Bump Watch 2008, 36 weeks, 6 days

Living large, my friends, living large. 20 days to go!


And although we still have a few things to do in the nursery (i.e., awaiting the arrival of our crib mattress, putting up crown molding, adding a brown ribbon along the bottom edge of the curtains, art to hang about the changing table, etc.), I want to share our progress so far.

Here's the view when you walk in.

The dresser we're using as a changing table.

Here is the set of shelves and desk we got from Crate and Barrel. (Don't worry - they're very secured to the wall.)

And the crib with my favorite part of the nursery - the hippo decal we got from Etsy!

It's hard to tell from the pictures, but the walls are a light shade of brown, which contrasts nicely with all the white furniture and pink accents. I adore the way the room turned out, and sometimes I just stand there and stare, imagining what it'll be like to actually use the room when she's here.

"Architecture in general is frozen music." - F.W.J. Schelling

Bump Watch 2008, 35 weeks, 4 days

One... month... left! My due date, Oct. 19, is one month away! Here is my not-so-weekly belly photo, which was taken in a rush this morning so forgive the lack of polish. You'd be surprised how many times I make Brent retake photos until there's one I'm content with. Oh, and this is how I wear my hair when I don't feel like blow drying it.


Brent and I continue to prepare for Em Dash's arrival. Saturday the rest of our condo (minus the bedrooms) is getting painted, so I'm going up to visit my mom to avoid the fumes. A few more finishing touches on the nursery and we'll be all set. I've been picking up the last little things we'll need (toiletries, newborn onesies, my first pack of diapers - whee!) before she gets here.

A lot of folks have been asking us about Em Dash's name. It usually goes something like, "Have you guys decided on a name yet?" followed quickly by "Iknowyou'renottelling,soI'mnotexpectingyoutoTELLmethename. I'mjustwondering."

The answer? No, we have not decided on a name. But we are close. We have one solid front runner, with a few runner-ups. And tonight on our way home from dinner, I brought up the front runner. Hilariously, when I said the name, Em Dash kicked me really, really hard (but not painfully). We don't know if that was in agreement or protest, but I had tears in my eyes from laughter.

Lastly, after months of going back and forth with our HR team, I've finalized the timing for my maternity leave today. I'm planning to work as long as I'm comfortable because the more time I take before Em Dash arrives, the less time I'll have with her when she's actually here. So, as of now with my Oct. 19th due date in mind, my leave will start Oct. 15th and end Feb. 23! That's more than four months with our baby girl! And it could be an additional month if I end up having a C-section (which I really, really, really want to avoid).

All this time is a combination of my company's generous maternity leave, as well as 6 weeks of California's Paid Family Leave, something that my Toronto-based HR team was not familiar with. So after educating myself, I had to educate them. Then there was some back and forth as we debated my eligibility and how the Leave worked with what my company already offered. But it's all settled now, and I'm super excited to have the opportunity to have so much time with Em Dash!

"Listen to me... If every woman who wanted a steak was pregnant, they'd sell maternity wear at Sizzler's." - Lucy, 7th Heaven

Bump Watch 2008, 33 weeks, 4 days

45 days left until Em Dash's arrival!

Today my co-worker returned to work after a week off and said to me, "Wow! You really popped while I was gone!" It's funny 'cuz I was thinking the same thing. I spend my evenings at home waddling around in a maternity sleep bra (aka a sports bra designed to keep your massive boobs from flopping around too much while sleeping, with a less constricting band around the bottom) and shorts. Brent sometimes stop mid-sentence because of my belly to say, "Holy crap, you are PREGNANT!"

I find myself bumping into things with my belly more often, forgetting that I've grown so much horizontally. Leaning over to grab something off the counter or picking something off the floor of my car...heck, even trying to put pants on in the morning - I have to bend my legs differently. It's so strange, yet freakin' hilarious.

And over the past week or so, Em Dash has started getting the hiccups. I was starting to worry about her because she HADN'T had them yet. (Just one of many things a pregnant woman could be paranoid about.) I was worried that her little parts in charge of hiccups weren't developing correctly, so I was relieved when she finally got them. They feel so different from her typical kicks and pushes. It's movement from deep within my belly, continous movements that I can feel much more while laying on my back than on either of my sides. Brent can easily feel and see them, too.

One of the few things my mom remembers from her pregnancy with me is that I'd often get hiccups in the middle of the night. Hasn't happened to me yet, but Em Dash does tend to get them right when I lay down to sleep.

