5 weeks to go!

Hi all-
Well, I can't believe I only have 5 weeks or so to go! Things have been pretty good, but I am getting increasingly huge. Last week of teaching, but the list of things to do gets longer and longer...
We had a great weekend, went to a Halloween party at a colleague's house, where I was dressed as Lucy Ricardo and Agnish was Ricky Ricardo. We would have posted some pics, but my red hair wig was getting very itchy, and all of the kids at the party absconded with Agnish's bongo drums so our illusion came down pretty quickly.
But, in the spirit of upcoming Halloween, here are some pics of Spike, our jack-o-lantern (and my ever growing belly, spooky)!!

Happy Halloween to everybody!

Week 33 Update

Hi everyone,
As I promised many of you guys, I'm going to try to start blogging more often now, since the big day is coming up quickly... 6 more weeks until the due date!
We had a pretty busy week, both Agnish and I are still getting slammed at work. I have 2 more weeks of teaching--yay! Pregnancy related highlights of this week:
--Birth Tour on Wednesday night--We took a tour of our birthing center, which went really well. Agnish and I were both pleasantly surprised at how nice it was, and how organized the whole place seems to be. We found out all of the little practicalities I hadn't been thinking of (like where will we park? What will Agnish eat?)--and the rooms are really nice. Group Health (my hospital) is very nice because the rooms are very large, each with hardwood floors and nice views of the city. Assuming all goes well, all 3 of us will stay in the same room, there is a bed for me with all of the necessary medical equipment, a pull out bed for Agnish, and the baby will room in with us. The rooms are all stocked with really fancy bathtubs for birthing (if we want to use it), TV/DVD, CD players, refrigerators, room service, and all sorts of nice ameneties. Agnish was also happy to see that the entire place has wireless Internet access, so he'll be able to email all of you guys ASAP! (but we can't use cell phones). Seeing the rooms definitely makes everything more immediate and real.
--Car Seat Installed--we spent 3+ hours on Saturday morning getting the baby's car seat installed and checked by licensed car safety experts. What a complicated process, I had no idea! We waited in line for about 1.5 hours, and then it took us about 1.5 hours to actually get everything checked out okay. We had bought a new seat, the Maxi Cosi, and we had a hand-me-down Chicco from Kevin (my big brother). Turns out the Maxi Cosi is not compatible in the middle seat of my Toyota Highlander, so the experts thought we would be better off and safest using the Chicco in my car. So, now we've decided to return the Maxi Cosi---turns out big brother is always right! Thanks KK! Seriously, though, I couldn't believe how thorough these people were, and how complicated it was. Thank goodness that Agnish was there and has the process down now, as I was completely lost after 5 minutes with all of the little things you're supposed to remember. So, now we're driving around with the car seat in the car, which makes us feel even more like parents to be!

So, that's it for now---hope everyone else is still doing well! Will post more soon...

32 Weeks: Belly Pics

Hi everyone-

I'm finally caving into everyones repeated requests to see my gruesome and growing belly! In the meantime, at least I can force you to also see our finished kitchen! I still can't believe how large I am getting, but with such a big baby, I guess I shouldn't be surprised!
Enjoy...










Not sure why I look so mad in this last one, I think Agnish got me at a funny angle--I'm really quite happy these days...promise!

Some 4D Ultrasound Pictures

Here are some pictures from our 4-D Ultrasound. Unfortunately, our stubborn boy decided to sleep with his hand over his face, so we didn't get any shots that were 100% clear. But he did move around enough to get some idea of what he looks like, and maybe a bit of his personality.

Pictures are below:





He seems to have a pig nose with large flared nostrils. He also seems to have large lips - he might be a mixture of both of us...




One of many pictures of him sleeping and resting his face on his fist...he might also get that from his parents...



Occasionally breaking sleep to wipe at his nose...



And he enjoys putting his fingers in his mouth...we also saw some action shots of him swallowing almost 1/2 of his hand...




Once again, more sleeping.

So despite his laziness we were happy to know that he seems healthy and is growing at a pretty healthy pace (especially his head, which is apparently in the 92th percentile for size). He's 4 pounds now, and could end up over 8 pounds by birth, probably just a little bit smaller than the Thanksgiving turkey we'll eat in a few weeks. Needless to say, I feel bad that Christina may have to give birth to a 9-pounder.

Thanks again to our friends Wendy and Scott!

