Irritable and Tired

5 weeks to go until baby arrives. 7 more days of working. It's a constant countdown now. We've started attending classes like infant care and childbirth preparation, we're going to see movies in the theatre like Gran Turino, we're researching childcare and pediatricians, and taking hospital tours. You could say that we have ramped up our baby preparation efforts.

It is getting tougher to get around and sleep is sometimes good and sometimes bad. That makes me a little more irritable and tired. I think that it's either to prepare for some future sleepless nights or to get me to start feeling like I would like to have this baby come out. I can see why the home stretch can be agonizing for some pregnant women. I've been pretty lucky. I haven't had bad morning sickness or gestational diabetes, so if this is the worst it gets, it's not too bad. Mostly uncomfortable.

This week was rather historic with the inaugeration of Barack Obama. I've never really been interested in politics. I'm still not that interested, but I did vote for Obama because he seemed different than most politicians and I think he will be an inspirational leader. I have voted in past elections, but this is the first time that I watched the inaugeration. There seems to be excitement and hope with this new president that I have never seen before. I like that he promotes volunteerism and change. I also like that he seems to garner a respect from other countries that we have not had in a long time. Most other presidents I would feel embarassed that we chose them because they seem to perpetuate the stupid American persona. Though Obama flubbed his oath, I think that it is interesting that people seem more forgiving of his blunders. If Bush had flubbed his oath, people would have made fun of him and thought "how typical." For some reason, Obama's temporary memory lapse makes him seem more endearing and human. Even those that did not vote for him have to admit that he does seem eager to make changes, that he is able to motivate people, and inspires hope for country that is in need of it.

After New Year's, there was a shooting at the BART station near our house. The BART police shot a man that was on the floor with his hands behind his back. (He was in some kind of altercation and was trying to calm his friend when he was shot.) I dropped off Edwin at the station the next morning without even knowing about it. We saw TV cameras there, but didn't know why they were there. A few days later, there were riots in Oakland. There were also peaceful protests, but the riots I think are more a result of the economic times and for people who want an excuse to justify violence. With this new leader, I hope that it ends that negativity and helps people to move in a more positive and constructive manner with their restless energy. For too long, I think that the people of this country have been irritable and tired.

Get What You Really Wanted

After Christmas, I saw so many stores advertising this slogan "Get What You Really Wanted." That statement just hit me the wrong way. It implies that you shouldn't be happy with what you have. There are so many people out there that are having financial difficulties or are just depressed over things that are happening in the world. It's such a negative message when people just don't need it. I saw this slogan while I was shopping (I don't remember the store) then I got an email from ebay, and then I think that I saw it on some ad. I'm in advertising and it pisses me off.

I think people have a hard enough time just being satisfied or thankful for the things that they have. As I get closer to becoming a mother, this is something that I hope to teach my children. Believe me, I am not the best example. I know I am always striving for more and better, but I would like to think that I am getting better at being happy with my current situation. It helps that I have a baby on the way and that I am going to stop working in 3 weeks. So what do I really want? Stuff that money can't buy- an easy delivery and a happy, healthy baby.

I am now 33 weeks pregnant. Baby is kicking me everyday (right now!) after I eat and when I am getting ready to sleep. I think that my pregnancy has been pretty easy for me until the last 2 weeks or so. I'm starting to have some really weird aches and pains. For some reason, my right thumb is swollen and sometimes gives me a shooting pain. I have heard of swollen feet, but just my right thumb? No other fingers, just the thumb. Weird. I've also started having more trouble sleeping. Anyone who knows me well is that I am always able to sleep- anywhere, anytime. Since my first trimester, I've been waking up once a night to go to the bathroom. It never really bothered me before and I would just go back to sleep no problem. But in the last few weeks, it's been harder for me to fall back asleep. I don't really know why. Then, on New Year's Eve, I got sick. Not vomitting sick, but we went over to Michelle and Mike's and when we arrived, I just felt sick to my stomach. A few people thought I might be delivering the baby that night, but I didn't think so. I spent most of the night sleeping in their guest bed and I woke up at 11:45PM to ring in the new year. I recovered over the next few days, but I can't explain why I got sick. I would normally blame food, but Edwin ate the same thing I did that day, so I blame it on the pregnancy.