In not-so-fun pregnancy news, good-bye ankles, hello cankles. Boooo. I'm actually typing this with my feet in a foot bath in the hopes of reducing the swelling. And I regularly wrap my ankles in ice packs. Swelling can suck it!

"There was that law of life, so cruel and so just, that one must grow or else pay more for remaining the same." - Norman Mailer

Bump Watch 2008, 32 weeks, 3 days

My not-quite-weekly belly pic!

Only 53 days left to go!

When we took my photo this morning, Brent asked if I could see a progression in my photos. I think so. Check out a sampling.

Feeling pretty good, although I'm starting to get a little uncomfortable, mainly while trying to sleep. I can't remember the last time I slept through the night, but before I was even pregnant I often woke up at least once to go to the bathroom. I'm now typically going at least three times a night. I told Brent, who rarely doesn't sleep through the night unless I'm snoring, that this is good practice for when we have to wake up frequently for feedings. I jokingly suggested that every time one of us wakes up in the middle of the night, we should make the other a sandwich. You know, to get into the habit of feeding someone. ::taps mic:: Is this thing on?

People keep saying that my pregnancy seems to have gone by quickly for them, as bystanders. For me it crept by until the 24th week or so. Now I'm amazed by how quickly it's going.

We still have a lot to do in preparation for the baby, but we've gotten quite a bit done, too. At my last check-up on Monday, the doctor said, "You should think about getting a car seat soon." Check. "And sign up for a maternity ward tour." Check. "And childbirth classes." Check. "Oh, wow. Ok, then you guys are ahead of the game." Score!

"Oh god, I hope you're not pregnant. We can't afford another kid. We already got Chris, Stewey, Richie, Joanie, Greg, Marsha, Bobby, Jan, Mike Seaver, Carol Seaver, Boner, Urkel, Mr. Furley..." - Peter Griffin, Family Guy

Bump Watch 2008, 30 weeks, 6 days

This photo features my just-trimmed hair and in anticipation of my SFAM shower.

64 days to go!

Liz: Didn't you just get your haircut two days ago?
Jack: I get my haircut every two days. After all, your hair is your head suit.

- 30 Rock

Bump Watch 2008, 29 weeks, 2 days

Only 74 days left until our little girl's arrival!

These days I waddle when I walk, letting my belly lead the way.

I'm tempted to rig a lever and pulley system to help me get off the couch.

Strangers definitely notice that I'm pregnant. No doubt about it.

I'm hot all the time, but that's no big surprise.

If I lean too forward near the edge of my desk, Em Dash gives me some disapproving kicks.

Yesterday I had a bite of leftover peach pie (even better when it's cold, by the way) and instead of kicking in delight like she does when I drink something cold or eat something sweet, she was slowly PUSHING in and out on my stomach as if to say, "Let... me... out! I want more PIE! Mmmm....pie!" Soon enough, baby girl.

Her kicks/pushes/headbutts/break dancing are even more pronounced now, and I can't help but smile every time. I can feel her moving in multiple places at once, so I imagine that she's building her little arm and leg muscles.

As Brent noted, I probably spend 60% of my time at home just staring at my bare belly, watching it twitch and move and swerve. Unreal but simply amazing.

Sometimes Brent speaks into my belly. He says, "Hello, baby. What are you doing in there?" When it's nighttime, he reminds her that technically she should be asleep because that's our hope when she arrives. Nighttime = sleepy time. (Hey, let me have my fantasy world for couple months longer and I won't crap all over yours.)

I talk to her and ask if she has enough room in there. I tell her to keep baking and to be sure not to come out until nature's timer goes off. I tell her that her daddy and I love her so much already, and we're quite excited to meet her. I tell her about what a fun and happy kid she'll be and about all the fun things we're looking forward to teaching her.

I'm feeling behind with what we need to get done before her arrival (probably because I'm spending so much time staring at my belly instead of organizing and setting up the nursery), but we'll be ready in time, I'm sure. Well, as ready as we'll ever be, I suppose.

"When the first baby laughed for the first time, the laugh broke into a thousand pieces and they all went skipping about, and that was the beginning of fairies. And now when every new baby is born its first laugh becomes a fairy. So there ought to be one fairy for every boy or girl." - Peter Pan

Bump Watch 2008, 27 weeks, 2 days

I've been waiting until I was sure that all the recipients had them, so now I can finally share with you the awesome invites the lovely justJENN created for my baby shower that she's co-hosting.

Check 'em out here.

Are they not the cutest little things EVER? Seriously, above and beyond what I expected. Friends and family keep telling me, "Your invitations? Unbelievable!" and "Have you seen your invites? They're AWESOME!"

