A Little Cabo Wabo

For the past four years, Jeremy and I have taken at least one pretty killer vacation per year. There was of course, the three-week road trip of jamon throughout Spain in 2008.  Then in 2009, two weeks backpacking Peru to conquer Machu Picchu and the Cordillera Blancas. In 2010, after getting married, we spent over three weeks following Le Tour de France throughout France, also stopping off for a day or two in Switzerland, Italy, and the Netherlands. And last but not least, after quitting our jobs in San Francisco last May, we trekked to Tanzania to climb Mount Kilimanjaro, safari throughout the Serengeti and Ngorongoro Crater, and relax on the island of Zanzibar. In between such moments of luxury, we volunteered for nearly two months as community health workers in Arusha and then again on the other side of Africa, in Ghana.

So what adventure travel would we embark upon in 2012? Well, I think it is safe to say that the biggest adventure of 2012 will be the birth of our first child. And although I definitely classify pregnancy as a pretty intense journey, I’m not sure it constitutes travel. At least not in the globe trotting sense that travel has meant for us these past years. But we have a rule in this family, and that rule stipulates that we must get outside of the United States at least once per year. So at 22 weeks pregnant, with my belly growing and my esophagus on fire with near constant heartburn, we packed our bags and crossed the border to Mexico for a few days of relaxation.

Well, I must admit. I’m not very good at relaxing. And it’s hard to lounge by a pool in Mexico without a margarita or cerveza! I did my best, though. Read a book, took a few naps, and got reasonably tan despite religiously applying SPF 50 sunscreen. I swam laps and did some walking every day. And we even spent a morning kayaking and doing a little snorkeling. We feasted on tortilla chips, tacos, and empanadas. Jeremy guzzled down a variety of delicious drinks, while I sipped the occasional “Pregnant Pina Colada.” No Cabo Wabo for me!

It was a great, albeit brief, way to celebrate the end of my first year at UCLA, nearly a year for Jeremy at Amgen, and the halfway point of our journey together through pregnancy. It is hard to imagine that the next time we go through customs to get our passports stamped, we’ll have a third crew member in tow. We are quite eager to share our passion for global adventure with Peanut. So although this year’s international trip was tame by our typical standards, we’re just saving our energy for an impressive comeback trip next year for all three of us. I'm thinking Portugal... Let the research begin!

Crazy Movement!

This past week we've seen lots of movement. Both in my belly and throughout Santa Monica!

I've finally started to feel Peanut moving around. All the books I'm reading say that moms start to feel babies moving around 16 weeks, but not me. So I've been a little frustrated not feeling anything the past month or so. But this past week, I have started to notice the little one poking me every night around 9PM. And sometimes in the mornings, too.

Jeremy can't feel anything yet. And he just put his hand on my belly and gave it a little shake while saying, "Wake up, Baby!" Are you kidding?! The baby has only kept me from falling asleep once, so far; and I would like it to stay that way! I know that as the baby grows, it will be highly unlikely that the little one will lie still at night. Apparently most babies wake up and move around late in the evening, just as mothers are hoping to get some rest. But let's not encourage the behavior, Jeremy. I promise you that very soon, the baby will be bigger and stronger and able to kick hard enough for you to feel. I hear it will be incredibly uncomfortable for me, but I'll try not to whine about it, as I know you will be so excited to feel Peanut move.

Speaking of moving, we moved into a new apartment this past weekend! We are very excited with our new place. It's seven blocks west from our old apartment, which means we are seven blocks closer to the beach! And now that school is over (yes, in the same week that we moved I took two final exams, wrote two final papers, and gave two final presentations -- not my smartest move, from a scheduling perspective, I know) I hope to be able to frequent the beach more often.

But for now, we're getting settled in our new home. Painting, decorating, and cleaning. I must say, moving when you're five months pregnant isn't that bad... Since I'm not allowed to lift anything heavy, I basically told other people what to do most of the time. I'm pretty good at that!

And I must admit, I didn't really feel like I was that big until I had to unpack things. I've noticed that it's getting a bit harder to bend down and pick things up. And Jeremy's noticed that I do a lot more grunting than I used to do. Well, with a bump like this, I guess I was bound to start grunting sooner or later!

Side view - wow, what a bump!

Front view - we forgot to use the flash..

I hope we don't move out of our new apartment for at least two more years. Even when you only move seven blocks, moving sucks. But we're excited to transform the second bedroom into Peanut's nursery. 19 weeks left to get it ready!

The Halftime Show

Twenty weeks pregnant - it's halftime, Baby! We went back to the midwife this week for another check-up, which included an anatomy scan. And for the next half hour, we got to watch Peanut kick, punch, hiccup, and squirm all over the place. Which means, of course, that Peanut is doing really well. The baby weighed in at ten ounces, which is right on track. Peanut has ten fingers, ten toes, and "normal" reproductive organs. 

We decided not to find out if Peanut is a girl or a boy, so while the technician checked those organs, we closed our eyes. I can't believe Jeremy and I had the strength to keep our eyes shut, but we really are excited to keep Peanut's gender a surprise until we meet her or him in October. 

So without further adieu, let's check out the halftime show photos of the little one! Twenty weeks down, twenty weeks to go. Keep growing, Peanut, you're doing great!

Peanut waving his or her hands for the camera!

Five of Peanut's ten toes!