29 Weeks 3 Days!

 

How Baby Gill is Growing:

 

Baby Gill now weighs about 2 1/2 pounds (like a butternut squash) and is a tad over 15 inches long from head to heel. His muscles and lungs are continuing to mature, and his head is growing bigger to make room for his developing brain.

 

How I'm Doing:

 

My back is continuing to get worse, which I expected, but man, 10 1/2 weeks can't come any sooner. Standing no longer seems to help it, but walking does. I try to take breaks at work where I just walk around the office, but as soon as I sit back down it starts up again. I've now resorted to using ice packs and my heat pad at work. I'm becoming quite a spectacle I'm sure. On a positive note my back is the only thing that's bothering me. I've still been exercising but I've dramatically changed my work outs. I don't lift weights too often because I find I get a shortness of breath fairly quickly. I've mostly just been walking briskly. I have a couple of friends I meet with each week to walk with. It's nice because I get to work out and catch up with them.

"Don't wake the baby"
So Justin finds it amuzing to poke my stomach until the little guy wakes up...even at 3 am. Example: Last night I went to bed before Justin. He came in at about 3am (him and Max were hanging out in the living room). Anyway, he puts his hand on my stomach and says "I want to feel him kick", so he starts poking. I said, "hey, hey now, I feel like he finally just went to sleep and hasn't been kicking me don't wake him up". Needless to say, two more pokes and the baby was up. I think Justin kept his hand on my stomach for maybe two minutes then said, "okay, I'm turning over and going to sleep". WHAT?! So now I'm laying there wide awake because the boy is doing jumping jacks and I can't get comfortable. It is slightly amuzing.

Names:
We are still looking at and researching names. We have one name we both really like, but nothing that we absolutely love. Picking a boy's name seems to be much harder than picking a girl's name, at least for us it is. We've looked at so many names that I think it's safe to say we'll probably stick with the one we both can agree on unless something else comes up.

Little Italy Art Walk

We had another great weekend together. Friday night we went to Filippi's for dinner (one of our favorite restaurants in Little Italy).

Saturday we slept in and then went for a run in Mission Bay. Let me rephrase that. Justin went for a run, I went for a walk/run (mostly walk). It was such a nice day out. Saturday night we went to the La Jolla Strip Club (no, it's not an actual "strip" club, it's a steak house) to watch the Bones Jone's UFC fight. We stayed up way too late Saturday night talking and watching home videos. It was so much fun.

Sunday we slept in and eventually got around to leaving the apartment. We walked around the Art Walk for a couple hours. It was a fairly nice day, but a little chilly every now and then.  I was excited to find and artist that I really liked and had affordable pictures! I had said from the beginning I didn't want the baby's room to be safari theme or animal themed for that matter. However, when I came across this artist it all changed. There are several other pictures I'd like to get, but for now I just got one. I also came across a vendor who made and sold goat cheese popsicles! Do you know how much I love goat cheese?! It sounded a bit gross but they reassured me it was good. So, I ordered a strawberry balsamic goat cheese popsicle and I enjoyed every bit of it.

Max came down last night. He got to our place at about 6:30. He treated us to dinner at Seasons 52, which is quickly becoming one of my favorite restaurants, especially since it's so close to our place. For those of you who've never been I highly recommend it. Everything on the menu is under 475 calories and the portion sizes are decent. Everything is fresh and part of the menu changes out every week (hence the "52" in the name). The main part of the menu changes every season. In other words, everything they serve is in season and fresh. After dinner we ran to Ralphs to get Golden Spoon. The three of us then went back to our place and hung out and talked until it was time for bed. It was a great and relaxing weekend.



 

 

The picture I bought for baby Gill's room and my goat cheese popsicle!

 

Just showing the picture to my new best friend ;) Justin got a new app for his phone. We've been having a lot of fun with it.

