T minus 3 days...

until we get the keys to our new place. Inevitably, my head is exploding with all the things I've been thinking about for the last week. I'm overwhelmed and so nervous about moving but I'm also at the point where I can't wait to move. I'm in the process of making a list to sort out what needs to be done at each place and when. I'm sure I'll be adding to this post.

Old Place

Finish Packing and Organize Boxes - Despite trying our best to pack in an orderly fashion, there are boxes everywhere and it's driving me crazy. I need to try to get everything organized by room to help make the move a little easier. I also need to finish packing up the bathrooms and miscellaneous items in the bedrooms, living room and kitchen.

Good Will - Then there's the bags of things we are giving away. We seriously need to do a good will run. Maybe Monday after work.

Move - The logistics are killing me. We'll be moving some of the boxes on our own Wednesday through Sunday, in particular the fragile items, and then having the movers come on Monday (7/19) to move the bigger items, such as the bedroom set, couches, table etc.

Cleaning - I'll have to do cleaning after we finish the move next week. And then I'll probably hire someone to do the deep cleaning that is required to get our deposit back. I need to call the lady the property management suggested to get a quote and see when she can come by. We need to get the carpets professionally cleaned. I've been a little bit more proactive on this and have already made the appointment to get them cleaned for 7/26.

New Place

Painting - We will for sure be painting the living room, master bedroom and eventually the bathrooms and nursery. I say eventually for the bathrooms and nursery because I haven't figured out what color I really want to paint them and I think they can wait since they probably won't be as hard to paint since they will be lacking furniture. Torin and I picked up the paint and the supplies today. We're going for Behr's Gobi Desert (3rd down on right hand column ). We both love it! Some generous and loving friends have donated their time and energy to help me paint this Saturday on my Birthday! Hopefully we will be able to knock out both of the rooms in time for the furniture to be moved over.

(Click to make bigger)

Utilities and Mail - Torin and I split up the bills anyhow so we were responsible for contacting our respective utility company to change service to our new address and disconnect service at our current address. I called AT&T to change service to the new address and was informed that even though we are only moving 3 miles away I would have to get a new phone number. So unfortunately, I made the decision to just cancel the phone service and we will only have DSL service. So for anyone that actually calls on the house line, you've been forewarned. Torin had a simpler call to PG&E to change her service. We are set up to get service on the 14th at the new place. I've been procrastinating about forwarding our mail. I'm not sure why. I guess maybe because mail forwarding only takes you so far and it will be such a pain to tell everyone (friends, family, credit cards, etc.) about our new address.

Unpacking and Organizing - I'm sure this won't be as complicated as packing. I think I might enjoy finding places for our things. I'm also planning to throw out any stuff that I missed in our packing phase that we don't use. Hopefully, we will be able to organize it in a way that will still work 9 months down the line. I'm sure I won't want to be looking for something in the middle of the night with a crying baby.

Update: U/S pics and Belly Comparison Pic

21 weeks...into the second half of pregnancy

How far along are you? 21 weeks.


How big is baby? According to the bump...a Banana. On average babies at this stage weigh about 12.5 ounces and measure about 10.5 inches from head to toe.

Development: Baby gulps down several ounces of amniotic fluid every day, both for hydration and nutrition and to practice swallowing and digesting. His digestive system now functions in a rudimentary manner and those taste buds actually work! Studies show that after birth, babies are most interested in tastes they've already experienced through amniotic fluid.Your baby can suck and swallow and may even suck his thumb.Your baby's senses are developing, especially his sense of touch. He can feel his face and stroke his arms and legs.

Maternity clothes? Yep. Still some regular shirts.


Weight – Loss or Gain? Up another .5lbs so total weight gain 8lbs.


Stretch marks? Same old same old. Keeping an eye out for any new ones.


Sleep: Better than last week.


Best moment this week: Spending time with DH.

Any Movement?: LO is active all day but I get strong movements at certain points in the day - particularly on the way to and from work (must be the drive) and for a couple hours after work. Starting to get some movement up closer to my belly button.

Food Cravings?: Still French Fries...I really do love them even when I'm not pregnant.

Food Aversions?: Still not a fan of sweets right now. Maybe I haven't really accepted it. I keep thinking about baking a cake.


Gender:? Still on team surprise. Back and forth on what we think.

Belly Button in or out? In.

What do you miss: Not having people wanting to touch me.

What are you looking forward to: Getting through this weekend and our prenatal visit next Tuesday (7/13).


What was the BEST part of this week? Getting things packed up, getting in some couple time and finding a new burger joint.

What was the WORST part of this week? Packing...I really do hate it.

Weekly Wisdom: Procrastination will get you nowhere...

Milestones?: 21 weeks...into the second half of pregnancy. 6 weeks to 3rd Tri...WTF?

Adventure Day Trip...

