The Adventures of Val & Todd

I am at work right now and rather bored. As I sit here and contemplate life, a thought occured to me. Todd and I have had a lot of adventures in our time together, and having this little creature is just the start of a whole new set of adventures. Honestly, I never thought I would be pregnant right now. I know he never thought he would be pregnant, ever. But now we are and I am so happy that it is with him that I embark on this whole new part of my life. Why? Because we both want our lives to be an adventure. We both hate mediocrity. We are both allergic to the suburbs. Because I do the laundry and he cooks. We have two hilarious cats. He wants a workshop and I want a small farm. And we both know we will have the coolest kid. Ever.

Some of our adventures thus far:
*riding on a 50+ year old scooter all around San Diego
*Todd's 22nd birthday = Morrissey concert in Tijuana!
*Radiohead- In Rainbows
*dinner date in Julian, Elliott Smith-XO for the drive home
*accidentaly falling in love and not even trying
*numerous bottles of wine drank and conversations had
*two words: Ostrich Land. Find it on Youtube.com- it is the first video when you search curriervp1. Yeah, that's us.
*road trip to wine tasting up the Central Coast of California
*early morning flight... on a small plane Todd was the pilot of!!!!
*zipping around Las Vegas on a vintage Lambretta
*driving to San Francisco just to pick up this vintage Lambretta and strapping it to the back of a pickup truck on a very rainy drive home
*watching the gorgeous sunsets at Sunset Cliffs in San Diego while drinking beers out of paper bags
*deciding to move to San Francisco together
*Of Montreal, all day
*adopting Frank the plant
*adopting Beezus the cat (RIP)
*then adopting Ramona and consequently, Valentine
*Christmas and Thanksgiving 2008 just the two of us <3
*sake tasting in Berkelely
*riding a motorcyle down the 101 to Santa Cruz on New Year's Eve 2008. Drinking Sake shots to toast the New Year on our roof.
*February 2009- pregnancy test POSITIVE :-O

This is a very small part, it is just the beginning.


us circa 10/07

Just because

This is me on Jon's roof a couple of weeks ago. The view of the city is amazing there. My lovely friend Adrianne takes the best photos :) Check out the brilliant moon!



and of course, there's little bug belly peeking out from under my coat.

It worked!

The doppler (heartbeat) machine worked! I got it today via UPS and was super excited. I laid on the couch and thought I was happily listening to her heartbeat on the headphones that come with the machine. Then Todd comes home and listens and tells me that actually it was my heart that I had been listening to (hehe, oops). Then he finds hers and it is super, super fast (it was at the bottom part of my belly, the part I can no longer see). Of course, her heart beats double the times per minute than mine does and the difference was pretty evident. We hooked up the machine to the TV and could hear it loud and clear on the speakers! It was awesome and I swear I am dying to meet her. You have NO IDEA.

And here are two pics of my (LARGE AND IN CHARGE) belly at 24 (or almost 24) weeks. WOW.

Preg Woes

You guys have no idea how much all those sweet comments you send me mean to me. I'm so thankful to still be "thin" but with this big belly I feel like a small cow. My body has been good to me, but lately all this stretching and baby have taken a toll on how I feel. Right now I'm laying on the couch and my stomach feels like it weighs 80 pounds. I feel sore and have aches. I'm really looking forward to the pool at my parent's place so I can float and feel weightless in the water. I have gained like 15 pounds so far at 6 months, which for my height and weight is on the low end of the goal. Fifteen pounds is plenty, but in the U.S. we are given huge weight gain allowances so it seems like it is so little compared to the majority of women. All of it is my stomach and all the extra blood in my body. And the boobs. Just wanted to share how it feels to be pregnant today. Have a lovely Monday. :)

23 weeks +.

Yay for Amazon.com!

I love Amazon. Before I buy most anything, I check there first. Ever since I became pregnant I have been wanting to buy a fetal Doppler machine to listen to baby's heartbeat whenever I want just like they do at the doctor's office. After searching and searching, it seemed that the machines that actually worked were way too expensive and the cheap ones did not work at all. Finally, I got a recommendation from one of my babycenter.com friends and she recommended the one she purchased on Amazon. It was $39.99 plus shipping which is really cheap, especially if it works as well as it is supposed to! It had really good reviews. Here it is:




Hope it really does work! If it does, then that price is a steal!

