Man, RTB
could not have gotten a better birthday present than to have his alma
mater topple #2 USC in one of the biggest upsets of Pac-10 football
history. Heck, it was a win-win situation in our divided household
since the upset raised Cal's ranking to #2, its highest ranking since
1951. So glad we don't live in a condo with shared walls anymore
because there was a lot of shouting and cheering in our house last
night.
Yesterday we had some friends come over to celebrate
RTB's birthday. It was a casual gathering with people coming in and out all afternoon into the early evening.
RTB
got a chance to catch up with friends and really relax after some
really grueling weeks of work and running baby-related errands. The
party also gave
RTB a chance
to show off our new flat screen TV. Unintended to be a birthday gift,
it sort of turned out that way since we conveniently bought it the week
of
RTB's birthday.
Ever since we found out we were expecting,
it was actually I who started pushing hard for a flat screen TV. I wanted to place the new flat screen TV on the fireplace hearth
(thereby blocking a fireplace we never plan on using)
and free up the space that the old TV & media cabinet used to take
up for a future play corner. So now we have a beautiful new TV and we
have to decide what to do with the old one.
Anyone need an old CRT TV or know anyone who does? Anyway,
the big event of the party was supposed to be watching #1 LSU play #9
Florida on the new TV and hope for an upset. We couldn't find a station
broadcasting the Stanford-USC game so we followed it online. Then when
it looked like Stanford was going to do the seemingly impossible,
ThisPoemSucks and "
I" unplugged the clock radio in our master bedroom and brought it over to the living room so we all could listen in.
(In retrospect, I realized we could have used the radio in our emergency kit)
With too much interference from our TV, we shut it off while we focused
on listening to the radio broadcast of the Stanford-USC game. It was
hilarious as
ThisPoemSucks and "
I"
became human antennas to combat the static. The room erupted in cheers
and high-fives when Stanford beat USC 24-23. What a priceless moment.
Then the rest of the evening was spent on rooting for Florida to topple
LSU
(and watching video replays of Stanford's incredible win).
Alas, it wasn't meant to be, but hey we will settle for #2. It might be
better for Cal to be #2 anyway. We seem to do better as the underdog.
Meanwhile, not only does Cal need to be prepared for USC later this
season, but they shouldn't underestimate Stanford either this year.
Had
LSU lost, Cal would have been #1 and I would have gone out to buy
today's and Monday's newspapers. So far, I have only collected three
newspaper editions: 1989 earthquake, 9-11, and our wedding day. To the
collection, I am planning to add a newspaper bought on the day our son
is born and it would have been so cool to also have one showing Cal's
#1 ranking. But there's still the rest of the season to go, so the
dream is still alive.
RTB
may have the last laugh. You see, his beloved Dallas Cowboys are doing
really well and may be headed for the playoffs this season. If so,
there is a chance that I could deliver on a Sunday when the Cowboys are
playing in a playoff game. I have already mentioned to
RTB that he cannot abandon me during delivery to check on the score and that I don't want him watching TV during that time either.
However,
if Cal were to win every game in the rest of its season including the
Nov. 10 game against USC, then it could potentially be playing for the
national championship. That's still mind-boggling, but it is possible.
It's also possible that we could play in the Rose Bowl. I can't believe
that the one year that Cal has a legitimate chance of going to the Rose
Bowl is the one year, there's no chance that I can go, and I may not
even be able to watch the game on TV either if our baby decides to come
out that day. So that's why
RTB
may have the last laugh. I won't let him watch the Dallas Cowboys game
during my labor, but I will insist on a TV if I give birth when Cal is
playing in the Rose Bowl or the National Championship Game. I know...
it's a double standard.
It cracks me up to think that by doing absolutely nothing
(Cal had a bye week),
Cal is now ranked #2. I actually find it quite funny that we almost
could have been #1 by just waiting for our higher-ranked rivals to
lose.
RTB kidded around saying that it's a great lesson to teach our son one day. "Do nothing and wait for others to fail." LOL.
Anyway, Cal fans like me should probably just enjoy this while it lasts
because with seven more games left in the team's regular season and so
many upsets in rankings week-to-week, it's still a very rocky road
ahead.
