new pictures

I went back to Perinatal this week for another ultrasound. I wasn't supposed to have one, but when I mentioned how much fun they are the my doctor, she said she would "recommend" another one for me, if I wanted to go back. I thought it would be fun to have Belinda come with me this time to check it out. It was pretty crazy. This baby really looks like a baby. I think the whole thing really became real for Belinda too. You could see him/her move and stretch and it was a trip to feel the movements while seeing them.

The last few weeks have been pretty nuts. I am thrilled I am now on break. Two whole weeks! Plus, it feels great that we don't have a whole lot of plans. I am going with the girls to Calistoga for one night tomorrow, and then we are renting a house with friends in Shasta for a week. I just want to relax, read and eat and enjoy this time before our whole life completely changes. Once I go back to work in January, I will only have about six weeks of work left before I am out on maternity. It's all starting to whizz by.

tummy wummy

As you can see, my tummy is getting pretty damn huge. Just this last week, I've started feeling some of the negative effects of pregnancy. Nothing too bad, but my back is starting to ache a bit and I get winded walking up any sort of hill. It's really not that bad, but it makes me realize that if I am starting to feel this at week 26, week 36 is not going to be easy.

The kids in my class are starting to become more interested in the bump. The have taken to calling the baby "Tummy Wummy" and say things like, "How is Tummy Wummy doing today?" While teaching reading to a small group today, one girl exclaimed, "Wow! I think I just saw Tummy Wummy move!" And she did. This little one is moving like crazy now, with whole new types of movement happening. I can see what might be a head or butt roll across my midsection. It is all so crazy. I had no idea the movement would be so constant and distracting. I keep comparing it to someone tapping your shoulder while you try to concentrate on your work.

I also think that nesting part of me might be kicking in a bit. I'm beginning to feel a little anxiety about what we are going to do with our work situations, what we are going to need and where are we going to put it. We haven't done much as far as preparation yet, and I'm starting to think that we should get to it, while I am still not feeling bad. At the same time, I realize we don't need a bunch of crap and that one can never fully be prepared. Yikes. What are we doing!!?

i love my husband

As far as husbands go, Damon Todd is as good as it gets. I was just sitting here, doing a little online shopping thinking about how lucky I am to have such a man. I mean, smart, cute, funny, kind, creative, helpful, caring...all in one person? I hope he never wises up and realizes he's too good for me. Take this morning, for example. He got up early, letting me sleep in. Rode out to the farmer's market to get yummy honey and my favorite fruit, satsumas. He came back home with fresh flowers for me and then agreed to go to brunch with a bunch of people from my work, even though the conversation often revolves around teaching. Now he's in the kitchen baking me cookies. Once in a while he comes in to give me a smooch (not to mention the little dance he just did to the Tribe Called Quest song that is playing). I love this man and I know he's going to be the best father in the world. My only worry is that he is going to be so amazing and fun and that our child is going to love him so much more than s/he loves me. I know there is enough love in our hearts to go around and I just feel plain lucky to have tricked this guy into marrying me.

babies, babies, everywhere!

I've had a fabulous couple of weeks. New York was great and the conference was oh, so informative. The best part was spending time with the girls all over New York. Allie, Luisa, Sabina and I stayed at Hotel Mela together in Times Square and I got to catch up with Laura and Lesley, as well as Sal and Enrique. I had one of the best meals of my life at Babbo and we even got to meet chef Mario Batali. I feel so lucky that I got to take this trip while I am still feeling good (even though I am huge) and it really made me appreciate these friends that much more. Everyone was so easy going and fun to travel with. I love these ladies!

After New York, I headed home to SF for one day and spent 4 hours at work before Damon and I drove the Susanville to spend Thanksgiving with the family. While home, I learned that Kathryn was checked in CPMC and delivered her precious little one, Juliana on November 20th. She is so beautiful! It sounds like their experience didn't go according to plan, but I am sure that that is the way most births must go. I must remember to keep an open mind once we start thinking about the whole birthing process. I can't even think about it yet because I know I will start tripping out. Anyhow, Juliana is amongst us now, and I, again, feel so fortunate that we will be raising our little one alongside Jeremy and Kathryn. What wonderful parents they will be (I guess I should say, are), and I look forward to sharing poopie stories and watching them grow together. I can't wait to meet her.

