Baby Shower

It's quarter-end, and I have a ton of deadlines to meet, but my 2pm meeting got pushed to 4pm today, so I finally have some time to blog about the baby shower SW hosted for me this past Saturday...

The event was kept pretty small. We only had about a dozen girls (some with their kids) gathered on the 2nd floor of the Pio Pio Restaurant in Queens. SW had a couple of games planned, one where each guest had to guess the flavor of baby food just by looking at the container, and gift Bingo, played towards the end while I was opening up presents. My favorite was the diaper game, where people got into groups of three and had to dress someone up in a diaper made out of toilet tissue. We took pictures of the three victims... umm, I mean models, but those pictures shall be saved and shown only for a worthy cause.

This baby is so lucky to have so many aunties and uncles loving her already, showering her with many great gifts and books! Saturday was a great reminder on how blessed I am to have so many wonderful friends around me! I also walked away from the shower with two diaper cakes, both beautifully made as can be seen below.

Hopefully everyone had as good of a time as I did at the shower. Thanks again to SW for organizing and planning this event!

So Darn Cute

My nephew, AM, has reverted back to calling me Doo Doo once again. Even though he is able to say Goo Goo, and as much as we try to correct him, I am still known as Doo Doo. Sigh... the child is so darn cute he can call me whatever he wants.

Maybe it's the start of a new school that has attributed to his development, but I've noticed AM is a lot more independent and talkative now, running around on his own, not afraid to interact with other people. One of his favorite phrases is "You funny," except instead of funny, the word "bunny" comes out. So he'd tell my sister-in-law, "Mom, you bunny," or "Doo Doo bunny" when we're laughing... or sometimes he'd say it even when we're not.

The competitive side of AM has also started coming out. We'd be walking to the parked car, and all of a sudden, he'd run ahead to get there first, telling the rest of us when we caught up to him, "I beat you." What I found funny was when we were eating dinner together, everyone had finished eating before him, so he says "Mom beat me" and "Dad beat me." My brother commented that it could sound pretty bad if he said it in school and it was taken out of context; the next thing you know, social services would be knocking on their door.

Our Babymoon

The rest of our trip to Baltimore and the Outer Banks was okay... nothing too exciting, but it was nice to get away for a couple of days. Now it's back to the grind (at least for me). M is off this week as well, and right now out apple-picking with his mom (she's staying with us for a couple of days). Lucky them.

We visited the Alligator River National Wildlife Refuge in Manteo in hopes of seeing some animals, but had no such luck. The first time we took the drive there, it was in the mid-morning. We didn't have any maps with us and didn't know where to go, but eventually we found some park rangers to ask, and they told us that the best time to go would be in the early morning or at dusk, since that's when the animals tend to come out. The next day, we decided to make another trip there before sundown (and it's not exactly a quick drive, being about 40 minutes away from Kitty Hawk, the town we were staying at). We drove about 20 miles on a bumpy, unpaved, rock-filled road going at 15 miles an hour, only to be disappointed once again. No bears and no alligators (despite the name of the refuge). The only thing we took away with us was a dirty car. But at least we gave it a try. We'll have to save our wildlife sighting for a trip to Kruger National Park in South Africa one of these years.

No trip is complete without a game of miniature golf, so M and I had our friendly competition at the Mutiny Bay Adventure Golf in Nags Head (only it was way overpriced and didn't have too much adventure in it). As expected, the better player won - despite being seven months pregnant with all sorts of body aches; I was in a kind mood so I did not take full advantage of my bragging rights :). Afterwards, we stopped by the Dairy Queen for some ice cream and challenged each other to an arcade game of Ms. Pac Man (surprisingly, it was still only 25 cents a game!). Again, the better player won... hehehe. And I usually suck at stuff like this too! Maybe it's the baby giving me luck.

We made the long drive home Thursday morning. It took us about 7.5 hours in total, not to mention close to $20 in tolls. I'd probably be more inclined to go again if I was more of a beach person, but since I'm not, this one trip during the non-peak season was enough. At least it's one more location to check off on my list of domestic travels.

