Kai Victor Gideon Has Arrived

It has been a wild ride since my water broke at 1a.m. on Monday, but the long and short of it is that Kai Victor Gideon was born on Monday, April 21 at 10:56 a.m. after 9 hours of labor, at 18 1/2 inches long and 6 lbs. 3 oz. Labor went really well with our family and team in suport. It was a very focused time, but truely a joy.

Brendt is getting over a little stomach bug, but other than that everyone is doing well. Kai and I will be heading home from the hospital tomorrow.

Here are a few of our favorite phots of him. You can imagine that there are quite a few already. Family photo and more detail of the fun event to follow.

Here is a photo of our birthtime team within the hour after Kai is Born. From L to R, our Doula Becky, Auntie Katie, Kai's Mom, The Super Star- Kai, Grandma Carol, Nanita Devrah and, Big Daddy GideonBrendt (a.k.a. SuperDad) and KaiMom (wow! that's me!) and Kai

Things to do while waiting

Mom & Katie took a spontaneous trip to San Diego with the hopes that the little start would make an appearance this weekend. We did some walking and I went to yoga. Mainly we just hung out around the house. Here are a few videos of things that you can do to pass the time while waiting for a child's birth. . .

Ok, so my exercise/birthing ball was being abused, but everyone was having a good laugh out of it. :-)


Mom and Katie went home this afternoon without any interesting developments. They are fully ready to turn right back around and come back if things start moving again. Brendt's mom is also packed and ready to depart Tucson on a moment's notice. I, in the mean time, am making plans this week. Sitting and waiting might just make me go insane!

Full Term!

Hooray! Today the baby is considered to be full term. That means that although every day to 40 (or 41) makes life easier on baby in the first months, this little one is considered fully baked and ready to take on life in the outside world. Yesterday I went to the doctor and I've dilated to 2cm. and am 50% effaced. This could mean that I could deliver in 2 days or 2 weeks.

Total uncertainty is still the name of the game, and likely will be for some time. In the mean time, I'm feeling like the major tasks are done and things are in place. Today I got to hang out with my friend Tobin and his girls Kaelyn and Eliana. It was another beautiful day in San Diego, so Kaelyn played in her sandbox and we all enjoyed the weather. This weekend Brendt and I are going to keep the plans to a minimum to let Brendt prepare his lesson plans and grade papers just in case this little one shows up.

My mom and sister have their bags packed and are ready to hit the road to San Diego whenever I call. :-) In other words, the stage is set, the actors are prepared, we're all just awaiting the star's arrival.

Tick tock. . . any time now.

The Home Life

I'm on maternity leave, now through baby's birthday and then 3 months after. I've been adjusting to a different pace, trying to rest and relax. :-) As most of you know, I don't sit still very well, but I'm trying not to push it.


I finished my "seated" to do list just in time for my mom to come and visit for a few days. Luckily she, her boundless energy, almost finished my "other" to do list in the first night she was here. More than anything it was nice just to have her around and to have someone to help the workday hours pass by a little more pleasingly. Not that the Westie's aren't grand company, but their conversation skills are a little lacking.


This week my "to do" list has expanded to items a little lower on the priority list including submitting insurance receipts and cleaning out the junk drawer. :-) Who knows what I'll be doing (alphabetizing the spice cabinet) by the time May 9th rolls around.



Here is a photo of me a few days ago at 36 weeks.

Friday I'll be 37 weeks, which is considered a full term pregnancy. The doctor said that after that I'm all clear to comence jumping jacks. Ok, my words, not his, but I can pretty much do whatever as baby will be in good shape to join us on the outside. I was folding wee little baby socks today and just thinking about how great it is going to be to actually get my hands on those tiny toes.

Parenthood put to the test

This weekend our friends threw us a grand coed shower, complete with Greek & Mexican food (appropriate for the Gidepakis), a keg, a dozen kids under 7, and the ultimate test of parenthood. Katie put together a relay race that tested the team's ability to diaper, feed, entertain and transport children. Enjoy the spectacle. This was hysterical. I give extra points to Lee who upon his win of the relay race, spiked the baby (used as a baton). :-)

We managed to keep it pretty coed friendly but when it came time to open the gifts, the men filed out of the room one by one, driven by the ever present cooing. Poor guys. Who can blame them. Brendt rallied though and managed to find a stellar use for the "My Breast Friend" breastfeeding pillow, and now beer carrier.

Here is a photo of our niece Maya with her party duds on. She was helping us child proof our living room and looking especially cute while doing so. I don't understand who pays adults to child proof their homes. I mean, just invite 12 of your friends kids over and you'll learn quite quickly what needs to be moved or locked away.

