11.30.2008

Me and Mr. Turkey...We have a thang going on!

Happy belated Thanksgiving everyone! We had a lovely one with Gavin's family in Fresno. I ate a ridiculous amount of Thanksgivingness, and it was AWESOME. Gawd, I love starchy side dishes. Everyone was very excited about the beanster, and nearly everyone had a guess as to gender. For the record, the predictions are as follows:

Girl Side:
-My Mom
-My Dad
-Gavin's cousin Amanda
-Our 2 year old neice Isabella, who when asked what was in my belly, said "girl", though she may have been referring to me, not the baby. It's a little confusing.
-Kelly
-Anthony (Still not used to calling him that)
-Joy
-Gary
-Tom
-Jen
Boy Side:
-Ash
-Annie (mom of Ash)
-Gav's Mom (though maybe this is just so she wont be disapointed as I know she longs for girl-type)
-Optimus Primate
-Maureen
-Allisony
-Courtney
-David

Feel free to hazard your guesses in the comments section- I will update the standings as your vote comes in so we have a record of who was right and who was wrong, for better to rub in your faces later on. Whee! Gav and I go back and forth on our "gut feeling". We will know for sho sometime in January, so lay your bets now. For the record, I really have no preference at all. I think of both flavors and get equally excited for each.

In other news, Gavin came home late one night last week and I was already asleep. I awoke to him petting my hair. I said "Why aren't you sleeping? It's so late!" He told me I had been having a nightmare and sighing and mumbling in my sleep. "I wasn't having a nightmare," I said. "I was dreaming about cookies." Ahh, pregnancy.


Here's a belly pic, last day of week 13:

11.23.2008

To Catch Everyone Up

I waited a pretty long time from knowing about the impending bean-birth to tell everyone- just wanted to let Gav and I get used to the idea, plus I think it was better to wait until we are out of the "danger zone". Having said that, not blogging about the thing that was obviously first and foremost in my mind for the last 7 weeks has been hard. So I'll catch y'all up now.

First, we found out the night of the first presidential debate. I took a test at home by myself on a hunch- and lo and behold, my hunch was extra hunchy. The test I took was one with lines, and the experience was so surreal I swore I was dreaming it up. So I walked myself to the CVS around the corner, mumbling "No way. Can I be? No way." the whole walk. I bought a pack of digital tests, figuring they are less ambiguous than a faint pink line. Here was the result:



SO yeah, pretty clear, huh? So now came the elation (we had decided this was the year we wanted to have a baby) and the fear (SOOOOOO much could go wrong! It was still super early -I was only 1 day late! I drank coffee and had a few glasses of wine the night before! GAHHH!!). Once Gavin was home, I told him and he, as one would imagine, flipped out. He made me take the other tests in the box so he could "see them change!". All positive. All awesome. It was one of the best moments of our married life. But then the waiting game- hoping the pregnancy would stick, and trying not to get too attached (it turns out that almost half of new pregnancies don't last, but they end so soon, women didn't even know it had happened- their cycle just continues like normal).


At first, I didn't really feel any difference except for the most crippling fatigue I have ever had in life. I would drop for 3 hour naps in the middle of the day and still sleep another 9 hours at night. By week 6 though, I was getting pretty nauseous- like a bad hangover that doesn't go away. I had to constantly munch on saltines to keep my belly from punishing me. I think I always thought I'd magically dodge this part of pregnancy- my belly has up until now been a pretty loyal compatriot. Traitorous belly.

And then, our first ultrasound. And wow. Really. It was incredible. There, in my belly, was this little potato with a heart beat. It didn't really look much like a baby, but I heard its heart beating big and loud and knew this was really, truly happening.