An Ode to Justin

I haven't talked too much about Justin on my blog and I haven't given him the recognition he deserves. He has truly been great throughout this whole pregnancy. I've noticed that as I get further along he becomes even more helpful, which is nice. It's fun to see him get excited about feeling our baby kick, or seeing him move. Yes, he's finally felt and seen both. I was beginning to think he was never going to feel a really good kick. Well, baby boy has been kicking up a storm and Justin's been able to feel him quite a bit. The other night he actually saw him move for the first time. It was subtle, but he still saw it. It's great being able to share these special moments together.
Last night Justin was at one of his open mic nights (stand up comedy). I stayed home to wash baby clothes, pick up the place, set up a schedule for us to get through the Bradley Method book and if there was time...relax. After I took my shower I realized it was kind of late for me to go out and get food, and I was hungry. But, I was more hungry for something sweet. I text Justin and asked if he could pick me up something on his way home. He called almost immediately and asked what I wanted. I told him it didn't matter, but that a brownie or milk shake were on the top of my list. By this time most places were closed so it didn't leave him many options. You know what my sweet husband did? He went to CVS which happened to still be open and bought stuff to make me a milk shake and he bought a betty crocker microwaveable brownie, in case I wanted both. When he got home I was in the spare room hanging up baby clothes. By the time I was done and went out to the couch he had the milk shake made and the brownie heated up sitting next to my seat. I definitely didn't need both but he went through all that trouble that I just had to eat them both ;) He does stuff like this for me often.
As you know from my past blog posts, my back has been really bothering me. Almost every night he makes sure to rub my back to make it feel better. I don't know what I'd do without him. I really do love him more each day.

This photo makes me laugh every time I see it. On Sunday were trying to figure out where to eat.  I yelled from the other room, "Hey, where do you want to go for food?" He didn't answer so I walked into the room he was in and there he was with my hair towel on his head and he says, "how about Indian". I had just taken a drink of water and pretty much spit it out everywhere. I couldn't stop laughing. He does things like this all the time. It's never a dull moment at our place.

28 Weeks 3 days!

Well ladies and gentlemen, baby Gill and I have started the third trimester. We now have less than 12 weeks to go, pending things are on schedule (which I'm betting they probably won't be). In other news, I have 8 weeks left of work before I can go out on disability. My back has been getting worse, so I'm looking forward to not having to sit at a desk all day. I do have a make shift stand up desk they've made for me at work so I can sit or stand as I please. It's a bit of a catch 22. If I stand for too long my feet hurt, if I sit for too long my back hurts. I try to rotate in ten minute increments.

This is my make shift stand up desk.

Today I got to be the model for Sense4Baby. It's a product for high risk pregnancies. I'm not going to go into detail about what all it does, just that they needed photos for the marketing pieces. Enter me and baby Gill :) We spent most of the day in a mock hospital bed taking photos of the device on my belly. Baby Gill was quite the show pony. He seemed to be wide awake and was kicking anyone who touched my belly. It was actually pretty comical. I can't wait to see how the photos and video turned out.

How I'm doing:
Other than my back things have been moving along pretty smoothly. I have noticed I've been more tired lately, something I was hoping wouldn't happen. I kept reading that the third trimester is similar to the first in that you don't have much energy. I just had so much energy in the second trimester I didn't think it was possible to lose it. Or I was at least hoping I wouldn't lose it.

How baby Gill is growing:
By this week, our baby weighs two and a quarter pounds (like a Chinese cabbage) and measures 14.8 inches from the top of his head to his heels. He can blink his eyes, which now sport lashes. With his eyesight developing, he may be able to see the light that filters in through your womb. He's also developing billions of neurons in his brain and adding more body fat in preparation for life in the outside world.

Great Weekend!