Almost done!

Friday and Saturday this weekend was busy with meeting up with friends and family. We got to see our friend Nicole Takesono who drove down from San Francisco for the weekend (crazy!). Friday also marked our goddaughter Kaelyn's 2nd birthday. It's hard to believe that she's only been here for 2 years. It feels like she's been part of the family for much longer. Her birthday was a lot of fun with a crazy bubble machine and seeing her run around the house with her bike(trike) helmet. Too cute.

Luckily Sunday was free and clear of any plans so Brendt and I attended to some household organizing and cleaning that we had neglected until the last day of Brendt's spring break. We pretty much have the baby's room together now. Brendt put together our new glider (thanks Nanita Gideon!) with minimal cursing. It is soooo very comfy. Good thing, as I imagine we'll be spending a lot of time in it soon. Here are a few photos of the baby's room. We still have some things to put up on the wall, but it will all come together soon enough.

Easter Weekend Trifecta!

This weekend brought the Mom & Pop Gideon to San Diego and then we all trekked up to L.A. to join in a larger Gideon clan in a good ole fashioned Catholic Trifecta. Brendt's cousin Kerry got baptized, 1st communion and confirmed in a 3 hour long Easter Vigil mass. All of the ceremonies were very nice and the priest had a good sense of humor that kept us focused and in good spirits.

Most of the Gideons were there (Joyce, Jim, Carol, Clayton, Devrah, Ryan, Monica, Maya, Brendt and I) and we were hosted by Kerry's in-laws the Morales'. Elaine's family are tremendous hosts and amazing cooks! They had us over on Saturday night following the trifecta for a Filipino feast. On Sunday they had a more formal party for extended family and friends that Elaine's brother arranged for a spread of Italian food that was awe inspiring. The entire family worked together to turn out Tuscan spare ribs, shrimp diablo, rigatoni with braised oxtail, rosemary lemon cod, almond cream pear tart, tiramisu, and a whole host of dishes I don't remember the name to or didn't get a chance to taste. Needless to say, I could probally live for a week off of all the goodies we had last night! It was a beautiful weekend to get together with family and catch up. The weather was wonderful and it was nice to have a little time away with family we don't get to see very often.

Hope everyone had a great Easter weekend! We're headed home now. Looking forward to getting back into a groove, with no travel, before baby arrives.

Don't let Spring Break end!

My Spring Breaks are now totally unofficial, but I love them none the less. Brendt gets 2 weeks off and it really feels like a week to get away and a week to catch up at home. This year we headed up to Paso Robles in the central California coast with Katie and Josh. We rented a restored farmhouse on a working vineyard. Here are a few scenes of the property. The photo on the left is of the house that was origionally built in 1912. The photo on the right is of the sun setting behind one of the majestic oak (a.k.a. robles) trees that dot the vineyard.

The house and the grounds were beautiful. As much as we loved roaming around the local vineyards, Paso Robles town square, and driving the coast near Cambria and Hearst Castle, we really wanted to hold up at the house and wander around the stunning acres surrounding it. We spotted deer and wild turkey and were awakened in the morning to the cows that pastured in the fields across the valley. I think it is fair to say that we all want this to become an annual event.

Arizona Shower

Last Friday, Brendt and I headed out to Arizona. It was a quick trip for my family baby shower that went by so fast it was a blur! The shower was expertly orchestrated by my sister Katie (with much help from cousins, aunts and friends) and hosted by my cousin Jill. Here are the three of us together on the day of the shower.

It was great to be able to have a little time with all the friends, aunts, grandmas and cousins. We had a great showing with a gang of people coming up from Tucson and Aunt Angie coming out from L.A. It was so heartwarming to see everyone. My photos are very limited, but hopefully the photos from everyone else will start rolling in. Here are a few.

Thanks to everyone who trekked out to see us. I wish we had more time, but we're looking forward to spending a bit more time with Fifi/Filbert in AZ this summer (for the company, not the weather:-)). The thoughtful shower gifts were a lot of fun and honestly a little overwhelming. There is no doubt that this child is already showered with love.

Good News from Brian

Brian Hoot, Kelly's husband, called today and said that Kelly is steadily improving and they have moved her out of the ICU into a rehabilitation facility. Baby steps to recovery!

A prescription for massage!

