zonkers

Weekend and pregnancy pains

2012-02-12T19:02:00.000-08:00

This weekend was a fun one. On Friday, I went to dinner and a movie with my female coworkers. It was fun and we saw "The Vow". I couldn't enjoy it as much as I would like, though, because I ended up getting some serious back cramps throughout the movie if I sat longer than 10 minutes. Most of the movie I spent standing down by the entrance of the theater, trying to get comfortable. If I sit for too long, I have piercing back pain and her head presses strongly against my lower abdomen. If I stand for too long, my feet get tired of holding up all the weight. With all this pain, though, I am surprised how easy it is for me to walk around. It may hurt, but I don't need to walk at a snail pace or "waddle". :) Hooray for strong legs. On Saturday, Nick and I attended a breast feeding prep class. (Nick was thrilled to go.... not) Luckily, it was free, because most of the stuff that they taught was stuff that I have already read online. Afterwards, we went to Babies R Us to finish buying all the necessary supplies: 1 car seat base for my parents and 1 car seat base for Nick's parents, a Medela breast pump (which I need for when I return back to work in May), security gates (for when baby "Z" starts crawling), a diaper pail, and a few other knick knacks. I would like to believe that we are now fully supplied with baby things. Saturday evening, our neighbors threw us a baby shower. My neighbor cooked some amazing fajitas, we played group games, and had wonderful conversations with each other. It was the perfect way to spend a Saturday. On Sunday, Nick and I went and saw "Safe House". It was a good movie, but I had the same issues as I did on Friday night at the movies. I guess it must be the movie theater seats. Then dinner at my parent's house. Overall, I would say this weekend was eventful and wonderful. This next weekend, we don't have anything planned. This will be the first weekend in months, I think, where we don't have obligations!I started training the lady who will be covering my maternity leave this last Thursday. She seems like she is catching on really quickly. Tomorrow will be the first day that she will be training with me On-Site. While I am excited for Baby Z to come soon, I hope that she will wait a week so that I can fully train my coverage. Nothing would stress me more after having baby "Z" then knowing that I have not fully prepared my coverage for when I am out.

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36 week picture

2012-02-08T09:11:00.001-08:00

Queue whale sounds!

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36 weeks!

2012-02-07T11:28:00.000-08:00

I went in for my 36 week checkup today, so I figured I would update my blog today as well.How far along? 36 weeks Total Weight Gain? 38 pounds. WaaaaahMaternity Clothes? Luckily, my neighbor let me borrow some dresses that I can wear. I am barely fitting in my pants anymore.Stretch Marks? They are either stretch marks or vericose veins, but they are at the top of my legs and hips and boy, do they hurt! Sleep? I am starting to realize that I am able to somewhat function on less than 7 hours of interrupted sleep throughout the night. I know I will have to deal with a lot worse, but at least I know I can function.Best moment this week? The baby shower with my MIL's friends. It was a gorgeous day and so much love was in the air. Miss anything? Lying on my back, being able to eat regularly, and turning over while sleeping without having it be a huge ordeal. Movement? She is now centered in the middle and in birthing position. She has also dropped a little. This has resulted in very uncomfortable movements done by her.Food cravings: LEMON desserts and cutie oranges.Anything making you sick? Steamed vegetables and potatoes. Gender: GirlLabor signs: definitely. As of today, I'm not dilated, but she could be coming soon.Symptoms: Cramping, running out of breath quickly, random contractions, constant pelvic pressure, etc. Belly Button in or out? Still an innie, but bordering to being flat. It looks like the bottom of a balloon.Wedding rings on or off? Even the Target ring is starting to get a bit tight. Happy or Moody? Happy, but really starting to get tired of things. If I spoke everything on my brain, I would be labeled a huge complainer and no one would want to be around me.Looking forward to: the chance that she might come early.

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Second baby shower!?!

2012-02-06T10:23:00.000-08:00

How lucky is baby Z? This last Saturday, a second baby shower was thrown for baby Z by the friends of Nick's mom! The shower was held in Menlo Park and it was a gorgeous day. There were about 18 women there that have been long time friends of Nick's mom. The majority of the women have watched Nick grow up and were really excited for him to become a daddy soon. Baby Z received lots of adorable clothes, toys, and even a car seat that she will fit into until she is 70 pounds. It was great company, great food, and great presents. I feel so blessed to be surrounded by great people who care so much about Nick, me, and baby Z. Baby Z.. we are ready for you now! :)

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Letter to baby Z

2012-02-03T13:25:00.000-08:00

All the baby books suggest that I write a letter to our baby. What to say, though? And how cheesy would it seem to her? I bet if my mom showed me a letter when I was a teenager that she had written to me pre-birth, I would have rolled my eyes. I'm sure it would have a lot more meaning now, especially since I am about to have my own child. Will our baby girl only cherish a letter from me that far in the future?If I were to write her a letter, it would go something like this:Dear baby Z, Daddy and I are looking forward to your arrival. We don't really know what to expect, but we are ready to take on anything that is thrown our way. We are blessed to have friends and family that love us and already love you. You have already received so many great gifts to help mommy and daddy raise you. Mommy has set up your baby room, folded all your clothes, and prepared everything necessary to prepare for your arrival well in advance. We want you to come ASAP, but we also want you to grow as much as possible to be a healthy newborn. You will arrive when you are ready, but know that you will be received with much enthusiasm by all. We love you unconditionallyLove, Mommy

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35 week update

2012-02-01T06:15:00.000-08:00

35 weeks. Holy cow!! (I look like a cow). Here is the weekly update.How far along? 35 weeks Total Weight Gain? I think I am leveling out. I would say about 40 pounds. Yikes. I've been told it's mainly in my stomach.. but I know it has definitely been in my butt and upper thighs.Maternity Clothes? My work pants are starting to separate (the belly band from the pants). I have to make them last since it looks like I will be needing to wear them when I go back to work in late May.Stretch Marks? On my hips and inner thighs. Sleep? Sleep? What's that? I thought I was supposed to only be losing sleep after the baby is born. Between getting up to go to the bathroom every hour and her kicking, I get about 4 hours of sleep (even though I am in bed at 8) Best moment this week? My baby shower last Saturday. It was filled with friends and family. It was great to see everyone and to receive wonderful gifts to celebrate baby Z. Miss anything? Lying on my back, being able to eat regularly, and turning over while sleeping without having it be a huge ordeal. Movement? She is definitely trying to maneuver, but is running out of space. I am a bit worried she isn't moving as rapidly, but I still feel her move (more like see her move)Food cravings: LEMON!!! Lemon poppyseed cake, lemon bars, lemon bundt cake, etc. Nick is so sweet and brings me home slices of lemon cake whenever they go to the store. So thoughtful.Anything making you sick? Steamed vegetables and potatoes. Also, watching TV specials on bbq. I about threw up watching "America's best BBQ events" on the Food Network. Gender: Girl Labor signs: Braxton-Hicks are still prominent, but there has been a couple of times where I have to stop dead in my tracks and do deep breathing because the pain is so intense. I believe those are real contractions.. where you can't breathe and any position you consider moving into is too painful to consider. Symptoms: Cramping, running out of breath quickly, random contractions, etc.Belly Button in or out? Still an innie, but bordering to being flat. It's funny that you can see the scar of where I had my belly button pierced for a short time.Wedding rings on or off? Even the Target ring is starting to get a bit tight.Happy or Moody? Happy, but today, I am overly upset!! Really upset about this maternity leave issue, but I am staying surprisingly calm externally. I hope I don't explode!Looking forward to: Coming up with a solution to care for baby Z when I have to return to work so early.

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Maternity Leave misunderstanding

2012-01-31T21:30:00.000-08:00

When I converted to a FTE in October 2011, I was excited because they stated that my start date as an internal employee would be "grandfathered" back to my original start date in 04/2007. Looking at the benefits packet, I would get 26 weeks of Short Term Disability payments while I was on maternity leave (since maternity leave is paid for through Short Term Disability)plus two weeks of paid maternity leave! When looking for my coverage while I am out, we told the girl that I would be back in August. That worked perfectly for her since she is going to law school in September. My expected leave date is 02/24/2012. Everything was coming together nicely!!... Until I received the explanation of my leave in the mail:2 weeks of paid maternity leave5 weeks of Short Term Disability5 weeks of UNPAID FMLA (Family Medical Leave Act)To return to work on 05/21/2012Surely, there must be a mistake! I wrote the benefits adviser immediately and reminded her that my start date that should be in the system is 2007 (since the information must've been confused thinking I started in October, 2011, correct?). She responded back and pointed out that in the benefits packet above the information box for Short Term Disability, there was an insert that stated "if Short Term Disability is used for maternity leave, the leave is up to 6 weeks pay; C-section is up to 8 weeks. FMLA will be used for the remainder of time up to 12 weeks, unless an extension is requested". This definitely throws a curve ball. What are we going to do? I am sure that we will find a solution, but it may cost us a LOT of money! Time to go back to the drawing table and restructure the year.

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Baby shower

2012-01-30T07:55:00.000-08:00

This last Saturday was baby "Z"s baby shower. Sarah did a fantastic job organizing the event. She ordered delicious food, got a lemon cake (lemon has been my most current craving), and organized some fun games. It was a gorgeous day with lots of friends and family. It was truly a happy day! Baby "Z" received so many cute gifts, both clothes and necessary items. I can't wait to dress her in all the cute outfits and use all of the baby supplies. I was sad when the day was over, but I feel so blessed to have so many wonderful friends and family. Here is the food table:

Here is the cake along with the cupcakes Sarah made:

Here is my baby shower photo:

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baby clothes

2012-01-27T09:29:00.000-08:00

I told myself that I would not buy baby Z any baby clothes until after she is born. I am told lots of clothes are given at the baby shower and up until the birth. Yet when I went shopping last night, I couldn't resist two things. 1) a cute Denali North Face coat from Nordstrom. It was free for me because I had a gift card to Nordstrom.

2) cute feetie pajamas with monkeys. It was so cute and a good price (from Target), so I just couldn't resist.

I will be good going forward, I swear. :)

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34 week update

2012-01-25T08:00:00.000-08:00

According to babycenter.com, the average baby at 34 weeks is "almost 18 inches long and weighs 4 3/4 pounds (the weight of a cantaloupe). Babies who are born between 34-37 weeks who have no other health problems are generally fine". How far along? 34 weeks Total Weight Gain? not sure. I will find out at my doctor's appt tomorrow. Maternity Clothes? I look like a balloon in everything I wear. Stretch Marks? I found a couple marks on my hip and my inner thighs. Guess I should go get some mederma.Sleep? I have had horrible sleep this week. I even went home from work early yesterday to try to get some sleep. She is so active at night time that she keeps me up.Best moment this week? Finding out what the issue was on my car (wheel bearing). Even though it was a hefty price tag, my car has now had all the maintenance done that it needs. My car is baby ready.Miss anything? Lying on my back, the hot tub, and walking decent distances without breathing like I just ran a marathon. I also miss sleep.Movement? When is she not moving? All day and all night! There are 30 minute spans where she isn't moving, but once I change position, she is active again.Food cravings: "Nothing Bundt Cake" lemon cake. OMG so good. I just found a close location in San Carlos.Anything making you sick? Steamed veggies, fish, Indian food, BBQ, cigarette smoke, body odor, etc. Gender: Girl Labor signs: Every day. I am having constant contractions, but the doctor says they are just Braxton Hicks. I have started to record the frequency, just in case. Symptoms: Cramping, headaches, trouble breathing deeply, pain from her moving around. Luckily, I do not have swollen feet or ankles (yet). Belly Button in or out? Still an innie, although it looks like it is trying to become flat.Wedding rings on or off? Still wearing my fake Target ring Happy or Moody? I'm happy, except things that annoy me REALLY annoy me. I would go on a rampage if it wasn't for my intuitive husband who has amazing advice. Looking forward to: My baby shower this Saturday. I was worried that baby would make me go on bed rest before the shower, but it looks like all will be ok.

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Mountain living

2012-01-24T11:55:00.000-08:00

Over the weekend, we experienced some high winds and intense rain storms. This resulted in our power being out on and off throughout the weekend (and yesterday). The storms at night kept waking me up as a result of huge branches dropping on the roof. It is somewhat relaxing to listen to the rain while you are awake, but while sleeping.. not so much. Also, baby Z is becoming more and more active at night time. I hope she doesn't keep up that habit after she is born. Ideally, she should be active during the day and calm at night. Let's hope this is what happens.. On a positive note, we have narrowed down the person who will be covering me while I am out. Let's hope that the regional On Premise Manager approves a higher pay rate so that she will accept the offer. With how I am feeling, I don't know if I can make it until the 24th. I could also be overly sensitive and should realize that all pregnant women feel this way in the last month or so of pregnancy. I will discuss with my doctor on Thursday as to whether or not baby Z will be on time or if she is big enough to induce earlier. We shall see.Only 6 more weeks!

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33 week update

2012-01-18T08:27:00.000-08:00

Good morning. We have successfully reached 33 weeks!
How far along? 33 weeks
Total Weight Gain? not sure. I hope not much
Maternity Clothes? I am starting to not fit in most of my maternity clothes. Especially the shirts. They are getting too short.
Stretch Marks? I found a couple marks on my hip, but I'm not sure if those are stretch marks or indentations from my pants.
Sleep? I have been having vivid dreams that keep waking me up. Also, I am back to the frequency of bathroom runs as the first trimester.
Best moment this week? Bringing all the baby stuff down to my parent's house to keep there for the first two weeks after Baby Z is born.
Miss anything? Lying on my back, the hot tub, and walking decent distances without breathing like I just ran a marathon.
Movement? She scared me a bit the past few days by her lack of movement, but once she heard her daddy talk, she woke up and moved a lot.
Food cravings: I am loving my morning pumpkin spice latte. I just finished the last of the latte mix this morning and it is no longer in stores. :(
Anything making you sick? The smell of the elevator at work. Today, it was a mix of cigarettes and B.O.
Gender: Girl
Labor signs: many Braxton Hicks contractions and pelvic cramping. My body just getting ready!
Symptoms: Cramping, headaches, trouble breathing deeply, and today, the numb legs. She must be sitting on my siatic (sp?) nerve.
Belly Button in or out? Still an innie
Wedding rings on or off? Still wearing my fake Target ring
Happy or Moody? I'm happy, but starting to get a bit tired of being pregnant. I wish the end of February would come already.
Looking forward to: the potential of hiring my coverage contractor while I am out. Once I have the person trained and out here, I will feel a bit more at ease.And here is my 33 week picture for your enjoyment.

