long Last!

Our sweet little man, Ethan Jai Limthong arrived on October 14th at 10:09am weighing 7lbs 9oz and measuring 21.5 inches long (he's a string bean!)  I gave birth naturally without any medication at WakeMed hospital here in Raleigh.  It was a perfect birth, in good timing and with all the right people at my side. I began to wonder how was that even possible?!  I perceived Ethan's birth as a blessing, nothing short of miraculous and wonderful.  And ideally, that is how motherhood should be.  Below is a picture of the spunky little guy playing around with his daddy. 

In the next few blog posts I'd like to share more of Ethan's birth story, tell my childless friends what it is like coming home with a newborn in those early weeks, the trials of breastfeeding as a "Western woman" and the realizations I've made during this phenomenal and transformative time of our lives.  I hope you will read along for this all makes for fascinating storytelling . . . If you're interested in the story, please opt to "follow" this blog.  Check back soon!

3D Ultrasound Pictures!

I know I said we weren't going to do it because I think 3D ultrasounds are creepy weird and they ruin the surprise, but if you knew the circumstances, you would have gone for it too!  Can you believe how much the little pumpkin already looks like a little boy?!  He is estimated to weigh about 2lbs 8 oz in this photo taken at 28 wks.  Less than 3 more months to go . . .

Baby Shower Info

Thanks for visiting our new baby blog!

There are three showers in the month of August:
Coed Friends' Shower
Hosted By: Alex Leupen
Sunday, August 21st
5:30-8:30pm
5512 Breamore Circle
Raleigh, NC 27615
Contact: missalex08@gmail.com 919-749-7679

Angela's Mom's Side and In-Laws, Family Shower
Hosted By: Irma Steiner and Crystal Steiner
Sunday, August 28th
109 Summit Oaks Ln.
Holly Springs, NC 27540
Contact: deliathirdof10@hotmail.com  919-803-4740

Angela's Father's Side, Family Shower
Hosted By: Denise Biggerstaff
Saturday, August 27th
2:00-4:00pm
Olde English Tea Room
219 South White St.
Wake Forest, NC 27587
Contact: dbigx2@nc.rr.com 919-779-1738

We are registered at Target and Babies R' Us and www.myregistry.com (cloth diapering supplies and other hard-to-find goodies that can be purchased online and shipped).