Shoe Shopping – I Suck at It
Got some new Adidas yesterday at the outlets. I like the color on these. OK though seriously i have a problem/curse buying shoes. I either can be a size 6.5 or a 7, depending on the shoe or brand. And i never can get it right! I try shoes on at the store, and for whatever reason once i get home and put them on i decide i need a different size. If i get a 6.5 i’ll say i need a 7, if i get a 7 i’ll say its too big should have got a 6.5. EVERYTIME! OMG. Earlier this month i tried to buy some Saucouvny’s that were on sale at Big 5 because i forgot to bring shoes in my gym bag and was in Monterey too far to go back home to get my shoes. Well 6.5, too small. Least it was only $35. The adidas i bought at the outlet stores for about $45 i think. I have decided i am only ever going to buy Adidas for workout shoes, they are the only shoes that my feet like anymore since i have been wearing them since high school. In particular, these at a size 7 and while they fit i think i could have gone with the 6.5 (yes i did try both on in the store – let me tell you hard to do with the big belly)
Anyway, that is the end of my gripe. Heheheh… until the next time i shoe shop.
Assembling the Crib
Babies R Us called us to let us know the crib came in – it was faster than we expected – only 1 week from order placement. Since we don’t have a truck and figured it wouldn’t fit in either of our cars, we decided to rent a truck from Uhaul to bring it home (forgetting that our neighbor has a truck – duh). Well that plan was little foiled when we went to pick up the truck Saturday morning and there was no truck available. Instead we had to get the larger Uhaul van. A little silly but it did the job.
Here’s Jeff assembling the crib. It didn’t take us too long.
Here’s the assembled crib! We had some bedding and blankets we could throw on there to make it presentable for the photo 🙂
We moved the twin bed that was outside in the sunroom to this room. Previously the futon was in here for guests, and now that’s out in the sunroom. I think it makes more sense this way.
After we placed the order for the crib last weekend i went online to make sure my Registry was in order, and realized that the cute bedding set i wanted was “out of stock” and “only available in stores” — except for every store i searched for didn’t have it in stock! So i figured i’d just go ahead and try to buy the bedding set online as it seems like it’s being discountined and i didnt want anything else but this cute set!
So on Monday we received the bedding set. We haven’t really put it all together yet but here are some photos of the comforter, wall stickers, music mobile, bumpers, and blanket.
Hehe! I LOVE it! The sheep is all fuzzy! Cute little chickies, and best of all there are bunnies!
Bedroom – Post Asbestos
I haven’t done any posts showing our “Before and After” shots of the ceiling asbestos removal. Its been about 2 months and slowly but surely we’re getting things back in order – putting stuff up the walls and organizing furniture and belongings. Instead of waiting to do the whole house i’d figure i’d do room by room as a felt satisfied with our progress. Here is our bedroom:
We picked a very light tan color for the bedroom, main living area (living room and dining room), and the hallway. After all was said and done i think we could have went a bit darker because it’s hard to tell there is even color the wall. But we still like it. I found a couple of art pieces to put on the wall that were on sale from Target. I liked the blue graphic, white trim and dark wood frame. (I should have take a closer photo of it, sorry),
Looking at this photo we still have to get rid of that weird awning window wood thing. I don’t really mind the color but it just doesnt match the look we’re going for in this room. From the sliding glass door there are some curtains in the same color, and the closet trim has the same paint color and awful wallpaper as well. SO i guess this room ISN’T quite done yet…. baby steps.
I decided a couple weeks ago that i needed more drawer space, so i went to Furniture Expo where we got our chest to purchase another one. Placed an order with the nice Asian lady there and a week later we got it delivered (scored free delivery – i think being Asian and pregnant she liked me a lot).