We have started getting ready for the baby. Edwin painted the trim in the baby's room. We removed the bed and cleaned the room. Do we have a crib? Not yet, but we have been researching cribs, pack and plays, and car seats. Of the 3, the only thing I think we have to get soon is a car seat. I'm told that we can't take the baby home from the hospital without one. We have a ton of baby clothes from friends who have had baby boys and from Freeman, Edwin's nephew who is now 6 months old. We have diapers. We're starting to take our baby classes next week. We still have 7 weeks, right?

Babies!

Wow- it's been a while. I feel like it was just Thanksgiving and now it's almost Christmas. Since then, we have put up the Christmas lights, gone to Cincinnati to see my new niece Phoebe, and baked Christmas cookies. Not a lot of time to be able to blog, but wanted to share a few photos. These are of me at 26 weeks. There isn't a lot of photographic proof of my pregnancy, so this is to help document my growth.

We had a good time in Cincinnati with my sister's kids, but I'll write about that another time. Here's a picture of me and Edwin with our new niece Phoebe.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Where did the weekend go? I started last week with a cold. It was disappointing because I thought that I had escaped it since it seemed like everyone I knew got sick a few weeks ago. I guess I was just holding out. It sucks having a cold and being pregnant. You're not supposed to sleep on your back when you are pregnant, so what happens when we're congested? You have to keep tossing and turning so that you can breathe. I thought that the cold was going to last only a day or 2, but I haven't been able to shake it.

We had a good Thanksgiving. We cleaned the house which we have needed to do anyway. We had Edwin's mom in town, Jeannette's family and in-laws, Edwin's aunt and cousin, and my Uncle Glenn and his family over for dinner. We had 13 people around the dinner table. We had a 12 pound turkey which I thought might be a little too small, but we managed to have leftovers. Edwin cooked the turkey while I helped with the lemonade, glazed carrots, green bean casserole, and apple pie. Edwin's mom made the stuffing and yams. Jon's parents brought over pureed carrots and broccoli. We also had a leftover dinner with the Banerjees, Schneiders, Jeannette, and Edwin's mom. We used the leftover turkey to make a turkey pot pie like we did last year. Maybe we'll start that as a tradition. It's so easy. I don't know why we don't make it more often.

This is the first time that we started using the basement. We got the Ikea sectional that we wanted off of craigslist for half the price. Here are some pictures of the finished basement. I'll post pictures of the new bathroom a little later.

Edwin's Low-Key Birthday

Last Friday, we hosted a game night for Edwin's coworkers. There was a lot of cooking and cleaning and Show and Derek came by for the games. Show of course won, but that's expected.

Last weekend was also a baby weekend, not for our baby, but to visit other babies. On Saturday, we went to Marin to visit our friend Sully who had a baby girl 3 months ago. We had brunch and she loaned me some of her maternity clothes. I've been very lucky in that I haven't really bought much. I've mostly been borrowing clothes from Jeannette and now Sully. I don't know how they found so many things that are cute. It seems like when I go shopping for maternity clothes, I can't find anything that fits right or is cute. Both Jeannette and Sully's clothes seem to fit and be cute, so I'm happy to just wear theirs for now. That way, I can also return stuff and don't need to store a lot when I'm done with them.

After brunch, we went to visit baby Mena at Matilde and Sujay's. She was tiny at less than 6 pounds. It was fun hanging out with them and we also got to see Janet who was visiting from Hawaii.

On Sunday, we had a casual pizza party at our house for Edwin's birthday which was on Monday with the Banerjees and Schneiders. On Monday, Edwin and I went out to dinner to celebrate his birthday at Cocina Poblano and then for ice cream at our local ice cream shop Tuckers.

Also, did I mention that the basement is done? I'll post pictures later, but we are just happy that construction is officially over. We didn't get everything that we wanted, but it's close enough.

Happy Birthday, Mena!

So Matilde and Sujay welcomed their new little girl yesterday. I am in awe. I still have to hear all the details, but here is what I know. She was in the hospital room at 9AM and delivered at 10AM. All natural and NO DRUGS! What?? Granted, this is her second child, but that has to be one of the easiest births I have ever heard about. All the other stories sound more like, "I was in labor for 50-60 hours and then I had a c-section." I think even with Kokomi, Matilde had only 10-20 hours of labor. Either this woman has a high pain tolerance or she has the best birthing hips in the world. Amazing. I can only hope that my birthing experience will be half as good as hers.


