Dr's visit 12/29/2008

Went to the Dr's yesterday. Since G had the day off, he met me there (last minute, because I forgot to set the calendar to remind him 1 day in advance. I set it to remind him 10 minutes before :S)
I had to work yesterday and I have to work today. I am planning on taking tomorrow the 31st off.

Yesterday was kind of tough for me, physically. I was experiencing strong painful cramping, pretty much all day. I was also moody all day at work. I wanted nothing more than to crawl under our blankets and fall asleep for the rest of the day. So, by the time I got to the doctor's, I was tired out.

It was extremely pleasing to my emotions and physical state just to have G there with me in the room.

I want to document that I love Gerardo so much for dealing with me so well. He has been taking care of every thing that I need and rolling with the punches-Not that I have been throwing any punches LOL! But you know what I mean.

I don't know how he is doing it, but he is. He has been under a lot of stress with so many things to handle alone, at home. And he is doing it all with flying colors. From carrying anything that I shouldn't carry (mind you, this is a huge addition to his already full list of tasks) to building the furniture in the nursery, to fixing things around the house, buying items we need, reaching for things I shouldn't reach for, being with me when I need him-even if he is in the middle of doing something else, actually listening to me when all I want to do is talk to him about the baby or the same baby topics over and over...the list goes on and on. I know he is emotionally and physically tired. I can see it in his eyes, but he is still here with me and always has enough "energy" to do anything I need help with.

I can't thank him enough for being a very good man. I thank God for allowing me to be in his life.

Back to my Dr's visit results :)

Blood pressure 102/70
Weight: 159 lb (Gained about 6 lbs due to the holiday treats that I've been TOTALLY giving into. I've gotta be honest ;) But Dr didn't say anything about that.

Took my Type B strep screening. Will have the results by Jan 13th.

G said the Dr was too rough with my belly when he felt around for the baby. I agree, Dr was a little more rough than usual. But Dr. said the baby is still in head down position. FYI I was a breached baby; born naturally that way too. So, I worry about having one too.

I thought the Dr was going to check me for a due date or to see how dilated I am, but nope. I was in and out of there pretty quick. Last thing I remember the Dr saying is, "Hopefully, you'll have this baby in the next 3 weeks." OK!

G finally got to hear the heart beat in the doppler! YAY!


After the Dr's visit, G and I went to eat at Quizno's. I had a roast chicken salad w/ honey mustard and it was very delicious!

Christmas already?

I remember thinking, some time in July, "Christmas is so very far away. When Christmas is here, then it will almost be time to have the baby."

I can't believe it's already here.

Here are some recent changes in my diet/food cravings/aversions:

I don't like broccoli anymore. I used to really LOVE it. I can remember thinking about cold broccoli over a salad saying "mmmmmmm" Now, the thought of it makes me almost gag. I can't stand the smell of it either.

I don't like chicken again. I don't like the way it smells, I don't like the texture. I don't like the feeling of chewing it... But I know I have to eat it, so I do. I ate some chicken today but I really didn't want it. If I have to eat meat for protein, I would rather eat a steak or even better, SALMON!

I want milk! I love milk! MMM MMM MMM cold milk or warm milk with honey! YUM!

I can't stop thinking about, eating cookies and wanting to make cookies. I made some really yummy chocolate chip cookies last night. I ate 2. I wanted to eat 10. I gave some of them away today as gifts, at work. Got some positive feedback about them. YAY!

Today is our "Friday." We don't have to work tomorrow or Thursday. I MAY have to go in to work on Friday. If I do, I will come in for an hour or so and then go home.

What I am looking forward the most this holiday is taking pictures. I don't know why but I am so happy being pregnant on Christmas. I know we are going to look back and remember being this way during the holidays. It's so amazing.

The third trimester so far has been the one to go by the fastest. I think it's because I was entertained with the holidays.

Hope you have a happy Christmas!

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Big'Ol pregnant lady!

Oh my goodness! We had our company Christmas party today and someone was taking pictures. I went to look at them and WOW! No wonder people ask if I am having twins! I look huge! LOL!
Our little guy is really sticking out.
Lately, he loves to stretch a whole lot!!!!! It looks so weird from my "top of the mountain" point of view. I look down and my skin is stretching to the limit. I hope he enjoys those nice stretches :)

Below are some pictures for your viewing pleasure.

