Frickin' Dietitian & I'm an airport shuttle

Lucky me met with my dietitian this afternoon. The last time I saw her was 6 weeks ago, after my OB saw my off-the-charts glucose levels. Since then, I've had to frickin' monitor my glucose level by pricking my poor fingers 4X's a day, log the frickin' blood sugar level, and write descriptions of my daily food intake. Let's start with the good news. Since 6 weeks ago, I gained 5.5 lbs which my dietitian thought was actually below normal. It is recommended that pregnant ladies gain 1 - 1.5lbs a week in the 3rd trimester. Since I have an end goal of not exceeding 30lbs of cumulative weight gained during 40 wks pregnancy, I really have been trying to portion control everything I eat. So, kudos to me for being disciplined in that sense. Keep in mind that the 3rd trimester is super notorious for the most weight gain for momma and baby. It's easy to just let lose at the end.

However, despite the good progress I'm making with my gradual and modest weight gain, the dietitian says my snacks need improving. In life, everything can be tweaked and improved upon no matter how great I think I am. I'm supposed to have 3 snacks a day - mid-morning, mid-afternoon, and evening snack. Instead of just eating fruit by itself, I need to couple it with a protein to reduce the glucose spike. She also says that I need to drink more milk at night after seeing that I snack on fruit only.

Another cruel reminder is that as I get more pregnant, the less my body is able to manage glucose = meaning, absolutely NO SWEETS for the remainder of the pregnancy. NO Christmas cookies =( NO Christmas goodies =( NO Christmas anything =( Christmas used to be my favorite holiday but this year it ain't! By now, I usually would have single-handedly decorated the house with Xmas lights, wreaths, and assembled a full-on Xmas tree (i'd have to beg Chuperman to help haha). But I'm too tired to do any of that stuff and really I should prioritize on the "baby nesting" stuff! The bottom line is: not only can I not enjoy decorating the house, I can't enjoy eating anything! Being a big fat foodie - this is really hard on me. Who knew that being pregnant meant going on a diet! Isn't that like counterintuitive!?

All I wanna do is share the holiday joy of home-made baked Christmas cookies and send em off to my cousins in various parts of the country.. haha. Instead of one of my fave past-times :baking, I'm reduced to ordering my fave brownies from Chelsea Market of Manhattan to send to my dear relatives.

Back to the dietitian... so I asked the dietitian a very simple and direct question: how much weight should I gain? She couldn't tell me a straight-up number, she just answered my question with a question "What does your OB say?"... my response, "i ask him every time I see him and he says I'm fine, but i still don't have a concrete #"... blank stare... what good is a dietitian anyway! No one can tell me how much weight I should gain, so I came-up with 30lbs by myself based on my own research and data. Such an arbitrary number, does it really matter?!

Although I still sound sick, with a lingering cough and a bit of congestion -I am feeling a lil better these days. =D

I have "LAX shuttle service" stamped across my fore-head:
Tonight was my 4th time driving to LAX in the last 4 weeks. Had to drop off my aunt. Yup, 8 months pregnant and still sturdy as a rock (or just plain brash).. haha... did I also mention that I drove to Vegas a month ago without making a single bathroom stop? I really need to slow the heck down - I'm not winning any gold medals for being a tough cookie.

Anyway, I am so thankful that it's gonna rain tomorrow! I hope it pours and pours and pours!

33wks going on 34 wks

To answer C-note's question, I decided to just make a post about it since I haven't really gone into specific regarding my pregnancy progress lately...

On Monday, I met with my OB and we got another U/S. He says he's "100-200% sure that the baby is a boy". We saw "the sac" haha. The baby boy was super active during the u/s - kicking and punching like crazy. It was hard to measure him. However, the OB measured my belly and it's at 32cm, which is on track. At 33 wks pregnant, measuring 32 cm is normal he says. If I were at 34-35cm he'd be worried, especially since i have GDM.

Key differences between 1st, 2nd and 3rd trimester for tiramesu82, a recapo:

1st trimester - is there really life growing in my belly? - mild morning sickness:

• weight loss: only by a few lbs since I was trying to eat healthy - had to cut out a lot of desserts, candy, pastries... you get the pic
• low energy, feeling fatigued: on top of normal preg fatigue I also had life stuff to deal with: moving households, international travel, work, grad school (thesis)
• nausea: week 5-10, thankfully this wasn't too bad... never threw-up, just felt sea-sick
• issues with sleep: interrupted sleep for bathroom breaks
• food cravings/aversions: HATED chicken, craved japanese food, craved in-n-out, arby's, etc., couldn't watch Foodnetwork - made me nauseous
  
• exercise: walking
  

2nd trimester - honeymoon period - feeling like myself again!:

• very energetic: pulled at least 5 all-nighters to finish my thesis , would always be running errands, cooking, baking, working, shopping, exercising
• Got to travel and still have a good time - wasn't too tired
  
• belly getting noticeably bigger now but still not big enough to slow me down
• issues with sleep: still wake up multiple times throughout the night
• I had my baby shower at the end of the 2nd trimester which was good planning since immediately after the baby shower I hit a wall, hence, welcoming the 3rd trimester
• (I really recommend having a baby shower BEFORE the 3rd trimester since the 3rd trimester is pretty rough)
• food cravings: still had aversion to chicken, was able to watch FoodNetwork again:)
  
• exercise: walking, prenatal yoga, swimming
• injury: at end of 2nd trimester I pulled a lower back muscle and couldn't walk for 5 days due to too much activity - my body was telling me to slow the heck down!
  