I folded up all my t-shirts that were previously hanging in my closet, then moved all my sweaters and cropped pants that were basically thrown on the floor in the closet into the drawers as well. I used up every single drawer amazingly! I do have way too much clothes…. I spent the time to decide on whether or not the t-shirts were wearable at this point in my pregnancy or not. Some shirts are “long” some are not… so the one’s that don’t fit at the moment hang out in the back row, the ones in front are do-able. But who knows when that will change as i am constantly growing. I don’t want to buy maternity clothes but at the same time, i do need stuff to wear…
I also bought a bunch more jewelry holders to place my necklaces on. I had one previously, but that was just so limiting! Now i have 4 total! AND GUESS WHAT, i can fill it all up! Yeah! Ok so i have a lot of jewelry too. It feels like i am in a jewelry store! It’s pretty fun. Now i can actually SEE all the stuff i have in the morning when i’m deciding what necklace to wear.
Here is the fourth necklace holder. I keep my favorites here because its right next to my sink and makeup.
Pinnacle Bank Surprise Baby Shower
A few weeks ago Jeff’s co-worker emailed me asking if i had Tuesday, May 10th free to come to a Lizzaron Restaurant in Gilroy because Jeff was getting an award at work. It was a surprise so i wasn’t supposed to tell him. I didn’t wonder too much about it but was happy Jeff was being recognized at work.
Well… when i get there… it was actually a surprise baby shower. His coworkers pitched in money and bought us a bunch of stuff from our registry as well as other baby stuff and a very generous gift card to Babies R Us. Sweet! Jeff was surprised as well – they had a meeting at the restaurant earlier and told him to “go to the car and get something” – and he said that’s when i knew something wasn’t right. And indeed when he came back in the room there were balloons, presents, and a cake. But he didn’t expect me to show up a little later! So much fun.
It’s a little crazy that all this is happening so soon. Looking at all this baby stuff… now what are we supposed to do with this? Haha, we’ll learn.
Here we are at the party. They had two chair set up at the front of the room at the beginning of his work meeting. Jeff was a little suspicious.
Basket full of gifts! Some stuff from our registry and a few others.
Diaper bag, i love the colors and the matching changing pad.
Yellow and green! And some blue…
Yummy cake with fresh strawberries! We had taken home the leftovers but then my preggo brain, i forgot it in the car until the next evening so it was all melted.
Here is a shot of the gift baskets again, once we got home. Time to set up the nursery huh?
This is my favorite! Cute lil mouse guy that jitters, rattles, and crinkles. You can attach him to the car seat handle (or anything else).
28 Weeks + Ordered a Crib
28 weeks and 4 days. Getting bigger, little by litte. I can feel the baby move so much more now! I don’t actually enjoy it very much as much as other pregnant ladies seem to… oh well. I am glad to know its alive in there but would appreciate more subtle movements. I especially do not like the rolling feeling in my whole tummy. A little job or poke is fine. But seriously…
Here is the crib we ordered. It is the newest crib and apparently “flying off the shelves”. Its a pretty good deal at $299 plus we got it 20% off. We had to order it from the store since the last one was just sold to a couple before us. Should be here in a couple of weeks. Still have to buy a mattress. Not sure which to get yet.
Visiting Chicago
I went to visit Taylor and her family in Chicago for an extended weekend (Thu Night – Mon Night). We visited several museums and just hung out talking late at night. I miss my best friend! She is also pregnant and due at the end of June, expecting a baby girl. It was Easter weekend so I had fun doing kid-easter things like dying eggs, easter baskets and egg hunts. =)
Sofia loves Disney princesses (what little girl doesn’t?) so she was showing me the Beauty and the Beast magical mirror in the Disney store.
Some Beard Papas fresh cream puffs for a mid-morning snack (hey we’re pregnant, we can right?)
It’s a magic bean! – At Millenium Park.
Interesting art installations.
Went to the aquarium. Luckily Taylor has season passes and we didnt have to wait in the mile-long line! We were in there for about an hour maybe then i started to feel sick from taking my prenatals on an empty stomach. And then Taylor got bit by a wasp! So we decided to leave! But it was a nice aquarium. Just a little busy.
The view from the aquarium/museum area.
At the Field Museum.
Sofia loves taking her picture. Mainly because she likes to see the digital photo right after its taken. “Can i see?!”
