the waddle at 38 wks

It's been great to be at home this week! I imagined, to some degree, watching movies, taking naps, hanging some photos in the baby's room etc. I should know better....my to-do list started strong and I am pretty tied to it. Lots has gotten done and I powered through some long days. So, in the week to come, my goal is to rest more. I've been making sure I walk each day (two laps & a walk up the stairs at the park next door takes me a full 30 minutes!) My to-do list is getting shorter and I'm more and more ready to fall asleep in the middle of the day to my book or some Netflix movies.

I can't believe we are at 38 weeks....and are about to be parents! It's hard to wrap my mind around, really.

I don't have a fab-o photo of this last week but can you imagine a penguin walking? Yeah, my waddle feels just about like that! :) That's what happens when you have a small little babes inside that is about 7 lbs and 19 inches long (approx). Can't wait to see your little face, Peanut!

clif bar style

I was fooled! Katherine set up a meeting for us weeks ago. She titled the meeting "Clif Kid Shipping Strategies" and then today told me she was ready with an agenda and everything. Its not surprising that she is so organized but the seriousness of her "agenda" this late in the year and right before my leave should have clued me in. I walked into conference room #4 and was greeted by friends, streamers, gifts and frozen yogurt! Surprise!

I am really touched. While I don’t think I will really miss Excel worksheets and staring at a computer most of the day, the people at Clif really make this place what it is. It will be odd not to greet everyone in the pod each morning or cruise over to Creative & Ops to visit my pals there. Its been a total treat to have Sophia here and I will miss our walks to get fresh air and lunch & of course, I will miss my K9 pals Buckley and Janie Sparkles.

Thank you all so much. Looking forward to seeing who will be right in the guessing game of whether Baby Davis is little boy or girl and of course when he/she decides to make it into this world. Looking forward to seeing one another over the next months out of the office!

(pictures- balloons and 1 baby belly ...fun in the Clif yoga room!)

36 weeks!

Whew! I feel like I can finally take a breath. I am wrapping things up at work and the past "crunch time" weeks feel good to have behind me. Josh and I are making good progress at the house and the little Peanut's room is lookin good (pictures soon, promise). Above are a few pics- one is of me, Sophia and Sarah at the Clif holiday party (wow- you can really see the full effect of the belly in that printed dress!). There is another shot of the belly from last week (with Sophia and Karen's hand on it) and then I had to throw in a picture of my 1st load of baby laundry- wow- tiny little clothes that will soon go on a little baby- wild!

shout out to the ladies....

What a great afternoon! Big ol' high-fives to my girls for the baby shower this past weekend. Jess, Soph, Karen, Sarah (amazing to have her in town from Seattle) and Jen (thanks for letting us all gather at your house!) had a really nice shower for me on Sat. It was perfectly casual, there was yummy food and the warmth, support & love was really nice. All three Grandma's-to-be were there plus some other fam, pals from work, college, camp days etc- it was nice to have everyone all gathered. Gracias for creating such a nice day (& of course to everyone for all the amazing gifts!) see pics above:)

We are in week 35 and evidently, little Peanut is about 5.5 lbs and around 18 inches long (evidently that is about the size of a honeydew...?) Holy moly! I am definitely starting to slow down and look forward to when work things calm down by next week- all I really want to do is be at home nesting and organizing (oh- I did my 1st load of baby laundry this last week- SO crazy to be folding all those tiny little outfits and socks!). Josh has been a master at all the house projects- there are still some items to get but the baby room is really shaping up and looks great- when the crib etc is all set up- ill post a pic. Nice work Sweets!

I also have to give a shout-out to my Pops since its his birthday today! Happy Happy Dad- Love you and am so grateful for you. XO

a long weekend & thanks

Here are a couple photos- ah, babies.....We had some really nice time with the family this weekend- Thanksgiving, was pretty easy compared to the horror travel stories we hear so much of! Tom & Tracy came to the Bay and so we got to see them plus have time with Josh's family, too. Good stuff. An added bonus is that our friends Sarah and Garett are in town. We had a really nice time in Jenner with their family (including their little one, Parker Olivia- pictured with Josh)

We are in the middle of week 34 and things are going well (although, I am feeling pretty slow and large.) We have another apt. this week with the Midwife, which will be nice (always feels good to check in). House stuff is still under way- Pick up the crib- check! Paint room- check! Trying to sell items on Craigslist- check! Fixing odds & ends- check! Hanging photos, rearranging pantry & kitch, setting up book shelf, finding tile to redo fireplace....check! Its coming together! Now....getting a full nights sleep- that's another story. Good thing I have the latest craze of vampire books to keep me occupied in the sleepless/restless moments (who loves Twilight?)