Justin and I had such a great weekend together. I guess more specifically, a great Sunday together.
Justin was out of town Thursday and Friday. On Saturday I went to the gym and then took the train up to Orange County for our friend's baby poker night (guys version of a baby shower). Let me back up...I was supposed to take the train all the way from San Diego to Fullerton, but the San Diego tracks were being worked on so I had to take a chartered bus up to Oceanside and from there I was able to take the train to Fullerton. I must say, it was an overall nice ride. It beat driving for sure. Justin picked me up and we grabbed something to eat from Stubricks (one of our old places we used to go when I lived in Fullerton). We then headed over to Jake and Steph's for poker night. The guys played poker and us girls did a little baby shopping and grabbed some dinner at chick-fil-a. Steph and Sandra brought their adorable little girls who definitely kept us entertained.  It was really great to catch up with our friends. We don't see them that often now that we live in San Diego. After we left Jake and Steph's we stopped at Pechanga for Jessica's birthday. Again, another really nice catch up with our friends. It was just the four of us (Steve, Jessica, Justin and I). We stayed for a few hours and then dropped them off at their hotel. We got home at about 2:30am. It was definitely a long day, but we made up for it on Sunday. We didn't get out of bed until 2:30pm! It was so nice to just do nothing. Part of me wanted us to get up and enjoy the nice weather outside, but the other part remembered we only have a few more weeks of quiet and down time and we better enjoy this. So, that's what we did.
After we were up and ready we drove to Barona to eat at their buffet. Now, normally I'm pretty good about what I eat, but from the beginning of this whole pregnancy thing I told Justin I eventually want to go to a buffet because it's not something I normally do or will do after. So, we did. I think we were both disgusted by how much I ate. I will say, the dessert bar is what really stole my heart. I think I went back 3 times!
Once we got our fill and could barely move we headed home. We ended the evening on the couch watching Argo. It might now sound like much of a day, but for those of you who know us we are always on the go and it seems like we are always entertaining guests or driving to meet someone one place or another. So, for us it was perfect. We got to relax and have quality one on one time together. I couldn't have asked for a better Sunday.

Gym photo: only posted this because I realized most of the pictures I post are with the board.

Appointment with new doctor

I had my first appointment at the new doctor's office on Friday. My appointment was at 2:30 and I was told to arrive 15 minutes early. I got there 20 minutes early (like a good patient) and checked in. I wasn't called back into the room until 2:45. I was then told that the nurse wouldn't be in for another 30 - 45 minutes!! I said, "are you kidding me? This is not a very good first impression and so far you aren't looking better than Kaiser". The lady apologized and said a nurse would be in eventually. After 35 minutes the nurse finally came in. I was a bit annoyed with the wait but she was so calm and nice that I forgot about being upset. My appointment didn't feel rushed. I was able to ask a lot of questions and she answered them all very thoroughly. She made me feel much more comfortable about the delivery process. Something Kaiser was never able to do. She reviewed my weight and measured my belly. She said she'd like to see me gain more weight and I was on the lighter end (don't worry, I made up for this part this weekend). It's hard to believe I need to be gaining more weight when already I feel like I'm the size of a house...and it's only going to get worse. I reassured her I don't diet or anything, I just make sure to eat healthy.
After I met with the RN the doctor came in to introduce himself. I was told that there are 6 doctors on staff and any one of them could deliver baby Gill so I should make it a point to meet a different doctor at each appointment. It was reassuring knowing that they wanted me to meet with the different doctors so I would feel more comfortable. In the seven months I was going to Kaiser I never met a doctor or anyone other than the one midwife who most likely wouldn't even be delivering our baby anyway.
The new place also suggested I have my thryoid checked again. Apparently it's supposed to be checked every trimester to make sure it's at a normal level, especially given my history. Kaiser told me they wouldn't need to be checking it anymore. Needless to say, I had my blood drawn on Friday and am waiting for the results. All in all I'm glad I made the switch to deliver at Mary Birch. So far it's been a positive experience.

The Bradley Method

Now that I'm entering my third trimester the labor process doesn't leave my brain. Instead of daydreaming about our little boy I find myself daydreaming about passing out during delivery, doctors and nurses rushing in, Justin looking confused and wondering what to do next...it's a mess! It's safe to say I'm terrified about the whole thing. Since I've switched from Kaiser to Mary Birch I do feel a little bit better. I have my first appointment with the new doc tomorrow. Anyway, I thought taking some classes might help ease the terrified feeling and make me feel more comfortable, or at least gear us up to know what to expect. My good friend Jeanna, who's also pregnant, knows I'm strongly against wanting an epidural because of all the negative things I've read about it. She suggested we take a class on the Bradley Method.  I didn't realize it was a 12 week class and I'm due in 12 weeks. So, to get us caught up, I signed Justin and I up for an intro class and then planned to go to a couple of classes a week until we were caught up.
Tuesday night was the first class. I have to say, Justin is a true champ and a more than supportive husband for sticking it out. I myself was ready to leap out the door ten minutes into it. Don't get me wrong, the woman who taught the class was very very nice, it just wasn't my speed. I was hoping to learn more about the 12 weeks of classes and instead we were pretty much just told about other people's birth stories, with a lot of unnecessary details. The two hour class ended with two videos. The first video was from 1985 and gave reasons on why ultrasounds may be bad for us. Here's my two cents on that matter...the video is 30 years old. If ultrasounds were that bad they would've stopped doing them by now. The second video was a couple's birthing experience using the Bradley Method. Here's the thing...at this point in my life I know how babies are made and I know where they come from. I don't need to watch someone else push one out. I don't think I've been that uncomfortable in a long time. Imagine 5 couples squished in a tiny room, crowded around a t.v. watching an overly helpful father with a thicker than life mustache caress his wife the entire time she's in labor (nauseating) If that wasn't enough we all watched her push the kid out. I wanted to hit the husband for her. I thought, give the poor girl some room and stop touching her hair! Anyway, it was impressive to see she didn't need an epidural. She actually made the whole process look rather easy. It was just really uncomfortable watching the video, and to add 6 other strangers into the mix, I couldn't wait to get out.
After the class Justin and I exchanged our thoughts and were both relieved to see we were on the same page. I'd still like to practice the Bradley Method, but we will be buying a book and learning it ourselves. I'm actually looking forward to that. We'll set aside a night or two a week to read the different chapters and practice the things it suggests. Hopefully that will help ease my nerves and it will help Justin feel more prepared as well.

Bridal Shower and Baby Swap Meet

My mom and I made it through the weekend and man am I exhausted!
Our flight was delayed about 30 minutes on Friday night. Once we got to San Jose we got the rental car and started our 2 1/2 hour drive. We were so exhausted we had to stop a couple times to get coffee, go to the bathroom, grab an ice cream from McDonalds. Pretty much anything to keep us awake. We got to Paso Robles at around midnight. We stopped by my aunts for about 20 minutes and then headed to our hotel. By the time we got to bed it was well after 1am. We got up early the next morning, had breakfast at our hotel and then headed to my aunts to start preparing stuff for Alissa's Luau Bridal Shower. We rushed around most of the day to make sure everything was in place for the shower to start at 3. I'd say we all did a great job in getting everything up and running. The place looked like a luau by the time we were all done with it (I sadly don't have any pictures of the place). However, I do have a picture of the cake!!

Pictured below: Mom, Alissa (bride-to-be), me, and Aunt Juanita

It wouldn't have been a luau without the "roasted pig". Yes, my aunt had a cake made to look like a pig just for the occasion. It was the best tasting pig I've ever had ;)

Sadly we had to leave the shower early in order to make our flight. So, we got in the car and started our 2 1/2 hour car ride back to San Jose airport. Justin picked us and we were home by 11:30pm.

Sunday was the baby swap meet! We didn't get to bed until after 1am on Saturday night (technically Sunday morning) and woke up at 6am on Sunday. We were out of the apartment by 7:30 and in line by 7:50. The swap meet didn't start until 9 so we had an hour to kill and it was really cold out. Fortunately they had hot chocolate and coffee and we were standing next to some other nice ladies that we chatted with. It was a good thing we got there early because by 8:30 the line was horrendous!
Our game plan was to rush through the aisles looking for big items (high chair, dresser, crib, etc.) and then comb back through the aisles for the smaller stuff. Once we were let in we were off. I'd say we got most of the good stuff within the first hour. Items go quick! My mom did a bit better than I did. She was able to find a mini crib and mattress for her place, a high chair that matches her kitchen dining set perfectly and a crib set that I'll most likely end up using. I on the other hand found a ton of clothes, a lot of them were only $2 or $3 and looked like they'd never been worn. Some of them even had the tags on them. I also bought baby Gill a Burberry sweat suit for about $8. I also hooded bath towels for $1 (also looked new), blankets, a crib set for $10 (which I probably won't use but it had two bed skirts and two blankets included so I figured those were at least worth that much), a travel bassinet, a couple toys, and a few other items. Overall it was a great day and it was definitely worth our time. I'll include more pictures later, but for now, here's a sneak peak...

This is a small section of what the place looked like. I saw a few friends from work here also.

 

 

The sweat jacket on the left has matching pants and the outfit on the right is FAO Schwartz and has matching shoes. Most of the clothes in the closet came from the swap meet.

After the swap meet we went to lunch, ran a few errands and then headed back home to wash all of the stuff we just bought. It was another late night. We didn't get to bed until 2am and I had work the next day. Needless to say it's Wednesday and I'm still exhausted (which could also be because I start the third trimester this week and I've read I'll be just as tired as I was in the first).

27 Weeks!

Happy Friday! This weekend is going to be a busy one. Tonight my mom and I are flying to San Jose to drive 2 1/2 hours to Paso Robles for my cousin's bridal shower that takes place tomorrow (My cousin is pretty awesome so she's definitely worth the travel). The reason we are flying is because I need to be back by Saturday night and it's a 6 1/2 hour drive from San Diego. Paso Robles is only 3 1/2 hours from my mom's place but she is going to drive down to my place today (3 hours) to fly with me to San Jose, to rent a car and drive 2 1/2 hours to Paso Robles, get a hotel and repeat the trip back tomorrow, so that she can go with me to the baby swap meet on Sunday. I know, it sounds crazy, but that's the kind of grandma she is (not crazy, but always going that extra step). 

Side note for our baby boy when he one day reads this...know that your grandparents always went above and beyond for us :)

Baby swap meet - I've been told about this by several people. Apparently it's one of the largest baby swap meets out there. People bring everything from new things to used things. It's a great opportunity to get awesome deals. I have no idea what to really expect, but I'm pretty excited about it. I'll give an update after we attend.

 

Baby boy update:

I think we are finally over the shock of it being a boy and truthfully, we are stoked. I've been thinking of all the fun stuff we can do with a boy! I'm not excited to start the name process over, but we'll eventually make it happen.

 

This week, our baby weighs almost 2 pounds (like a head of cauliflower) and is about 14 1/2 inches long with his legs extended. He's sleeping and waking at regular intervals, opening and closing his eyes, and perhaps even sucking his fingers (we saw him suck on his toes). With more brain tissue developing, your baby's brain is very active now. While his lungs are still immature, they would be capable of functioning — with a lot of medical help — if he were to be born now. Chalk up any tiny rhythmic movements you may be feeling to a case of baby hiccups, which may be common from now on. Each episode usually lasts only a few moments, and they don't bother him, so just relax and enjoy the tickle.

 

How I'm doing:

My back pain has been getting worse. Sitting down is an absolute killer. Come Friday at work I'm ready to work lying on the floor. Other than that everything's been fine. I've still been working out. I've been working out with Kate on Tuesday mornings and Jeanna on Wednesday afternoons. I've been supplementing gym work outs with other work outs such as yoga and hiking. I'm hoping to get back into the gym to do weights next week. Overall I've just been listening to my body and trying to take it easy when necessary.

 

San Diego Baby Shower

On May 6, 2013 my friend's Erin and Mary Beth threw a baby shower for Justin and I in San Diego. The girls really outdid themselves. I mean the place was beautiful. There were fresh flowers, linens, balloons, a ton of food, a darling cake, I mean it was the works. Erin lives right on Mission Bay so the ocean was literally our background view.