This week I had my 32 week check-up with my doctor. For the next month I see the doctor every 2 weeks and then every week until the baby's grand entrance. Everything went well, I'm measuring right on track, heart beat is strong, and the baby has turned head down. When I mentioned the back pain I was having the doctor gave me a prescription for massage!! What a beautiful thing that is. Too bad it isn't covered under my health care, but luckily I can use my Medical Flexible Spending Account for it.

Tomorrow we head out to AZ for my family shower. I'm so excited to see everyone! On Sunday we'll be driving to Paso Robles to spend a few days of R&R at a restored farm house on a working vineyard. Sigh! Looking forward to our last little mini-vacation before FiFi/Filbert arrives. Tick tock! That time is coming soon. Can't wait to meet this little one!

What a week!

Last weekend we went up to Big Bear, a ski resort about 3 hours away from San Diego. We went with a group of friends including Toby & Krissy, thier kids Kaelyn & Eliana, and our friends Todd & Becky and their daughter Claire. The drive wasn't too bad considering the typical Friday afternoon traffic. My back pain made it a bear to sit for 3 hours, but we were rewarded with beautiful views and weather when we arrived. On Saturday our friends gave us a lesson in creative parenting. The one couple would ski/snowboard while the other couple watched the kids. Brendt took a snowboarding lesson and had a great day in the 50 degree weather. I ran people to and from the house to the slopes and got to play with the kiddos.

Kaelyn had her baby Sebastian (in sled on left) with her while she got her hands into the snow. All of the kids (under 2) seemed a little overwhelmed by the idea of sledding, but enjoyed stomping on the snow. For those of you living in cold country, I'm sure you find this amusing. :-)

Here is a photo of Eliana who was sporting her new ear muffs. :-) This happy baby was content as to be hanging out on the floor surrounded by her toys while the rest of the gang buzzed around her.

Last Tuesday my cousin Dan came to visit from New York. He has been soaking up the sun (it's been a beautiful week here) in between meals. His goal was go eat a lot of Mexican food, relax and be warm, and I think he has met that goal. Today is his last day here and I think we might hit the beach and get some fish tacos before we take him to the airport for his red eye tonight. Here is a photo of us after having lunch on the front stoop with Darwin and Petey basking in the sun.

This week's update

It's been a busy week at the Gideon household. On Tuesday night my cousin Dan came to visit from New York. He's here to enjoy the sunshine and take a break from his high pressure job at the World Wrestling Entertainment (Yes, WrestleMania central). I got put onto a proposal midweek that had me working crazy hours, thankfully that went in early this morning, so things are a little quiet. Brendt has taken on leading up an anti-drinking and driving event called Every 15 Minutes that sets up a mock event where there is a drinking involved accident and students go to the hospital, jail and even die in some cases. Needless to say, it has him working long hours trying to pull the event together with parents, students, and law enforcement.

To update you on my last post about my friend Kelly, her mother Linda said that the doctors were really encouraged by some recent tests that show that there isn't any constriction on her arteries in her brain. Kelly is coherent and talking again though she gets tired very easily. She seems to be having a hard time putting her memories in order. Sometimes she remembers that she has a son and other times she doesn't. I'm sure it will take a while for her mind to figure out how to repave memories. Linda said that it is all starting to sink in with her husband Brian that this is going to be a long road, and that healing Kelly is going to take a while. She said that she was really impressed by the way that Brian was handling it all. I'm not too surprised. Even in the short time we met him at his wedding it was evident that he is a great guy. Linda sounded optimistic. She said that if Kelly stays stable for the next week, then they will transfer her to an extended care facility. Please keep Kelly in your thoughts and prayers!

Live every day!

Katie just called me with some terrible news. I've kept in touch with a childhood friend who now lives in Texas. Her mother saw my shower invitation on my friend's fridge and thankfully called my sister to try and get a hold of me.

About ten days ago, my childhood friend Kelly, had her 3rd child. I got text message and a photo message from her with the happy news. Three days later, while at home, she suffered from an aneurysm. She is in the ICU, responsive, but not at all verbal. Her mother says that if she doesn't recover language in the next 72 hours that they don't expect her to. Right now she has a 50/50 chance of survival. The hardest thing was that while I was talking to her mother, I could hear her 1 week old son, Jaxson crying.

The good news is that Kelly has always been a very resilliant person. She has faced adversity in her life before and she would flash her big grin and not only find a way to make it through, but kick-butt doing it. I'm sure this will be no differant for her. Kelly and I were best friends from 6th grade until she moved to Texas after our 8th grade year. She is really like family and even she even lived with us for a short while right before she moved.