In other news, I am wearing maternity clothes. Not everything I wear is maternity, but my amazing mother sent me some cute outfits. The tops are a little on the big side with plenty of room to grow into, but I think that wearing 70% pre-pregnancy clothes at 6 months is pretty good. But, the maternity stuff is SO comfy. GRACIAS MAMI! Here I am today wearing a non-preggers sweater with my preggers pants to go to work. It's nice to not wear leggings and yoga pants every day. I also got some skinny leg pregnancy jeans at H&M. THANKS TODD!



Have a great week y'all.

City by the bay.

I wonder if I am able to transmit the essence of what I love about San Francisco to you now. San Francisco will always be an important part of our lives, even if for some reason we do not move back. When you are old enough to see it with different eyes I am going to spend some time here with you and we will take it all in. I'm not sure if you'll love the things I love- literature, the arts, culture. You most likely will appreciate these things because they run in my blood and you will be surrounded by them. I look forward to moving to San Diego now and getting a chance to relax and be with all my loved ones... but I will be leaving a little bit of my heart in San Francisco.

Here I am at 6 months...

I cannot believe I finally get to meet you in 3 months.

Just so you know, your six month pregnant mom still gets checked out... even though I'm a small whale. But anyway, your daddy is still the handsomest one of all. You'll see what I mean real soon...

PREGSOMNIA!

I cannot sleep. I had to get up to pee and now I can't get comfortable. I think I'm hungry. Hungry at 4:39am? What are you doing? I don't think you are asleep, either. Your dad is happily snoring. Valentine and Ramona are happily snoring. I guess we will go have some cookies and milk...

Me on the bus

This is great. Will someone buy me this t-shirt? Please note the headphones. Totally me.

Spoiler?

Last week Todd and I went to Berkeley just to walk around and hang out. It was a wonderful sunny day and I went into a couple of the great bookstores they have there. I went to the children's section in one of them and I saw a mom reading to her little girl. I couldn't help but smile. She was reading her this:



The Olivia books are some of my favorites. I cannot wait until I can read to you! In person! :)

Bump bump

Not much is new around these parts. I think my belly is growing slowly but surely. Your kicks and other antics are getting a bit stronger. On Saturday I went to see UP! with a very dear friend of mine. I ate a whole bunch of candy and you were hyper! Throughout the whole movie you were dancing around by my ribs. It's a great movie by the way. I loved it. I left the theater with a huge smile and wet cheeks. Go see it!

Today we are at 22 weeks... or almost 22 weeks. You have two due dates now. Originally October 20th, and now also October 23rd. Why do I have a feeling you aren't going to stay put past the 15th? We want you to come out big and chunky!

Today

Just a little favor, miss. Please be careful with my ribs and other organs as you do your backflips and rolls. Thank you!

DHA. I need. Today when I went to get my water at the vitamin store by my work, my homeboy that works there (and is a walking vitamin dictionary) asked me how I was feeling. I told him I felt good but sort of loopy, and highly absent-minded. I even admitted I feel a little less smart lately. He nodded his head knowingly and asked if I'm getting enough DHA. Then he told me all about this fatty acid (like the omega-3 found in fish oil) that is extremely important for fetal brain development. Then he told me the reason I feel so pea-brained is because my body is directing most of my DHA to the baby so she gets the genius. In other words, she's sucking all my brain juice! So, I'm going to start taking daily supplements and eating more fish so that we both get smart. In the meantime, I feel stoned.

Manners are still required around pregnant women.