More later...

Don't worry: No news is good news.

I thought I should do another quick post because I've gotten a few concerned emails again from friends who want to make sure everything is going okay. Sorry that I haven't been very good about posting, life is just so crazy. I'm teaching a full quarter (72 class hours) in about 7 weeks so my days have been very full of teaching, preparing to teach, and the rest of life. Teaching will end for me on November 2, and hopefully then I'll have a chance to breathe and digest.

Long story short, things are going well! I'm already at 32 weeks, so it is a scary thought that we'll be parents in less than 2 months. Almost all of the work that affects the interior of the house has been done; new windows, new furnace, kitchen is finally complete. We still need to get the new sliding glass doors installed at the end of October, and are trying to figure out whether we can get the carport converted into a garage before the baby comes (there is a huge construction boom in Seattle right now, so any good contractors are busy thru the holidays).

I'm definitely getting very big! Everyone has been requesting belly shots, and I haven't had a chance to take them and post them, but I will do that very soon. Seems like the third trimester is going very well for me, for which I am grateful. I'm not too tired, and am feeling very good physically speaking.

The other exciting news is that my colleague Scott has a wife (Wendy) who works for Phillips, medical equipment manufacturers. They gifted us with a 4D ultrasound last week and it was really fun to see the baby in 3D and in real time. Also pretty cool to visit the Phillips factory and see the machines getting manufactured on the line. Some highlights from the ultrasound:
- The baby was very stubborn, and while he jumped around all the way to the appt, as soon as we got there, he promptly fell asleep. He sleeps exactly like Agnish, with his hands tucked under his cheek and chin, so it was really hard to get a good shot of his face.
-We did wake him up briefly,and he responded by yawning and sucking on his fingers---so still no good shot of his face!
-We decided that he has my nose (piglike) and Agnish's mouth (big lips). No hair yet (which is suprising because I have a lot of heartburn, and the two are supposed to be related).
-He is already at 4 lbs, which is almost a pound more than the projected average weight! If he continues to grow at the average rate (1/2 lb a week),and he arrives on time, I'll be giving birth to an 8-9 lb baby! yikes...
-Even more scary---his head has measured in the 92 percentile--it is HUGE! Double yikes...

Other than that, things are clicking along. We've ordered the crib, changing table and glider, so they should be arriving soon. We also registered at the Right Start, so at least now we have a convenient list of things to get if the baby comes early. I'm also planning on beginning to pack the bag for the hospital in case the baby comes early....

Hope everyone else is off to a nice fall. I"ll try to post more often from now on!!

Another Quick Update

Hi all: I can't believe I am already at 26 weeks!! Here are some highlights from the last few weeks:
-Had my dr's appointment today and everything still looks great, my weight gain and all other numbers are all looking perfect.
- Will have my glucose test on Tuesday to check for gestational diabetes.
- We sold our townhouse (closed on Aug 15) and moved into our new house on Aug 11. Things are still a mess, we still have a ton of unpacking to do, and the kitchen countertops and bathroom vanities are still not installed (should be another month---yuck).
- I went on my last plane ride until I become a mama. Had a lovely time in NYC where I got to celebrate Ana's bachelorette, and had a great shower with the Williams girls. And saw my friend Patrick and lovely wife Marilyn, and Agnish got to hang with his buddies sudeep and sujal. It was a great weekend.
-We're off this weekend for our "babymoon" to the Inn at Langley in Whidbey Island. I can't wait for a nice vacation!

Hope everyone else is enjoying a nice end of the summer. I can't believe how quickly time is passing, I start teaching in 2 weeks!!

Greetings from Philadelphia (and long awaited belly pics)

Hi everyone, Just a quick hello and update on the craziness that is our lives....in no particular order:
- Last doctor's visit went very well, I am right on schedule with weight gain, baby growth, etc. Yay!
- Our townhouse passed inspection and appraisal, so it looks like we are really moving on August 11 (this Saturday). We are both so sad to be leaving our neighbors, as they are all similarly aged couples with lots of new babies. We feel like we are being exiled to the suburbs!
- The new house is coming along superbly; we are really in the home stretch. We'll be living for a few weeks in the new house without the kitchen countertops (and therefore the sinks,and therefore the dishwasher), but other than that, we should be fine. I'll post pictures soon.
-Agnish is in SF and I am in Philadelphia, both for our respective jobs.
- I've had LOTS & LOTS of auntie time this week:
*just saw my new nephew in PA, and he is adorable (only 1 month old, so very good practice for in a few months)
*Also spent a week with my other nieces & nephews--Chloe who just turned 1 will gave us lots of practice for what our lives will be like in a year and a half, Jules who is 9 showed us what to expect in a decade, and Michael who is 14 gave us a glimpse into what the pre-teen years with a boy will be like!!

