The Best Time of the Year?

I always think that Christmas is my favorite time of year. I mean, what's not to love? The anticipation of time to be spent with friends and family, holiday decorations and the best part of all--Christmas music played 24-7 on the radio stations. As a "grown up" I think I also am partial to this time, as it is my least busy at work and I am able to take some of my saved up vacation days. Reflecting on the past few days though, I am starting to rethink my feelings, as I really love that time of year when the sun is shining and it's warm (but not hot) and everything just feels nice. Those who are in the bay area will likely agree that we had some pretty amazing weather over the past three days. It was so nice to be outside and compounding this with a 3 day weekend (for me at least), I was a pretty happy kid. Did anyone else notice the butterflies EVERYWHERE over the weekend???

We had a great weekend overall and were able to accomplish quite a bit. On Friday afternoon, Allen and I went to Andale for a quick dinner and picked up my cake at Icing On The Cake. There is one time of year when I allow myself to truly indulge in my favorite treat, and Al ordered banana cake in honor of my 28th birthday. If you haven't tried it, you've probably heard me talk about it, but it truly is not to be missed! I try to replicate this at home and it never turns out quite as good. Here's a picture of the beautiful banana cake before Al and I took it down (sadly enough, it was gone by Monday morning).

We are slowly starting to accumulate more gear for the baby and nursery. On Saturday, we attempted to order the crib/changing table, but left with the mission unaccomplished. At this point, we are starting to run out of time, but I think that it all should be taken care of by Tuesday. I actually LOVE the furniture that we picked out and think that it will last for years to come, as the crib is convertible to both a daybed and a full sized bed.

On Saturday night, we had dinner with friends at PF Chang's which was a lot of fun. Pregnancy has definitely made our nights a little bit more low key, and we came home to hang out with the dogs and watch "Forensic Files" (just another wild & crazy Saturday night!). The dogs were a bit amped up, and I love the way Peter looks in the following two photos!

Later this week, I hit week 29 of the pregnancy, and starting in April we have a lot going on. I have been so lucky thus far, but over the past few days my back has been hurting a lot. I am really hoping that the pain starts to subside, and have been trying to stay as active as possible. The bad back pain tends to disrupt my sleep patterns (i.e. - I don't sleep) although I know that will be par for the course once the baby arrives.

Here's a picture from week 28.5-ish

Hope everyone else was able to enjoy the weekend!

28ish Weeks

There are SO many pregnancy resources out there these days and in an attempt to stay abreast of all the newest info, I have subscribed to 3 websites which tell me what is happening to my body and the baby on a weekly basis. In order to get this information, the websites require that you plug in your due date and email and the rest is automatic. Ironically, of the three websites, two of them claim that I am 28 weeks and one of them tells me that I'm 29 weeks. Combine all this with the fact that I am having a c-section in week 39 and the timeline gets even more confusing!


That being said, I had my 28ish week appointment with the doctor yesterday. It was a really quick visit and she said that everything is looking great. We listened to the heartbeat and she measured my growth. According to the doctor, my weight gain is still "right on track", though I am feeling pretty big these days. In addition, she is pleased with my blood pressure thus far. My next steps are getting registered for the hospital and picking up copies of my x-rays from Dr. Kula. At this point, it is up in the air as to whether I will be able to have a spinal or an epidural for the c-section. The worst case scenario would be general anesthetic, which is not optimal, but ultimately I will be happy with the least amount of pain possible! :)


Overall, things are going really well. We picked out and ordered blinds for the baby's room and are slowly narrowing down paint colors. A lot of people have been handing down baby clothes and it has been fun to see all the cute stuff that she will be getting!


I'm still keeping up with yoga, though this week's session was a lot harder on my back than any of the previous weeks. My back has been acting up this week and I haven't been sleeping all that well. I am hoping that a 3 day weekend will help get things back in check, otherwise it looks like I will be spending many a sleepless night downstairs on the couch, catching up on old reruns of MacGyver.


Today is a big day for my friend Shelley! She is due (today!) with "Baby G" and introduced me to prenatal yoga. While I am so bummed that last night may have been our last our yoga class together, I am very anxious to meet her new arrival and we are looking forward to spending time together once both of the babies are here.

Exploring Our Inner Barefoot Contessa

As you may or may not know, I am mildly obsessed with Ina Garten (a.k.a. the Barefoot Contessa). I own all of her cookbooks and continually find myself engrossed by the fabulosity that is her life. Ina's show on Food Network chronicles her experiences at her home in the Hamptons where she is visited by her fabulous friends and they enjoy amazing meals, floral arrangements, table settings, wines, desserts, etc... In fact, I secretly dream that I will someday find my dream job as Ina's assistant, but until then, I'll just satisfy myself by watching her show and making her food.

Ina's most recent cookbook, Back To Basics was gifted to me at Christmas time by my Nana (with a little help from my observant cousin and aunt!) and I have been slowly attempting to try some of the recipes. Ina is NOTORIOUS for her use of butter, so I have to pace myself as my weight gain is definitely creeping up there. For this weekend, I decided to satisfy my sweet tooth by attempting Ina's Pumpkin Roulade with Ginger Buttercream (I've been on a bit of a pumpkin kick lately).

Allen tends to prefer that I handle the cooking, or if left to his own devices, he also tends to prefer foods that he can throw in the oven, heat in the microwave or simply eat directly from the fridge. Yesterday, however, he decided that we should make some homemade sushi as I think he was having a craving. Little did we know what a production this would end up to be!

