7 Quick Takes

So here's my best guess as to what has happened in the Big E household in the past week and half...

- 1 -

We enjoyed a lovely day trip to Lake Lopez in Arroyo Grande, CA to eat way too much Thanksgiving food with my godparents family, friends and my Dad. 

Prego camper & hubs

Not so wild wildlife. They like carrots. 

Best. Dog. Ever.

Usually we accompany Dad in the RV for 3 days of waking up way too early thanks to his 5:30am coffee grinding habits, but this year we skipped out since my pregnant belly wanted to sleep in it's own bed. So we just showed up for some quality campfire time and, of course, the grub. Very blessed to have such a wonderful extended family!

- 2 -

Insurance, Y u no cover birth centers!?

I finally got my butt in gear and read about 100 pages of a childbirth book. I'm seriously so lax in the prepared department. We signed up last minute for a Childbirth class at the Hospital as well, and went to the Breastfeeding class on Monday night. The booby class was much better than I expected (i.e., only marginally corny) and was really informative, so I'm going into this Childbirth course with high expectations. 

There seems to be no gray area with me. I either want to know everything there is to know about giving birth, or I want to go the "ignorance is bliss" route. So please, random women of America, stop sharing your birth horror stories with me. 

- 3 -

We got our maternity photos, and I think they came out beautiful (or as beautiful as one can make a puffy pregnant woman). FYI - we did not splurge on these, they actually came as a part of our wedding photography package. If you live in the SoCal/Orange County area, I highly recommend Gamboa Photography.

We plan on using the images in our Christmas card this year. Double bonus, two birds with one stone, and all that jazz.

- 4 -

34 weeks - OB says baby is head down. Good boy!

7 things I've noticed since entering the third trimester:

1. Everything is sore. 

2. I can no longer spell or do math.

3. It's hard to eat with feet in your ribs.

4. Clipping your toenails becomes an extreme sport.

5. Pants are not your friend.

6. Heartburn sucks.

7. 2nd trimester energy = completely gone.

- 5 -

 I'd like to take this moment (because I have nothing else of interest to say this week) to introduce you to an important member of the family. This here is Juicy Mama. Despite what you think you're seeing, she (he?) is not a koi fish, but a goldfish. Not only is she a goldfish, she is a goldfish we won AT A CARNIVAL SIX YEARS AGO. 

She is the behemoth of her kind, and an absolute terror. Before she reached size ginormous she shared a tank with two fancy-tailed golfish (Doogan and Leroy - I'm obviously very traditional when it comes fish names) who she slowly but surely tortured to death. She's been flying solo for the past three years now - just the way she likes it. 

Her favorite pastimes include binge eating, inhaling the rocks at the bottom of her tank and spitting them at the glass (she used to hurl them at the other fish), and making an obscene amount of noise splashing in the middle of the night.

We heart her.

- 6 -

Itty bitty baby socks. They melt even the coldest heart.

My cats are obviously very discriminatory with their love.

My mom (henceforth known as Grandma) came to visit on Tuesday night and stayed until Thursday morning. She is the laundry guru and I'm lucky to have someone volunteer to separate, wash, and hang up all the baby clothes while I nap.  And by all the baby clothes I mean about 78 outfits, 19 blankets, a bajillion baby socks, and other miscellaneous items. This child will never be naked. 

My Dad (henceforth known as Grandpa) is coming up bright and early on Sunday to paint the baby's room and the guest bedroom. I will, again, be sleeping.

Much love and thanks to my parentals! 

- 7 -

Hey, remember when I used to write about things that were important and intellectual? Yeah, me neither.

Hit and Run

This will be a quick update, as we (husband, me + fetus, and my Dad) leave for rural northwest Arkansas tomorrow afternoon. We will be gone one week, and as you might have guessed, they are not so familiar with the interwebs there. Just kidding - only my grandparents don't know what that is.

We moved into our new place Sep 7 and finished Sep 18. Pro Tip: don't move. Or pay someone to pack it all up and move it for you. And get insurance for when they drop your box of dishes and break all of them.

Our new townhome has air conditioning. Winning.

Cats like their new home. Ella demonstrating - looks like a comfy position right?

September 18 was our two year wedding anniversary. Oh my! We went out to a fancy dinner, but otherwise kept it low key this year. In between all the packing and moving, I also forgot to get Brian a card. Epic Wife Fail.

I've hit that comforting 24 week mark. Baby boy is growing well and does Irish river dancing in my uterus every night.

Just me, baby, and some Batman pajama pants.

Letters from my brother while he is in the navy boot camp. So rewarding. 3 weeks until his graduation in Chicago! I am quite the traveling pregnant lady.

Fall and Winter are coming. Cozy times ahead. I am sleepy. Goonight!

7 Quick Takes: Exhausted Edition

WARNING: I have absolutely no idea what day or month it is, I've been wearing a nightgown for 3 days, and I haven't eaten my second dinner yet. Don't hold me responsible if (when) none of the following makes sense. As I've been so quick to tell my husband lately, "The baby made me do it."

