Happy...

Ahhh... a new year and so many new things to look forward to in 2009.

Tonight we are bringing in the new year via a baby CPR class... woo hoo... welcome to parenthood!

Today is my last day at work...woo hoo... welcome to parenthood!

So, I'm spending the day saying good-bye to the peeps here at work and trying to waste some more time reading my favorite blogs, but am disappointed that a majority of them have not been updated in awhile *sigh*... oh, because I guess they have lives too. Oh well... more for me to read next week!

Other than that... just reflecting on 2008 and SO looking forward to 2009.

I hope you all have a safe, yet fun new year's eve (I'm sure I'll be in bed by 10) and a fantastic 2009!

it's not a deal, it's a STEAL

any moms out there that want to save a bundle on cool baby items??  Check this site out...  my suggestion is to sign up for the RSS feed, so you get the notice in the morning and get first dibs on buying the item.  They sell out fast.

nursery pics

As promised... here are the pictures from the baby's nursery...  I might be biased... but I think this rooms kicks some serious ass.

belly shot 34+4 weeks

Resorting to Props is Fucking Pathetic

{{click image to read post}}

OMG... this blog is freaking hilarious!  Check it out here.

and the beat goes on...

Only 2 more days until the festival of greed... eeerrr, I mean... Christmas! I say 2 days b/c in my family the big day is always Christmas Eve. Yes, this is a bone of contention between my husband and me... he's a Christmas Day kind of guy... so we have 1 year to figure it out before it matters for the little dude.

Only 40 days until we meet the baby. I am SO EXCITED. I am SO READY! Let's Do It! Let's GO!!!!

This weekend I washed all of his NB-3 mo clothes and his 9 million blankets. I guess I have a thing for blankets b/c we have like 30 of them. No lie. Weird. When we were registering for our wedding, I somehow registered for like 10 sets of bowls... and got them. I guess I had a thing for bowls. And now I guess I have a thing for blankets. I guess b/c there are just so many cute choices out there, I had to have one of each. ANYWAY... all of his things are ready to be puked and pooped on. I totally love how they smell (sans poop/puke). The smell already reminds me of him. It's that baby laundry detergent "Dreft" and it smells great. mmmmm....

Only 9 more days until I am no longer reporting to "the man." And of those 9 days, 5 are holidays/weekend days... so really, I only h ave 4 more "work" days left. It might be touch and go for awhile, but I think I will make it.

Other than that... I am basically exhausted from not being able to sleep at night. I can usually get about 4-5 hours of sleep, broken sleep. I also have to sleep in an upright position (think recliner) and it takes me awhile to fall asleep in this position. That's b/c if I don't sleep upright, I get to taste (and choke on) dinner over and over again. Oh, dinner mixed with gastric acid and the such. Not pleasant. TMI? Too bad. God really does know what he's doing though. He's just getting me ready to have an f'd up sleep schedule. Might as well start now.

It's crazy to think that theoretically, once I hit 36 weeks, the baby could come at any time and the docs would not stop it. So, really, I could be rocking it out with my newborn in a week and half.... HOLY COW!

I know I owe y'all a 34 week pic and pics of the nursery. I'm on it. Stay tuned.

are you fucking kidding me?

crap. blogger just lost my post. this only adds to my holiday bah humbug-ness. let me see if i can re-write my bah humbug post.






I have bah humbug this holiday season. I just can't seem to find my holiday spirit. Maybe because of my general uncomfortable-ness. I can't bend over to say... plug in the Christmas tree lights or cozy up on the couch since I can only position myself in a total of 3 positions without smooshing the baby or making myself unable to breathe. The weather has finally chilled out here in SoCal, so that is no longer my excuse. Maybe it's b/c I am always tired? I am unmotivated about pretty much everything. For example, I can't seem to get my groove on for this year's 25DOD. I haven't taken a picture over the last few days and I honestly wouldn't even know what to journal about anyway. Laundering diapers and making dinner just isn't memorable. I can't force the creativity either... it will end up sucking anyway. I don't even like the book I ended up making. I keep saying "next year things will be so much more exciting (with the baby and all)." Waaah. Bah humbug!

low key Christmas

Tony put up our tree this year... all by his lonesome self. I seem to be a little slow on the up-take as far as Christmas spirit is concerned. It just doesn't seem like Christmas when it's freaking 80 degrees outside... if ya know what I mean! The tree is a bit smaller than the one we had least year... but it's still wonderful. He did a great job on it. I actually don't think we need anything bigger really, our house is so small, the tree last year took up a good portion of the living room. Hmmm... food for thought for next year!

25 Days of December (25DOD)

As promised, here are my first 8 days...

Let me start this by saying... my pre-planned book has not worked out exactly as I have planned. I have had a hard time getting motivated this season... I think it's b/c of all I have going on right now. SO... instead of stressing over it, I am just going with it. I have changed things as I go along... it was still easier to start with a pre-made book, but it's not as cute as I would like (see unmotivated comment), but as I've stated before, it's about documenting and that's all I am trying to do this time around. If you read between the lines, it says "BORING!"

Maybe it will get better further into this project. Maybe not. It doesn't matter. Here goes... some of the pages may be tough to decipher b/c I used a lot of acrylic (clear) pages...

Day 1: boring... work stuff

Day 2: Baby Basics class

Day 3: a co-workers baby shower (there are 4 of us having babies within weeks of eachother) and I watched "Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer on tv that night

Day 4: I decorated my cube at work with Christmas lights

Day 5: We bought 2 carts full of toys at Toys R Us to donate to "Toys for Tots"

Day 6: My baby shower

Day 7 & 8: no picture, just journaling... this is when I was sick with food poisoning and believe me... you wouldn't WANT to see pictures.

