at a fork in the road?

With Donut's arrival just around the corner, I am wondering if I should start a family blog...one where we can send a link to all of the grandparents, cousins, aunts and uncles to keep them posted on pictures of the baby, etc...

I don't really want to give the MalibuBetty nor the AlmostChef links to parentals as I tend to not censor myself...but maybe everyone needs a blog these days?

So it begs the question....do i just start another one?
I don't want to start one just for Donut since we'll deffo be adding to our pastry arsenal and really don't want to commit to having a site per child - but maybe just one family website is a good way to go?

ack! what to do?

32 Week old donut pics

We're nerds and wanted to get another 3D ultrasound to see what the baby was up to...also we figured we could check out what she looked like a little better once she'd gained a little weight. So 7 weeks after our first 3D ultrasound we went back and...uh....were greeted with lots of feet and hands.

Basically Donut is in a breech position and is sitting in there like a baby taco...with her feet and hands covering her face. Check out that meaty little footprint below.

All cheecks I tell you...holy crap I must have been eating REALLY well for her to bulk up in the face so much. I cannot wait to pinch those chubby cheeks soon! Those are face cheeks, not butt cheeks because when they told us the gender again, we realized that our baby also has a pancake butt...lol

When you are in need of some support

Buy a really gross elastic belt! to lift your belly off of your pelvis so you can actually physically walk - ha! all of these amazing things that people don't tell you BEFORE you get pregnant.

Breakfast at Brenda's French Soul Food

Brenda's French Soul Food is a magical place...that's kind of located in a shit hole, not as bad as Dottie's but still not the greatest. It's basically Polk at Eddy...so not horrible but not great either. I had heard about this place from Chester and as part of our "eat at restaurants as much as you can before the baby gets here" plan we hit up Brenda's for a little grub on Sunday AM.

Holy shiz their biscuits! I may love this place more than Dottie's just because of the biscuit! And their jam...it must be homemade, it's like a strawberry compote more than just a plain jam...mmmmmmmmmm

and last but not least..but beniets...Holy Schnikeys!! I should have gotten the sampler, but just ventured only to the crawfish beniets... magical magical things is all I can say.

32 weeks and counting....

Close up of the "cat butt" belly button that is the epicenter of activity on my belly. I swear to god I feel like I have been pregnant forever and yet - no - there is still more time to go!

It is offically a shelf for things like beverages, books, other people's babies and my arms...ha. Friday night was the kickoff for Keryun's bachelorette party weekend and I was getting dolled up to meet up with the ladies for dinner. I passed on the weekend in Napa as I am 1. not that mobile, and 2. drinking and spa amenities are things I can't really participate in. I just thought the idea was funny to take Donut to her first bachelorette party...heeheehee

Afternoon with the Chinns

The thing is....Forrest and Ethan are wearing the same storm trooper helmet..hehehehehe

I forgot to take pictures of little Leah - she is so darn cute! And she's getting so big these days as she is approaching her first birthday. Her birthday coincides with our due date so it's all one big giant countdown! I had to regretfully decline attending Leah's birthday party (early) to Susan...she understood...as I could very well be pushing out a baby at that time. But starting next year we can have combo birthday parties...YAY!

Next up is a picture of all the STUFF we got from the Chinns. Thankfully we have many female baby friends with lots and lots of clothes and toys that they can hand down to Donut...every little bit counts!

One more Lincoln pic

This is the only photo I was able to get on my camera before the battery died...whoops. I thought it was all juiced bup but apparently it wasn't. Next time I will be better prepared.

Movie Review: The Watchmen

Went to see this last week with the hubbs, Sam and Chelsea on IMAX mid week...without knowing the movie was basically 3 hours. And we kind of lagged getting to the movie theater so we sat in the second row.... it was A LOT of movie to watch up close.

But the content...love the movie....great storyline and well developed characters. I really didn't know anything about the movie until I went and watched it and I can see how if you were expecting a standard comic book / superhero film you would be sorely disappointed as it's not your standard action flick. But it does do something interesting... it makes all the superheroes human and deeply flawed - and in some ways, that is what makes them the superhero that they are. For those who like to keep their superheroes, well...heroes may want to avoid the film but those who are over that and are completely jaded by the life around us may find this more comforting.

Visiting the new cousin

Just some pics (from Scott's camera) from our recent visit to LA to check out the new baby!!! Baby Lincoln is already busy blogging and twittering on www.lincolnboyd.com. He is a cutie! I haven't decided who I think he looks more like...as he seems to resemble Scott in some pics and Ann in other pics...plus they change so much it's hard to tell how his features will settle by the time he's about 1.

My new friend...tre balm

I was pretty sad to move away from Cocoon Urban Day Spa which was across the street from our old place. I wasn't sad about leaving our old one bedroom apt or SOMA...but the spa, that was sad...

So after we moved over to the Presidio, I've been poking around on Yelp and walking around the new hood to see what's out there. I tried a couple of nail places and like one over the rest... and for spa time, have only been to this fabulous find and cannot say ENOUGH about it. I even Yelped it!

