25 Weeks

The last few weeks have gone by so quickly. All I seem to remember are the days when I was 10 and 12 weeks pregnant, staring over at the 22+ week preggos during yoga wishing I had a "bump". Well folks, here it is. Thank you to my cohorts Elise and Elizabeth for accompanying me to the parking lot in front of the office to take this picture.

Arriba!!

Our office had a Mexican Fiesta after our July office meeting; the food was delicious. Jennifer and I are sporting non-alcoholic margaritas...so yes, basically just the Jose Cuervo mix on ice. Exciting!

We have hired so many new employees that we decided to wear nametags to help everyone along and naturally, "Sophia", got her very own nametag! Jennifer is unsure if she is having a boy or girl, so her nametag remains a question.

23 Weeks

If you look closely you will see the babies profile, and her little fingers up by her mouth. Yes that's right, I did say "her", we are officially having a girl.

23 Weeks

Buon Giorno

Some recent pics from our trip to Italy and Paris. It was a shorter trip than normal but it felt good to relax.

The View

The day after we arrived in Radda we went into town, this is one of our favorite views.

Pretty

Birds and the Bees...

During an afternoon lunch at our new favorite spot, we noticed the birds flying from one tree to the next. We would hear a big 'phwoosh' when they would all fly at once.

Hard at work...

Dan really did work every day, he would email at 3am, and sketch during lunch. I hope his clients are appreciative!

The Pool

I've been bugging Dan to take a picture of my current appearance...so, here I am at 5 months pregnant.

Delicious

I think this is Max's and Jasper's favorite dish. They scrape cheese from the middle of this large parmesan wheel. Leaving the cheese in the wheel they pour alcohol in, light in on fire, and then toss in cooked pasta. Mix it together and you have a very tasty pasta dish.

Paris

First: the boys posing in front of Notre Dame in Paris.

Second: a very beautiful door that I happened to run by on my way to find beads.

Thanks Dan!

Visiting Italy each summer is such a wonderful experience for all of us, and I'm grateful that Dan makes it happen every year! I'm also happy that he took another picture which catches the growing bump...this picture was taken in Paris at the end of the 9 days. Dan thinks I look like I could deliver anytime...I assured him that his sarcasm will only make me grow larger.

Baby's First Shoes

For Dan's birthday Claudine sent him a very sweet book and the smallest baby shoes I've ever seen. The book is called, Why a Daughter needs A Dad, and the shoes are posted above. I can not believe her little feet will fit into these shoes!

$$$

I finally did it...I had the garage sale. It was a labor-intensive day but Dan and Max were very helpful. After the sale I was exhausted...fall asleep in my portable lawn chair, exhausted. I'm glad its over, but I'm ecstatic that everything sold. (Well, almost everything.)

Alisal Ranch Family Weekend

Fishing, Air Riffles, Horseback Riding, Wagon Rides, Rodeo and Trails…we actually did all of this (I opted for the hay ride instead of horseback riding). We had a great time together. I can’t forget to mention our reigning family champion, ping-pong king Max, who managed, evening after evening, to single handedly dominated the table. Grown men from as far away as the lodge tried to defeat the 13-year-old prodigy, but only one man, well into his forties, prevailed.

Texas

The AIA convention was a great experience, but seeing Renee, Collin and Carter was the best!

Hiccups

I felt very lucky to be seeing you again so soon. Today you had the hiccups and with each one, your entire body would thrust itself up...and then slowly float down. I could see all of your little fingers pressed tightly together and, once again, I heard your heart beat.

Colorado

We enjoyed a quick weekend trip to Windsor to see family and friends. Denise had given birth to Madison only two weeks prior to our arrival. We took turns holding the little one, Max looked like a pro! Our first night in town Martin invited us to an Eagles game, always a fun experience...great friends, great entertainment.

Vroom...