And, as EVERYONE has asked for (very politely and very persistently) what you really all seem to care about is the physical spectacle that I have become....so without further ado, here are some pictures of me (and more importantly) my belly, with the distractions of our family visit to Seattle/Vancouver as well.

The mommy and daddy to be at 23 weeks

My brother Kevin (holding Chloe, 1), Jules (9), me, my belly, Agnish, and Michael (14)

Grandpa Fong's Birthday Party in Seattle: My mom, my dad, me, Agnish, Kevin, Chloe, Jules and Michael


How cute are my nieces and nephew!!!!

Halfway There!

Hi all! Very excited to say that I am at 20+ weeks, so halfway through the pregnancy. And, I think I shared this news with everyone but just in case...

ITS A BOY!!

Needless to say, the thing that we are most excited about is that the Ultrasound seemed to indicate that things are going well and the baby looks normal. It was also fun to see the baby looking more like a baby, and we imagined that we saw a bit into his personality. The US tech was commenting on how he is very "modest" as he kept covering himself up (or curling into a ball) rather than showing himself to us.

We have some new pictures from the Ultrasound but I have to wait to post them because Agnish is in Germany and he is the one who knows how to use the scanner/printer. Meanwhile my mom is here helping to move along the work in the new house. Hopefully we'll be moving by August 15---I"ll keep you updated!!

More to come soon...

Just for fun...

If we were rich...
We thought it would be fun for us to share with you our daydreams of what we would buy for the baby to be if we had no regard for money. So, here's our wishlist of what our spoiled little baby-to -be would have once we win the lottery....
1. The Stroller: Mutsy 4 Rider Light ($700). Others may covet the infamous Bugaboo stroller (which is what Sarah Jessica Parker, Gwyneth Paltrow, and every hipster mom on TV has), but we love the look and style of the Mutsy. Plus the Mutsy is lighter and better rated than the Bugaboo.


2. The bassinet: Ooba Nest Bassinet ($600). We think this baby crib matches the decor of our new home perfectly. Very mid-century modern. It also comes with a matching crib (Ooba Nest Crib -$1600). To be honest, we think that the IKEA cribs look just as nice, but $1600 is a small price to pay for the matching set with the bassinet.









3. Crib Bedding: I love this bedding if we have a girl.

4. The changing table: Netto Loft Changing Table ($1450). Agnish informs me that this designer also has a "low end" line which retails for only $500.







5. The high chair: Boon Flair Elite ($400). It would be possible to get this high chair for only $200 if we were willing to give up the pneumatic lift function, and settle for just plain white, but why settle when you can get the best?

7. Glider/Rocker: Nurseryworks Goodnight Glider ($1200). Looks so comfy!

8. Baby's clothes: If we were rich and having a boy, we would go for lots of sporty hoodies like this one, the Oeuf Hoodie which is a mere $76.

10. Toys: We think the baby would enjoy taking his/her dolls out for a stroll in this stroller, which is only $230. Also, baby would have hours of fun playing with this modern doll house. Right now, its on sale for only $575!

Some honorable mentions...
We've already mentioned how we like the Mutsy stroller more than the Bugaboo. Others that we looked at, and ultimately passed over include the Stokke Xplory which retails around $900. American Express ran a promotion where you could get it for half off ($500) and it crashed the website because so many people tried to buy it.

We also think that the Nest High Chair (only $570) looks pretty cool! And makes the Boon look like a great deal. We also got a kick out of this $1100 high chair.

You may have noticed that we thoughtfully provided links to all of these products in case you were wondering what to get your new grandchild, niece/nephew, favorite baby (good luck getting the second mortgage...ha ha...)

We are for sale!

Our house was listed today and the first open house is in just minutes (1-4).
We think the house looks great, and today is a beautiful day!
Check out the listing at:
http://www.windermere.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=Listing.ListingDetail&ListingID=18184150

Tell your friends to come and buy!