Salinas Rodeo with Mom
My mom got here on Friday night and will be staying until August 21st to help us with the baby. Jeff got free tickets to the Rodeo so we went to check it out. We had been there a couple of years ago, and i remember having a good time. My mom said she has been to a rodeo before in Hawaii when she was growing up but hasn’t been to one since. Its a unique experience i think!
When we got there we looked around the booths then ate some lunch – bbq pork sandwiches for Mom and I and philly cheesesteak for Jeff. I of course had to get some cotton candy! We also got to try a free sample of Mango Pineapple smoothie from McDonalds. Very yum on a kind of hot day!
We went to our seats and watched the industrial calf dressing, mutton busting (my favorite!), calf roping, bull-riding and bronc riding. Calf roping is hard to get used to watching because those poor little calves get tossed and thrown on the ground pretty hard. But nonetheless it was fun and beautiful day.
As we were going out my mom wanted to try a funnel cake since she hasn’t ever had one, so we ordered it with strawberries and whipped cream. Yummy fried goodness!
Last Haircut Before Baby
I usually only cut my hair once a year, and the last time i got it cut was in September. Figured i should probably get this done before the baby gets here since i have the time now. I called up Bonnie after work and she told me to come on by that evening, so off i went! She saw that i was pregnant and predicts “boy” as does 95% of the people that guess! Her daughter-in-law just had a baby girl a few months ago so we were chatting up a storm about all things baby!
When i got home i wanted to take a photo, as i always do after my haircuts. I hadn’t got a good one of me being pregnant with Butters so i thought it’d be a good opportunity. Then of course need to get one with Jeff!
Maternity Photos
I enlisted my friend James to shoot some photos of Jeff and I before our little one arrives. We drove down to Point Lobos after work headed to Whalers Cove. On the way there we noticed that the fog was rolling in real good! We were a little concerned but at the same time it was good because overcast weather makes for good lighting in photos (less shadows).
We had so much fun taking photos, the spot we picked was perfect because we got some ocean shots, some forest, and some old building shots. James did a really great job and we’re so happy with the results! Here are a few of my favorites. You can view the whole set on my Flickr page.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/sourskittled/5960255134 https://www.flickr.com/photos/sourskittled/5959697349 https://www.flickr.com/photos/sourskittled/5960257388 https://www.flickr.com/photos/sourskittled/5960262324 https://www.flickr.com/photos/sourskittled/5960263476 https://www.flickr.com/photos/sourskittled/5959707767 https://www.flickr.com/photos/sourskittled/5960267638 https://www.flickr.com/photos/sourskittled/5960268896 https://www.flickr.com/photos/sourskittled/5960269726
Rebecca’s Baby Shower
Today was my friend Rebecca’s shower. She is 7 weeks behind me due September 14th and her and her husband are expecting a baby girl named Olivia Kaitlyn. Rebecca is my friend Renee’s sister and also my coworker Angie’s friend. I’m excited to have a baby that will be so close in age to our baby.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/sourskittled/5960293070″ thumbnail=”medium_640″ overlay=”true” size=”medium_640″ group=”” align=”none”]
They had a nice breakfast spread prepared for the guests that included a few different quiches, fresh fruit skewers, yogurt, and best of all glazed bacon! Mmmm, I pretty much just ate bacon and fruit since i had breakfast earlier in the day.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/sourskittled/5960293376″ thumbnail=”medium_640″ overlay=”true” size=”medium_640″ group=”” align=”none”]
We played a variety of baby shower games including the classic pin game where you can’t say “baby” or “cute”. That was really hard to not say “cute”. I never win those games because i don’t pay attention enough to what other people are saying.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/sourskittled/5959735293″ thumbnail=”medium_640″ overlay=”true” size=”medium_640″ group=”” align=”none”]
We also played the baby poo diaper game, though i never played it like this before. We had to “smell” the diaper through the leg holes and guess what it was! Usually it is melted chocolate you look at to identify. It was pretty fun and i maybe only got half of my guesses right.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/sourskittled/5959734949″ thumbnail=”medium_640″ overlay=”true” size=”medium_640″ group=”” align=”none”]
I won the diaper raffle and got a free pedicure at a local nail salon. Woo hoo!
https://www.flickr.com/photos/sourskittled/5959734395″ thumbnail=”medium_640″ overlay=”true” size=”medium_640″ group=”” align=”none”]
Here are the pretty favors. I don’t even remember at the moment what it was, i think hand sanitizer or lotion or something.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/sourskittled/5959734687″ thumbnail=”medium_640″ overlay=”true” size=”medium_640″ group=”” align=”none”]
The desserts were mini cheesecakes made by a local lady. They were SO GOOD. The cheesecake was moist and the crust was crispy, i think ate about 4 of them but could have ate 10.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/sourskittled/5960293754″ thumbnail=”medium_640″ overlay=”true” size=”medium_640″ group=”” align=”none”]
Here is Renee and I. Used to see her a lot more with our Kitchen Club but since that’s now defunct i haven’t seen/talked to her in so long! It was great seeing her and Rebecca and being at a baby shower. Pretty soon our little one will be here!
38 Weeks Pregnant
Whew! 38 weeks and 4 days pregnant! I am officially “full-term”! Doctor said my cervix is 70% effaced, which i think is great news. Last week’s check he couldn’t even reach my cervix, but could definitely feel the baby’s head and it was really low. Dr. also said there is very little chance it will turn its stuck down there good. I have been trying to go for walks everyday to make things progress. I don’t want to go into labor soon but i don’t want to over my due date by too long and have to be induced, that’s no fun!
