Our Babymoon!

We went on our babymoon this past weekend to Pacific Grove and Monterey and stayed at the Centrella Inn. It was the perfect weekend to go -- the weather was absolutely fabulous! I don't think we've ever been to Monterey with such good weather before. Not a cloud in the sky and the ocean was a beautiful blue! We didn't go to the aquarium this time around because I'm more limited now in how much I can walk and everything I can do, but we still had a sweet time together just strolling along and soaking in the weather and the sites. It was definitely what both of us needed to relax, forget about the things that have happened the past month, and enjoy our time together before we become a family of 3.

**In front of our bed & breakfast**
**Eugene climbing rocks at Lover's Point**
**Swinging around in the garden at the bed & breakfast**
**Hanging out at Monterey**

**Inside our room**
**Clowning around in a sardine can**
**At Monterey**
**In front of our bed & breakfast**

Pregnancy is...

... realizing that our lives are changing for the better.
... wondering how we will be as parents.
... wondering when I'll start showing.
... getting the H1N1 shot and sick right afterwards.
... not being able to take medications for all of my symptoms.
... hoping that the baby is a boy.
... crying about everything and anything.
... seeing baby for the first time as a peanut.
... seeing my food twice (once going in, once coming back out).
... heartburn!
... funny tastes in my mouth.
... wanting to tell everyone but can't.
... hearing baby's heart beat for the first time.
... making the big announcement!
... waiting for the nausea to stop.
... craving meat!
... waiting for my belly to grow.
... waiting to feel baby move for the first time.
... backaches.
... registering for baby stuff.
... realizing we're really going to be parents!!!
... feeling baby move for the first time!
... getting belly rubs from friends and strangers...agh!
... being told I'm fat (so mean!).
... getting strange looks from strangers...I'm pregnant! Stop staring!
... talking to the baby all the time and hoping he can hear me.
... being admitted to the hospital for preterm labor.
... realizing that my favorite part about being pregnant is feeling the baby move everyday.
... being scared and worried all the time.
... loving baby more and more everyday.
... throwing up again. yuck!

A pretty big scare

After 10 pokes, 3 nights of restless sleep, 3 days of continuous magnesium infusion, and multiple cervix examinations, I am FINALLY home and baby is still safe and sound inside the womb.

3/9/10 (Tuesday):
Our 5 year anniversary of being together. What better way to celebrate than contractions all day (~6-7/hour)? I was pretty concerned so I emailed my OB who recommended that I get myself to the labor & delivery ward at Kaiser SF to get checked out. It's a good thing that I went. I was 1 cm dilated! They termed it "Pre-term Labor" which sounds quite scary...because it is! They checked the baby and he was doing just great, so I was started on magnesium to stop the contractions. Who knew that magnesium infusion can make one so fatigued, lethargic, out of it, nauseous, sleepy, and just completely loopy! I was soooo not myself! I was also started on betamethasone shots for the baby's lungs development just in case I was to deliver during this hospitalization or just flat out early.

3/10/10 (Wednesday):
My contactions calm down so the magnesium infusion is turned down. I'm less loopy, but they still want to keep me for observations. I also needed to finish the betamethasone course so obviously, I was there until Thursday at least. Except...starting around 3:20 am (Thursday morning), I started getting contractions a little too close for comfort. First every 10 minutes, then every 5 minutes. I was placed on the baby and contraction monitor and at around 5:15am, BAM! Pain like I've never experienced before! The doctors thought I was going into labor so I was transferred back to Labor and Delivery, all sorts of neonatal stuff were brought into the room just in case, they put another line in me just in case I needed an emergency C-section, and I seriously thought I was going to die!

3/11/10 (Thursday):
The magnesium infusion was turned back up and the contractions are stablized. Meanwhile, the whole team is at a loss in terms of what could have caused all of these problems. The baby was doing great, but the incubator, the mommy (that's me) was not doing well at all. I was still about 1-1.5 cm dilated, so the baby wasn't coming anytime soon, but there were too many variables. Was it a placenta rupture? Was it appendicitis? Was it kidney stones? Was it a uterine infection? All my labs ruled all of those out and the ultrasound showed that the placenta was just fine. It required a more precise ultrasound to find the culprit: a degenerating fibroid on my uterine wall. Who knew that a degenerating fibroid could cause so much trouble? So much contraction to lead to dilation?

3/12/10 (Friday):
I'm finally home now and boy am I ever happy to be home! Baby is doing quite well, still moving around like he's swimming in the womb. As for me, I'm still having contractions and back pains, but definitely less than when I first went into the hospital. One things for sure, I HIGHLY recommend Kaiser SF Labor and Delivery for anyone and everyone who wants to be taken soooooo goo care of. The nurses were caring and affectionate, the doctors were attentive and sweet, it was a wonderful experience, despite the circumstances. Let's hope I don't go back there for another 13 weeks!

We love the Farmer's Market!

We finally woke up early like we used to and had plenty of time to do some regular grocery shopping at Trader Joes as well as some fresh produce shopping at the Alemany Farmer's Market. It was actually a nice sunny day in San Francisco so we didn't mind walking around and checking out all the cheap and fresh produce and flowers. Can you believe it? We bought...broccolini, clementines, oranges, dates, prunes, chinese broccoli, chard, tamales all for less than $15?! It was a steal! I think we may make it a routine to go get some yummy fresh produce every Saturday morning. And once baby arrives, we'll be sure to take him with us to show him off to the world. :)

Six Months Big!

Today is my 6 month mark! Or, baby's 6 month mark too. I can't believe that a whole half year has gone by. My belly is getting bigger, I'm the heaviest I've ever been, and my belly button is just a tiny little hole now. So many changes in my body to lead to the major changes to our family. I was hoping to keep this blog full of wonderful memories and silly stories for the baby to look back on, but who knew that I wouldn't have the energy or time to do so? Well, at least I still have 3 months to make up for the lack of posts in the past 6 months. :)

Let's see what has happened since I last posted...

Baby is definitely moving around more. Sometimes, he moves so much my whole belly shakes! I wonder if he's tumbling inside! Other times, he likes to just tickle me from the inside. For the most part, he likes to move around the right side. Especially when I wake up in the mornings and lie on my right side. It's as if he's jabbing me to say, "Move back to the left Mommy! I'm uncomfortable here!" Well, whatever the reason for all of his movements, I'm just happy he's moving, letting me know he's an active little boy.

We are slowly but surely preparing for baby's room. We still have tons of boxes to unpack, but we've started gathering and collecting and receiving baby supplies. I'm so thankful that many of my friends have sons who outgrew their baby clothes. :) Now the question remains...should we get a stroller system or a basket stroller keeping in mind that we may need a double stroller in the future. Either way, we're going to end up with 2 strollers. Why oh why oh why oh why do babies come with so much equipment???

Now, for my stats at 6 months...boy I'm getting big!!

**Here I am at 23 and 25 weeks**

**weight = 126.4 pounds (yikes!)**
**constant runny nose, especially in the mornings**
**pimples! pimples again?!**
**lots of swelling in my feet**
**cravings = anything actually, but sweets are totally awesome!**