Isla Love Braden 3-14-07

Welcoming a new member - Isla (the s is silent - pronounced Ila) Love Braden. What a beautiful name - parents are Eli and Shannon. I can't believe how many babies are going to be born this year, all little piggies. www.babybraden.myevent.com & the password = 031407

She has her father's nose and lips. They say in our cultures it's good for little girls to look like their fathers and boys to look like their mothers.

Also, Helsley's 2nd little girl has an appointment to be delivered via c-section this evening at 6pm. They've named her Eva (pronounced A-va).

Tonight AG and I will have dinner with Zach (who's in town for the next 2 months working in the Mission at Act Now part of the Emergency Campaign for America’s Priorities (ECAP) is a nationwide campaign of national and grassroots organizations committed to reversing the Administration’s policy of drastic cuts to programs that primarily benefit the poor and middle class in order to finance tax cuts that benefit the wealthy and special interests. Our “First Things First” agenda is a plan to fully meet pressing human needs over five years and assure that all pay their fair share. We'll hear more tonight what his role will be.

Week 16 and the dreaded Amnio

Here I am at Kaiser checking in for my amniocentesis. I was more than nervous since the baby book said that the needle was 7 inches long.

The nurse that sat down with us was so nice - she assured me that it wasn't that bad. When we got into the room, it was dark and soothing and Dr. Hall was very accomodating. She answered our questions about the needle, why we didn't need a local anesthetic and that she'd let me know before the needle went in. (In fact, she didn't, which was probably a good thing - so I wouldn't tense up.)

First, they took ultrasounds of Baby G and we saw the baby moving around. Oh, so cute - my heart just tugged a bit. When they were poking my belly to find safe areas with large pockets of fluid, the baby moved around - it was so amazing. We saw the heart beat again. The nurses were oohing at how cute the baby was already - of course AG and I could only see a skeleton of a baby - but it had really cute little movements and the belly is AG's... heehee, had to get a dig in there since I had to have the needle.
There's a cute sideways picture of Baby G looking right at the ultrasound and checking us out as if to say hi. The sideways profile of Baby G is your normal profile - I think they took more pictures because they were so nice and they knew it was our first. The first picture, Baby G has its hands up near its face - adorable.

At one point when the needle went in, the baby scrambled around a bit as if to get away from the poking. The experience itself was not anywhere as bad as I had thought. I did feel the needle go through me, but it was sharp and fast. AG was great, holding my hand the entire time. I'm not usually such a big baby, but needles freak me out.

They took measurements of Baby G - 5 ounces and about 5 inches. Per the report, the baby's right on schedule - meaning that my due date is correct - give or take a day. Doesn't mean that Baby G won't come out early or late, just that according to the measurements, the due date is correct.


Ag and I were so happy. The last time we saw Baby G on an ultrasound was when it was 8 weeks, just a little bean with a beating heart. Now that its fully formed, with human baby movements and possible character, we are one step closer in believing that we made this little human life. Our next ultrasound is April 12th - 2 weeks and 2 days from today.

Random Monday thoughts

AG and I had a mellow weekend. Took Andy/Allison out to Saha's Friday - I thought I was ready to enter the carnivorous world in full blast... wrong. I don't know exactly what set me off, but I was nauseous throughout dinner. We ordered pizza, seafood, lamb - the entire range. There was a nagging feeling in the pit of my stomache before we went that perhaps I wasn't ready but we really wanted to take Andy/Allison. It must be the spices. I haven't wanted to eat out at restaurants serving anything other than Asian food. Oh well, back to Asian food.

Saturday we spent the entire day in front of the TV lounging. Had dinner with Mie and Tesla in the evening and Manisha came over for 3 hours afterwards. Sunday we BBQ'd for Shannon/Victor and their beautiful baby girl Tally, which by the way is Jewish for morning dew (what a beautiful name). Funny thing is Shannon's Mexican and Victor's Philippino (neither are Jewish). Victor has straight Asian hair and Shannon's is mildly curly. The little girl has a fro! But oy, she was so beautiful with little almond pixie eyes. Looking at Tally, both AG and I thought we could imagine what Baby G could look like - with the beautiful curls and Asian mix. She was quite a handful. She actually kicked the pups - twice. I guess she didn't like Lila licking her.