Baltimore, MD

The first day of our babymoon... M and I are in Baltimore. It took us about three hours to get here, which wasn't bad considering we took all non-toll roads (thanks to google maps, we didn't get lost... I am never going back to mapquest again!). We checked into the Baltimore Marriott Inner Harbor At Camden Yards and spent the rest of the day walking around, going to the Lexington Market, the Walters Art Museum, and exploring the Inner Harbor. Some parts of town were pretty shady, especially around Lexington Market. I definitely wouldn't want to be wandering around there at night!

While walking towards the Inner Harbor, we saw signs to the National Aquarium (which we were planning to visit tomorrow), and it was only then that I realized I forgot to bring the tickets we had pre-purchased. Eghh... that means another $40 down the drain. I can't believe I forgot the tickets! I am usually pretty good at remembering stuff like that. I'll have to see if I can get a refund for those tickets when we get back. Man! In addition to clumsiness, I must add losing brain cells as a symptom of pregnancy. It then also occurred to me that I forgot to bring the camera charger, which means now we have to conserve our battery power and hope it doesn't die until the end of the vacation.

The agenda for tomorrow... visit the National Aquarium, maybe go see Babe Ruth's Birthplace, the Sports Legends Museum, and the B&O Railroad Museum, and walk around Fell's Point. The weather is supposed to be 95 degrees and humid, so hope we can survive the heat.

Finding a Pediatrician

As I am down to the final months of pregnancy, I've come to the realization that I need to find a pediatrician for my baby (required information in the pile of paperwork I need to fill out and mail back to the hospital). I started doing some research on how to go about choosing a pediatrician. Here are some tidbits in case any of you readers are wondering (this list is by no means all-inclusive):

• Ask around for a recommendation (though in our case, that's a bit difficult seeing how most of our friends with kids are still in NY).
• Somewhat obvious, but make sure the doctor accepts your insurance plan.
• The doctor should have admitting privileges to the hospital you're delivering at (not mandatory, but would make life easier). That way, they can evaluate the baby at the hospital once you've given birth.
• Do a background check on the doctor (i.e., credentials, certifications, medical school, years of medical practice, etc), including any disciplinary actions or malpractice settlements.
• Make sure the doctor's office is conveniently located close to home with flexible office hours (which is why I am leaning towards a practice with a network of doctors rather than one pediatrician working alone).
• Visit the office. Things to look for: Is it clean? Is there a separate waiting area for sick vs. healthy kids? Is the staff friendly, accommodating, and competent? Do you feel comfortable in the office?
• Interview the doctor (have a list of questions ready). Is the doctor warm and patient? Does he/she listen to your concerns? What is his/her position on vaccinations and prescribing antibiotics? Do you feel rushed by the doctor?
• Find out how after-hour calls and/or emergencies are dealt with.

I made an appointment for an office tour with one of the places I called up. Hopefully this one will work out so I can cross this item off my list of to dos (although I don't like not having anything to compare it against). But then again, my criteria for a pediatrician with admitting privileges at the hospital I'm delivering at, who accepts my insurance, belongs to a group practice, and is close to home are somewhat limited. The other practice that meets my requirements charges $77 for a consult with the doctor (not covered by insurance), so I passed on that one for now. I feel like this overall process is so complicated... so many worries and concerns to consider. Or am I making this a bigger deal than it ought to be? I suppose I can always change doctors if I don't like the one we choose. I'd just rather get it right the first time.

Tube Time

Now that the Olympics and the US Open are over (and it's too depressing watching the Yankees play b/c they suck and they're not going to be able to make it to the playoffs this year), it's been a struggle finding something good to watch on TV, especially since the primetime shows haven't started yet. I can't wait until September 25, when Grey's Anatomy will air its 2-hour season premiere. I caught bits and pieces of the promo last night, and just that 30-second clip alone captured my undivided attention.

In the meantime, I've been keeping myself partially entertained by watching reruns of chick flicks on FX and TBS, or "Family Feud" and "Who Wants To Be A Millionaire" on the game show network. I also catch "Wipeout" every now and then, a silly reality show on ABC where contestants of all ages and sizes go through various obstacle courses involving a lot of water and mud to win $50,000.