We realized that we needed a rice cooker (I had my mom's from 1982 but managed to lose the lid in one of our 7000 moves) and then after visiting 3 grocery stores, we were able to gather the other assorted ingredients (seaweed, crab, tempura batter, shrimp, cucumbers & avocados). I think it was after 7:00 when we started assembling everything for dinner, so needless to say, Al was rolling sushi until at least 9:00.

Here is a picture of Allen rolling the sushi

And finally, the finished product
And of course, my pumpkin roulade...It definitely doesn't look as good as Ina's, but I'll keep practicing.

If we can't agree on a name for the baby, maybe we should consider naming her after my culinary hero! :)

For Our Reader(s) in France...

Ever since starting the blog, I have been hesitant to post any "belly photos", as I haven't been able to find any that I like. One of our readers in France (because we are so big in France! :) has requested a "belly photo" and it is only because I love her that I have decided to oblige...

This picture was taken around 22 or 23 weeks. I am now at 27 weeks and according to the weekly emails I receive, the baby is approximately 2 pounds and the size of an eggplant. In addition, she is now able to blink and her lungs are developing further.

Overall, I still have been feeling good, though a bit more tired at the end of a work day. I am keeping up with yoga and trying to go to the gym as much as possible. My next doctor's appointment is scheduled for next Wednesday and I think I am done with tests for awhile. I just received all my paperwork for maternity leave from work and need to start sifting through all of that. I can't believe that I am winding into the last couple of months--the time has been going by really fast.

In other news, Allen and I still can't seem to find a name that we agree on. In addition, we have completely different views regarding nursery decor! We're in the final stages of crib selection and want to choose a special one as it is a gift for the baby from Nana (my grandmother).

Hope everyone is doing great!

More Fun Stuff!

As mentioned in my previous posting, I have a few special pieces of my mom's that I am really excited to put in the baby's room. Her art was truly amazing and I find myself coming to appreciate it so much more as I have gotten older. Sometimes it makes me a bit sad that she's not here to be a part of this special time, but as I come across these things, it does remind me that she still is watching out for me and will always be a part of my life.

I thought I would post two more pictures of items that I am planning on putting in the baby's room. The first is a painted and hand-carved piece that she did and the second is the lid to a Humpty Dumpty box. If any of her painting friends are reading, I'm sure you'll remember this box! :) Unfortunately, all I have is the lid (unfinished), as I think that this was a reproduction. If I recall correctly, the original box had a bottom that was painted with bricks and a small removable drawer. If you look closely at the box lid, you'll notice that the second horse is unfinished. In addition, the outside edges of the box have not been painted and the entire piece is unvarnished.

I think it's time to take a poll! Should I ask someone to finish the piece, or should I leave it as is? I'd love some comments if anyone has an opinion!

A Special Find

A few months back, I received a box of some of my mom's stuff, and when I finally went through it, I was delighted to find the Noah's Ark cabinet that she painted nearly 15 years ago. Even though she sold a lot of the art that she produced, I was always secretly glad that this piece never really left. The cabinet was in two pieces when it came to me, and Allen helped me restore it to it's original structure and I am very excited to put this in the baby's room.

Between trips back and forth from school, moving numerous times and an assorted number of other circumstances, it has been bittersweet, as there are a lot of things from my mom that I would love to have--especially now. With the baby being due on what would have been her birthday, it really makes it all the more special to come across these finds so that I can have them back in my life as Al and I start our own family. I know that she would love the fact that her art is going to be displayed in her granddaughter's room and that makes me happy as well.

In other news--this is a good week! We got the results from my gestational diabetes test and I am in the clear. No diabetes for me! I did find out that my iron is a bit low (according to my doctor, this is normal), so I will be taking an iron supplement for the remainder of the pregnancy.

Also, I think Allen and I have picked out the crib and changing table. I really like both pieces of furnitur and am excited to order them soon! I have pictures of both on my phone, but am still too "low tech" to post them to the blog.

The Countdown Begins...

The first call I received at work yesterday morning was from the scheduler at my doctor's office. She called to notify me that my c-section had been scheduled for Thursday, June 11th at 8:30am. It was a very short conversation, but an important one! We now know when the baby will be arriving, but we still are yet to agree on a name. At this point, we have 100 days to find something that we both like.

It is interesting to hear how different people feel about scheduling c-sections. Some are perfectly comfortable with the idea, while others are very vocal in expressing what seems to me a negative opinion toward women who schedule c-sections. For anyone who doesn't know, I am not pulling a "Hollywood" birth, but rather have been advised by both my obstetrician and the surgeon who performed my spinal surgery that a c-section will probably be the best bet for me. I am comfortable with the idea, and I think it is exciting that we will know when the baby is coming!

In baby news, things seem to be getting quite a bit busier for us! This week, we scheduled all our classes (C-Section, Infant Care, Infant CPR, Breastfeeding & Good Sam Hospital Tour). We have spaced the classes out through the months of April and May and I am hopeful that we will be able to remember everything that they teach us!

Today was my gestational diabetes screening. All in all, I can't complain about the process, as it wasn't bad at all. I had to drink a glucose solution (tasted like a melted orange popsicile) and after an hour, I had blood drawn. They said that I should get the results from the test by Friday, so hopefully I pass!

I have been keeping up with yoga and both Allen and I are staying busy at work. The dreary weather has made the dogs a bit restless and I know that Scout is dying to go to the ponds--SOON! As promised from a previous post, I have included a picture of Scout sporting her "radar dish". I think it is pretty obvious that she hates wearing it, but Allen and I think it is the most hilarious thing--imagine what we are going to make the baby wear just so we can get a laugh! :)