Speaking of birthdays, Edwin's is next Monday. Anyone have any ideas on what I should get him for his birthday? And no, I will not be getting him a surfboard, so don't even suggest it.

Tea Parties and Housewarmings

Last weekend, we also had a tea party for Matilde. She didn't want to have a second baby shower, but we wanted to have a little something for her before the baby came. We very rarely get to have a leisurely afternoon without kids to just sit and converse without distraction. Though it was a rainy day, we didn't really mind. This is probably the most recent pic of me pregnant. Matilde looks barely bigger than me and she's about to deliver any day now.

This weekend, we have 2 housewarming parties to attend- one for an old KSA coworker and the other for our friend Steve. Steve has lived in his place for almost a year now, but has been busy remodeling like us, so I guess he's finally ready for the unveiling.

Basement saga- the saga continues as the basement was supposed to be completed today. What happened? When the contractor went to pick up the shower enclosure, it didn't have all the pieces at Home Depot. Surprised? Not at all. Just par for the course since the last time he went to pick up the shower enclosure, it didn't have all the pieces then either. Normally, we would just try and find another shower enclosure. However, since our ceiling is low, we need a shorter one that is below 72." Most models are 72." Does anyone know where we can buy a shower enclosure for less than $500 besides Home Depot, Home Expo, or Lowes? Most glass places are more expensive and we have also tried OSH, but I feel like there are so few options. We're looking for a corner neo-angle shower enclosure. Holler if you see anything!

Maybe if we're not too tired this weekend, we'll get around to starting to make the baby's room look like a baby's room. People have been very generous with their outgrown diapers and boys' clothes. I don't think we'll need to buy any of that stuff. Baby is doing well. He kicks me pretty much daily and especially after I eat. I'm starting to eat beef again which is nice. I was never really liked beef that much, but since I haven't been able to have it, it's been a little tough. This week, I had vietnamese pho noodles and wonton beef tendon soup noodles. I still don't want to eat a steak, but it looks like a little meat is OK.

Happy Ha-Ween!

Last weekend, we had a great time celebrating Halloween. We don't have any pictures right now, but we went through over 30 lbs. of candy this year. We thought that the prediction of rain might decrease the volume of kids knocking on our door, but it was a nice balmy night and it only drizzled, so the kids still came a knockin.

This year, we dressed up as a white trash couple. I used my pregnant belly as part of my costume. Edwin wore a trucker hat, plaid shirt, and wife beater t-shirt. I think that the cutest part was all the kids giving away candy at the door. Maika was a pro since she gave away candy last year as well. It was Kokomi's first year giving away candy and it was just adorable how she would say, "Happy Ha-Ween!" I'm not sure that she fully grasped what we were doing, but she knew that we were giving away something and that it was fun. Even Kai who can't even talk yet knew that he was supposed to put candy in the bags that kids carried outside the door.

We also cooked and baked quite a bit this year in preparation. We made brownies, rice krispie treats, banana bread, chocolate and vanilla cupcakes, chili spaghetti, and pulled pork sandwiches. We have been eating tons of dessert this week.

Did you all vote? I had my absentee ballot and dropped it off at 7:55PM to the polls about 10 minutes before we heard that Obama had won.

Preparations for Things to Come

This past weekend was nice and relaxing. We watched I am Legend on Friday. All of our friends who are parents keep telling us that if we want to watch any movies that we should watch it now.

On Saturday, we spent the day with Jeannette, Freeman, and some of her out-of-town friends. We started by hanging out in Golden Gate Park since it was nice and warm outside. I heard that the weather is supposed to get a lot cooler this week so I guess maybe our Indian Summer is over. We also went to see the Conservatory of Flowers which was nice. They had a cool butterfly exhibit and it was a nice little touristy thing to do that was not too expensive and didn't take very long. Then, we had a "snack" at the Beach Chalet to watch the sunset. Finally, we went to my coworker Kim's birthday party in SF. It was a busy day, but still pretty relaxing.