Later that night AG and I watched "Planet Earth." This is an 11 part series on HDTV of all the most amazing animals and places on earth. What we've seen so far was spectacular; deep oceanic sea creatures, a great white shark snapping a sea lion in 1 second (slowed down to 47 seconds), Tibetan snow leopards (never caught on camera)... Our favorite channels are: Discovery channel (animal planet), History Channel (all in HDTV), SciFi Channel, and of course the Spike Channel with CSI (forensic evidence).

We've begun talking to the belly and hoping that Baby G will recognize our voices and connect to AG. I've been giddy lately thinking about life and how happy we are. As I get further along with this pregnancy, any doubts I had about being ready for this baby is quickly disappearing. AG and I have enjoyed our partying days thoroughly. I don't think it's completely over, but we are more than ready to move on to the next phase.

A Classic Pregnant Moment

I have to premise this post with background information that I've been working extra hard, getting up super early and preparing for visible high level negotiations with multi-million dollar deals and that it's Friday. Yesterday I was up at 6am and out the door and in negotiations from 8-5pm.

This morning, I was running late to work. As you know, when you're late, there's this sense that you've forgotten things. Halfway to work, I did a mental checklist to confirm that I had everything: computer (check), notebook (check), phones (check), keys - err... keys... Oh my god where are my keys? The following thoughts started running through my head - no keys? How will I get into my office? no keys? How will I get inside when I get home? no keys? How will I drive.......????? DUH....

I had a moment to myself in the car. Relieved that AG wasn't there since he's seen me freak out so often over the smallest things (details) and the poor guy is already overwhelmed, I could have given him a heart attack. But I had to post this to remember how scattered I can be during this time, and hopefully reminisce to Baby G (if she has children of her own some day).... No no, we don't know yet whether Baby G has XX or XY. I'm just thinking ahead as usual.

Day 105 or 15 weeks (37.5% of the way there!)

Ohh... slowly but surely, meat is coming back on the menu. It's all quite subtle and very unconscious. For example, Tuesday, I was walking to Cala's to pick up some fresh veggies for dinner - and upon realizing that the store had changed from Cala's to a new owner, I recognized how neat and tidy it was. So I began inspecting for other changes. Somehow, I ended up in the frozen food section without knowing why.
I started looking at the frozen dinners and thinking to myself "that Salisbury Steak looks good, I wonder if it's a good as I'm imganing it?" I hummed and hawed for a good 15 minutes over it, making sure I checked all the packaging for hydrogenated oils. I finally chose one from Boston Market.
I popped it in the mini-oven and boy did it taste so so so good. Afterwards, I realized I had just gone from not eating meat to eating the most processed frozen meat; something I wouldn't have even contemplated when I wasn't pregnant, even being the carnivore that I was. It was a relevation that meat is probably back on the menu. As for Salisbury steak cravings, won't have another one any time soon... my stomache wasn't feeling great afterwards.

Monday I made yummy grilled salmon with Vietnamese fish sauce over fresh sliced cucumbers. We have almost finished the gallon of fish sauce my mom made for us during the holidays. Ari drinks it like water - I've never seen anyone (even a Vietnamese person drink fish sauce the way he does. I swear he was Vietnamese in a previous life.)
Wednesday evening we took Sandy and Carla out for Carla's 35th. We dined at Delfina's pizzaria... amazing pizza and salad - worth the 45 minutes wait.

We ordered 3 pizza's, an endive/arugula salad, and a grilled artichoke starter. Fantastic, the crust was comparable to NY pizza.

On another note - I've started to recognize another pregnancy symptom - short term memory loss. So far it's just little things, like believing without any doubt that this weekend was the 31st and trying to comprehend why I scheduled overlapping social events. AG, who has always been dependent upon me for our social calendar, was completely confused. I confirmed with Mie and other mothers that this is part of pregnancy; that short term memory may not return for years; that AG will need to either learn how to adjust or find another coping method. I'm at a loss on how our lives will function if I'm unable to have full faculties to mutitask - of which short term memory is a huge factor. Hrm, deep thoughts.... ponder.... hrm....

Super Gluck Weekend cont'd

Sunday morning, we got up early (again) to rent a truck and clean out the Oakland storage unit. We finished by 10pm, barely. Got everything out of the storage unit and brought all the boxes of books and memorabilia back home and stacked in the bedroom (for now). At least we are done with the infamous storage unit. It wasn't just physical work for AG, I know he had a lot of sadness around it - the last vestiges of his previous relationship and lots of memories for him. I still have yet to meet Kiva - only due to circumstances and not because I don't want to meet her. She's helped shape AG through their experiences together, and for the most part, he claims to be a better person haven known her. For this, I appreciate her and their relationship.