After packing for 2 whole days, I figured I needed to enjoy and relax for at least one day of my 3 day weekend. I told Torin we needed to go out and enjoy the day especially since it was nice outside. Also I am trying to get in as much "couple time" as we can before our baby arrives. It's harder to make time for each other as it is during baseball season so I think we definitely need to make a better effort of spending time with each other despite our busy schedules. I know it will be even harder when baby gets here and I don't want to be one of the couples that fall apart because they aren't getting their "couple time".

Anyhow, we decided to go for a drive around the area and visit one of the many local county parks. Supposedly, Charlie Chaplin and Bronco Billy both filmed their movies out here in California in a rural area not very far from where we live. Because Torin is a movie buff, he wanted to see if you could still see any of the movie sets. So, we took one of the local roads out to see if we could find one of these 90-100 year old movie sets. Well, we didn't run into anything on our drive but we did stop at a cute restaurant (with great sandwiches) in a town the size of a football field.

Instead of doing any more searching for movie sets we drove over to the wilderness park. I'll admit I'm not much of a outdoorsy person but I do enjoy seeing wildlife, learning about the area and getting some exercise. We were able to do all of the above. After stopping at the visitors center and learning about the trails, the guide convinced to complete the nature trail and Indian Joe Trail. Instead of using the paper guide we used the podcast of the nature trial tour that we downloaded prior to leaving for our little adventure. So we eagerly started out for a little outdoor adventure.

We followed the trail and stopped at certain points to listen to the woman tell us about the history of the area and plants and wildlife found there. We even ran into some wild turkeys or as Torin told me "There are large birds in the trees".

The nature trail was just under a mile which was nice however we thought we were supposed to go a different way to finish the Indian Joe trail.

But there was a closed gate in our way. Apparently we are both goody two shoed law abiding citizens because we turned away from the gate figuring we were going the wrong way. After finishing the nature trail we realized that something was wrong with the directions the guide gave us and decided to go the back way up the trail so we could see the barn and turtles. As we hiked up hill to go up the back way, we were again thwarted. Instead of running into gates we ran into cows.....several dozen cows. 

Torin spent the whole time going up the hill saying "I don't think we are supposed to be up here". So again, we turned around and went back down to the main trail. 

Since we had yet to complete a trail we decided to try looking at the map for another short trail to hike. We ended up choosing the Shady Glen trail which was a nice cool trail under the trees. 

It kind of reminded me of a perfect place to build a fort...really brought out the kid in me. 

After finishing up our hike we finished our drive pass the local reservoir. 

Interesting fact...In the 60s a plane crashed into the middle of the reservoir and wasn't found until the 90s. It is still harboring the small passenger plane to this day.

Our little loop...

 And just for kicks a few pics of us.

Halfway there....aka 20 Weeks

How far along are you? 20 weeks.


How big is baby? According to the bump...a Cantaloupe. On average babies at this stage weigh about 10.5 ounces and measure about 7.2 inches from crown to rump. Didn't get any measurements at last US but will update pictures soon.


Development: Your baby may respond to external sounds, such as the music you are listening to or your voice. Your baby has developed some red blood cells already. The white blood cells that your baby needs to fight infections are being manufactured. He is developing taste buds on his tongue. His digestive system is sufficiently advanced to absorb water and sugar from the amniotic fluid that he swallows and pass it to his large bowel. Your baby's eyes are still sealed shut. Your baby continues to grow and develop and his kicking is getting stronger now.

Maternity clothes? Same maternity pants and jeans. Received my new pants yesterday...Yay! Still in regular tops for the most part.


Weight – Loss or Gain? 180.5....so up 7.5lbs.


Stretch marks? Same old same old.


Sleep: Let's not talk about that.


Best moment this week: Seeing the babe again for the f/u anatomy scan ultrasound. I got to see the legs stretched out for the first time and the face up profile for the first time.

Any Movement?: Lots of movement at particular points in the day. Definitely not a morning baby. Apparently his/her legs and feet are down on one side of my low abdomen and the head is on the other side hence why all the movement I fee is so low. No rib kicks yet for me.

Food Cravings?: French Fries...this really isn't unusual though.

Food Aversions?: Still not a fan of sweets right now. I've come to accept it.


Gender:? Still on team surprise. We're both now thinking it's quite possible that dear baby could be a girl.

Belly Button in or out? In. Some days it feels shallower than others might be my imagination.

What do you miss: Nothing right now. I'm very thankful.

What are you looking forward to: 4th of July weekend. Even though we will probably spend most of it packing. I need the 3 day weekend.


What was the BEST part of this week? Finding a new place to live, catching up with friends we haven't seen in a while, and seeing the babe again.

What was the WORST part of this week? Torin having to work and miss seeing the babe.

Weekly Wisdom: Your pregnancy will fly by and before you know it you will have a baby...

Milestones?: 20 weeks = 5 months = halfway there!