— 1 — On Monday, I will be 18 weeks pregnant. Here's a recap:
Weeks 6-10: All day nausea with total food aversion. Did not hurl. Taking two naps a day in addition to sleeping 8 hours at night. Peeing every 2 hours. Yeast infection (which I have never had before).
Weeks 10-14: Sleep. Pee. Eat (more like scarf). Repeat. Throw in the occasional shower.
Weeks 14-18: I've turned a corner - only peeing every 3-4 hours, and taking one nap a day. Sporadic food aversions. Ravenously hungry but can only eat small amounts at a time. Sometimes I even change into real clothes. Most of the time I walk around in my underwear.
See? You haven't missed much.
— 2 —

12 Weeks - Things are starting to look different.

16 Weeks - Please ignore the unwashed hair and the tag sticking out. I was trying on my dress for Jenn's wedding rehearsal dinner.

18 Weeks - WTF is happening to my belly button. And why do I have body acne and excess hair growth?

The crazy part in all of this: I've only gained 3 pounds. How many McDonalds cheeseburgers, bags of Ruffles, and boxes of Cheez-its do I need to eat!?
— 3 —   Part of the reason I've been so lax in blogging (besides the obvious lack of stamina) is that my 8lb gaming laptop is way (weigh) too heavy to be sitting on my lap. Baby doth protest. So I found this nifty thing on amazon and it came today. All the joints are adjustable, though it took me awhile to decide what worked best for me. Teh awesome. Oh, and it's purple.
— 4 —

Brian and I both survived being in the wedding party. I only had to sleep for two straight days afterwards.

 July 28, 2012: Congratulations Sarkis and Jennifer!
— 5 —

Japanese restaurant with the family - this was the Fire Exit. Pretty sure that sign says, "You are Sh*t Outta Luck."

Spent a weekend down in LA with my Dad, Mom, brother, his girlfriend, and cousin. It was nice to see everyone, and even nicer to stay in my Dad's RV with air conditioning. Not to mention we went out to eat for like every meal, which is really the only way to eat when you're pregnant.
— 6 —

RIP Kyo, December 2004 - July 2012

Our family dog died too young and really unexpectedly just two days after I left from my trip down to LA. I'm not ready to talk about it. The idea that his giant, smiling face won't be there to greet me next time is just too much to bare.
— 7 —

Our big ultrasound is on August 15, coincidentally the day my brother also leaves to start US Navy boot camp on the other side of the country. Very proud of him and his decision, but having mixed feelings nonetheless. He has never left home before so I imagine this will be hard for our family. 

Happy 6th Birthday

Click here to view this photo book larger

Disclaimer: This is a crazy cat lady post. You have been warned.

On March 23 our cats turned 6 years old. Well, somewhere around March 23. You see, our cats were adopted, but not at a shelter. On March 27, 2006 (a little over a week after Brian asked me to be his girlfriend) a friend from college found out her boyfriend's step-dad had found two kittens at his construction site -- in a dumpster, believe it or not -- and he asked her if she knew anyone who had room for two cats?

I texted Brian half-jokingly if he wanted to adopt two cats, expecting him to say no (and knowing his mother would...he was still living at home then)...but his answer was an astounding yes. I went after school that day to meet the kitties for the first time. They were less than a week old, as they couldn't walk around yet, nor were their eyes open. The vet had guessed they were somewhere between 3 and 6 days old. Somehow, we ended up using March 23 as their birthday.

Cinder and Ella (as we ultimately decided on...yes we are Disney fans) were cared for by my friend's boyfriend's mom who worked at home. They had to be fed every 3 hours, and there were two of them! Sometimes I still can't believe that she worked so hard and loved them so much, and was willing to give them up to us. After my college classes, or after work, and almost every weekend, I went to the house and helped bottle feed and play with them. Brian came occasionally as well. Needless to say, I consider myself their Mommy, and feel so grateful to have them in my life!

Happy Belated Birthday to my two special furbabies! We love you!

Wordless Wednesday

Happy Birthday!

Wednesday, November 4th was my 22nd birthday. Brian and I went to Disneyland in the morning, then I went to work, and then Brian and I went to Benihana's for dinner. Yay fried rice! Well, now that that's over I'd like to say Happy Birthday to someone else!

Sindy (Yes, I spell it with an S)



I got Sindy in Kindergarten when we she was about 6-8 months old and I was 5. She was my first pet and she has definitely been my longest living one too! She was also born in the month of November, so I keep track of how old she is by using my birthday as her birthday as well. So...

Happy 17th Birthday Sindy!



Even though you're a little bit older and grumpier, have no front teeth, have clumpy hair, won't sleep in my bed anymore, and refuse to use a litter box...I love you. We have snuggled together and cried together. You were always there to keep me warm at night when I needed you.

I remember how you used to bite my feet at night when I tried to go to sleep. I remember how you used to run around the house at night and act crazy. Sometimes you liked to sleep right on top of my head or next to my face. You're too old for that now. One time I was holding you like a baby and you scratched the whole side of my face! OUCH. I forgive you. I remember you brought us a dead bird on Christmas Day. You were so pleased with yourself. But most of all I remember you sleeping soundly at the end of my bed...which is hard to forget since you left an indent in the mattress. :D



And you still sleep with your eyes covered by your paws. How cute!

Happy Birthday Sindy, I love you.