We’re having a boy!! We’ve just been introduced to Marco Amadeus Dickson:

Christmas Eve we visited with the Gomers and exchanged gifts. Belle crawled up to me and gave me a hug and that made my day. Afterwards, we drove to San Jose to visit with my family. My uncles were all a little tipsy by night’s end, resulting in interesting conversations!! Lots of conversations about the baby, of course. Much advice given against our desire to have just 1 child, which shall most likely be ignored. But, it was great to see my family and lots of yummy snacks! I got a gift card to Macy’s from my mum, and a book for the baby!

Christmas Day we slept in a little, and exchanged gifts. Stabler was SO excited with his new toy mouse! It makes a realistic mouse noise just by tapping it, and he was chasing it all around the house. He still hasn’t left it alone! Luckily, the noise isn’t annoying. Chloe was happy with her doggy treats, and less than enthusiastic about her PetiCure grooming tool. Timmy suprised me with a Bose Wave system for my record player, complete with an iPod docking station! I can’t wait to get it all set up. His mom sent us a surprise gift, a Flip Video HD camera! It takes 120 minutes of video, perfect for fun videos of the baby. I gave Tim his Nikon Coolpix, as well as a nice leather camera case. He also got a few surprises in his stocking, including a copy of Oregon Trail!!

I had to whip up some bruschetta to take to Christmas dinner at his Dad’s house, and even though tomatoes are no longer it season I managed to make a tasty appetizer, complete with fresh baguettes from Bouchon Bakery. Things got derailed when I failed to eat enough breakfast before taking my prenatal vitamin, which resulted in me leaning over the sink, expelling everything. We had a nice, relaxing time at his parent’s house, and received some fun gifts. I got the black suede gloves from Nordstrom that I’d asked for, as well as the calendar. I ate way too much food, but it was hard to stop snacking!!

After work on Saturday morning, I came home and Tim and I took naps and lazed around a bit. He finished putting up all the doors, and then we went to dinner at Siena, at the Meritage Resort here in Napa. The food was good, but not great. I probably wouldn’t go back, because there are much more fantastic places to eat at here, and some are a little less expensive. We’d had a $50 dining cheque from OpenTable.com, so it was almost completely paid for. I love opentable! I use them all the time to make free dinner reservations. I get points for each reservation, which I then turn in for dining cheques that I can use at any restaurant listed with them.

Here are a few pics taken with Tim’s new camera, after dinner:

How far along? 17 weeks, 4 days

Total weight gain/loss: +2 lbs

Maternity clothes? No, but a few of my pants are hard to button. I’ve used the Bella Band a few times.

Stretch marks? no

Sleep: iffy

Best moment this week: A few lovely christmas gifts for the baby.

Movement: I’ve been feeling a bit of it, I think. Kind of like bubbles.

Food cravings: nothing

Gender: We’ll know on Thursday, I hope!

Labor Signs: n/a

Belly Button in or out? in

What I miss: My high-waisted pencil skirts!

What I am looking forward to: finding out the sex of our baby on Thursday, and our trip to Los Cabos in two weeks!!

Weekly Wisdom: Apples are good snacks, but so is peppermint bark.

Milestones: movement, and the tummy has popped out.

Here’s a few websites I highly recommend you check out:

http://www.hairbyadrian.com/
Adrian is a fantastic hair stylist. She’s done countless weddings and photoshoots, and will help you create a fun and fabulous look.

http://www.icanhascheezburger.com/
I check it everyday, because it gives me giggles. Of course, I always post a lolcat or two during the week, but there are about four or five new lolz everyday.

http://www.terrenetech.com/

http://www.aperturemichelled.com/
Okay, okay, shameless self-promotion!! I’m getting restless and would love a little bit of work.

Today I had lunch with my boss and co-worker from the insurance company. We went to Bistro Don Giovanni. I love their food! I got the linguini con vangole, but without the clams of course. It was a lovely lunch, and afterwards we exchanged gifts. Later, I took a small nap and finished wrapping presents. Our tree looks so nice and full with all the presents! That is one thing I don’t like about the end of the holidays; the tree looks lonely without packages, boxes and bags!

Timmy is out running secret Christmas errands…for me!! I love presents. I know its not kosher to say that, but I really do! I love giving AND getting things. I always end up spending way too much money on my friends and family, but I love picking out presents for my loved ones. Then, it adds to the fun to get presents too.

My Christmas present from Tim is a record player. I can’t wait for it to arrive! I have just two vinyls right now, but I am hoping that I can lay my hands on the records my mom and I had when I was a kid. I bought Tim a new digital camera, a Nikon Coolpix S620. Don’t worry, Tim and I always tell each other what our main gifts are. He doesn’t know whats in his stocking, or the other small gift I have for him. Our vacation next month is our main gift to each other. I CAN’T WAIT!! I’m going to have a tan in January, lol.