 

 

 

Cute little girl cake made out of vanilla and chocolate cupcakes.

It came time to open presents and oh boy did we get a lot of girl stuff. Of course as we are opening gifts we are all oohing and awing over the little girl things. My friend Stephanie's mom even made a rhinestoned Green Bay packers onesie with a matching green and gold tutu.

Here are some of the other things we got. As you can tell, Justin looks thrilled...

Here's a cute little dress Shelley got for her.

Diaper cake Mary Beth made for us

Lamb playmat my mom made for our little girl (who's apparently not really a girl!)

Some of my San Diego friends and co-workers

 

Always go with your gut...

Saturday morning I woke up as the future mom of a little girl, however, I went to bed as the future mom of a little BOY! Let me recap how this all happened...

Before we had the first gender ultrasound I had a very strong feeling I was carrying a boy. I had gotten myself mentally prepared for a boy and was really looking forward to a boy. However, we went to the ultrasound appointment and asked the tech to write down the results (the full story can be read on the "reveal" post). The tech had told us he was confident in what he saw, I mean, he wrote it down in ink for crying out loud. The tech had 30 years experience and went back twice during the appointment to check the gender (I asked him to go back the second time to see if the umbilical cord was still in the way). The kind of funny thing is when we left the appointment I said to Justin, do you think he wrote down the opposite of what we are having out of spite? You know, because I asked him to check a second time? Needless to say, Justin reassured me that whatever was written down was accurate because the guy said he was confident. Well, my intuition must have been wrong because when we did the cake reveal the frosting was pink which meant we were having a girl. For 6 weeks I've been mentally preparing for a girl. I know 6 weeks doesn't sound like a long time, but when all you think about is the baby you're carrying and what your life will be like with that baby, 6 weeks is a long time. In those 6 weeks my mom and Shelley have spent endless hours and a ton of money I'm sure making things for baby girl Gill. I'm talking blankets, bibs, onesies, skirts, headbands, play mats, crocheted booties and crocheted blankets, the list goes on. They also spent four hours on Friday at the fabric district in LA buying fabric to make more things for baby girl Gill.
But even though this whole time I've been getting used to the idea of a girl, my gut kept telling me that something wasn't right and I really thought I was carrying a boy. Justin reassured me several times that the tech was confident and we are having a girl. So, for 6 weeks we discussed names and finally, after hours of researching and planning, we landed on a name.
Friday night my mom, dad, and Shelley came down to stay the night (Steve came down Thursday night). They were all there because Saturday morning was my "girl" shower and Saturday afternoon, immediately following the shower, was the 4D ultrasound. Friday night I didn't get much sleep. I was tossing and turning all night. I kept having this feeling that the ultrasound was going to reveal a boy and I just wanted that feeling to be put to rest so I could move on. Saturday morning we all got ready and headed to the shower. The details for this will be in a separate post.

After the shower we headed over to the ultrasound. After checking in and waiting our turn, we finally got to go into "the room". I asked the tech if she was able to look at gender because I've just had this strong feeling it was a boy, even though I was told we were having a girl, and I just wanted to put that feeling to rest. She said she could definitely tell us. So, I hopped up on the table, she lubed up my belly with gel and she started the ultrasound. My parents and Justin were all in the room. I sat there anxiously waiting, my heart racing and I was staring at the screen trying to decipher the images. After listening to the baby's heart beat she went in to confirm the gender. It didn't take her long to say, "well, there's his penis"...those words just rang in my ears. I thought, no way is this really happening. Did she just say that? My mom and Shelley are like, you're kidding. Are you sure? Justin says, "you're 100% sure". The lady said, "oh yes, I'm 100% sure you're having a boy". She then zoomed in on his goods and pointed out the different parts. I literally was in shock. Thankfully the ultrasound of the baby was filmed and given to us on a DVD because even though I was watching what was going on it was hard to digest.
The ultrasound experience was truly one I'll never forget. It was so cool to see our baby BOY in 3D. We got to see him drinking, playing with his feet and all sorts of things. His features were pretty defined (we think he has Justin's nose). The tech pointed out that he has very long legs (which means he'll be tall). At one point he started sucking on his toes! I thought, what are you doing little guy! You've got a thumb ;) It was all too cool and so surreal. The shock of the gender never really wore off on Saturday, for any of us.
I am happy to say I'm back to being really excited for a boy. I'm also glad that my strong gut feeling was right. I was starting to question myself there for a while. Justin said he was really excited for a boy, and my dad said although he just wanted a healthy baby, deep down he was hoping it was a boy.
So, to my future son...we couldn't be more excited to welcome you to the family. You're quite the little trickster and I can't wait to see what you have in store for us. You were loved from the very beginning, and although we thought for a few weeks you were going to be a girl, we love you just the same. I apologize for all the previous girl posts, but, it does make for a fun story. Now for a name...