Upgraded my WordPress, Testing Mobile Updates
I have finally got around to upgrading my blog software from 2.6 to 3.2.1. I think it’s at least a year old though it seems longer than that.
Visitors won’t be able to see much of a difference since I’ve kept the old layout, but on my admin area it is a whole lot different. I’ve been wondering if I should change my layout but I think I’m way too lazy to do that.
So I am posting now from my iPhone. Here is a photo from my walk around the neighborhood today, i want to see how well this mobile blogging works!
Walks in San Juan Bautista
Since i’m “too pregnant” too really get some good exercise doing my normal thing at the gym, i’ve been trying to go for walks during lunch time and/or after work. Most of the time if i wait and go home to Salinas for a walk it is super cloudy, so i’ve been staying up in SJB wherever it’s nice and warm. If you look at the picture, you can see the heavy fog layer over the hills!
I always try to see how many kitties i can count on my walks! Usually i count at least 4 or so, but only in the afternoon it seems. During lunch my walks are shorter and i think they all sleep during that time. After work they are out and about for sure. This black cat was exceptionally friendly.
This one was kinda a scare-d-cat and didn’t have a tail!
And we can always count in seeing chickens. This time of year there are chicks cheep-cheepin.
Daily Calcium!
I’ve been eating SO MUCH ice cream! Like everyday. My habit has been making root beer floats! And we’ll go out to get ice cream from McDonalds or Frosties like once a week! I say its all in good CALCIUM!
New iPhone 4 for Me!
Finally replaced my Apple iPhone 3G that was over 3 years old, with the newest iPhone 4! My old phone was just being so slow to do ANYTHING (text, take photos, facebook) and the vibrate would just turn on and off all by itself all throughout the day. Buzz, buzz, buzz. That was so annoying! So on our way back from our pre-admission interview at CHOMP, we stopped by the Apple store in Monterey. I went ahead and got the 32 GB size, a new case and anti-glare cover. Jeff got a new anti-glare cover as well (they put it on for us, yippee!) and a stylus pen to ease his digits from the endless hours of gaming. LOL!
Earlier in the day i took the Breastfeeding Made Easy class through SVMH, hosted by Rachel Cruz our childbirth instructor. It was a longer class compared to CHOMP’s and overall i liked it better than theirs. Rachel is a lot more organized, structured, and has better engagement with the class. Again this was a big class – about 30 people. The CHOMP class was about 12. I’m not sure i learned TOO much more than i already knew from CHOMP’s class and reading books, etc. but i think the more i engrain this stuff into my brain the more i’ll retain. Hopefully! All i know is i think it’s going to be a learning curve to it, and hope i stick to it. I for sure know that going back to work and continuing breastfeeding is going to be WORK!! No more slacking on doing the dishes, gotta sterilize those bottles and flanges every night!
And STILL havent found daycare yet – not even tried looking yet. That has to start happening sometime soon… i think i am in denial that i’ll need a STRANGER to watch my baby. *cry*
After the breastfeeding class, Jeff and I headed to CHOMP for our pre-admission interview which basically let us fill out all our paperwork with them before i go into labor. It took about an hour to complete, so i’m glad that we did that instead of doing it while i was going through labor contractions, my that would have been fun! Probably take a lot longer then as well! All the nurses and staff there seem really nice so i am excited to be going there for the birth. The few downsides about the hospital is that they are farther way, they don’t have tubs to labor in – only showers, and they don’t provide birthing balls so i have to bring my own. I can’t believe in just a few weeks… it will all be happening.
Childbirth Class
We signed up for a childbirth class through Salinas Valley Memorial Hospital since CHOMP doesnt offer any “RL” (real life) classes – only online classes. We met for 3 hours on Wednesday nights for 5 weeks. The instructor was a parent-educator named Rachel Cruz. She was a really great instructor – kept the topics relevant, engaged the class, and had a little humor thrown in.
What did we learn? Well everything! We learned about the different stages of labor, how long each of them takes, how to cope with labor pains (breathing exercises, positions, etc), medical procedures, pain management, and baby care. Though i have been reading up on my own about both labor and childcare, i definitely still learned a lot form the class.
The videos we had to watch were kind of annoying though. They were informative but at the risk of sounding superficial – may i say – these ladies are LOOKERS i tell ya. OK its one thing to not be lookin’ so hot because you’re in labor and going through the toughest thing in your life, BUT these gals were NOT AT ALL photogenetic — as proven by their post-labor video testimonials. ANYWAY… i also have to not that the first video we watched was circa 1970s. Seriously.
There were about 25-30 other people in the class there so it was a lot of people! I think there was only 1 other couple who was due before us, most of the class was due in August of September.
I think it was a good idea to take the class to prepare ourselves for what was to come. As far as my labor, i dont really have a “birth plan” written out or anything, but i do want to see “how it goes” and hopefully have a natural childbirth since it’d most likely be the best for both of us. But i am not totally againist an epidural or using pain medication, and i know in some instances they really help progress labor if you are too tired to continue. So either way i know i will be happy. I just hope they do not have to use pitocin to speed up the labor because i hear that is some pretty intense contractions. D-day is almost here!