Last weekend, we went easter egg hunting. Fun – but too many eggs! There were eggs everywhere getting stomped on and kicked by kids. At the end of the hunt, the clean up crew shoveled the leftover eggs into garbage bags for recycling! When I was a kid, I remember the eggs were hidden … and at most, each kid would get 5-6 eggs. My sisters and I used to practice at home … it was competitive!

Unfortunately, this weekend kicked off allegery season for me this spring… and they are BAD! I am constantly sneezing. So now my face is not only bloated from the pregnancy, but makeup free (it gets rubbed off anyway) and itchy.

In the afternoon, we went to Zachary’s friend Lucas’ birthday party. It was at Bounceopolis. Zachary loved it … all the kids were running around, jumping, getting sweaty. It was super hero themed, so Zachary wore his cape. Happy 4th Birthday Lucas! That evening, we went to Dana and Dave’s for dinner (Thai takeout- yummy!) and games. And the next day, we had Sam and Melissa over for BBQ burgers.  

The end of this week (pregnancy week 22), I started getting really bad tail bone/hip pain. I had the same thing when I was pregnant with Zachary; my babies always push against my lower back. The good news is that since I’m not growing forward as much, I probably won’t get stretch marks (knock on wood), and I get the pleasant shock that I can fit into size small maternity bottoms.  (The only time I’m a size small is when I’m pregnant!) The bad news is back pain and acid refux … the baby seems to push back and up vs forward. Hopefully there is no permenant hip expansion … I was able to fit into pre-pregnancy clothes 5 months after Zachary’s birth, but I’m a bit older this time around!

This past Friday, my friend Tamara and her husband Frank, came up to visit. They moved to southern California a few years ago, and the last time I saw them was my wedding! It was great seeing them – and they treated us to a Thai dinner. (Catch the theme here? We never actually pay for Thai food.)

On Saturday, we went to Keith and Jovan’s 3rd birthday party. Happy 3rd Birthday Keith and Jovan! My friend Shan made pan-fried onion dip and crab stuffed mushrooms. It was delicious … her culinary skills have improved since we both worked at HP. I think mine has gotten worse.

Below … the twins protest our gift (2 summer outfits each) by saying,”I already have clothes!” And then more protests from the kids on group picture taking. You’d think they’d be in a better mood, given the amount of icing ingested.

Today, I went for a much needed spa massage with my girlfriends. It actually helped my lower back! I’m not 100%, but I’m moving around without cringing. I wonder if I can get my obstetrician to ‘prescribe’ massages or some kind of physical therapy. After our spa treatment, we went out for tea/lunch! Cheers to good friends!

20 weeks… halfway there … crazy!

21 weeks … I’m feeling her kick on a regular basis now … usually after I eat something, which is often!

And UGH. The worst teleconference this morning. For some reason I thought it was fine to call in from home while Zachary ate breakfast and played by himself. James gave him too little food, and as soon as I  called in, Zachary walked into my office. He stood next to me, but was silent, just looking at my laptop.

Meeting starts…it’s a bunch of serious guys I don’t know that well. We do a roll call.

Man #1: Sudhansu here from Bangalore.

Man #2: Jaybal

Me: Jennifer

Zachary: and also Mama and also Jen … and Jen rhymes when Hen!

*silence*

I could not find that mute button fast enough! Zachary then starts talking to me so I can’t even hear anyone at the meeting. On mute, I tell Zachary,”I’m in a meeting, please stop talking to me.” Zachary looks at me and says,”I am NOT talking to you. I am talking to the baby in your belly!” I had to drag him out of my office and sit him down with a slice of cheese and 2 cereal bars to finish my teleconference. For sure, next time, James is going to take him to preschool if I have a morning meeting. He’s too unpredictable – he can sometimes be calm and quiet, but other days (like today) he’s chatty and interactive.

Oh and yesterday … we found him sleeping in a tent instead of his bed. Not on his nice new full sized bed. Not even on the trundle. But in a $15 Target tent.

Last weekend was busy! It started on Friday with a dentist appointment for Zachary – no cavities, yea! But he does have a front tooth that is slightly chipped … the dentist said it’s really common for toddlers. On Saturday, we went to a neighborhood Easter egg hunt. The children were split into ’3 and under’ and ’4 and up.’ Zachary cleaned up! He even got 2 special eggs – one with a ticket for a gift basket and another with a $10 Jamba Juice gift card. There were so many eggs left over in the younger area that at the end, they let the older kids in to find all the eggs.

We didn’t get a picture with the Easter bunny though. At one point, Zachary thought it would be funny to throw eggs. So I said,”Stop it. If you do that one more time <think, think, think … argh, no good threat …> the Easter bunny will EAT you!” Just then, Zachary looked up and a huge Easter bunny was walking down the sidewalk towards us. The bunny waved and Zachary booked it – I never knew he could run that fast … he ran across the park, and I didn’t reach him until he was only a few feet from the parking lot (he slowed down – he’s also afraid of cars running him over.)

Afterwards, I took him to Michael’s since Crayola was hosting art projects. Zachary made a card and a doorknob hanger. Since James was home painting, we decided to stay out longer and grab a snack/drink at Border’s bookstore. Before heading home, I went to the restroom (and of course took Zachary with me)…

Me: Zachary, stay right there. I need to go potty.

Zachary: Ohhh. You are pooing! (recall that he thinks I can’t pee)

<I pee and stand up. Zachary peers into the toilet and sees a big wad of toilet paper.>

Zachary: Ohh. That is a lot.

<I flush, but some of the toilet paper comes back up.>

Zachary: Ohhh. It came back up. It was too big!

So we walk out of the stall, and I notice there is a line of people waiting. I avoided eye contact, washed my hands, and ducked out. UGH!

In the afternoon, we went to Jack’s birthday party – Happy 1st Birthday Jack! We had delicious Chinese food and got to witness Jack show off his first steps! Before we left, Sandy gave me a big bag or nursing clothes … including 7 GlamourMom tank tops. I was so excited … I just spent $80 on a few Japanese Weekend nursing tops and was thinking I needed to pick up a few more … now I don’t think I need to!

On Sunday, we drove up to Tahoe and met up with Bhavana and her twins. Zachary liked the snow, but not the snow tubing! It was pretty windy, and I think it made the ride seem faster than it really was.

I can’t believe I got 3 winters out of his snow gear… it was definitely snug this year as they were 18-24 months size! I’m hoping there are good end-of-season sales since I’m sure next year he’ll need a new jacket, snowpants, boots, and mittens!

After we got back, we went to Joe and Sara’s housewarming. They have a really nice (and huge!) house. The picture below is just half of it since I couldn’t get a good angle with the evening sun. We have so many friends with big homes that Zachary has actually said,”We live in a small house.”

Signing off with pictures of Zachary and Kaitlyn. (Zachary is 1 month older) It just goes to show that big babies don’t necessarily become big toddlers. And for Zachary’s sake, let’s hope little toddlers don’t end up becoming short adults!

                               2004 vs 2008

Updated belly pictures …

Week 18 (I definitely feel some movement – nothing major, just infrequent little taps and flutters.)

Week 19, I had another ob appointment. My weight was up 2 lbs (153lb … up 10lbs from pre-pregnancy) and baby’s heartrate was in the 150s. Aside from being really tired, this pregnancy has been easy so far. I can even sleep through the night, whereas when I was pregnant with Zachary, I had to get up multiple times at night to use the restroom. I think all those back to back meetings at work have trained my bladder well!

Last Friday, my girlfriends (and Dana’s mom – an honorary member of the group) got together for fondue. I love cheese, and I’m definitely craving more sweets this pregnancy, so it was the perfect start to the weekend.

On Saturday, James took Zachary to the library for storytime and a free book. The next day, we celebrated Nicole’s first birthday. Happy 1st Birthday Nicole!

That weekend, James’ parents came up for a few hours since the weather was good, and they hadn’t seen Zachary in some time.

This past Friday, I met up with some girlfriends for dinner. Sandy was there and passed on a bunch of maternity clothes. I thought, I could shop, but I think she has me beat! She has good taste too – of course, I’m biased since we just bought the same purse. Thanks to Dana, Melissa, and Sandy, I have enough clothes to make laundry optional this pregnancy. On Sunday, I got together with Dana and her mom to watch a fun musical (Clue.) I love live performances, and this one was especially fun because it was interactive.

(I’m really feeling – and seeing! - the added weight on my hips and thighs. Ugh!)

Zachary super sauce story #2…

Me: I think I’ll have some supersauce (applesauce) so that my baby will get bigger.

Zachary: No, the baby cannot eat super sauce.

Me: Why not? The baby eats everything I eat.

Zachary: Because there is no spoon in there.

More Zachary logic <while playing a game with me>:

Me: Hold on, I have to go to the bathroom. I need to pee.

Zachary: No, come back. You can’t pee.

Me: Why not?

Zachary: You don’t have a penis. You can only poo.

I shall sign off this post with some Zachary art work…