More soon....

summer in november- a beachy afternoon

We finally hit summer weather here and it's November. I am not convinced it will last long but I am soaking up the Vitamin D while I can. This weekend started week 32 and I was lucky to have an afternoon with Sandy and Leah in Pacifica. The beach was packed with families & joggers making the most of a California day. It felt good to dip my toes in the water.

Sandy brought her camera and her talent to the afternoon and took some really fun shots. I really appreciate her making the drive and spending her day photographing me. Leah, too, was a great set director. I've posted a couple of the photos (above) for you to check out. So many thanks, Sandy!

32 weeks and feeling pretty good. The house is coming along in terms of our organization and moving stuff around (Josh has been such a great project manager/heavy lifter!) and other than the common back aches and sleeping challenges, I am feeling pretty good....tippy with the belly out in front but good. Peanut we are really getting ready for you.....

the shelves

So, most of you have heard me talking (debating) about the shelves in the soon-to-be baby's room. Well, you'll be happy to know a decision was finally made and they are gone. Josh really went to town on the whole wall and tore those suckers down AND not only did he get em all down- but the wall and ceiling are still in tact! We will have some wiring work to do and then patching and painting but it feels so good to have the old bookshelf juju outta there! The room feels bigger and better already- even with all the wood in the middle of the floor! Good job JD.

My favorite quote from the project- Josh: "Who says Jews aren't handy?"

News from the belly: seems we have a night owl on our hands. Josh and I are definitely not morning people and it seems our offspring wont be either. I, admittedly, try and get the little Peanut to move around in the morning. You know....I just want to say hello/good morning. I usually feel a little courtesy tap while on my commute and then during the day I get some movement. I am usually moving around so much that I don't have a chance to really feel all the squirming around. Night time, though- little Peanut really enjoys dinner & me chilling on the couch and for sure, when I get into bed....its play time in there.

thanks to the OC shower crew!

This past weekend, Josh and I headed for some time in the OC. It's always nice to stay at my Mom & Dads place- comfy, cozy & homey, for sure! The OC ladies threw a wonderful shower for me- good food, good people and lots of amazing gifts as well. I am very appreciative of everyone's love and support! Thanks hostesses!

Between the shower, dinner that night and then brunch the next day with family and a stop at Grandma's on the way home- it was a full weekend. I am certainly feeling full of love and excitement but also ready to stay put till the little bambino comes. 30 weeks of pregnancy can do that to ya, I guess!

family time

TlovesT (for those of you who don't know my parents well...that's Tom & Tracy- they love each other) came up to the Bay this past weekend. It was good family time. Mom, Pops, Josh and I were even happy to have snuggle and play time with Romi while Matt and Heather had a bit of time to themselves (Happy Birthday Matt!) You can see how little Romi was all cuddles with Josh & I guess its a little preview picture as to what is coming for us in oh.....about 10 weeks! WOAH!

I am heading into 30 weeks and Nov seems awfully close to Jan! We took our tour of the hospital last night and this month we have our classes, more meetings with the doula, Amy, and of course, getting all the house stuff in order (the to-do list seems so big at times!) I am feeling pretty good- I've got some common discomforts (I dream of being able to sleep on my back again) but that's to be expected. The belly is feeling quite large and in charge, that's for sure.

Josh and I are heading to OC this weekend...more on that soon!

7th inning (month) stretch

We are in week 28 (the beginning of the 7th month) and things are movin along. I was relieved this last week to learn that all the frozen yogurt I've been eating (and lets not kid ourselves here- the Reese's PB Cup topping to go along with it) didn't do me wrong in the sugar scheme of things. All came back normal with my glucose testing and seems as though my body is metabolizing the sugar just fine. (Hmmmm, which now has me thinking of more frozen yogurt for today! At least its non-fat and has calcium, right?)

I can hardly believe that it's the middle of Oct. Josh and I feel like there is lots to do around the house and I am sure the next weeks will be filled with all those details (anyone want to buy a stunning dining room table? :)

One of the items on our list is to find a doula that we would like to work with. The word "doula" comes from the ancient Greek meaning "a woman who serves." It is now used to refer to a trained and experienced professional who provides continuous physical, emotional and informational support to the mother (and father) before, during and just after birth; or who provides emotional and practical support during the postpartum period. We are meeting someone we both feel really hopeful about this week. More on that in later posts, I am sure...