We had a busy day today. The three of us drove down to the Grand Prix of Long Beach to watch the first ever Le Mans Series race (at Long Beach), the only set back was that we didn’t make it for the LeMans so we watched the celebrity races instead, (a disappointing substitute). Martina Navaratilova was in second and we didn’t get to see who won because George Lucas veered into the next lane cutting off one of the other drivers. The other driver hit Lucas’ car, sending him into the wall. Then came the Champ Car Atlantic qualifying race where we watched car after car roar passed us attempting to set their best lap time. The noise was so penetrating, I wondered if at 10 weeks, you were able to hear the cacophony of sounds?

After the race we drove back to LA for Max's good friend's bar mitzvah....so much fun.

Wow!

I thought this day would never arrive. My original dr. apt was scheduled for Tuesday the 10th but last week Dan found out he had to go to Korea, arriving back Thursday. I’m not superstitious but there was something odd about scheduling my first doctor’s appointment for Friday the 13th. (Please don’t be a devil child.) I was awestruck upon seeing you for the first time. It is unbelievable that our bodies could create and nurture you. I have spent my whole life knowing women have babies; learning about babies in school, babysitting as a teenager, watching as my step-mom - and friends around me - had babies, experiencing my friend’s little girls and boys growing up before my eyes, and watching as Max went from 6 years old to 13 in no time. Yet, somehow now that I am experiencing this first hand, it is surreal. I am suspended in a state of disbelief, left contemplating how we are able to create something so magnificent. And that very life which we create, with luck, love and nurturing, grows up to be a strong self-sufficient adult. Simply amazing.
You were very still when we peaked in on you, all except your heart - which was beating at 170 beats a minute. We saw your little fingers. You measured 3.76cm.

Spring Break

We headed to Tokyo for Spring Break this year. Max's 'big' was to go to the Bapes store, a specialty shoe store, and mine was to see if Prada is still selling my ballet slippers. Despite not being able to eat sushi and the realization that my new olfactory superpower works around the clock (as opposed to working only when standing near bakeries, chocolate shops or flower stands) we had a good time. Max and I not only mastered the Tokyo Metro, but we explored the Imperial gardens (and Meganebashi Bridge) while Dan was working. I also managed to find "jewelry town" where a host of bead wholesalers abound. Max was a trooper!

Yum

I bought wheat germ last week…wheat germ!

- Lowers cholesterol
- Combats colon cancer
- Prevents constipation
- Helps stop strokes
- Protects against heart disease
- Improves digestion

I used to think of wheat germ like I thought of prunes, it was meant for an "older" generation. Never mind that the word "germ" is in the title or that it looks very similar to saw dust...wheat germ is my new best friend.

Dotting the i's and crossing t's

The last few weeks have been such a whirlwind. I’ve been concentrating my efforts on taking vitamins, drinking water, (8 ounces an hour), and eating a variety of foods filled with fiber, iron and other necessary ingredients for a healthy me. I’m thankful that I weaned myself off of caffeine when we first started trying and I am eating breakfast consistently for the first time in my life. I have been feeling great and so far have no signs of sickness.

The last pair of earrings to sell...

Shhh

I’ve managed to keep you a secret, though it hasn’t been easy. How long I am supposed to wait, until 8 weeks, until 10 weeks, until 13?

It's All Happening....

And there it was, the infamous “plus” sign. I was breathless, staring down at this stick saturated with pee, just breathless. Questions rushed through me. (The plus means I'M pregnant, right? Am I really? There’s a baby growing inside me? Am I sure the plus means I’m pregnant?) I was so excited and I couldn’t wait to tell Dan, he was 3000 miles away in NY and I was joining him later that night for our routine 1am dinner at Pastis. I changed a 4pm flight to 1pm and before I knew it, I was escalating my way past the rockin-loud, Hudson lobby into our tiny hotel room. I handed Dan a little note I made on the plane that joyfully announced, “We’re Pregnant”.

We had a great trip...we returned to our favorite steak frites and french onion soup establishment...Pastis, and walked around Soho. I love when Dan has business in NYC!