3rd trimester - oh boy! getting frickin' HUGE and feeling exhausted:

• sinking energy level: my brain/mind wants to do so much still but my body thinks otherwise! last week i did a lot of cooking and baking - but my body is paying for it now
• got to travel again but this time i came back completely exhausted. Chuperman and I went to Vegas for a weekend getaway to see the Beatle's Love show and Spamalot:) Great shows but super exhausting trip!
• belly growing at an exponential rate: 3rd trim is notorious for the biggest weight gain for both fetus and mom, harder to move around, waddling big time
  
• exercise: walks - i've been more careful with not walking too fast - i don't want to pull a muscle again! preg momma's are more susceptible to muscle strain/sciatica
  
• sleep deprivation: been getting the worst sleep - this is the worst out of the 3 trimesters for me, esp that im sick this week... sleep is pretty non-existent at night.. i try to take cat naps to make up for it but still feel exhausted. also, the baby is super active and makes restful slumber that much harder
• public reaction: in general, very positive - now that i'm unmistakably pregnant - i find that ppl are nicer to me - opening doors, greeting me with more zeal, helping me hold/load stuff, compliments, looking (or staring) at me with awe and intrigue (prob from sheer size of my belly), im getting more free food, free iced tea, free stuff, ppl are getting out of my way if they see me coming haha
  

"Nesting Stage"

A friend told me that the "nesting stage" occurs at the end of the 2nd trim or beginning of 3rd trimester -- this is when the preg momma feels the need to get EVERYTHING ready for the arrival of the baby. Well, this hasn't happened to me yet haha but I figured that I should schedule it in since I never got that "need" to get everything ready in a jiffy yet. So the scheduled nesting stage was supposed to occur this week for me, but since I have a damn cold, it'll be pushed off by another week or so, until i get better. I think it's okay, b/c my belly hasn't dropped yet. When the baby drops, then I'm gonna go into turbo mode for sure.
After the shower, i hit a wall, and was super exhausted and couldn't get myself to do anything, let alone organize baby stuff. I still need to make a spreadsheet of all the baby stuff inventory we have. Then I have to return/exchange/purchase stuff at Baby's R Us and Target. We still have to get a stroller! And waiting for infant carrier...
Crib and pack'n'play stills needs assembly....

According to pregnancy books, the fetus at about 33/34 wks is approximately 4-4.5 lbs - and for the remainder of the term will gain 1/2lb each week!

Birthing Plan:

no epidural.
I know, I'm in the clear minority and ppl think I'm nutz. since studies regarding the drug toxicity and adverse health effects on the fetus, newborn, and mom from an epidural administered during delivery are inconclusive, and I feel that since our bodies are made to deliver NATURALLY - that getting an epidural is not for me. Since I have back issues, an epidural may actually exacerbate my problematic back in the long-term.

We're down to the last stretch - holy sheeeeit!! Just 6-7 more weeks!!!

Happy 30th Wedding Anniversary!..and Yo Yo Ma concert pix....

Happy 30th Wedding Anniversary to my mom and dad!

If you do some quick calculations - you'd figure out that I'm a honeymoon baby :) :P Through thick and thin, love and hate, bullying in-laws and relatives, temper tantrums, low emotional quotient, stubbornness, nagging, sadness, and joy - they're still working on their marriage, but they love each other, and wouldn't ya know - they're still married! It's hasn't been a walk in the park - but major props to em for stickin' it through!

Yo-Yo Ma Cello Concert

This is a lil delayed - Chuperman and I saw Yo-Yo Ma perform at Segerstrom Music Hall on November 18 (last Sunday). His performance was flawless. Almost makes me wanna cut my nails and practice my violin (needs major restringing tho).

33 weeks pregnant

By the way, I still don't have my voice back... can't wait for the weekend!!! Happy hump day!

obnoxious

a few things are pretty obnoxious to me this week...

First off, I thought by getting gas on Monday morning, after a long holiday weekend, that gas would be cheaper. Well, even at Costco, the total to fill up my tank was a brutal $81.65. I know some of you are thinking... duh, what do you expect you frickin' snob? I got my car 6 years ago, this is before I started my program in environmental health science haha.. wow.. has it been that long! Don't get me wrong - I love my car - it's safe, fast, excellent for roadtrips and ski-trips, and carries a lot of stuff (can carry an outdoor patio set and 2 bikes - not at the same time tho). however, my next car will DEFINITELY be a hybrid or hydrogen car - something that'll emit less CO2 into our already poor air and won't burn a hole in my pocket on a weekly basis. I like Chuperman's Prius but it's too slow for me, the rear has poor visibility, and I feel kind of unsafe in it. Otherwise, the prius gets excellent mileage, has GPS, and has a carpool lane sticker (meaning driver can drive in carpool lane without any passengers). The Prius is an excellent commuter car - no doubt about that.

Secondly, another reason why this week is obnoxious is because I caught a damn cold. It started out with a sore throat on Saturday. Then yesterday my cold completely escalated to the point where I lost my voice. On top of that I have a nasty cough that really hurts! This is swell, since I'm taking care of 2 small businesses, my parent's house (more to it than you think), and my 8-month pregnant body.

Lastly, some of you know my love/hate relationship with my assistant. (We have a small business where it's just my mom, me, and our assistant) Just some background: She has the biggest heart, she's from the south, loves to eat, at 5'2" she weighs in at approx 250lb, super friendly, introduced me to heart-attack food (southern food), loves to gab, extremely loyal, has great intentions in fullfilling task at hand but gets easily distracted and sometimes does not follow through, spazzes out easily.... you get the pic.. anyway, today my voice is gone b/c i have a cold. So she says "you sound awful", which is true - i sound worse than a bullfrog/sea lion. I shouldn't be allowed to talk today but i had to meet with 2 contracting crews this morning and yes, take care of 2 business. Anyway, then she takes it to another level and adds "you look like crap, no pun intended".. i tried to let that last comment roll off me. in my head i wanted to tell her "you look like you need gastric bypass surgery AND routine lypo", but since i couldn't speak and have a headache from the damn cold - i just pretended she didn't say anything and focused on my work. In a way, her comment brings me back down to earth since i've been getting a lot of "you look beautiful" "you're not that big" "you have great skin" "you look really great for having a boy (oldwives tale is if you're having a boy, the preg mom will get uglier or some BS like that) "you'll be fine"... i know these are all sympathy pregnancy compliments since i have a FAT and not to mention growing butterball stuffed in my belly. i am well aware that after im done being pregnant, that ppl around me won't be as generous with their compliments. it's just apart of life. and yes i know, i have major self-esteem issues regarding my image and rely on the publics approval... which girl can honestly say she does not have a complex about their image?