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49ers game

2012-01-16T09:38:00.000-08:00

On Saturday, Nick and I drove to Scotts Valley to visit his mother's side of the family. It was a fun get together for his uncle and aunt's birthday. It was an enjoyable time and a gorgeous day!Afterwards, we drove to my Gma's house to watch part of the 49ers game. This game was one of the most exciting Football games I've ever watched. The game was against the Saints. The game was exciting, but really got intense during the 4th quarter. Within the last 4 minutes, 4 touchdowns were made. The final score: 36 (49ers) vs 32 (Saints). What an exciting game. All the intensity, though, led to some bad cramping and contractions. Perhaps that much stress was not good for the baby. Thank goodness I'm not one of those people that calls the doctor at every weird symptom I have. The next day, I was tired, but felt much better. I ended up cleaning the house, packing the hospital bag, and getting clothes ready for the stay at my parent's house after the baby is born. It was quite a productive day. I believe my productivity was high due to the weather. On Saturday, it was gorgeous weather (64 degrees), but on Sunday, it was overcast and 42 degrees. I am looking forward to the next 7 weeks. They will be quite an adventure!

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32 week picture

2012-01-11T11:23:00.000-08:00

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32 week update a day early

2012-01-10T13:08:00.000-08:00

I had my doctor's appointment today, so I thought I would update my blog a day early.
How far along? 32 weeks
Total Weight Gain? 33 pounds. I lost 2 pounds!
Maternity Clothes? My maternity clothes are falling apart! The belly band that attaches to my pants is starting to come undone on a few pants. Yikes!
Stretch Marks? I found a couple marks on my hip, but I'm not sure if those are stretch marks or indentations from my pants.
Sleep? I am waking up multiple times throughout the night to go to the bathroom, but I haven't had the problem of waking up really early. It's almost getting hard to wake up at 6.
Best moment this week? Receiving the paperwork today for filling out information to apply for a birth certificate and register for the hospital.
Miss anything? I definitely miss my long 3 PM walk. It's getting harder and harder to walk the whole loop without cramping.
Movement? She must be a swimmer. She flutter kicks constantly. She also turns over throughout the day.
Food cravings: I actually craved a spinach salad today! Crazy! I've also had a weakness for snickerdoodles. yummy!
Anything making you sick? The constant cramping. It makes me feel like I have a bad tummy ache.
Gender: Girl
Labor signs: many Braxton Hicks contractions and pelvic cramping. My body just getting ready!
Symptoms: Cramping, headaches, trouble breathing deeply, you know... the usual.
Belly Button in or out? Still an innie
Wedding rings on or off? Still wearing my fake Target ring
Happy or Moody? This was an emotional week(mainly weekend) for me. One little thing set me off on Saturday and I ended up crying multiple times for a few hours. Ahh hormones.
Looking forward to: the meet and greet to find our future daughter's pediatrician. I hope we find a good one.

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Car seat shopping

2012-01-08T16:14:00.000-08:00

Car seats are a mandatory thing to have when leaving the hospital and for the next 12 years of the child's life. Every car seat has pros and cons that make it hard to decide. When you think you found the "right one", one user's bad comment makes you think twice. I decided to go to babies r us and try out the three I narrowed it down to: Graco 35, Chicco 30, and the Britax B-safe. All are about the same price. After feeling like the Britax fit my body best, I researched the price on Amazon. Turns out, Amazon had it for $45 less than babies r us. When my mom met me to help me look at car seats, she was surprised to find out I had made my decision and found a better price. I look forward to using this infant car seat for the first 35 pounds of our baby girl's life.

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31 week update

2012-01-04T07:09:00.000-08:00

I am actually doing my 31 week update on time! YAY!
How far along? 31 Weeks
Total weight gain: A staggering 35 pounds. I'm pretty sure I will gain a total of 45 pounds for the whole pregnancy. That means I will have to lose 65 pounds to get back to my goal weight. This should be an adventure!
Maternity clothes? The shirts are all fine, but the pants are starting to get tighter. Only 7 1/2 more weeks of having to fit into my work pants.
Stretch marks? there are some random ones in different places, but none on my belly!
Sleep: sleep is difficult. When I am not awake from rolling over multiple times throughout the night, I am awake from my active brain. No fun!
Best moment this week: We put up the crib and decorated the baby space. I am so pleased with the results.
Miss Anything? I miss not hurting whenever I stand too long, or bend over to put on shoes, or simply breathing at times. That is why I am choosing an epidural.. I'm a wimp when it comes to pain.
Movement: more like shifting around rather than kicking. Sometimes, she flutter kicks for about 15 seconds. Really crazy to watch my stomach when she does that.
Food cravings: I am getting full a lot quicker these days, so my food cravings are reduced since I can't fit much in at one time.
Anything making you queasy or sick: the smell of steamed vegetables. Also, I was watching a show about the best BBQ in America, and I about threw up.
Gender: Girl
Labor Signs: some (review previous post)
Symptoms: Heartburn, out of breath every now & then, stomach pains, and starting to feel like I have to pee but then not much comes out (aka baby is resting on bladder)
Belly Button in or out? It is still somewhat in.
Wedding rings on or off? off. I now have to wear my fake Target ring.
Happy or Moody most of the time: For the most part, happy, but when it comes time for me to eat, I am one grumpy person (ask my sister about that!)Looking forward to: my prenatal massage at Watercourse way this week. Thank you, Nick, for the wonderful Christmas gift.

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Observation hospital tests

2012-01-03T19:30:00.000-08:00

The Braxton-Hicks contractions have been starting earlier in the day and lasting until bed. I started wondering if it was normal. I spoke to the advice nurse and she advised that I go to the labor and delivery department at Sequoia hospital (where I will deliver in the near future). This was a bit unnerving for me, but I know they prefer to be safe than sorry. When I got to the hospital, they put two straps around me: one to monitor the baby's heart rate and I guess the other is to monitor my heart rate (?). I sat for an hour and a half listening to baby "Z"s heart rate. It was really interesting to hear that when I felt some pain (which I found out were contractions), her heart rate increased. It turns out that I have about 3-4 contractions per hour. The RN's stated that this isn't cause for concern, but I do need to be more aware of how frequently I get them over the next few weeks. My only thought is "Please don't deliver before we are able to find someone to cover me at work." I guess one of my worst nightmares is for me to have the baby before fully training someone and coming back from maternity leave and have to clean up and re-refine my job. Also, I would like to have a baby shower while I'm still pregnant! :)

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Baby space

2012-01-02T09:31:00.000-08:00

While Rachel is here in town, I felt very strongly that she should help me decorate the baby space. I am sad that she won't be here when the baby actually arrives, but I want her to be a part of getting things ready. What better way then to get her creative expertise! She found the wall painting idea in the Pottery Barn Kids catalog. We went with the color that the magazine stated, but it turned out a bit lighter than the magazine. I still love it. Then we painted polka dots on the wall to add some fun! The crib set up was fairly easy and we bought a great mattress from Costco (thank you dad for the gift cards to Costco to enable us to purchase the mattress). Rachel made the baby a blanket for Christmas, which now sits right on top of the crib. The end result: a masterpiece that was made even more special because my sister helped me do it!

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Happy New Year!

2012-01-01T09:18:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year everyone! I forgot to do the 30 week update, so I will summarize by saying all is about the same as the 29 week update! I have been, however, experiencing Braxton Hicks at night time after a long day. I would compare the contraction in my stomach and lower abdomen to the tightness you get in your chest when you have an allergic reaction: tight and uncomfortable. She is now getting big enough that my lungs feel they have to work harder for me to take deep breaths when lying down.
The past week has been wonderful with my sister in town. It has been great seeing her everyday and doing.. anything. Even trips to Target have been fun. We also decorated the baby space! I will do another post with the wall painting change, the crib, and the crib sheets. Rachel had an awesome idea from the Pottery Barn Kids magazine and made it happen. Rachel truly is amazing!
For the New Year, not many resolutions were set. I couldn't set the standard resolution of "lose 15 pounds" since I can't start doing that until after baby arrives. I did set a year long goal to not only lose the baby weight, but also get down to the weight I was when I met Nick (I am really aiming high). If I gain 10 more pounds by when baby comes, I will have to lose 60 pounds by December. Hopefully, the first 30-40 will be a breeze with breast feeding and your body's natural weight loss after having a baby.
My only other resolution is to be a good mom and enjoy the time off I get to spend with her. When I go back to work in September, I know I will feel remorse for leaving her, but I will do my best to look back at the first 6 months as a success.

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Christmas

2011-12-25T10:14:00.000-08:00

What a fun Christmas weekend. It involved lots of family time (both mine and Nick's family), opening of many presents (some we asked for, some were a surprise), and lots of happiness. I love Christmas! I can't wait to bring up our baby girl into our family. She will be loved and adored by all.

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29 week update

2011-12-21T07:50:00.000-08:00

Christmas is almost here! Only 4 more days! Rachel and the kids are in town. My, how they grow! When I was little, I used to roll my eyes when family members would always tell me how much I've grown. Now I know what they are talking about! Today, my mom, Rachel, Izzie, Lexi, and I are going to the Nutcracker. It is a gret Christmas tradition to really get me uber excited for the holiday (like I need more reasons to be excited). Also exciting- I am 29 weeks along! Approximately 11 more weeks!
How far along? 29 weeks
Total Weight gain/loss? So embarrassing. If it wasn't for the fact that I am growing a (hopefully)healthy baby, I would be bummed for the 30 pound weight gain so far. Waaaaaaah!! My goal is to be one of the moms that takes full advantage of nursing and losing the weight rapidly.
Maternity Clothes? My work maternity clothes were cheaper than normal, so that explains why they are starting to lose their form. Oh well. I only have to make them last for 11 more weeks.
Stretch Marks? Just out of sight from anyone to see, and not too bad.
Sleep? I will never get it again, but I would love a full night of uninterrupted sleep.
Best moment this week? Rachel and family coming to town! I am glad she will be here until after New Years.
Movement? All the time... except when I am trying to have other people feel her move.. then she ends up staying still. It's almost like she is shy alreay.
Food cravings? Things I'm not supposed to eat: cheese, sour cream, etc.
Anything making you queasy/sick? The smell of boiled or steamed vegetables (like brocolli, cauliflower, carrots, etc).
Belly button in or out? Almost flat.
Happy or Moody most of the time? Happy Happy Happy!
Looking forward to: Christmas!

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29 week photo

2011-12-20T08:34:00.000-08:00

Here is a wonderful bathroom photo of me at 29 weeks. I feel like baby "Z" is big enough to come out, but I know she still has at least 9-10 weeks left to go.

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Temporary bed rest

2011-12-18T11:20:00.000-08:00

Lower pelvic pain is normal for pregnant women. Your body has to do some stretching in order to accomodate the growing baby. When I went into my doctor's appointment on 12/15, I found out that my all-day pain was not normal. The doctor instantly put me on temporary bed rest until test results came back to ensure nothing was wrong. Luckily, the test results came back fine, but the doctor did say that I needed to take things easy. I guess I am always on the go and I need to slow down. Working from home on Friday did help with the pain. Taking it easy the rest of the weekend by sitting down a lot and baking cookies with my neighbor has made it so I feel much better for the last work week of the year.

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28 week update

2011-12-15T09:39:00.000-08:00

Hello all! It has been 28 weeks of being pregnant and I have officially started my 3rd trimester. My pregnancy has been fairly easy without any major issues. As I am getting bigger, I'm starting to feel like these last 12 weeks are going to be quite a challenge. We still have yet to set up the crib and other baby stuff, but it is on the to-do list during the holidays. We have been going to labor prep classes. I know what to do during labor, but I am still quite frightened of the actual birthing. :( Now for my update
How far along? 28 weeks
Total Weight gain/loss? I will know today at 2.
Maternity Clothes? It looks like I will have to start wearing some balloon shirts!
Stretch Marks? Still good on that!
Sleep? Sleep has been scarce and interrupted. She is active all night long.
Best moment this week? totally completed holiday shopping. I love seeing all the Christmas lights everywhere and I am officially listening to Christmas music 24/7!
Movement? All the time! It's pretty cool but it makes it uncomfortable to sit or stand for too long.
Food cravings? Loving oatmeal frosted dippers from Trader Joe's.
Anything making you queasy/sick? The smell of boiled or steamed vegetables (like brocolli, cauliflower, carrots, etc). It reminds me of cafeteria vegetables in elementary school. Yuck!
Belly button in or out? Almost flat.
Happy or Moody most of the time? Happy except when I'm driving, then I turn into a monster!
Looking forward to: The hospital tour today then making Christmas goodies with my neighbor! Tis the season!

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Haircut

2011-12-14T14:00:00.000-08:00

I went to the hair school in San Mateo to get a haircut. For $5, I got a bob haircut. It is a bit shorter than I preferred, but the great thing about hair, is it GROWS! I hope it will be the perfect length by the time baby comes.