In between getting the truck and cleaning out the storage unit, I went to Kerry's to meet the girls for brunch and an accessories swap. I made off like a bandit with 3 belts, 2 hats, 2 necklaces and 2 sets of earrings. It was more fun to see whether people liked what I brought. Having brunch and chatting together was also super fun.

This Monday also marks my 15th week. The pregnancy book says that my heart is now enlarged and working overtime. Its output has increased 20 percent from normal and, by the time I am ready to deliver, my heart will be working up to 50 percent more than normal to supply me and Baby G with the oxygen needed. Speaking of the little devil - Baby G now weighs about 1.75 ounces and is about 4 to 4.5 inches in length. Baby G's heart is growing strong and, even though it is little, it is pumping between 20 and 25 quarts of blood every 24 hours. Interesting huh? I've noted that I have to breathe deeper and often have shortness of breath. Running Saturday felt amazing, but my legs are sore today. The pelvis bones have not stopped moving, every now and then my back aches and I walk funny (waddle) because my butte muscles are stretched.

Next Tuesday, we have our amniocentesis... oh joy. I'm dreading the big needle. A little fact about AG I did not know, needles make him queasy... whether it's poking into his body or someone else's. Up above, I took a picture of what I'm typically having for breakfast now - lots of fruit and some huge egg tortilla or breakfast sandwhich with eggs and bacon. I'm sure that by my next doctor's appointment, I'll be up another 10lbs.

Super Gluck Weekend

I have to dedicate this weekend to SuperGluck who kicked ass. I am still reeling in amazement at the things he accomplished. Perhaps it was the result of my freak out session last week, or possibly that he's feeling the "nesting" urgency as well. I had a list of "To Do's" and would have been happy that we started and made progress on most of the projects, not realizing that he would finish all the projects.

Starting off Friday night - dinner with Shelaine. As you know, an evening out with the Wangs/Lim clan is quite a production. I'm always amused by them and love their company. For many though, you have to have the energy to hang out with them. They are ADD; talk fast & loud and are super sharp and quick witted. They take over when they enter a room and when they leave, you are left with a sense of calm after a storm. For some reason, I'm one of the few who can withstand such encounters on a daily basis and never tire out. We took them out to Brothers, our favorite Korean BBQ. I had lots of little spicy anchovies and fish cakes with rice and even ate some bbq'd meat. Afterwards we went to watch "300."

Love going to the movies with AG. Constantly reminds me of our compatibility. We love sitting right in front of the screen. We have little problem getting crimps in our necks so we can get the full experience of being in a theater. I have yet to date anyone who enjoys being as close to the screen. Shelaine sat in the very back row.

The movie was good - lots of testosterone - just what Sion & AG wanted. Elaine and I enjoyed the movie as well. The graphics and cinemetography were good, there were lots of beautiful rippling bodies to check out. It was overly dramatic and had a comic feel about it - but that's probably what made the movie.

Saturday morning, AG and I got up and hit the gym.... I even jogged 2 miles and walked another .5 miles uphill. Suprising since it's been close to 5 months since I ran. AG spent time dealing with finances (his favorite), then he installed the motion detector lights while I raked and cleaned up the backyard. When that was completed, we headed upstairs and AG fixed part of the couch that had been sagging for a year. Then we moved the furniture around. 4 hours later, we placed the furniture in a somewhat agreeable position. We weren't quite sure of it, but as we tidied up and put finishing touches throughout, it started to come together. There's still more to be done, but the living room feels more like a living room than it did before. I really love the way it feels. There's more continuity with the colors while facing the red walls. Now, when we're watching TV, we aren't looking out the window at the same time and seeing all the drunks hanging out across the street looking in on us. We languished around for a good hour soaking in the new feel of the place before we headed out again for a St. Patty's day dinner at Colleen's.

Colleen cooked up a huge oven of corned beef and cabbage.... hrm, couldn't get over the huge slab of pink meat. I couldn't try it, AG did and thought it was great. I opted for the smoked salmon pasta salad and lots of fresh fruit. AG and I snuck out right after dinner and the champagne toast. Everyone was toasted and it the crazy St. Patty's day/alcoholic energy was making me edgy. AG and I were happy to head home to the stoner's corner. Hung out with Andy/Allison and their good friend Dana the remainder of the evening. It's amusing to watch your non-sober friends try to play scrabble and continue conversations.