Laker vs Houston Tip-Off Game and Baby Shower Pictures

Last Tuesday we scored free tix (not entirely free, my bro works at the NBA) to the Laker's vs. Houston Rockets tip-off game last Tuesday. Even though the Laker's lost by a mere 2 points, it was still fun game:)

My dad, mom, and bro. They gave out free XL laker's t-shirts.



Tiramesu being a good sport. This is a good example where the camera lens adds 500lbs.



Yao Ming, the Chinese giant. Pre-game warm-up. Looks like he's marching.





Pregnant Tiramesu at approx. 7.5months.



Custom home-made diaper tower and baby bear basket (middle and right).



Designing/painting baby-T/onesie table.



"Future Cal Bear"



Giant Tiramisu Cake:P



Guess my pregnant waistline using yarn baby game.




Gentlemen's Baby Bottle Game: who can drink/suck the fastest sparkling cider? Chuperman won this one haha.





bro-in-law started chocking haha



focused and determined Chuperman



expressions say it all: annoyed bro-in-law on left with "not fair" look on his face, my bro jimmy in the middle looking onto the victorious Chuperman who has an "yeah!! i won!" look




Adorable piggy Lana - 5 months old.

Baby shower recapo:
It was fun and chaotic. About 50 ppl came out to share in the joy:) I know, this was a HUGE shower, almost like a mini-wedding! Thanks everyone for coming out and showering Baby Chu with love! I thought it was really fun and laid-back for a coed baby shower. There was a lot of freedom at the shower. Ppl weren't forced to play games, paint onesies, or watch me open presents if they didn't want to. This was good. In general, I know baby showers can be boring but I must say that the format of Baby Chu's Shower was excellent due to good planning, laid back hosts, and good helpers. Thanks everyone who helped! Unfortunately, Tiramesu was not very photogenic that day - i got like no sleep for 2 nights prior to the shower and for some reason I looked like a chipmunk that day. :( Not to worry, I had lotsa fun - I especially enjoyed the games and hanging out with all the cute babies:) I still wanna design a onesie myself! Great idea T! Thanks! :)

Pregnancy Update:
I had an OB appt this morning. Everything looks pretty good. The baby's heartrate is 150bpm. I'm 30 weeks pregnant! ahh!!!

GDL is expecting!!!

The popular FoodNetwork "Everyday Italian" chef, adorable, gorgeous, and talented Giada De Laurentiis is expecting her 1st child in April! =D Thanks Fung for passing the word along! http://www.celebrity-babies.com/2007/11/giada-de-lauren.html

Click on Video from Today Show

Just a refresher: I met GDL at a food and wine event in 2006. She was super nice and friendly.

Congrats to GDL! Hope her baby daughter is a clone of Giada.

My baby shower was over the weekend! I will post about it soon! =D

Hell on Earth

(I'm alive! Believe it or not, I started this post a week ago but have been too busy to publish)

Muscle Strain:

I've been working from home these past few days because I can't walk very well. I pulled my lower back muscle last week and have trouble walking - specifically walking upstairs and turning right (kind of like Derek Zoolander but instead of not being able to turn left, it's the opposite - my right side). I initially thought it was a pinched nerve but it's not that bad. This lil injury of mine is prob from overexertion and the 15+lbs of extra weight from my belly:P. These past several weeks I've been really busy with work, running errands, and exercising at night - and forgetting that I'm about 7 months pregnant. Finally on Saturday and Sunday, I just couldn't walk - period! without holding onto the wall, countertop, Chuperman, the rail...I was wincing in pain. For a few hours, I was even thinking that using crutches could help me get around faster. My walking is getting better, altho I should still be cautious going upstairs. I can see how later on in life, I need to live in a 1-story ranch house or something. So now I'm staying at home not only to recover from my pesky injury but to also avoid the...

Inferno that has devastated SoCal:

Beautiful and eerie looking red sun this morning at 8am - taken from rear deck in our Newport home. Notice that practically the entire sky is engulfed in smoke.

Two fires came relatively close to 2 of our houses in Irvine and Newport. The Santiago Fire and another smaller fire near Newport. Yes, I spotted a small fire past Turtle Ridge/Shady Canyon (about 2 miles away), but it wasn't covered on TV. Some sick psychotic motherf*cker(s) started the fire in Santiago (Irvine) - yes, it was ARSON. Other fires were started by a construction man leaving a hot welding tool out in the brush, power lines in Malibu knocked over by the relentless Santa Ana winds, and for the rest of the 13+ fires were caused by extremely dry brush from the terrible drought we're in, the nasty Santa Ana winds, low humidity, hot temperatures, and some very bad luck.

Initially on Sunday, the media covered Malibu and Canyon Country. Now that it's been 4 days, LA and Ventura County fires are mostly contained however, San Diego and Lake Arrowhead are getting jacked. OC isn't doing any better either (tho at least Irvine is okay with some near misses in the new and struggling community of Portola Hills). Six older homes in Modjeska Canyon were ruined.

It's devastating to watch this crisis get worse on TV. The air quality is really awful today. The A/C is on full blast as it's 90+ degrees outside,my body temp is very high due to the baby, and it literally smells like 1 million chainsmokers smoking out there. Feels like hell out there (or at least looks like it from inside). The good news is that the end is near. Tomorrow the temps and the wind is supposed to go down. Then - the long road to rebuilding 1/2 million+ displaced households. More good news is that the State of CA has been doing a good job in expediently providing aide and now Pres.Bush is making sure he gets it right this time with a visit to SoCal tomorrow and already promising federal aide, as opposed to the inexcusable negligence (on top of the war in Iraq) of New Orleans.

