Anniversary Trip / Babymoon - Washington, D.C.

Happy Anniversary, James!

Since getting married in 2001 -- or actually since we started dating in 1998 -- James and I have always tried to go on a trip to celebrate our anniversary each year. This year, after tossing around ideas for weeks, we finally settled on D.C. for our trip / babymoon (the last big trip before Pee-Nut is here). D.C. one of those cities where you can do a lot or a little, transportation is convenient, and there's the added benefit that we have family there that we don't get to see often enough and could visit. There were only 3 "touristy" things I really wanted to do over the weekend: eat crab, go to the Spy Museum, and take a nap. Everything else would be gravy.

My parents were nice enough to come up from Houston to watch Claire while we were gone. James and I have done one-nighters and multi-night trips by ourselves before now, but this is actually the first multi-night trip James and I have taken together since Claire has been born. I have absolutely no doubts that my parents would take great care of Claire. I think they actually enjoyed having Claire all to themselves, and hopefully I didn't overwhelm them with notes (hey, it was really only one page; the other page was just suggestions of places to go and things to do)! You'll have to check out Claire's blog to see what they ended up doing over the weekend, and since my dad was there, you know there were lots of pictures!



Our trip was Thursday morning through Saturday night, thus giving us a full two and a half days on the ground and two nights of uninterrupted sleep. James surprised me at the airport when we were checking in my upgrading us to First Class, so we got to travel in style on the way to Reagan International.

After we checked in and got situated, we decided to get our bearings of the area before taking the Metro into the 'burbs. We found out that our hotel -- the Grand Hyatt Washington -- was right in the middle of all the things I had in mind. Yay! We walked, munched, bought cupcakes, and headed to the metro. I really like public transportation, so just that alone was an event in itself. When it was time, we headed out to our Aunt and Uncle's house for some CRAB (yay!), dinner, and great conversation with them, Daphne, and Drew. Even after all that crab during dinner -- I think I ate 7 or 8 myself -- James and I still managed to polish off another half-dozen in our hotel room after we got back. Needless to say, we tumbled into a blissful slumber that night.

It's difficult to show you how long, deep,
and steep the escalator was down to the Metro.

On Friday, our one full-day, we did the touristy things after I finally decided wake up and get out of bed. A big hotel breakfast (and a few snacks along the way) was enough to tide us over while we visited the National Museum of Crime and Punishment, see GI Joe (not a great movie but at least I got to see one!), and went through the International Spy Museum. If you haven't done those two museums, I would definitely recommend them; they're definitely not your "typical" museum. I would say the only downside was that the Spy Museum was so busy, we weren't able to do all the exhibits ourselves; it just didn't seem right to push the kids out of the way weasel our way through.

The actual set of "America's Most Wanted".
It's taped at the Crime and Punishment museum!

All walked-out, it was time to NAP! Refreshed, James and I headed to the Lebanese Taverna off Connecticut that came highly recommended from a friend. It was sooooo good and the perfect atmosphere to celebrate our 8-year wedding anniversary. We sat outside to enjoy the not-too-hot weather and to people-watch everyone around us. We ordered tapas over the course of a couple of hours and brought the leftovers with us because we were too reluctant to leave the yummies on the table to be thrown away. Besides, we did eat those crabs back at the hotel room; who knows if we'd be hit with a hummus craving in the middle of the night?

Mmmm ... I don't care if it was the Panda Express of Lebanese food.
Not like I would know, and it was GOOD

We actually ended up eating some of the leftovers Saturday morning as I slowly peeled myself out of bed (late, of course) and got ready to visit Daphne and Drew's place in the 'burbs. Their house is awesome, and they welcomed us with a wonderful meal. James and I enjoyed doing something we're good at (that would be sitting around and chatting) and then got off our butts long enough to walk around the block and check out the houses in the area. So cute, but I do have to say that we're quite spoiled here in Texas with what you get for the money.

At the end of the trip, Uncle David took us back to Reagan where we took our flight home and got back in record time (30 minutes before our scheduled arrival!). We skeddaled home just in time to rile Claire up before bedtime. We were so glad to see her!

We actually found our house while we were descending!
It's right ... well ... there ...

All in all, it was a wonderful weekend, and I'm so glad James and I made the time to go. It was a little odd to be able to get on the plane with so little gear, to go to sleep and wake up when I felt like it, to walk around holding each other's hand instead of having a little one to chase, and to have whole conversations over long meals instead of trying to split our time. Sound familiar for those of you who have kids? :) I'm already looking forward to next year!