Today, we spent most of the day cleaning and preparing for next week's Halloween party. We haven't really done much to prepare the nursery yet. It still looks the same and we need to clear out a lot of stuff that just doesn't need to be there. Edwin's mom is coming next weekend as well, so it was just motivation to get started clearing out the unnecessary clutter. Of course we're not done, but it was a start. I also want to get rid of all the boxes in the dining room. I realize that I've probably been saying that for the last 9 months. Well, it starts with one box, right? I got rid of one box.

I wish that I had some remodel news. Nothing has really changed. We're still waiting for the shower enclosure and vanity to come in. Unfortunately, the bathroom will probably not be done for the Halloween party or for Edwin's mom's visit. I never thought when we started this project that we would still not be done 2 months later. I can't wait until it's all over. How many times have I said that?

SNAFU!

So I'll start with the snafu that I am in because of work. I have been working like crazy lately and a majority of my time has been spent on the campaign that Apple is making fun of below. The ad is dead on. I have complained myself about why they don't improve the products to make it easier for us to help them advertise.


To be fair, I guess I need to provide a link to the Bill Gates and Jerry Seinfeld ads that are part of the campaign that I work on. I won't go into the gory details about why things at work are a snafu since it is pretty boring.

The other snafu has to do with our basement. So we've been having trouble finding a shower enclosure. It still hasn't been resolved, but we're about to give up and just get the basic chrome enclosure with frosted glass. We really wanted the brushed nickel finish with clear glass. Do most people even know the difference? Probably not, but we've been watching too many HGTV shows, so we now care. But the amount of time we have spent looking for something in our price range is outweighing our desire to get exactly what we want. This reminds me of when I was looking for a specific ribbon for the wedding invitations. I spent 3 weeks looking for a ribbon because I didn't want to pay $80 for it. In the end, I ended up buying that expensive ribbon and I'm sure that NO ONE noticed this ribbon except me.

Anyway, back to the basement, the newest issue that came up today is that our contractor said that the vanity we ordered has drawers that will block the plumbing, so we have to re-order the vanity with the drawers on the other side. In the whole scheme of things, this isn't that bad, it's just a hassle because now we had to order another vanity and wait another 3 weeks for it to come in which of course means that the bathroom won't be finished for probably another month. Argh! When will we be done? The toilet is installed, but there's no water in it. (I'm told that it will get turned on tomorrow.) That is just indicative of this remodel. I'll believe it when I see it.

Dinner at Water Bar was really great. I had the oven-roasted dungeness crab while Edwin had the ono. We had the baked oysters which were really tasty and had a sardine appetizer and seafood soup. The dessert was probably the biggest surprise with a pear poached in white wine with a yellow cake, roasted hazelnuts, and maple ice cream. It was a nice way to celebrate our 2 year anniversary.

Baby R Us

This weekend was pretty chill. On Friday, we went out to dinner with the Banerjees for some Vietnamese pho. I was little nervous that I wouldn't be able to eat it because of my meat aversion. I was able to eat most of it luckily.

On Saturday, Edwin went biking and surfing while I went shopping for maternity clothes. I never really considered how I would feel about being pregnant. I always thought that I would just love being a mom. It's not that I don't yet. It's just that I'm not a mom yet. So I'm just kind of shopping for a fatter me in stores where they charge a lot for clothes that are not very cute. I tried looking in Mimi Maternity, but I just couldn't find anything that I really wanted. I then went to Old Navy where I found a few tops, but still just basics. I also tried to look for some "normal" clothes with empire waists so that I could still wear it after pregnancy and look cute at BR and H&M. Unfortunately, I still didn't find anything that I wanted in my price range.

A funny thing happened to me while I was in Old Navy. It was the first time that I bought clothes for our baby boy. Edwin and I have already received a lot of clothes from friends who just had a baby boy or finished some spring cleaning. From what I hear, a lot of people buy clothes for you, so Edwin and I had agreed that we shouldn't buy any. But I just couldn't help myself. They were so cute. They had a surfing theme and most of the shirts were less than $1. How could I resist? When Edwin saw them, neither could he. I spent less than $10.

We also started the baby registry this weekend. It's so overwhelming. The room is already painted green because I thought that we could decorate with yellow and blue if we had a boy and pink and purple if we had a girl. However, we actually ended up with green, white, and brown. We were going to decorate the guest room in green and brown anyway.