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We have a gymnast

2011-12-12T07:29:00.000-08:00

This weekend was enjoyable. I woke up on Saturday morning and decided I wanted to weed and clear the garden of all pine tree needles. I never want to garden, but something that day just made me think about it when I woke up. It took me 3+ hours and 3 large black bags to clean all the damage from the wind storms we had last week. Although I had back pain, I was quite proud of the job I did.
At night, it has been really cool to lay down and watch my stomach do a bunch of weird movements. Baby "Z"s movements are no long slight kicks and punches, but rather rolling around and moving her knee or elbow across the circumference of my belly. This can also be named "shark fin". It is pretty cool but really weird. I analyzed my feelings on being pregnant this weekend... It has not been a hard pregnancy thus far and I am really looking forward to being the mother of baby "Z", but I really don't care for pregnancy. It's a whole lot of "don't"s... "Don't eat deli meat", "don't lie on your back", "don't eat too much but still eat more", "don't lift heavy things", etc. I am looking forward to not being pregnant so I won't have to be scared of doing things. I hate restrictions! :(

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27 weeks

2011-12-07T08:21:00.001-08:00

The last week of my second trimester. How time flies! I feel like there is so much to get done, but I need to remind myself to take it easy!
How far along? 27 weeks
Total Weight gain/loss? It's not like I'm avoiding the scales, it's just I'm not actively seeking out where I can find one. I will know my weight when I go to the doctor's next week. I am pretty scared.
Maternity Clothes? It would seem that my butt is growing as fast as my belly. I only fit in one out of the 7 maternity jeans I own. Looks like I need to do some shopping.
Stretch Marks? None that I can see.
Sleep? I have started to wake up in the middle of the night again to go to the bathroom. I have also been waking up around 5 AM each day because she starts kicking and punching. Once I'm awake, my brain starts firing up, wondering what I need to do for the day.
Best moment this week? Getting a mani/pedi with Sarah. I now have sparkly Christmas red on my fingernails and toenails. Yay Christmas!
Movement? As listed in my previous post, she gave me a big gut wrencher when she turned over. That was short-lived pain, but quite intense. Other than that, she is a very active girl. I haven't had to stress about feeling "10 kicks within an hour", as they suggest in the baby books. She does all 10 kicks within minutes!
Food cravings? Peppermint everything. Peppermint hot cocoa, peppermint pretzels, etc. I used to hate peppermint when I wasn't pregnant, now I can't get enough.
Anything making you queasy/sick? The smell of boiled or steamed vegetables (like brocolli, cauliflower, carrots, etc). It reminds me of cafeteria vegetables in elementary school. Yuck!
Belly button in or out? Almost flat.
Happy or Moody most of the time? Happy Happy Happy! I love the Christmas season! The music, decorations, etc.
Looking forward to: Our parenting class tonight. The class will teach us about labor relaxation techniques, best way to change diapers, sleeping techniques, etc. Nick states he's looking forward to the class as well. I have such an awesome husband!

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Monumental pain

2011-12-06T07:30:00.000-08:00

Quite a header, huh? Last night, while laying down and feeling her kick, I was happy to know that the "10 kicks in one hour" I'm supposed to feel I felt within 45 seconds. She was quite active. While I was reading my magazine, I suddenly yelped out in pain. What I believe happened was baby Z completely rolled over while jutting her legs into my stomach towards my back. My stomach felt overly stretched and the pain took my breath away. I know this is common, but I didn't know it would be so intense! Guess I have this to look forward to over the next 13 weeks!
I am scheduled to leave on maternity leave on February 24th. It seems like it's far away, but then I analyze that it's been 7 weeks since we found out the gender and it just feels like last week. The busy body in me has started breaking down my daily work tasks onto a Word document so that the person covering me while I'm gone will (hopefully) not have any issues wondering what to do.

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26 week update

2011-11-30T08:20:00.000-08:00

14 weeks left. Wow how time flies. I haven't been exactly procrastinating, but I'm starting to realize how fast time is flying and how I have to start setting things up for my maternity leave, update my registry at www.amazonbaby.com, and so much more. I guess I should incorporate a checklist. I hate using those because once I see everything written down, I tend to panic. Unfortunately, mental checklists don't work for me at this time.
Here is my weekly update.
How far along? 26 weeks
Total Weight gain/loss? I am not sure at this time. If only I had a scale (but maybe it's a good thing I don't). I will update when I know.
Maternity Clothes? I took advantage of the Black Friday sales and purchased some maternity workpants (2 pairs) and a new bra. Much needed and for a great price!
Stretch Marks? None that I can see. You would think about how fast I'm growing, I should have tone of stretch marks.
Sleep? Sleep has been pretty bad this week. My left side gets numb, so I change to the right side.. but she doesn't like that. After being on my right side for 2 minutes, she is kicking and punching me non stop until I turn over. Good to know that she is so strong!
Best moment this week? Going to Filoli (see lower post) with my mom, my aunt Carolyn, and my MIL (Betsy). It was so fun to see all the decorations and listen to the carolers. I also purchased a few more Christmas gifts.
Movement? She is more and more active. Last night at Filoli, she started punching me after I was standing for too long. I have been feeling kicks for the past few weeks, but I have not been feeling punches too. It was pretty exciting, but then I started realizing how heavy my stomach is getting when I stand for too long. It's like a bowling ball is pulling my stomach to the floor.
Food cravings? It's not so much cravings as it is just food I eat constantly. I do love the Peppermint pretzel thins from Trader Joe's. I have to have Nick physically take the bag from me and hide it so I don't eat the whole thing.
Anything making you queasy/sick? Cigarette smoke. When I smell it, I feel both sick and angry. Angry that people could be so inconsiderate and not smoke in designated areas, but rather smoke on the pathway to the main door.
Belly button in or out? Almost flat.
Happy or Moody most of the time? I am quite happy a lot. I realize I am becoming more absent minded, but better that then having too much on my mind and being stressed out, right? :)
Looking forward to: This week, I am looking forward to my pedicure with Sarah on Saturday, my yoga on Sunday, then bringing our friends dinner and to see their new baby girl.

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25 week picture

2011-11-29T15:01:00.001-08:00

Here is a belly picture of me at 25 weeks. It is hard to take side profile pics with an iPhone. :) Enjoy

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Filoli Holiday traditions

2011-11-29T14:28:00.000-08:00

For the past 5 years, I have gone to Filoli Holiday boutique to start off the Christmas season. Filoli is an estate in Woodside. Every year for one week, they have a holiday boutique where you can walk through the estate and find so many items to purchase: ornaments, gifts, etc. I have gone with my mother-in-law a few times, my mom a couple times, but this year, I get to go with my mother-in-law, my mom, and my aunt Carolyn. I am dressed in my red Christmas holiday dress and I am ready to find some cute and unique Christmas gifts to give to the remaining people on my Christmas list. Let the holidays begin!

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Glucose test and Thanksgiving

2011-11-25T08:46:00.000-08:00

The glucose test on Wednesday went by really fast! It must have been the low sugar levels that made me light headed and forget the concept of time. While I was there, I got my ear checked out. The right ear gets swollen every couple of months and it throbs for about 2 weeks. I figured since I had to sit for the glucose test for two hours I would see the doctor about y ear. It turns out I have a clogged pore. My lymph nodes are also swollen. So I am now on antibiotics for 10 days. Fun times!
The glucose test results came back on Wednesday night. The note simply said "Congratulations. You do not have gestational diabetes. Happy Thanksgiving!" That was such a relief, although I was not scared. MY blood reading had to be below 150 (not sure what the number means) and I was only at 100.
Thanksgiving yesterday was great. We came to my parents house. This year, everybody else went elsewhere (Rachel is in Georgia, Chris and Wendy went to Wendy's sister's house, etc). So it was my parents, Nick and I, and my grandma. Dinner was quite tasty. We then lazied around and read a Thanksgiving story then went for an evening walk. The day finished very happily since our friends Dave and Jamie's baby arrived a little after 9 PM. Annika and mother are in great condition. What a great Thanksgiving.

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Week 25

2011-11-23T08:31:00.000-08:00

I am currently at the doctor's office getting my blood glucose test done. They took my blood after I fasted for 14 hours. Then they made me drink this orange sugary drink that tasted exactly like Tang. Ahh memories of summer camp. While I'm here and waiting for my next blood draw, might as well update my post.
How far along? 25 weeks
Total Weight gain/loss? I lost one pound from last week. It must've been because I just ate lunch last week before weigh in. Either way, I have gained 22 pounds.
Maternity clothes? I want to wear my leggings more often, but I feel I look silly with leggings and skirts. It's just not a look I'm used to. Stretch Marks? No stretch marks.. at least not within my visibile area. Who knows about under my belly.
Sleep? I have been waking up an hour or 2 before my alarm for no reason. I have a hard time getting back to sleep. Perhaps my body is preparing me for sleepless nights?
Best moment this week? The building excitement for the holidays. 96.5 has already started playing Christmas music, but I have resisted. I am sticking to my rule of no Christmas music until the day after Thanksgiving.
Movement? I feel her kick in my lower abdomen throughout the day.
Food cravings? Eggo waffles are my breakfast of choice these days. That and frosted mini wheats.
Anything making you queasy/sick? The number on the scale and elevators.
Belly Button In or Out? Almost flat.
Happy or Moody most of the time? I discussed with Nick that I feel very little stress. I feel like my stress levels have actually gone down since being pregnant. Maybe it is as my doctor says: my body was made for pregnancy.
Looking forward to: Christmas season. I have completed all shopping for my neices and nephew and the in-laws. All that is left is my sister, parents, and more presents for Nick.

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Black listed

2011-11-21T14:33:00.000-08:00

This past Friday, we acted on our long, drawn out decision of returning our cat back to the Nine Lives Foundation. We originally adopted Josie in January, 2011 (I even wrote a blog about it) to play with our other cat, Molly. Molly is loving, fun, and very playful. Upon first meeting, Josie hissed and growled at Molly. We understood this was normal so we thought we would give it some time. All year long, Josie progressed to cornering and attacking Molly with teeth bared and claws out. We shrugged our shoulders and realized that we should just keep Josie inside while Molly was out. The final straw, however, was when we saw how Josie was not friendly around kids. She didn't attack them, necessarily, but she would get upset when they were around. This would not have been a good thing when our new baby comes! So we took Josie down to the Nine Lives Foundation. They are a no-kill facility, which brought some ease to our decision. The lady at the place seemed very displeased that we were "giving up" on Josie. Although she pursed her lips and was short with us, Nick and I felt that Josie would be able to find a much better home that will be a better fit for her: a home with no other cats, no children, and a person who loves to sit all day long with a cat on their lap. I joked that maybe the lady "black-listed" us from adopting another cat from Nine Lives. She may have, but luckily, we are not interested in another cat at this time. Bert and Molly will do just fine! :)

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Week 24

2011-11-17T14:13:00.000-08:00

This week was not my funnest doctor's appointment. I was simply told that I am now gaining weight too quickly and I need to keep a food journal. In 4 weeks, I will meet with a nurse practitioner who will go over my food diary and make necessary changes. Perfect time to modify my diet: when I'm pregnant and during the holidays. This has made me pretty upset. :( Here's my other updates:
How far along? 23 weeks
Total Weight gain/loss? 23. I ate lunch right before my appointment, so I may weigh a pound or two less, but this past week's weight gain was too much.
Maternity clothes? Loving the comfort of them!.
Stretch Marks? With my rapid weight gain, I have had no stretch marks yet. That is surprising.
Sleep? My nights are filled with multiple awakenings: the cat jumps on the bed, I hear noises outside, my cough starts up, etc.
Best moment this week? Putting together our new dresser and filling it with all the baby clothes we have so far. They are neatly folded and put away right now, but I'm pretty sure that it will all be a huge mess after baby Z arrives.
Movement? I feel her kick in my lower abdomen throughout the day.
Food cravings? Eggo waffles are my breakfast of choice these days. That and frosted mini wheats.
Anything making you queasy/sick? The number on the scale.
Belly Button In or Out? Almost flat.
Happy or Moody most of the time? I've been happy all week, but after my doctor's appointment, I am really bummed out. I'll get over it, though.
Looking forward to: Getting home from work and cleaning! The house still needs lots of cleaning. I sometimes daydream about what I can clean when I get home. This is a scary feeling!

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New dresser for baby clothes

2011-11-15T08:11:00.001-08:00

With the limited space in our house, we have to find ways to maximize our space. We currently have a dresser that I was considering putting baby clothes in, but once the crib is built and the rocking chair is put next to it, it will be really crammed on the main level. Our main wall seems to be the only wall that can have any furniture against it because the other 3 walls will not fit a dresser: one wall is our side door and window, the wall opposite the main wall is two staircases, and the other wall has drawers that are about 5 feet off the ground. After some searching, I was actually able to find a 6-drawer dresser that was a few inches shy of 5 feet that would fit perfectly under the drawers. One issue: It is from Ikea, so we would have to put it together ourselves. Nick and I took 2 1/2 hours to put together the dresser. I think the dresser looks awesome! I hope it lasts! I look forward to putting in all the baby clothes tonight!

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23 weeks update

2011-11-09T09:51:00.001-08:00

My weekly update! I would almost forget to do it every Wednesday if it wasn't for the emails from www.babycenter.com. Great website, by the way.
How far along? 23 weeks
Total Weight gain/loss? 16 pounds. Guess I should cut back on the french fries.
Maternity clothes? Looks like I need to go buy more bras in bigger sizes. I hope they stop soon! I am tired of buying new bras every 2 months.
Stretch Marks? None that I can see (believe me, I am seeing less and less of me below my belly. Sucking in is not possible.
Sleep? My dreaded cough has returned. Poor Nick is sleep deprived along with me since I wake up with coughing attacks about 2 AM for about 30 minutes. I miss OTC medicine.
Best moment this week? Having Nick feel our little girl kick for the first time. He had to wait for a few minutes and sit really still, but she gave him a little kick.
Movement? The flutters are about the same along with the occasional kicks.
Food cravings? I look forward to Taqueria Wednesday's here at work. I get a taco salad in the shell with no lettuce. Tons of guac and sour cream. Yum!Anything making you queasy/sick? Getting off the elevator. I still feel like I'm going up and down once I get off the elevator. Fish, too.
Have you started to show yet? For sure. It's funny watching people instantly go to rub my belly but then stop themselves because they realize they are at work and it could be considered harrassment. Luckily, I don't mind people touching my belly.
Gender: Still a girl, last time I checked!
Belly Button In or Out? Still looking like a cave!
Happy or Moody most of the time? Happy! I have also been shaking my hips and dancing a bit in my cubicle throughout the day.
Looking forward to: Satisfying my nesting urges. Our house needs some deep cleaning!

