Baby Shower

My baby shower was this past weekend! My friends Tanya and Diana teamed up with Patrick's Aunt Linda and his cousin Veronica to pull everything together and I think everyone had a great time. Patrick's Mom came out from Yuma...but for all our 'too far out of town' family and friends...here are a few pictures!

30 Weeks and still a Gym Rat!

Well, somehow I made it to week 30 already! The agonizingly long first few months have morphed into weeks just flying by! It is hard to believe I am just 10 short weeks away from my due date, and only 7 weeks from "she could come anytime" status.

I am still feeling pretty good, I am happy to say. Here I am coming home from my weekly power walk with my friend Medina...we go a little slower each week, but she's hanging in with me for about an hour and a half each Sunday down by the beach.




I am also still at the gym most days, although the sideways glances are getting more and more obvious. Most people I interact with are supportive of my quest to stay in shape for labor, but I think my Group Power (weight lifting) class has started a pool to guess when I'll finally give it up!




Got some new gym gear recently at Lucy, their roll waist yoga capris are great for growing bellys! I also graduated up a size in tops...but am wondering if I should trade in for baggy tee shirts...What do you all think? Too much belly for the gym?

"BabyMoon" in Vegas!

Patrick and I took off over the Labor Day holiday for 5 days in Las Vegas for our last grown-ups only trip for a while. We had a great time and enjoyed the time off work and away from the daily grind. It was over 100 degrees outside, so we spent most days lounging around the pool.



We had a great room with a terrific view of the strip. The color in this photo is a bit off, but you can see how big my belly is growing! I am in week 27 during this trip.






We went and saw the Cirque du Soleil show "O", it was amazing!! We did a bit of gambling - but mostly chilled out in the evenings and enjoyed some great dinners.

Shopping in Portland, hurray!

Last week I flew to Portland, Oregon to visit my Mom for some quality time and shopping. My flight was uneventful, the little one didn't seem to notice, and I didn't feel different than I normally do. It was HOT in Portland, 104 one of the days (yes, you read that right, 104!), but my Mom and I survived by staying mostly indoors.
The shopping was a huge success, thank heaven for Mimi Maternity and Bella Bellies...I now have some super cute maternity clothes that don't make me feel like a little girl or a whale in a muu muu. I found some Lucky Brand maternity jeans that are like a dream, and didn't cost an arm and a leg. Hooray!
Shopping for the baby was also a treat, although not as immediately gratifying. Our little girl will now sleep and dream in the cutest sleepers and has a few dresses for hitting the town. Not to mention one super cool pink cowboy hat courtesy of my friend Jeanne...thanks again!

Deciding on Home Birth

Ok, so as soon as I found out I was expecting, I started to panic about how this baby was going to make it out. As a lifelong avoider of pain, I have been pretty set on a planned c-section to be my choice when and if I ever decided (was lucky enough) to have a child. My boyfriend, Patrick, although not thrilled with this idea, was supportive of my choice.
I was between jobs when we got the good news about the baby, so I found myself browsing Netflix one day between surfing LinkedIn and Monster.com. I found the documentary "The Business of Being Born", and watched it.

You can check it out here: http://www.thebusinessofbeingborn.com/

Lets just say it changed my whole perspective on how to give birth to my child and propelled me into a research frenzy. I had let fear of the unknown and an aversion to pain lead me to choose a major surgical procedure to give birth. Popular culture and the medical community says this is safe...but my research contradicted this.

Check out this movie, do some research, and make a birth plan that is right for you. Patrick and I chose to find a Certified Nurse Midwife and plan for a home birth. My fear hasn't gone away...but I am excited and optimisitic that I"ll have a great birth experience. I encourage you to watch this movie, then read everything you can get your hands on before you let a doctor or a insurance company tell you what is right for you.

Month 6 Begins

Well, officially in week 23 I have started the 6th month of my pregnancy. It seems unreal most days...but then the baby starts a little gymnastics routine in my belly and there is no denying there is something in there!

I feel great and have had a relatively trouble free pregnancy thus far (knock on wood). However, I have pretty much gained a layer of fat from my ribs to my knees instead of a cute little baby bump, but I am trying not to hold it against my body. My midwife tells me that it is my job to gain 25 pounds during this pregnancy, and my body's job to decide where it wants to put it. I am not sure that is a fair trade...but what can I do?

We went to Patrick's Grandparents in Murrietta, CA this weekend to tell them the baby news and hang out. His Uncle John and Aunt Patty were there...we had a great time hanging out.

Elisa's visit to Santa Barbara

This summer Patrick's daughter, Elisa, was able to visit Southern CA and spend a week with us in Santa Barbara. For those of you who don't know, Elisa lives with her Mom and brother in France, and hadn't been to visit the US in several years. We were super excited to have her with us! She got to see her Grandparents, Great Grandparents and a few cousins, and we had fun doing lots of typical Santa Barbara things.


She is 13, and tall and gorgeous (just like her Dad, of course!). She is into music and skateboarding. She enjoyed shopping, riding with her Dad on our scooter, and hanging out at the beach.


Elisa is excited to be getting a new baby sister, and we talked baby names together. Top of her list is "Lucy", but Patrick and I aren't announcing the baby's name until she is actually here, so we'll see. Elisa suggested we visit France with the new baby while I am on maternity leave, what a disappointment to tell her that women in the US don't get the 2 years of leave that is offered to women in France. TWO YEARS! What a dream to have the flexibility to give your child the care you want for his/her first two years without losing your job! Anyway...we'll definitely take the baby to see her sister in France, planning will just be a bit more challenging.

Here are some great pictures...