Picking a flower for Sofia.
Chicago deep dish pizza! It was 10x better than i expected. I thought it’d be too much topping but actually its quite bready and very good. Lots of butter! Reminded me of foccacia bread with pizza topping.
Getting ready to dye Easter eggs.
With our aprons on!
Opening easter gifts from relatives.
Bunny ears!! And eating a boiled egg 😉
We went to the Science museum. They had a lot of cool exhibits there including the traveling Body exhibit which was freaky but cool. They had real fetuses there from conception till full-term. That was weird, looking at exactly the size my lil baby was inside of me. Pretty fascinating.
Here is a replica of downtown chicago. The brown building in the middle is Taylor’s apartment.
They had lil chicks in an incubator thing as one of the exhibits. How appropriate since its easter!
This lil chickie just broke out of his shell! Welcome to the world little one!
We pretty much walked everywhere or took the train or bus. Its great having everything so accessible.
On my last day we tried to go to the Sears (Willis) Tower but it was too cloudy.. so we just went to the lobby and snapped this photo in front of the Lego replica. Good enough.
3-year Wedding Anniversary
Jeff and I celebrated our 3-year wedding anniversary and went out to dinner at Charthouse, since its supposed to be a good restaurant. The one near our place is in Monterey on the water. We made reservations but i guess that doesn’t mean you get a window seat =( But we had a good time and stuffed ourselves with more food than we could eat. I was telling Jeff to not forget to have the waiter take a photo of us, but of course we forgot!
Here is our food…
Crab cake
Gazpacho
Prosciutto wrapped salmon with miso glaze
Filet mignon with bleu cheese.
Overall the food and service was OK but not sure i’d go back. Just happy to be with my love….
Earlier in the week i bought us a strawberry short cake from Layers – the same place that made our wedding cake. It is similar to the cake we had on our wedding night with fresh strawberries!
Yummy!!! I think i ate most of the cake!
25 weeks + Glucose Test
25 weeks and 4 days. Getting bigger but not by much…Up about 12 lbs so far.
Had to take my glucose test. I was afraid i’d feel sick after drinking the sugar solution but i was actually okay. It was hard to drink it all in 5 minutes but i did it. Lemon lime flavor tasted like 7up! But a lot sweeter. I got a call a week later saying i passed, and also i was not anemic. Good news.
California Mania 2011
Just got back from my 3-day fitness conference in San Francisco. I can’t believe i didnt take any photos? I think it crossed my mind once but then i totally forgot. Oh well. I want to write a quick review of the classes for my own record. I doubt anyone besides myself will care to read further. But it’s my blog so – there!
Friday, March 25, 2011
Fr1: B Steptonicâ„¢
This wasn’t my first pick (i wanted to take a cycling class instead) but i was OK with trying StepTonic out. I saw a few videos on YouTube when i was picking out classes and was really annoyed by the lady’s voice which is partly why i didn’t look forward to the class. Basically its a “dance” class on the step. We learned a little 32 ct dance number that was broken down by 2 cts and interspersed with boot camp drills. The only thing i’ll take from this class was the boot camp drills. The dance on the step was fun to do once but don’t think i’d ever do it again.
Fr2: A Step Til You Drop
Gay Gasper is one of my favorites. She’s such a great instructor –Â simple but effective combos, great cueing, and easy-going personality. I don’t teach step anymore and probably wont use anything from the class but still enjoyed it.
Fr3: L Yoga + T’ai Chi = Yo-Chi
Probably my favorite class of the weekend. I walk into the room and its dim, the instructor is wearing a chinese robe, and there are fake candles lit around the stage. At first i was like, oh no, what’s going on here. But the instructor was a really great mix of personality and knowledge. I loved the flowing movements of the tai-chi and the stretch and power from yoga. We “opened the door” and “stroked the horse” and “searched for fireflies”… all kinds of earthy fun. Lawerence Biscontini is the name of the instructor and he has DVD of the program we did in his class. I’ll probably end up buying it one of these days. Oh and the best part of the class was we used glowsticks on our arms which made for a really neat ending when we did the whole flow.
Fr4: E Kettle Weights Creativity: Underst. The why behind the How
This was probably my least favorite class. I wanted to learn to use kettle weights since i have very limited experience with them. But the instructor didn’t introduce them very well, and wasn’t terribly organized. He just went right into all kinds of technical sort of stuff which was boring. Our workout was ok, just a bunch of moves not really in any particular order and i didnt even really know how to pick up the darned thing.
Fr5: I Schwinn® Indoor Cycling: Music Makeover
I havent started teaching cycling yet but i thought this class would give me ideas on how to pull music into a playlist. I was pooped and my bike was broken i think, so i stopped working out about 1/2 way through. But i got the notes from class on which songs the instructor used and how she cued them so i think that will help. She also talked about using iTunes “ping” feature to share playlists. Which i’ve seen before but always wondered what it was since i never clicked on it. Now i know! It seems very useful for group ex instructors.
Saturday, March 26, 2011
Sa1: L Total Body Makeover
Another class with Lawrence Biscontini. We did a very simple yet effective class with no equipment. I learned of a new move called a mermaid pushup, which works your tricep! Love!
Sa2: A Blended Step
Deborah Puskarich – awesome awesome awesome step instructor. My mentor Sandy learns a lot of stuff from her, so i know her style very well, and actually teach very similarly to her (on a very basic level that is!). We did 2 combos then finished with yoga on the step.
Sa3: D Embrace-A-Ball
Jeff McMullen – taken a few of his classes last year at Mania and at FitFest. I wanted to learn more about integrating stablility ball and medicine ball, and got some great ideas from his class. I dont normally teach with balls but its good to know how to use equipment available at the gym.
Sa4: D Ultimate 6
This was basically a sales pitch for the TriggerPoint massage tools. They sell little balls and rollers that help you massage your muscles without the help of another person or going to a massage therapist. The instructor talked briefly about the invention of the product, and the fact that we can do a lot of good PREVENTING muscle strain / fatigue by being sure to massage before and after workouts, and to drink a lot of water! I bought a kit and it feels soooo good. I am always so tight and never know how to find relief. I think its a great investment for my body!
Sa5: L Core Commotion
Leslie Grosshauser. She taught SWAT workout last year. I really liked this class! We used light dumbells the whole time, and were moving around so it was cardio and core at the same time.
Sa6: For the Love of Step
Master class with Deborah Puskarish. Just for FUN! Jackie and Kat came to this class as well (collegues from my gym InShape).
Sunday, March 27, 2011
Su1: D Horizontal Gets Rolling
I took a very similar class last year given by the same teacher. I thought it was the hardest workout ever last year. So i thought maybe this year i’d do it again. Well then i forgot that i was pregnant and really can’t be rolling on balls on my stomach and hanging in plank position for the whole workout. So i sat on the sidelines and took diligent notes! I was so tired just watching everyone! Its real tough!
Su2: D Full-Body Flexibility: Yoga Inspired Stretch
My first class with Jay Blahnik, have always heard great things about this guy. His philosophy on this class is that we should be doing ACTIVE and DYNAMIC stretching, as opposed to STATIC stretching that is what is typically done nowadays. He also has a book i will want to purchase to use at home.
Su3: G Let’s Get Vertical
Third class with Deborah! Can’t get enough. Vertical is tough since i hardly ever get a chance to do it.
Su4: D Intelligent Music
Lecture class – great choice for last session of the weekend since everyone is so pooped. I learned a few tips and it really made me think about how big a part music plays in classes. I’ve always been very senstive to music and timing anyway, but there were a few things mentioned i didnt think of before – like knowing when to simply raise the volume and… lower the volume.. to bring attention and order to the class. Or to not speak when the music is too “pitchy” because then you’re competing with the “attention” getting part of the music (it’s better to speak over the bass part).
22 Weeks
Quick post, my belly shot at exactly 22 weeks. Wow my hair looks really curly and long in this photo!