20 Weeks

Here is my bump at 20 weeks! Its kind of like my stomach just "popped" the past 2 weeks and all of a sudden I actually look pregnant. I can't believe I'm half way through pregnancy already! I decided it's really nice having a baby due in February for a few reasons. It won't be really hot (like its been the past week here in San Diego) when I am really huge. A lot of pregnant ladies I know have been telling me how miserable it is to be hot in the 3rd trimester. Obviously the weather doesn't change much in San Diego, but it is still a lot cooler in February. I also get to be distracted by Thanksgiving and Christmas and a bunch of other things like weddings and showers during the coming months. Then before I know it, it will be time for our cute little guy to arrive. I love that I can call him HIM now!


Here are some Pros and Cons of being 20 weeks pregnant...

Pros

• I finally look like I have a real baby (and not just a food baby) in my stomach! I had 2 people who didn't know I was pregnant ask me if I was expecting this past week. That can be a risky question unless you're quite certain someone is pregnant. So I assume it is pretty obvious now.
• I know that we are having a BOY! And I can't stop getting excited about everything that entails. I can now start all the fun stuff like planning, crafting, and nesting.
• For the most part I am feeling great! I haven't been sick at all since 12 weeks and I am not too huge that it's uncomfortable yet. I am loving the 2nd trimester while it's here!

Cons

• I feel great during the day, but have a horrible time getting to sleep! I wake up at least 3 times each night to go to the bathroom and then another million times because I've rolled onto my back and my legs have fallen asleep. I can't seem to get used to sleeping on my side all night. During the ultrasound this past week they saw the baby's head was resting down near my bladder. I'm sure the baby moves around a lot but that seems to be his favorite spot. Hence the bathroom trips. It feels like I am constantly tossing and turning all night. I've tried all the pillow tricks and the usual things like tiring myself out with exercise during the day. But no matter how exhausted I am it doesn't work! I think it also might have something to do with the fact its been boiling hot outside and we don't have AC during the night. Hopefully this is just an adjustment phase. Why do people keep telling me to get all the sleep I can now? Have they ever been pregnant?
• Hmm... I can't think of any other cons. I have mostly loved being pregnant so far. I am so lucky my baby is healthy and I haven't been very sick!

I am SOO excited to meet my little boy in a few months!

It's a...

BOY!!!


Nate and I went to the ultrasound this morning and saw our little BOY moving around! We got to watch him for about and hour and everything looks perfect!

I am totally in love.

He is already such a cute little baby. He cooperated very well and let the tech take all the pictures she needed. It was so fun to watch him move! He kept stretching out and trying to reach down to his feet. So cute! We are grateful everything looks healthy. So exciting! Thank you all for your love and support!

My Job...

When I say I majored in food science in college I usually get several typical responses. People ask me if its the same thing as dietetics (no), some people think I got a degree in cooking (no), and others think I'm trying to say I majored in nutrition in a fancy way.

Food science uses disciplines such as chemistry, microbiology, and engineering to study the nature of food, the development of food products, the preservation and storage of food, and the assurance of food safety and quality. Most food scientists work in product development, quality assurance, sensory evaulation, or technical consulting positions. If you think about it every product you buy at the grocery store had to be developed, packaged, and produced by someone.

I orginally decided to major in food science because it was a major that encompassed all the chemistry, physics, and microbiology prerequistes I needed for pharmacy school. But it turned out to the perfect major for me! I love cooking and I love science - so food science is my too loves of learning combined.

I don't think I ever posted about what I actually do at my job, so I thought I would since its what I do everyday. I work for company called NatureGen as well as its sister company Neuliven Health. I've worked here for about a year now and have 2 main jobs - managing the operations and developing products.

NatureGen is a company that supplies raw ingrediends (like chondroitin sulfate, glucosamine, green tea, stevia, etc.) to dietary supplement manufacturers. My job managing the operations is to make sure our products, which we buy from China, make it across the ocean, through customs, and to our customers. It sounds simple but really most of this part of my job feels like I'm constantly detangling some huge logistical nightmare. Customs clearance is crazy and there are always weird things happening like shipments arriving damaged and nobody taking the blame. My job is basically sorting out all this stuff and making sure our customers get the material on time. It can be stressful and crazy but sometimes fulfilling because its like solving a huge puzzle.