It's shocking how some people think that just because you're pregnant they can ask personal questions and make very bold assumptions. If you used to be a size 4 and suddenly can barely see your knees, you really don't want someone asking you if you are having twins or try to guess how far along you are. 7 months? Almost there? No, 5. This woman in particular was an overzealous Chinese w0man. I would estimate she was about 4'10" and around 90 pounds. I am 5'8" and I can promise you at this point I weigh a lot more than 90 pounds. Please lady, I'm not going to be your friend if you only make me feel more like a cow. Go away, please. If you ever want to comment on a pregnant woman's body, just don't. Unless you want to say, "YOU LOOK AMAZING!" That is an acceptable compliment. Saying she doesn't even look pregnant can also be offensive because pregnant women that don't show are worried about their baby being too small or undernourished. It's best to just keep your mouth shut. :)
Another personal favorite of mine is the breastfeeding question. I really do not think it is anyone's business what I choose to do with my breasts, or my vagina for that matter. Asking questions to a stranger about labor methods or giving unsolicited advice based on your own experience giving birth fifty years ago is just not helpful. Also, I don't care to know whether or not you took pain medications, got cut up "down there", or just opted for a c-section to avoid "stretching". I literally cringe when people I do not know or do not care for tell me their horror stories or try to impose their beliefs on me. Hippie lady, if my baby and I want to get doped up for delivery it's our deal! Stuck-up blonde lady, no I probably don't agree that scheduled c-sections are the way to go. And PLEASE. Most important of all. If you are not pregnant or do not have children, please do not give any advice or tips whatsoever. I do not care what your sister did, what your neighbor read, or what you think. If you are not a mother and can speak from experience, anything that comes out of your mouth is useless and annoying.
I don't have to say again how big of a NO-NO it is to ask a pregnant woman you do not know if you can touch her stomach. It's invasive and obnoxious to assume. Also, I guarantee my baby will not kick for you.
And lastly, some couples prefer to not disclose their chosen baby names for a reason. People of course have opinions about what you should or should not name your child. I can promise you that this is also not welcome commentary. Don't ask and then scrunch up your nose or offer another name.

Thanks so much for your time.

Sincerely,
Pregnant Women Everywhere




* note- this does not apply to my friends and family members I like.

Belly bloom

Recent belly pic as requested.
FYI-This dress made me look SUPER pregnant. Or well maybe that's how I really do look. I don't know.



BUT, I do still have a bellybutton...



And just for fun... this is how I looked in the first week of March at around 6 weeks



Things have changed!

Your kicks are getting stronger! Why won't you show your dad, though?

Does someone honestly think God is a woman?

No. Pregnancy is not all happiness and sunshine. Today I feel like an alien has attacked my body. The mothership. I feel tired, fat, and not so pretty. I also feel misunderstood. And frustrated. I want to be spoiled, taken care of just for the day. It's like I continue through my routine day by the day, but the truth is I'm not the same person. I am no longer selfish and I think about the baby before myself. My body doesn't feel like it just belongs to me anymore. I hate to complain, I know I'm lucky. Many women are not as lucky as me, and my baby is healthy and so am I. But today I would like to have a glass of wine, a massage, and fit into my cute clothes. I want to stay out late and feel lovely and have fun! Does anyone else want to carry her just for the day? I'm not usually like this, everyone knows how much I love my little bean. I just felt the need to vent. And as I typed this she kicked me. That's the constant little reminder that this is totally worth it.

We are half of the way there! 20 down, 20 to go! Today on the ultrasound we saw you open your mouth, maybe you were yawning. And then you got bored of the attention and started putting your little hands on your face. You've come a long way... in March you just looked like a little chicken nugget!

You are very popular. People did not used to be as nice to me as they are now. Now strangers smile at me, my clients at work love to make conversation about you. I am no longer Val, I am now a baby bump with a person attached to it. It's okay. I don't blame them. You are pretty wonderful.

Stop being shy! Other people want to feel your little kung-fu kicks, especially your dad! By the time I tell him to come over and put his hand on my belly to feel you moving around you stop. Sassy girl.

Onesie Funsie

Ha.

What are we craving right now?

Nope. Not pickles. Not ice cream. It's worse than both of these together.

I AM CRAVING PEPPERONI AND SAUSAGE PIZZA! EW! I was a vegetarian until I got pregnant... well, almost. I ate sushi but that's about it. Then I started eating chicken. And now I'm craving pepperoni and sausage pizza? That is gross but it sounds so good. I can't believe I am craving that, I haven't had this in years! Since I was like fifteen! I'm not going to eat it but wow it sounds amazing...

Hi Everyone!

Here is a pic of her little face from about two weeks ago! She is a little alien baby but she is so cute, don't you think? *(Click on it to view full size!)*

How fun!

A very cute nursery



Aunt Gabbie will LOVE this



A perfect book for you... I saw it a Borders before I knew you were a girl and secretly hoped...