Doctor Visit #2

Yesterday AG and I went to our 2nd doctor's appointment. Here are the stats:

1. I've gained 7lbs (last visit I was 126lbs, yesterday I'm at a whopping 133lbs.) I'm supposed to gain 30-35lbs total (that's minimal for a healthy baby and doesn't include ben & jerry lbs.). God, I'll be 160lbs!
2. We heard Baby G's heartbeat with the doppler (which you can now rent monthly and listen anytime you want). It's slowed down a bit and isn't as fast as it was at 8 weeks. Took the doc awhile to find the heartbeat, I guess Baby G was hiding somewhere - sneaky devil.
3. My blood type is B+ (I knew this a long time ago, but have completely forgotten)
4. Doctor says I'm looking very healthy and won't be seeing him for another 6 weeks.

AG and I know that we are in good hands with this doctor, but in general, we've been disatisfied with the impersonal treatment. Kaiser provides little guidance with first time parents. We have little understanding and knowledge of what to expect during this process (i.e. we could do a birth plan later on and visit the hospital room etc.) It would be nice if they just sat us down and told us what to expect in the 9 months (knowing that there's room for variations due to individual circumstances). Anyways, I was frustrated with Dr. Jacobson. At points in time he didn't explain technical/medical terms (i.e. my hemoglobin electrophorsis is normal), but would go through really basic things like explaining what HIV was and that I was negative. Who doesn't know what HIV is? Maybe it's my hormones, but my sarcasm was aimed and ready but AG held me back.

I am thinking that next year, I'll change my HMO plan to something else. As a patient, I expect the medical staff to give me as much information as they are able to and provide some level of expectations. It's scary sometimes when you are the patient and don't have any idea what's supposed to be normal and what should happen next. Providing information helps alleviate some of those fears. I found him to be nonpersonal and a little condescending and possibly am thinking of changing to a different doctor.

AG and I went to lunch in Japantown afterwards and did absolutely nothing the rest of the day except watch tv and took in a long wonderful nap on the couch. Today, is even more beautiful and warmer than yesterday. I bought some pink hyacinths and can't wait to clean up the backyard so we can enjoy the sun and nice weather.

Oh yes, I forgot that my hormones did go into overdrive the other day as I started freaking out about all the things that had to happen before the baby came. So many little things here and there, not just in our personal life but at work and preparing to start a small business on the side. Poor AG was so tired from his bachelor's weekend and my hormones timed itself perfectly to stress him out more ;). So now we've agreed that I should make a To Do list so he knows all the little things that run inside this little head of mine. I have to admit being pregnant has really made me crazy in the worry and planning area. Most of the time, I sympathize for AG and what he has to go through during these months... and I've got to give him credit for his amazing patience. I've been a little demanding lately. Every once in a blue moon I just wanna kill someone and unfortunately, he's the closest target (this is not that often thankfully - once so far).

Quiet Weekend (part III)

To Lenira's baby shower we went (Rachel and I), at the lovely Tameeza's home. Their garden was a perfect sanctuary for the Brazilian blessings. Lenira is 3 weeks from her due date and she looked absolutely calm and beautiful. Can you believe this woman is in her early 40's? After blessing her with sacred water (that had been perfumed with flowers and offered to the deities the night before), we all took turns rubbing her down with oil and massaging her.

Then we adorned her belly with henna while her Brazilian women sang beautiful songs about the Water goddesses. I couldn't get over how big her belly was and was trying to invision the baby inside. This process is still so very alien and scary sometimes, even though it's also beautiful. Being part of something that has been happening for millions of years, to create something out of your own body, it's such a mind trip. I try not to think about it too much and just go with the flow, but when I do stop to think about it, I get dizzy going in circles. I am thinking of Lenira and wish her an easy delivery and a healthy baby.

This week marks my 14th week. AG and I have our 2nd doctor's appointment on Wednesday, and we are both taking the rest of the day off to finish some loose ends and spend some quality time together. If the weather holds up, maybe we'll go spend the day outside on a walk or something. The wildflowers must be out blooming. I love California wildflowers.

Quiet Weekend (part II)

Sunday morning was gorgeous and hot. I decided to take the pups out to Dolores Park for a nice stroll before heading home and preparing for Lenira's baby shower. But it just didn't work out like that. After briskly walking to the park and running them around a bit, I started after Lila to leash her and head home. Kerry heard me calling her and called me over. We ended hanging out until late. Slowly more and more people accrued on our blankets, including Tameeza and Sasha.