Forecast: Showers with a big chance of sun

Our baby shower was went smoothly and I think all had fun!  We are so blessed to have had so many friends and family join us to celebrate this new baby that isn't even here yet.  He is going to be one spoiled little boy!  The weather was almost too warm.  I was hoping for decent weather, but it ended up being like 80+ degrees out and most of us were too hot (a lot of guests dressed to be outside, not expecting it to be 80+ outside...)  what's up with this December weather?  Anyway... besides it being on the warm side... it was a great time.  We played the obligatory shower games (I actually think they are fun) and we ate a simple lunch and dessert included yummy cupcakes made by Jean.  Jean also made the favors (I helped a little), which were "cupcake" pincushions.  So cute!  The other part of the favor was a little bucket filled with blue, white and black m&m's which also had a little monkey magnet attached.  I just love party favors.  I love giving them and I love getting them... I hope our guests enjoyed these party favors.  Tony was there and I made him open the presents.  Anyone else hate opening presents in front of a crowd of people as much as I do?  Yikes!  I hate it.  I mean, I appreciate everyone's generosity and all... but I so hate having to open them in front of people.  I totally get the giver wanting to see the getter's reaction... b/c I am always the one saying "c'mon, open it" when I give someone a gift...  I don't know why I am like this.  Thank goodness Tony was there to take that pressure off of me.  I think he secretly enjoyed it.  Overall... an A+ event.

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

**************************WARNING*******************************************

*** this next part is gross.  you are being warned.  if you don't***

 ***like talking about or hearing about  gross stuff, please ***

***log off now or move on to your next bog to read.  you've***

*** been WARNED!**********************************************************

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

OK... so here is where life gets really interesting.  Why must I ALWAYS have a story?  OK... so as the party was wrapping up and the guests are parading out of my backyard, a really good friend shows up for the celebration (she warned me that she was going to be late, so it's ok).  She stopped by at like 2:30.   So, Jean, my mom, and I take a break from cleaning and chat it up with my friend.  What do I do?  I grab another bite of sandwich... that has been sitting out since 12.... in the sun...  I don't know WHAT IN THE HELL I was thinking... hello?  I work at probably the safest fast food chain on the planet and KNOW BETTER THAN THIS.  Anyway... as stated above, it was a warm day... the sun got to my head, ok?  As you will find out, it got to my sandwich as well.

So we visit with my friend and she heads out.  We finish cleaning up and I say good-bye to Jean and we (Tones, my mom and I) go inside to take a load off.  I, being the pregnant one, desperately need a nap.  I go take a nap (not really, just rest). Soon it's 5:00 or so.  The three of us decide to go to a favorite restaurant of mine for dinner.  I was hungry and I wanted a STEAK!  So we get there and I start feeling nauseous.  We order, I'm still nauseous.  The food comes and I am SUPER nauseous... even went to the restroom once just b/c I thought I was going to toss my cookies.  I was also getting shooting pains in my back and just couldn't get comfortable.  So far I think nothing of it all and just think that I have over done it for the day.  Ya know, just another day of pregnancy.  So, I end up taking about 3 bites of my steak and couldn't eat any more.  I had it wrapped to go and when everyone else was done with dinner we left.  

We were only about 5 miles from home in the first place, so it wasn't going to take us long to get home.  But wouldn't you know it... as soon as we pull into my neighborhood all I could say was "I'm gonna lose it" and that was all the warning they had.  Without an ounce of control I explode right there in the car (sorry Tony, but  I'm glad it was your car and not mine...).  When I say explode, I mean EXPLODE.  Don't make me say it... go ahead and use your imagination.  Tony stops the car and I continue vomiting on the curb.  When I think I have finished... all I could say is "what do I do now?" and Tony just says "get in the car!"  I was a flippin' mess!  I half sat on the seat and half held myself up on my arms (for obvious reasons) for the 2 minute drive to the house.  I immediately ran in and jumped into the shower.... UGH!!!!  I guess I'd better get used to this sort of mess... but hopefully not due to myself.  

I called L&D and told the advice nurse what was going on and she instructed me on what to do and what to look for and assured me that the baby is "just hanging out in there" and won't be affected my my (self inflicted) FOOD POISONING unless such and such occurs.  

The next 12 hours proved to be the worst of my life.  I had to puke about every 45 minutes for the next 7 hours, then it slowed down to every 1.5 hours for the remaining 5 hours.  Each time I had to rush to the bathroom b/c it wasn't just coming out of my mouth if you know what I mean.  I felt bad, but felt really bad for the little man... my gosh... he probably thought there was a war going on around him, and he wasn't far from the truth!  OMG!  I didn't sleep a wink.  I was too afraid that I would lose it in bed.  Needless to say Sunday was not very fun either.  I finally stopped puking by sunrise but nothing else went away quite yet.  I sipped water and gatorade, but could not hold anything else in.  Then the fever set in.  Again, I called L&D (I'm sure they loooooove paranoid first time moms) to make sure I wasn't hurting the baby and again I was still in the clear.  Finally I was able to tolerate more and more liquid, so that and some Tylenol brought the ol' fever down.  Eventually I stopped being debilitatingly nauseous and was able to get a decent night's sleep.  I called in today (duh) and am at about 60%.  I actually moved around a bit and stuck to the BRAT diet (Banana, Rice, Applesauce, Toast), although got nauseous again and got tired really fast.  I think I will live.  Lesson learned.  Chrissy tip- don't eat any food that has been sitting out.  Period.

