Belly Dancing

It's hard to believe that in less than a week, the little creature that's been growing in my belly since last June will be an actual child I'll be able to hold in my arms. Part of me is ready for this journey to be over. So long, swollen feet! Bye, bye, backaches! Adios, rude comments about how huuuuuuuge I've gotten! On the other hand, I know that the real trials start once the pregnancy is over and the baby is out. And does the baby ever want to get out! I mean, does it look like my belly can stretch much more than this?
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It's like I turned into a giant, flesh-colored watermelon on toothpicks. Actually, replace "watermelon" with "bag of cats," because sometimes that's what it looks like.

Frightening, isn't it? I don't know about you, but it makes me think of a certain scene from a certain movie involving an alien and Sigourney Weaver.

Before the big day arrives, we're cherishing our last moments with just the Boo. Yesterday, we took a stroll to the neighborhood farmer's market with our buddies the Bowens. Once there, Benjamin and Nolan met up with fellow Playa Vistans Aaron and mom Winnie. Together, the three boys grooved out to the tunes of a street performer.

Later on, Benjamin took his Plasma Car out for a spin. He had a blast, giggling even as he hit a ditch and almost toppled over into the bushes. It was great to hear his laughter and see the carefree smile on his face.

Although I'm certainly worried about how Vince and I will adjust to what life will be like with two kids, I'm almost more worried about how Benjamin will take to it. After all, he's been used to being the only baby in the house, the one on whom all attention is focused. He hasn't had to share anything - his toys, his space, or his Mommy and Daddy.

I'm sure Oliver can tell him a thing or two about that.
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The Tiniest Poltergeist?

I've made it to 33 weeks, and I'm in the home stretch. Emphasis on stre-e-e-e-e-tch. My shirts are stretched out, my patience is stretched thin, and my tummy is stretched so tight that every time I sneeze, cough, or laugh, I feel as though my baby will come flying out of my belly button. Did I mention that our home is being stretched, too? Yup, the storage capacity of our home is being stretched to its limits with new baby crap. Even though we still have tons of gear left over from when Benjamin was a wee infant, we've acquired more stuff for Baby #2 - more cloth diapers, a double stroller, and baby girl clothes. Thank goodness my nesting instinct has kicked in, or else our place would be a total disaster. It's like I'm having a flashback to this time two years ago when I was in the throes of feathering my nest in anticipation of Benjamin's arrival. But this time, the joy of nest-feathering is tempered with the dread of knowing sleepless nights are just a month away. Yes, ignorance was bliss!
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Benjamin has been nesting, too. Sort of. He recently developed this strange habit of lining things up - his toy cars, his books, and - most strangely - his playroom furniture. I've gone into the kitchen, only to be barricaded in by a neat row of chairs. Or, I'll get up to answer the call of nature only to find that the hallway leading to the bathroom door has been blocked by the chairs.
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Benjamin's new obsession reared its head at our friend George's birthday party a few weeks ago. As soon as we got there, Benjamin got busy rearranging the metal chairs on the patio. Ten minutes after our arrival, he'd pulled them away from the table and lined them up in a neat row. Considering that each chair was twice his size, this was no small feat! The other partygoers - as well as Vince and I - looked on in amusement and a little puzzlement. Was this "normal" behavior? Sure it was cute, but the single-mindedness with which he rearranged those chairs was also a little odd. It was like he was a Boo possessed. It was strange, maybe even a bit creepy.
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If the incident with the patio chairs wasn't enough to creep me out, this was:

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It was the weekend, and I'd left Vince at home with Benjamin while I ran errands. When I returned, Benjamin was napping, and these chairs were on the table. I asked Vince if he was the one who did it, and he said, "No, that was the Boo. He's nuts." Maybe I wouldn't have found this creepy at all if it weren't for the fact that it reminded me of a certain scene from Poltergeist.
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Creepiness notwithstanding, I'm hoping that Benjamin's obsession with order will spread to other areas, too!