Remodel news- the floor got tiled this past weekend, but we still don't have a toilet, sink, or shower installed. Grouting and sealing of the time has to happen before we can install the rest. The bathroom also got painted and the heater got installed. That's great, but I want a working bathroom! As my contractor keeps telling me, "It should just be a few more days!" Can you tell I'm frustrated?

Tomorrow is our 2 year anniversary. Can you believe it? We're going out to dinner to celebrate at Water Bar. I'll let you know how it is.

Tension

This past weekend, my cousin George came up for a visit from LA. We met up with him for a family dinner on Friday with my uncle's family and my cousin Billy and his wife Maggie. Good food at Au's Kitchen in San Bruno. So good that I ate too much. Here's the thing about pregnancy. You think that you can eat all you want, but really you can't. In fact, you have to eat less. Here's why- there is less room in your belly. Your stomach is sharing space with the baby. I've found that if I eat too much, there is no room for expansion. My belly feels like it's so stretched that it will explode. It just gets hard. It's not like belly fat that is soft that you can poke your finger and it sinks it. (Believe me, I know what that feels like!) If you poke your finger, it's like pushing the outside of a balloon. There is tension.

On Saturday, we did a little shopping and then headed out to watch the Blue Angels for Fleet Week. It was a nice day to be outside watching the plane acrobatics. Getting to Chrissy Field was not bad. We parked near my work at Levi's Plaza and then took a cab. After the show, we decided to walk back towards the car and take public transportation. If moving out to Alameda made us forget how bad public transportation can be in SF, Saturday was a reminder. We walked about 15 blocks to the bus stop near Ghiradelli Square. Since we were in the area, we decided to rest and get some ice cream. We lived 4 blocks from there and I think that we only ever went there 4 times when people were visiting from out of town. After we spent $8 on a sundae, we continued on our walk because the traffic was so heavy that no cars were moving and therefore, no buses were coming. We then changed course and took the F street car since it had its own dedicated lane that would take us back to Levi's Plaza. Little did we know that when we boarded the bus that appeared (instead of the street car) that it would hold us hostage. We basically wanted to exit at Pier 23, but when the bus finally got out of traffic, it wasn't letting anyone off until the Ferry Building. When we finally got out, I waited for Edwin at the Hyatt hotel on Market while Edwin had to walk another 10-15 blocks back to the car. It took us almost 3 hours to get back to our car in what should have taken about 30 minutes tops. Tension.

On Sunday, we were going to have a Michelle and Mike come over for dinner. Since we were going to cook anyway, we invited the Banerjees who then invited the Schneiders since they were going to be househunting in the East Bay. It was an impromptu dinner party. I actually like having people over because it forces us to clean the house. The house has been a mess lately because of all the construction in the basement. Did I say that we can't wait until it's done? We had a great time and celebrated Kokomi's 2nd birthday. I was also able to eat beef for the first time in months! Short ribs from Costco- Harris Ranch. Yum.

On the basement, we are so close. This week, the room got carpet. However, the bathroom is still not done. It won't even be worked on until next weekend. We were able to order a shower enclosure so that it doesn't have to be custom, but our contractor waited a full week before ordering and we are told that it wouldn't come in for 14 days. Still, I would just love an extra working toilet. Tiling began last week, however, they are still not done. They have laid most of the floor tile, but they still need to finish and after they finish, they still have to grout. That is 2 days minimum before they can install the toilet. It would be a great anniversary gift. (shhh... don't tell Edwin I said that- I still want a present!) So what's the problem? The problem is that our contractor started some other rush job and says that he won't be able to come to work until Saturday. I've heard of this happening to other people, but this really sucks. I guess it could be worse because I hear some contractors don't even tell you and just don't show up. It's just that we will have to live with the dirt and dust for another week. So this has caused a little bit of tension with our contractor, but what can you do? Guess it will be another 3 days- at least we're not paying anymore.

Food and lots of it

Last weekend, we had a night out with the Banerjees in the East Bay. We went to dinner at a great Italian restaurant called Dopo. Food was very good. My faves were the scallops in a tomato sauce and Matilde's tagliatelle in pheasant ragu. We will have to go back. Then, we went to Fenton's Creamery across the street for some ice cream. Pregnancy does have it's perks.