Turkey day rated a "Big Turkey"

Not much unlike Rosie's new variety show.... my highly anticipated Thanksgiving dinner turned out to be a real turkey. Now... I was pretty proud of my cooking and especially my impeccable timing of all the side dishes and turkey. My shit was ON! No, it turned out to be a real turkey because apparently MY expectations were too high. Yes... I guess expecting that people would show up on time... oh wait, back up... expecting people to SHOW UP (yes, I had 3 no show's/no call's)... and show up on time was a bit too much to expect. Oh, then my expectation that the TV should be turned off during Thanksgiving dinner was too much to expect. My "audience" just didn't "get it" is what my BFF said to me. It's true. People did not sit where their personalized place card/pilgrim hats directed them to sit. Nope. Too much to expect I guess. So... my Norman Rockwell Thanksgiving was more like an evening with the Simpsons. Lesson learned. Oh, there is more to bitch about, but I'll stop there. I might get accused of being too sensitive or something... for gosh sakes... The food was good. That's about it. Oh, one more bitch... don't mind that my back hurt for two days afterwards... but don't worry... I did it to myself some would say.

What else? I stayed home (with a sore back) on Black Friday... good thing, some people got trampled to death... I would not be happy about that if it happened to me. I DID, however, venture out on Purple Saturday (I made up the part about Purple...) and let me tell you, I think I discovered the secret to shopping after Tday! Parking was a breeze, the malls were not crowded... I was in and I was out. Boom. Bang! I think all the maniac shoppers were pooped from Friday to go out on Saturday!

Today also marks December 1st, or the first day of "The 25 Days of Christmas" project I am playing along with Rachel and maybe even Tina? I'm not so sure I am motivated enough to post my previous days page every day... but I will post at the end, okay? Today was so very unexciting I almost wanted to give up already! I didn't and I won't... but that is exactly how BORING my day was.

How was YOUR first day of T25DOC?

just a quickie...

whew... it's been busy lately... but after tomorrow it will slow down by 50%.
I had a great visit with Wendy yesterday... she looks so GREAT... my hero and inspiration for losing baby weight. She got the sneak peek at the ol' nursery and brought little dude a bunch of goodies. Thanks Wendy! I can't wait to start using them!

DON'T FORGET that Monday is December 1st, so if you are playing along with me and the 25 days of December... Monday is when the gun goes off. Don't forget. I'm saying this b/c I may forget... good thing I carry my point and shoot with me wherever I go.

I can't stay much longer today, so I just want to say Happy Thanksgiving blogland... we all have so much to be thankful for this year. Let's not forget it, okay?

wanna see the cutest baby ever?

I had an ultrasound today.... so exciting.  It's like going to see my baby in a movie or something.  A movie starring only him, oh, and I guess my uterus.

Anyway... this was just a check-up to make sure things are growing and as they should be.... and they are!  the tech told me that he weighs 3 lbs. 4 oz.  How in the world they can tell that by looking at  picture amazes me... but I'll run with it. The book I am currently reading week by week says he should weigh about 2 1/2 lbs.  So he's good.  The due date was also stated at January 29th... so he's ahead of the game I guess.  I doubt my doc will revise the official due date... but only the little dude and God know the truth!

All in the all the appointment was uneventful.... you don't get to see the whole enchilada like you did before... because he's bigger and he doesn't fit on the screen anymore.  I did walk away with a great mug shot.  Gerber here he comes!

Click to enlarge, as always.  

So... that's it.  He's been moving more and more everyday... and I totally love it.  Right before I fall asleep it always seems like he's getting the high score in Dance Dance Revolution... I have to wonder what in the heck he is up to?  I mean, I get it that one would have to adjust his position once in awhile... but sometimes he just keeps movin' and flippin' and doin' the jig.  I think I am going to have my hands full with this one!  Good... I welcome it... the more he's got me movin' the faster I hope to lose my third ass.

In other news... I am having TDAY dinner at my house this year.  So, needless to say... I am oober busy getting things done before next Thursday.  The LV parents will be in town for the feast... then my mom will be hanging out until the following weekend which happens to be my "San Diego" baby shower.  Good times.  Good times.  Lots of work, yes... but then I get to VEG OUT and wait for the stork to arrive.

Have a GREEEEAAAATTTTT holiday, just in case I don't check back until after the feast.  It's not b/c I don't love ya, ya hear?

Chrissy tip

Go here to get your FREE photobook from Snapfish  The coupon is ONLY good until Friday 11/14 11:59 p.m.  You get until Sunday to redeem it.

why I LOVE craigslist

Read this.

week 28

Here ya go folks... 28 weeks worth o' baby.  What else can I say?  The shirt is not even covering the lovely band on my pants.  Sweet.

You can see the pile o' stuff in the background... yikes... better get movin' along on the "must organize everything before little dude comes" promise to myself.

in a nutshell...

this weekend I...
cleaned out the garage
hung pictures on the walls
made a curtain for the last window in our bedroom
got a sweet visit from Tess
slept like poo on Friday night, better on Saturday night and BEST on Sunday night
got my hair cut and highlighted (yes, highlights ARE allowed)
started my kick counts
am contemplating changing baby's name to David Beckham
passed my glucose tolerance test... bring on the Reese's!
had a dream that I had a penis (where is Freud when you need him?)

today I...
had to come to work (yuck)
just finished some chili for lunch (and I wonder why I have heartburn)
want to kill my radio b/c it won't come in clear today...ugh
also had some fruit for lunch (pineapple, watermelon, grapes... again, why do I have heartburn?)
will meet Mabelle for an early dinner
will go home and make a curtain for dude's playroom
will find some goodies waiting for me on my front porch (the Secret)
just got the code for the free rental from RedBox... LK43CE, expires at midnight tonight
owe you a week 28 picture, but due to pregnancy brain forgot that I can't upload at work stay tuned
talked to Rachel on the phone... she is almost done with her 25 days of Christmas book just the book, not the project
love the smell of my hair after a highlight appointment... don't know why... just do.
wish you all a gret week

Create your own Muppet

Who didn't love the Muppet show when you were a kid?  I know I did.  Now you can have your very own Muppet for only $90.  I don't think that's too bad of a deal for a Muppet and a piece of your childhood!

