Random Thoughts

*My belly is officially sitting on my thighs- what a weird feeling!

*turning over (in bed, on the couch, anywhere really) has become quite the workout. I have admitedly turned into a "huffer and puffer" and Paul chuckles at all of my noises I make when moving these days.

*I had my first "hospital" dream last night- although I think it was a bit off from the real experience! I went in, 6 weeks early, and was put on a SHARED table with 20 other women who were all simultaneously in different stages of labor. Mine was false labor, but just seeing these other women at different points scared the crap out of me! Good thing this doesn't really happen!

*I'm beginning to look like Alvin the Chipmunk, storing nuts in my cheeks for the wintertime look. Luckily, Paul and I have a running joke that works for me- every day, he passes by and comments "did I tell you that you are beautiful today?" in a lighthearted tone that just makes me crack up. He's such a good support to me!

*I think I should invest in TUMS. If interested, I think the Tums Smoothies 750mg are the best. Berry flavored.

*I'm considering bringing my own hospital gown with me when we deliver. I've been looking at a few different styles (with varying prices) and I'm tempted. I know some moms will say that it wouldn't have made a difference to them, and other moms who will say they wish they had them around when they delivered. They are just sooo cute, and look so much more comfortable than the ones I've been given at Kaiser so far, so we'll see.

*Only 3 weeks until I am off for my maternity leave! I was granted permission to leave 4 weeks prebirth, and then 12 weeks after birth, so I'll be gone for 4 months. YAHOO!!

*tomorrow, I might just start to pack my hospital bag. I still have 6 weeks or so to go, but you never know if she comes early, and knowing me i will definitely want some "must have" items at the hospital with me.

*I played with the car seat and stroller today, and had fun picturing Ginger in them. I love the Chicco system that I registered for- it was a consumer reports best buy and I definitely know why! It is so easy to use, that I ended up using the stroller today to transport some of my laundry that was too heavy to carry. So much fun.

OK, enough thinking for now. My memory is almost shot so I figured if I didn't get it all out now, I may not have some of these thoughts again. I want to make sure to document these funny things for Ginger's baby book, so when I'm old and gray I can laugh at myself!

Thanksgiving Day, 2008 (A LOT to be thankful for!)

With less than 7 weeks to go, Paul and I have a lot to be thankful for today. We have a loving marriage, supportive family, and a beautiful baby girl on the way. I couldn't have dreamt that my life would be so wonderful!

Here are some of the final pics from our maternity photo session- enjoy!

Some awesome pics of Ginger's room

Kymberli took some professional shots of our little girl's room when she was here for our baby shower, and I think they look SO good! I love how she knows how to use the camera to capture angles, light, contrast, etc. She has a great eye!

Anyhow, I thought I would share :) You can click on any of the images to enlarge, if you'd like!

We had the bedding custom made, pink hibiscus flowers with hula girls:


On the bookshelf, I have my Bearenstein Bear book collection, along with a Petter Rabbit book my grandmother gave me in 1986, and a book of children's stories that my mom and dad gave me in 1987!


Pin-Up Surfer Girl is what I was going for...


What little girl doesn't deserve a Mrs. Potato Head?


I loved the quote on this little flower...

Ginger's Godparents

We couldn't be happier to share the news that two of our closest friends, Shanna and Randy, have accepted the role to be Ginger's Godparents!

Paul and I thought long and hard about this, and knew that for hundreds of reasons, they would be the best best choice for us. For one, they live right up the street and will be a visible presence in Ginger's life. Shanna has been my best friend since 7th grade (can you believe it- we've been friends for 16+ years!) and through thick and thin we have stuck by each other. She is actually responsible for Paul and I meeting for the first time, as she introduced Paul to me in 10th grade and was trying to get us together even back then (Paul and I didn't end up dating until my after my freshman year of college). She's not "my" friend, she is truly "our" friend, having her own friendship with Paul through high school, so Paul respects her and values her, and loves her a ton!!

When I first shared the news with her that we were pregnant, she was genuinely excited for us and has already began to spoil Ginger, even before she is born! She threw us an amazing baby shower, and, well, she is just going to be an amazing Godmother to Ginger. Plus, she's a nurse, she's Catholic, she loves crafts, she loves to shop, she has good taste. Need I go on?!?

