these are photos from the town which Greg proposed to me in; San Sebastian, a northern, Basque region of Spain. We took this trip in June of 2008, and now here we are, in September of 2011, on the day when we get to find out whether we're having a baby boy or a baby girl.

frequently asked question

"Are you going to find out the gender?"

Why yes, in fact we are. In truth I never even considered waiting, and letting it be a surprise. I've always wanted to know, as soon as possible. Though I have been enjoying the mystery up until now, I feel quite ready to find out. There are a few reasons~I'm a Virgo and want things planned, so I'll feel much more secure if I can know the gender and prepare in terms of name selections, clothing, decor, etc. But also, I feel that it will help me bond more with the baby in my belly, from now until February. After awhile, saying 'he/she' gets a big old, and to me feels too vague. That said, I think it's sweet when parents do wait to find out, which is what my parents and their parents had no choice but to do. What an overwhelming feeling in the delivery room! But for me, I'm ready for that overwhelming feeling to occur during an ultrasound, asap.

So, our next doctor's appointment is in a few days! Let's keep our fingers crossed that our baby is in the right position, because I am very ready to find out!!

photos of dwell studio attire, via A Cup of Jo



the half-way mark

hi Megan,
you're 20 weeks pregnant!

Baby's now the size of a cantaloupe!
Baby gulps down several ounces of amniotic fluid every day, both for nutrition and to practice swallowing and digesting. And, these days, those taste buds actually work! Studies show that after birth, babies respond best to tastes they've already had via amniotic fluid. Meaning, think about what you'd like your future child to eat as you prepare your own lunch.

This time, when I got my usual Friday email from thebump.com, I couldn't help but gasp and say 'ohmygod' outloud at least twice. A cantaloupe!! I've officially entered the melon stage. Man, there's no turning back now!! It's official; there is a baby in my belly, it's growing at a rapid rate (especially lately) and will continue to do so until it's the size of a big, big melon: a watermelon. Holy crap. It's very exciting. And very apparent. Unless I'm wearing a loose shirt, that is. But in certain outfits, man is it obvious and people are starting to touch my belly. Which I don't mind. If I know you, go for it. I haven't had the attempt from a stranger yet, though, and I'm sure I wouldn't feel quite as willing.
Anyway, not only is the little guy or gal now the size of a small melon, I am halfway done. Give or take a week or two, depending on when I end up delivering....but in the grand scheme of things, halfway done. Has it gone by fast? Yes and no. We found out June 5th and it's September 24th; that's a long time. February will be here before we know it.

i celebrated my birthday last week. it was a really lovely birthday; sometimes they're best when they're kept simple & spent with near & dear people @ different moments, over good food of course. i feel very spoiled, very fortunate, and very near & dear to other people's hearts which is all i could ask for. i'm now set for fall, with rain boots and a pea coat, maternity leggings, scarves, cardigans. my mom & dad barbequed, my girlfriends and i spent 3 hours over lavash & hummus at Raffi's and my husband took me to the quiet and impressive Cafe Verde. 
Multiple, lovely ways to start my 28th year, and as my husband wrote in my birthday card, "Next year, your birthday morning greeting will include a little one." That's the best gift I could ever ask for!!
(Pretty tablescape via Once Wed)

ow.

On my nightstand, I have four pregnancy related books stacked up, and I alternate between them every night with whatever energy I have to stay up long enough to read. The 4 are 'What to Expect When You're Expecting,' 'What To Expect the First Year,' 'The Girlfriend's Guide to Pregnancy,' and 'Full of Life.' (too lazy to turn those into links). Those last two are written by women, and are a funny, easy read with the theme 'things i wish others had told me when I was pregnant.' Full of Life is written by Nancy O'Dell, that blonde host from one of those celeb shows, Entertainment Weekly or something trashy like that. Anyway, she wrote about leg cramps, in quite a dramatic way. I skimmed through as she talked about all the women in her family getting painful leg cramps during the night that caused screaming and massages from husbands. 'How dramatic,' I thought, and didn't think twice. Well, three nights ago, I experienced my first pregnancy leg cramp and man, it was no joke. The worst 'charlie horse' ever, which woke me from a deep sleep and sent me walking and stretching through the dark house, moaning all the way. You know they only last a few minutes, but it remained pretty tight and swollen and it still hurts. Why does it still hurt?? I want it to go away. Once i eat breakfast (potassium, please!) i'm going on an uphill walk to see if warming and loosening the muscle helps at all. because aside from that concentrated pain, both my legs ache every morning when I wake up, with that feeling of not moving in a long time. this stinks and sleep has hardly been enjoyable for about a week now.
(legs via i am a greedy girl.)

hello, fall.

some have been saying this for a week or so here in LA, but today i finally feel it and it seems official; Fall is near. Fall is by far my favorite season. There's nothing like socks & sweaters after months of flip flops and whatever skirt might be clean at the moment. Plus I love all things resembling, tasting like, and smelling like, pumpkin. I bought Bob's Red Mill whole grain pancake mix last night. I'm thinking of attempting a blend of crushed walnuts and diced banana inside the mix. Sound good? I'll report back.
I want the above leggings, spotted on i am a greedy girl.

cute photo of the day

spotted on: snippet & ink.

hubby and i :)

illustrated by andy virgil, spotted on ban.do

when it comes down to it, Dwell Studio may be a teensy bit too modern for my taste, but i do think that little kid's bed is pretty darn cute

matchy-matchy

cuteness! spotted on Oh Joy!

updates

the second trimester isn't much easier. perhaps because the 1st trimester wasn't that hard-so not much transition need be felt. however, i don't have endless energy like you read about. i can wait longer to eat dinner, and i can run errands after work instead of heading home immediately to nap, but when i crash i crash hard. i hate that feeling of being so physically and mentally tired that all i can do is crawl into bed and hope i fall asleep fast (which, usually i do, even though i'm missing my stomach and back sleep).
the fun part of the second trimester is having an official belly bump that few people question. today an old coworker of mine very politely asked me if i'd swallowed an olive ;) i'm enjoying when people notice and point it out. i know i need to get used to it because it's only the beginning!

hi Megan,
you're 18 weeks pregnant!

