Home Stretch (literally)

Its hard to believe I'm already heading into my 3rd trimester, time has been flying by and I've got to have had the easiest pregnancy! These last few months are definitely going to be the most challenging though, mainly due to the physical strain which is putting more & more pressure on my sciatic nerve/back, slowing blood circulation, leg cramping etc. I could have sworn it took me awhile to really show a lot (maybe not until 5 months or so) but now I'm stretching/growing at a rapid pace! Even people at work see me and comment "What happened?"...umm I'm pregnant people, you've known this. In about a month span I went from "awwe" to "whoa". I can't complain though, bigger belly means growing baby which is only good news! I'm measuring at 28.5 and I should be reaching 40 by the time I am ready to deliver.

We went to my 28 weeks check up this past Thursday (same day as Miso!) which was the Gestational Diabetes/Glucose test. It was very routine and I haven't gotten a call yet from the office. No news is good news so I won't have to undergo the 2ND exam. I wasn't really worried about it though. I thought I'd be the type to freak about every type of test they do on me wondering & worrying about the results but I seem to be average/normal on every level.

Not sure if this means everything will be smooth sailing through the birth as well or if nature is saving some surprises for me in the delivery room...YIKES! I have zero pain tolerance and the only words on the forefront of my mind will be "epidural" & "now". I know and realize that every woman goes through the birthing process but that little insight does nothing for you when you start to hear words like ripping, tearing, forceps, stuck etc. I love it when doctors describe pure pain as mere "pressure" or "discomfort" aka The Dentist. I'm a big sissy and I never pretended to be otherwise. Oh well, what can you do right? There's only 2 ways for the baby to come out and neither seem very pleasant but as long as she's healthy we'll all be OK. =)

Its not easy to relay appreciation & gratitude to the extent of how much you truly mean it.

Our joint & co-ed baby shower for Allison & Olivia was this past Saturday and it was such an amazing day! Karen and I ideally wanted a "field day" type of shower that was fun for all guests (kids and adults) as a pre-thank you for sharing in this experience with us and the girls went above and beyond to make this happen for us. From beautiful diaper cakes, personalized onesy's, an amazing melt-in-your-mouth picture cake, delicious food, outdoor & indoor games, moon bounce, pool -- you name it we had it and in such an organized fashion too, makes mama proud!

I've attended baby showers and provided gifts in the past but being on the receiving end of this is a whole new experience. I couldn't believe how much we received for Allison (and future babies) and I don't think people realize collectively how much it truly helps Danny & I. Opening up each item that was specially wrapped, colorful tissue paper, reading thoughtful cards, and seeing an item that our baby will soon use aroused such an overwhelming & happy feeling. Gratitude like that just can't be expressed in a small "thank you" card and I wish I could do more to show our appreciation.

*To the girls that are like my family-- THANK YOU SO VERY MUCH FOR EVERYTHING.

*To all of our generous guests-- We are so grateful and can't wait to pay it forward (and back) when the time comes for each of you to grow your families.

"What's in a name? That which we call a rose..."

So I wanted to dedicate one specific entry to how we named our baby girl. Its not an exciting story or anything but naming your child is one of the biggest decisions a parent will make (pre-birth). A name is something the child will carry literally for the rest of their lives and you want it to be special and meaningful. Even as little girls, mothers have often dreamed or thought of how many kids we may have and at some point selected favorite names we would hope to one day use. That is why finding out the sex of the baby (whether in advance or when you give birth) is such a momentous occasion. The waiting does not start when you conceive but as a young girl dreaming of her future family.

There are many beautiful, popular, interesting, and trendy names out there right now. However Danny and I are on the conservative side and really wanted a more traditional name that may be common (that's ok!) as long as it has substance and meaning for us. We know that our baby will make her name special in her own way.

The entire weekend after we found out our baby's gender we had discussions revolving around potential names. After serious consideration on a few names each of us liked we came back to the only one we could agree on. We also definitely wanted to choose a Korean middle name for our child to not lose our heritage, especially since our last name is "John". =D

We made sure that his parents gave us their blessing on the name we chose and so here we have it:

Allison Nara John

Allison meaning: Noble kind; of the noble sort
Nara meaning: Happy

{어떤 세계} a world;a realm 달나라 the lunar world;the moon 동화 나라 a fairy-tale world;{(a)} never-never land 꿈나라 a dreamland

Allison means "kind" and one of the meanings of Nara (pronounced Nah-La) means "a world" in Korean and "happy" in other languages. If our baby girl is anything like papa, she will be kind & happy through & through and of course already means the world to us. <3

Memorial Weekend, Preparing for our baby girl

This entire Memorial weekend was dedicated to preparing for the baby. We painted the nursery (thank you Billy samchun!), ordered her bedding, started collecting room decor, and purchased her nursery furniture (not to mention the full-on house cleaning and re-organizing). Danny's parents were extremely generous and bought her the crib and mattress. We also ordered the matching combo unit (changing table/dresser) and the additional chest. And of course her collection of mini clothing and wardrobe is well underway. =)

I decided I wanted her nursery paint color to be a creamy, light beige color so I could do more with accessories. I wanted a clean, peaceful, calming, sanctuary for her and it turned out quite nice, I love it. The bedding I chose is mostly white with pops of blues. Her quilt will also be blue. I wanted to avoid the baby themed decor so I went hunting at a few of my favorite stores, World Market and Home Goods where I found a white wooden floral hook and these great crate/storage boxes that have a romantic garden theme that I absolutely love. Karen and I went to the Arlington Flea Market on Sunday to do some browsing as well. My goal was to find an old vintage bookshelf that I could repaint for her in a rustic white or green. I ended up finding really pretty vintage floral prints in white, blues, and greens that will go perfectly on her walls.

All of these things are in the pictures above including "big sister" Roxy who was helping in her own way =). The pink walls are what we were actually covering with her new paint color, not a fan of pink! The nursery is no where near complete but I wanted to document the work in progress so I can look back and remember this time with fondness. When I started hanging up her first little onesy in her new room, I took a moment to smile...each step closer we get the more exciting and real everything becomes. What a feeling of nostalgia these events will bring in years to come.

20 Week Ultrasound, 5.15.09

(1st picture is the "girl" part they circled and the 2nd is a face view)

20 weeks is a happy time. You are half way through your pregnancy, you can feel your baby kicking, you have a lot of the initial genetic testing completed.....and you can find out the gender of your precious little one!

Our experience at our 20 week ultrasound was the most exciting thing I have encountered thus far, in my life. Not sure if all new mothers feel that way but for me it definitely took the cake. What makes me even giddier is knowing that this is going to be one of many, many milestones to come, wow am I going to be spoiled!

First off, I was so excited the night before I barely slept. Danny and I had planned for weeks to make a day out of it and both took off work. We had our ultrasound scheduled in the morning, planned on heading to the mall to finally be able to purchase our first gift for our baby, grab lunch, and then head to my 20 week check-up. We were certain we were having a boy (along with the rest of the world) and so we were excited for the confirmation of this good news and also hopeful of normal growth progression of the baby.

Nancy, my ultrasound tech, was really nice and extremely professional. We had little waiting time and I was scooted into the room almost immediately. She began her examination like clockwork- showing us the head, spine, heart, each leg and arm etc. I had already started crying at this point (pregnancy hormones) because it just dawned on me that without any effort on my part this baby was actually developing with all its little parts, perfectly. Miracle is a word that is often thrown around with pregnancy but I finally really got it. (Took me 20 weeks but I got it!)

Nancy then told me to roll to my side and I felt the anticipation of her looking for the parts she needed to see. I was squinting up at the screen trying to make out anything/something when she calmly said, It's a girl. Pause. Silence. Hmm, perhaps she doesn't know what she's doing, is what I was thinking while quite confused. Danny and I looked at each other and both said very loudly WHAT? Are you sure?? She was slightly startled and asked "Yes, looks like a girl...hope this is a good thing?" We started laughing and continue to barrage her with the "Are you sure's??" I went to the restroom, lost control of my tears, and ran back for our pictures. When she handed them to us I had her re-explain why she thought it was a girl. Just checking!

If I could capture one moment and tie it up with a bow, it would the look on Danny's face and that instant we were told that we were having a little girl. Tehehhee. I pretty much cried the rest of the afternoon. I knew I had always wanted a girl but to this extent I did not know. Yes, 20 weeks is a happy time. =)

Mother's Day Weekend

What a great weekend!

Full of sunshine and quality time. The hubby and I headed into DC to enjoy the weather. We went to the Wax Museum and an early dinner at Clydes, courtesy of a GC he received from dancing like a maniac at a Wizards game. Will baby inherit daddy's skill, or lack of =) ? On Sunday (which is reserved for real mothers) he surprised me in bed with McD's breakfast, a thoughtful card, & a gift certificate to a pre-natal massage. Really? Wow. Totally unexpected and so undeserved.

What do I mean when I say 'real mothers'? I mean those that have already walked that journey. Pouring their hearts, tears, and love into the very existence of the little innocent lives they have helped create. To never give up. I have yet to cross that threshold and can only hope to shadow those mothers before me.

We also watched the movie Sugar in the theater. What a great movie about the hardships of immigrating to the States for a dream of a better life for your family against the challenges of language, education, & money. Without the option to fail. That movie combined with a touching & amazing Mothers Day blog I read of GK's made me want to point out (to myself) to remember these times of leisure and pampering, like I had this weekend. I live my day-to-day complaining about the little things when I have everything I need at my fingertips and only when I see snapshots into hardship & triumph do I stop to really appreciate what I have been given. What a charmed life compared to those before us and how easier we all have it because of them.

Mental note: remember these moments and always be grateful.

"Whoa...you're showing now!"

I got that quite a bit at work late last week...I'm definitely showing more and more a little each day! I'm still wearing regular tops sometimes for work but the cardigans are being stretched across me now, which probably makes it even more obvious & a little silly looking =).

Minus a few weird episodes, I feel so lucky to have had such an easy breezy pregnancy so far. I can only hope the 2ND half will be the same. Everything seems to be running like clockwork, even related to feeling the baby move. I started to feel flutters in my 16Th week but its definitely stronger now heading into my 19Th week, and also more consistent during the night and mornings. Haven't felt a hard kick yet-- can't wait for that!

Counting down the days until May 15th. =)