"Sweet Success" Program

So the battle against my abnormal glucose levels continues... 2 wks ago I finally took the dreaded 3-hour glucose tolerance test. It wasn't as bad as I thought it was going to be because the 2 previous times where I took the 1-hour glucose test, I didn't drink any water before I drank the glucose drink. This time I smartened up and asked if I could drink water in the 3 hr time period, in which they said "no" b/c given more thought, water would dilute the glucose in my bloodstream. So I downed probably a liter of water right before I had the nasty-ass 100grams of pure sugar glucose drink.

The overpaid (and over-weight) phlebotomist ended up pricking me 6X's. The first time was at fasting or right before I drank the glucose drink, the 2nd prick was an hour later on my right arm, the 3rd prick was after the 2nd hour on my right arm, but it was too bruised and busted from the end of the first hour that she took another jab but on my left arm, the 4th prick was after my 2nd hour at the same location on the left arm, but that too was too bruised so she pricked (5th time) another location on my left arm, then the final draw she decided that both arms were too bruised so she jabbed the top of my left hand. Ouch! Ok, the last prick after the 3rd hour on my hand really hurt and 9 days later, I still had a damn bruise on my left hand, not to mention both arms.

The good news was that I felt hydrated this time and didn't feel dizzy. In the 3 hr timespan where my glucose levels shot up to record levels I tried to escape to my car or Target in between blood draws but the phlebotomist caught me and warned that if I left the waiting room that my glucose test would be cancelled. I replied, "i was just going to use the bathroom" but she knew better and flatly stated that "there's a bathroom in here as well", which I knew of course from being there 3x's before. It was a good try. So in the 3 hrs I had to kill - I read the entire newspaper - LA Times, read a few articles on gestational diabetes, talked on the phone briefly, and witnessed several terrified and screaming kids get shots. After 3 hrs of torture i could finally eat again and made a bee-line for Austin Spencer's rotisserie chicken, mac'n'cheese, jalapeno cornbread, chips, and fruit=D

"Diabetes Gene" says the OB.

The next day I had my OB appt where my the doc explained to my mom and me "your mom and dad gave you the diabetes gene". My mom was silent. The OB had gotten the results back from the 3 hr glucose test. He showed me the results and damn, all the 3 hours were higher than normal. However, my fasting level was normal at 73 which means that this pesky diabetes is PURELY gestational or that this is only temporary during pregnancy and that there is a 90% chance of the glucose levels going back down to normal levels afterwards. Naturally, having the damn diabetes gene, I'm more prone to getting type II diabetes and the baby will be too. I'm gonna make sure that the baby doesn't get hooked on candy like my brother and me. When we were growing up, we'd take family roadtrips and my parents would ALWAYS let us stop by Thrifty for candy to snack on in the long car ride. We'd ALWAYS get a few staples like - Nerds, Dweebs, Skittles, Starbursts, Lemonheads, Now'n'Laters, Lifesavers, gummi bears, Dum dums, Blow Pops, Fruit by the Foot, to name a few. On top of that, we'd always drink soda and eat Doritos, Fritos, Cheetos too haha. Sigh.. the good ole days. Even now that my bro and I are both "adults" now we'd STILL fight over candy. Chuperman just shakes his head.

So back to what the OB recommends - I have to participate in this program called the "Sweet Success" program for perinatal glucose monitoring. Sounds fun huh? I'm just glad I didn't have to get monitored during my thesis. At least now I won't be so stressed. I'll start the "sweet success" program whenever those fools can call me back. I've only called them 5X's. Maybe I don't have to get monitored haha.

The Great Stroller Debate:

With much naivete, I want the all-in-one "magic bullet" stroller. I don't want to end up with like 10 strollers in my garage. We park our cars in the garage and there is no room for 3 strollers. My ideal stroller would be ONE stroller that can transport the baby in all stages (0-6months, 6month-4yrsold, jogger) until the baby can walk or decides not to be lazy.

This dream stroller of mine would be lightweight, collapsable, sporty, has superior handling, superior shock system and superior maneuverability for when I go jogging. The Bugaboo Frog would meet these criteria only that it's not collapsable and it's not that lightweight. Okay, think what you will, "Oh Tiramesu, you are such a snob for wanting the Bugaboo". But hear me out before you judge me. I don't want the Bugaboo purely for the status symbol. I've been having internal debates about damn strollers. I'd literally wake up in the middle of the night and think about frickin' strollers. Is it worth it to get a Bugaboo or should I get 3 separate strollers for each stage.

Non-Bugaboo route:

Snap'n'go

McClaren Volo


BOB Revolution

Pro's:
Cheaper than bugaboo... let's do the math:

• Baby Trend Snap'n'Go 0-6months: $50
• McClaren Volo 6months+: $90
• Bob Revolution Jogger with maneuverable front wheel: $360
• total for strollers: at least $500 (not including tax)
• Lightweight - both the snap'n'go and volo are very light weight

Con's:

• end up with THREE strollers
  
• the main stroller which would be the Volo is not reclinable, so wouldn't be as comfy for the baby. uncomfy baby is prob tantamount to lotsa crying and whining...which is prob equivalent to frustrated mommy
  
• the jogger is extremely bulky, hard to collapse, and weighs a lot (approx 24lbs), will be very difficult to fit the jogger in limited space in our garage
  

Bugaboo route:

Pro's:

• unbeatable suspension, handling, comfort,versatility - can go hiking, go to the beach, walk up and down big-ass hills w/ no probs
  
• i've talked to a few Bugaboo owners in which they agree that the bugaboo can be a jogger as well
  
• 17lbs, pretty good for an athletic stroller/jogger
• great for long walks
• great as a mall crawler
• great for long day trips
• comfortable for baby
  

Con's:

• not collapsable (unless i can just throw the whole thing into the back of my SUV)
  