The only regret I have about this trip was that I didn't take hardly any pictures! I guess I'm so used to snapping shots of Claire that I didn't know what to do once she wasn't around to be my subject. Luckily, I did remember to get a few pictures of James and I together, which I have noticed I don't have many of at least recently.

Boy, Oh, Boy! -- 20-Week Appointment

Our Pee-Nut is a boy! We had the sonogram this morning and discovered that our Baby Pee indeed does have a pee-pee. We're super excited at the news, and I was happy to find out that he's growing right on track and looks great. He's measuring 20w 2d (our guess was 20w 5 d which is within the 3-day window they like to see) and his heart rate is 150 (which is right in the middle of the desired 120 to 180). We got to see lots of detail in the sonogram (head, hands, feet, spine, bladder, etc), and he even punched my uterus while we were watching to say hello.

My guess was right after all -- although I did have a 50/50 chance of getting it wrong or right -- but I'm pretty sure I won't have any more opportunities to find out whether every pregnancy really is that different from one another; I'll just have to go with my hypothesis that I felt one way with a girl and another with a boy. :)

As for me, I gained three pounds from my last appointment, but I'm only up 1 pound during this pregnancy. My vitals are good, and I'm feeling good. Dr. Jaffee says she's happy with my weight gain (or lack thereof) so far and there's not really much we can do about my right hip that's already starting to ache (I have to knock it when I stand up so that I can walk) except to try and sleep on my left-side more to take the weight off of it.

There is definitely no disguising the pregnancy at this point, but I'm also not wanting to. James has noticed that I'm wearing more "I'm pregnant" clothes this pregnancy versus my "hide the belly" clothes last one; lucky someone should call dibs on all the Japanese Weekend clothes I got this time around! James spoke up during the appointment to ask about my protein intake -- I don't eat much meat -- and Dr. Jaffee says that I should try and work in some type of protein at every meal but that dairy (including cheese, yogurt, and milk) count as my protein citing that lots of vegetarians have very healthy babies. Yum, cheese!

I'll post sonogram pictures, and I also owe an update on our Anniversary Trip / Babymoon in DC, so check back soon!

My Guess Is ...

On Tuesday, I have my halfway-there appointment where -- among other things -- we get to see if Baby Pee is a little boy or little girl (assuming s/he behaves nicely). Lots of folks have asked me for my guess, so I figure I'll put it down before I actually find out for sure.

My guess right now? A boy. Why? Because this pregnancy seems so different from my first. Of course, as James says, every pregnancy is different, so it's hard to say; but since I've only had one other pregnancy and it's been different than this one, I'll go with the opposite of what I already have. Besides, it's a 50/50 shot, right?

Reasons ... it's not much but it's all I really have to go on ...

1. Morning Sickness
• Pregnancy 1: I was constantly nauseated during my first 12-14 weeks with #1 but was able to do a quick vomit and feel great for the rest of the day. It would start with waking slowly, creeping one eye open, feeling for the crackers next to my bed, and nibbling until the rocking boat settled down. Then nothing after that first trimester.
• Pregnancy 2: I felt pretty good for the most part with some nausea but nothing strong. NO vomiting at all until Week 13 ... and then a WHOLE WEEK'S worth all at once 24/7. Even now, the slightest thing might trigger my gag reflex, though I have been saved from any more vomiting since that terrible Week 13.
2. Skin
• Pregnancy 1: My skin with my first was AWFUL. Every day was another blemish, bump, pimple, breakout, zit to contend with. People would actually feel bad for me and say things like "don't worry; it will clear up after you have the baby, and you can take care of it then".
• Pregnancy 2: While I wouldn't say my skin is great (it never has been), it's at least not as bad as it was the first time. I can't say that it's glowing and smooth, but it's definitely not any worse than any normal point in my life.
3. Body
• Pregnancy 1: I expanded in every which direction last time. It was a serious spreading and swelling of the whole body to where, until the end, it looked like I was getting slowly fatter and smushed, less belly.
• Pregnancy 2: At least so far, it's been more belly than the rest of my body. Of course, it's early yet, but I'm hoping the trend will continue for the remainder of the pregnancy.