So cool!

just do it

Go vote people. It's your right. If you don't vote, then you are not allowed to complain about who is President. That's just how it works. Just do it. Go!

pLaY along project...

OK... it took me a few days to get my shit together... but here we go.

I saw these projects on a blog I follow and thought it would be fun for us to play.  I will give YOU the choice between a shorter project vs. one that is a bit longer. 

Option one (shorter):

A week in the life...

Basically you will document a snapshot of your life... right now, right here.  Even if it's not an exciting week... this is who you are, today, this week.  I have done a similar project and it is fun to look back at it.  The one I finished last year was a bit more than just a week snapshot... but very close.  In a year I see that I haven't changed very much, but some parts are different.  It will fun to look at again in a couple more years.

Anyway... here is a link to the example(s) on the AE blog I follow:

http://aliedwards.typepad.com/_a_/a-week-in-the-life.html

Take a look at the examples and just go with it.  It doesn't matter HOW you put it together, just that you do.  At least one picture a day makes it something to look at, aside from read... but it's not required.  There are no rules... just have fun with it.

Option two (longer ):

Very similar to the above, except it documents the 25 days of Christmas.  If I do this one I would start at December 1 and end on December 25... but you can do whatever you want.  

The link to the example for this project is here:

http://aliedwards.typepad.com/_a_/2008/10/december-daily.html

The trick to making either of these projects easier is to a) make the book ahead of time and just add in the daily documentation each day. b) design a page and repeat that same design or "template" for each day... your input for each day and maybe some embellishments here and there will make each day different.  Trying to design a different "layout" for each day will only make you procrastinate and not do it at all.  Remember, the point of the project is to document a snapshot of your life.

So, a whopping TWO people commented on the recruitment post, therefore you two lucky birds are getting a package in the mail.  It will be sent out tomorrow.  Let me know when you get them and then we can all start together.  You don't have to use everything or anything in your pack... I just thought it could be a starting point... be free to do whatever you want.  Each of you got very similar packages (some different stuff, but mostly the same)... so I will get a kick out of seeing what each of you come up with.

as promised...

here are some pics from the baby shower in Michigan.  (as always, click on the image to enlarge)

the cake...

the little baby on top of the cake... so cute... I couldn't part with him so I brought him home.... what I am going to do with him I don't know... but he's here!

the water bottles


the guests (minus the boys, who went to the bar)... please note the cool banner Tina made... brought THAT home too... it's going up in dude's playroom.

dude? dude!

dude dude dude dude dude dude dude.

Ha!

It cracks me up when someone comments on something, in a negative way, yet doesn't have the balls to sign their name or leave a return address.  I'd love to write this person and give him/her MY two cents worth... like... learn how to spell "call"... it's not "kol" or "kal."  OMG... hilarious!  I didn't realize how controversial I was being my calling MY child dude.  The fact of the matter is that he is a HE, therefore dude is appropriate and since he's SO RAD, dude is STILL appropriate... so nanner nanner!  I bet anonymous is voting for Palin....errr... I mean McCain, too!  

Anyway... I just couldn't resist commenting on that comment.

In other news... we've been working on dude's nursery and it looks awesome so far, if I MUST say so myself.  No pics yet... I'm waiting until it is finished before showing it off... just giving you the update.

Happy Halloween!

How'd you like it if this bee stung you in the butt? Ouch! Happy Halloween blogland.... I hope you are all in the spirit! This was taken outside of my dr.'s office. Yes, I wore the costume. Why not, right? There ain't no shame to my game. All is well with the baby boy. Strong hear beat, movin' like he's doin disco, and growing. In the new week or so I get to do my glucose test {big fun}, get some other lab work, and get my rhogam shot. Sheesh... so much for the uneventful appointments! It's all cool though, I don't mind at all. She tried to sucker me into taking the glucose test today, right after my appt. I was like... "hello? It's Halloween... don't ya think I've already had my share of sugar today?" That darn test would put me in the hospital, no doubt.

So, obviously, I am back from Michigan. It was a great trip! I got to fly first class this time {woo hoo} and it was fabulous! Did you know they serve drinks in REAL glass glasses? Who knew? We flew in on Wednesday evening and headed straight to dinner from the airport. Turns out the owner of one of my favorite restaurants out there was financially supporting terrorists, so he was indicted and flew the coop. We went to a similar restaurant instead, hopefully THEY are not doing the same. Yikes!

Thursday was my baby shower thrown by Tina and crew. It was so cute! She had the place all decked out and the theme was "little prince"/ polka dots. I will post pics soon. It was an intimate little gathering... just perfect. We had Thanksgiving dinner, no games, lots of conversation, and lots o presents. Wowza. This kid will not need any clothes for awhile! I also asked for books in lieu of cards, so his library is shaping up too. I still hate being the center of attention, so I was pitting out when I was opening presents.... ugh, I hate that part. I love the presents, but having EVERYONE sit there and stare me is SO UNCOMFORTABLE! Overall, the party was a total hit. Thanks Tina!

Friday was a chill day. Tina and I met our friend Lisa, who happened to be getting married the next day, for breakfast. We got caught up and then went shopping. I ended up finding little dude's christening gown. The gown I got in Rome was a little on the girly side. I know, as if wearing a gown isn't girly enough? Look kids, I like to be old school and way back when, dudes wore little gowns too. They didn't have these little white tux's to sport around... so don't give me any shit, ok? I also picked up a few little unnecessary things for dude. What's new? It's my latest addiction! I want to find a tiny pair of Asics or Nike's or something. Actual miniature versions of a pair of running shoes. Not just "baby" running shoes... have you seen those anywhere? I know they exist b/c I've seen them... a long time ago... when I wasn't in need of them. I just think those would be cute. If you have any leads... please pass them to me.