I had so much fun posing the question- Shanna's birthday was November 10th, and Paul and I went up to their home this past Saturday to celebrate. We brought presents and an ice cream cake, and Shanna had the pizza and beer (and diet pepsi for me). We watched the UFC fight (my first one ever) and during a break, she opened her presents. We got her a new cookbook (she loves to cook!) and then the 2nd gift was a framed 4D ultrasound picture of Ginger with the following poem:

Dear Auntie Shanna,
I hear that you are a special person to me
From what I hear, I am pretty LUCKY!
I am looking forward to meeting you
And all the fun stuff that we will do
From tubby time to my sippy cup
You will see it all as I grow up

So after all is said, here is the thing
To my life, mommy and daddy love what you will bring
They agreed that there could be no other
So I would like to ask-
Will you be my Godmother?
Love, Ginger

Shanna accepted (of course!) and we all hugged, we extended the invite to Randy, who accepted the Godfather role, and we couldn't be more thrilled. Shanna- if you're reading this (which she will), you are a dear, dear friend and I can't WAIT for you to be such a big part of Ginger's life!!

3rd trimester SMACKDOWN!

Well, I guess my 3rd trimester wanted to smack me in the face last night...check out how it went down...

9:15pm- a developing headache became full blown massive, can't look into the tv light or hear sound. must get in bed and close my eyes.
10:30pm- pounding headache still. despite not having taken any meds this entire pregnancy, decided to take 1 tylenol, to see if it would help. potty break too.
12:00am- heartburn attack! drank a glass of milk to see if it would help. potty break too. good news- headache seems to be gone.
2:15am- heartburn attack again (these are PAINFUL)! Took 2 tums. potty break again.
3:30am- potty break.
4:15am- potty break.
5:45am- potty break.
6:55am- potty break.
8:45am- potty break.

Are you kidding me right now? I have had the wake up a few times for potty in the past, but this was out of control- sometimes not even an hour had passed!!!

I also had a crazy dream that I was hanging out with Leona Lewis (pop star) but that all of the kids were making fun of her, so I had to stick up for her around campus. Let me tell you- it was a tough night!

A few more (from a man's point of view!)

So the first few posted were from Kymberli's point of view, and here are a few from Al's point of view. I love how they capture different shots, angles, moments. I can't wait to see the rest of the photos! Don't forget to check out their website, www.webbedfootphotography.com to see more of their amazing work!

Maternity Session- Sneak Peek!

Today, Paul and I went down to Huntington Beach Central Park to have some maternity photos taken, and we've already received a few shots as a "sneak peek" to our session. Kymberli and (her husband) Al are a professional photography team, and good friends of ours. Kymberli and I met at work while I was at Appleone, and we were both regional trainers together supporting Southern California. Though I left after a few years, we have kept in touch and I am SO happy that we have. She and I are a lot alike, and often refer to each other as "twinsies" because we seem to have SO much in common. Well, it turns out that we both announced our pregnancy at the same time, in fact when she posted the news on her myspace page, I replied with "We're pregnant TOO!! Twinsies for sure!!" She is about 11 days ahead of me, give or take, and it has been wonderful to share stories along the way.

I can't say enough about how talented and amazing Kymberli and Al are, as a photography team. If you ever need photography services (formal or informal) you MUST check out their website (www.webbedfootphotography.com) and give them a call. I have no doubt that they will be photographing Ginger regularly, in addition to family portraits, etc. I might as well book them for the next 18 years now to lock in a good rate, because I KNOW they will continue to succeed in their endeavors. Thank you for everything, you two, you mean the world to us both and we can't wait for playdates with Ginger and Riley!

And so it begins...

This is only the 0-3 months, and 3-6 months clothing we have for Ginger- I have just as much 6-9 month and 9-12 month clothes stored away. I have been blessed with two great friends, Jovita and Scarlett, who have provided me with entire bins full of clothes, plus stuff that was given to me at my shower, plus stuff I've picked out along the way (but not much has been purchased by me!)

Paul laughs at my OCD organization, and told me to take a picture of this, because it will probably never look like this again. Ha! Once I finally get the dresser in, I'll have a bit more space to put things, but for now everything has got to be squished in here!

Things I love...

With only a few months left before Ginger arrives, I've decided to make every day off I have count, for me. Because I work a 9/80 schedule, I have every other Friday off, in addition to a bunch of extra holidays (aka Veteran's Day next Tuesday, 11/11) Although it's been crazy switching employers while I am this far along, I do have to say that I REALLY enjoy having these days off to myself. So, I try to do something special on these days, instead of sitting at home in my pj's watching tv.