Neuliven Health is a company that develops and sells dietary supplements. I get to work on developing the products and am the only food scientist on staff. I currently get to play with developing candy and gummies in the lab. Its also fun because we are currently looking for a candy factory to manufacturer our supplemented gummy and I get to search out and tour all the candy factorys. Its exciting and I like feeling like a "real" food scientist.

Anyway thats what I do at work if you were wondering...

But in a few months I'll have the best job of all ;)

Old Wives Tales

Confession: I am not one of those women who would be ok with being surprised by the gender of her baby.

I enjoy a good surprise and spontaneity every now and then but lets be honest - I also have a compulsive, planning, organization streak.

The suspense waiting to find out is killing me! I keep getting excited about planning things like crib bedding, baby names, baby crafts, etc. - but in order to seriously endeavor in any of these things, I want to know if its a boy or girl. Several people in my parents generation have commented like its some tragedy that I'm finding out what the baby is before its born. They say that waiting until its born and having either a boy or girl pop out is the greatest surprise of all and "better than 1,000 Christmases"... That very well could be true, but I plan on taking full advantage of modern technology. Part of me is glad I am forced to wait till 20 weeks because it is a great thing to look forward too.

But in the mean time I thought I would test a few old wives' tales for kicks...

1. Chinese Prediction Chart

The Test: Match when the seed was planted with the mother's age.

Result: Boy (TMI?)

2. Cravings

The test: Craving sweets like chocolate? Then a sweet little girl is headed your way. However, if sour and salty things like citrus and pickles are your thing, then a boy is on the way.

Result: Girl (I can't imagine a time when I would ever want pickles over chocolate.)

3. Acne

The Test: Take a a good look in the mirror. Zitty teen complexion, girl. Soft and smooth without a blemish, boy.

Result: Boy (Thank you baby for better skin!)

4. Pillow

The Test: If your pillow faces north when you sleep you can expect a boy. South and a girl is on the way.

Result: Inconclusive. (Riddle me this old wives - What if your pillow faces East? What side of the pillow are they talking about?)

5. Heart Rate

The Test: If the baby's heart rate is faster than 140 beats per minute, then you are sure to have a girl. If the average heart rate is below 140 beats per minute, it is said to be a boy.

Result: Girl (Babies heart rate was 160 at 9 weeks.)

Final Result: Inconclusive. And old wives' tales are ridiculous. My maternal instincts tell me its a boy. But according to that poll I put up last week most people think girl!

We will see next week!

Boy or Girl?

So my friend Sydnie and I are both pregnant and due within 4 days of each other. Its fun to have a prego buddy because we reach certain milestones at the same time. We both find out if we're having boys or girls in 2 weeks. She just posted a poll on her blog for people to vote about what she's having - and I am copying her!

Happy Voting --->

Candy Holidays

Around Easter I start getting excited about these....




And around Halloween I start getting excited about these...


Last night Nate and I went to target to buy me a body pillow (because I get unhappy when I keep waking up from my legs falling asleep because I roll onto my back) and it made my night that these delicious pumpkins are back on the shelves! Of course I bought a bag...


And Mellowcreme Pumpkins on the shelf means Christmas is right around the corner!

And around Christmas I start getting excited about these...


Because everyone knows Santa always brings a 2lb box of See's Candy!...

Book Worm..

Lately I have been a huge book worm for baby books. I got a lot of book recommendations from my sister-in-laws and I highly recommend the ones I've read so far! I have learned so much that I didn't know before.

It makes me feel more ready to have a baby!

This was the first book I read and it was AWESOME. It had such good advice and so many tips. Also it was an easy read because he lays everything our so clearly with fun stories and examples. It am really excited to use what I've learned in this book for the first couple months of our baby's life.

Who doesn't get this book when they're pregnant? It really does answer every question you could have! The chapters are by month and I have been reading as my pregnancy progresses. I love learning about what is going on with my body as well as the development of the baby.

This book is great! It really does help you understand how important healthy sleep habits are for babies and kids. It gives more of an academic approach to napping and successful sleep routines. It was a little dry at times but definitely addresses every sleep problem you can imagine! I would recommend the happiest baby on the block over this book, especially for the first couple months. But it is great at addressing sleep habits and patterns as kids get older.


I decided to get this book because the happiest baby on the block was so good! I really like his ideas for preventing tantrums and making your toddler feel like an all-star. I highly recommend it! I will probably have to revisit it a year from now when I'm actually approaching toddlerhood, but it was a fun read!



And this is the next book I'm going to read. I'll let you know how it goes!