We were raffling off boxes of toys....she was calling out numbers!

Our company buys toys for research purposes. We have boxes and boxes of brand new toys. Most are still in their packaging. We donate a whole lot to good causes, but still have some leftover. People were so excited to be going home with boxes of new toys. Some plan to give them to the children in their lives (nieces, nephews, friends, sons, daughters, grandchildren)

Others plan to donate them to toys for tots.

Playing the "White Elephant" game. Ever played it? It's fun. There I am with my eyes closed. Hello!

I was looking at my list to see who's next to choose a gift. I do well with lists.

Uy uy uy! Why so serious?

OK so this guy (in the red) got the worst gift ever. Here we are trying to figure out what it was. It turns out it was strawberry flavored liquid supplements. :/ Terrible Christmas gift! No one stole it from him, poor guy, so he was stuck with it.

There are several pics of us with confused looks.

Look at my snobby face: "What is that? Ewww!" LOL

"No really, what IS that?"

Here he is trying to "sell it" to the other players, so that they can steal it from him. Look at my "Yeah right! Good luck, buddy!" face.


The girl behind the camera, until this pic. She's from Malaysia and sooooo super nice. She has a cute personality, speaks with an accent, but knows so many American expressions. It's funny. She said to me once, "You know if your baby is born after January 21st, he will be born in the year of the cow (Chinese astrology.) If he is born the year of the cow, he will be a cow boy tee hee!" She's so adorable!

(See the baby sticking out...hi!)

Here I am with one of the nicest co workers I know (middle). She has the same birthday as my sister. She made a big pot of champurrado for every one, even though the luncheon was catered :) The person in the blue scarf is my assistant. I got those set of 3 pre-lit trees at Big Lots for $16! COOL! The smallest one is hidden.

My assistant and I...oh and the stretched out sweater! (hi again!)

Journal entry

I know I gained weight overnight. How in the world does that actually happen? I didn't feel this heavy the day before yesterday! It's getting harder to walk. Feels like I have 10 lb weights tied to my intestines and to each of my ankles.

Today, a lady asked me what I was doing at the gym. She was so concerned for me. I told her I only walk-it's OK. She said "Oh OK, I thought you were lifting weights." :/ Ummmm nope. I don't do that.

The day before yesterday, a man at the gym who is a regular, asked me "Did you already deliver your baby?" WHAT? Are you serious? He said some women look like they are still pregnant even after they deliver, so he wasn't sure LOL! He's had 6 kids himself, well not himself..but you know...

You know what I saw on the internets today? Belly button piercings for preggo women! I am not kidding. Look!

It's pretty popular, I guess for women who are super proud of their bellies.

I have a shopping itch soooo bad! Because it's Christmas and there are so many people I want to shop for. I can't stop going online to look at potential gifts for people. But I can't! I won't! AHHHHH! Must save money! I will be unemployed...must resist!!!!!!!

I told G last night, I think we aren't going to be able to mail out Christmas pics this year. We took too long. That doesn't mean we won't take Christmas preggo pics at home and post them for you to see. We just won't have time to print and mail. :( Sorry.

We still don't have Xmas lights. All of this, NOT because we are lazy. Simply because we are busy!

I am really looking forward to Christmas next year and decorating when our baby is almost a year old!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! LOL @ being excited one year in advance.

My co worker said her 5 month old baby already admires her Christmas decor, with glee.

Well, it's time for me to go home. Tonight, if all ingredients are intact, I plan to make banana muffins for G and Isai. Will I eat some? Of course!

Good night everyone. Thanks for reading!

(Welcome Liz)

Mild Cramping (update)

Well, today is the day that those ladies predicted I would be having the baby, remember?
I thought that was funny! Darn witches ;) JK

Anyway, I called the L&D dept at the hospital yesterday, because well the pain was a little bothersome and not what I am used to feeling.
We also called our Bradley Method instructor, to tell her what was going on.
Both said that what I was feeling was normal. It's my body flexing and preparing for the BIG DAY :)
Braxton hicks, as usual. Only, a little stronger :)

*Clapping hands* Rehearsals everyone!

Based on the scale below, the BH pains I usually feel, on occasion, are about a 1.
Yesterday, the pain was about a 3.