Today, I had so many things that I love happen. First, I got my hair done, and every woman in the world can relate that there is always a new spark in your step when you leave with freshly colored and cut hair. Especially because I am taking my maternity photos this weekend- my roots were a disaster and now look much better! And don't worry, my stylist makes sure not to put the highlights directly on my scalp, so no product can seep through my scalp and hurt Ginger. :)

Then, I decided to head over to the mall, as the Nordstrom's half yearly sale started today. There were so many things that I loved about my day there. First, I love Nordstroms. Don't get me wrong- I am a deal shopper in all other ways, but there is nothing like the service you get there, and I got it all day long being HUGE and pregnant. I stopped by a few makeup counters and picked up a few new things, then headed over to the sunglass section, where I got an amazing new pair of Coach sunglasses for 50% off!! YIPPEE! Then, over to the shoes, where I didn't buy anything (as my feet are swollen and I'd have to buy shoes that wouldn't fit me in a few months) but it was still fun to oogle over all of the boots and heels that I don't get to wear right now.

I stopped by a few other departments and browsed around, and finally decided to treat myself to a late lunch at the Nordstrom Cafe. I absolutely love this place. I don't go enough, and every time I do, I always tell myself that I need to go more often. Again, since this was a day about ME, I decided to splurge for lunch, and had a cup of clam chowder, a side spring salad with balsamic vinegrette, and a french dip (could only eat 1/2 of it cause I was too full by then!)

From the water with fresh lemon, to the amazing servers who kept checking on me (cause I was pregnant and alone, which was FINE by me!) everything was sooooo yummy. It's pretty funny to see how many strollers were in the cafe today, there must have been 5 or 6 mommies there, and it made me smile. I'm sure that before I go back to work, I'll want to take Ginger out for a girl's lunch to Nordy's cafe. Well, we'll see!

Anyhow, I hope that I can continue to make something special out of my few remaining days off before Ginger arrives. I sure did enjoy myself today!

Victory, and defeat...

It is with grace that I write this post, as I know many of my family and friends are saddened by Obama clinching the presidency. I have been backing him for almost 2 years now, and have been inundated with questions about why, how could I, as well as some pretty nasty emails that were just plain untrue. Regardless, I feel victorious that Obama will now be leading us in a time when we need him most. He will be a uniter, so long as he is not purposefully tripped by those who want to see him fail along the way. This was one of those elections that people were looking at each other and thinking "how could I possibly be this close with this person, and yet see things so differently??" but I think that it proves that we live in the most amazing country in the world, that allows us to coexist with such radically different opinions, and still maintain peace.

Today I went and worked the polls counting paper ballots, which felt great and I'm glad I did it. I was able to see the behind the scenes process, although next time around I will probably sign up to work at a voting location so I can work more closely with people.

We were also victorious this election in freeing our caged-in animal friends, which I am so happy about as well. I have been buying cage-free eggs for years (I really do think they taste better, IMHO, in addition to knowing they were humanely treated) so this will actually be a benefit to me, as increased competition might lower the artificial price they are now, as their seen as a "premium" whereas in the future it will just be the norm.

Although we have been progressive enough to elect a black president, and offer freedom to our animal friends, it saddens me that we are still willing to strip a fundamental right away from gays wanting to marry. I am a Christian, and I understand the argument that's been presented to me on the other side. I suppose I am what you might call a progressive Christian, vs. a traditionalist, as I (as a woman) work outside the home, feel I am an equal to my husband, and don't take the Bible in such a literal sense as some others I know. I am deeply perplexed that so many people feel good about this decision- I imagine the confederates of the late 1800's feeling really good about challenging black rights, or in the 1920's and 1930's, white men feeling really good about challenging women's rights, and just have to wonder how anyone can feel good about this. But, I know minorities and women didn't gain access to social rights overnight, they were long, heartfelt battles to change social perception. And so, we fight on.

I am SOOOOO happy to be bringing Ginger into this world with Obama as president. I only hope that the progress I've seen in my lifetime so far, continues to build and provides an even better world for my children to take over, and pass along to their children.

Bedding complete, and a pic from Kymberli's shower!

Paul and I stopped by Babies'R'Us tonight and you can officially call me "Betsy the Cow", as I am the proud owner of a dual automatic Medela breast pump. We went to dinner afterwards, and made jokes all night about the whole breastfeeding experience- I'm sure it will be tender when my baby is here, but until then, it's just kind of funny and reminds us that we are all mammals at heart :)

While we were at Babies'R'Us, I was able to pick up the folding hamper I've needed to complete our crib bedding. I had my lady make a custom hamper bag and I was able to attch it all tonight. Here are some pics of how everything turned out- I think she did a phenomenal job!

I added a pic of my friend Kymberli and I from her baby shower today. What a great experience to be going through all of this with her, we've been able to share stories and compare notes, and her shower today was really fun. We both are already "over" how ginormous we are, so please just bear with my double (or triple) chin that seems to be a permenant feature these days.

Arrrrrrrrrrrrrrgh Daddy!!

Isn't he the cutest ever? I wanted to make sure to post these so they get into Ginger's book once I create it. What a hot pirate!!