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Birthday weekend getaway

2011-11-07T11:38:00.000-08:00

For my birthday this year, Nick and I went to Carmel for the weekend. We stayed at this quaint bed and breakfast place called CobbleStone Inn. It was more money than it was worth, but hey, we had a great time just being together. I have so much fun with Nick. He makes me laugh everyday and I never get tired of him! If we are doing this great at 5 years, I am fully confident for the future! He will be a great father, too.
We hiked at Point Lobos and drove down Hwy 1 along Big Sur. It was pretty but a bit chilly. At least it wasn't raining yet.

We then had a great dinner at a place called Demetra's. It had amazing Mediterranean food and could only fit 20 people in the restaurant. It was a great price, too! While I was sad for the weekend to be over, I was looking forward to sleeping in our own bed. What a great birthday weekend!

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Week 22

2011-11-02T08:52:00.001-07:00

22 weeks have past already! That's insane! I feel great, though! Except for the protruding belly and the difficulty getting out of bed quickly, I wouldn't believe I was pregnant. Here's my updated
How far along? 22 weeks
Total Weight gain/loss? 15 pounds. Climbing pretty quick!
Maternity clothes? I just found out there is a motherhood maternity outlet store in Milpitas. I plan to go there ASAP.
Stretch Marks? None yet!
Sleep? I wake up with small noises, but perhaps that is getting me ready to wake up during the night for feedings.
Best moment this week? Going shoe shopping with my mom for my birthday!
Movement? The flutters are about the same, and I think I felt some other weird movements. Not too sure..
Food cravings? I have made a goal to stop eating so much sourdough bread. Now that I'm gaining weight normally, I need to reduce the carbs and up the nutrition.
Anything making you queasy/sick? Getting off the elevator. I still feel like I'm going up and down once I get off the elevator.
Have you started to show yet? Definitely. There's not mistaking it now!
Gender: Still a girl, last time I checked!
Belly Button In or Out? Still looking like a cave!
Happy or Moody most of the time? I have been constantly happy (which is not abnormal for me.
Looking forward to: My birthday weekend this weekend. We are going to a bed and breakfast for two nights in Carmel. It will be nice to go on a babymoon.

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Halloween view

2011-10-31T13:21:00.000-07:00

Halloween lost it's excitement to me awhile ago. I hate spending $50+ to wear an uncomfortable costume all night long, just to consider wearing the same thing the following year to save money. Going out on the town for Halloween leads to people acting crazy and pulling "pranks" on people. I also can't stand the gore and the scariness. Today had a quite different reaction from me. I saw a cute 3-year old girl wearing a fairy princess outfit, and I instantly got excited for Halloween next year. I can't wait to dress up our little girl in fun Halloween outfits each year! I can't wait for the excitement of going trick or treating around my parents neighborhood, letting our little girl experience the festivities of Halloween. It's amazing how the view of the future with a child can rekindle past memories of how much fun Halloween is as a child.

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21 week update

2011-10-26T08:20:00.000-07:00

Wow how time flies! This past week entailed me "surviving" the Bridge School Benefit concert for the full time. I was surprised I was able to rock out and stay awake until the end of the concert! The concert went from 5 PM until 12:30 AM! It was really fun. Some performers were Santana, Eddie Vedder, Dave Matthews, Mumford & Son, and much more! What a great time!
As for this week in pregnancy, all is still going really well, but I am starting to REALLY show. It is kind of creepy to see how my stomach looks and feel something inside of it. I know I'll get used to it, but it still weirds me out! The baby is about 10 1/2 inches long and the size of a big carrot!
My friend Jenny gave me all of her girly baby stuff since her next one is a boy. Tons of burp cloths and cute outfits!
Here are my weekly answers:
How far along? 21 weeks
Total Weight gain/loss? +13 pounds (no difference from last week)
Maternity clothes? I am starting to get bored of my maternity wardrobe. There is not enough variety of work clothes I can wear. Time to search Craigslist again.
Stretch Marks? None yet!
Sleep? I'm sleeping like a solid brick. I'm pretty sure I am snoring, too. I am now surrounded by a "fort" of 7 pillows. Nick has gotten used to cuddling with pillows rather than me.
Best moment this week? I would have to say receiving the title to my car. This means that I paid off my car in 2 years (which will dramatically improve my credit score) and that I will have an extra $500 a month. I can only enjoy this "extra" $500 a month until next month, when student loan repayments start, which are luckily less than $500 a month! One less financial burden to worry about when baby comes.
Movement? The kicks still feel like I am anxious or I have butterflies in my belly, but at least now I know that I just don't randomly feel like crying.
Food cravings? Rosemary and olive oil sourdough bread. I tried the whole wheat sourdough (to be healthier) and I did not enjoy eating my usual snack at all. I bought a new loaf of the Rosemary and Olive Oil sourdough bread yesterday and I felt like I had just won the lottery. Now if only I craved some healthy food.....
Anything making you queasy/sick? Cigarette smoke. It's always bothered me, but lately, I feel like I'm suffocating and will pass out from lack of oxygen when I simply walk past someone smoking.
Have you started to show yet? Oh man, have I! I really need to take some pictures and post. It's ridiculous how fast I "popped"
Gender: Still a girl, last time I checked!
Belly Button In or Out? Still looking like a cave!
Happy or Moody most of the time? I have been constantly happy (which is not abnormal for me) but I do have my bursts of moodiness. That worst part is that I don't feel guilty after. I feel like it is normal! (probably not a good thing).
Looking forward to: My massage next week. I have been having weird pains like my body is imbalanced. I found the deal for 3 massages for $75 through Groupon. When attempting to schedule my second massage, he was booked for 5 weeks. I scheduled my 2nd appt on 11/2 and my 3rd in December!

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20 weeks

2011-10-19T07:42:00.000-07:00

This is the "1/2 way there" milestone! I am now 1/2 way through the pregnancy. Nick and I were discussing that we have that weird limbo feeling that time has passed quickly, but not fast enough.
On Monday, 10/17 we had the Ultrasound. The Ultrasound took an hour because our little one is quite active! After 20 minutes of making sure the spine, legs, head, and arm were developed, the technician told us the gender. We are having a GIRL! This was a surprise to me, judging by all "symptoms" I had correspond to having a boy (craving of protein, not much sickness, no craving of sweets, etc). It was a welcome surprise, though. A little girl! She is going to be raised as mountain girl as we can make her. I want to resist too much pink because baby pink makes me cringe. Not sure why I don't like the color.. especially since I like magenta and bright pink.
Now for the summary
How far along? 20 weeks
Total weight gain/loss? 13 pounds
Maternity Clothes? Definitely. I need to buy more leggings so I can wear more dresses.
Stretch Marks? None yet! I have a feeling as the holidays arrive, I will grow really fast, potentially getting stretch marks.
Sleep? I have been having interrupted sleep lately because my dreams are so crazy.I have been waking up at 6 AM each day and not been able to go back to sleep.
Best moment this week? The ultrasound appointment. Now that I know the gender and how she moves, it is a bit of a relief. Now I can buy stuff for the baby room.
Miss anything I do miss my flexibility. I notice my muscles are much tighter. I try to stretch and do some Yoga daily, but I just can't loosen up enough.
Movement? Now that I've seen how she moves in the Ultrasound, I am able to recognize her movement. She flutter kicked my ribs yesterday for about 20 minutes. I'm loving it now but fear the painful future.
Food cravings: I've been loving root beer floats at night. It's something that takes me back to childhood and remembering happy summer days.
Anything making you queasy or sick? Getting on and off the elevator. It seems I'm extra sensitive to motion lately. Not good when you have motion sickness already.
Have you started to show yet? yep! (I think I may take this question off soon)
Gender: GIRL!
Belly Button In or Out? It's fully in, now, like a cave.
Wedding rings on or off? on
Happy or Moody most of the time? Happy! I've been singing a lot to baby Z and she has responded each time.
Looking forward to: The opening of the Spaghetti Factory next week. I am craving some Mizithra cheese spaghetti!

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19 1/2 week picture

2011-10-16T15:13:00.000-07:00

Here's my 19 1/2 week picture!

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19 week update

2011-10-12T07:42:00.000-07:00

This last week has been a fun one. I splurged on a crib (well, actually, it was a Columbus day sale where I got the crib for $150), but I am keeping it as a backup crib in case we get the real crib we want. The real crib we want is $300 and includes the dresser and changing table. Maybe that's what I'll ask for as a Christmas present! Now for my weekly summary.

How far along? 19 Weeks
Total weight gain/loss: Total of 9 pounds since pre-pregnancy.
Maternity clothes? LIVING in maternity clothes. I can understand how a person has a hard time transitioning back into pre-pregnancy clothes after wearing maternity clothes.. no restricting buttons, etc.
Stretch marks? Nope! It looks like the body butter is working.
Sleep: This past week has been filled with crazy dreams. I am protecting people against wild animals, I am protecting "my people in my tribe" by becoming a religious leader to defend against the bad people (that was a weird one), and other dreams where I am protecting people, especially children.
Best moment this week: Unless I'm imagining it, baby is becoming active. I notice the most active times are after I eat and when I am singing on my way home from work. The baby is either saying "I love you rocking out!" or "please stop singing.. you really are horrible at it!"
Miss Anything? I miss lying on my back. Lying on my side leads to hip cramps and back pain. I am fully surrounded by pillows, but I still can't get comfortable.
Movement: I believe so!
Food cravings: Pumpkin everything! Tis the season. Pumpkin spice latte, pumpkin soup, etc. I haven't eaten too much of it, but when I get my hands on it, there's no holding me back.
Anything making you queasy or sick: Fish still. We went to a Vietnamese wedding on Saturday. All they served was fish. I was doing okay for awhile, but once they brought a full fish with the eye ball and scales, we had to leave. A quick run to Burger King was done.
Have you started to show yet: yes. I think everyone at my work knows now.
Gender: I have been calling the doctor's office every day to check for any cancellations. I'm really anxious to find out. If there are no cancellations, my set appointment is in 5 days (10/17/2011)
Labor Signs: No
Belly Button in or out? In.. like a black hole.
Wedding rings on or off? On
Happy or Moody most of the time: Happy!! I did have one freakout this last week. Nick started watching Dexter without me. For some reason, I got really mad! It was laughable later on, especially Nick's reaction like "OMG she's gone crazy!"
Looking forward to: My Ultrasound! This will confirm how everything is coming along, my actual due date, and hopefully the gender of baby Z.

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Baby Registry

2011-10-10T09:11:00.000-07:00

This weekend, my sweet neighbor told me about the great registry selection at Amazon baby. I found so many great things and created an amazing registry. http://www.amazon.com/gp/registry/registry.html?ie=UTF8&type=baby&id=3RD0I4N59KOS5
Babies R Us has a good enough registry for those who want to pick up things from the store, but Amazon baby has the best selection! So many fun things for Baby Z.

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Baby heart beat

2011-10-06T08:30:00.000-07:00

Last night, we stopped by our friends Shannon and Jenny's house. Jenny is due a week or two before me, which is exciting! To ensure that her pregnancy is going well, she rented a heart doppler to listen to her baby whenever she wants. I exclaimed my concerns about not feeling the baby move, so she let me use the heart doppler. I was able to find the baby's heart beat in about 3 seconds! It is beating at a strong 136-140 bpm. What a relief! At least I know the baby is still alive.. (s)he just needs to start moving around ASAP. I'm sure I'll regret saying that in the future. :)

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18 week update

2011-10-05T10:52:00.000-07:00

According to Baby Center, "Head to rump, your baby is approximately 5 1/2 inches long (about the length of a bell pepper) and weighs almost 7 ounces. He's busy flexing his arms and legs — movements that you'll start noticing more and more in the weeks ahead." I am starting to gain some concern because I'm not feeling fluttery kicks like I thought I did before. I tried to get an earlier Ultrasound appointment, but the next available appointment (other than my scheduled one on 10/17) is in November. Now for my weekly update outline:
How far along? 18 Weeks
Total weight gain/loss: I have gained a shocking 7 pounds since pre-pregnancy. Of course, I weighed myself right after eating a double-double at In n out. But I am about 2 pounds less than what I should be at.
Maternity clothes? LIVING in maternity clothes. My awesome neighbor lent/gave me some more clothing. I think I should be set until I fit back into my pre-pregnancy clothes.
Stretch marks? No - but I have been rubbing body butter on my belly daily. It feels cool and refreshing on my itchy skin.
Sleep: Sleep is great except for the everlasting cough.
Best moment this week: The rain has arrived. All the overheating I have been dealing with is finally liveable with the cooler weather!
Miss Anything? I am missing the baby flutters I thought I was feeling. I know it's normal for pregnant ladies to worry about the bun in the oven, but I do not like the unknown.
Movement: none that I can recognize.
Food cravings: I have slightly resisted the sourdough bread.. but I have been craving greek yogurt: either lemon or strawberry.
Anything making you queasy or sick: Fish and not eating in enough time. I'll be completely fine then ravenous the next minute.
Have you started to show yet: yes. I still think it looks like a fat belly, but Nick states that it looks rounder than a "fat" belly.. and it's definitely firmer.
Gender: will hopefully know in 12 days.
Labor Signs: No
Belly Button in or out? In
Wedding rings on or off? On
Happy or Moody most of the time: Happy except for my bursts of internal anger (see previous post)
Looking forward to: putting baby Z in the new outfits I ordered from Zulily.com. They are cute fleece outfits with monkeys on them.

That's all folks. Stay tuned for future posts.

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Beware of the moodiness!