Mild cramping (documentation)

Today, I am experiencing mild cramping. It starts from under my rib cage to my pelvic floor. Some of the cramping goes to the left side of my stomach. It feels like menstrual cramping. Cramping has been going on for about 30 minutes now. Feels like small pain surges rushing through my stomach, from top to bottom. I will wait to see how I feel in about another hour. After that, I will call the Dr. to see what they advise :)

Went online to discover, it's nothing to worry about. All normal.

But I've been told by my NP, online nurses, and the labor and delivery dept at the hospital, that nothing is too silly or petty to call in for.

I'm going for a walk and then going to drink some water. I'll update you all after I call in (if needed.)

Bradley Method Class 12/14/2008

This was the last class before a holiday break. For the next 2 Sundays, we will not have class.
WOO HOO! Not that we don't enjoy them. You know we do, but it will be nice to have a couple of Sundays to ourselves :) No need to get ready and go anywhere *sigh*

Our typical Sunday schedule:
Get up before 10 am (sometimes as early as 6 am sometimes as late as 9:45 am)
Walk Zero from 10am-10:30 am
Come home, get breakfast ready 10:30 am
Eat Breakfast 11 am
Shower & get ready for class 11:30-12:30 pm
Drive to class 12:40 pm
Class 1 pm to 3:30 pm
Stop by somewhere to eat! 3:15 pm
Come home by 4 pm with not much daylight to spare.

In this class, we learned about birthing positions. And yes, we practiced them along with breathing techniques. We also had a TWENTY minute relaxation session, where the ladies were asked to lie on the floor, with pillows, while listening to a relaxation CD. It was heaven. G was next to me massaging me the whole time. The purpose for spending so much time relaxing, is to find the relaxation method that works best for the individual, when going through labor pain. When the pain comes, we have to take ourselves BACK to that "comfortable" place.

Then, we watched ANOTHER video about a woman giving birth. This time, G and I oo'd and ahhh'd about the baby's cute chubby cheeks, although the baby's head was hanging out of her mom's you know what. I have to admit, this one was easier to watch. Maybe it's getting easier each time?

I always get hungry in the middle of class, although we eat before we get there. I feel like I haven't eaten at all. My stomach was making really loud grumbling noises during the video. Embarrassing :) We are allowed to eat snacks during class. So of course, I started munching. Can you imagine how funny I must have looked eating snacks while watching a birthing video? LOL!

This morning, we had pancakes, turkey hot dogs, oranges and orange juice. A pretty hearty breakfast.

Ah...so next Sunday and the one after that, will be all for us :)
Maybe we can finally fit our Christmas picture into our schedule, before Christmas.


Thanks for reading!

More room in the baby's room!

As you may or may not know, that hill of gifts we have, had been stored in the living room since the baby shower! The reason for this is because Isai's closet was full of our stuff and his stuff, that we hadn't had time to remove and organize somewhere else.

Well, tonight we FINALLY TOOK ON THAT TASK! YAY!

After clearing out that closet, we were able to move in more of the baby's things. That mountain is finally gone. Which means a few things:

• We have room for the Christmas tree in the living room now YAY!!!!
  
• We have a little more room in the baby's room for his clothes.
  
• We will be able to move some items we hardly use to the garage and have more room in Isai/Baby's room for MORE stuff.

OH! Also, G made some room in the garage by driving out to an E-waste event and getting rid of about 20 something items like laptops, monitors and other PC equipment and parts he had stored. Some were functional, others were just for parts. Gerardo had been wanting to get rid of these items. He tried to give them away but no one wanted them. Finally, I found an E-waste event in Riverside. We drove out about 30 minutes to drop everything off.

G gave away an entertainment center that had been in Isai's room. This was the toughest thing for us to get rid of. G held on to that entertainment for over 10 years. He kept it in great condition!
But it is now gone for a good reason, but it will be missed.


Here are some images of the progress we made :)

More items in the shelves. I love all of the books he received at the baby shower!

New mattress. Baby blankets folded neatly and placed in the crib.

Newborn sized clothing, socks, hats and shoes in the drawers.

Diapers-Size Newborn through size 2 stored away.

Fancy lotions and powders. Bath stuff. Misc Stuff.

More diapers + Diaper Genie

Here is a bag with "3 month and over" size clothing, which we will store away in the closet and bring out when he is the right size.

More diapers stored under the crib.



Grandma wants to buy his very first nursery bedding set! After we have that, we will also be starting the rest of the nursery decor. So we will post pics of that when we're done.