Here are some pictures from the ultrasound.

Here's his precious face

His hand rubbing his eye

His foot near his face...he started sucking on it shortly after this picture was taken.

and the gender...he's definitely a boy! There was a much clearer 3D picture, but I felt that was a little too detailed and a little too personal to post.

Potato Chip Rock...Round 2!

Steve flew into San Diego on Thursday night from one of his jobs. I took a half day off of work on Friday so the two of us could hike Mt. Woodson. I'm proud to say we beat my original time. We made it up the mountain in 1 hour and 32 min (shaved about ten minutes off from the first time). I wasn't trying to go fast, I was really taking my time. I think having a hiking stick helped a lot. It definitely made the down hill easier. We had such a great time. The weather was perfect and it wasn't too crowded. It was nice to get some one on one time with him. I think Steve's initial comment about the rock was "that's it". It's definitely more impressive in pictures. He also agreed that it wasn't a dangerous hike and the rock is much bigger and thicker than it looks. So, for those of you who are freaking out, rest assure, it was perfectly safe :) I even had people applauding me for doing the hike and continuing to exercise at 6 months pregnant.

26 Weeks!

I'm 26 weeks today! Steve flew into San Diego last night so I'm leaving work at noon and he and I are going to hike Potato Chip Rock!! I'm very much looking forward to it. The weather should be perfect. It's overcast and a bit chilly. We are guaranteed to not get too hot! My mom, Shelley, and dad will be down later tonight. Tomorrow is my San Diego shower. My friends Mary Beth and Erin were so sweet and organized a shower with some San Diego friends. The 4D ultrasound is also tomorrow, after the shower. I can't wait!!

How our baby girl is growing:

The network of nerves in your baby's ears is better developed and more sensitive than before. She may now be able to hear both your voice and your partner's as you chat with each other. She's inhaling and exhaling small amounts of amniotic fluid, which is essential for the development of her lungs. These so-called breathing movements are also good practice for when she's born and takes that first gulp of air. And she's continuing to put on baby fat. She now weighs about a pound and two-thirds and measures 14 inches (an English hothouse cucumber - what the H - E double hockey sticks is that??) from head to heel. If you're having a boy, his testicles are beginning to descend into his scrotum — a trip that will take about two to three days.

We also have a front runner for her name! I'm not going to post it on the site as Justin wants to wait until she's out before it's definite. I'd say we are 98% sure her name is picked though :)

Food Poisoning...

Tuesday morning I had my check up with the mid wife. Everything went great. I got to ask her some questions about the delivery process and post delivery care. I think I've made my mind up and I'll be switching to Mary Birch. I've been asking a lot of people about the two, and the consensus is, avoid Kaiser. So, Mary Birch, here I come.

Cut to Tuesday night. Justin and I went to Whole Foods for dinner. He got a salad from the salad bar and I decided to get the chickenless pot pie from the prepped foods area. Little did I know that was a big mistake. I ate about 9:30pm and at 1:15am I woke up sick as a dog. I thought something was wrong with the baby because my stomach was cramping, I felt hot and I also felt like I was going to pass out. I'll spare the other details of vomitting and such. Just know it was like water works from all ends. It was absolutely miserable. I kept getting up every hour or so to only end up back in the bathroom. Justin is so great, he stayed up with me and held my hair while I puked, got me water, lined the trash can, etc. What went on that night was real love. He's definitely seen me at my worst. Both he and I had a big day ahead of us on Wednesday. I had an all day off-site meeting and he had sweeps. We both were operating on no sleep. I'm happy to report that I'm feeling much better today.

