houseboat with legs

This wonderful pic of Me, Z, and Madhuri was taken 6 WEEKS AGO at 24 Weeks! I am defying the laws of physics with this tummy.

I have finished putting together our baby registry at:

All the big ticket items have been gifted or loaned along the way. I think we are down to needing mainly the stuff you don't know you need until you have the baby and learn about these things the hard way. I still managed to find a few things that I know we will use and enjoy.

Nancy came to town to visit over the weekend. We went shopping and of the stuff Nancy bought for Zoe, I just have to show you this really cute jogger set in size: "holy crap that's tiny." The hat has little ears. Fruit themed with ears. It just doesn't get any better than that.

three friends

Jenn and her BFF Lindsey are visiting this week. We went to Malibu on Saturday and the Huntington Library Gardens on Sunday.

We enjoyed holding hands at the "Pavilion of the Three Friends" where the plaque read: "The 'Three Friends of the Cold Season' are plants that represent courage and unity during hardship. By remaining green all winter, the pine shows endurance. Bamboo embodies flexibility and strength. The plum tree flowers even during the harsh weather of early spring."

This place was several hundred acres of beautiful!

belt buckle and groin of america

What you see behind me is the belt-buckle of middle america. We liked St. Louis so much more than we expected to. They had Hardees and White Castle and protesters at the local planned parenthood and a disproportionate amount of overweight people (I could be heard telling Mark, "this is nothing. Just wait until we get to Texas.")

Josh and Anna's wedding extravaganza was beautiful, opulent, and over the top. We ate and drank well. (No, of course I did not embibe. What? You think I want a baby with eyes too far apart?) Probably the best part for me was chilling with Nick and Tanya at the Botanical Garden.

On to Texas... Hanging with McBro and Evan. So good to see those guys. We did way too much and a lot of nothing. Another botanical garden, a trip to Galveston Island to see the hurricane damage, take a Duck Tour of the downtown & bay, tour the police station and jail where McBro works, Nasa Space Center, and lots and lots of driveway chillin, barbequeing, and delicious food. No one can ever claim to be a better cook than Kim. I'm sorry. That chick has a monopoly on the title "best ever."

This is Nasa.

This is port-side on the Duck. I have a fetish for boats on vacation, so I am seriously elated in this picture for getting Mark on the water.

There is my little bump. I think it really started to pop out on this trip, because when I got home, I had only two shirts that could still conceal it. I guess it's safe to assume that it no longer looks like a failed diet.

Once swaddled safely back into my own bed, I slept 15 hours and then 10 hours the next day. Ah, the vacation after the vacation. My body was tired, but my mind was so relaxed.

I bought a maternity swim suit so I can feel the precious sense of weightlessness next time I go to the gym... which has been a weekly on Sunday routine for the past few weeks. I'm looking forward to trying it out. The heaviness is surprising (compared to what I expected this early on.)

In related news, I almost threw a pepperocini in my mouth and washed it down with chocolate milk. It sounded awesome. Luckily, somewhere between the refridgerator and my mouth, sanity kicked in just in time to stop me. Thank God.

exam season's greatest hits

I am up to 3-4 hours per day of study. This is what I should always be doing, but I usually fizzle out at the 2 hour mark. I guess the 2nd trimester and the reintroduction of coffee has really improved my focus. (Don't worry, I'm only having one 1/2 decaf cup and my doctor says it's okay.)

The last few weeks have been a bit crazy... as always is the case as the exam approaches (next Thurs for anyone curious.) I have continued, as is my custom, to have a life. I just don't take as much care in documenting it as I normally would. I don't have any pictures from my "girls' night" at Mamma Mia! (on stage.) The music and costumes were great, but (and I can't believe the blasphemy of this statement) the movie was better.

The same weekend, I went to the circus for the first time, ever. It was small, but having nothing to compare it to, I was the most value for $10 I've had in a long, long time. A little of everything, and plenty of "akkk - don't die!" moments.

A highlight is that right after the show, Madhuri gave me a big bag of these maternity clothes.... pretty much everything I will need. Study, study, study and fast forward to last weekend... my BFF in college, Tiffany (who now lives 2 hours away in the desert) came, picked me up, and I had a weekend vacation on her turf. She took me for a day trip to Lake Isabella and a quaint town called Kernville where we shopped in some antique stores, got lunch and visited an old museum.

We spent a lot of time catching up on three years time, just hanging out at her place. We also got a drive through tour of the Naval base that she has been working at for the past couple of years as a civilian mathematician for the DOD. Then she drove me back to town and we caught a few hours at the Page Natural History Museum (Tar Pits) which I found out I get free admission through my work! You can look into the area where they are cleaning a big find, including a well preserved columbian mammoth. The tusk is longer than I am tall, I think.

As far as the whole preggers thing goes, I feel significantly better... appetite, energy, etc. Still wouldn't characterize any part of my life as "normal" -- but I can handle this part. I am infinitely greatful for the massage chair topper I got for christmas. I am trying not to think about everything too much (study, study) for now, which is hard. I let myself read a bit today and while sitting very still reading, I felt something. A flutter. Not gas. A flutter! It's early but within the range of plausibility - I think I felt the baby move! Wow. Still no pic of the bump to share. It just feels like the pizza and burritos I was once able to 'suck in' is now sitting out several inches - and who wants to see that? I know, fans. You do. Trust me. No one wants me to be a cute pregnant more than I do. But, you know not everyone has a cute little bump. I want to be one of those ladies who is normal from the back and then she turns around and you think - "wow... she's smuggling a basketball... I wasn't expecting that." But, I'm pretty sure that I'm going to swell up everywhere (given the current disappearance of my waist from every angle.) Don't worry. I will definitely post a pic - but let's just let it get it past the point of being mis-identified as a failed diet/exercise plan first.

Study, study, etc. Now you are all caught up to date and I should go study some more.

wicked tree ornament

As I mentioned last year, we are going to have a "memory" tree where all the ornaments either have some significance to the year they were purchased, or have something to do with our lives. This year, I wanted to make a mini-book honoring Mark's first novel and also have an ornament for 'Wicked: The Musical' because it not only has a message that is very important to my life in it, but I was also able to go see it 3 times, with old friends, new friends, and family. Plus, it is representative of how we are getting off the couch and taking advantage of this city more. I was going to go buy the ornament they sell at the theatre, but then I saw these cute hand made ones and decided to do this.



Her head is a wooden apple, her hat, body and boots are felt w/ sequins, her skirt is a inked poisetta flower and some old lace from my craft stash that I inked grey, her hair is yarn, and her broom head is necklace hemp. Her shirt lapel is part of the poinsetta flower base. Her legs are just some stripey scrap fabric I had from an old shirt. I happened to have those cute little bells for some reason. This took me last night and this afternoon to put together. Most of it is hand-sewn. The heavier items are hot-glued.

my own personal nerdfest

This is what northern california looks like. ^

This is what I did while I was there...^

And this is who I saw.^

When I got home, Monish went to Home Depot with me to help me get a tree. I give Monish full credit for the perfect Noble Fir he found for me. And I got my Martha Stewart on.

welcome, child

I helped Madhuri prepare for her baby shower a little bit and was honored to attend.

They had a couple of Hindi rituals to bless and welcome the baby.

And had a full course meal followed by some games.