Back to School

Earlier this week, Thomas and I attended our first set of classes to prepare us for parenthood. We took an infant CPR and care class put on by the McMoyler Method, a company recommended by our OB. We were amazed at how much we didn't know about all the details of caring for an infant, but we learned so much. Thomas was especially amused when we got to see a grown 200 pound man get swaddled. We also had a three week old baby come to our class for show and tell... so cute! The poor baby didn't know he was going to be part of a demonstration, and he wasn't thrilled to have to be bathed in front of so many people.

We will have our birthing class in early March with this same teacher - keep your fingers crossed that Baby H doesn't make an early arrival before I learn how to to get through labor with her!

We had another OB appointment this week and all continues to go well with Baby H. She is growing well, and I don't have any complications other than just being big and uncomfortable!

Big Sur

Thomas and I have decided to take advantage of our last few free weekends to do a little local traveling. Last weekend, we jaunted off to Big Sur - a coastal area south of Santa Cruz (near Carmel-by-the-Sea) known for its beautiful wilderness and hippie Cali attitude. Even though Big Sur is only 2 1/2 hours from San Francisco, neither of us had ever visited!

We began the trip with a visit to Point Sur to visit a historic lighthouse atop a large volanic hill (a significant climb - but I made it!). It was the height of the whale migration, so we were able to watch the whales go by while we toured the lighthouse and surrounding area. Then we were off to a beautiful beach in Andrew Molera State Park. The weather was magnificently warm, and Thomas was crazy enough to hop in the ocean for a dip. All the surfers in their wetsuits were giving him a thumbs up for bravery.

We spent the night at a cute little hotel that consisted of a collection of wood cabins nestled by the Big Sur River. We crashed before 8 pm! The day of sun and hiking completely wore us out.

The next day, we began with a light breakfast on our porch by the river, quietly reading the paper. We then went to Deetjen's - a local restaurant - for the best lunch ever. Our waitress personified California hippie friendliness and gave us all sorts of tips.

We also visited Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park and saw the famous coastal waterfall. Next, we were off to visit Partington Cove - a secret coastal area where bootleggers used to land and transport their illegal booze into the area. I was particularly proud of myself for toughing out the hike to visit it. Well worth it. We finished our afternoon at Pfeiffer Beach and then drove back to San Francisco. What a fantastic trip! We decided that we will definitely go back with Baby Harvey soon.

New Year's Resolutions

Thomas and I returned from our Christmas travels and spent much of the New Year's holiday getting our apartment ready for Baby H. We cleaned, cleaned, and cleaned some more! And then we loaded up our car full of stuff and dropped it at Goodwill. We managed to make a little space in our second bedroom for Baby Harvey to fit. She even has her own footlong closet space now where we hung all the cute outfits she received at the shower.

We acquired our first major baby furniture purchase - a glider! Thomas and I bought it used off of Craiglist and were able to get a great deal on a very good quality Dutailier glider with a matching gliding ottoman. Thomas was especially happy that it is a nice light green color so we don't overdo the room with too many pink accessories.

I'm sporting quite a tummy these days, but am still going strong! Here I am right after Christmas, at approximately 26 weeks:

And here I am three weeks later at 29 weeks: