Poly Canyon hike

Everyone is telling me how important it is to walk and get moderate exercise during my pregnancy.  This is hard for me because my idea of exercise is snowboarding, surfing, rollerblading, etc.  - which are all out of the picture during a pregnancy (unless you are my mother who was trying to get up on the water ski while 8 months pregnant!).  So, Michael and I take hikes with our dogs - it is fun and still constitutes as exercise.  This weekend we hike Poly Canyon on the Cal Poly acreage.  This "canyon" is the home to various art and architecture students' projects.  The dogs loved roaming the open hills, catching squirrels and getting muddy.  Soon, we will be bringing  a little one here to explore!

Michael climbing on one of the projects - a geodesic dome.  Soon we will have another little monkey that will climb with him!

Cravings

Today the craving was pomegranate seeds.  Last month it was milk.  Tonight it was steak, but then once it was in front of me I wasn't so hungry for it.  No, no cravings for pickles and ice cream yet (at least not together).  

Another funny thing is when I will be having a conversation with someone and they say a word that is also food.  Like last night, my husband was talking about his cousin, Caesar, and I had a strong desire to eat a Caesar salad!  Be careful what you say around me!

The pregnant body is picky and particular.  But, I must admit, it is fun having an excuse to eat ANYTHING at ANYTIME without having to worry about people questioning it!

I've always loved the ruby red color of pomegranate seeds.  While eating some this afternoon, I had to test out our macro lens and take a picture.  18 seconds after this picture was taken, the seeds were in my mouth.  Yummy.

Super-sized Baby Stroller

Some people begrudgingly give up their sports car for a mini-van after months and years of trying to make a family fit in a two-door vehicle.  Michael and I did the opposite - we gladly traded in our truck and trailer for the mother of all mini-vans: a Class B motorhome.  And the kid is not even out yet!  Are we planning ahead or what?  Actually, since Michael and I LOVE to travel and make any spot we are a vacation, we've wanted one of these for a while - the baby is a convienent excuse, hee hee.  Now that we seem a bit self-indulgent, let me explain why this actually is the perfect baby mobile.  No more stopping at dirty gas stations or rest stops when the kid has to pee, just pull over to the side of the road and use your OWN toilet right in the baby wagon!  If the kids (or father) are hungry and grumpy, just pull over and pull something out of the little fridge and cook it on the 2-burner gas range!  Sleepy mommy or cranky baby?  Sleeps 4.   

We'll see how it works, but we think we are onto something ingenious here.

How's this for a baby stroller?

It's a girl!

We had our ultrasound on Monday to see if our baby was healthy and find out if we can be calling our belly a "she" or a "he"; I personally don't like calling it "it"! We were in Fresno and were able to get served by Michael's step-dad, James, at his radiology clinic! It was really nice and quick. I can't believe how skilled the tech was a following our little swimmer around and checking on all her organs and vitals. She is healthy and everything seems to be growing normally - yeah! It was really a cool experience to see her for the VERY FIRST TIME! My grandma, Michael's mom, Michael and my mom attended the "viewing". My mom kept commenting, "You really have a baby in there!" I guess, she is still in a bit of denial or shock.

This picture is for my brother, the chiropractor. How's her spine look, Brant? Not bad for only 17 weeks old!

This is the image that the tech used to determine she's a "she"! To interpret for those not familiar with reading ultrasounds, you are looking at her little butt and the bottom of her thighs (she's going to kill me for this when she's a teenager, huh?). If you look at the space where her two little legs meet, you will notice something (the male organ) is missing. You can even see the little slit right in the middle. She's definitely a she!



Here's a good profile shot. It was amazing how you could see the profile along with the spine and even the little heart pumping (it was like a flashing light in her chest).

Baby's little heartbeat

Here is a video of my last check-up appointment. The baby's heart is strong and healthy sounding! This is my second time hearing it. The first time I heard it, I cried. Silly, I know, but only a mother can understand! Geez, I can't believe how sentimental I am getting...

Ready. Aim. Register!

Daddy's little tax deduction? Some people (i.e., me) cannot be trusted with guns, particularly scanner guns. Maren & I recently entered the baby-shower registering fray at Babies R Us--fully loaded-- and by the end of it all, we were beat. (Why didn't anyone warn me I would have to decide between 500 different models of strollers?) Luckily, we had grammy Julie with us for support and coaching through this experience. One little baby... so many consumer goods. 

Holidays in Fresno

We spent most our most of our vacation time with family in Fresno.  It was a nice change of pace from our super-busy lives with 2 jobs and other obligations at home.  What wasn't so nice was not seeing the sun for 9 days straight!

Our two "kids" who are soon to have some serious competition.

Baby's first concert: B.B. King on New Year's Eve! I hope baby is acquiring a healthy appreciation for the blues!