Potty Training à Deux?

Until about two weeks ago, my pregnancy had been fairly unremarkable. I had the usual complaints - queasiness, fatigue, inexplicable cravings, and hormone-induced bitchiness - but for the most part, I was able to go about my day without feeling pregnant. In fact, I'd sometimes forget that I was pregnant and be reminded only when I knocked over something with my belly.

That's all changed. In the past weeks, I feel as though my midsection has grown enough to accomodate not just my baby, but her car seat and crib, too. My skin is stretched so tight that I can play it like a tympani. And I swear she's sitting much lower than Benjamin did. She's so low that she's using my bladder as a neckrest, and sneezing in public has become a heart-stopping experience. If things continue, I may have to borrow some diapers from Benjamin.

Speaking of diapers, Benjamin is well on his way to saying adios to them (fingers crossed). It's not unusual for him to stay dry for four- or five-hour periods of time, coming to tell me when he wants to use the potty, or even just going on his own. According to conventional potty training wisdom, this means that he's ready for (drum roll)... BIG BOY PANTS! But even though the books say that he may be ready to make the transition, I don't know if I am, so we're meeting halfway and using cotton training underpants.

Taking a cue from a fellow Emerson mom, I decked out Benjamin's training pants with one of his favorite characters, Elmo. Since I couldn't find Elmo underpants that fit him, I created my own by making a sheet of Elmo decals with Photoshop, and printing them onto iron-on tranfer paper. A few quick swipes of a hot iron, and - VOILA! - custom-made Elmo training pants! When I put the pants on Benjamin, I'll tell him, "Don't pee on Elmo! He wouldn't like that!" The idea is that Benjamin's fear of soiling his beloved Elmo will heighten his awareness of his need to go. I have yet to try it out, but I'm hopeful.

Maybe I should make myself some Elmo underpants. :(

Benjamin: My Own Prenatal Exercise Program

Remember how I was complaining a month or so ago that my belly was growing faster during this pregnancy than it did during my last one? Well, I may have spoken too soon, because it seems like the blossoming of my bump has taken a breather. A visit to my OB confirmed my weight gain has slowed, but not for want of trying. As my hubby, my friends, or my Boo will attest, I've developed a near-uncontrollable craving for McDonald's. In a typical week, I'll inhale a Sausage McMuffin with Egg Combo at least two or three times. Or, if it's after 10:30 am, I'll have the Two Cheeseburger Combo instead. Oh, man, the very mention of those gastronomical goodies is making me salivate and reach for my car keys. But I won't. I may be unable to stop myself from swinging through a drive-through when I'm already on the road, but I won't allow myself to leave home to make a special trip just to get Mickey D's. Not yet, anyway. With four months of pregnancy left, anything is possible!
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So in what crazy, upside-down world does pigging out on fast food not equal blowing up like a whale? In a crazy, upside-down world where you have to take care of one of these:
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The Boo definitely keeps me on my toes. In fact, I've noticed that many women going through pregnancy with a toddler in tow seem to remain fairly un-pregnant-looking in all areas other than the tummy area. But I'm not going to kid myself here - at the end of my last pregnancy, I puffed up to the point where Vince felt the need to point out that my feet looked like Fiona's. You know, Fiona, right? She's Shrek's wife.


Although Benjamin's been trying his toddler best to drive me insane, I've been fortunate enough to get help from others. My amazing best friend Deb has, true to Deb form, been over to run Boo interference so I can get things done. My thoughtful father- and mother-in-law have also come by to hang out with their little grandson. Benjamin gets a fun visit, I get a much-needed break, and the Boo-watchers get so completely worn out that they sleep really well that night. Everyone wins!!
An additional diversion has come in the form of our Emerson Mommy and Me class, which had been on hiatus for the summer break. It's a nice chance for me to sit and chat with other moms (many of whom are pregnant with their second kids) going through the same trying toddler times that I am, while Benjamin works out all that extra energy on the playground. Here, you can see him hanging out with two of his best gals, Kayla and Presley.