Tre Balm is on Sacramento between Presidio an Lyon (and conviently next to a nail place I like) and it is a cute little boutique on the main floor and the basement level has a few rooms for massage and facials and an area setup for makeup. AND if you buy a pack of three services, you get 15% off so I have a pack of three 90 minute pre-natal massages where each massage only costs like $95 bucks. I literally skipped home to tell Forrest "look at how much money I am saving!!" and he politely said "no comment."

just a view...

Have I mentioned lately, how much I heart the Presidio?

Crack Krispies

Molly brought a pre-release version of these over the other day and it was a revelation. It took every last shred of decency I had to save some to share with Forrest. This past weekend I went up to Napa to visit Molly and we had to hit up Buchon Bakery and I bought a whole bag full of them. They are neopolitan rice krispy treats but they use some REALLY good chocolate and what I assume to be crushed up dehydrated strawberries because the taste is so strong... if you get a chance, go check em out!

Shamelessly pregnant

To stay comfortably in shape, I have been swimming....having long stopped running (back in Feb) due to increasing pain in my pelvis from all the added weight and the separation that is apparently starting (hint: not comfortable). So after weeks of not being able to put on my socks or lift my legs, I decided to quit running for the time being and dive into swimming. Pun definitely intended.

Thankfully my regular swimsuit still fits because it's a 2 piece and doesn't have to worry about how to accomodate my belly. And as another funny thing is my pancake butt has not grown a single inch outward so in fact, after the back fat came in...I am actually FLATTER on the backside. Literally there is a straight line from my shoulders to my ankles - HA! Combine that with my ever protruding belly and it looks as though I am brought to you by the letter "P"

I realized I am not one of those people that find pregos extra beautiful....as I am sometimes kind of grossed out by the sheer proportion of some of my body parts. I am amazed at how fleshy my arm pits have gotten, oftentimes looking like a engorged labia instead of just an armpit - gross. And then the belly seems to just be oozing out from all sides these days. It is getting uncomfortable too - I think I much preferred the 2nd trimester where it looked like I was just merely smuggling produce under my shirt.

Baby stuff for the parents

Everyone says you have to get a rocking chair or glider thing....that it is indispensable when having babies. But the selection leaves MUCH to be desired...many are just too frilly and big. I've never been a big fan of the fluffly big couch type...like the pottery barn furniture...so I didn't really like all of the rockers out there.

And then, I discovered this. The Herman Miller Eames Molded Plastic Rocker. It is almost a bit too modern for me, but fits well in the house and once we're done having babies, it can live in any other part of the house without sticking out like a sore thumb. PLUS it's made of plastic, meaning that I don't have to worry about how to get out the poo or spit up stains - genius!

My civic duties...

So this week I was summoned for jury duty. Like most Americans I was not super duper excited about spending a week in limbo wondering if I had to go to the courthouse or not...

Today I got called in! So I took the Presidigo downtown, then took a cab over to the Hall of Justice on Bryant beteween 6th and 7th Street... I had initially intented to walk from 1 Market to Bryant, but Sam said "no, that's a sketchy part of town" so I just took a cab.

Once past the airport like security scan, I mozied up to the jury waiting room...where I waited - ha! Until they called my name and I had to mozie over to room 29...there I actually became juror #1 for the initial interview pool! The case was a criminal assault case where the defendant is a homeless man who doesn't speak and the plaintiff is a recent elderly immigrant who speaks no English and runs a newspaper stand in chinatown.

They asked a bunch of questions like "how do you feel about homeless people?" and "how do you feel about people who don't speak english?" and "Have you or someone you know been involved in (in any way) with a violent crime)

I didn't respond to any really except the non english speaker one because they asked if anyone had ever played the role of translator and what that was like... I said I have always done that for my parents and it was overall fine...but in the past adults didn't really like conversing with a child about "adult" or "business" matters. I totally forgot to mention that my mom had been mugged about 7 years ago and that I felt the police department was all too lax in her plight but hey...there's a lotta crime out there and some lady's stolen purse isn't that high on the radar.

Anyhoos...the defense used one of their "challenges" to excuse me (truth be told, I can't help but feel offended at the rejection) and I was able to leave, having served my civic duty.

Not nearly as riveting as watching Law & Order on TV....but still pretty interesting.

More baby stuff

We ordered a very modern high chair from a company called Bloom Baby. Basically it is a company started by four dads who were interested in less cutesy baby furniture so they make an entire line of ultra modern baby furniture that is totally expensive and sometimes I almost think impractical because it's so pretty...and will only be destroyed by your little munchkins as the teethe all over it.

BUT - I was able to get over myself for the high chair, it reminds me of the egg chair (which I love) and well I can't afford the adult variety so I guess we can get the kiddie variety....plus it adjusts so it goes from age 0 months all the way to about 5 years or 80 pounds...which ever comes first.

The saga of baby stuff continues.....