Overall, I have to say the second pregnancy is a lot different than the first in that I don't worry as much and can enjoy it more. During my first pregnancy, there are fears and worrying and thinking plus feeling out of control and just sort of ugly (I did!). This time around, I'm so busy with Claire and work and life that I'll sometimes forget that I'm even pregnant for a moment. Unless I have a dr appointment that week, I probably can't tell you what week I'm in, and I definitely don't have the time to spend reading baby books all the time.

So, my guess is a boy. I guess I'll find out in a couple of days if I'm right or not. People have asked which one I want more, and I'm going to be ecstatic no matter what. If it's a girl, having the two babies close together will be hard but rewarding, and I'll be able to re-use everything Claire had. If it's a boy, we'll have the "one of each" balance and it might alleviate some of the sibling rivalry that will come later in life. Either way, I'm just crossing my fingers in hopes that I have a happy, healthy baby and can't wait to greet him or her in a few months!

She Does Look Like Me!

My brother Zong just got back from a whirlwind trip to Asia including an extended visit to family in Taiwan. While he was there, he was thoughtful enough to get some pictures from "back when" including the one below of me circa 1978. This is the first picture (or moment, really), that I was like "omigosh, maybe Claire DOES look like me!". Of course, I'm sleeping, but what the heck. The sprawled position, the foot propped up (Whoops. I guess that crazy foot of hers is from my side after all) ... I actually did a double-take. I tried to find a recent picture of Claire sleeping since it's more obvious now but couldn't find one, however here's one from last year that's sort of similar. And if it's not, don't tell me and burst my bubble! :D

Me, circa 1978. Check out that wire crib!

Claire @ 7-ish months

Girls Trip - Miami, FL

One of my most favorite traditions is my girls trip in which some of my best gal pals and I head to a destination for some R&R. Last weekend, I headed to Miami, FL with Debbie and Syndee. I quickly discovered that Miami is an incredible city. Even stepping off the plane put me in a different world with lots of languages surrounding me, luggage wrapping (which I haven't seen since flying internationally), and lots of beautiful people.

Ready to hit the beach

Miami Beach itself has a totally different vibe than anywhere I've ever been. If you stroll down Ocean Drive at night, you'll pass 20 or 30 tiny hotels that each boast a huge porch and lobbby ... and a tiny check-in desk. The lobbies are actually bars and the porches and sidewalks restaurants -- this is EVERY hotel! So you feel as though you're going from party to party as you go down the street. People watching is incredble as you see families (babies out at 12:30 at night), hoochies, rich people, etc all mingling together. I've also never been to anywhere before where there were so many tall, skinny people showing so much leg. I never really thought of myself as a leg girl, but there were certainly a lot of them to look at in Miami!

Too bad it was so humid when we took this picture

The restaurant scene is something else, as well. We went out to eat both nights around midnight, and you would not have known that it wasn't a normal 8pm seating time. People filled the streets, the tables were full, and getting seated was as normal then as it was 4 hours prior and 4 hours later (lots of places stopped seating -- not serving, though -- between 2am and 4am). In the morning, it was a totally different Miami than the nighttime. This is when the families come out (while all the party-ers slept, I guess) and shop or go to the beach. I think the best way to enjoy the city would be to take up the siesta ... eat, sleep, party, sleep, play, sleep. My kind of place!

Fried seafood recommended by Guy on the Food channel.

Fried lobster, fried oyesters, fried fish, fried roe, and tres leches ... Yum!

We spent the weekend shopping on Lincoln Road and Collins, resting by the ocean and in our room, and eating Italian, fried seafood, sushi (cooked for me, of course), tapas, etc. We were able to hit the beach for a little while and went to the Vizcaya museum, but the main thing was that I was able to spend some time with the girls that keep me sane and gave me time to recharge and remember who I am and what I'm grateful for ... two things I tend to forget when I get caught up in the day-to-day grind. One of the things I'm especially grateful for is that James is okay with these weekend jaunts because I hope to never give them up!

It would have been a more accurate picture if it showed me hugging my girls fiercely never wanting to let go. That's how I felt!

In other travel news, I got back from a business trip in Portland the day before I left for Miami. It was 105 in Portland! I was so glad that we chose to go to Miami for my Girls Trip instead of Seattle - where we were originally headed - because I would have been quite disappointed to pay upwards of $600 to fly to the PNW to find it over a hundred degrees all weekend! It's a never-before-seen hot spell there that I'm glad I didn't stick around for much longer than the 3 days for my work. Pee-Nut should be getting frequent flyer miles for all this traveling!