Slowly, but surely we are on our way to having the baby's room ready.
Hope you liked watching this step.

Thanks for reading!

Dr's visit 12/10/2008 + more

My appointment was in the morning. This time I was in and out in less than 1 hour. Remember last time it took over an hour to see me?

Anyway:
Blood pressure 112/66
Weight 153.8

See that?
I gained almost nothing since the last Dr's visit (153.5 lbs 11/17) 3 weeks ago. And without trying not to gain. You can ask Gerardo or anyone else who has been around me when I eat. I have been eating just like I normally do: A lot. But mostly the food my body needs. NP said my weight gain was right on track.

Baby's heart sounds good.

She touched my belly to check how the baby was positioned. I asked her to do that, because I had a feeling he had been repositioning himself all day yesterday. I felt a lot of rotation that was somewhat painful and uncomfortable-Nothing like his daily rolling movements. She confirmed my feelings to be true. His head is down and angled to the left. His back is facing the world and his butt is on the top right side of my belly! He positioned himself! But she said he can position himself anyway he pleases :) So he could be head up again soon. OUCH! :)

I asked the NP if she could spare 5 minutes to go over our birth plan. She did. She sat down and told me what we were allowed to request and what wasn't available at our hospital. All of the information she gave me was good to know. Now, G and I are almost done with our birth plan!

Next thing we need to put together is our overnight bag for that special day.

Last night, I dreamt vividly that I had delivered our baby at the hospital. Everyone kept telling me "It's over! Your pregnancy is over! He's here!" I felt sad about it being over, but I was happy to see the baby. I woke up in the middle of the night, to touch my belly. I half believed the dream to be real.

The night before that, I dreamt that I was breast feeding our baby. Being a newborn in my dream, he was very tiny and had some hair but not a head full of hair, like I suspect he will have.

After my doctor's appointment, I went to have brunch at my mother in law's house. I had some extra time before I could head back to the office. I have to say it was the most fulfilling brunch I have had in a long time. I had 2 tamales, 1 hot cup of milk with instant decaf coffee and 2 scoops of sugar, 1 small plate of cheesy spaghetti and some chopped up mango! MMMMMM! I really enjoyed it. I am in the office now and I feel so comfortable. I could totally take a warm nap and not wake up until it's time to go home hahahaa!
Then, MIL and G's grandma talked about baby stuff. G's grandmother is amazing. She is over 80 years old and can carry on a conversation better than most of us. Her memory is astounding. I am proud to carry her blood in this baby.

So, there you have it. The doctor's appointment for today.

My next appointments will be
December 29th 4:10pm,
January 13th 4:10pm,
January 20th 9:35 am
and
January 26th 9:35 am.

Oh and I had to buy new prenatals because I ran out today. This made me think of Samantha; They gave me NATURE MADE brand. They said they no longer carry Kaiser brand. Interesting huh?

Thank you for reading!

Bradley Method Class 12/7/08

Sunday, was our 4th class.

In this class we learned a couple of important details that G and I had been waiting to hear.

1. "When to head to the hospital." This is all going to depend on many factors, but ultimately it will be based on how long my contractions are, how far apart they are and how consistent they are. Also, G will need to take physical queues from me and pay attention to how I am handling the pain. Going to the hospital too early may lead to the hospital staff sending me home or injecting me with labor inducers or augmenters to speed up the labor process.
   
2. "Pain management." We practiced the different positions to relax and deal with the pain, all while holding a piece of ice in our hands. In one exercise, the men and women held the ice in their hands over a cup (to catch the melting ice) for 60 seconds. In another exercise, only the women held the ice in their hands for 60 seconds, while posing in the positions to manage pain. The exercise where only the women held the ice, was to cause discomfort or pain to the women, while our husbands tried to comfort us.
   

It was funny to hear and see how other couples reacted to this. One husband started whistling the "Jeopardy" song. His wife actually told him to SHUT UP in front of the whole class hahaha! After the exercises were done, the instructor asked us to pay attention to how we each dealt with the pain.

When she asked Gerardo and I to describe to the class how WE manged the pain, G told her we made eye contact and played a game. Which is true.
While the ice was melting in both of our hands (it was uncomfortable and a little painful), we just looked at each other and started laughing at the pain.
Then, my ice was dripping and I wanted to put my hand next to his hand, over the cup. But both hands didn't fit side by side, over the cup. So G moved my hand on top of his, so that the water could drip onto his and into the cup.
After that, I noticed G was squeezing the ice tighter to make it melt faster. His exaggerated, uncomfortable facial expression was making me laugh.