Back to the story.

Saturday we went to Lisa's wedding at the D.A.C. Lovely. She was beautiful, of course. The whole wedding was very elegant and just beautiful. I'm not feeling the thesaurus today. I didn't have as much fun as I usually would... because I was all puffy and feeling fat and not drinking and tired. BUT... it was still a good time. None of that business was any of HER fault... just sayin.

Sunday I just hung out with my family and Monday afternoon we left to come back to SD. The weather was nice and cool and the tress were all changing colors and... ahhhh.... it was nice. When we got back to SD it was HOT. Not just warm, but HOT. As in 88 degrees. Oi...

I seriously think that Oprah is trying to kill me...

bring a box of tissue, sit down and watch this...

little dude's first half marathon

As per usual... the Nike Women's Marathon (and 1/2) was the bomb.  This year I did it the right way and arrived early, stayed late.

We got in on Friday afternoon dropped the bags off at the hotel (which was inconveniently located atop TWO killer San Fran hills).  I vowed that the first time I climbed those suckers would be the last for this weekend.  Thank God for cable cars!  Besides, Friday was an unseasonably warm day for SF... I mean like in the 90's... DUDE... I came prepared for cool weather...  I was so sweaty it was gross!

Anyway... after dropping a load we took off to catch the expo.  this race is sooooo great b/c they totally cater to chicks.  I got a back/neck massage.  There also were foot massage stations, mani/pedi stations, ipod engraving, a send a postcard station, a button making station, gait analysis, and some other stuff I can't even remember right now.  Definitely reason enough to come on Friday, which is slightly less crowded than Saturday.  Then I hit Nike town... which is where all of the race paraphernalia is sold.  Oi vey.  I went a little overboard this time around.  After that and a bit more shopping around Union Square, it was time to go to dinner and hit the sack.

Saturday morning I woke early to attend the "Legacy Runner" breakfast.  I am considered a legacy runner for this race b/c I have done it all 5 years.  Kind of a kool honor I guess.  We got special t-shirts saying how special we are.  After that I headed off to one of my favorite stores in SF... Timeless Treasures.  This is where I got the letters to spell out little dude's name.  Such a cute little shop.  I would love to own something like this one day.  After hitting TT, I had a slice of Blondies pizza with Joyce, where I somehow managed to get hot pepper flakes and garlic salt in my eye.  Not a little bit either.  A big ol' pile of it.  OMG... I thought I was going to die right there in the basement of this pizza joint.  That crisis was eventually averted and I got to catch up with my friend, one eye open, before heading back to the room to rest before dinner.

Later that night we all (my parents, Joyce,  and Eilene) met up for a good ol' fashioned high carb pre-race dinner.  Yummy.

Sunday morning.  Race day.  Up early and at the start line at 6:45 a.m.  Imagine 20,000 runners/walkers and their support peeps squeezing into Union Square.  Yikes.  We were nutz to butts and that ain't no lie.  Something has to be done about the rude people pushing and shoving... but what can you expect I guess???  Other than that, the race went off without a hitch.  The weather was cool... typical SF weather I would say.  I would also say that I managed it fairly well... considering I had this big ol' belly to lug around.  At about mile 7 I was feeling the dude though.  It seemed that with every step I took, he bounced right on my bladder or something... I had to stop to pee at least 5 times throughout the race.  All in all, it went well.  Little dude was a trooper.  We got our bling bling and headed back to the hotel.  The rest of that day was pretty much a wash, except for eating dinner.  We were ALL pooped.

Sunday we woke up and basically just wrapped it up and headed to the airport.  This was the big change from previous years... I usually wrapped it up after the race and flew home on Sunday.  That was too much stress... with trying to check out on time and all... so this year was a lot more relaxing (as relaxing as walking 13.1 miles can be while 6.5 months preggo) and leaving on Monday made all of the difference.

Here are some pics:

consider this the 25 week belly shot too.

Joyce and me in front of the Golden Gate Bridge

the view from my hotel room.

Lazy days of October

I am beat! I worked my dupa off yesterday and in return my body says F@#% you... so I did a lot of nothing today. I'm cool with it. However, I say this to my body... today you rest, tomorrow you get back on the saddle bitch. According to my pregnancy book, I have exactly 8 days until my third trimester starts... and from what I hear... that is a trimester full of being tired and grumpy and uncomfortable, etc. So, I have 8 days to get things done around here. I have two closets left to clean (from the sanding mess of getting the floors re-done), some stripes to paint on a wall, some furniture to put back (from the floor project) and some MAJOR organizing to be done, which can't be started until the garage is void of all my furniture, etc.

The Nike Woman's Marathon (and 1/2 marathon) is this weekend. I leave for San Fran on Friday and return on Monday. I get Tuesday to recover from jet lag (ha ha) and then I leave for Michigan after that. My friend Tina is throwing me a little baby shower on Thursday (of next week) and then I have a wedding to go to that Saturday. A jam packed week.

When I get back I have a project for all of us to work on... are you up for it? We will all play together, so it will be fun to share what we all come up with, etc. I will tell you more about it when I get back. All you need is a camera for now... the rest of the details I will work out between now and then. Are you in? If so, leave me a comment and I will send you a small stack of supplies to get you started... don't worry... it's EASY and I will help you!!!!