For now, I am scheduling my weeks walks and yoga times. Its felt good this whole time to do some yoga but I can tell that this is important stretching time....for my mind and body. I just learned that little Peanut is about 2.5 pounds and almost 15 inches long (which was noted to be about the size of a Chinese Cabbage- not that I really know what that looks like!) I also read that I will continue to gain about a pound a week...ummmm, yeah. Hard to imagine everything moving and stretching to become THAT much bigger....but it's happening. Holy Belly!

in love with romi!

Happy one week little birthday to my favorite niece, Romi! Romi Shana Green was born last week and it's been so exciting. Josh and I got to spend the day with Matt, Heather and little Romi on Sunday. Totally, 100% love. She's amazing. Here is a picture of my yummy little niece and one of the four of us. I'm at 26 weeks now- just a few more months to go & then we'll have a little Peanut bundle all our own!

aunt lizzie and uncle josh

Holy Moly! After quite a long labor, Matthew and Heather welcomed their little daughter into this world. She was born yesterday at 12:43 AM and she is just wonderful. Both baby and parents are doing well. We are so excited to have her here and it feels so special and amazing to have her as part of the family! They are working on a name so for now we'll just hold her & love her and keep telling her how special and amazing she is sans name. Isn't she just precious!? We already love being an Auntie and Uncle so much- can't wait to go and see her again today!

a belly shot

I can not claim to love these photos BUT I am loving being pregnant right now. I have some common discomforts but for the most part I am feeling good and happy! Each week we are trying to take shots of the belly- the thing is- not all pics are cute and I certainly need to time my picture taking a bit better! For example, these were taken right before a walk last week...week 24. For those of you who have been wanting more tummy pics- voila!

what's your pregnancy show?

When we told our friend's Doug and Liz that we were pregnant one of the 1st questions they asked us that night was "So, what's your pregnancy TV show?" I knew I had been spending more time on the couch than usual but I wasn't totally clear what they were talking about....until I became pretty much obsessed with So You Think You Can Dance!?

To top off my love of the show (no joke, I cried a few times in the season), my friend Jen and I went to go see the So You Think You Can Dance (SYTYCD) live top 10 show at the San Jose HP Pavilion this last week! That's right folks, that place was packed. We were super surprised to find a seriously mixed crowd; everyone from Grandparents to teens were there and there were some hard core fans. Home made t-shirts and hats roamed the crowds and the lines were so long to buy overpriced SYTYCD t-shirts and wrist bands. So, if you've never seen it- hop on the "Hot Tamale Train" and watch next season.

You can catch a look at the 24 week belly at the Program stand....

sweet spot 23.5 weeks...

In the last week or so when people have asked how I am feeling my response has been something close to this: "I'm feeling really good. I think I'm in a real sweet spot of the pregnancy."

Then, today in a Marketing meeting, at work, I heard the term "sweet spot" thrown around and wondered
1. What actually is the sweet spot on a baseball bat, a tennis racket...or as I have learned, a golf club?
2. Am I conjuring up a sports metaphor for how I am feeling due to the fact that we have a little athlete inside?
3. (and this cant really be answered, nor do I really want to) Has my brain absorbed "Marketing-speak" to a point of using it in my every day life (and when did "sweet spot" become part of that jargon? I missed that memo)

These are part of definitions I found on various sights referring to the "sweet spot"
.."the sweet spot is the area of the string bed that produces the best combination of feel and power"
..."the location which produces maximum batted ball speed"
...."the location where maximum energy is transferred to the ball "


Since I only went to tennis camp for one summer (Can you picture that? Little Lizzie in her soccer shorts only wanting to play "three flies up" and seeing who could just hit the ball the furthest) and my baseball years were quite some time ago (although the batting cages will forever be a favorite of mine) AND I am not a golfer (yet)- I guess when I use the term "sweet spot" I am being mostly literal and only somewhat metaphorical.
I am, indeed, in a sweet spot. I feel good. I feel grateful and lucky and in awe of all that is happening. I feel blessed for our health and to have a loving and wonderful husband in all of this. I'm feeling a real connection with the baby. I feel alive. I feel honored. I feel like a miracle is actually taking place. It just feels sweet. It does, in a way, feel like part of those definitions (minus the hitting implements, of course) -the best combination of feel and power (ful).

maui love!

After a great weekend in Seattle with the ladies, Josh and I took off to Maui for a week. It was so gorgeous and fun! Swimming every day in the ocean and the amazing hotel pools plus doing some great snorkeling was just perfect for us for a week long baby-moon. It felt good to play in the sunshine and have solid time together. I am really grateful and happy that we took the trip. It was also fabulous to see so many families vacationing there- it was reassuring that although our next trip there will most likely not just be the two of us that it will still be fun as a family of 3! Here are some pics of us and me with the belly at 22 weeks (braving the pic in the bathing suit)....

seattle & meeting lil' parker olivia

Its been a few weeks since I have been able to update the blog- I've been in vacation mode & truthfully, happy to be nowhere near a computer! 1st stop on the vacation train was to Seattle, with my girlfriends, to visit Sarah and meet the newest member of my girlfriend clan, Parker Olivia. She was just a precious 3 weeks old when we went & it was super great to have time with Sarah and meet her daughter! It was amazing to be there, to cook meals together, help with some tasks, have a girl dinner out and to just hang out with the ladies and snuggle little P.

the boxer at 20 weeks...

We got to see the little Peanut again today! He/She is really moving around. You might assume our child will have some innate soccer instincts (and it might!) but today it showed its boxing or martial arts potential with its active arms. In fact, we saw a couple very distinct upper cuts and jabs. The baby's feet were crossed, it was turning around, its hands were close to its face & in fact, the tech told us that it looked like a little thumb was being sucked (cute.)

I had some nerves going into the morning. For some reason I was really concerned that the technician was going to spill the beans about the sex of our child. She respected our wishes and not a single pronoun slipped from her mouth. It is kinda weird that she knows if its a boy or girl and we don't but we're in for a fun surprise!

Note: My Mom sent me the tank top and I thought today was an appropriate day to sport a picture in it. Gracias Mammer.

My favorite quote of the day from Josh: "Our baby has the best spine I've ever seen." Now that's a proud Dad.

gear

Check out what's sitting in our front hallway! I'm sorry, is someone having a baby?

We were lucky enough to inherit a couple key items this weekend; a My Breast Friend (evidently, a very key item for feeding) and a car seat (which happens to have orange in it- my favorite "neutral" color) It's a little odd to walk into the house and see these items sitting there but I guess we should get used to it...more gear to come, for sure!

mammoth camping aug '08

Josh and I made the trek to Mammoth this past weekend for a fun weekend of camping, hiking, fishing (I'm not much of a fisher-woman but everyone else seemed to have a nice time with it) and good ol' hanging out with some of his family. Richard & Sandy got there before us and got the camp ground all set up (so nice!) and his Aunt Donna, Uncle Roger and cousins Kelly and Taylor were staying in a condo in town. It was a great time with the family and so nice to get out from under the Bay Area fog and drizzle to the sunshine and summer fun. Here are a couple pics (hello mid section!)...and in a few days I'll post some more once I see the other photos people took.

Week #19 is under way and I am feeling good. A few back aches and sleeping issues seemed to arrive with this past weekend (or maybe it was just b/c we were camping) but I'm piling on the pillows for sleep and continuing with yoga. We have our 2nd tri-mester ultrasound on the 26th and it will be fun to see the Peanut again! I read that at this time, if our little one is going to have hair, it is starting to grow!

starting to nest...

While planting herbs for our kitchen garden window and getting a tree for our front porch wasn't isn't exactly on our to-do list in terms of "nesting" in the house, it felt nice to add these additions to the condo this weekend. I just hope the tree (which I think I might affectionately call Lilith) holds up to the So.SF fog and wind. I am also crossing my fingers that our new pals; basil, cilantro, thyme & peppermint can hang in the garden window (nothing has actually survived there yet.)

heading into 18 weeks

So, I have read that our little Peanut is somewhere between 5.5 and 7.5 inches which, evidently is "about the length of a bell pepper." Now, are we talking red, yellow, orange or green? And I have to say, bell peppers come in all squat and long variations. I am not sure if the imagery really satisfies my desire to know how big our Little Wonder is, but it's worth a try. I picked the red pepper picture- I like the taste of those best.

