Week 24

Just entered my 3rd trimester this weekend. It was a very stressful week and weekend as our company's annual conference was on Friday. I was exhuasted by Sunday morning -- I felt like I had worked out. When I got home, I just wanted to lay in bed and read. Didn't even want to go see the new Harry Potter movie.



Here's a photo of my big belly...

I'm feeling extremely uncomfortable today. My belly feels like it's going to explode and my ass hurts like hell. I know I know... TMI but this constipation thing is really doing a number on me.

Also, during my check up yesterday, I found out that our baby is growing too big too fast. The Dr. is concern that I might have gestational diabetes so instead of waiting to take the glucose screening test in 4 weeks, I'm taking it next week. I also found out that drinking juice and too much fruits is not a good thing. The juice especially contains high sugar. I have to cut down my carb. intake as well. Can't go crazy with the rice and noodles. That's hard for Asians! Good thing I switched to Brown rice at home. Apparently you don't want your baby to be too big or you won't be able to deliver naturally.

Can't say that I'm looking forward to the 3rd trimester...3 months counting down...

Baby Car Seat & Stroller

We've been getting some great advice from our friends and co-workers who have already gone through this song and dance of trying to figure out what type of cribs or baby car seats or strollers to get. The wife of one of Paul's co-workers was even kind enough to email us the pros and cons of getting car seats and strollers, plus her recommendation on good strollers.

Here's basically what she said -- The big stroller/car seat combo was quickly a huge pain and if she was to do over, she would get an infant car seat (not the cheap kind but not the super expensive kind -- something with a good carry-handle) and a car-seat stroller frame.

Then when the baby out-grows the infant car-seat, get a really really good umbrella-style, ultra-light stroller.

She says that if we do decide on a car-seat/stroller “travel system,” buy according to stroller weight, not anything else. We do not want to be hauling a 30lb stroller out of our car for the next four years. According to her, the stroller part of all of this is FAR more important than anything else. Of all the things worth spending money on that you will buy for your child, this one is worth the extra cash. It all makes sense to us.

Here’s what she would buy now, exactly:
Car seat and stroller frame ($139 for both): http://www.amazon.com/Graco-SnugRide-5pt-Infant-Seat/dp/B000E0P21I/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1/103-1847518-7163843?ie=UTF8&s=baby-products&qid=1178559461&sr=8-1

Then for a stroller, one of these ($159): http://www.amazon.com/Zooper-Twist-Lightweight-Umbrella-Stroller/dp/B000CR1UDM/ref=pd_bbs_sr_11/103-1847518-7163843?ie=UTF8&s=baby-products&qid=1178560553&sr=8-11(They have a clearance on last year’s models, which go down in price to $90).
Or ($119): http://www.strollers.com/Bebelove-433BL-YU1033.html (colors are BRIGHT, if you mind that sort of thing, but they have a movable sun-shade, which is really nice)
Or ($119): http://www.strollers.com/Inglesina-1775-ANM-IZ1218.html (pretty, and sturdy)

Paul likes to make sure I am able to fold and unfold the strollers on my own and I can handle the weight. The first trip we made to Baby 'R Us, we tried a bunch of car-seat/stroller travel system combos and I have to admit, after awhile, it gets a little tiring...especially if the stroller themselves weigh over 20lbs. With that in mind, we took another trip to Baby 'R Us on Wednesday to check out the stroller frames. They had 2 brands - Baby Trend and Graco. They were both lighter to carry and very easy to fold. I liked them much better than the travel system combos. Out of the 2, I found the Baby Trend one much easier to fold.

So there's what we ended up getting:
The Snap-N-Go Stroller - $49.99 (http://www.babytrend.com/pro_strollers_snap-n-go.php)
Graco Infant Safe Seat - $129.99 (http://www.toysrus.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2452267&cp=2255983.2256187.2256195&parentPage=family)

I guess the real test will be when we actually use it. :) We won't need to think about the umbrella stroller for another 9 months...

Week 22

We recently switched OB/GYN over to A Women's Clinic at Evergreen Medical Center. We love our new doctor and the new practice. Dr. Partida is fantastic and straight-forward. The staff seems really warm. It was definitely a nice change and less clinical. The best part is they are right in the hospital, next to the birthing center.

So as it turns out my due date is back to November 5th instead of October 31st. We're kinda bummed about not having a Halloween baby but oh well.

I also started prenatal yoga a week ago and it's been going great. It's been helping with my back pain and really stretches my stiff body. I only paid for 6 weeks of class but I think I'm going to continue with it throughout the rest of the pregnancy.