One thing I find odd is my sudden loss of interest in "Law and Order" (used to be one of my favorites), which is unfortunate b/c the show is always on. Maybe it's the maternal instinct in me wanting to shield my baby from all the violence in the world, but I have no desire to watch that show (whether it's the original, Special Victims Unit, or Criminal Intent) anymore. But despite being a TV junkie, I do attempt to stay productive when I'm in front of the tube, like reading up on all those child care books I borrowed from the library (operative word here being attempt...).

Preparing For Our Little One

M and I attended a lamaze/ childbirth class this past Saturday at Saint Peter's University Hospital. I found it pretty helpful (the problem is retaining all that information in my brain for the next two months). It's always good to have an instructor who's engaging, experienced, and knowledgeable. Granted, we started late and ended early, so part of me feels like we didn't quite get our money's worth, but in all honesty, how much more information would I have been able to digest had we stayed the extra hour?

Part of the class included a tour to the maternity unit, so we'd know where to go and what to expect when we go into labor. We saw a newborn (the baby was literally just born!) being brought into the newborn nursery for a check-up and measurements. I can't believe that's going to be us in a mere few months! I got emotional just being there, envisioning my child being placed under the heat lamp while M holds a clipboard and takes down random pieces of information from the nurse. Pray that everything will go smoothly when it's my turn...

We've made some progress on the baby's nursery, and although it still looks bare, it isn't quite as empty as it had been a few weeks ago. The bookshelf we got from Ikea is now in there, serving temporarily as a storage location for some baby gifts we'd gotten from friends. The bassinet and bouncer have also been placed in the nursery. It'll look more full once we get the crib in there, which we just picked up from M's sister yesterday. Unfortunately, we didn't get home until late last night, so it remains unassembled in the car right now. Hopefully M will get around to putting it together tonight.

On a happy note, I called up the doctor this morning to ask about my glucose tolerance test. The nurse informed me that I passed with flying colors! WOOHOO! What a relief!

Djokovic vs. Roddick

I've been following the US Open on and off, catching some of the good matches on USA (or CBS, if it's over the weekend). Last night's match between Novak Djokovic and Andy Roddick was one I am glad I did not miss. First, let me just say that I am not a fan of Roddick. I find him extremely conceited, just from what I've seen on the court and how he comes across in interviews. Prior to the game, he made some jokes about Djokovic's many injuries that were uncalled for; I wanted him to lose despite my normal tendency to root for the American. And as it turns out, he did. Djokovic finished him off in four sets (6-2, 6-3, 3-6, 7-6), and during the on-court interview afterwards, commented on Roddick's digs at him about having 16 injuries. The audience booed at him, but his response was "they're already against me b/c they think I'm faking everything." Throughout the match, it was obvious that Roddick had more fans in the crowd than Djokovic did. I felt bad for Djokovic, but maybe that's what gave him the ammunition to fight even harder for the victory. In any event, I'm happy he triumphed at the end. Hopefully he can have a repeat performance against Roger Federer in the semi-finals. That'll be another good game to watch. Federer is an excellent player, but he's no longer invincible as he had been a couple of years ago.

Sugar!

Last week, I got a call from the doctor's office informing me that I failed my initial glucose screening test, and would have to spend three hours at Quest Diagnostics to do it over. So I made the appointment and went this morning. Eghh... it was nasty chugging down those 10 ounces of sugar water. The lemon-lime flavor wasn't any better than the orange I got last time... I still felt nauseous afterwards, but fortunately it subsided in time. The empty stomach didn't help either (had to fast for this test), so the little one inside me was doing somersaults the full three hours I was there. At least the phlebotomist was competent and able to find my veins fairly easily each time, except during the final blood draw when she had to move the needle around (yes, ouch! but I've had worse). Now I have four dried blood spots on my arm that remain as evidence. Hopefully the results will indicate that I do not have gestational diabetes. I'm just a little concerned b/c I failed the initial test by more than a few points... not sure if that's any indication of how this one will come out. I had such a candy craving this past weekend too, but resisted getting anything. I could live without candy for the next few months (contrary to popular belief), but if I have to start monitoring what I eat and cut down on the fruit intake, that's going to be difficult.