We drove to Reno on Tuesday night and hung out with Missy for a short spell. Wednesday morning we headed to Susanville and had some quality time with the family. We had a delicious meal, prepared by my mom, for Thanksgiving, and spent lots of time watching baby Tyler and football. Tyler is about the sweetest thing I've ever seen. He spends most of his time laughing and checking out everything around him. I love him so much and hope that my little baby is as wonderful as he is.

some thoughts

This weekend I had the good fortune to spend lots of quality time with friends. Damon and I met up for dinner with my new friend Anne and her husband. It’s pretty marvelous that Anne and I met and have the same due days and we can run things by each other and truly empathize what the other is currently going through. I spent the day on Saturday inside reading, since it was a depressing, rainy day. I read Anne Lamott’s book, Operating Instructions, which is a great book about the first year of her son’s life. She is a great writer, and although she is pretty religious, she is also very politically liberal and a feminist and I love how real and honest she is as a writer. One minute she’s writing about the beauty and joy of being a mother and the next she is stating that her son is scum. It seems very refreshing and genuine to have someone tell it like it I imagine it is. There is one quote from her book, which I’m sure I’ll screw up, but it’s something like how becoming a mother opens and blossoms this whole part of your heart that you don’t even know you have. I think that is what I am looking forward to the most—loving and putting someone else before myself, always. Becoming a parent is truly a selfish and completely selfless thing, all at the same time.

I also met up with a bunch of other pregnant ladies for brunch on Sunday. It was great to hear perspectives and thoughts and it really made me realize what a shift is going to happen in our lives socially. It also made me realize that I have some amazing friends already. It’s a little strange, because Damon and I are the first ones in our close circle of friends to have a baby. Ever since we found out the pregnancy news, I have been very worried about things changing and friendships shifting and possibly ending. But man, I have some awesome friends. Although most of them (dare I say nearly all) are not in the same places in their lives as Damon and me (many don’t want kids; many are single; many aren’t ready), they are sincerely happy and excited for us, and go out of their way to show it. They aren’t feeling (or at least voicing to me) much anxiety about the change and I appreciate that they can look outside how this birth might personally affect them and see what it will be bringing us. They can see our joy and excitement around this birth and they support us completely. I feel so fortunate to have such a loving “village” of friends and family that is going to help us raise this child.

See, Angela, I can write some emotional stuff.

kicker

Damon was giving me a hard time about not posting more often, so here it is. Not much has been going on in the pregnancy front, just getting bigger and bigger and feeling more and more movement. It's pretty constant these days, but I can especially feels the tummy-a-movin when I am still. Damon has felt the baby moving a few times as well and yesterday he felt several of the movements at once. It's hard not to make people feel my belly when it's moving, as it is so distracting, but I figure people will ask if they want to feel it. I think this baby is taking after it's mama since it gets very excited during and after I'm eating. Now that the baby is hearing, Damon is reading us The Golden Compass, but he is mad because the last time he tried to read to us, I was messing around, and now he's threatening not to read anymore. I do hope he continues, because I enjoy this time with the whole family. Usually, both cats join us as well.

I am excited to be going to New York next week for a conference. Many teacher friends are going as well, and we'll get to see the lezzie aunties and uncle Sal. Good times! Then off to Susanville for Tofurkey Day.

20 weeks, 3 days

half-baked

So we are officially half there. The bun is half baked! 20 weeks to go...

I have had a bad cold this week. It's no fun being sick and not being able to take ANYTHING. But I stayed home today, so that was pleasant.

My tummy is getting big. I will post another tummy pic too, as soon as I can get Damo to take one.

p.s.

I'm feeling the baby move like crazy now. It feels like popcorn is popping in my belly.

week 19

Here s/he is! Tuesday was our big 45 minute ultrasound. It was very interesting and pretty crazy to see. The babe was moving a lot and even gave us a thumbs-up at one point. The doctor that we had to deal with (not our usual Dr. Fang) was not the most warm and fuzzy person. It was disappointing that the video clips they made for us didn't turn out either. But it was still cool and they said everything looks great! That should be the last ultrasound.

Damon is convinced he saw a peter....but it still remains a mystery!

what's new this week

1) Baby Gets Glasses
Damo got glasses today. If you ask me, he looks pretty cute in them, although he pretends that he's that much smarter

2) Sweet Middle School Student Makes Onesie
A couple of weeks ago, I was chatting with Ms. Hersh in her classroom and she introduced me to one of her 7th graders, Allie (no relation to Ms. Hersh). It just so happens that Allie is a very talented young artist who creates adorable mini ugly doll-type things. It is my opinion she is going to make it big one day. Anyhow, she came by my classroom yesterday and delivered a one-of-a-kind onesie, on which she had sewn one of her creations. I love it and was extremely touched by this gesture (keep in mind, most middle school students won't even say hello to a first grade teacher in the hallway). What a delightful and talented young person. It brought tears to my eyes. I can't wait to put baby Large Sweet Potato in it.

a look into the future

So this is what I will look like when I'm a mom. Look at how happy and easy going I am. I'm sure this is what it will look like everyday.

