July and August Island Joys!

*Beating the heat! July and August were incredibly hot months in Taipei. We learned to adjust our schedules, and stay hydrated and indoors during the hottest time of day. Thankfully we work in air conditioned offices and studios.

*A shower for Mama Rachel and Baby Caleb. What a sweet time of rejoicing with our dear sister! Caleb was born on August 19th!

*Celebrating Daniel and other July birthdays with our annual rooftop BBQ bash. We had 30 people on our little rooftop on July 11th. Our friend Alex was the grill master and grilled up goodness. I so enjoyed preparing the goodies and was thankful to others who added to our feast. A few friends stayed later and we ventured to our actual rooftop. There we saw a spectacular shooting star, and I felt Baby Bastke's move within for the first time! Our little one leapt within the womb, and I shall always remember that first fluttering. And have enjoyed them all since.

*Daniel has been doing some outdoor filming this summer and has been a hot director and host! A popular On the Go feature will be back on our show for next year. Daniel is writing, hosting and directing these episodes. I even got in on one!

Daniel in action as the director. I think he really enjoyed the throwing flour on me shoot at the bakery. :)

*I got a swim pass from the university across the street from our office for the summer. My morning swims have been such a joy! Nothing beats swimming in the morning. It's especially good for me as a mama now. It's an outdoor pool surrounded by palm trees. What refreshment to start the summer days. Rachel and I also continued to hike our trail.

*Summer interns at the office! Gotta love their joy and spirit!

*Howie and Karen's Wedding on August 1st. Our good friend Howie married his bride in a beautiful ceremony. The chapel was on the ninth floor of a big office building type of church. The room was a circle of love surrounded by windows with a gorgeous day and view of the city. What a joyous celebration!Daniel was the videographer. He displayed his "stealth" technique throughout the ceremony.

*Finishing our 2009 Let's Talk in English recording on August 13th! I wrapped up my sixth year of teaching on the show. Whoa.

*Recovery! Daniel was hit with one nasty flu and experienced three hours on a hydration IV at the Da Zhi clinic. Poor guy.

*Baby keeps growing! Daniel and I also go great news about our blood types. Turns out we are both A- (RH-) which is cause for rejoicing. Our matching blood types mean I won't have any blood type difficulties throughout pregnancy and labour. Mom's with RH negative blood sometimes have a few complications and things to monitor.

20-weeks on August 1st. The midway point in this glorious pregnancy journey!

*Getting ready for our vacation and trip home that started on August 14. It's always fun to get Taiwanese treats and gifts together for our family to bring back.