Yup, that's justJENN for ya.

When she offered to host my shower, I told her that I'd only let her if she promised not to go crazy-go-nuts... 'cuz that's what she does. She is so detailed and Martha-esque.

Since my in-laws have the perfect place for parties, I suggested that she co-host it with my mother-in-law there. (My MIL is also quite the party planner.) That also minimizes the crazy-go-nutsness from justJENN, hopefully giving her more time to focus on her own sublime madness that she has going on.

I'm so very excited! And this is only one of the two fabulous showers being thrown for me!

In other pregnancy news, I'm feeling pretty good these days, despite some heartburn. (Tums are my new besties.) Oh, and I totally thought I'd escape this pregnancy thing with minimal stretch marks - I had two tiny ones that popped up about a month ago. Despite my constant slathering of special lotions, the two tiny ones are now accompanied by a ton more lil' buddies. Bastards.

It's actually no big surprise. I know you can't really prevent stretch marks - it's all about genetics, etc. I was just hoping the lotions might minimize the impact. And I'm prone to them anyway. I got a few when I had a growth spurt between jr. high and high school (4 inches in one summer - yikes), and when I lost weight for the wedding. Whatevs. I won't hold them against Em Dash.

Friday I'm doing my glucose screening, praying that I don't have gestational diabetes ("a high blood sugar condition that some women get during pregnancy"). I have a tiny bottle filled with syrupy pink stuff in my 'fridge that I have to drink down an hour before getting my blood drawn - unlike Mrs. Mogul, who lucked out with Orange Crush instead for her glucose screening. I'm not anticipating issues with the pink stuff, simply because I'm a sugar fiend, but because I'm a sugar fiend I'm a little worried about the results of my screening. Think un-sugarfied thoughts for me Friday afternoon!

And now it's time for my not-quite-weekly belly pic. Thank you to everyone who comments, both on blog and via email, about my pics. I take them as a fun record for myself, but I like that peeps seem to enjoy my progression.


Today a new co-worker asked me how far along I was. She said I hardly looked pregnant. Really? I thought that my pregnancy waddle gave it all away. I told her that if not for my giant boobs, perhaps my baby belly would look bigger in comparison.

"Shut up, Fatso! I don't have a pot! I have a bit of a tummy, like Madonna when she did 'Lucky Star,' it's not the same thing...Pot bellies make a man look either oafish, or like a gorilla. But on a woman, a pot belly is very sexy. The rest of you is normal. Normal face, normal legs, normal hips, normal ass, but with a big, perfectly round pot belly. If I had one, I'd wear a tee-shirt two sizes too small to accentuate it." - Fabienne, Pulp Fiction

Bump Watch 2008, 25 weeks, 1 day

Looking a little crazy-eyed here, but otherwise I like this pic.

This week Brent and I have been experimenting with different music for Em Dash.

She seems to like The Beach Boys, Another Bad Creation and Information Society, kicking emphatically during each song, although I'm not sure if she's kicking in approval or disapproval. These were Brent's song choices while driving around over the weekend.

With headphones on my belly last night, she enjoyed Ray LaMontagne (she went particularly nuts when I played him, and she's kicking up a storm now as I have that song on in the background), Sesame Street's People in Your Neighborhood and Tchaikovsky.

Em Dash literally stopped in her tracks when I played Rick Springfield, Rooney and The Spice Girls -- and I don't think it was in awe.

She was active when we saw STP recently, and I imagine it'll be even more of the same when I take her to the next four concerts on my agenda.

"Don't let your mind get weary and confused. Your will be still, don't try. Don't let your heart get heavy child. Inside you there's a strength that lies." - Be Here Now, Ray LaMontagne

Bump Watch 2008, 23 weeks, 3 days

It's time for the weekly belly pic!


Em Dash is doing great. She's kicking a lot, and Brent felt her kick for the first time this weekend. He SAW my belly move before he felt it! And when he felt it, he slowly backed away while exclaiming, "Whooooooaaaaa!" So very cool!

My mom called yesterday to tell me that she bought her first outfits for Em Dash. "The clothes for girls are so much cuter than what there are for boys!" she said. (No offense to moms of boys. That's just the opinion of one grandma who has a grandson and is now getting her first granddaughter.) She's certainly going to have fun spoiling our little one.