You know I love this girl, because I'm putting these photos up on the internet of myself looking REDICULOUS! Here is one circa 1988. Like funky shirt, pegged jeans and keds? I like Kelly's socks! This is when we lived about 6 houses down from each other. Kelly would say, after a hearty laugh, "Giiiirl, why do you let these photos see the light of day?!,". Well, Kelly, you give me a call and I will remove them from the internet.

Ok, so I have to admit that some of the reason I'm putting his photo up here is because Katie is in it. :-) Love you sista. So the three big girls were headed to a St. Tim's Teen Christmas dance. OH MY! Love the shoulder pads.

In any case, Kelly's situation really makes me stop to think about the state of my affairs. You have to remember that you have to live every day, because you just don't know what will happen tomorrow.

Please keep Kelly in your thoughts & prayers. Love to you all!

It's all happening so fast!

Today I feel really pregnant. Like I could feel my belly button trying to pop out. The Eve belly button may have been the ignorant bliss of a first time mom. :-)

We're starting to call daycares and pediatricians for interviews and I'm getting all the maternity leave ducks in a row at work. It's hard to believe that I could go out on leave in 6 weeks! Wild.

Messing with Strangers

So this whole pregnancy, I've been waiting for a stranger to ask me if I'm pregnant and tell them "no" just to have a laugh at their reaction. Up until yesterday, every stranger that asked me was so amazingly sweet I felt guilty playing a prank on them.

Yesterday, while in the free weights room at the gym, a big guy says to me as I'm walking out to another room, "So you're pregnant, right?" to which I respond, "Nope, just fat," and keep on walking. Two minutes later he walks into the room I'm in and says, "Are you for real, because I feel SOOOOO bad,". I laughed and told him that I was pregnant but I had been waiting for just such an occasion. :-) He was a good sport and chatted the rest of the time we were there.

I'm glad that I got to do it, doubt I'll ever do it again. Muuuhahahaha (maniacal laugh) :-).

11 more weeks to go!

Farewell my friend!

I've begun my long, drawn out goodbye to my friend the belly button. As you can see here, she is singing her swan song. I think it's going to go flat, so I'll look like Eve (bellybutton-less). At 28 weeks, I should be thankful that my friend the bellybutton hung out with me this long.

This weekend we went to childbirth class, a 2-day intensive course with 7 hours on Saturday and Sunday. I have to admit, I was looking forward to it as much as might anticipate traffic school, but it wasn't too bad. Our super energetic teacher kept our attention and we really enjoyed seeing the facilities at the hospital we'll be delivering at (and getting to know the route there) and learning more about birthing positions (I'll spare you the details). After 14 hours in a classroom this weekend, Brendt and I are very thankful for a long weekend to catch up!

Alls well!

I had my regular monthly doctor's appointment this morning and I got great news! My glucose test came back well within the safe level, so my doctor has ruled out gestational diabetes. We were prepared for whatever came, but it is a relief to know that the next few months don't have to be complicated by a restrictive diet.

Otherwise the doctor said that everything is looking great. I'm measuring right where I should and my weight gain has been healthy.

This weekend Brendt and I will be spending Saturday and Sunday at Mary Birch Hospital for Women where we will deliver FiFi/Filbert. Wish us luck! Right now I'm having a hard time thinking about sitting on the floor for hours on end. I might bring my beach chair instead.

3rd Trimester!

Well, we're in the final stretch now. Today begins the 3rd trimester. Its hard to believe that in 3 months our little Gideon will be here. Here is the belly shot on a beautiful day in San Diego. At least when the baby gets here there will be more interesting photos on this blog!

At work I actually put my maternity leave on the calendar which made it all very real. I'm planning on going out on April 25 if all goes well. On top of that my mom, Devrah, and Katie have both called to tell me when they plan on coming out for Fifi/Filbert's grand arrival.

This week we had our first event in a thusfar uneventful pregnancy. Last Friday I failed the 1 hour glucose test, one that tests for gestational diabetes. This one hour test is notorius for having false failure rates. The doctor then asked that I take take a 3 hour glucose test on Tuesday. This test involves a 12 hour fast followed by 4 blood draws over 3 hours after drinking a super sugary beverage. BLAH. Not fun. Just after my second blood draw I started feeling woosey and then vomitted. Game over. I couldn't finish the 3 hour test. Needless to say it's been pretty frustrating. The good news is that the results of the first 2 blood draws were normal. Today I'm back in the lab for another 1 hour test. Fingers crossed that all goes well and I'm hoping to get beyond this little bump in the road. Even if it comes back that I am diabetic, its not a huge suprise (lots of sugar problems on both sides of my family) and I can do any diet for 3 months.