• hefty price tag. I know Chuperman can find the cheapest price for anything, but the cheapest he'll find is prob like $700 and then another $45 for a car seat adapter, which I'd wait on anyway, b/c I have a sling and I'm gonna get a Bjorn air carrier - so might not need to use a stroller until 6 months later anyway.
• so we're talking a $200 premium on a hypothetical all-in-one bugaboo, versus getting 3 strollers
• b/c the Bugaboo is not easy to collapse for running errands, i might end up getting a $20 umbrella stroller for quick stops - so the total would be at least a $220 premium
  

Yes, it's cheaper to get 3 strollers, 1) Baby Trend Snap'n'go for about 0-6months, 2) lightweight umbrella Volo for 6+ months, AND 3) a BOB Revolution with maneuverable front wheel. I don't have a problem with getting the snap'n'go and Volo, but I do have a problem with getting a big jogger. All joggers are big and are not collapsable. The jogger won't be able to fit in our garage. And we are not willing to park our cars outside.

Both Chuperman and I love the sportiness and spiffiness of the Bugaboo - it's lightweight, stylish, trendy, was on Sex and the City, a lot of celebs have this - so a total status symbol haha, great for new yorkers, and THE BEST handling, however there are some major flaws. First of all, the stroller ain't collapsable like most strollers are. Living in the suburbs where I'm constantly running errands and in'n'out of my car, I need something light weight and collapsable.

Enough about frickin' strollers...

Let's pray that God will show mercy on SoCal in this awful firestorm. Let's pray that damage to our health and our houses caused by these fires ceases immediately. Let's pray for the safety of the firefighters, paramedics, health professionals, and for the well-being of all residences in Socal.

I've been giving away n95 respirators - I have more so let me know if you need some. I grabbed 50+ respirators at an environmental health conference. The air quality is especially bad today from all the smoke blowing over from Lake Arrowhead. To my SoCal friends, please stay indoors. Do not make unnecessary trips outside. Walk your dog inside the house (or on treadmill if possible haha).

Glucose Test Results

...sigh... as predicted, I FAILED the 1-hour glucose test. It is true - from the very start of the pregnancy, I had gestational diabetes just like my momma did. It was so high that the OB's wife, which is a nurse, called me this morning from her own cell to personally tell me the news. Sheeeit, I knew I was in trouble when I heard her voice. She said, "Michelle, your glucose levels are very high. You now have to take the 3-hour glucose tolerance test". I was like, "how high?"- OB's wife said "192". JUST FABULOUS. I asked her what the cut-off was - she said my levels had to be below 130. Wow, talk about way-off. Sheeit! Initially when I took the frickin' test at week 4, I was at 211, which is considered diabetic. I thought my glucose levels would go down a lot more than that! I mean, come on! I've only gained like 12 lbs and I'm almost in my 3rd frickin' trimester, I take frickin' prenatal yoga, go on walks, been on a frickin' protein diet (with occassional desserts for special celebrations like bdays), and the other day a stranger randomly came up to me saying that "you're the most attractive pregnant lady I've ever seen"haha.

Anyway, before I took my 1-hr glucose test last Friday, Chuperman and I had a pool to see where my glucose levels would come in. Chuperman was super nice and said 90. Sweet man. I knew I'd fail and guestimated 140. But 192, that's just insane.

The OB's wife wanted to fax me the doc's referral for 3 hr glucose test today. I was like, hold up! I can wait to take the damn test until after I actually meet and discuss my results with my OB next Wednesday.

My mom tried to comfort me in saying that she too was called out for her high glucose levels when pregnant with my bro. Only, back then, instead of a 3 hr glucose test, she had to take an EIGHT hour glucose test haha. She told me just not to worry about it and to see if I could skip taking the dreaded 3 hr glucose test. "Michelle, just don't take the 3-hr glucose test! Don't do it!" haha. Gotta love her. But she does have a point kind of, even if I do fail the 3 hr glucose test, what will that practically mean?! I live a healthy lifestyle and am of healthy weight (not overweight) - what else can I do? It's the damn genes!!!

On top of all this glucose test crap, my head is spinning from Baby's R Us registry sensory overload. I wish I could sink my teeth into a red velvet cupcake... =( =( =(

Glucose Test

The dreaded glucose test is here again - Friday AM to be exact. I haven't taken a glucose test since 5 months ago, upon which I failed it. My glucose level back in my 4th week of pregnancy was 211, and that was fasting. I know, very high and very shameful. Glucose levels should be under 90-120 fasting. Unfortunately, diabetes and gestational diabetes runs in my mom's side of the family. Of course I cannot fully blame my genes, my high-sweets diet didn't help anything. Candy, desserts, pastries, ice cream, gelato - we're a huge part of my diet before knowing that I got knocked up. I've since had a medical nutritionist help me with a low-sugar /low-carb diet. Sucks right? There's nothing worse than a pregnant momma on a diet. Anyway, I'm okay with it now (i cried and whined when i found out i had to go on a diet). I actually feel pretty damn healthy for the first time since high school. No alcohol and a low sugar/ low-carb diet will do it.

Normally a pregnant lady doesn't take a glucose test until 6 months or 24 weeks. Well, I'm 24 weeks pregnant and I have to take the damn test again.... sheeeit. Am I scared that I will fail it? YES. For the first 4 months of my pregnancy I was pretty good at following the diet. From finger pricks, my glucose levels post prandial were 92 and 99 during my 2nd and 3rd month of pregnancy.

However, I think there's a big chance that I'll fail it again b/c if you recall my posts from around my bday Aug1 and Aug2 - all I talked about was birthday cakes, pies, cupcakes, etc... Well, needless to say, for the whole month of August my low-sugar, low-carb diet was followed rather loosely. Hey! It was my bday month, we had a ton of house guests, we went up to the bay area, and it was the summer! And recently, I regressed back to eating candy and chocolate truffles to get me through countless all-nighters for my thesis. I know, it's no excuse.