Oh, what are you all going to be for Halloween? Please share.

as if you ever needed a reason

It's in times of tragedy that we always remember that life is too short. You can hear me say it ALL OF THE TIME (not always in the face of tragedy, but b/c I need to remind myself a lot). It especially became my mantra about 4 1/2 years ago when a very good friend of mine... same age as me... we grew up together riding bikes in the neighborhood... passed away from some "freak" disease that was never really pinpointed.  Dennis,  this is a shoutout to you my friend.  Life is too short not to enjoy it as often as possible.  Well... as if any of you needed another reason to live by this rule... here is a story I found that will rip your heart out.  I have been reading this blog as of late, as these people have the best attitude EVER.

Please, people... seriously... We just never know what is going to happen... live life with flair and laughter... please. (quote by Maya Angelou).

I heard this might happen... but c'mon!

OK, so it is known that pregnant women have crazy dreams, often bad or scary dreams about their baby, etc. This is supposedly normal and stems from the worry that everything is ok, yadda yadda yadda. I've had those and although not very fun, you wake up shake it off, turn over and continue to sleep.

NOT THE CASE LAST NIGHT.
So my dream goes like this...
I'm in some sci-fi scene... some mad scientist (or just some creep) needs to test the amniotic fluid on a woman (not me thank goodness). He promises to be gentle and just poke the needle in ever so slightly and only take a bit of fluid. He proceeds to gently stick the needle in (apparently we're watching this on an xray b/c I can see where the needle is poking, etc.) and then without warning just rips the needle through the whole belly, making everything gush out and I'm guessing things don't end well. So my reaction is to grab that same needle and stab his face 3 times, into these little pods on his face that look like little blisters but supposedly have little babies in them???? So my revenge on him is killing his pod babies on his face? WTF is going on in my freaking head?

SO THEN I WAKE UP...
There is just enough light glowing in the backyard from a not so distant light post that I start to see cartoons (Pepe le Pew, Roadrunner, Wilde E. Coyote, etc.) in the backyard, looking at me through our sliding glass door that I had open for ventilation (remember the floors were re-finished). I kept blinking and each time a new character would appear. They weren't necessarily mean or scary, just watching me. So I had to turn on the lights, turn on the TV, shut the door and curtain (it was hot last night too, damn) and shake it off for about 2 hours, watching TV.

I was able to fall asleep and luckily no more crazy dreams, but really? What in the hell was that all about?

Biden vs. Palin...

Halloween 2008

I got this in an email today and thought I'd share.

Awwww... poor kids!

OB appointment

I just got back from my latest OB appointment and all is well with the little dude. He kicked the doctor when she was listening in on him, I thought that was funny. Right smack on the microphone (or whatever that thing is called). Quite uneventful, but I ain't complainin'!

So since Tuesday I've been perched on my friend Kevin's couch because we are having the "original parkay flooring" in the house re-sanded, re-stained and re-varnished... which basically means it is a toxic waste dump for the next week and I'm not going to subject myself or my baby to that nonsense. It sucks so hard to not be at home... so close, yet so far away. I feel like a total squatter and such a nuisance to him. And... it's been hot as hell here in SoCal lately and although he lives near the beach it's been HOT and HUMID. DID YOU HEAR ME?? I'm hoping to be back in the house by Tuesday of next week.... which seems like an eternity. Here is a pic of what the floor looks like so far (this was taken before the varnish was applied)...
The picture doesn't do it justice... but you've got the idea. It's a helluva lot better than the gray/blue indoor/outdoor carpeting that WAS in there.

What else? I tried to buy a pair of shoes from Antropologie and I thought I was being smart by ordering a size 8 (my feet are swollen, etc.) and they were STILL TOO SMALL... DID YOU HEAR ME? OMG... the only reason I even care is because I have a wedding to go to in 3 weeks... otherwise I'm fine with my 2 for $5 flip flops from Old Navy. Hey, if these suckers don't come in on time, I may just have to bedazzle some flips and MAKE IT WORK.

Have a great weekend.

our next Vice President

need a good cry?

Read this...

I just had to...

This woman frightens the begeezuz out of me...

Watch CBS Videos Online

I'm not one to stand on a political soapbox or anything... but stupid is as stupid does...  (does that even make sense?)... anyway... but really?  She might be our next president?  Even SHE thinks McCain is about to die... so really, when voting this year, it's between Obama and Palin.  WTF?  So, because I see a doctor every 4 weeks, I must be qualified to be the chief of cardio-thoracic surgery, right?  I really don't know who to vote for this year and this chick is not doing McCain any favors.  Ralph Nader is looking better and better every day.

God help us all!

Belly 22 weeks

Not a whole lot of exciting things to talk about today... other than I feel like I get bigger and bigger every minute. Not complaining.... just stating the facts. This weekend was fairly action packed. Friday I bowled in my normal bowling league... BIG MISTAKE. I tweaked my back and I think that will be it for me this season. We had to bowl again on Saturday (to make up for some other game we missed) and it did not help the cause. I ended up just calling it in and my scores showed. I think I got an 86 in one game... sweet... my average is around 140... YIKES! I guess I can cross bowling off of my list of fun things to do while growing a new little person.

After bowling on Saturday, we went to a friend's 1st birthday party. It was good to reconnect with some friends I haven't seen in awhile. What happened to the summers where it felt like we had a BBQ at the park every other week? Sheesh! Times flies!!!

Sunday we were confined to our master suite, mainly due to the fact that the rest of the house (2 bedrooms and a living room) is all in the kitchen and garage. We are getting our wood floors re-sanded, re-stained, and re-varnished. We did make it out of the house for some breakfast and some chores in the backyard... but that was about it. Then we watched the CHARGERS make the RAIDERS their bitch! ha ha.... Even though I'm not hugely into football (other than LOVING UofM football), I freaking HATE the RAIDERS. Not because of any of their football skills... but because of their ugly attitudes and self-righteousness... ha ha IDIOTS... you got what you deserved! I bet those MO-FO's were already celebrating at half-time. Ha ha... you guys suck.