And Oy there were so many doggies and this beautiful pup. Lila was a terror running around and trying to eat people's unattended food. Sienna was busy rooting around for fertilizer to roll on and other dogs to bark at. After awhile, I gave up attending to them and enjoyed the sun and my friends. The park was packed by noon - dogs were running everywhere, and it felt like the first days of summer.

Sasha and I had a great talk. She's currently a nurse and is starting Midwifery school in SF this fall. She's helped deliver tons of babies at her job and I asked her to be with me for the birth of Baby G. It would be nice for AG to have someone there who knew what they were doing, even though we are looking to have a Doula as well. But maybe, I won't need one if Sasha is there. She's more experienced that some of the Doula's.
When I came home to prepare for Lenira's baby shower, Rachel showed up and got me the first present for Baby G, this beautiful (my favorite colors - brown/blue) very soft snuggle blankie. I was so touched by her thoughtfulness. What a lovely day, and it wasn't even over.

A Quiet Weekend (part I)

Woke up early Friday morning to spend some time with AG before he took off on his boy's bachelor weekend. Got to hang out with Salim and give him the good news. We'll be staying with him and Nafysa next month when we head up to Seattle.

In the afternoon I had lunch with Carla and little Nathan. What a treat. Nathan's coming into his terrible two's and I got first hand experience of dealing with a cranky child in public. It wasn't too bad except that it's difficult to deal with in public. On the ride home, we ignored his screams in the back of the car. I read in a child psychology book once that you should ignore them when they are throwing tantrams. It did work, after 5 minutes when no one was paying any attention to his screaming, he quieted down. Although he tried again in another 5 minutes, by the time we got home, he had stopped altogether.

Carla was sweet enough to provide me a bag of maternity clothes. I started realizing that my back aches wasn't necessarily from not finding the right position in bed, but possibly due to the fact that my pelvis and everything around that area is shifting. I thought I could go through my pregnancy with a belly band and my old clothes. Couldn't be more wrong. My pants can no longer go past my hips because I have hips now! In reading my baby books (thanks again Karen), the shifting of my pelvis is causing all the back aches.

So Saturday morning, I decided to go shopping for maternity clothes. Here's a dorky picture of me at the mall wearing Carla's maternity clothes.

Earlier Friday night, I headed to the east bay to have dinner with Rachel and Smesh on Piedmont's at a new Vietnamese fusion restaurant. It was good, and the company was even better. It was nice to hang out and chill with the girls, even though I was ready to pass out by 10pm.

2nd Trimester

Got a snapshot of this very neat contraption that some father created for his 2 kids. It's very innovative. The kids were snuggled on a bench on top of a skateboard. What's so great is that because it's on a skateboard, the guy could literally maneuver his children any way he wanted. The skateboard turns on a dime and the guard rails kept them upright and safe. Such a Dav Impossible creation, I'll have to forward to him so he can make one for Tesla and maybe us at some future date.

On the corner of 24th and Harrison, a new coffee shop just opened. They roast their own beans and it's quite good. But I have mixed feelings about the coffee place. On one hand, it's wonderful to see thriving businesses start up in your neighborhood, but with it comes gentrification which eventually results in bleeding out the color in the neighborhood. As a homeowner I should be happy that gentrification will increase the price of my home... but the diversity is a huge reason why I chose to purchase and live in the Mission in the first place.

This weekend, AG and I drove to LA for an investment seminar located at Unviersal Studios. We were oh so fortunate to stumble upon the State Cheerleading Competition there and had to take pictures to document this momentus event. There were swarms of them in all colors and genres (punk rock cheerleaders, goth and your regulars). We were really impressed with the shiny bows on their head.

This week marks the beginning of my 2nd trimester. So far it's been great. Still tired but eating more often now. Sometimes I forget that I'm pregnant because I don't have the constant nausea and bloating... that is until I try to zip up my pants. According to the books, Baby G is now the size of a jumbo shrimp (roughly 3 inches) and weighs in at a whopping ounce. We have our 2nd prenatal appointment next Wednesday and our 18th week sonogram April 14th. Very soon, we will know whether Baby G will be wearing pink or blue. People ask me whether we have a preference. According to the Chinese Zodiac (and my father), a girl this year would be a better match for me. AG and I are completely open to either. A healthy baby and an easy delivery is what I'm praying for.