When only I was holding the ice and in position to "manage pain", I remember my initial feeling was annoyance by G massaging me-I was in pain. But it felt really good at the same time. So I tried to concentrate and focus on the massage and pay attention to how G was working so hard to make me feel good-I disconnected my mind from the annoyed feeling and went off into a day dream. When I did that, the annoyed feeling went away immediately and I was able "ignore" the pain. By the time I knew it, the time was up and we could let go of the ice.
The women had to do 8 exercises, 3 of which while holding the ice. It got easier and easier each time, even though the pain was still there.

Now, this doesn't mean that labor pains will be like holding ice. It's just a method to train us on how to interact with each other and cope with pain at the same time. Good times ;)

Then we watched a video about labor. Ayayay! It's still tough to watch, for me. But not as tough as it was at first. I still look over to see Gerardo cringing. I feel the same way. I can't get used to it. Sorry if it offends any of you that we squirm and cringe at these videos :)

Anyway, class was great! I really loved learning.

Thanks for reading!

Bradley Method Class 12/5/08

Last night we made up the class that was cancelled due to the Chino fires.

The class was all about nutrition and once again, the importance of a well-balanced nourished diet was emphasized.

To sum up the class, we were given a specific number of grams for each nutrient we are to eat on a daily basis. We have home work; to document our nutrient intake and read labels.

For example our protein intake; Protein is essential to support the liver. When the liver is strong and supported, the baby has a better chance of growing strong and healthy. In order to have good liver support, we as mothers should be eating at least 100 grams of protein per day.

Last night, I added up the protein content of the food that I ate, in the entire day, to read that my protein intake was a whopping 71 grams. Wow! I felt like I had eaten plenty that day and to find out that my protein intake was low, was disappointing.

The importance of eating well in the last trimester was discussed in more detail.

Again, weight gain was discussed. This time, we watched a video about a doctor who stated that weight gain due to eating healthy foods, in a healthy moderation, was expected.

Weight gain as a result of eating foods such as sodas, cookies, processed foods, junk food etc..was very bad for baby and mom, and could lead to complications. AND in severe cases fetal death, due to the mother's unhealthy condition.

MY FAVORITE PART:

The instructor said, if you want to eat cookies, go ahead and eat them BUT make them yourself and make sure that you include natural ingredients as well as nourishing ingredients: Nuts, oats, raisins etc.. Of course, this doesn't mean that I am going to go out and eat 100 cookies in one sitting, but it just means to eat natural and make things yourself even when your body is asking for the bad. This way, you avoid processed foods.

This is the last trimester, the baby's brain is developing more and more each day. Bad nutrition even for ONE day can affect the growing baby.

So, here's to eating healthy!

Fathern00b - Karate Kid

Activities.

Perhaps I am getting ahead of myself a little but I can't help but wonder what the hell I'm going to do when the time comes to supporting this kid when it comes to recreational activities.

I've never been competitive myself so the things he could learn from sports I couldn't really support. When I see parents yelling at their kids or their opponents, I can't help but feel a little terrible inside. I figure something must be wrong with me since everyone else seems to think it is right.

That competitive nature I've never had is what I feel I couldn't teach our kid. Teamwork, support and leadership I can understand. Pride, devotion and sacrifice for a sports team I cannot ever hope to comprehend. How am I possibly going to learn how to fake that?

Will it stem from the protective nature over the child? Or will I have to pretend to be the greatest fan of the Montclair Patriots? Will I have to ignore my desire to see the kid having fun instead of being frustrated with a loss or lower batting ratio? When friends and family watch sports I can understand their love for the game and their devotion for the sport. I get caught up in it myself if and only because it means so much to them. They are so happy when they have a victory I can’t help but share in their joy. When I see angry parents yelling or cursing at their children, however, all that goes away. It is a very different scene at kid sports than it is at a professional gathering.

So I think of activities that could be easier for me to be supportive of. For example, things like self-defense and other martial arts. I immediately picture broken noses, bones and bruises. Would any child consider non-combative Tai-Chi fun?