Yesterday I wrote letters to children from ‘Santa’. A local organization collects the letters to Santa from the post office and mails replies back to the kids. I was asked to help with a stack of letters. Some of the letters were funny, some were demanding, and one letter stuck out as being very sweet. A girl wrote to Santa to ask that he “be nice to my teachers, because I like them. Even Mrs. Graham, who isn’t very nice. Maybe you could make her nice for Christmas?” The same girl also asked that her new friend, Jeanie, be given especial care, as she had just moved there and she wanted Jean to be happy in the new town. What a sweet letter! She didn’t even ask for anything specific for herself.

Another girl asked for “a microphone, guitar and drumset, please. Also, a globe so I can find where my cousin lives”. I hope she starts an awesome band.

I liked coming up with fun things to write back to the kids; most of them asked how the reindeer fly, and if Santa had eaten enough cookies and hot cocoa. One girl asked if Santa was well-rested, and if Mrs. Claus ever yelled at him. A boy asked if Santa could tell him exactly how many elves he had, and “Do you like playing Nintendo Wii? I have been good, so please send me a Wii because I’ve never had one for Christmas before.”

I can’t wait until our kid is old enough to start writing letters to Santa. I am going to make someone I know write replies back to him/her every year.

Here are some Christmas kitties to get you in the holiday spirit:

How far along? 16 weeks, 3 days

Total weight gain/loss: -1 lb

Maternity clothes? no

Stretch marks? no

Sleep: ehhhh

Best moment this week: my little bump is finally showing

Movement: i don’t think so, but it did feel a little odd yesterday

Food cravings: same as always

Gender: we don’t know yet, less than two weeks to go!

Labor Signs: n/a

Belly Button in or out? in

What I miss: my flat stomach, LOL

What I am looking forward to: Christmas and finding out the sex of the baby

Weekly Wisdom: HUSBANDS ARE WEIRD. Trust me.

Milestones: played music to the tummy. First song: “Tomorrow Never Knows” by The Beatles

I am a pseudo-vegetarian. I eat chicken, but I do not eat beef, pork, fish or any other poultry. However, I have found that I still enjoy just as much food as I did before I became a veggie (2 years and 2 months now!). I admit, occasionally there is a mouth-watering vision of the pepper-mushroom steak from PJ Steak (R.I.P) in Yountville; but I can bypass the hamburgers and the bacon without so much as a sniff.

Here’s a look at my typical menu:

Breakfast
small bowl of Special K with non-fat or soy milk
OR
2 slices whole-wheat toast w/ I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter! & 1 Odwalla C Monster
OR
granola bar & lemon tea w/ 2 sugar cubes

Lunch
1 Lean Cuisine (they have a good variety)
OR
veggie sandwich: avocado, red onion, lettuce, tomato and mustard with pepper-jack cheese
OR
salad with some type of light vinaigrette
a piece of fruit, usually an apple
whole-grain Goldfish crackers
water water water!!

Dinner
This changes a lot more, because its a meal I eat with Tim everyday. We love pizza, roast chicken, pasta, soups and sandwiches. Occasionally we’ll have Chinese food, but I try to resist the temptation of all that grease.

I do eat a fair share of junk food, like candy and french fries, but I try to balance it out as much as possible. I don’t drink soda, so I have plenty of sparkling water and juice around. I always have several types of fruit, like tomatoes, apples, pears, oranges, raspberries, strawberries and grapes. I love carrots, broccoli, snap peas and bell peppers, especially with a little spicy hummus. Moderation is key, in all things (except for books and shoes). I, however, sometimes forget that when going through a pack of Sour Patch Kids like I’m an addict (ok, I am) or when I hear a vanilla cupcake with strawberry buttercream screaming my name.

Now that I am pregnant, I keep expecting these crazy cravings to kick in, or to all of a sudden start eating everything in front of me, plus whatever is on Tim’s plate. But they haven’t, and I find myself eating exactly the same way as I did before. I am happy that I most likely won’t gain more than my personal goal of 25lbs, however it is hard to make sure that I get the extra 300 calories a day the baby needs. I find myself drinking more juice (FYI, the tangerine juice from Trader Joe’s is bomb; no added sugar!) and trying to cram in an extra piece of toast.

How far along? 15 weeks, 2 days

Total weight gain/loss: 0

Maternity clothes? no, but two sweaters I bought last winter are too tight in the chest. damn boobs.

Stretch marks? no

Sleep: it refuses to get any better!

Best moment this week: hearing the baby’s heartbeat on the doppler, even though it did sound more like a whale than a baby.

Movement: I know the baby is moving around like crazy, but I still haven’t felt it yet. Maybe in a few weeks!

Food cravings: salads, Pink Lady apples, Odwalla C Monster