Go Bears! (The title of the post is "Happy Birthday RTB!" but the post ended up being mostly about Cal football. 
)THANK YOU STANFORD!
So Many Babies
I know of no fewer than 18 women (not counting myself) who are currently pregnant. The number dropped to 15 at one point but then within one week one friend gave birth (congrats michougirl) and I found out four were expecting. I know of 20 babies born so far this year alone. Oh my.
Baby Kicks
Not only do I feel the baby moving around now, so does RTB. He's been reading to the baby every night to the point of almost having Good Night Moon
memorized. I think the baby is learning to recognize RTB's voice. At
least I hope he is. Meanwhile, the little fella woke me up at 6 this
morning and kept me awake with his movements for half an hour.
Baby Carriers
I purchased a Beco
baby carrier and brought it down to LA last week to test drive it on my
friend's 3-month old. My friend thought that from the mother's
perspective that it was very comfortable to wear. However, her little
boy couldn't see out because he had to face in towards her. From what I
have gathered, it might still be worth it for me to get the Baby Bjorn Active where our son can look out into the world as I walk around. Any thoughts?
Delivery Date
This Wednesday, I will be in week 26
of my pregnancy. It's hard to believe that technically since week 24,
the baby is considered viable. Then again, it just means, he has around
a 15% chance of survival if he is born now, which I don't want to
happen. I have had people tell me that I am carrying quite low and
maybe that means I will deliver earlier than January 9.
I hope not because I need all the time I can get to prepare for the
baby and I really don't want to deliver around New Year's. I don't want
to be surrounded by upset doctors and nurses working during the
holidays and be racing to the hospital with the drunk drivers on the
road. Then again, maybe I will be extra eager to get the baby out early
when the time draws near.
Weeks 24 & 25
These
were some tough weeks. I think last week was especially tough because
we were traveling and not sleeping comfortably in our own bed. I
brought along my body pillow but I didn't want to ask my friends for
lots of extra pillows so I had to make do. Thus, I didn't sleep well
every night. Also the schedule of when I usually take my prenatal
vitamins got thrown off and twice I threw them up along the previous
meal. Yuck. Also, though the
food was good last week, I can't say that we ate particularly
healthily. Hence, I gained a lot of weight in one week and I've been
experiencing a lot of stretching pain these past 2 weeks. Week 24 was
plagued with lots of itchiness.
Baby Names
I
am hoping to finish a longer blog entry on this topic someday but
meanwhile I want to share this conversation I had with my friend's 4
year old daughter.
- R: Name your baby Sarah. (Her mom tells me her daughter has a good friend named Sarah.)
- o: But my baby is a boy.
- R: Don't name your baby Gaston because he's selfish. (R loves Disney's Beauty & the Beast)
- R: Name him David. That's a nice name.
- o: Ok. I will keep that in mind.
Baby Classes / Groups
I am debating whether to drop by a prenatal yoga class this week. It's near RTB's work so maybe I can go to class and then meet up with hubby for lunch. I am also looking into birthing/breathing classes too. Does anyone know any that they can recommend? I may check out my church's moms' group later this month and then maybe a MOPS group. My girlfriends in LA all love MOPS and they say that some local chapters allow pregnant moms to join the groups too.
Church Retreat
We
are still debating whether to attend this year. We would like to but if
we do, I think we would need to get a private room which is quite $$$.
The shared rooms are four people per room in bunk beds with a shared
bathroom among 16 people. Given how difficult it was for me to sleep at
my friends' homes last week and how often I need to use the bathroom
these days, I am not sure I want to register for the shared rooms like
we have in the past. Plus, those shared rooms are pretty darn far from
the main area of the campus. The last two years, RTB
and I were assigned the furthest building on the campus. There is no
way I can handle that walk anymore, especially at night after the
evening sessions. So we'll see.
Celebrity Kids
These
days I can't help but feel for the children of Britney Spears and O.J.
Simpson. Spears' kids are still too young to understand everything but
O.J.'s kids must know. I just can't imagine what it must be like to
grow up with such media speculation and controversy swirling around
your parents.
Baby Blogs
I
wish all my friends with kids would blog. I have learned so much from
those who do. I know that when our baby comes, it will especially be
comforting to not feel alone in my struggles to be a good parent.