What about simple bicycle riding? Simple bicycle riding is not so simple when it takes place in the street with loose dogs, traffic and bullies.

It never really ends, does it.

Never approach with wild apprehension,
the events that will inevitably cause so much tension,
for you may forget it is ultimately the child,
that requires all your attention.

Bradley Method MAKE UP Class 12/3/08

Make up class for missing Sunday November 30th, because I thought we had it off due to the Thanksgiving holiday :( Oops!

We made up this class at the instructor's house, about 3 miles from our home. We arrived on time, after rushing home from work (phew!) We both get out of work at about 5 pm (on a good day.) Class started at 6 pm.

The instructor made pizza for us. She bought some wheat and regular pizza (dough) crust from Trader Joe's and topped them off with cheese, pepperoni, and sausage. One pizza had veggies on it. That was my favorite.

To contribute and thank her for taking the time to make up class with us, I brought with me a green salad-Romaine lettuce, tomatoes and cucumbers. Also a side of sliced avocados. She provided the salad dressing.

I was able to get out of work a few minutes early to go home and prepare this.
For dessert, I made a fruit salad from strawberries, bananas, raspberries, blueberries and apples. I brought a peach yogurt for dip, walnuts and granola! It was a hit :)


There was another couple there who also needed to make up the class. They brought with them some apple juice for all of us to drink.

We ate from 6 pm to 7 pm. I have to tell you, both of us preggo ladies were so smiley, giggly and happy to be eating. She (the other preggo lady) was telling everyone how much more she has been eating lately. I felt so good to be next to her talking that way. Because I know I eat a lot too. Even though, I eat healthy most of the day, I can't help but feel guilty for being so hungry!

Class started in the instructor's living room, while her husband watched their 2 young children (4 and 2?) in the next room over. He also watched the other couple/classmate's son (about 1 yr old) Instructor's husband was super cool about watching them, but they were loud sometimes. It was hard to hear the instructor talk. LOL! Better get used to it huh?

In this class, we learned about the drugs involved in labor; augmenting & inducing (such as pitocin), pain blocking (Epidural) and anaesthetics.

We also learned about the natural "drugs" your own body produces and the balances of a normal /natural labor (Labor without complications.)

We learned about C-sections and ways to prevent them (when complications are not involved.)

G and I are starting to have a pretty good idea of how we want our labor to be (of course at the same time understanding that things don't always go as planned.)

Before learning, it was like "Ummm, I don't know...we'll just go to the hospital and let the doctor's decide what's best."

Now, we know about choices and plans. It feels really good to be educated. There are still more classes we need to take. And I am looking forward to learning more.

We have another make up class on Friday.

Thanks for reading :)

A fun game to play-December 16, 2008 + Gym pics

I've been approached by two women today, each having 3 children or more, who have looked at my belly and said "You won't make it to January 2009."

One of them, who works at the gym, bet me I would have the baby in two weeks. She said "Mark your calendar and mark my words. December 16, 2008."

The other lady was at the cash register at the gas station, just now.
The lady at the gas station guessed I will deliver in 10 days, tops. That makes it December 12, 2008.

Both did the same thing; They put their fingers under my breastbone and over my stomach.

They both said I had a lot of room there, that the baby has dropped and is ready to go LOL!

How seriously can I take them? I don't know, but I think it's fun to play.


So mark your calendars with me, if you want to play along :)

********************************************************************************

Below are some pictures of me at the gym. I've been wanting to take pictures of myself working out at the gym but too shy to ask anyone to do it for me. I feel embarassed. Who takes pics at the gym? LOL!

I finally got the courage to ask a girl next to me, to take it for me. I thought she would be like "Um ok??"But you know what? She was SUPER nice about it. I asked her to take one, she took three. She said she could keep taking them for me, if I wanted. I thanked her and said no thanks. She was like "What a cool memory!"

Gosh! It looks like I was running. But I promise I was just walking sort of fast, swinging my arms up high. That's how I walk on the treadmill for 30 minutes a day.

Thanks for reading!

Journal Entry-December 1st 2008

Just a blog to write down my current thoughts and happenings.

A lot of people at work keeps asking me when I am due and when I am leaving for maternity leave. I've noticed the same people are asking me the same question. :/

How to solve this?

I want to put a sign on my office door or window, that says due January 2009. I can make it look really cute with like a chicken on an egg or something.

I'm laughing to myself.