Side note: I did call Whole Foods to let them know I got sick from their pot pie. They didn't seem too concerned but said they had pulled the dish.

Easter weekend

I had a wonderful time camping this weekend. I left Friday around noon and stopped at Brian's to pick up Trish. I got to see Brian for almost an hour before we got back on the road. It's been a while since I've seen him, so it was really nice to get that visit in.
I hit quite a bit of traffic from the time I left Friday until the time I got to Malibu. It took me 3 hours to get to Brian and Trish's (should've taken 2) and it took Trish and I 2 hours to get to Malibu (Should've taken a little over an hour). Needless to say, my back was done by the time we got there. However, it was worth all of the traffic and back pain. Our camping spot was litterally right on the beach. Each day we woke up to a view of the ocean. There were several other families there that were part of one big group. All in all there were about 25 of us, and a few dogs; Enzo being one of them. I finally got to meet Enzo. :) He's such a cute pup and at times very well behaved.

 

 

Friday night Trish and I arrived around 6. My dad, Shelley and Danielle were already there. We had dinner and hung out around the camp fire.

Saturday the weather was beautiful. We got up pretty early and hung out for a bit in the camper. Then the girls and I decorated onesies for baby Gill. Shelley taught us how to needle felt and we were able to put our designs right onto the onesies. They turned out so cute! Danielle also got to feel baby Gill kick!! It was a great experience.

Onesies and felt flowers we made.

For lunch we went to Neptune's Net (a famous seafood place about 4 miles form our campsite). It was delicious. We later took naps and then dyed Easter eggs.

After dinner on Saturday night we made s'mores and then did something I'd never seen or heard of before! Danielle had bought wish lanterns online from thailand (they are biodegradable). They look kind of like mini hot air balloons/lanterns. It takes about two or three people to get each one up and going. They have a fuel pad you light to fill the inside of the lantern with hot air. Once there's enough hot air in the lantern you release it and it floats up. We did a test run first and it was a bit challenging with the wind. We then got a bunch of people from our camp to participate and we were able to release 6 at one time. It was truly incredible. They floated so high up and stayed lit for quite a while. They eventually burn out and float back down. Again, they are biodegradable to you don't have to worry about littering. We also released them over the ocean just to be safe.

Sunday morning we slept in a bit and contemplated going for a hike, and then it started raining :/ So, we stayed inside and made felt flowers to put onto headbands for baby Gill :) they turned out so cute. They can be seen in the picture with the onesies that was posted earlier in this blog. Grandma Kathy, Grandpa Neville, and Matthew got to the campground around 1. We hung out, played games and ate dinner around 3pm. It was so nice getting to visit with everyone. Trish and I packed up after dinner and started our journey home. Overall the weekend was just so relaxing and peaceful. We got to see quite a few dolphins and sea lions...from our beds even! I highly recommend the campsite (Thornhill Broome).

Choices

I'd like to put out there that the choices I've made throughout my pregnancy so far have always had the baby's best interest in mind. Most of you know that. With that said, I don't do things that put me or the baby in danger. I actually get a bit offended when people criticize me over a picture that may look dangerous. It makes me think that people view me and my decisions as irresponsible, and that's not the case at all. I can assure you that even if I wanted to do something that was deemed as "dangerous" or semi-dangerous, there's no way Justin would let me.
On the bright side, I have friends and family who are very supportive of the things I do because they know I'm doing the best I can. I watch what I eat, I exercise, I try and get as much sleep as I can, drink enough water, avoid caffeine, put my feet up when possible to avoid swelling and the list goes on...so when I do something that seems questionable, trust me, it's not.