Getting bigger...

Week 26!!

Symptoms:

Nesting: Still feeling the need to clean. Can’t stand dirty dishes, or dirty floors. They must be cleaned right away.

Ligament pains: If I'm sitting down for a long period of time, getting up is hard and painful. Its like your stomach crushing your uterus.

Restless sleep: Maybe this is nature’s way of training me for the lack of sleep I’m about to suffer through, but I haven’t had a single good night’s sleep lately. Most of it is because I was told not to sleep on my back and try to sleep on my left side for better circulation. So I’ll wake up numerous times at night with a sore shoulder or neck from sleeping on my side. Sigh.

Next week: Our 27th week ultrasound! I can't wait to get another glimpse of our baby girl.

David and Pam's wedding

We had the honor of witnessing two very good friends getting married last month. It was so much fun trying to squeeze into a dress I "tried" to fit into. Ladies out there who have been through this know what I'm talking about... and for those of you who haven't yet, you'll know soon enough. Even my doctor noticed me finally wearing maternity clothes even said "So I see you've graduated into maternity clothes". Congrats to me, I've graduated! Now what? ;-)

Natalie: Ask and you shall receive!

Natalie, this one's for you! Now its your turn. ;-)
Ladybug (that's her new nickname) is growing very well. Maybe a bit too well. People are starting to stare at me when I'm walking down the street, especially men. At times I just want to glare back and ask them if they want to ask me anything. I know, I always stir up trouble. ;-)
Ive gained 25lbs. so far! Can you believe it? I even asked the nurse to weigh me again just to be sure. She laughed at me, needless to say I'm not the only pregnant woman that has asked her to recheck the weight scale. We go in for another ultrasound in two weeks, I just can't wait to see her again. Every 10 weeks is a very long time not to see my little girl. ;-)
Last night Keith and I felt an odd movement in my belly. It wasn't a kick this time, more like an elbow moving across my belly. Very wierd, yet life changing as its a constant reminder of what a miracle God has given us. I'm honored to be her mommy.

She's a kicker!

This will be my 22nd week... and she's a kicker! She is constantly moving and making waves in my belly. She loves to remind me that she's inside of me, especially at 3am in the morning. This little girl has no concept of time! Will this be any indication on how often she will keep me up at night? ;-)
So far, I've been doing well. I've been told to eat well, rest well and pray often. I plan to keep this as my motto as I am close to my third trimester. Yet, there's still so much to be done! I've been a bit overwhelmed in trying to get things done before we get our floors redone (scheduled for next week) and spending time with my sister and niece who is staying with me this week. I've noticed that I've become a bit obsessive about cleaning, getting rid of stuff and making sure our house is germ-free. I think God intended for a newborn not to walk/crawl during his/her first few months, so it allows parents time to ease up on their germaphobe behaviors. I suppose I have some time to work on this. ;-)

Its a girl!

Keith and I went in for our 19th week ultrasound and the doctor revealed to us that we're having a girl! The ultrasound checked for abnormalities, making sure the little lady has all her ribs and fingers intact. Everything looked good, including the baby's heart and level of fluid. Praise God! We are so thankful that everything checked out well.I could have watched my baby girl all day on the screen. She was really active, moving around and even playing with her fingers! It was amazing to see her so active and alive. Another thing the doctor mentioned was that she was so hungry! Her stomach was completely empty that morning. It didn't help that I was nauseous that morning and didn't eat a complete meal for breakfast. Regardless, We are very excited and thankful for a healthy baby!

And baby makes three

Its been taking me a while to post on this blog. For those of you who know, Keith and I are expecting a baby this summer. The past three months has been filled with ambivalent, fear, excitement, new experiences, anxiety, hopes and dreams as we have gradually accepted the reality of becoming parents and having a human being rely on us for everything. So hence, my hesitation to announce my pregnancy and our new life change. Also, I'm working on "waiting for the other shoe to drop" mentality, as this news, at times was too good to be true. Somebody pinch me!
I'm now in my 17th week and starting to show. I've got as Keith would call it a "little kangaroo pooch". ;-)
At times I can't wait to meet my little bean sprout and hold my baby in my arms, yet also dread the days of sleepless nights. Regardless, this year is sure to be an interesting and an eventful one!
Sorry for the delayed post. I hope to continue to post more often from now on, since I've got a lot going on inside of me! ;-)

My niece, Sydney

I just love the expression on her face. Oh yeah, and that little round belly!