Since the kids are older now, they get to engaged in some more intellectual activities such as storytime.

Their creative sides are also nurtured during arts and crafts.

But boys will be boys, and Benjamin's favorite part of class remains the part where he gets to play in the sandbox and get himself thoroughly filthy. And because it seems that sandbox sand was specifically engineered to adhere to sticky, sweaty little toddler feet...

...My lovely floors get to get all filthy, too. But luckily, the Boo is learning to clean up after himself.

There's hope yet!

Here We Go Again

Vince and I always knew we wanted to have more than one kid and had discussed having them fairly close together. Even so, when that telltale second line showed up on the pregnancy test, we were still in shock. There was joy, of course, but also shock. Raw, numbing shock. We were going to do this again?? The sleepless nights, the poopy diapers, the marathon nursing sessions? Again??

Benjamin, on the other hand, showed no such uncertainty. We handed him the positive preggo stick, explained that he was going to be a big brother, and watched him do an ecstatic little happy dance. If Benjamin can be that jubilant about being usurped, then I'm going to join in the jubilation, too! Margaritas for all! Oh, wait... I can't drink anymore.

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Many people have asked me if this pregnancy feels any different from my last one, and the answer is YES. There are two main differences. The first one is that my belly started showing far sooner than it did when I was pregnant with Benjamin. I mean, the pregnancy test turned positive and the top button of my jeans popped off. I've heard that this is common for second pregnancies since your body gets all stretched out by the first one. It's like my belly is the rear end of an old pair of jeans that are fresh from the dryer - the denim may be nice and taut, but once you put them on, they get all saggy and droopy in the rear again. And such is the case with my belly - the second that bun was in the oven, my poor, stretched-out skin just didn't have enough elasticity left in it to hold my guts in.

The second difference is that I feel much more tired with this pregnancy than I did with my first one. Pregnancy is a tiring thing in and of itself, but it's more exhausting when you have to deal with one of these all day long:

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Not that I'm complaining. Ok, well maybe just a little. But as I learned from my last pregnancy, complaining is a pregnant woman's right. Right, Vince?

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Last week, we went in for my first trimester screening where they take blood, medical history, and a whole bunch of measurements on a high-powered ultrasound machine. Much to our surprise, the ultrasound technician was able to tell us what sex the baby was as well.


A girl! We're having a girl! She was very careful to add the disclaimer that since I was so early (11 weeks at the time), there was chance for error, but she seemed confident in her call. To be honest, we really didn't have a preference, but there is something exciting about adding a little girl to our brood. A little girl to dress up in cute outfits. A little girl who will wear pigtails and hairbows and ruffles. A little girl who might dance in a recital while wearing a tutu. A little girl whom Benjamin will look after and protect from bullies at school. A little girl who will enjoy giggling on the phone with her friends into the wee hours. A little girl who will make her parents proud by telling them she's going to the library to study late at night when she's really going to secretly rendezvouz with her 27-year-old boyfriend.

Oh, sh*t.

Benjamin

It's my pleasure to introduce to you Benjamin Vincent Chan, born Saturday, February 23, 2008 at 3:14 a.m., more than two days before his mom's scheduled c-section and eight days before his official due date. He weighed a spritely 5 lbs 15 oz at birth and was 18.5 inches long. Right off the bat, we could tell that he'd inherited his mom's crazy long toes and healthy lungs and his Dad's full head of wavy hair.

I'll write more about his unexpected arrival into this world and very eventful first week of life in a later post. For now, I have to run to tend to the tiny dictator!

Nest-O-Rama

It's Day Four of maternity leave, and the nesting urge has reached fever pitch. I've spent five hours each day re-organizing closets, re-folding baby clothes, and re-arranging nursery furniture. I say "re-" because I already did the organizing, folding, and arranging at least three times before. Oddly enough, even though the little dude in my belly is getting heavier and heavier, I have a seemingly endless amount of energy for performing all my nesting tasks. I'm like a woman possessed. A swollen woman waddling around on cankles.