2011-10-03T11:22:00.000-07:00

Throughout my pregnancy so far, I don't full feel pregnant. My appetite has not been crazy, I haven't gained much weight yet, I haven't been sick, and I'm mostly been "sporting" the pregnancy glow. I must say, though, certain things have made me quick to anger. Things like people who ride my tail on the highway, long waits at restaurants when there are not many customers, etc. I am usually easy going, but I must say, the anger that builds up inside of me is almost embarrassing. I get red in the face, I get tunnel hearing (where all noises sound miles away), and I feel my throat tensing up. I haven't had any blowouts, but I do not like what these hormones do to me! Thank goodness that I am able to turn on music to calm me down pretty quickly.
Other than that, I have a wonderful neighbor who has both lent and given me some maternity clothes. I am looking forward to a halloween shirt she lent me that says "mommy's little pumpkin" with an arrow pointing to the belly. :)New clothes inspired me to pack up all my summer/resort wear and pre-maternity clothing. That packing then led to Nick cleaning out what he never wears and what he wants to keep in boxes. Where to put all the baby clothes. Perhaps I should add a dresser to the registry....

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17 weeks today!

2011-09-28T08:21:00.000-07:00

How far along? 17 weeks today
Total weight gain/loss: At the doctor's office, they said I gained 2 pounds. I weighed myself at my parents house last night, and I've gained a total of 4 pounds.
Maternity clothes? I purchased some work pants from Target since my Craigslist loot didn't have work pants. Who thought Target would cost so much? Stretch marks? No
Sleep: Still sleeping great - minus the frequent trips to the bathroom, the frequent coughing, and the bizarre dreams. I dreamt last night that I saved a baby bear from a mountain lion. I then raised the baby bear at our house.
Best moment this week: I believe I am starting to feel baby flutter kicks. I feel an anxious feeling then feels like someone is tickling my stomach internally.
Miss Anything? I definitely miss not worrying about am I eating enough or getting enough nutrients.
Movement: I believe so.
Food cravings: Milk milk and more milk. Can't get enough of my lactose free chocolate milk. Definitely worth $4.75 for the gallon.
Anything making you queasy or sick: Still fish. I wonder if that will be a full pregnancy time thing.
Have you started to show yet: Definitely! I am much rounder!
Gender: We find out October 17.
Labor Signs: No
Belly Button in or out? In
Wedding rings on or off? On
Happy or Moody most of the time: Happy!
Looking forward to: Other than Thanksgiving... my 20 week ultrasound! :)

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Week 16

2011-09-21T11:06:00.000-07:00

How far along? 16 Weeks
Total weight gain/loss: I went to the doctor yesterday and she said I've only gained 2 pounds. She said not to worry too much now, but to make sure to eat and eat and eat! Who ever would have thought a doctor would tell me to eat more?!
Maternity clothes? I scored BIG through Craigslist. A lady posted that she was selling most of her maternity clothing for $85. I called her immediately and scheduled to go look at the clothes. She was exactly my size (size, height, width, etc). I ended up getting 10 dresses, 3 skirts, 7 pairs of jeans, 25 tops, and 3 leggings for $80. The clothes are from the Gap, Old Navy, and Pea in a Pod. Such fashionable clothing for a great price!
Stretch marks? No. But I sure do feel a lot of stretching.
Sleep: This past week has been tough with sleep. I experienced strong body aches and cramps around my uterus, so I had interrupted sleep most of the nights. The hot weather didn't help either!
Best moment this week: Celebrating daddy and my one year anniversary at our stepsister's wedding. It was a magical evening filled with family and love.
Miss Anything? I miss being able to sleep on my back. I also miss a good Turkey Sandwich.
Movement: I felt slight fluttering, but I wasn't sure if that was me feeling anxious for a moment, or if it was the baby.
Food cravings: Still craving sourdough bread like you wouldn't believe it. I also have been craving Italian food.
Anything making you queasy or sick: fish is still hitting me hard. I went to a work dinner and I had to leave early because the smell of the fish my coworkers ordered made me throw up.
Have you started to show yet: I have been getting a lot of sideway looks. I especially am letting out my stomach more now that I am wearing maternity pants rather than my regular pants.
Gender prediction: boy
Labor Signs: No
Belly Button in or out? Innie outie
Wedding rings on or off? On
Happy or Moody most of the time: With being ill this week, my happiness and energy level has been down a bit. I've been pretty moody this week, but who isn't moody when they feel crappy?
Looking forward to: My massage tonight. My body has been craving some tension release. Thanks to Groupon, I purchased 3 massage sessions for $79.

I WILL get a picture up here soon. If only I could find my camera charger....

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Week 15

2011-09-15T15:26:00.000-07:00

I thought I'd update here since I don't have a baby book yet. This is taken from a friend of a friend's website. I will try to include a picture eventually.

How far along? 15 Weeks
Total weight gain/loss: I haven't weighed myself yet, but at week 14, I hadn't gained an ounce.
Maternity clothes? I need some, but I'm still squeezing into my pants.
Stretch marks? No
Sleep: Sleeping great, minus waking up to pee every night at 3 am.
Best moment this week: I cried in happiness from good news at work.
Miss Anything? Not throwing up by the smell of fish.
Movement: I don't believe I am feeling any movement. I do feel growth of my uterus.
Food cravings: Sourdough bread like you wouldn't believe it. I go through a loaf a week.
Anything making you queasy or sick: fish
Have you started to show yet: more this week for sure. I look rounder
Gender prediction: boy
Labor Signs: No
Belly Button in or out? Innie outie
Wedding rings on or off? On
Happy or Moody most of the time: Happy with spurts of anger.
Looking forward to: Getting past the point of people wondering if I'm getting fatter or if I'm pregnant.

I'll try to update each week.

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I am pregnant!

2011-09-06T11:58:00.000-07:00

Phew! Glad to get that secret out! I am one day shy of 14 weeks along. I have been EXTREMELY lucky by not having ANY morning/afternoon/evening sickness. That is quite a shocker to me since I'm one who gets sick constantly: motion sickness if I'm not the one driving, sickness if I don't eat every 3-4 hours, etc. The only two times I was sick over the past 14 weeks has been: altitude sickness when we went to North Lake Tahoe for a wedding. I was close to fainting a few times! The second time was when I took a prenatal vitamin on an empty stomach. That problem was solved when Lenessa introduced me to gummy prenatal vitamins. They are wonderful! No sickness, and a yummy way to get nutrition.
So far for cravings: I have been craving spicy food galore! I put chili powder or cayenne pepper on everything: even on macaroni and cheese!I also have been craving sourdough bread. I probably go through a loaf a week. I know that's bad, but I just can't get enough.
Food adversions: sweets and fish. I thought when you're pregnant, you're supposed to crave sweets galore! Not only have I not been craving them, I also feel a bit sickened when I eat something sweet. Weird!

It was great for Nick to be at the doctor's appointment on 08/26 when we heard the baby's heart beat. For the next appointment, we will listen for the heart beat again and take more blood tests. The Ultrasound will occur when we find out the gender. That will be mid-October. Anyone want to place any bets?!

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I've got a secret...

2011-08-08T16:25:00.001-07:00

and it's really hard to keep. I can't wait until I receive full permission to tell my secret.

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Bachelorette weekend for a friend

2011-07-27T11:19:00.000-07:00

This past Thursday-Sunday, I went down to San Diego with my friends for one of my girlfriend's bachelorette party. It was a surprise to her that we were going to San Diego. My friend rented a large Suburban and we drove down Thursday morning. It took us 11 hours with the traffic through LA, but it was a fun car trip. On Friday, we hung by the pool all day at the house that we rented. What a gorgeous house it was. On Saturday, we all went to the horse derby in Del Mar. We all wore fun hats and summer dresses. The picture included is my maid of honor and I in our derby best. On Saturday night, we went to a dance club. The conclusion at the end of the night for me: I am WAY out of shape, and I really don't care to go out anymore. Too many rude people and too loud of music. I must be getting old! On Sunday, we drove back. It took just as long due to accidents on the road. It was good to be home but it was a great weekend with some great women.

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Kauai

2011-07-17T11:12:00.000-07:00

As a celebration for my graduation, Nick and I went to the beautiful island of Kauai with my parents for one week. They go every year for their anniversary, but they decided to let us come this year. After weeks of trying to find the best airfare, I purchased the tickets before they sold out. We had a great time with my parents. We ate at many great places including: puka dogs, Merrimans, Duke's, and other places that surely fattened us up! We didn't do any excursions, but we did sit on the beach almost all day to read our books. We did go visit some beautiful beaches and swam in the warm water. It was heavenly. It is always sad to leave Kauai, but I was ready to not live out of a suitcase! I hope we can go again soon!

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House sitting

2011-06-27T20:17:00.000-07:00

We love house sitting. I think everyone loves us house sitting as well because 1) we don't charge and 2) I become OCD with cleaning. This week, we house sat for a mutual friend. They have a beautiful house in Menlo Park that has a salt water pool and hot tub. This week, the weather was between 85-100 degrees. The pool was perfect. It was a vacation away from home. I was actually sad when we had to leave on Sunday. Imagine how excited I was when the lady of the house emailed me today and asked if we could house sit again over the 4th of July weekend. YES! If anyone in the bay area needs a house sitter, let me know! :)

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College Graduate!!

2011-05-18T13:31:00.000-07:00

I did it! I graduated college. I finished with a 3.71 GPA. I have to wait until my Cal Grant pays off the remaining balance before I receive the diploma, though. Either way, no more school! Now what to do with my extra time?

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Georgia

2011-05-12T09:40:00.000-07:00

Over the weekend of 04/28-05/02, I got to fly out to Georgia to visit Rachel! What a great time I had. I always have so much fun with my sister. We toured a beautiful place called Calloway Gardens. I tried a chicken fried steak meal and some of Rachel's fried green tomato sandwich. We then went to her house on Ft. Benning. Rachel has done an amazing job decorating her house. I hope I someday have her talent of decorating! We went to Atlanta with some of her friends for shopping. That was similar to shopping here, but the people were a bit different. A lot more people were overweight but had no problem dressing like they were 100 pounds lighter! Motivation for me!
It was great to see the kids as well. I gave Izzie my old iPod touch for her birthday. You would have thought I gave her a new iPad. She LOVED it and was my best friend for the whole trip. Brenden is getting so big. He is now taller than me and so strong! That's good because Rachel's little dog, Tucker, will drag you down the hill if you're not strong. Tucker is absolutely adorable, but still full of puppy energy. Lexie was so cute with him. She giggled and would chase him when he had one of our shoes or clothing. Needless to say, that house is full of energy. No wonder Rachel is always asleep by 9!
I was sad to leave Rachel at the very end. I hope she is able to move back here soon. Talking on the phone every day is not enough!

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Happy Mother's Day

2011-05-12T09:37:00.000-07:00

Happy Mother's day to all the mothers out there. You are much appreciated. You have formed the lives of all the wonderful people I know. For those that are newer mothers that I am blessed to know, your children are so lucky!I hope to one day have the opportunity to be a mother so I can know how inspiring and special it is to mold a child into greatness! :)

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4 days left

2011-05-12T09:32:00.000-07:00

I can't believe it! Only 4 days until I am done with school!! While I would like to say it will be forever, I know the economy may drive me to one day go back to school to achieve my MBA. For now, my Bachelor's degree in Business Management degree will have to do. My final assignment is a team assignment. Unfortunately (or maybe fortunately), my team mates all still have two classes left. I doubled up my classes back in December and in February so that I could graduate 05/16/2011 rather than 07/25/2011. I wanted my summer time!
I know that I will be one of those people that will have withdrawls.. thinking "shouldn't I be doing something tonight?" After 3 years and 8 months, school has become a habit. How did everyone else cope? :)
I'm sure I will find a way!

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End of Yoga

2011-03-28T19:37:00.000-07:00

Well, tomorrow ends the 2 month running of Yoga. Sad to say, I will miss it. I will miss the sweating, throbbing muscle pain, and the constant question of "has it been an hour and a half yet?". I think I have noticed improved flexibility and more muscle tone. I can't wait until the next Groupon deal of discounted Yoga.
I have started running again. We'll see how long this goes. I have been running four days in a row. Yay me! I am nowhere near running a marathon, but let's hope I can continue.

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Failed at resolution

2011-03-16T15:37:00.001-07:00

So remember that resolution I made about posting frequently? Well, evidently, I failed. Perhaps it is because not many people are posting anymore. At least I can do a quick summary.
I got a great deal on Groupon for Yoga in Palo Alto. 25 classes for $25. I instantly started going. I thought "25 classes to use within 2 months? I will run out before the two months are up!" Lo and behold, I have two weeks left and 9 classes left. If it was closer to my work, I might have been able to go more often. It's tough because on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, the classes are either at 5 PM or 7 PM. I get off work at 5, so the 5 PM class doesn't work. If I go to the 7 PM class, what will I do for 2 hours? So I have only been going on Tuesday and Thursday. I have not lost any weight, but I do see a restructuring of my body shape. My muscles are definitely stronger and more defined.
Nick and I have been doing various things with our time. We try not to spend money, but that is really tough here in the bay area! We have been trying to start exercising again. Our gym membership expires on 04/07/2011, so we will have to do some "shopping" for a new gym. I dislike the 24 hr fitnesses that are available to us. They have poor air circulation and smell really bad. Hopefully, we can find a good gym for a good price.
That should be all for now. Hopefully I will update shortly.

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New cat!

2011-01-26T19:13:00.000-08:00

10 days between my last post.. not too bad, right? I have been busy doing school work. One exciting thing is that we got a new cat. Her name is Josie and we got her at the Nine Lives Foundation. Since the facility is closing down in June due to lack of funding, all cats over 6 months old that have been fixed, fully vaccinated, and microchipped, were available at the great price of $11! The cat we had originally picked out online ended up being a biter. No thanks! After looking at 20+ cats, we ended up finding Josie... well, she found us. I sat down to look at all cats closer, and Josie crawled on my lap and laid down. She sat like that for 5 minutes until it was time to go. She is the one! We actually adopted her to play with Molly, but I think that she'll be a great lap cat, too. :)

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I'm not worthy to blog!