This baby was borrowed from my sister and Scott. He is a sweetie pie as he laughs and smiles at almost everything. He sometimes growls at you when he's not happy, but I'm sure that's just the devil child that he used to be in utero coming out. I almost took him home with me when I visited.

another belly pic

My belly is just getting bigger and bigger. This week, the baby is the size of an avocado and from what I've read, in the next few weeks, it will double in weight and add inches to her/his length. Thankfully, Christine gave me tons of cool maternity clothes, so I don't need to buy a lot. Christine and Willett had their baby, Theo, two weeks ago and Damo and I got to visit over the weekend--so sweet and so cute. It was pretty trippy to see a very small one and think that it's a matter of time...

I've been feeling good, other than my sciatic nerve, which has been killing me. It feels like jolts of electrocution blasting through my left buttock at random intervals. Not fun. And not much I can do other than complain.

gas or kicks?

Last night I was lying in bed in the middle of the night trying to reposition myself for comfort, when I felt what might have been baby Almost-Avocado moving. It felt like little bubbles across my lower abdomen and it was dispersed across the width of my tummy. From what I've read, everyone who is really feeling movement thinks she's feeling gas, so that sort of convinces me it was the real thing. But who knows...I'm going to mediate on the tummy to see if I feel more.

bump

15 weeks on Thursday!

heartbeat

Yesterday we paid our monthly visit to Dr. Fang. Everything is looking good and we got to hear Lemon's heartbeat for the first time. It was fast, but steady and easy to find. In a few weeks, we head back to get ultrasound #2, which will be exciting. My belly has really popped out this last 1.5 weeks and I think I'm looking pregnant. I need to get Damo to take some pictures.

I had my "date" with Anne, my new preggo friend I met in yoga. It totally felt like a first date, but it was great to chat with someone who can relate to the mixed emotions I can going through. It turns out we have the same due date too.

I've been feeling a little more tired and cranky than usual in the last couple of days...strange. I'm supposed to be feeling better in trimester 2. I guess there is really no telling when it comes to wacky hormones.

On the bright side, I finally finished Harry Potter 6 so we can move on to the last one...

pants

The time has come folks. The 'ol pants are a little snug in the waistline and I had to do the rubber band trick for the first time yesterday. I used a dignified hair band to match the color of my pants. It is pretty embarrassing, but surprisingly comfortable and efficient. My pants stayed up and I was able to breath. Hooray! I want to put off maternity clothes for as long as possible.

Today was the first time someone looked at me and asked if I am pregnant. It was a parent at school, and I have to say, it took a lot of nerve. I mean, I do have a little bump and one could sort of see it through the dress that I wore today. But, sheesh, isn't it a rule that you have to be pretty certain if you are going to risk asking a person if she is preggo? I didn't know what to say and seeing that the word is not out with parents, I was speechless (rare, I know). I just hemmed and hawed a bit then she said "You ARE aren't you!?!?" I asked her not to tell people since it has not been announced to parents yet (last week it was announced to faculty). She did offer to throw me a baby shower with SFDS parents, so that was sweet.

Today was my first day of school. I am beat. My new class is sweet, but pretty squirmy. Those little boys sure do have a lot of energy! I keep reminding myself it is the same each new school year and the kids are just excited and getting used to the routines, but it is completely tiring. I am on all day long, and all smiles to boot. I can't believe this is my 11th year teaching. Crazy.

fattie

I can't wait until I start showing more. Then it won't look like I just have a fat stomach.

getting my zen on

Yoga Tree is having a summer special, so I bought a monthly pass. I'm hoping that not only will yoga be good exercise, it will help me create a positive and nurturing space within for my angel child to grow (ha!). But really, I thought it might help me feel more connected to this baby and bring out my inner hippy. I went to my first prenatal class tonight, and let me tell you, there was a lot of preggos there. It's pretty crazy to see so many pregnant woman in different stages in one place. There was one woman who was there who is due on Friday! The instructor was good, and I met a woman who is due the same week I am. She gave me her card so hopefully we'll connect. It would be good to have someone to relate to, since I can't talk any of my friends into getting knocked up right now.