**side note... as I am typing this I just drooled on myself... WTF? I know we pregnant people produce more saliva...but come on... **

OK, so the Pièce de résistance... my belly pic for 22 weeks. Dude... I look like I'm about to give birth.

The little dude is doing quite a bit of moving around, which I love the feeling of. It sort of tickles... and it's so cool to feel the movement and to imagine what in the hell he's doing in there... "... look ma, there's your kidney.... look ma, there's your other kidney..."

Tones leaves for V-land again... I just got used to him being around too... but I think this trip will fly by b/c there is so much work to be done to get ready for the baby... I think he's purposely planning these trips to get out of all the work .

That's it for now kids. Now go play.

Happy first day of Fall!

Not that it feels like fall quite yet... but according to the ol' calendar... IT'S OFFICIALLY FALL!!!! Break out your pumpkins and sweaters baby... ohhhh yeah!

To celebrate, Tones and I went to Palm Springs this weekend... mainly to just GET AWAY FROM IT ALL... mostly his job... oh and mine I guess... but he works way too much... so it was good for him to just chill.

and he's pretty good at it I must say... ha ha. We went to a place with a "lazy river" (my favorite) and it was so relaxing! This place is definitely a place we will come back to once the munchkin is here... it's very family friendly and they have this little beach area that walks right into the kiddy pool. I'm talking real sand... so it's just like being at the beach without the riptides and syringes. Oh, and if you add in the poolside...eerrrr... I mean beach side drinks and snacks, cabanas equipped with fans, and clean restrooms, why would anyone go to the REAL beach?

I may just have to start a new blog to review my favorite lazy rivers around the country. Ha ha. I've only been to 3 so far, but here they are in order of greatness.

1) Arizona Grand Resort (formerly known as Pointe South Mountain Resort) in Phoenix, Arizona

This place is great when the kids are a bit older (old enough to not have to be watched every second)... because they have SO MUCH for the kids to do on their own. Fun for the adults is NOT lacking. Poolside service is AWESOME (the fishbowl drink is great) and the river is extra long. Hotel rooms are nice. Overall... great.

2) Rancho Las Palmas Resort & Spa in Palm Springs, California

Awesome for smaller kids up to about the age needed for #1. Like I said, they have a "kiddy" area with a sandy beach and kiddy pool. They are also allowed on the lazy river with an adult... Rooms are nice. Poolside service is not the fastest, but the "do it yourself" bar/snacks are not that far away from the pool area... so it's feasible to send the short straw person over instead.

3) The Pointe Hilton Squaw Peak Resort in Phoenix, Arizona

The river was super short and uneventful. I was not impressed at all. I went around a few times and went back into the room. I was at this hotel for a Creative Escape in '06 & '07, so my focus was elsewhere ( to be fair), but I did have a free day to spend at the pool and I opted out after checking out the river.

20 week belly shot

I'm a bit overdue posting this pic, but hey... I'm busy making a little person from scratch, ok? So here you go... don't gross yourselves out... and YES... I do realize that it appears as if my belly has popped out of nowhere... that is if you consider donuts and pizza from the land of nowhere!

Love this...

it might be a bit early...

ahhh... finally... a nice fall day... I'm very excited about this change in weather.  Fall is my ABSOLUTE favorite time of year... especially when I lived in Michigan.  I miss the change in color of the trees; the cool, brisk air.  We get a little bit of these things here in SoCal, but you have to look really really hard.  And I'm sure today's wonderful fall day will soon turn hot again.  Our summer actually lasts through October sometimes... I think they blame it on the Santa Ana's.  Whatever... give me my fall weather... hmmm mmm... pour me some hot chocolate and hand over my worn out college sweatshirt.  Happy Fall... so nice to see you.

19 plus 2

Much like how you count the miles when you are a runner... "at mile 1 I did this, at mile 10 I saw that"...and so on... you just don't say "at the first mile... or at the 1oth mile"... you just don't... well, when it comes to babies... it's how we moms-to-be keep track of exactly how pregnant we are.  19 plus 2 means 19 weeks 2 days.  There is never a 19 plus 7, because 19 plus 7 is really 20.  Get it?

Anywho.... I had my 19+2 ultrasound on Monday and am happy to report that the baby is STILL A BOY.  Yes, loud and clear we saw it... and there is no doubt that he is a he, especially since we caught him touching himself.  I guess, in a way, that is all the verification we need.  Ha. 

All things statistically are in check.  Although I am 19+2, he was measuring more like 19+6... so, my theory that he will be born 3 months old still holds true.  If he was truly 19+6 on Monday, that would mean his due date is January 27th... let's not forget that originally his due date was February 6th.  What in the hell am I eating that is making him grow so fast?  Heck if I know...  it's probably all of the crack I smoke.  

SO here are some pics from the photo shoot... 

from left to right, top to bottom we have:

profile; thumbs up;

profile with a foot in the air; profile with arms and legs;

legs stretched out; boy junk;

curled up in a ball, hiding from us; a pair of feet (awww....) that happen to be 1 inch in length at this point.

We will start booking photo shoots as early as February first... so book early, the slots are filling up fast... 

more pics from CE...

OK... I tried to create a fancy slideshow....but I can't spend more time on it while at work... so just go check out this link...

HIGHLIGHTS from CREATIVE ESCAPE '08

Happy Birthday T!

A BIRTHDAY shout out to my longest and dearest friend on the planet...

Happy Birthday Tina!

Cupcakes and crafts...

Well...  the long awaited Creative Escape '08 has come and gone.  I can't believe it's over already.  It's so sad.  I think I have post-CE depression.  Focusing on the GOOD... it was, once again, an AWESOME event!!!  Here is a video of the whooooole event.... 