2011-01-16T19:51:00.000-08:00

A person who blogs is one that updates their blog at least once a week, right? Well, it has been two months for me! That is pathetic! Especially since the holidays happened over the last two months. Perhaps I could say that I was "too busy" throughout the holidays to write. Yes! Yes! I like that excuse! :)
Let's see if I can summarize the past few months.
November- Thanksgiving was great. Lots of food and school. (what else is new, right?)
December- I was able to complete all my Christmas shopping on time. Unless everyone was being extra nice, I believe that all liked my gifts. The whole month of December was a full calendar of events. Christmas parties right and left; Social events; Rachel coming to town (the best part)! I love the holidays because they are filled with family, friends, and movies! I saw so much of all three that I miss them while sitting at home in the month of January.
January- I am continuing with school. I graduate on 05/16/11, so only 4 more months. Too many essays and wasting of my personal time. As soon as school is out, no more essays. The downside is the monthly payments that I will have to pay. Hopefully I will be able to get more money! Time to go buy a lottery ticket.
My new years resolution for this year is to blog more. I hope I can keep that resolution! Thank you all who still read my blog!

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Birthday

2010-11-11T09:53:00.000-08:00

I wish I could say that I have had such a busy and hectic life that I haven't had time to write. It's actually quite the opposite! Our married life has been terrific, but we haven't been up to too much. The main reason for that is because of all the school work I have to do on a daily basis. Yep.. still in school. Getting REALLY tired of it. It is the reminder from my parents and Nick on a weekly basis that I am almost there that keeps me motivated because I simply have lost all my personal motivation. I am so close to the end, yet I dread doing school work every day. It is harder and harder to write my essays because I simply stopped caring about the material I am learning. I don't know how everyone with college degrees completed their schooling! So anyways, I am looking forward to May 16 where I will no longer have to EVER do any school work again.
On a happy note, I just had my birthday on 11/06. I asked for a low key day, so spending time with Nick and my parents was perfect. Nick gave me a super shocking "family" gift: an iPAD! So exciting. I can't wait to download tons of aps on it!

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Happily married!!

2010-09-17T13:51:00.000-07:00

We did it! We tied the knot! It was an overcast day on 09/17/2010, but it made it a lot better for pictures since we all did not have to squint. It was such a fun day and everything went according to plan. I cried my eyes out during the ceremony, though, so that was a bit embarrassing. I will be posting more pictures when I get them from Nick's uncle (who took all of our pictures and did a fantastic job!!)

Bumps in the road

2010-09-08T15:08:00.000-07:00

Not every wedding plan goes as planned. We found out two weeks before the wedding that our florist had to get surgery and would not be able to help us with the flowers. In a panic, I called the venue owner and she provided me with names of local florists. We have an appointment with our new florist (hopefully) on Saturday, only 6 days before the wedding.
Looked at the 10-day weather report and guess what I saw?? RAIN! Wonderful rain! While all say rain is good luck, I am sure that the guests will not enjoy the 30 minute outside ceremony in the rain. I know there are a lot of things that can be done with umbrellas, but I didn't want to have to do that to the guests. ::sigh::
Stepped on the scale and what did I not see?? A drop in weight. I am sure all women can agree with me how frustrating it is to eat ridiculously healthy and exercise constantly and have no weight loss. Grrrr.
Finally, I am done with my school class but I am anxiously awaiting my final grade. I am nervous. It is based on the results from a group final essay.. I don't have much confidence in my group.

Alright, that's the update for now! Until next time

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ONE MORE MONTH!

2010-08-17T12:24:00.000-07:00

One more month from today! Dum-dum-de-dum! So much planning is involved with a few hiccups, but nothing major. I look at the hiccups as something funny to look back on. Hiccups included:
- Sealing all the envelopes before putting on the stamps on the return envelopes for the RSVP cards. Solution? I bought cute note cards and sent everybody the stamp for the return envelope telling them of my mistake.
-Booking multiple appointments the day before the wedding just to remember that I have to pick up the wedding flowers that morning. I need to reschedule two appointments for another time ASAP!
- I gained 5 pounds. OOPS! I think it's all muscle because I have been eating healthier, running, and have been doing the stair stepper. I sure hope I fit in my wedding dress!

These are just a few things that have occurred but you know what? I'm not perfect! and that is perfectly okay with me.

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Stair Stepper

2010-07-27T13:33:00.000-07:00

About 3 weeks ago, I had my desk raised for "ergonomic reasons". I quote it because while it is partially true, it was not crucial. It is partially true because I work on two separate computers which don't fit equally into the corner of my cubicle. Thus, I'm always bending forward to reach one of the computers and its keyboard. After awhile, I would start feeling back pain, but not crippling. The main reason I got my desk raised is for health reasons... that's right! I am sick and tired of getting secretary butt by sitting all day! Since I started working at my desk job, I have gained 25 pounds while still eating the same somewhat-healthy diet I've always been on. I decided to take a "stand" against this curse. I had to get a doctor's note to state "Emily needs a standing work station for ergonomic reasons", which was surprising easy to get! No appointment needed. After 3 weeks of having my desk raised and doing standing all day, I recognized I needed to do more than leg lifts periodically throughout the day. Solution? A mini stair stepper with exercise bands! I bought it off of Overstock for $55. I have been doing multiple sessions of 15 minutes daily. Since the stepper makes me stand taller than my cubicle, I have to squat down when stepping, which really makes my thighs burn. Let's see if this stepper actually reduces my thighs rather than make them bulkier (which some exercises seem to do). To be continued..

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Celebration

2010-07-07T15:57:00.000-07:00

There is always so much to celebrate in life. Whether it be anything from winning a contest to simply finding the shirt you wanted on sale. With our hectic lives, it is good to take the time to celebrate. I have written a blog before of what I am thankful for, but the true definition of celebration is "to observe (a day or event) with ceremonies of respect, festivity, and rejoicing". Reasons to celebrate for Nick and I over the past month:
- I completed my last class of Statistics with an A-. That was quite the struggle for me since Statistics is hard for me to understand and I was not able to ask questions and have them quickly answered. Celebration for this: Taking a night off of homework to relax and watch a movie with Nick.
-Nick and I filed for our marriage license. While we still have to go pick it up, this makes it all that much more real that this is happening!! Celebration for this: a wedding in 72 days.
- Our country's independence day. We went up to South Lake Tahoe to our friends' new house that they bought a month ago. We spent the time with 5 other couples and cooked some great bbq and went on long hikes. This was a fun weekend. There was lots of wedding talk because two of the other ladies that were there are also engaged.. with one getting married on 09/04/10 and the other getting married in 08/2011.
- Nick and I have been lacking on the running, but we are starting it back up again. Celebration for this: more running!!
- We have great families and friends, so everytime we see them is a celebration in our hearts.

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Heat wave

2010-06-13T16:35:00.000-07:00

What a great weekend this has been. The weather has been warmish/hot (75-80) until today, which is 90 degrees! Yikes! On Friday, Nick and I both took the day off and went to Half Moon Bay. We enjoyed a nice breakfast at a popular cafe (yet I've never heard of it) then walked along the pier and looked at all the boats. We then drove to the Ritz-Carlton in Half Moon Bay. GORGEOUS!! Who would think that off of highway 1 there is a gorgeous hotel that is massively huge but with outstanding staff. Usually when I go to nice hotels, I feel like the staff thinks "she possibly does not have much money to tip us, so we should only give her minimum service with a forced smile"... not here at the Ritz. Every smile was genuine (I think) and they were all asking how they could make our time there the best possible ("would you like a glass of water while you sit here and enjoy the beautiful ocean view?").. and we weren't even guests there! I can't wait to stay there on our wedding night and the night after (courtesy of the woman that we have house sat for many times.. that I wrote about in last year's blogs). Then on Saturday, I went to go get a body wrap with Sarah and then went to the Nordstrom rack. I bought the cutest Maggie London dress for $29! I love great finds. At night, Nick and I decided to stay in and make dinner and watch a movie. Perfect date night in my opinion. Today, we went to see our friend's booth at the La Honda art fair. The fair was small, but cute. The rest of the day has been spent in front of the fan, trying to complete homework. :) I am very much looking forward to the coolness of the night breeze tonight.

First weekend of June

2010-06-07T15:07:00.000-07:00

The year has flown by so fast. We are so happy to finally get some sun here in "sunny" California! It has been nonstop rain when it should have been hot, but the great weather started last Thursday. We enjoyed a weekend of 75-80 degree heat with a light breeze in the shade. On Saturday, we were able to spend some time at our friend's new house in San Mateo. I felt bad for the most part, though, because I had to bring my laptop to do homework over at their house. :( Only 10 more classes until I am done with school! Then on Sunday, Nick and I went for a long run and then went on our way to BFD at shoreline. The event started at 10 AM, but we decided to get there at 5 PM to cut back on time in the sun and avoid the heat stroke! We were able to see bands like Hole (not a fan), Silversun pickups, deftones, and our favorite: Sublime. It's interesting how a band that loses their lead singer can find another singer that sounds almost the same as the deceased singer. While it was fun to hang out at the concert with our friends Nick and Adrienne, getting home at midnight was too late. Working the next day is tough on so little sleep. I tease my mom a lot saying "don't you wish that in High School I thought 10 PM was late for going to bed?" I guess I'm growing up

Running and Wedding progress

2010-05-25T10:10:00.000-07:00

Nick and I are continuing to prepare for our wedding while improving our running endurance. I am checking off things on the wedding checklists (provided by the knot.com) that will get me closer to being prepared for the wedding in September. I think we are fully registered, I have updated our website, Nick has gotten fitted for his tux, the bridal shower date is set, I have chosen the bridesmaid dresses, I bought my wedding shoes, etc. Can you tell I am excited?

Throughout all this planning, I have been trying my hardest to run daily. After boot camp finished, I had to take a week off from running due to some horrible shin splints. I purchased the new Kayano 16's and put in some new gel insoles. After running this last week, it seems that new shoes and insoles really help. I also bought Nick some new Asics, but not the Kayano's. We try to run everyday, at least 2 miles. It is slow progress, but hopefully I can stick to it.

The devil which is named STATISTICS

2010-05-25T10:03:00.001-07:00

For the past 5 weeks of school, my class has been Research and Statistics. It's not bad enough that I have an extremely hard time understanding all the equations (remembering them or understanding how to do them), I also have had a professor that is no more than a robot. I say this because there is no teaching involved. Throughout my online school career, I have never once had to be in a physical classroom, but yet I have had teachers post weekly informational "lectures", provide responses to the discussion questions that request for you to think more deeply, and correct essays with advice of where you can improve. This professor's only responses to the discussion questions to everyone are 1) "You need to cite your sources" or 2) "Please provide more information". As for the assignments, all I get is a low score and the comment of "please refer to the syllabus for reason of this grade". The reason this response is so frustrating is because I did everything that was requested on the syllabus. Finally, I have had to do group assignments with classmates who are just as lost as I am! After countless nights of staying up until midnight, hoping the professor will answer our questions we asked 3 days prior, we all surrender to turn in a less than satisfactory essay or presentation. I am glad the 5 weeks with that professor are over. He really reiterated the fact that you can't always learn something you're not interested in by reading alone. I have to take another 5 weeks of Statistics that will add on to the previous class, but it looks like this professor is here to help us all out. I am crossing fingers that I will get some sleep over the next 5 weeks.

Boot Camp

2010-05-14T09:14:00.000-07:00

For the past 4 weeks, I have been doing boot camp on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday morning at 6:30-7:30 AM. It is held in the San Mateo Central Park. The original idea came from Sarah who said that we should do boot camp to get me in shape for the wedding (since all I was doing was complaining about how out of shape I am but not truly doing much about it). Here is a quick break down of each week:

Week 1 day 1: Wow.. I was so out of shape that I was doing worse than anyone else. Pushups, squats, and running.. oh my!

Week 1 day 2 (Wednesday): This was fitness training. I did a 10:04 minute mile, 24 pushups in one minute, 54 crunches in one minute, and a 1:05 minute wall sit.

As the next 3 weeks went on, we did loads of ladder exercises, jump rope, squats, running around the park, bleachers, etc. The first two weeks were tough, but on week 3, I was looking forward to waking up to go to boot camp!!

At the fitness test on Week 4 day 2 (Wednesday): I did a lot better! I did a 9:40 mile, 36 pushups in a minute, 72 crunches in a minute, and a 1:42 minute wall sit. Much better!!

I must also applaud Nick who came one of the Friday mornings on guest day. After seeing what I had been doing for an hour 3 times a week, he definitely understood why I was always so tired around 7 PM.

Since I had perfect attendance and I turned in a weekly food journal, I was awarded $25 to use towards future classes. Sooo tempting, but I can't afford it at the moment. I have a wedding to buy stuff for!!

Done with wedding faires!!

2010-04-26T08:53:00.000-07:00

I went to a wedding faire yesterday and realized I am done going to them! I originally went so I could get ideas on flowers, invitations, pictures, cakes, etc. Now that I have the venue, food, flowers (ideas), invitations (I think), and pictures figured out, I only went yesterday to look at hair, makeup and cake. Trying to avoid the other stations, however, seemed near impossible. I felt hassled as I told the vendors that I already have the service they were providing. Nobody would take no as an answer. I even got a "if your vendor fails, you can use us!" Way to scare me! So with new bridal magazines in tow, I left the faire within 45 minutes. I am officially done with wedding faires.

First race!!

2010-04-12T16:46:00.000-07:00

Nick and I completed our first race yesterday (04/11/2010). We ran the 10K in Santa Cruz. Let me paint the picture for you. 8 AM we arrive at the race. 20-30 MPH winds, 4000 people all at the Santa Cruz beach boardwalk, dark clouds threatening rain. Our 4 friends (Adrienne, Dave, Jamie, and Sarah) ran the half marathon, so they started the race right at 8 AM. Nick and I started with the rest of the 10K runners at 8:15. The first two miles were alright. Nick and I were keeping a good pace. Pretty much around the 2.5 miles, though, I popped my ankle stepping awkwardly. Needless to say I experienced pain until I stretched my ankle. Near the end, the ocean waves were splashing against the rocks, spraying all runners with loads of salt water. Nick and I ran through the finish line at 1:09 hours. That averages out to 11:15 minute miles. Not too shabby for our first race. We were really thankful that we got finished before it started raining. While standing at the finish line while waiting for our friends to finished, a massive amount of rain came pouring down. I'm sure the people running in shorts and tank tops must have hypothermia by now. Nick and I are proud of ourselves for running the race and hope to continue "training" for our unplanned future race!