Super (under) dog

Its not much, but Keith and I made a Halloween costume for Dash. Its really not a costume, but just a cape. We really had a fun time making it. Unfortunently we didn't have time to parade him that night to show off his new costume. Maybe next year, or the next time it rains. ;-)

Wiggle Waggle Walk

Our family (minus our pet bird, Mango) participated in Pasadena Humane Society & SPCA's 8th Annual Wiggle Waggle Walk for the Animals on Oct 11th. More than 2,000 walkers and their beloved pooches took part, helping raise more than $237,000 for the animals at the Pasadena Humane Society. Thank you to those who supported us with your generous donations to help find new and loving homes for the thousands of animals Pasadena Humane Society takes in each year.

Halloween 2006

What will I be this year? Keith and I got into the spirit of Halloween and even made Dash a costume. Its not much, but it was fun making it together. There isn't much that makes me happier these days than to spend quality time with Keith and Dash. ;-)

Dash and Friends!

We have been making an effort to get Dash more socialized with other dogs and different people over the last few months. And boy, has he been busy. He's been to several different dog parks, has had numerous play dates with dogs 3x his size, had his first encounter with a cat (and no one got scratched!), been swung around by adults who adore him and had his first photo ops with a little one. Caden, my cousin, gravitated to Dash immediately, and the feeling was mutual from our little pup! We were pleased that Dash didn't react negatively to Caden's pinches and pulling of his ears. We're so proud of his calm temperment. Of course, having Caden hold a dog biscuit didn't hurt either. Stay tuned for more photos of him and his new friends.

Sydney's facination with ketchup

Sydney and Evelyn stayed with us for a few days last week. They were our first overnight guests in a while!

Sydney's Birthday Fiesta

When was the last time you could fit on top of a box this size?

Its official!

...he's officially ours! We are no longer "foster parents" to Dash, but we are legally his owners. We applied for a dog license 2 months ago and the license came in the mail over the weekend. I suppose its a reason for a mini-celebration because since he was a lost dog, we couldn't legally call him our own. By registering him with LA County as our dog, he now legally belongs to us.

We will never stop missing you, Joe.

Thanks for visiting our blog and being a part of our wedding. We feel truly blessed for having you with us for so many years. Thank you for loving us. We love you pops.

New Kitchen!

Now for the unveiling of our new kitchen! I have no complaints...seeing these photos of our new kitchen makes remodeling worth the headache. Although I don't think I will wilingly live through this again for a while. Once is definetly enough for me. Our new kitchen is so much more better-looking and functional than our old kitchen. I love these photos- I will probubly never see it this clean again.

Little Rascal

Our little super-active guy just loves to play fetch! At times, we make a game of it and toss him around (literally). Just another excuse to torment our pup. ;-)
We think he would love a doggie agility course.

Inspirational photo

Here's my photo of the day. My friend, Paul Lee is an avid photographer and he took this AMAZING shot of The Arc de Triomphe in Paris. It brings me back memories when I went to Paris about 2 years ago and this was by far the most amazing structure I saw in Paris. Bar None. To believe Napoleon had the desire and guts to build a triumphal arch standing at the top of the Champs Elysées avenue in Paris. His victorious troops would march on through the arch cheered by the population of Paris.
I love the angle and clouds in the background and how it adds definition to the overall architecture. (sigh) Only in Paris.

Look what's sprouting!

Here are some photos of my niece, Sydney. All she ever wanted for Christmas was her two front teeth and now she got it. ;-) Isn't she adorable? Don't know what her mom is doing to make her laugh so hard, but its working!