Just a Rainy Super Bowl Sunday

We were hoping to get up and go walking to our favorite coffee shop this morning, but I think Mother Nature wants us to stay in and drink coffee at home. Its raining right now and the weather report has 80-100% chance of showers until about 9pm.

Here is a photo of Brendt and I before we went out for Film Club last night. We've been trying hard to do those things that will require a baby sitter after Fifi/Filbert arrives. This week it means that we've only eaten at home one night, and even that was leftovers. It has been fun and we've had a chance to catch up with a lot of friends.

So I think the 4th time is the charm with the tsoudeki! The 3rd time I forgot the mahlepi, but I feel like I got it right this last time. Good thing, because I think that the oh-so-hard-to-find-cake-yeast is starting to loose it's oomph. I'll try again in March.

While the cats are away

All senior management is away at an offsite today, so I arranged a pizza party for everyone else. This included a little creative party poses in our manager's offices. :-) We think we're funny.

The 100 Day Countdown!

It’s hard to believe, but we’re entering into the single digits for the arrival of Fifi/Filbert. It all still feels so very far away, even with the ever expanding belly. Brendt just keeps laughing and saying “You look so pregnant!,”. Things are coming together though. We’ve chosen a doula, signed up for child birth classes, set up most of the baby room, and started doing daycare research. As far as names, we’re starting to whittle down the list and start pairing first and middle names together. Somehow things will all come together.

I’m also trying to figure out if we can manage a long weekend away in the coming weeks. All will depend on how I’m feeling, but we’re hoping to have another few days of solo grown up time before this child makes his/her presence known.

Today we also said farewell to Katie Neuendorf who had been staying with us for 3 weeks. Last night we had a wonderful send off dinner for Katie at Lei Lounge (hooray for restaurant week!) along with our friends Lisa & Julie. It was really great getting to know her better and she was an easy house guest. She even made us dinner and played with the Westies! What more could we ask for? With any luck she and her husband George(my 2nd cousin) will be back in July of 2009 for her to do a fellowship at the San Diego Hospice.

Photo L to R: Lisa, Angie, Brendt, Katie, Julie

Tsoureki- Take 2

Ok, so here is my 2nd go at the Tsoureki.

I added 1/2 cup of sugar this time and it is pretty darned close. I think it could use a touch more sugar and a tad more mahlepi, but I was pretty pleased with this version. As you can see it is half eaten. Katie N. said that she thought I got it right. Brendt still said it needed more sugar. We'll do a side by side test on Friday to see what is the closest!

In Search of Yiayia's Tsoureki

Thinking of family legacy and stories, I find myself thinking a lot about some of the family recipes that I want to make sure live on. One of those recipes is my Yiayia's (grandma's) Easter Bread recipe, called tsoureki in Greek. Every year growing up, we would receive a huge box of these braided sweet breads. We gave a good number of them to local family and friends, but we would still be left with a good number of loaves for ourselves. I would cherish the morning treat of toasted tsoureki with a little pat of butter on it, for as long as as they lasted.

After my Yiayia passed away in 2000, my dad began shipping boxes of the bread that the ladies at his local church make as a fundraiser. Although I love getting these loaves in the mail too, I want to make sure that this recipe doesn't become a distant memory. So, I've started my charge to learn how to make tsoureki. Let me just start by saying, although I really enjoy cooking, yeast breads have always been a challenge for me. Maybe it is that I lack the patience to knead as much as I should, or maybe it is that truly great breads rely on commercial grade ingredients and ovens. Either way, if Yiayia could do it, I'm going to give a good ole Karnoupakis try!

Today I gave my first try with a recipe that my Nona (godmother) Debbie pointed me to. I managed to find the Mahelpi (a spice made from ground wild cherry seeds) easily enough, but it was the cake yeast that evaded me. No local grocers carried the compressed yeast, so I called speciality stores and finally resorted to calling bakeries to ask(ok, begging) if I could buy some of their stock off of them. Finally, our local Jewish Deli and Bakery, D.Z. Aikens allowed me to buy 1 lb (roughly 12x what my recipe called for). Just another reason to love that place.

Here it is. Looks pretty good, right? Well, the exterior texture is a little less soft than I remember, but the interior has the right chew and suppleness to it. Unfortunately, the 3 tbsp. of sugar it called for wasn't nearly enough. I should have known that Yiayia didn't stick to a recipe. She liked to cook "until it looked right", according to my mom. Brendt and I are estimating that I should increase the sugar to 1/2 cup. I'll keep you posted as to how many tries it takes me to get the recipe right.