Baby's now the size of a sweet potato!
Baby's become amazingly mobile (compared to you, at least), passing the hours yawning, hiccupping, rolling, twisting, kicking, punching, sucking, and swallowing. And baby is finally big enough that you'll soon be able to feel her movements.

a baby, and a belly

our dear friends had a sweet, sweet baby three weeks ago. i love to hold him. we're so happy for them, they're such naturals, you wouldn't think this was their first baby.
and i'm learning a lot, through them ;) It's fun to witness it all. our boy or girl will have a built in best friend with this little guy.
then, there's my 'myspace' belly shot ;) I took this before meeting friends for sunday brunch, preceding my shift @ trader joe's. those pants are hand-me-downs and they're maternity but the size is too small, that's probably the one and only time i'll wear them. it may exaggerate the baby belly a bit since it's cutting into me, but i wanted to post something, anything, that showed how i'm progressing.
i'll get better, i will. i'll post belly shots more often.
p.s. that's the nursery that i'm in :) it's just a 'catch-all' for now, and i can't wait to have it set-up and show it off then. there's my glider in the background w/ottoman, from my mom!

one of my fave books...

(even though now that i'm an adult, i have that dumb mouse fear where i practically start crying if i see one)
how rad is this cover?!
source

color inspiration for the nursery

will i ever tire of that shade of yellow? or that shade of blue? i don't anticipate so....
makers:  Peppermint Pinwheels
source: Bloesem Kids

yum, w/out guilt

Gotta love a good food blog. I don't check them out nearly as often as I do wedding blogs, home decor blogs, stylish moms w/cute baby blogs. But when you come across a good food blog, it's like a wake-up call. It makes me want to cook. Go out and buy fresh produce. Try my hand @ baking. And, eating much more healthfully than I do.
I really need to eat more protein and less carbs. And I really, really need to eat more veggies. Of all colors. Green, yellow, purple, red veggies. Perhaps this blog can be my new inspiration, which I found via this blog. This food author blog not only takes beautiful photos that you feel like you can reach out and touch (and taste!) but she's a holistic nutritionist and vegetarian chef. Holy moly. She eats a ton of raw food, does juice fasts (which I'm not quite sure how I feel about but would trust a gal like her) and teaches you lessons like, 'Walnuts look like brains for a reason'
Perhaps I'm ready to buy fewer bagels and more stalks of celery.

top 20 hipster baby names

8: Atticus

Origin: Greek; Meaning: from Athens
For bird-loving parents who prefer their naming references to be on the obscure side, why not the unforgettable Atticus Finch, fatherly hero and lawyer in the classic To Kill a Mockingbird? 

This  (click on 'this' to read) is pretty funny. Babble posted the top 20 hipster baby names. Some names I dislike. Others, I do like, particularly the one that I posted here. Oh well...

stretch!

this week in prenatal yoga, i was the only student. how hilarious is that. i felt awkward at first, but by the end i loved it and wouldn't mind that always being the case. must be what celebrities feel like-such special attention. anyway, it was actually very nice because there was so much focus on my body and my poses. she often came over and tweaked my position to make sure i was doing it right. for the first time, in years, i finally figured out the correct way to do downward-facing dog. afterwards, i felt refreshed and strong. i have to work a wedding rehearsal this tuesday so i'm going to miss yoga and i'm very sad.

asking the guy.....

tonight, during pj time over massaman w/tofu and brown rice (our exciting Friday night) I asked Greg if he has any questions that are frequently asked of him.
he responded with:
"I get asked, 'Are you excited?'
That's a dumb question"

He also gets "Do you want a boy or a girl?" to which he responds "boy, please" (because he wants a boy to carry on his last name.....but he'd love a little girl)

People also ask him if I'm showing yet, and he says yes.

	hi Megan, you're 17 weeks pregnant! Baby's now the size of an onion! Baby's skeleton is hardening, changing from rubbery cartilage to bone, and fat is finally accumulating around it. His umbilical cord is getting thicker and stronger, and those little fingers and toes now feature one-of-a-kind prints.

thanks b & p :)

stealing quotes of the day from Pergolina. Especially love # 2

things that i love about this nursery

there are many things i love about this nursery:
grey walls
white furniture
the turquoise in the rug
the height and width of the dresser with the changing pad on top (as opposed to a changing table that becomes a useless piece of furniture after a certain amount of time)
the kid-level shelving on the floor w/books and baskets
the crib that looks like the one i will inherit from my colleague (well, the white slat part)
i'm in love.
via You Are My Fave

approaching Fall.....

yes, please.
EmersonMade via A Cup Of Jo