Damon just sent me an email telling me that his talk went really, really well. I am so happy for him. He has been stressing over this talk and apparently, some jerk wanted to fight him because he is arguing against what Damon is arguing for (can you tell I have no freakin idea what Damon really does?). Anyhow, this dude gave a talk the day before and people were in an uproar, so basically, there was all of this pressure from Damo's boss to retaliate with his talk. It sounds like it went well, and for Damon to say that it must gave been excellent. I am so proud of him!

Well, tomorrow is the first day of meetings and I have to be at work at--UGH--8:30. I'd better hit the hay.

Fig's first concert

Last night, baby Fig enjoyed his/her first concert. Who knows if Fig even has ears yet, but I'm sure s/he had fun swimming around listening to Wilco at the Greek Theater. A bunch of us met up before the show and took pleasure in a picnic dinner, staring yummy Cheeseboard pizza. Damon and I have seen Wilco and Jeff Tweedy quite a few times, so I wasn't too excited about this show before we went. But we had a great time! The are such talented musicians and I love seeing shows at the Greek. It's comfortable because you can sit, and every seat is a good one where even short peeps like me can see the stage. Good times.

Papa Damo just left for Korea. I dropped him off at the airport this morning. We are all going to miss him on this end--me, the kitties and even baby Fig. Fig enjoys her/his nightly one-sided conversation with pops. I have no idea what Damon is telling her/him, but it had better be nice stuff about ma. I almost went to Korea with Damon, before we found out the big news. The only reason I wanted to go was to soak in the tubs and relish in Korean massages. Good thing I didn't buy the ticket, since I'm not allowed to do either of those things while knocked up.

I don't like writing his/her, s/he, etc. every time I refer to the fetus. I don't know what to refer to it as, and I suppose I've settled on Fig for this week. But I'm not sure if I can call the kid "jumbo shrimp" which is what s/he becomes in a couple of weeks. Any ideas anyone?

shopping from a to zzzzzzzzzzz

Yesterday Belinda and I spent an exhausting day shopping for back to school clothes. It's not easy trying to buy clothes knowing that I'm going to be getting fatter and fatter in the upcoming months. Luckily, the fashion of trapeze shirts just happens to be in, so I was able to pick up a few tops that I will be able to wear for a while. I'm not really showing yet, my tummy just looks like it's constantly filled with a burrito. I was so tired when I returned home from downtown, I dropped all of my stuff at the door and fell onto the couch for an hour nap.

This morning Christine came by and we took a little walk and caught up a bit since they spent the last year in Italy. She is about ready to pop with baby #2 and she looks great. I'm so glad to have a good friend who has been through all of this before to ask questions. She is delivering at CPMC too and is due on the 17th of September! I will go visit her in the hospital. Hopefully we'll spend more time together and our kids will be BFF.

I told my boss the big news on Monday, and of course she was happy and supportive. It's great to work in such a positive place. She seems very flexible with my options about when/how to return to work. The word is spreading fast--two random people from work approached me over the weekend, saying they "heard the exciting news!". It's crazy that people already know, but it's nice everyone is so enthusiastic. It's going to be a fun-filled, quick 6 more months. Tomorrow it's a fig!

*Here is said plastic baby

It's alive!

We just got back from our first appointment with Dr. Jane Fang. All went well, and we were both surprised by how surprised we were when we saw the ultrasound. I mean, I've been around people who show me their blurry ultrasound pictures and ask if I can "see" the baby. I never can really tell what is going on in those pictures, so I figured the doc would have to point out every little blur and note "That is the head....that is the butt..." But not so with our little one. This kid is a dancer, a krumper, if you will, and was moving all over the place. We could clearly see it's arms, legs, and head. It didn't even look as alien as I thought it would. It resembled this plastic baby that Belinda gave me the day we shared our good news with them.* Damon told me afterwards that he even had tears in his eyes during the ultrasound. Our doc said things are moving along nicely and most danger of miscarriage is over. I guess we are free to share the news with the world. I will be in and out of work next week, so I might spill the beans with my boss. I also need to figure out what I get in terms of leave from work. I just went over my employee manual, and was not happy with what I read. I will chat with H.R. next week too. Well, my afternoon headache is starting to set in, so I will so take my afternoon nap. What am I going to do when school starts!?!?!

In the bad photo above, my finger is pointing to the baby's head, in case it's not clear.

travelin' (wo)man

Well, I am finally home after my travels. I had a great time in NYC with Lesley, Laura, Sal, Enrique, and other friends. It was nice to spend a good chunk of time there, not rushed. It was hot as hell, but the evening times were best, once the sun went down behind the tall buildings. Laura left for Rio after three days, so Lesley and Sal were left to entertain me for the rest of the time, when they weren't working. Lesley and I spent lots of quality time in cheap clothing stores and eating yummy food. We tried to see CSS in Brooklyn, but once we made it two blocks in a long line, we were turned away because they were sold out. Then, while walking back to the subway, we were caught in a CRAZY downpour and were soaked to the bone. But we found a cool little pub and ducked in to dry off and enjoy some drinks (ginger ale for me!).

After NYC, I had a horrible day at LaGuardia trying to get to Indiana. I got there by 3am, only to find myself in a pubic hair-infested motel room. But Damon arrived at 7am and Tom and Jacqui picked us up around 10:30am. We had a very relaxing time in Bloomington, but I must say, they were less than enthused by our news. It was somewhat disappointing and I spent the weekend trying not to talk too much about being knocked up. It was nice to be back in Bloomington, but it made me realize, I am really happy in SF with Damon. I hope we are able to stay here for a while. I felt out of place there for some reason. I thought I would be incredibly nostalgic for B-ton, but once there, I realize the one thing I miss is the time Damon and I had together. That and Chocolate Moose and yellow curry from Little Tibet.

The picture is Lesley and I posing at La Esquina after eating corn.

eatin for two

Frozen yogurt is so yummy. I've always thought it was yummy, but it's especially yummy when it's 90+ degrees outside. I've had it everyday since I've been here in NYC. I think so far, Pinkberry is my favorite. It's just plain vanilla with fresh strawberries. mmmm...I want some NOW!

Happy Raspberry!

Well, it's week seven, almost week eight, and the bun is the size of a raspberry. Laura suggested that I make sure to eat lots of food that corresponds to the size of the baby. So raspberry pie this week, and lots of kidney beans next. That is pretty creepy. I think I'll just stick to my normal diet (which certainly isn't much of a diet at all).

I am happy to report that I am still feeling great. My boobs are a little tender, but that is about it. I'm not feeling sick at all yet (knock on wood), and everything that I read says most people are feeling pretty bad about now, so hopefully I will get to miss out on morning sickness. That works out well since I have so many trips/vacations planned. We just got back from Guerneville--a week in a beautiful rental house with good friends. It was fabulous--relaxing, eating, reading, playing games, catching up with peeps. I think this needs to be an annual event, but I guess next year will be a little different with the babes and all. It was quite a challenge at first, not being able to partake in the wine consumption and hot tub soaking, but I tried to be a good sport about it (although I'm sure I complained too much).

I am now packing my bags for NYC, going to visit Laura, Lesley and Sal. I am excited to be back in warm (hot) weather, walking around town shopping and eating. I wish Damon were coming to New York, but then we head to Bloomington, IN to see Tom and Jacqui. We have yet to share our news with them and we are a little nervous since they are anti-baby. I'm sure they'll still love us--how can they not?

I decided to give California Pacific Medical Center a try. After chatting with some mom-friends, this place came highly recommended, as did Dr. Fang. Our appointment is on Aug. 17.

Well, keep your fingers crossed that I'm not puking bagels and pizza in the Big Apple!

happy five years!

Friday, July 13th was our five year anniversary. But Damon and I didn't even think about it until breakfast. We drove up and down Main St. in Bishop, CA. looking for a place to eat a big breakfast before we left on our hike. We ended up settling on Denny's. While waiting for our scrambled eggs to appear, I noticed the plastic coated advertisement on the table: "Denny's is a perfect place for special occasions: birthdays, anniversaries, graduations..." I turned to Damon, in complete seriousness, "Who the hell would come to Denny's to celebrate their anniversary?" After a few beats, I realized the irony of my comment. We would.

ma and pa head up to the hills

We left Thursday evening to Big Pine, CA. for our backpacking adventure with Luisa and Jeff near King's Canyon. Before heading out, I sort of panicked because everyone started giving me contradictory advice about doctors/midwives, so I went ahead and made another appointment with a different recommended doctor. The advice doc gave me before our trip: "Don't do vigorous exercising at high altitudes and drink lots of water". Not too helpful less than an hour before we leave for our backpacking trip at 10,000+ feet. But Damo came to the rescue again, taking much of the heavy load and making me drink (and thus, pee) every ten minutes. It was a fabulous five days of nature, quiet, and pooping in a hole in the ground. It was nice to sit with our new news, laying in the tent at 8:30 waiting for sleep and having our first conversations about how to rearrange the house, baby names (which we aren't discussing with others), doctors, jobs, worries, and now, much excitement. I still feel great (knock on wood) and while in the mountains, I started worrying that it was all a dream and maybe I'm not really preggo. But then, I still haven't started the 'ol period, so that kept me going. It was nice to not be thinking of the pregnancy every five minutes, and now it's starting to feel like the real thing.

holy moley!

Wowza. Monday afternoon, after being a few days late with my always on time period, I decided, really quick before heading to Ikea, to take this pregnancy test that I had sitting around the house. To say I was shocked with the result would be an understatement. I walked around the house for a good 20 minutes, with the test in hand and my jaw on the floor. I picked up the phone to call Damon, but realized that telling him such news over the phone would be silly. Plus, he would never believe me without proof. So Luisa picked me up to head to Ikea, and I kept the news to myself. I couldn't deal with the children's section there and all of the mommies with their little ones. I bought Damon a couple of plants for his office, and finally, errands were over and I headed home. I put the plants in two separate old x-mas gift bags and the positive test in another. When he finally returned home...."Ho, ho, ho. sure looks like Santa came a little early this year." Needless to say, he looked less than excited, since he doesn't really like me buying him stuff. So he opened both of the plants, and I believe he was pleasantly surprised. Finally, the third bag came around. He opened it. "What is this...oh, very funny, Andrea". He thought it was just a pregnancy test...then..."Wait, this already says 'pregnant'....what the...?" He didn't believe me. For a good five minutes, he said "NO WAY!" over and over, finally accusing me of getting our prego friend Kathryn to pee on the stick for the positive reading. When I finally suggested walking down the street and buying another test, he finally came around. We walked to Hanabi for dinner and sat there staring at each other, eating our gyoza and veggie rolls. When we got home, my sister, new mama to Tyler, just happened to call, so I shared the news with her. Tears. She was pretty excited and it did make me a little more excited. You see, this isn't really a surprise, but it sure as hell is a shock. I felt like the rug was pulled out from under me. Damon and I went to bed eventually, but for the first time in my life, I was unable to sleep. I woke at 3am, went to the couch and read about 100 pages of my book, not really being able to concentrate. The next morning, Damon came with me to see my nurse acquaintance at UCSF to make sure. Suzanna gave us two more tests, one clearly saying positive, the other being a little faint-lined. Suzanna offered lots of great advice, seeing that she's had two children in the city. I drove Damon to work, then ran more errands, one of which is buying the book, "What to Expect When Your Expecting". This book isn't great, but at least it gave me something to put my mind around. When I got home, I took another prego test to confirm, so indeed, I am knocked up. The Internet is going to be the end of me. But thankfully, it's easy to find a pregnancy calculator. It looks like s/he will be arriving somewhere in mid-March. So come Tuesday, we have to break the news to Belinda and Nick. We basically pulled the same present trick that I used on Damo, telling them we had something to give them. they were certainly as shocked as we were, but excited. Damo and Nick drank vodka. We had to decide how and when we are going to break the news to people. I always have had a hard time keeping my own secrets, so I knew this would be tough. But we think that, even though it's so early, we will tell people who we would tell, god forbid, if a miscarriage were to happen, since now is the danger zone. Also, I decided to tell friends the news only face-to-face, unless they lived very far away. So..here is who we have told so far: Angela, Belinda/Nick, both moms, both grannys, Luisa, Missy, Joe, Brian, Jeremy/Kathryn, and Allie. It's funny how people react and it's very indicative of my personality: nobody believes me. I guess I joke too much. It's fun telling people who are really excited for us. A little hard telling people who think we are going to drop from the face of the earth once he/she is born. There are many more people I am excited to tell, but since I made the face-to-face deal, it's a little tough. -sigh- Yesterday, I went to lunch with Belinda and she made me go into one of those hip baby shops in Hayes Valley. I thought I was gonna freak, but it was sort of fun (sort of), and I was feeling much calmer being around her and I think the excitement is starting to seep in. The shock is still there, but not as overwhelming. We are going back packing with Luisa and Jeff, leaving this afternoon, so it will be good to be way, without phones, email, lunch dates. We can have this to ourselves for several days. Crazy.