Why We Blog

First things first, here is the most up to date belly shot, 25 weeks.

So I've been pondering what to blog about over the past week or so and have been coming up empty handed. Other than the constant baby motion, this leg of the pregnancy is pretty uneventful. I'm feeling great, my energy is high and I'm not too uncomfortable (yet). Don't get me wrong, I'm happy to be boring in this way, but I am finding it hard to write something.

Yesterday while reading a new magazine I got, I found this wonderful article about why a woman blogs about her family "Confessions of a Mommy Blogger" http://http://wondertime.go.com/parent-to-parent/article/confession-mommy-blogger.html. Some women she spoke to talked about the connection, "Being a parent is so frustratingly difficult and blindingly beautiful at the same time. Blogs remind me to celebrate the beautiful and that I'm not alone in the difficult,", while others saw the long term humor in it all, "I do picture these kids in college, turning their blogged childhoods into a drinking game, 'Everyone whose mom wrote about their diaper leaking. . .CHUG!'". Either way, I find it a way to relate the real story (sometimes very real) of this adventure we've embarked on.

When Maya(my niece) was born, I realized the importance of being around for such momentous occasions. In the lobby of the hospital there was a rich library of family stories, just like these, that were told by Ryan & Monica's parents and sister. My hope is that although many of you may not be able to be with us at the hospital lobby (don't worry, I won't be there either) that these little musings might help you feel a little closer and jog your memories as to similar stories that you might want to share with us.

Belly Watch 2008!!!

A pregnant belly button is a freakish thing indeed. Mine is ever widening as you can see in this photo.

My high school freshman English teacher was pregnant and she used to say that there was a direct correlation between happiness and the quantity of belly button lint one carried around with them. More belly button lint= more happiness. Inversely, as her belly button expanded, she was increasingly cranky. Ok, so she was a kookie one, but it made us laugh. She also told us she was going to name her child Phlegm, the choice of her husband Bubba (all lies by the way).

Things are well here. We're enjoying having a short term (3 week) roommate in Katie Neubauer, my 2nd cousin's wife. She's a doctor and doing a rotation at San Diego Hospice. She's kept pretty busy at work, but is an easy houseguest, loves the dogs (a miracle really), and even cooks for us!

The Fun of a Registry

Last week we tackled the daunting task of registering. The monster of a store that is Babies R Us was pretty intimidating but with the help of Monica and Krissy, we managed to knock out our registry in one trip. They helped us decipher the 200 different types of bottles, told us which gadgets were lifesavers and which ones were a waste of time. Thank goodness! Because the ability for an industry to play on our fears and insecurities is never more evident than in the baby products industry. How did our parents and grandparents live without a wipe warmer!?

Happy New Year!

Hope you all had a great holiday season. We got a ton done and was able to see most of the family. In the first week off we had Mom, Jim, Katie & Josh here. They worked for three days straight on various house projects, getting FiFi/Filbert's room ready and assembling the crib. I think a conservative estimate would say that they saved us about 8 weekends worth of work. I'll send some photos as the room shapes up. It was amazing to have them here for Christmas! We had a laugh playing Katie's new Wii and even took a walk on the beach on Christmas day.

The second week of our holiday vacation, we went to Tucson to visit the Gideon/Wilson clan. The highlight of the weekend was our niece Maya's baptism. She did great! It was a long service and she got water poured over her head, but she didn't even cry. What a trooper! All and all it was a beautiful day. Here is a photo of the Gideons and one happy Maya.

Later that afternoon we went to Rocky Point, Mexico with Ryan, Monica, Maya, cousin, grandparents and aunts to enjoy New Years at the Sea of Cortez. It was wonderful to be down by the sea, even though it was a bit chilly. We were amazed at how much the whole area had changed. What was once a quiet little get away, is now a bustling resort town. Here is a photo of Brendt and I on Sandy Beach in front of Aunt Dolores's condo.

Now we're back in San Diego, trying to get our lives in order before going back to work. We're also preparing for Katie Neundorf, my cousin's wife. She's going to be staying with us for 3 weeks while she does a rotation at a local hospital.

2008 here we come!

Dad Chimes In

Hey everyone, I thought that I would take a turn this week with notes from the Y zone. We had our first Christmas in San Diego since moving here nine years ago. We were visited by Angie's mother, step-dad, sister and brother in law. With their help, we now have nursery! Katie and Carol painted and built the furniture. We reorganized the garage and spare bedroom to make space, and finished in time for Christmas. Pictures will follow when the room is officially done.