You can find me at 11:38...
Creative Escape 2008 Photo Slideshow from Bazzill Basics Paper on Vimeo.

Basically a weekend filled with some of my favorite things... friends, a great hotel and, hello?  ARTS and CRAFTS!!!!  What else can I say?  

Arizona was as hot as Haiti's this time around (it always is, isn't it?) and my pregnant feet were NOT happy with the amount of time I spent walking, standing and sitting and swelled up to SCARY proportions... OMG... I was scared.  They looked like meatloaves at the end of tree trunks (my legs swelled up too).  Once I got back to Cali, things simmered down... so it must've just been the heat or over-use.  I also brought home a nice little COLD.  Ummm... yes, I know I have sounded like I have had a cold for the last 5 months,  so my sniffles and congestion seemed like nothing new (to the untrained professional) but I felt like POO.  I even skipped the Saturday night festivities for BED.  As Murphy's law would have it, I won a huge raffle prize.  Luckily I have honest friends and they brought it to me.  Sweet.  I also won two other prizes during the event, so this was definitely my lucky year!

Here's another pic of Mabelle and me caught in the act of SHOPPING.... don't tell my husband!  Ha!

 

During this trip we also were lucky enough to stop at Sprinkles for some DE-lish cakes.  Mmmmm... mmmm.  If you EVER get the chance... please indulge.  They are SO worth it!!!
I'll be sure to post more pics once I download them... I am BARELY recovering enough to blog right now.

you've got *more* mail

Yesterday was yet ANOTHER great mail day. I got not one, but two special packages. I allowed myself to open one right when I got home. It was from my Southern friend Harley or Rachel if you must. It was a sweet card with some scrappy embellishments. So unexpected. So appreciated. Thanks Rachel, such a sweet surprise. I loved it. The next one was not allowed to be opened until I did some work in the soon-to-be-nursery. So, once I made a significant dent in that project, I opened up envelope #2. This one was from my God daughter Ava and her mom and my best friend (we've known each other and have been friends since we were 12 years old- OMG!) Tina. From Ava I got this wonderful drawing. I love kids' art. She drew me with a baby in my tummy and I think the fella next to me is Tones... but who knows. It is a CRACK UP! Check it out. (click to enlarge). It's kind of light, but I think you can see it all.







The babe in the belly is priceless. Thanks Ava. You are the bomb and such a great artist! keep 'em coming! Tina also included some super shee-shee note cards that I love. You have such great style girl. At least my note cards will have style now. What a great surprise... I love them. Thank you.

In other news.
I have an hour and a half before my VACATION starts! Wooo hooo! Only 2 more days until the ROAD TRIP of the YEAR begins. Not only are we going to the creative extravaganza of the year, we are hitting up SPRINKLES cupcake shop while we are there. Gotta love me some cupcakes. I might even get to squeeze in a visit with Krista while I'm out there. That would be icing on the {cup}cake. I don't know if I will be posting while on the road.... actually I know I won't be posting from the road. I might manage to get another in before I leave... but I am not making any promises. I'll touch base as soon as I get home though....

You've got mail!

I heart getting mail. The good kind, not bills or political propaganda. The best ones are surprises, like this cute outfit my friend Krista & fam sent over for the boy. Awww... look at those little jeans... I can see it now... little dudes bubble butt in those jeans... I won't be able to resist just taking a big bite! Thanks Krista, you're always so thoughtful and on top of it.

What is it about wanting to eat babies? I know I'm not a cannibal, but cheeks and arms and legs and toes and bellies... YUMMY. I can totally understand why animals eat their young, they're just so cute and fuzzy they can't help it! Weird? Does anyone else out there want to eat baby parts too?

On another note... I have a rant about panhandlers. Geez... just STOP IT already. I swear, everywhere I turn, someone is asking for money or for me to buy some of their crappy candy or candles or ______ (fill in the blank). Don't get me wrong, I donate to charity, etc. I have a heart. But it is SO annoying to constantly have to dodge these people. I was at the grocery store and as soon as I pulled into a spot, this teenager comes up to me with this huge plastic bin with some schpeal about trying to go on a trip or something... "no thank you." I don't think they should be combing the parking lots (or knocking on my door for that matter)... I don't know where they should try this but when I was selling stuff to raise money for new cheerleading uniforms or something, I hit up my relatives and maybe a few good neighbors... I didn't dare go out to flat out strangers... So after I'm done shopping I walk out of the store and some guy asks if I can spare a quarter. Oh sure, let me just drop all of my crap right here and dig a quarter out for you. I should have said "sure, do you have change for a hundred?" Every corner you stop at, every highway off ramp, every mall... isn't that what shelters are for? I don't know... I feel bad for them, but seriously... I also can't go around giving every one a quarter, a dollar, a job, food, beer....

17 weeks

3 weeks away from the half-way point, which will quickly become the home stretch. I can't say that this has been flying by so far... it hasn't been. I worry too much not to "just let it happen" so each day goes by very slowly. I'm at the point where I feel much better as far as my boobs don't really hurt much and I'm not nauseous but I don't yet feel the baby moving. At least I don't think I do, although I've been told that these "things" I feel are probably the baby moving. I'm waiting for that one definitive KICK so I really know it was the little dude and not just a gas bubble. So, since I don't really feel anything one way or the other, I worry because I think "is everything down there as it should be?" I'm a nut-job, I know... but at least I'm admitting it.

Here is the latest belly shot taken after a 6 mile walk... so I know it's not just bloating b/c there was nothing in my stomach.

On another note...

My good Friend Naomi and her hubby welcomed little Mr. Alex B to the world last week... what a cute, serious face on this guy...

Welcome to the world little guy... enJoy the ride!

we're on cloud nine...

we couldn't wait to share the news... and for the record... Tony is the one that started telling people... "because they asked."