"Actually, I do own property. My grandfather left me a 60-acre working beet farm. I run it with my cousin Mose. We sell beets to local stores and restaurants. It’s a nice little farm. Sometimes teenagers use it for sex." - Dwight, The Office

Bump Watch 2008, 22 weeks, 3 days

This morning at work I meant to walk to the elevator but instead walked right past it and toward the bathroom. I stopped myself and realized it might have been a case of "pregnancy brain."

And for some reason I thought of this old cartoon from Sesame Street because it was as if I had to remind myself that I wanted to take the elevator a la "A loaf of bread, a container of milk, a stick of butter."

Other than that little brain fart, I've been feeling pretty good. Em Dash is kicking a lot, although still not quite hard enough for Brent to feel her yet. The other night he whispered into my belly, "Please kick hard so Mommy will stop harassing me to feel her belly." Because I do it all the time. Heh.

Today was the first day I had a bit of a time pulling myself in and out of my tiny two-door sports car. This Friday I'm going to start loan rate shopping for my new car. I'm hoping to have a shiny new car by my birthday next month.

Tonight I registered Brent and I for some classes at our hospital, so we'll feel a little more prepared for child birth, breastfeeding and infant care. My approach to my pregnancy -- and probably motherhood in general -- is to educate myself as much as possible without driving myself crazy-go-nuts from information overload. There's a lot to learn and so much of it is exciting (and a tad scary, depending on how you look at it).

I'll conclude with this week's belly pic, with a color combo inspired by dapotato's aqua and red wedding!

"God forbid you should use 'icky drugs' when you could experience the excruciating agony of childbirth in the raw." - Dr. Martin Ellingham, Doc Martin

Bump Watch 2008, 20 weeks, 6 days - Whooooa, we're halfway there...

We skipped last week's belly pic because we were on vacation. Lately I haven't been feeling like I look pregnant, but instead feel like I just look pudgy.

Brent took some photos this morning. I previewed this one and said, "I don't really look pregnant."

But then Brent took some more after I was messing around with my shirt and he exclaimed, "Whoa! You REALLY look pregnant here!"
So there ya go.

I'm now more than halfway through my pregnancy. I feel pretty good. I've been sleeping even better thanks to the awesome Snoogle pillow that Wan lent me.
Luckily we have a California King bed so I'm still well within my allotted space and Brent doesn't curse me for hogging the bed with my Snoogle.

In other baby news, we picked up our crib yesterday. It's at my in-laws' until we get the second bedroom cleared out for the nursery. I want to get the nursery painted before it gets too hot (August and September are typically the warmest months here in LA). My mom offered to buy the dresser that we want to use as a changing table for the nursery, which was very sweet of her. I also want to get a little bookshelf. I won't say much about the wall decor I have planned until it's done and I have pics to share.

"What a cute bench!" - Pam
"Thanks! That's my bed. Jan, uh, has some space issues so I crawl up on that puppy." - Michael
"He fits perfectly!" - Jan, The Office

Bump watch 2008, 18 weeks

Here's the weekly belly photo, which we took right before we left for our big appointment.


I just ordered a couple of fun maternity t-shirts from the massive collection on Cafe Press. My office is pretty casual, so I can wear these to work, too.

This one I got with the upcoming concerts in mind (see the right column of my blog for all the shows I'm attending before Em Dash's big arrival).
Here's one that I fell in love with because, c'mon on, who DOESN'T love monkeys? And I ordered it in pink, ya know, to go along with our baby girl.
It still hasn't sunk in that Em Dash is officially a "she" and we can refer to our baby as "her" now. For so long she has been "it" and "the baby" and of course, "Em Dash."

Brent and I are starting to chat more about names now that we can eliminate 50% of the options. We want to find the balance between something that isn't insanely popular (e.g., Emily - in the top 10 names for the past 10 years or so) but not so unique that people can't pronounce and spell it. It's a lot of pressure to come up with something that has such an impact on our child's identity. We have to come up with a middle name, and it all has to flow with our last name, too? I'm sure we'll find something we both love and that won't scar our little girl for life, but still - so much to think about! Very exciting, nonetheless.

Joey: If you want a strong name, you should name him "The Hulk."
Phoebe: I don't know about "Hulk," but I like the idea of a name starting with "The"!
- Friends

Where have I been? And Bump Watch, 17 weeks

Eating out

Dinner last night at Ciudad with a fabulous bunch of gal pals. Then tonight at Versailles with Shelby's parents. Yup, that's how close I am with Shelby and her family. Her parents are very much like parents to me. :) They were in town and wanted to try "the Cuban place that Shelby is always raving about!"

Rocking out

At the Brett Dennen concert, along with awesome Aussie Missy Higgins. I was sad that Brett didn't play more of his songs that I know, but his new stuff was awesome.