I felt actual baby movement for the first time this week, so I know that the little bump around Angie's midsection is a baby and not just gas. I would say that I would have seen it at the ultrasound, but I spent most of that visit with my eyes close in an attempt to avoid seeing the baby's goods, which apparently he/she is more than happy to show- A LOT.



Christmas was great and we are so grateful for all of the help. Hope everyone's New Year is great, and I look forward to writing more blog posts in the coming months.



Daddy G

It's a . . .

BABY! Ok, lame joke, I know. But I had my ultrasound today. All went well. We managed to keep baby's gender a secret even though the wee one kicked off the the ultrasound with a his/her best spread eagle shot. Luckily we weren't looking, so the secret is still safe.

So here are the photos:

This one is the baby's face

This one is of Filbert/Fifi's tiny little feet

This one is a side view with an arm up

I had the coolest dream the other night. I had a dream that my belly was semi-translucent and that if the baby was turned a certain way, that I could see his/her face. It was the most beautiful little face! Sure beats my terrifying nightmares from a few weeks ago.

Can you believe we're almost 1/2 way there! See you in 20 more weeks precious baby!

It's been a busy day! First we had a doctor's appointment and then a doula interview. At the visit with the doctor, we immediately heard the baby's strong heartbeat and then it was suddenly gone. The doctor said that babies often don't like the sound of the doppler and move quickly to get away from the noise. It took the doctor a while to find the baby again, but we did. He/she moved from a few inches under my right ribs to way down by my left hip. Hope he/she doesn't get used to all that room. It will soon be cramped quarters. Speaking of not fitting, check out the last hurrah for these jeans. They will be soon retired to the pre-pregnancy clothing bin. Here I am at 19 weeks.

Next Tuesday is our big ultrasound. Stay tuned for new photos of Filbert/Fifi!

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For those of you that are novices to an RSS feed (like me), you can drop a link into your Yahoo account, Internet Explorer, Outlook, Blackberry, etc, etc. That way you find out when something has changed on the site. Thanks to my geeky friend (not an insult to a techie) James for the idea. Not sure it is very important right now, but might keep you in the know when FiFi/Filbert decides to grace us with her/his presence. :-)

I wonder what the over/under on this gamble is!? I just found this website that guesses the baby's due date, gender, vital stats, etc. Sort of like an office pool, but with out the need to gamble on it. Feel free to join in the game!

More crazy dreams and Belly photo- 17 weeks So last night I dreamt that the family was all in Hawaii for some vacation. I was pregnant but yet I decided to go surfing, a hobby that I've hung up for the next 5+ months in real life. The water was warm but there was slushy ice in it and the waves broke well past the shoreline onto the street. Ahhh, the things this child is doing to my subconscious. :-)

Back to reality! . . .Here are my next belly photos. I'm noticing that my baby belly is no longer hiding away when I lay on my back, it stays in full view. Good times! I'm wearing my very slimming "Due in May" shirt. You might not notice I'm pregnant.

Until I give you the side view!

Yesterday I went to my twice a year dentist appointment. When it came time to leave, I went to make my next appointment, six months from now. That took me to 3 weeks after my due date. Crazy to think that by that time we'll have the little one here with us! Life is about to get very different.

Well, its been rainy here in SD today, so I went to prenatal yoga and we've been decorating the house for the holidays. They'll be here before we know it.

What it feels like to be baby!
http://www.cnn.com/2007/HEALTH/family/11/27/par.being.a.baby/index.html

Here is a link to an interesting article that gives you an inside look as to what babies, newborn to 6 months old, see, think and feel. It's very interesting!

Vivid Dreams
Through my pregnancy I've had very vivid dreams. Usually totally absurd but in great detail and living color.

Last night I dreamt that I went on a vacation up into the mountains with my Dad, my Papou (for those of you who don' t know, my grandfather died when I was 13), and a slew of other people, my old client included. So, random group of people, up in a big cabin surrounded by huge pine trees. We were there for several days and when it came time to pack up and leave, Papou was in a huge hurry. Dad was very disappointed because he didn't want to leave early, but he had to because of Papou.

When we were ready to leave, we went to a small cliff overlooking a huge river. We just jumped in with all of our belongings. It was very warm and refreshing and we calmly floated down the river until we got to where our cars were parked. We all got into our cars and drove away.

What will my crazy pregnant brain think of next?