On Saturday, we went to San Mateo to celebrate Kaori's birthday. Jamie planned a surprise lunch for her and as usual, we spent the rest of the day hanging out. We ended the evening with a Chicago-style hotdog dinner with various hot dog preparations. We of course had the classic hot dog on a bun as well as franks and beans, jambalaya/gumbo, and Asian favorite ramen with sliced hot dog.

On Sunday, we had more good food. We went to Mountain View to my cousin's house for a BBQ. Still can't eat steak, but I had plenty to eat. We were able to sell our blue couch, so now we just need to sell the chaise.

Update on the basement- we have about a week to go. After the they finished smoothing the walls, we discovered that they had sealed our glasses behind the wall. When the framing was put up, we noticed that the contractors had used a few of our drinking glasses and placed on the ledge underneath the framing. We thought that they were using the glasses to test the new pipes for the bathroom. After they sealed the wall, we realized that we hadn't seen those glasses back in the cabinets, so we asked the contractor about it. Apparently, the glasses were left inadvertantly behind the sealed wall. I equate this situation with how a surgeon forgets a scalpel or gauze inside a patient. Luckily, these were just some old glasses that we didn't really care about. Though the contractor offered to open up the wall to retrieve them, we opted to just leave them there. They started tiling the shower and have painted the wall of the family room. We discovered this week that the shower doors that we purchased were too tall for the space, so we thought we might need to purchase custom shower doors. Luckily, we discovered that Jon and Jeannette had used shorter doors and so we're hoping to be able to purchase the same shower enclosure. We cannot wait until this construction is done.

Here are the photos from Tom and Debbie's wedding:

It's a Boy!

We found out yesterday that we will be having a baby boy. We had our second sonogram. Before the technician told us that the baby was a boy, I suspected that he was a boy because I saw a body part that didn't look like an arm or a leg. Edwin suspected a few weeks ago that he was a boy.

I first started noticing something last week with the baby. At first, it felt kind of like a twitch in my abdomen. Now I know that it was the baby kicking. It's definitely more distinct now. He's been very active yesterday and today. Before the sonogram, they tell us to come with a full bladder. During the sonogram, they press on your full bladder to see the baby. I was hoping that I wouldn't have an accident during the exam. I wouldn't be surprised if there have been other women who have.

This past weekend, we had a great time at Tom & Debbie's wedding. I'll post pics later, but the weekend was a blur. We got to catch up with friends from out of town and with friends in town. Edwin was the officiant while I did a reading and sang during the reception with Pete, Nikki, Sanford, and Pete/Tom's cousin.

My Baby Has No Name Yet

We haven't really started to think about names yet because we're waiting until we find out the sex on Monday. (No Dennis, we will not be naming our child Thor and Legolas even if he is a boy. You should save those names for your future son.) However, I really liked this poem.

My Baby Has No Name Yet

by Kim Nam-Jo

My baby has no name yet;
like a new-born chick or puppy,
my baby is not named yet.

What numberless texts I examined
at dawn and night and evening over again!
But not one character did I find
which is as lovely as the child.

Starry field of the sky,
or heap of pearls in the depth.
Where can the name be found, how can I?

My baby has no name yet;
like an unnamed bluebird or white flowers
from the farthest land for the first,
I have no name for this baby of ours.

Traveling Dancer

Saw this video a few weeks ago, but I just love it because it reminds me of all the places that we have been to (and some that we would like to visit in the future!) and wanted to share. It always seems to make me smile.

Changing Lifestyles

Thanks to everyone on the well wishes for the baby. It's funny how it takes a mass email to hear from people again. I think that everyone just gets so busy, but it was like someone openned all the floodgates and we received so many emails from people. Some people we haven't even seen since the wedding. Since we will be celebrating our 2 year anniversary in 2 weeks, that means that we haven't seen some of you in 2 years. How does that happen?

This week was a particularly rough week at work. I'm just glad that it is over and hopefully, that means that I can get back to a more normal schedule.

On Friday, we got to catch up with some friends. It's funny how things change when people start having kids. We used to go out past midnight and now we are usually home by midnight. I guess that when you start having to wake up at the crack of dawn with kids and can't sleep in the next day, you start to question the value of staying up late. I think it gets easier as your friends start having kids as well.