If I fail it again, then I have to take the just-shoot-me-now 3-hr glucose test, which entails fasting the night before (which im ok with), and drinking an overly sugary and nasty glucose drink, and having blood drawn after the first 30 minutes, then after 1st hour, 2nd hour, and 3rd hour. I'd have to stay in the lab the whole time too, can't even go outside. Oh my God, I'm scared.

24 week update - Momma Piggie Pregnancy Stats:

• how momma is feeling: Pretty good! a lil tired from thesis process but in general - energetic=D
• diet: lately, I snuck in a mooncake to celebrate "Chinese Moon Festival" haha, but other than that still trying to stay healthy with consuming tonz of soymilk,plenty of protein like eggs, ribs, protein bars, almonds, and fruits&veggies

• btw, we had Morton's for the first time last Friday after I submitted my thesis and after Chuperman took a shelf exam for IM and psychiatry. I was SUPER exhausted and almost didn't want to go but of course I'm glad i made it out. Morton's was pretty good actually! The atmosphere was more laid-back than I thought and the food was good. Our waiter is Hawaiian and was super nice to us. I think I still like Fleming's better but Morton's ain't bad. The jumbo shrimps were amazing! Thanks Karen for recommending.
  
• weight gained: 11 lbs (again, if i didn't have GDM, i prob would have gained 30lbs -easily)
• exercise: pre-natal yoga, swimming, hiking, shopping

chuperman's early bday celebration dinner/tiramesu completion of thesis dinner at Morton's

Morton's key lime pie and dark choc raspberry souffle cake with some awesome vanilla bean ice cream


reading my thesis thinking "i can't believe i'm done"

24 week update - Baby Piggie Stats:

• movement: kicking, punching, elbowing, head-butting, more and more each day
• gender: Boy
  
• the more i talk to friends and read pregnancy literature, it's actually quite common to get an inaccurate u/s reading (especially <20wks)>
• my color is YELLOW for now until mommie and daddie find out FOR surez that I'm a boy on the day i'm delivered
  

• weight: almost 2 lbs
• length: almost 14 inches

I'm done!

I now have a Masters of Science degree. Unbelievable. If we were to back-track to the year 2000, when I just started working in finance - having just graduated from undergrad with a non-science degree, and if you were a crystal ball telling me that I'd go back to school for graduate studies - I would have been like... bullsh*t. I had ZERO interest in going back to school. But if you also told me I was going back for Environmental Health Science - I would have been like, what's that?

I never thought I would finish my master's thesis dissertation. Actually, at one point or another - everyone around me didn't think I would finish either, including Chuperman, my own brother, and my friends. No hard feelings. None taken. haha. I'll spare ya the gruesome details, but it really felt like all odds were against me in finishing my thesis. Especially during the last month of merry-go-around revisions between my 3 advisors, many sleep-less nights, and having to defend my thesis in an oral presentaton. Well, I proved everyone wrong including myself. I'm not going to lie, it's a big relief to be done. But, I think I'm still traumatized from the whole experience. Friday night I got a full nights sleep for the first time in a looong time. I thought I was going to finally get some peaceful sleep, but instead I had nightmares that I was still revising various graphs - tweaking the standard error bars, and jamming away at 5am to meet the deadline.

I hold a newfound respect for those who endure the thesis process where you conduct a scientific study from start to finish. It's much harder than taking classes, writing a literature review, or working in groups on case-studies. Now I have to work on getting this study published.

But first, I'm going to take the next week to catch-up on sleep and return back to laid-back tiramesu=D .... not to mention that I'm 6 months pregnant - even more reason to take it easy. Chuperman can agree that having care-free tiramesu back would be a good thing for all of us. :P There were a few tense moments last week, especially during the few hours right before my oral defense. Needless to say, emotions were running high.

Anyway, looking forward... onto prepping for mommy-hood...

Outlook for the week: finally begin shopping around for baby crib, stroller, etc, shopping for myself..hee, mini-facial at Fresh, foot massage, eating at my fave restaurants, going to work, hiking at Crystal Cove, begin working on publishing study, chuperman's bday on Friday=D

Graduation: At this point in time, I've decided not to walk in June 2008. Walking 10 months later is kind of weak. Talk about delayed reaction right? So forget it - not walking. I'll wear a cap and gown and pose for pictures at my baby shower. =P

Hope everyone had a lovely weekend!

Last stretch

Almost there... just 2 more days until my defense and 3 more days until I'm DONE with academia. I've spent the whole night working way my through some revisions from, you guessed it, Mr.Asshole #2 Advisor whom finally gave me back my thesis with his edits a whole week later. It probably only took him one day to look at it too. I still have to revamp my discussion section, abstract, and work on another graph. Not to mention, throw together a thesis presentation. By the end of this week, my thesis will be freakin' bulletproof.

Maybe I won't be completely done with academia after I turn the beast in - I'm looking forward to some leisurely learning like picking up Spanish again (for realz this time - naturally in h.s. I didn't pay attention) and improving my Mandarin. Even taking a few art history classes or something fun. I still need to think about what other subjects interest me without killing myself. However, I do know that I'm finished with higher education after this. FOREVER. PERIOD. Seriously, I can't take it anymore. For you over-achieving doctors and PhD's PAT YOURSELF ON THE BACK. I'm just not built like that. AND I will not force my child into graduate school unless it is his or her desire.

New 80-gig hard-drive baby: The good news is that my new hard-drive came in yesterday and now I can work on my own laptop again! Thanks Chuperman for setting this up - you're my hero=D I know you probably can't wait until Friday either!