The pain of running

2010-03-28T20:35:00.000-07:00

This weekend was a great weekend for us. The work week was standard, but the weekend is what really was a mile marker. On Friday, I cooked something other than spaghetti for my friends. I made stuffed manicotti along with garlic bread and caesar salad. We had our good friends, David and Jamie Orr, Sarah, and Liz. We were able to enjoy the beautiful weather and eat outside. From there, we went down the hill to sleep. On Saturday, we went on a 10 mile run... YES! A 10 MILE RUN... with Dave, Jamie, Sarah, and Megan (on her bike). I can't believe we actually did it, and it hurt so good. When we got home at 3, Nick slept for 6 hours while I iced my knee. we were able to watch one movie together, than went back to sleep.

Today, we went to Nordstrom (to return some very cute shoes that were too expensive for a soon-to-be bride) and then crate and barrel to update our registry. I hope to win the lottery and buy another house so we can have two houses to have all the cute crate & Barrel stuff. :) (one can only dream!) Then homeward bound to do another run. We were only able to go a mile since our legs are SCREAMING! :) I love spring weekends. If only we didn't get the sad news of little Claire Calhoon. :(

Engagement photos

2010-03-22T12:00:00.001-07:00

This weekend was a beautiful weekend up at our house. It was in the mid-70's and sunny! What a great time for engagement photos. We are very fortunate to have Nick's uncle, Larry, be our photographer for our wedding! Larry has taken gorgeous pictures throughout the years. He has been on many hikes and captured the morning sunrise just right on the lake, morning dew on a fully bloomed flower, etc. He was thrilled when we asked if he would be our wedding photographer. On Sunday, Larry came over and had us do all sorts of fun and cute poses. Unfortunately, I did not have too many ideas for engagement photo poses, so we were all trying to think of past engagement photos we had seen and imitated them. I wore three different outfits: a blue dress, jean capris with a blue and white silk shirt, and a burgandy formal evening dress. The photos took a course of 5 hours, with a few breaks in between (dinner, watching of the health bill discussions), but I think we got some quality shots. I will post the pictures when we receive them from Larry. My total evaluation of the day: Nick looks awesome in blue, engagement photos are tiring, and I am so grateful that spring has sprung!

Caterers

2010-03-09T13:41:00.000-08:00

Wedding planning. So fun! So much to do! People have said numerous times that simply saying "wedding" in front of catering equals instant price increase! Finding a caterer has been difficult for us. We have tried a few places, each one seeming pretty good. The one we really like is located in the East Bay, so we would be charged an extra $400 just to pay for everyone to drive from the East Bay to the coast (anyone ever heard of carpooling?). Then, a place in San Mateo called Espostos seems like it has a fair price point, good food, and friendly staff, but people on Yelp say differently. The reviewers say that the food was dry, the service staff was lazy, and they were running a bit late. Even with these bad reviews, this place still offers the best price point. Maybe there's a reason for that... Then another service contacted me today. They are priced high, but all 15 reviews on Yelp gave them 5 stars and rave about the quality of the food and the service. We shall see what price they quote us.

At the venue, you don't even have to have a caterer, but it would make it so much easier....

Sorry to keep you waiting...

2010-02-17T20:01:00.000-08:00

Sorry to make you all wait. What has happened? four holidays (Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Years, and Valentine's day).. most importantly, the engagement! To find out the information about our wedding, please visit our website http://www.theknot.com/ourwedding/EmilyAdams&NickZontos
Other than that, life has been busy with work, school, and wedding planning. Venue is booked, dress is purchased, veil is borrowed, rings are chosen, caterers have been sampled (but no decisions yet), etc. Fun Fun Fun. We are also doing a race on April 11 in Santa Cruz. Although it may be only a 10K for us, it is our first race!
Stay tuned for more info!

Birthday week

2009-11-05T11:37:00.000-08:00

It's that time of year again!! My birthday! Yay. Although 26 is no milestone, it is still my birthday. How great is it to have one day where you can say "you have to buy me something" and not have someone laugh in your face? Ha ha just kidding....
Today was the start of festivities. I went to IHOP for breakfast with my boss and my coworker. I had some delicious pumpkin pancakes with bacon and eggs. While tasty, I always think about how nobody can ever make over-easy eggs as well as my grandpa could. I sure miss him! Well now I'm back at work for a couple of hours before heading up to Burlingame to have lunch with the other admins and our DBO (the head honcho at our SSF office) then off to Go Kart racing!! After that fun event, I get to go home to pick up my honey then off to the city to see "Wicked". I have been dropping subtle hints for months that I've been wanting to see that. Nick took the bait and is taking me to it for my b-day! I am ecstatic. Then tomorrow (my actual birthday) I get to do some damage at the Nordstrom half yearly sale. Then mom and I are going to get pedicures and lunch. After that.. it is unknown for a few hours until I get to have my birthday dinner. I took the plunge and invited different groups of friends, and they all accepted. Although it took some convincing of the hostess, I was able to make a reservation on a Friday night at 7 for 16 people at Los Altos Grill. I'm so excited. Well, that's it for now. Stay tuned for the actual events of my birthday weekend!

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New Car

2009-10-18T20:37:00.000-07:00

Hello again! Exciting news.

I have been looking for about 3 months for a new, four door car. I currently had a two door, 2007, Honda Civic. This was a great, reliable car that only had the problems of needing brakes replaced every 8 months, and constant checkpoint checks (hey, I thought Honda's were supposed to be cheap). The main problem was that I had 38 months left on the loan, my monthly payments were at least $475 a months, and my car insurance was $100 a month. Plus, If I plan on having children in the next 5 years, I would like to have a 4 door car that has been paid off (since babies are expensive enough). I've looked at Honda's, Toyota's, Mazda's, Dodge's, etc. I thought I found a great day in San Jose for a Mazda Tribute. Such a cute car and worth the price. While driving to San Jose on a Thursday afternoon, I found out that my car was starting to make some disturbing sounds. Not only was it making a high squeeling noise when accelerating, it was also making the familiar squeeking sound that brakes make when the brake pads are running thin. This, to me, meant that I would be paying a lot of money for car repairs in the near future. Long story short, I went all the way to San Jose Mazda just to find out that they had sold my Tribute 15 minutes before I got there. I ended up going across the street to the Subaru dealership. I have had rave reviews about Subaru's, but they were always above my price range. I was able to talk down the dealer $4k and was able to make a deal that now I save money: My loan period was only extended 6 months, I was paying a lower APR, my payments dropped over $120 a month, and my car insurance dropped $30/month. I ended up getting the 2007 Subaru Forrester (please view the picture below). I am so happy with my purchase and it will better serve me up in the mountains then my civic. I have heard many good things about Subaru and it looks like it will last me well past my 4 year loan. :)

2 months

2009-10-01T20:22:00.000-07:00

Wow. Embarrasing. It's been two months since I've written? Some great blogger I am. Let's see if I can remember all that happened that were milestones.

Art Fair- Nick did great in the art fair. He sold many paintings and even got commissioned on new jobs. I am so proud of him.

School- I started my Bachelor degree program. Instead of having two classes every 9 week like the AA program, I have one class every 5 weeks. Aside from these short classes, we also have to do group projects with at least 3 other class mates. This is challenging because I never meet these people face to face and we are in different time zones. Also, we are from different age groups, so ego's come in to play. I had a poor encounter with one class mate that chose that his ego was more important than looking out for the best of the group. Usually, classmates change each class, but I discovered in my next class that he would most likely be in all my classes for the next 15 months. Maturity tells me to suck it up and hope I don't get the guy in my group again. I hope I can endure til I graduate in 2011.

Family- Nick's parents went to Italy for two weeks and had a great time. While they were gone, I quite enjoyed driving Nick to work every morning. The only bad mornings was when he was dealing with his sprained ankle. He was coming out of a restaurant on Sunday and he stepped off the high curb. He didn't land correctly so he twisted his ankle. The swelling and bruising started immediately. We were able to wrap and ice his foot. Now, a week later, he is able to walk on it and is slightly bruised, but it is still tender. I have been lucky enough to spend time with my parents and other family members. I love them and feel so lucky that I am able to live close to a lot of my family members. I will especially miss Rachel when she moves to Georgia! Thank goodness for free national calling charges. :)

This is the end of this post. Now to a more current day.

2 major events coming up

2009-08-10T15:43:00.000-07:00

Holy cow! I can't believe it is already August! Time sure flies. It has been exceptionally difficult to keep track of what month it is due to the crazy weather! The last few days have been scorchers, though!

What we are looking forward to are 2 big events. On September 5-7, Nick is showing his art work in the Kings Mountain Art Fair again. This is the third time he has been in the art fair. Hopefully the weather this year will be good!

Secondly, Nick gets to meet my dad for the first time on September 17! This involves a trip to SLC. Unfortunately, airlines do not consider SLC a place to have cheap tickets to. While flights from SFO to LA or Las Vegas are about $49 each, the flights from SFO to SLC are about $99 each. Oh well, it will be worth it to see my dad. I haven't seen him in over 2 years!

I am looking forward to this month. Hopefully all will go well!

Milestone

2009-07-21T09:33:00.000-07:00

So I did it! I got my AA degree completed! Not quite sure of the grades yet for my final classes, but I am pretty sure I got at least a 3.75 as my final GPA! I have to say that I feel a slight feeling of relief that I have at least some type of college degree under my belt! I get two weeks of vacation from school, though. It was strange not having to check in on my online class last night! Next up: My Bachelor's degree in Business Management.

Other than that, Nick and I are still doing great! We have been enjoying doing everyday tasks. We did some house sitting again. That was wonderful! Also, to celebrate my graudation, we are going to Vegas this weekend! Current temperature at 10 AM: 98 degrees! Can't wait! We are staying at the Luxor! I also get to see/meet my cousin that I haven't really seen for over 15 years!

Hopefully, I will update information more as more exciting things happen!

Out and About

2009-06-11T09:53:00.000-07:00

Nick and I have been keeping busy the past week or so. First and foremost, we bought a new couch/sectional from Target. Each piece is the size of a chair, and you can arrange them any way you please. Currently, we have two end chairs put together, which is about the size of a love seat. We also have two ottomans, one for each chair. The greatest thing about these chairs and ottomans is that there is storage under the seat cushion!! This helps us keep our house clean.

I have about 4.5 weeks left of school, so I have been trying to work on my finals a little bit each night. The last week of school, so much is happening: Harry Potter comes out to theaters (you know I'll be at the midnight showing), we might be going to Reggae on the River up north, etc. I hope I can get my finals done early so I can have 3 weeks to relax before I start my BA degree.

Nick and I attended BFD last Saturday. BFD is a music festival put on by a local radio station. The headliners this year were 311 and the Offspring.. neither of which we saw. What a realization that I'm not young anymore. 80% of the people there were under age. After being at the concert (in the sun) for 8 hours, we were all tired and decided to go home around 9. The headliners didn't even start performing until 9. It was a fun day, though. I took a cute pic of us (see above).

Nick and I are still going to the gym quite frequently. I go almost every day at lunch, and then Nick meets me a few times a week after work to work out with me. I hope SOMEDAY it will start looking like I actually work out!

Stay tuned for more fun stuff in the life of Nick and Emily!

Count your blessings

2009-06-02T21:24:00.000-07:00

The past few days have been pretty stressful at work for both Nick and I. For me, it has been all the new interns and hires that I have had to do paperwork with, running background checks on, as well as starting them all on Monday. With Nick, there just seems to be a lot of things in all the buildings that need repairs and tenants are demanding and need things done RIGHT NOW! Usually when I'm overstressed, every little thing seems to make me grumble. My awesome boss pulled me aside yesterday to have a "talk" with me. Instead of telling me to take a chill pill and get over it, he sat me down and "made" me mention at least 5 things I was thankful for. I know I have many things I'm thankful for, but I definitely take them for granted. What were my 5 things?

I am thankful that I have a boyfriend who makes me happy every day.
I am thankful I have a job that I (almost always) enjoy working at.
I have a family who I love to talk to and love very much.
I have my health and a strong body.
I live in a home and I am able to pay all the bills and not have to worry about debt (other than school loans).

There are many more things I am thankful for, but it is all too easy to forget the good things in my life when things are stressful. I must remember to always count my blessings and hope that others can do the same and count their blessings.

Running

2009-05-20T14:36:00.000-07:00

I can not tell you how ecstatic I am that I got my new shoes! When I received the email from the shipping dock at 11 AM today, I felt that I could not wait to pick them up during the designated pick up time (1:30-3:30). I used my "magic" (aka the person who used to be on our Aerotek payroll) to give me the shoes early. These shoes are heavenly. I have Rachel to thank for getting me interested in these shoes. I can't wait to try them out in both the gym and on our mountain roads.

Monthly Update

2009-05-17T19:37:00.000-07:00

Once again, I have been lagging on writing a post. SORRY! Let's see if I can remember all that has happened in the last month. Hmm....

Nick and I were able to house sit at our favorite house in Menlo Park last weekend. I may have posted about it before, but we house sit every so often for a friend of Nick's mom. She lives in a gorgeous house.. just her and her cat. The cat is 18 years old and needs medicine to have an appetite. It feels like a vacation being able to stay down the hill. It was fun waking up on Saturday morning, put on our flip flops, and walk to the cafe and get a breakfast sandwich. We house sat Thursday-Sunday.