We have an internal instant messaging system. I've already changed my status and pic to look like this:

I will let you know if it works :)

Today, I handed out a whole lotta thank you cards to my co workers, who gave me gifts at the baby shower. I sent, along with the cards, a couple of chocolates. Inevitably, I had about 3 pieces left and I wanted to eat them so bad.

I decided to hand out extras to some co-workers. *phew!* I couldn't put those two 30 minute walks to waste! I had one in the morning with Zero and one at the gym during lunch.

Today for lunch, I had some refried pinto beans, mixed with a couple of drops of tapatio. Heated those up. Topped them off with some fresh diced tomatoes and some bright green avocado slices! Washed it all down with a tall glass of water. It was actually VERY satisfying and delicious.

Most common advice lately: Walk.

Everyone keeps telling me "Walk, walk, walk. It will make labor easier." That's what I'm doing. It hurts. But I am doing it. I don't believe it will make my labor easier though. I know that your first is usually the longest. I will continue to walk nonetheless.

At work, there's one super slim girl who I avoid walking by. Every time she sees me, she says (with big eyes) things like "OH MY GOD you are getting so BIG!" or she will say "I think you are the biggest pregnant woman we have had here at our company" or "I see you eating healthy, how are you getting so big?" or "I guess you gain weight no matter what huh?"
All I can do is be gracious, smile and respond with things like "Well yeah, I am getting big, but I am pregnant. AND I know, after I have the baby, I am going to work hard at losing the weight" Then, she will say something like "I admire you." This conversation happens frequently. And in all honesty, I can sense she is not trying to be cruel. She is just ignorant.

It takes a lot to be nice when you are preggo. You just want to reach over and be mean right back. I guess because you think you have an "excuse."
And you know what? I have had some people say some mean things to me :(
But I refuse to counter. I have too many wonderful things going on in my life. I will focus on those.

So far, I have been doing well. I am not going to lie and say that at first, it wasn't hard to control myself, but as the pregnancy progresses, I am getting better at control :)

There are a group of people at the gym that are different than some of the waif-obsessed co-workers, I work with. These people admire health. I get compliments from them when I am working out or in the locker room. It's wonderful to hear women come up to me and tell me how beautiful my body is. I had one woman tell me, "You know, from behind, your body looks very toned and healthy. I would not have thought you were pregnant. At the same time, your belly is very beautiful!"

I am going to miss this part about pregnancy-The admiration of another woman who can empathize.

This Sunday should have been our Bradley Method class, but I could have sworn I heard the instructor say we had it off because of the Thanksgiving holiday. Now, we have two make-up classes this week. Class 2 and class 4. Wednesday will be class 4 and Friday will be class 2. Then, we have class again on Sunday! AH! Baby information overload! I really messed up.

Memory: I have been working on my memory. Practicing exercises like trying extra hard to remember people's names, instead of deciding (when I meet them) that I won't remember. Luckily, I met two people with "different" names recently: One is named Kaolana and the other Haseeb. I did good. I remembered.
Today, I ran into Kaolana at the gym and said "Hi Kaolana." He (yes he) was like "Wow! You remembered my name!"

I have yet to run into Haseeb, from the market down the street, but I know I will remember his name when I see him.

I still have my moments when I will forget something, but I try to find ways to find out why I forgot and take extra steps so that it doesn't happen again.

This weekend, I had 5 days off total (Wednesday through Sunday) I was treated so much like a princess by Gerardo. I just have to write it down. (I have to add, he is always super nice to me.) He helped me in the kitchen with Thanksgiving dinner. He sat with me when I wanted to just relax on the sofa. Gave me a foot massage! He made 5 CD's for me with my favorite music to have in my car. I didn't ask him and he just washed my car, bought new shocks for the car hood, bought new floor mats the old ones were originals (1997), incomplete and ugly, a new steering wheel cover (old one was falling apart) and refilled the steering wheel fluid, because my car was squeaking. Yesterday, I didn't even mention to him that I was craving raw vegetables. When all of a sudden, he asks me "Do you feel like eating at Souplantation?" I was like "OMG! YES!!!!" Right now, food just makes me so happy. I can't lie LOL! It was just one of the best times off I have had in a long time. I was actually relaxed and ready to take on my regular office work today. Girls, pay attention to the things guys do to show their love for you. Not all men buy flowers and candy! I am very grateful.