Carrot in front of the horse: After I turn in my thesis on Friday, I'm going to go on an eating spree. I'm looking forward to Morton's and Mastro's. I've never been to either. I know - 2 steakhouses in one week - but hey, life is short, my coupons will expire very soon, and my fave get-out-jail card saying "I'm feeding for 2" is very fitting in this instance. I'm also looking forward to more Vie de France, Lawry's Carvery, and Earthen:P

Speaking of spree's: I went on a few shopping spree's last week to decompress. I needed some serious retail therapy. I was looking at my on-line cc statement today and saw this mysterious transaction: "Hennes & Mauritz - NEW YORK" and thought to myself "Oh my God, I haven't been to NY since last fall! This is another encounter with fraud!" (the 1st one was in Costa Rica). But, silly me, Hennes and Mauritz stands for H&M clothing with hq in NY. heee. The H&M at South Coast is kind of small - I think I like the one at Spectrum better.

Pinkberry newsflash: Most locals know that Pinkberry is coming to The District, but did you know Pinkberry is coming to Fashion Island as well!! YAYY!!!! I must say, I live too close to Fashion Island, South Coast, Pacific Whey, Zov's, etc..and my office is right next to the District.... it's SOO hard to stay discliplined.

Diversions

I am still waiting for my #2 Jack-ass of an advisor to give me feedback on my thesis. In the meantime, I've been trying to recover from the grueling process of getting my thesis approved. I've managed to sleep more, got an emergency maternity massage at Spa Gregorie's b/c my back and my neck were absolutely killing me - especially from all the heart-attack worthy news from early this week (i.e. instructed to make thesis defense last minute, graduating 10 days later than i thought, the baby is now a boy instead of a girl, death of my laptop hard-drive).

Yesterday I took a moment for myself to regroup and discovered a few new things:

My new fave breakfast item is a breakfast croissant from Vie de France. I normally get turkey&swiss croissant or ham&swiss croissant but noticed they had a new croissant in town - the new egg, sausage, and cheddar croissant. I had it this AM and OMG - it was sooo good. It can't be that bad for ya right? I mean, as a momma-to-be eating for 2, all i see is triple protein (not butter butter butter).

Also, I was informed that at in South Coast, they're having a Sweet 16 celebration to celebrate their 16th year in business. Meaning, COMPLIMENTARY strawberries and champagnes, AND complimentary mini-facials every Thursday this month from 6-8pm. I might go next week if my thesis is finally done, or for sure the following week!

"Dumping physical memory"

On top of difficulties getting my thesis approved (mainly by Mr.Jerk #2 advisor) and hence turning the beast in later than I thought and prolonging the pain, AND finding out that we're having a BOY now instead of a GIRL - my laptop died last night. It started off with the laptop making a funny race car noise, then all the applications started slowing down, i quickly transferred everything to my flash-drive like my THESIS, etc. Luckily, I pretty much had allof my thesis doc's on email and the flash-drive anyway. So no data was lossed due to hard drive failure. It was sad when the screen said something like "dumping physical memory".

Even though it's already been a bumpy week so far and it's only Wednesday, I know that things could definitely be worse. After my thesis is defended, approved, and turned in Chuperman and I are goign to San Diego for a weekend on a much-needed get-away.

I GOT CARDED! A few weeks ago I was at Trader Joe's and I bought like 2 bottles of wine and 2 bottles of Belgium beer for a dinner party. When checking-out, I was wondering if the cashier would notice my pregnant bump and automatically think I'm over 21. Well, he carded me! =D I was ecstatic. I didn't care if he didn't notice my pregnant bump or if he just thought I was chubby and looked young:)

Comments on how I look: As superficial as this may sounds, being a pregnant lady, we still need to hear positive words of reinforcement on how we look. Since after all, the media and society puts an overwhelming importance on physical image and especially the need for women to look thin and beautiful. Well, it's kind of hard to look thin when you have a baby growing inside you! Anyway, most of my friends and family and even complete strangers have been very encouraging and positive saying stuff like "you look great", "you have a glow", "you look tiny for being 22 wks pregnant", "you've gotten prettier so it prob means you're having a girl" haha. Thank you to those who have been so supportive of my growing waistline. A lil bit of sensitivity goes a long way.

Fetal Gender

Two days ago at a bday party, we heard of someone getting U/S from 3 different OB's ALL saying that she was having a GIRL. But on the day of delivery - VOILA - BOY. The general gyst of that experience is DON'T CUT THE TAGS. Hearing this story made me queasy and was like an omen for us...

SURPRISE: I moved my OB appt from Thursday to today so that Chuperman could come with me. The OB was kind enough to give me another impromptu U/S. I wanted to double-check the gender of the baby b/c back in week 17, the OB said I was having a GIRL. Well guess what? We're having a BOY now! Unbelievable right?! We got our warning 2 days ago that U/S can indeed by wrong. I'm 22 weeks pregnant now and the chances that the U/S is correct is now 95% accurate (once past the 20 wk point) so now we're having a baby boy! haha. Good thing I haven't had the time to buy a single thing for the baby. We didn't have any tags to cut anyway. I wouldn't buy baby clothes this early - I'm smart enough to know that U/S can be unreliable. The way the fetus moves so rapidly in the amniotic fluid and the precision of the imaging makes it hard to read U/S scans. We are thinking of doing a 4-D U/S. Any rec's?

Thesis update: As predicted, Ms. Lenient #3 Advisor promptly returned my thesis with minor comments to me this afternoon. Now still waiting on Mr.Difficult #2 Advisor.

Crystal Cove: To decompress from all the stress from my thesis, I took a 40 min hike on the beach. It was much needed and I felt so much better afterwards, only to be stressed out again 2 hours later with the news of the updated gender of my baby!

Even though I've been super stressed out with my thesis and now in shock that we're having a boy instead of having a girl, I still very thankful and blessed. A boy will be just as amazing! Regardless of the gender, we would be so blessed with a happy and healthy baby. Thank you God for providing us with this growing miracle.

Correction: 11 more days...