As I've been busy feathering my nest, Oliver has been getting ready for the baby in his own way. Above, you can see him courting danger by getting up close and personal with the infant swing and practicing his best "neglected pug" pout in front of the Pack 'n' Play.

And because word on the street is that the baby could be here any day now, here's another bump pic for you (accompanied by shots of the hubby bonding with his firstborn).

Pregnancy Top Fives

Now that I'm nearing the end of my pregnancy, I thought I'd take a moment to recap some of its highs and lows. You may remember my promising in the very first post that this blog would contain no bitching or complaining about anything other than knitting or Oliver. I may have to bend the rules a little here, because - as every pregnant woman (and pregnant woman's husband) knows - one of the benefits of being pregnant is having carte blanche to whine without restraint about your pregnancy. So hang on to your britches, 'cause here we go...

Top Five Food Cravings

# 5. Edamame with kosher salt (first trimester)

# 4. Salad (second and third trimesters)
# 3. Clementines, eaten two or three at a time (beginning of third trimester)
# 2. Triscuits with sharp cheddar cheese (third trimester)
# 1. Honey Bunches of Oats Cereal with Vanilla Soy Milk (the whole damn time)

Top Five Size-Related Comments That I Didn't Mind Hearing

# 5. "You're really getting big!" (said while standing in front of me looking at my belly)
# 4. "You look like you're due any day now!"
# 3. "You look like you have a basketball in there!"

# 2. "It's so pointy!"
# 1. "You're beautiful." (said by my husband. We'll forget his previous camel comment. For now.)

Top Five Size-Related Comments That Filled Me with Homicidal Rage

# 5. "You're really getting big!" (said while walking behind me looking at God-knows-what)

# 4. "Your face looks fuller!"

# 3. "Wow, you've gotten bigger... all over!"

# 2. "You're HUGE!" (especially when followed by...)

# 1. "How much weight have you gained so far?"

Top Five Fashion Lifesavers

# 5. Bella Bands
# 4. Cheap clothes from Target and Forever 21, bought in ever-increasing sizes
# 3. Anything black and stretchy (and therefore slimming. Right? Right??)
# 2. Shoes with no buckles, laces, or zippers (because the idea of reaching your feet becomes a joke)
# 1. Cynthia and Tara (from whom I inherited a bounty of maternity clothing. Thanks, ladies!)

Top Five Websites

# 5. Epinions.com

# 4. FitPregnancy.com

# 3. ConsumerReports.org

# 2. Peachhead Group for Families in Los Angeles

# 1. Babycenter.com

Top Five Favorite Things About Pregnancy
# 5. Discussing baby names with my husband.
# 4. Watching my husband channel his inner Martha Stewart while decorating the nursery
# 3. Watching my husband try to talk to the baby
# 2. Seeing my belly move around
# 1. Feeling the baby kick

Top Five Least Pleasant Things About Pregnancy
# 5. The first trimester.

# 4. Being gripped with fear every time I sneezed and coughed in the last trimester.

I'm just going to stop there. You don't want to hear the rest. Trust me.

Nesting mode has kicked in 1000% percent. Despite my increasingly more uncomfortable hugeness, I spent a good chunk of this weekend cleaning, cooking, baking, knitting, and running errands. Today alone I hit Target, Ralphs, and Costco, did laundry, organized three closets, mopped the kitchen floor, and baked one red velvet cake. From scratch. Knitting was on hold for the day because even my damn fingers have begun retaining water.

Speaking of knitting, I'm in a race against the clock to complete two baby projects before the big day - a Sheldon (yes, another one) and an entrelac blanket. There they are, above, hanging out at the Friday Knitting Group. Unfortunately, Lisa forgot her knitting that day. Not sure why she looked so darn happy about it, though. To make up for her lack of knitting, Jocelyn taught knitting newbie Patricia the ropes. Or the yarn, as it were. Har dee har har!

Ups and Downs

It's a fact of life: A woman's size increases in inverse proportion to the amount of time remaining before her due date. What also increases is how frumpy, lumpy, and dumpy she feels. After taking the latest belly picture, above, I asked hubby in my most beseeching tone, "Am I really huge, sweetie?" Never one to lie, this was his response:

To his credit, he does tell me on a regular basis how much he adores my pregnant hugeness, and you know what? I actually believe that he means it! I guess this is the "thick" part of "through thick and thin." I'll take what I can get in the way of compliments, though, because it seems that the only thing that's shrinking is my self-esteem. Most of my pre-preg wardrobe has been banished to another room where it can't taunt me. On the brighter side, a stranger in a coffee shop told me that I reminded him of Juno. When I returned his comment with a blank stare, he said, "You know, Juno - the sixteen-year-old girl in that movie who gets pregnant?" Man, that just about made my week! I may look huge, swollen, and ungainly, but at least I look like a huge, swollen, and ungainly TEENAGER! I waddled all the way out of the coffee shop with a big, ol' grin on my face.

Yet another thing that's increasing is the amount of baby-related crap I've amassed - itty bitty outfits for the baby to be, maternity clothes for me in ever-increasing sizes, and books. LOTS of books. Check out my current library of baby wisdom (the book on the right is not mine). I've managed to read through most of this stuff already, and I'm hoping that the rest of it I'll learn by osmosis, because I'm in the midst of a knitting frenzy. Over the weekend, I finished hat #2 for Junior. If Vince is really good (and if my fingers stay unswollen long enough), he may just get a matching one!

The Home Stretch

I'm officially in my third trimester now. The one in which, according to various pregnancy books and websites, I get "itchy, bitchy, and huge." These three winning pregnancy traits were spread out over all three trimesters for me. I became bitchy in my first trimester. I started itching in my second trimester. And now, I'm getting huge. If I had any doubt about my huge-ness, it was erased by something my hubby said to me last night. After searching fruitlessly in my closet for a T-shirt that would still fit me, I decided to wear one of Vince's. As I emerged from his closet in an old raglan tee, he noticed that even though there was a discernible bump beneath it, it was still somewhat baggy on me. His eyes got all big and buggy, and he whined, "Oh, my God, I'm not that big, am I?"

Careful there, buddy. Careful.

20 Down, 20 to Go

Yesterday marked the end of the first half of my pregnancy. Hip hip hooray! Above, you can see evidence of my burgeoning zaftig-ness. I think most of it can be attributed to the wee Chan, but I'll be honest - some of it might be all of the celebratory eating we've been doing. We're pregnant! Let's eat! We closed escrow on the new place! Let's eat! We closed escrow on the old place! Let's eat! We're done with the first trimester! Let's eat! It's a boy! Let's eat! In fact, to celebrate the halfway point of our pregnancy, guess what we did? That's right, we treated ourselves to a gluttonous feast at Chicago for Ribs. Good thing I took that 20-week picture before dinner.
..I marked the halfway point in my own way by starting a Sheldon for Vince Jr. Oliver seemed to sense that this was a special turtle. As you may recall, the pug has exhibited turtle-cidal behavior in the past, but he left this one in peace. Perhaps it's because Vince made me promise to knit him a turtle of his own.

This morning, we got a chance to say "hi" to Vince Jr. at my Level II Ultrasound, AKA Structure Check. I'd been feeling him move around since my 14th week, but man, was he a squirmy little bugger while the doc was trying to get a look at him! I'm surprised he was able to get any measurements at all. According to Babycenter.com, he's about 10 inches and 10.5 oz now, but he feels much bigger when he kicks me sometimes. I want to tell him to calm down, but I'm so rotund now, I can't get my mouth close enough to my belly to do so. I just end up looking like a crazy person. Instead, I have Vince do it. Somehow, when a man talks to his wife's pregnant belly, it looks cute rather than crazy.
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