Browse Category: life

Kumquat

OK…we gave in.  This past summer, we decided it was time for us to grow up.  So, in July we started trying and whadda ya know…it worked the first time around!  So…I’m pleased to announce that I’m PREGNANT!!! Whoa. This is a major milestone, people!

Yep, it’s true.  Crazy, huh?!  Jes happened to be out of town at a conference when I got the home pregnancy results but because since we both had just gotten new iPhones, I was able to use FaceTime to show and tell him the good news.  He was still a little groggy in bed when I called (yeah, it was really early in the morning) and when I showed him the stick, he looked a little confused at first and then he had a little smirk on his face once he was able to read the screen.  I guess we both weren’t expecting it to happen right away but I guess all the planets were aligned and it was our turn to be parents!

We were both in shock for the first month.  We were acting as if this was totally unplanned.  I got some blood work done to confirm the pregnancy but it still didn’t feel real.  When we called our parents, they were also surprised.  I used FaceTime to tell my parents and my mom was like, “I was just talking to my friend about you and I had told her you weren’t going to have kids!”  When my dad heard the news, he looked at me through the phone and said, “YOU?!” When we called Jes’ parents, they were so excited.  Jes’ dad said “FINALLY!  I’ve been WAITING!”

It wasn’t until I went to see the doctor around Week 7 that it all kinda sunk in for us.  That was when I had my early OB ultrasound.  Jes came along and we both got to see for ourselves that there was a creature growing inside me.

Here’s a picture of the embryo.  Click on the image to get a better view.  It already had limbs and a beating heart.  Baby measured at 8.34 mm and the heart rate was 133 bpm (normal).  The doctor was nice enough to record all the images and video and handed us a USB drive to take home.  Awesome!

Here’s a video of the heart beating.  It’s a little hard to see but it’s still pretty amazing. Here’s a link to the actual video.

I’ve had two prenatal check-ups so far and everything seems to be going well so far.  I haven’t had much nausea except for when I’m really hungry.  There was only one time last week when I was in New York that I threw up.  It was weird.  I had just smelled a hard-boiled egg that Jason was eating and felt a little ill.  Moments later, I was bolting for the toilet and threw up all the fruit I had eaten that morning.  Otherwise, the only major symptoms I’ve had are fatigue and a craving for salt and bubbles.  I also can’t eat as much in one sitting and in the last 3 months, I’ve only gained about 1 pound.

At my last prenatal appointment this past Wednesday (10/5), I heard the fetus’ heartbeat through a Doppler Ultrasound. The HR was 160 bpm this time. It was probably because it was moving around a lot. There was a fluttering sound on the Doppler and the doctor said it was kumquat kicking! THAT’S SO NEATO!!

This afternoon, we went in for my 12-week ultrasound and it was pretty cool.  When the image initially came up, I saw it rubbing its eyes like I tend to do all day long.  Heh heh.  Kumquat also bounced around during the test and had its hands to its mouth/face.  That makes the OT in me VERY happy. It’s also 63.11 mm (2.48 inches) long from head to booty.

We also got a 3D image of Kumquat and you can see both arms and the folded legs.  It has Jes’ belly already.  Heh heh.

So there you have it, folks! I’m putting my wine glass in the cabinet for a while…*sigh*. I’m due in mid-April (around 4/15/12) and I’m now in my 12th week.

P.S. Kumquat is Jes’ nickname for the baby. A few weeks ago, one of the websites I’ve been reading said it was the size of a kumquat and the name stuck. He’s secretly hoping that it’s a girl who’s sweet on the outside but a little sour on the inside. Typical.

Lazy

We had a super lazy day today.  I got up at 9:30 and lazied around until about 11 to walk the dog.  Poor dog.  Around 3:00, we finally changed out of our PJs and headed out to the dry cleaners and then had some lunch.  We walked down to The Creamery, which is just down the street but we never considered trying it until today.  I don’t usually blog about salads but I really enjoyed my hipster lunch.  Mine was the baby arugula fresh mozzerella and tomato salad and Jes had the salmon crepe.