Popping out

I'm 17 weeks, 4 days. And I think my little pregnancy belly has popped over the past couple of days. Take a look for yourself.

Taste budding out

This morning my Raisin Bran Crunch cereal tasted like chocolate to me. But there's NO CHOCOLATE IN IT! I've heard that strange things can happen to a pregnant woman's taste buds, but this was by far the weirdest thing I've experience yet.

Feeling it out
I think I may be starting to feel Em Dash kick a bit. I'm not 100% sure that the flutters I *think* I've been feeling aren't muscle spasms or what, but I'm hoping any day now that I'll feel the telltale flutters of our little one with certainty. Come on, Em Dash! Mommy says it's ok to kick her!

Styling out
Trying to get the hang of my new 'do. It's a subtle change with fringe bangs, but I like it. It's also added a bit of fun layers to the bottom of my hair, which are hard to see in these pics. As Brent joked with me over the weekend when I didn't agree with him about something, "Hey, just 'cuz you're all punk now doesn't mean you can take an attitude with me!"

Baking out

I officially broke in my new oven this week with a batch of Mexican Wedding Cookies. I pink puffy heart my convection oven - less heat and baking time required!

Buggin' out

On the way home from dinner at Ciudad last night, I could have sworn there was a bug in my car and it flung itself into my body. It was too dark to tell, plus I was going 65+ on the freeway, so I just rolled all my windows down in the hopes that it would fly out. I didn't see anything when I arrived home, but while I was on the computer shortly after I got home, I felt something near my bra strap. I stuck my hand in my shirt only to pull out a GIANT (ok, an inch or so) black beetle! I screamed and yelled for Brent to come kill it, but it was already dead - probably from fear of my yelling. Ugh, I'm getting the willies just thinking about it.

"So the days pass, and I ask myself whether one is not hypnotized, as a child by a silver globe, by life, and whether this is living." - Virginia Woolf

Bump Watch, week 16

Here I am at 16 weeks, 4 days. This was taken in the morning.

Oh, and it's my first pic in my new glasses. I love them. They're the only thing I'll ever own with a Prada label. You can't tell in the pic, but they are purple on the inside. Fun!


"I prefer the term 'Professional Crazed Fan.' A job that's a hell of a lot more satisfying than sewing Prada labels in your Old Navy shirts. Go get yourself a new assistant. If you need me, I'll be in your hamper." - Jack, Will & Grace

Bump Watch, week 15

Brent was out of town last Monday, so I skipped last week's picture. And although my pic from two weeks ago was labeled "14 weeks" based on the baby's measurements from the NT scan, I'm re-numbering my "weeks" based on my doc's insistence that we stick with my original due date. So, here is my pic at 15 weeks, even if my Em Dash is feeling more along the lines of 16 weeks.


It's also important to note that this was taken at night, which means my bump is much bigger than it would be in a morning picture. (For those of you who haven't experienced your own lovely baby bump, it seems to magically grow exponentially from morning to night, then back to a less "oh whoa!" status by the next morning.) Please also excuse the messy hair and no make-up.

I hugged Brent earlier this week, and he giggled and said, "I can totally feel your belly!" And a co-worker commented this week that it was the first time she thought I looked as though I was showing. Fun times!

"Dwight, what is that on your stomach? Is that a Muppet Babies tattoo?" - Karen, The Office

Bump Watch 2008

Some people call the baby in their womb "Peanut." Some people call it "Bean."

When we bought my first pregnancy book, it declared, "Your baby is the size of this dash -- " When I showed it to Brent, he replied, "Our baby is an em dash!"And that nickname just stuck. "Em Dash is craving lemonade... Em Dash wants some apple slices... Em Dash misses Daddy."

Em Dash is about the size of my fist these days. While I'm not necessarily showing yet, Em Dash has seemingly pushed out a lot of the pre-pregnancy belly I had. I'd like to pretend that I'm a tiny little thing and the belly you see is ALL baby, but I'm not in denial that much.

So keep all of that in mind as I post my first belly pic to track my evolving baby bump. This picture was taken on Monday, when I was exactly 14 weeks along. I don't think I'm huge for where I am in my pregnancy, but I'm still a little surprised to see the bulge below. On the bright side at least I don't have to suck it in anymore. Hee, hee, hee.

I'll try to post a new pic each week. And next time I'll be sure to smile!

"The body is a house of many windows: there we all sit, showing ourselves and crying on the passers-by to come and love us." - Robert Louis Stevenson