We gradually told our immediate families (only the ones that lived far away and we couldn't tell in person). We met my sister at the airport with a sign that said "Welcome Aunt Joy!". After that we got to tell Gavin's folks- on Halloween as a matter of fact. When they walked up to our house Halloween night, this is what they saw:



I can tell you, it's harder than it looks to carve words in pumpkins! So now, here we are, just beginning week 13. The nausea is tapering off, but my appetite is still running rampant. I just try to eat as much healthy stuff as I can, with occasional allowances for junky cravings. So now, I will finish up with a couple of very unimpressive belly pics. First, 6 weeks, to use as a control so to speak:



And this, from the same week (6). I am including this because I am making a face that indicates how silly I feel taking these pictures:



And then this one, at week 10 I think:


I confess- some of this was certainly the result of bloated food-belly, another fun symptom of early pregnancy. But somethin's a brewin' in there...fo sho. I will post another belly pic sometime this week, and behold, you shall see my bump. So there you have it- my first trimester in a nutshell. So, onwaaaaaaard!!

11.21.2008

A Bean in My Belly

So the time has come to tell you all, I am having a baby!! HOORAY!!! I am almost 12 weeks along- I waited to tell my extended network of friends until we were in the "out of the woods" phase and got our second ultrasound. We are so excited and nervous and elated and silly all at once. Here is the ultrasound we got done yesterday- if you look closely, you can see the baby is doing a tiny "Go Obama" fist pump.

Our little bean is due June 5th (if you believe the doctors- my calculations have us at June 7). I am currently pretty damn nauseous, but that should be ebbing soon (jeez, I hope so- it's sort of like being hungover all day, every day). So there you have it- we have created life. Cue that shitty Creed song!

OH, PS, I wanted y'alls opinion- should I make a seperate baybee blog? Or just do my thang on here??


11.17.2008

Green Guilt

I have been pondering my "greenness" of late. As much as I love both the concept and the color green, I realize I fall short. I heart the earth, I love that we are moving towards fixing what little of it we can, and yet, when I am completely honest, I rather suck at my personal greenness.
First, the good news.

1. I do recycle, pretty religiously. I have been known to pluck wine bottles out the my neighbors regular trash and drop them in the correct blue bin. I even began recycling the REALLY hard things, like peanut butter jars. I know, right?

2. I currently take the train instead of buying a second car. Not too shabby, right? I mean, i may need to get another car in the future (I currently walk thru a semi-shitty neighborhood, and due to Daylight Savings ending, I do so in the dark, much to Gavin's eternal frustration). But in the now, I take the LA Metro system. No emissions from me, baby. And when I do get a car, it'll be like a focus or a civic or something w/ great EPA ratings.

3. I turn of lights/unplug chargers/turn off unused electronics pretty religiously. My coworker is genuinely sick of me walking into her office and unplugging her cellphone charger.

And now, the bad news.

1. I use bags from the supermarket to pick up m'dogs poo. I know, I know, I could go buy those 10 dollar biodegradable jobs at the pet store- but remember the not having a car part? The only pet store within walking distance sells puppies, which I am opposed to (the selling of puppies in pet stores, not puppies themselves. C'mon, who are you talking to?) and doesn't sell the bags any damn way. And my dogs poop, like every day, twice a day. So I end up using the Ralph's bags, which I guess is sort of re-purposing, right? Right??? Crap.

2. I can't get CFLs for my light bulbs because every light in my house is on a dimmer. This is to my eternal shame, as it was I who made my MIL get on the CFL train, and it is I who gets on her high horse about it to others. I tried a CFL in our sockets, and they strobbed like disco lights, even on the highest setting. They have dimmable CFLs now but they are FOURTEEN BUCKS A PIECE!! That's over 84 dollars to replace the bulbs in my house! Give me an effing break! But as soon as we have another place, or the price goes down just a smidge, I SWEAR......I will get my precious coiled lovelies back in bidness.

3. The car we do have is an SUV. A tiny SUV, but an SUV all the same. We had to get it to move from NY to CA, and I don't regret it for that reason alone. Plus its super convenient w/ the dogs....It only has a 6 cylinder engine, and actually gets decent gas mileage, but I feel like a douche in my SUV. Like a hypocritical douche.

So there you have it. I suck. And to be honest, other than the poo bags, I don't really know what to tell you. Maybe I can do something like plant some trees to offset my evil...I dunno. Sorry for peeing in your pool, oh Great Mother Earth.