Afterward, we went home and watched the last half of the first season of Glee.  I just started watching this season’s episodes and found Season 1 on Netflix.  So, Jes and I watched the entire season on our DVD that streams “Watch Instantly” material.  Yep, Jes likes Glee.  Heh heh.  It makes sense.  He can actually hold a tune (unlike Brother and I) and has said that some of their versions are better than the originals.

For dinner, Jes smoked up the house while cooking the prime ribeye that we bought last weekend.  It had been thawing in the fridge all week and was finally ready to cook before rotting.  It was tasty and dog got a tasty snack too.

Epic Tax Journey

This morning started like an average Saturday.  I slept past the alarm and walked the dog.  Then, the day took a turn.  Jes had gone to Costco to get new tires for the car but they had to be ordered.  So, our car would have to sit around with flat tire for another week.  In the meantime, we had an appointment with our tax guy that was scheduled months ago. To make matters worse, it was in Milpitas (~47 miles away).

After considering some options, it was decided that we would take Muni to BART to Fremont and take a cab for the remaining 12 miles.  We left the house around 11:30 am and the Muni and BART rides were smooth and took about 60 minutes.  It was easy to get a cab but unfortunately the 12-mile ride costed us $44!!  Ouch.  We arrived at the tax guy’s office on time (1:30 pm) and we were all done by 3:00 pm.  Yes…our tax appointments do take that long.  Luckily, we were prepared for it.  We each brought a book to read and the UCLA game was on the TV.

For our trip back to SF, we decided to take a cheaper route.  It would involve walking, taking a bus, BART, and then Muni.  Knowing it would take a while, we stopped for a Greek lunch before heading out.  Looks tasty, doesn’t it?!

We waited at the bus stop around the corner in the cold wind for about 20 minutes since the bus was running behind schedule. We were starting to second guess our decision until it finally arrived!

The bus ride actually wasn’t too bad.  The bus was pretty empty and didn’t have too many stops.  However, it still took a whoppin’ 45 minutes.  The nice part was that it only costed us $2/person and it was AC Transit so it accepted our Clipper cards.  At the BART station, we waited patiently in the cold rain for our train and were finally on our way 15 minutes later.

Our train car was completely empty at first and it was kinda eerie.  That ride also took another 45 minutes and then our Muni ride was about 15-20 including the wait for the train.

By the time we walked into the lobby of our building, it was 2 hours and 46 minutes later from the time that we walked out of the tax place.  With the amount of time we spent today from start to finish, we could have flown home to Cerritos and back instead.  At least we got a tax refund today to make up for it all.  Yay.

Such liars…

Last weekend I was misled by the weather reporters. I should know better to believe anything I see on TV but I was hopeful that this would actually come true. We were having REALLY cold temps during the week and lots of rain earlier in the week and there were reports of possible snow in SF…at sea level! The last time it had snowed in the city was in 1976. So on Friday night, I stayed up until midnight to see if it was actually going to happen. It was really cold but there wasn’t a rain cloud in sight. Boo…no snow for me. I’m such a sucka.

Day Off


Yesterday was President’s Day and while I went to work, Jes had the day off.  Before I left for work, I put a Post-It on the computer that said “Dog needs a walk and food.  Store opens at 11.”  When I got home, I asked him how his day was and he replied, “Meh.”

Today I got an email from the Husband with the subject line stating: “My Day Off” with a link to this picture.  I think this is what he wished he did yesterday because he actually did walk the dog and picked up two 5-pound bags of dog food.  On top of that, he vacuumed the house, bought groceries at Safeway, and made that delicious roasted chicken in yesterday’s post.  I’m not sure I’ll be this lucky next time.

My Husband the Chef

As most of you know, Hubs does most of the cooking in this house.  It all started when he was a victim of the 2001 Dot-Com Bust and spent a few months in the apartment unemployed and watching hours of the Food Network.  He learned the proper way to use a knife (and how to buy a good one), learned how to make sauces, and grilled a mean steak.

Ten years later, he’s still kickin’ butt and these past couple days were no different.  On Sunday, I was treated to Pork Loin Chops with Pineapple Relish.

Tonight, I came home from work on Presidents’ Day to a husband massaging an organic chicken in butter and rosemary preparing a hybrid of Thomas Keller’s Roast Chicken Recipe and Smashed Potato Recipe from our Ad Hoc at Home book.

I’m one lucky girl.