We are heading into 18 weeks of pregnancy this weekend! For the most part, I am feeling better (although as you read earlier this week, plenty tired) but I've been walking more and doing a couple days of yoga a week which has felt really nice. Josh & I have some fun things coming up in the next weeks; a trip to Mammoth, out of town friends will be visiting, and a vacation to Hawaii! Plus, I'll be heading with girlfriends to Seattle to visit and help with Sarah's new little baby, Parker Olivia, who, I am just so excited about!

a few items.....

1. I think its worth mentioning that I went to bed last night at 7:45. Yes, you read the right -7:45. Feeling a bit tired, I thought I would just lay down and "relax" for a bit. I did wake up about 11:00, had a bowl of cereal, watched some of Pulp Fiction for about an hour and then went promptly back to sleep. I would have like to keep sleeping but forced myself out of bed at 7:30 this morning. I never was a nap taker- as a child or even in college when all of my pals took naps. I have, until now, existed on 6 or 7 hours of sleep a night pretty comfortably. I mean, getting more sleep is one thing but who goes to bed at 7:45?

2. Work has been somewhat stressful these days. No need, though, to even write about that. What is worth writing about, though, is today's journey with 4 of my pals here to Yogurt Park. It really made the day....no, I think I can safely say- my work week! While I mostly have had food aversions I have had a real liking for frozen yogurt lately. Yum! For $3.50 I had a chocolate and vanilla swirl delight!

3. Sarah is about to have her baby! My dear dear friend is on the journey to having her little lady today and I am so excited she will finally be here. 08/06/08 is a great sunny summery day for Sarah to give birth to her little sunshine girl. While they live in Seattle, I already feel so close to her little girl who is about to come into this world. Sarah and Garett, we are thinking about you and sending all sorts of love your way....

grow

I tried to get a picture in full length to completely show my t-shirt but I didn't like any of them. The shirt on the bottom left corner has the word "grow" on it. But since the traditional stand-to-the-side picture didn't seems to work for me today, I am picking one I took with Buckley, who is one of my favorite dogs at Clif Bar (don't worry, I love you too Janie Sparkles.) He sits right next to me in the office and every day I look forward to his whole-body & tail wagging greeting. When things get a little stressful here he seems to be right at my side with a smile. I love taking a break to play and pet him. Its good office therapy!

We are at 16.5 weeks with the growth of little Peanut and I read that he/she is probably the size of an avocado! I also read that in this tri-mester I will probably gain 12-15 pounds! That is some serious growth.

At about 20 weeks we will have another ultrasound and at that point will be able to know the gender. While we still have a few weeks to change our mind, at this point we've decided to keep it a surprise, which feels exciting. We'll just have to be patient and wait a while (20+ more weeks) to find out if it's a boy or girl growing inside there!

Till next time.....

4 months & Heather's shower....

I've decided I love week 16 (4 months!) It took long enough, but I can say I finally feel better. I haven't had the magical "burst of energy" & I cant say I feel 100% fabulous, but the fact that I am actually feeling hungry instead of nauseous is awesome.

This weekend was Heather's baby shower in the OC. This picture was taken on Friday night at dinner with my parent's friends. They had gotten us a celebratory cake (yum!) and many times over the weekend we mentioned how exciting it is that our little one's will be so close in age! Only 3 (plus or minus) months apart. Whether they want to or not, these little 1st cousins are gonna be pals.

Not only is it feeling more and more real in terms of having a little one of our own, but Josh and I are about to be an Auntie and Uncle soon. So cool!

out with the old...in with the new!

While I can not claim to have the adorable belly bump yet at 14.5 weeks, there is certainly something going on. A beer-belly of sorts, a real thickening of the middle region is taking place and with that- a changing of the guards when it comes to the clothing. I am lucky that a good handful of my pals have already gone through this journey and have awesome items to pass on!

Note: the t-shirt in the picture!

A nice package arrived last week from Sarah containing a much needed Bella Band, the Knocked Up T-shirt (was a hit at book club!) an adorable onsie and some lotion. Also, my friend Jen gifted me with 4 bins of her maternity clothes! Its such an amazing gift to get and just in time since the longer, roomier shirts are appreciated (and she passed on some seriously cute stuff!) Of course, the 'Rents are super excited and have generously given me some key items too! All of that is to 1. say major Thanks and 2. that I had to do a sweep of the closet the other night. While I didn't ditch everything- there is now enough room to move in all the newer bigger items for the next stages!