11.12.2008

Fun excercise for foodies and foodie-poseurs (like me).

Here's a fun little excersise I swiped from this blog.

1) Copy this list into your blog or journal, including these instructions.

2) Bold all the items you’ve eaten.

3) Cross out any items that you would never consider eating.

4) Optional extra: Post a comment at www.verygoodtaste.co.uk linking to your results.


1. Venison
2. Nettle tea
3. Huevos Rancheros
4. Steak Tartare
5. Crocodile (well, Alligator)
6. Black pudding
7. Cheese fondue
8. Carp
9. Borscht
10. Baba ghanoush
11. Calamari
12. Pho
13. PB&J sandwich
14. Aloo gobi
15. Hot dog from a street cart
16. Epoisses
17. Black truffle
18. Fruit wine made from something other than grapes
19. Steamed pork buns
20. Pistachio ice cream
21. Heirloom tomatoes
22. Fresh wild berries
23. Foie gras
24.Rice and Beans
25. Brawn, or head cheese
26. Raw Scotch Bonnet pepper
27. Dulce De Leche
28. Oysters
29. Baklava
30. Bagna cauda
31. Wasabi peas
32. Clam chowder in a sourdough bowl
33. Salted lassi ( I had a mango lassi....does that count?:)
34. Sauerkraut
35. Root beer float
36. Cognac with a fat cigar
37. Clotted cream tea
38. Vodka jelly/Jell-O
39. Gumbo
40. Oxtail
41. Curried goat
42. Whole insects
43. Phaal
44. Goat’s milk
45. Malt whisky from a bottle worth £60/$120 or more
46. Fugu
47. Chicken Tikka Masala
48. Eel
49. Krispy Kreme original glazed doughnut
50. Sea urchin
51. Prickly Pear
52. Umeboshi
53. Abalone
54. Paneer
55. McDonald’s Big Mac Meal
56. Spaetzle
57. Dirty gin martini - not a big fan- I HATE gin
58. Beer above 8% ABV
59. Poutine
60. Carob chips
61. S'mores
62. Sweetbreads
63. Kaolin
64. Currywurst
65. Durian
66. Frogs’ legs
67. Beignets, churros, elephant ears or funnel cake
68. Haggis
69. Fried plantain
70. Chitterlings, or andouillette
71. Gazpacho
72. Caviar and blini
73. Louche absinthe
74. Gjetost
75. Roadkill
76. Baijiu (I've had soju, is that close?)
77. Hostess Fruit Pie
78. Snail
79. Lapsang souchong
80. Bellini
81. Tom yum
82. Eggs Benedict
83. Pocky
84. Tasting menu at a three-Michelin-star restaurant. (I feel Blackberry Farm should count for something here, but alas)
85. Kobe beef
86. Hare
87. Goulash
88. Flowers
89. Horse - not gonna happen, sorry.
90. Criollo chocolate
91. Spam
92. Soft Shelled Crab
93. Rose harissa
94. Catfish
95. Mole poblano
96. Bagel and lox
97. Lobster Thermador
98. Polenta
99. Jamaican Blue Mountain Coffee
100. Snake

I got 62 out of 100.

11.10.2008

It's almost here....break out your robo coupes!

I seriously cannot wait for another season of this:


Seriously, if you've never gotten into this show, and you are even a semi-foodie, I encourage....nay, urge you to watch. It starts on Wednesday. I love reality tv when actual talent is involved, rather than a parade of shitty personalities we would never abide in real life. Bravo is really the only station that makes such shows, especially now that America's Next Top Model has so thoughroughly jumped the shark that even I cannot bear it (and I will watch damn near anything with pretty photos at the end of it).

Thank God for my DVR. Which, ok, if you don't have one, get one. Mine costs me 10 bucks a month, and actually allows me to get use out of my cable tv, which would otherwise be a giant waste. All that is ever on when I'm home is that show about the Little People and reruns of misnomered "Everybody Loves Raymond" that harpy Rachel Ray. Oh, and they show the movie "The Mummy Returns". A lot. Which makes me feel like this:


SO yeah, Top Chef. Hallelujah.