11/19/2007 Rockin Baby!
So I've been feeling the baby move around for the past week or two. Recently it has gotten stronger, feeling like a mini-kick boxing class. Last night the baby was really rockin' and rollin' so I ran over to Brendt and put his hand on my belly. We sat still for a minute and sure enough, baby performed on cue and gave Dad two swift kicks. Needless to say, we were both excited.

11/14/2007 Dr. Lafferty Visit
Went to see Dr. Lafferty today. We heard Fifi/Filbert's booming strong heart beat. It was nice to check in to know that baby is ok. I'm feeling a bit better now that I'm out of the 1st trimester, though I am still haunted by the random vomit now and again. Oh well, at least I'm not exhausted all the time. I started prenatal yoga this week. It is a very gentle class, but it is a good stretch. It's also fun to feel like I have time to connect with Fifi/Filbert and to see other women at all stages of pregnancy. Not to mention it makes my hips and back feel better. I started showing a bit the beginning of November (check out the belly album) and I think it's finally becoming real for Brendt. He's started talking to my belly and getting into reading up on carseats, cribs and the like. Next month we'll have our big ultrasound! Can't wait to see Fifi/Filbert again!

So here are my 15 week photos. Looks Like I ate too much at the buffet!! :-)

10/10/2007 Baby's First Photos!
Today we went for our first ultrasound. It was exciting to see the wee child in there, with his/her little heart beating. From here on out I will call the child Filbert or FiFi because that is what Brendt and I are calling her/him right now. Just testing out the names. In any case, I know it looks like a ink blot test, but that's my baby! And Filbert is measuring a week bigger than expected. :-) Great, 20lb. baby on the way. Hooray!

9/13/2007 First Dr. Appointment
Yesterday I went to my first dr. appointment. It was a short meeting with a nurse, where they took another pee pregnancy test. 4th test, still positive. Hooray! They took blood for a variety of tests and then gave me pregnancy 101. It wasn't anything shocking, but I'm sure to some it is a necessary little bit of education. My next appt. (Oct. 10) will be with a nurse practitioner and will involve an ultrasound. Very exciting! It's just a few days before we go back to Arizona and start telling family!

Ok, so the photo looks like a Jenny Craig Before Photo, but really, there is a baby in there!

9/13/2007 Morning Noon & Night Sickness
So this week I've started feeling more nausea. Sometimes it's just a little stomach flip that I can keep under control and other times its all I can think about. For the first time today I actually gagged. BLAH it happened to be while taking my asthma med and then again later when taking my omega vitamin (smells like fish, not too shocking). I'm so happy to be pregnant, that I'll forgive this little annoyance. I'm sure it's just one of many to come. Looking forward to trimester 2!

Ok, so begin retro posting. So much has happened since I last blogged, but all for the best. Biggest news is that we're pregnant. I'm transfering over my journals from babyfit.com, so the post dates on Blog spot might be off.

8/31/2007
Today we found out that we were pregnant. After being 3 days late, I decided to take a home pregnancy test in the morning. There was the faintest of lines, so I was a little excited, but cautious. In the evening after much encouragment from my BabyFit friends, I took a 2nd test made by a differant company. This one was much more solid. Hubbie and I went out and had a nice dinner. We toasted with pro secco and he drank it all. Guess I'd better get used to that!

Look! Evidence! Brendt made me take 3 of these before he'd believe it was true.

So the latest news in my life is my change of tasking. I'm still working for the same company, but instead of doing computer security for the government, I'm working on a project for a bank. Most changingly (I'm making up words here), I often have a change in location. I'm working out of San Francisco 4 days a week. Most weeks this will mean me flying up on Mondays and back on Thursdays. This past weekend Brendt joined me on Wednesday and we stayed the weekend over. We had great fun wandering the streets of SF and had an amazing jaunt to the wine country of Sonoma. With 6 other couples we were warmly welcomed to the Benzinger Winery, an amazing farm and winery.

All and all, as I discover this fine city(and region), I'm hoping to bring along a camera and share a little each day with you.

This morning I awoke to a fog soaked morning and rose for a run. I charged up California Street
and at the top I found Grace Cathedral greeting me, a majestic building that is a lot like Notre Dame. The bronze doors called to me, so I ran up the cathedral steps to take a closer look. After viewing the doors, I turned around and almost gasped at a labyrinth made out of stone inlays on the ground. There were was 1 person walking the labyrinth and several dozen nearby doing tai chi (did I mention I ran through China Town?). At the top of Nob Hill, with the city by the bay completly socked in with fog, I could see no more of San Francisco than I could at the ferry landing, but somehow I had taken in a great deal on the way up.