Mother's day- I attended church with my mom and enjoyed spending time with her. It made me happy to see how happy she was that I went to church with her. Perhaps I'll surprise her again soon..... ;)

I started reading the Harry Potter series again, starting from book one. I am looking forward to the 6th movie coming out in July!! I have read the Harry Potter series 5 times from book one to 7 (well, the 7th book I only read 3 times...) I enjoy getting lost in the world of Hogwarts and magic. I gained my love of books from my mom. Thanks mom!!

Nick has been busy building things. He built a wall on our back porch and painted it black. The idea is for us to get his digital projector and watch movies in the summertime outside. This summer should be really fun.

School: Ah school... Today, it took me 10 hours to write my economics final!!!! I am happy I am done with that class! I realize I always like one class and dislike the other. I did like my marketing class and turned in my final early. For my last block of classes for my AA degree, I am taking nutrition and International Business. I am so excited to graduate on July 19 (in 9 weeks) that I have already done the first 5 weeks of assignments for nutrition!! Granted that they were incredibly easy (i.e. write a 200 word essay about the difference between soluble fiber and insoluble fiber), but I still did them all in one day!

Vacations: We were planning on going to Vegas with my friends, but for financial reasons, we had to cancel. Since the plane tickets are non-refundable but rather transferable, we decided we most likely will go somewhere after I finish my AA degree (so probably the weekend of July 23-26). We were thinking LA, Sunriver, Colorado, etc. So many options. It will be fun to go on another trip. Not sure anything can follow up the Bahamas or Napa!

Gym: Nick and I got our gym memberships this last month. I have been going every day except Sunday (and some Saturdays). Nick has to take the train to meet up with me, so he only works out with me 3-4 days a week. It is great to work out and relieve stress, yet I have seen no change. I have been eating more vegetables, cut down on my carbs, stopped going out and eating fried food, and drinking more water..... yet, no change. :( It is quite frustrating. Working out on the machines has resulted in numb toes and sore ankles, which I figured out is due to my 5 year old Nike's. After much convincing from Rachel on how great the Asics Kayano's are, I went and tried a pair on. OMG!! These are amazing shoes. No wonder they are $145!! I was smart and went home to find a cheaper pair. I was able to find a pair for $109. Still REALLY expensive, but worth it. I should receive them by Friday!

Other than that, Nick and I are happily spending time together and enjoying life! :)

2 years with Aerotek

2009-04-16T09:15:00.000-07:00

Today marks my 2 year anniversary with Aerotek. I am not only happy to have a job in this economy, I am happy to have a job I love working at! I love the company and what it stands for, but I also love working onsite at Gilead Sciences. I love waking up every morning and coming to Foster City to work. I admit, there are some moments throughout the day where I get overly stressed and think "I wish I had a billion dollars so I would be able to work part time" but that only happens rarely. I have gotten kind emails today with people telling me that they are happy I work here and that I do a fantastic job. :) Today looks like it's going to be a good day!

Facebook

2009-03-25T13:34:00.000-07:00

Originally, I was a MySpace girl. I became addicted to it when I was going to move back to California when I was almost 21. This was a great way for me to get to know what I had missed out on in my friend's lives in the past 2 years that I lived in Utah. As time went on, I realized that there were many other people that I did not know that would friend request me. Many of these people didn't even live in the area! I am all for making new friends, but I found it kind of creepy that they would want to know about my life when I would probably never meet them! About 2 years ago, I was introduced to the world of facebook. Facebook is better than MySpace because if random people friend request you, they can't view your profile without your permission. Also, there is fun little pictures you can put on people's page (send them a little green plant), know about events that are going on, and most importantly: get in contact with people that you have not encountered in a LONG time! My main example is my experience this week with facebook. I received an email through facebook from someone I thought I didn't know. When she asked if I was "Lonnie's daughter", I thought to myself "wow, the only people who call my dad Lonnie are my cousins". So then I added her. Within 5 hours, I now have my 5 cousins plus one of my aunts as my friend on facebook. It has been at least 10 years since I last talked to any of my cousin's on my dad's side. I hope that now we can all keep in contact. As much as I like Facebook, though, I am making it a goal to never join TWITTER!!!

CLEP exam

2009-03-08T13:47:00.000-07:00

Ah Math. I enjoy numbers, but when you start adding Statistics, Geometry, and Algebra, prepare to get the eyes-glossed-over look from me. I understand a lot of it, but I lose interest very quickly. I failed Geometry 3 times (with a D) simply because I lost interest about halfway through. So when it came time to set the remainder of my AA degree schedule, I was told I would have to take two 9-week blocks of college Algebra, back to back (3 credits each). My fantastic academic advisor told me the alternative to 18 weeks of hair pulling and frustration is to take something called the "CLEP". This test stands for "College Learning Enhanced Placement". Taking the college mathametics version of the CLEP means that if I pass it, I would get 6 math credits. I was told that it was either a pass or a fail, and my grade would not be affected by the score. Me being the lazy person I am, I didn't even study until the night before..... 5:30 PM-1 AM was spent studying for the CLEP with some practice tests.

Nick and I woke up at 7 on Saturday morning (3/7) to drive to San Jose so I could take the computer exam at 8:30 AM. I got there 15 minutes early, so I was able to attempt to study. The test was done on a computer. It was 90% multiple choice and the rest were fill in the answer. On a lot of the questions, I actually shrugged my shoulders before choosing the answer (the instructor even called me out on it after the exam was done). After I finished, the teacher took me out of the room with the test results. He told me that in order to pass the test, I had to get over 50 points. (There were 60 questions). My score was (deep intake of breath here).....51!! This was the first time in my college career that I was actually thrilled I got a barely passing grade!! Since I passed the test, this means that I will graduate on July 19 with my AA instead of September 20! I am very excited! I wish I could say that I'm going to be totally finished with school, but I am going to continue on to get my BA.

Napa

2009-03-06T22:51:00.000-08:00

Greetings all. Napa was so fun! On Friday, we drove up to Napa to the Napa Old World Inn. This place was amazing. The service was superb, the ambiance was magical, and the company was perfect (yes, I mean Nick). We walked downtown for dinner at Downtown Joe's. The food was good, but not what Nick was looking forward to... aka a big juicy steak. Either way, we filled our bellies then went back to go to bed early (thanks to Chloe waking us up at 3 AM earlier that morning). The bed was incredibly comfortable. The feather pillows were a special treat. On Saturday, we had breakfast in bed. The B&B made a delicious souffle with fruit and OJ on the side. We then took a trip over to the outlet stores. 5 hours later, we came out with new shoes and new clothes. Due to the present economy, the outlet stores were even having sales. Leaving the outlet stores with empty stomachs, we had a gourmet supper of... Safeway Sandwiches!! :) We went back to the room to watch a movie on our 82" flat screen. It was really nice to relax and not have to do homework. We then went to a nice Italian restaurant named "Tuscany". The service was not that great, but the food was really good! After that, we turned in for another early night. Napa really does not have much going on after 8 PM. On Sunday, Nick and I were lucky to go on the wine train. The food was decent, but the train rocking back and forth made me a little quesy. We were able to tour the Grgich winery. It's amazing how they make wine. Such a long process. When we returned back from the wine train, we drove home. What a wonderful and relaxing weekend. I wish we were financially able to do that again! Thanks Sally!

Off to Napa

2009-02-24T08:01:00.000-08:00

This last week has been pretty interesting. Our power went out from a tree falling on the power line (thanks to all the rain and wind we have been getting). I raised my grade in Finance (I am currently the top grade... there are only 7 people left in the class..... we started with 30! I barely have a B!!). Nick and I have been doing the Wii FIT and loving it! Nick and I did dance class last Friday and could not stop laughing out of our frustration with one another (I am a natural born leader, I guess. I don't care if it is supposed to be the man leading........) I saw Confessions of a Shopoholic and L-O-V-E-D it!! We experienced layoffs on Wednesday at my work, which was a really stressful time and made me appreciate my job even more. Kelly came and took Molly away (I don't care if it is her cat... Molly has become one of our family). Nick never ceases to amaze me of how wonderful he can be. Everything from the little things he does to the things he says. He never says unkind things even though I need to be reprimanded for things (like my cooking)! This weekend should be really fun. We are spending two night at a bed and breakfast in Napa. http://www.oldworldinn.com/ We are staying in the "Bella Tuscany" room. We would not be able to afford this without the generous gift certificate from the woman that we house sit for. I will attempt to take pictures so I can post them.

Valentine's day

2009-02-13T14:33:00.000-08:00

It's this time of year where I find myself somewhat cynical. I view valentine's day as the day where men (or women) spend way too much money on flowers and jewelry just to prove to their significant other how much they love you and appreciate you. I guess I am cynical because it is not a poor man's holiday!! I want to buy Nick a nice watch, or some new shoes, or something. I want to send flowers to those I love. The main thing is that I do not have enough money to buy things on Valentine's day for those I love. Hopefully, those that I love will know that I do love you and am very appreciative of you.. and I am hoping you don't need presents from me to recognize that I do love you! If you do want a present, however, let me know! he he I love all my friends and family!

Nick is the ideal boyfriend. He shows me he loves me everyday with thoughtful things that he says or even just coming home and showing how happy and excited he is to be home with me. I did get him something for Valentine's, but it is not related to Valentine's day. I wish I had the means to buy him everything in the world, but my lack of funds means that he will just have to live with having me! (which is irreplaceable, as he tells me) I love you Nick!

Almost a month?!

2009-02-13T14:17:00.000-08:00

I have been HORRIBLE with posting blogs. :( Here I was getting after Rachel for not posting and posts, but here I am at almost a month. Okay... let's try to summarize:

Cruise to the Bahamas: Of course this was absolutely wonderful with my honey! We flew the red eye on Friday night (02/23) to North Carolina (for a three hour layover) then on to Jacksonville. We found our shuttle ride within 5 minutes after getting our baggage, then it was off to the cruise ship. Looking at our "fun passes", it said VIP at the top. Not sure what this meant, we went to one of the attendants who told us that it meant that we got to go to the front of the line. The odd thing was, he said that we were the first inexperienced cruisers that got VIP. HOORAY!! We were able to check in within 10 minutes!! Looking behind us, the lines wrapped around and around like a snake. I'm guessing it took everyone two hours to check in. We then took our picture then got on the ship!! WHAT A HUGE SHIP! Since we couldn't get into our rooms for another hour and a half, we toured around. This was one of the few times I took pics. :( When we got into our room, we took a nap. We then went out to the deck to watch the sunset. How gorgeous the sunset is out on the water! We went to a nice dinner and met our table mates. Neshaminy and Tre were two friends from Georgia. Neshaminy loved to take pictures (I need to have her send me some more of the pics. Some are on my facebook). The other couple, Jeremy and Stacy, are from Nashville. It was so fun meeting both couples. Looks like we have a place to stay next time we travel east! We were able to go dancing that night near the casino....oh oh I better write shorter sentences now.. Ummm on Sunday, we relaxed all day long on the sun deck. Laying out in the sun on the ocean is great!! We also toured the shops and ate a LOT of food. On Monday, we were in Nasseau. We were able to tour the Atlantis hotel and walk around a bit. We stopped by this mexican restaurant called "Senor Frog" that included a bunch of people between the ages of 25-60 in balloon hats in a Conga line and dancing. Fun Fun. On Tuesday, we were at Half Moon Cay. There was nothing to do on this Island but walk around and lay out in the sun!! Lots and lots of sunscreen for both Nick and I semi saved us (some sun still got through). The water was a bit chilly... about 65 degrees. Nick said (and I agree) that this was our favorite day. It was hard to leave the white sand beaches and the deep blue water. On Wednesday, I got a bit sea sick. I was not a lot of fun because I wanted to sleep it off (the dremamine made me really tired). Dinner was good, though. The dinners were always gourmet. They included shrimp, steak, chicken, ravioli's, rolls, desserts (they had this one orange souffle that was mmmm mmm good), etc. This is why my pants are extra tight right now. :( Traveling back was so tiring, but it felt so good to be home in our own beds. A cruise again would be fun, but not for another year or so!

Countdown to the cruise

2009-01-19T14:59:00.000-08:00

5 more days until Nick and I fly off to Florida!! I am looking forward to the cruise that takes off on Saturday to the BAHAMAS!! I bought a swimsuit online (winter time is the cheapest time to get swimsuits... I got a tankini for only $30 total! It was originally $75), I bought flip flops (2 for $5 at Old Navy), bought Nick some shorts from Costco (I still have to get him a swimsuit), and today, I bought our mini shampoo, conditioner, and sunblock. I also bought some awesome new sunglasses (picture above). Nick and I are UBER excited for this trip. I just hope the flight is not delayed. Everybody pray that it isn't!!

WOOHOO!!

"New" Friends

2009-01-14T10:54:00.000-08:00

Friends are a great thing to have. As the years go by, though, it is hard to keep up with my own life and maintain those strong friendship bonds. Those that I still speak to, I only see probably about 4 times a month (if I'm lucky). Thinking back to the "me" in HS, I could never imagine life could go on and I could still be happy if I didn't have a gazillion friends I see all the time. Guess that's part of growing up, ay?

Speaking of "new" friends, we are taking care of our friend Kelly's cat while she is out of town for 3 months. Her cat happens to be out cat's sister. The first night, our cat (Chloe) hissed at Molly (her sister) all night long. Talk about territorial. I finally stuck them in the closet/crawl space under our loft with a shoe box converted into a litter box. I did this to 1) get them to learn to like each other and 2) so I could get sleep and conserve my sanity!! The next day, they just avoided each other, which was a lot better than them fighting. Now, a couple weeks later, they seem to be best friends. They play together, follow me around together, and even sleep together at the foot of our bed. This weekend, I saw them sleeping in the sun. They woke up when I took the pic, but you get the general idea in the picture of how they were sleeping. Molly was originally a stand offish kitty, but now she has warmed up to me and jumps on my lap whenever I am sitting down...even if Chloe is already on my lap.

Oh yeah... only 9 more days til our flight leaves to Florida...... to go to the BAHAMAS!!