Last night, we went to go see the new DeNiro and Pacino movie "Righteous Kill." Edwin's favorite movie is Heat which also stars these 2, so we were hoping that it would be good. It was entertaining, but definitely not as good as Heat. I also realized that we used to watch movies more often with friends, but lately, it's been the 2 of us if we go to see a movie in a theatre. I guess that's another change that happens when people start having kids. No one wants to pay for a babysitter or paying to see a movie in a theatre when you can watch it at home 3 months later.

Update on the basement- I've been remiss in posting pictures of progress. We are about 2 weeks away from having a new bathroom and family room/guest room. It's actually starting to look like a real room. All the rough plumbing and electrical are done. (For those who don't know contractor speak, that just means that all the stuff behind the walls is done.) They have completed the framing, put in insulation, and put up the drywall. They have started mudding and taping (which just means that they are smoothing out the surface of the walls.) We still don't have the shower, toilet, or sink installed and my guess is that they will start tiling this week. Windows have not been replaced and the stairwell still needs to be covered and painted. However, we have a ceiling and walls.

Trip to LA

These photos were from my trip to LA in August. I didn't have a chance to post them back then, but it was a family-filled weekend for me while Edwin went on his annual surfari in San Onofri.

Belly Bump Watch

Over Labor Day weekend, we went to see a couple of live cover bands. It was fun, but we definitely felt a little old since we were seated for most of it. I can always play the pregnancy card, right? We got to see cover bands for No Doubt, Weezer, and the Smiths. It was pretty loud in the club, so I wonder if the baby was able to hear the music. (I think I remember reading that the baby's ears had formed.) I also remember my mom said that she went to a Bee Gee's concert when she was pregnant with me which is why she is convinced that I like to dance and sing. We'll see.

This week, I guess that I am starting to show. One of my SVP's walked up to me and asked me if I was pregnant. I still haven't gained any weight, but I know that my belly has gotten bigger because none of my pants fit anymore. Last weekend, I was trying to find a dress to wear to a friend's birthday party, and I couldn't zip up any of them. It's a little disheartening, but the reason makes it OK. I do wonder if/when I'll be able to get back into my normal clothes. I definitely have a bigger, rounder stomach.

So if I haven't gained any weight and this is just a redistribution focused on my middle, then where was this weight hiding on my body before the pregnancy? That thought is a bit frightening. I'm not worried about not gaining any weight since the baby is only supposed to weigh about 5 oz right now. Since that's not even a pound, I'm happy that I'm not gaining weight too quickly. Most women are only supposed to gain 25-30 lbs during pregnancy, so I would like to stay on the lower end of that weight gain. I've never been good at going to the gym, so the less that I gain, the less I'll have to lose later, right?

Remembering

So today is the memorial of the September 11 attacks. I remember very clearly that I was getting ready for work as I heard the news. It reminds me that there is more to life than work. Lately, I have been working a lot. It's probably not the best thing for me or the baby, but it's just been really busy and very stressful.

In addition to work, there's also the stress of another remodel. We started finishing the basement right before Labor Day. I thought that the kitchen was stressful, but I feel like this one has been tougher. We had different stressors for the kitchen such as the language barrier since the contractor spoke mostly Chinese. For the basement, things seem to keep expanding in terms of cost, time, and scope. Not things I like to hear. I think that we might have been spoiled with the kitchen remodel because we did finish on-time though we did spend a little more than we had anticipated. We didn't have the typical contractor experience where they were late or found something bad which expanded the scope. So you already know about the water heater. This week, we heard that it was probably going to take them another week to complete the job. I still haven't figured out why. The material costs are definitely going to exceed the estimate, so it's all a bit frustrating. I am so relieved that this will probably be our last remodel project for a while. I can't wait until it will be finished. I don't like bad surprises. Being in strategy and analytics, I like to know about things ahead of time and plan for them. Probably another reason we want to know the sex of the baby when the time comes.

I'm sure that I'll be happy in the end, but it's just nervousness until we get there. I think that when I compare it to the kitchen remodel, I forget about the anxiety we had with that project and just remember the relief when it was complete.

I'm told that pregnant women also are very forgetful. I wonder if that is a factor as well. I feel like my memory lately has been suspect. This week, I forgot my laptop at a restaurant which I have never done before. Last week, I forgot to write an important check. I might have to start relying on Edwin to remember things for me for a while. Scary.