... so originally, my deadline to submit my masters thesis was September 12 - in just TWO days. In my mind, I thought I'd be free and clear in just 2 sweet days. I really thought the end was near. I couldn't be more wrong. Even though the chair of my committee has reviewed, given me feedback (then I made the necessary changes), and has APPROVED the beast - 2 of my other advisors still need to review and approve the manuscript of which one of them happens to be picky as hell. The 3rd advisor is really laid-back and shouldn't give me too many problems.

Thesis Defense: AND on top of that, the chair of my committee JUST informed me 2 days before I thought I could submit it, that I have to have a spontaneous thesis defense with all 3 of my advisors present. What the heck! I have to make a freakin PowerPoint presentation now and then get grilled to death. Fabulous. All of the other masters students didn't have a defense nor did they to make a presentation - why pick on the pregnant lady? The pregnant card does not work in this instance. And because the mean # 2 advisor needs more time to critique the heck out of my thesis, I'm going to have to turn in the beast next week instead of in just 2 days - thus, prolonging the P-A-I-N. And by pain, I'm talking about pulling all-nighters, no shopping, being mal-nourished, no leisurely reading, no free time... but mostly the no-sleep part sucks. Anyway, such is life. Bring it on Mr. Asshole #2 advisor. Ms. Lenient #3 advisor can review it in lickity-split ONE day - Mr.Asshole #2 advisor -why do you have to make life so difficult.

I'm going to have another OB check-up on Thursday. I expect greatly elevated blood pressure readings from my normal 110/70 caused from my thesis.

Congrats to Roger! only 2 more to beat Pete Sampras' record:

Btw, while finalizing the revisions of my thesis - the tube was turned on in the background to US Open men's final yesterday. CONGRATS to FEDERER on his 12th grand slam title. Great match yesterday. Federer is simply amazing. I predict that Djokovic will be the next #1 ranked tennis player in the world in about 2 years. Currently ranked at #3, Djokovic is only 20 yrs old and has room for improvement. I hated him at first b/c he was just so cocky and inmature during the Australian Open early this year, but has matured rather quickly since then into a charismatic joker. He still has a temper tho which is entertaining to watch. I think he might be more popular than the #1 Federer now. I also predict that Federer will indeed surpass Pete Sampras' 14 grand slam titles. I think Federer will eventually hold 16-18 grand slam titles under his belt.

5 more days...

...until I'm done with me master's thesis. The manuscript is to be turned into Library Archives by Wednesday. Today I had one of my other advisors briefly review my thesis - mainly of the figures and tables. Sigh... let's just say that I was very naive in thinking that I'd have a relaxing weekend comprised of prenatal yoga, naps, shopping, and watching the finals of the U.S. Open. I now have to delete half of the figures and graphs, and completely compute and produce new ones AND re-do half of the results, discussions, and abstract too. #$%!!. Now my weekend is completely GONE.

At least my secondary advisor has made some really awesome suggestions that my primary advisor was too lazy to step up to. My secondary advisor gently said that my primary advisor "is a busy guy" meaning that: his review of my thesis was rather cursory. Hopefully after I turn in this manuscript next week, ideally, the next step would be to publish this bad boy. Let's not get my hopes up, I have other priorities like preparing my life for a baby and catching up on 4 years worth of scrapbooking. Chuperman and I are great at taking a ton of pictures but really horrible at producing physical photo albums. I have much to do! Have a great weekend all!

Movie:"Lust, Caution"

Ang Lee's latest movie: Lust, Caution. (Click below for trailer)



Theatrical Release Date: Sep 28, 2007 (Limited)

Cast & Crew:
Tony Leung, Tang Wei, Joan Chen, Wang Lee-Hom, directed by Ang Lee

Synopsis:
The new film from Ang Lee, the Academy Award-winning director of "Brokeback Mountain" and "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon." A startling erotic espionage thriller about the fate of an ordinary woman's heart, it is based on the short story by revered Chinese author Eileen Chang, and stars Asian cinema icon Tony Leung opposite screen newcomer Tang Wei.


Anyone have a copy of this movie yet? If you do, I can swap The Simpson's movie on DVD with ya haha.

U.S. Open

I've been watching the U.S. Open a lot lately and stumbled upon this gorgeous bombshell from Serbia - Ana Ivanovic. She's been compared to looking like Rita Hayworth and happens to be ranked #5 in the world! Too bad she got eliminated last week. It's hard to tell - she's 6 feet tall!

Roger Federer, MR. 007 of Pro Tennis and ranked #1 in the world, by FAR - he's a legend. Roger is not the best-looking guy (looks kinda like quentin tarantino w/ the big schnazz and funny chin) but what a tennis stud. I am SO JEALOUS THAT MY BRO GOT TO SEE ROGER PLAY AT THE OPEN IN NY last week. It's one of my dreams to watch Roger Federer play live. He looks a like a frickin ninja here in Monday night's win over the Argentinian - Feliciano Lopez.Federer looks even sleeker in his black on black ensemble. Tonight he plays the All-American and over-hyped Andy Roddick in the semi's. I know, I'm a traitor, but Andy Roddick bugs the heck outta me. He's not that good-looking, his tennis is very one dimensional, and he's really cocky. I like Mr.Harvard-man James Blake much better. I predict Federer kicks his ass in 3 easy sets.

Waiting Game:
I turned in my thesis to the chair of my thesis committee last Friday. Thank God! However, my advisor is STILL reviewing it. I know I can be impatient but my approved thesis is to be turned in next Wednesday, and I still have to get my draft back from my chair, make the necessary changes (hopefully not too many!), and STILL have two of my other advisors review and approve the beast. In the meantime, I've been busying myself with plenty to do. Over the long weekend I cooked for a dinner party, ran errands, got a pre-natal PT massage, went to church, braved the crowds at South Coast, had more friends over, went to a few family functions, watched the U.S. Open, and tried to rest in between all of that.

Pre-natal Yoga:
Yesterday I took a pre-natal yoga class at Yoga Shakti and I loved it. It wasn't too hard, but today I'm a lil sore so I guess it was challenging enough. We're mostly on our feet and sitting-up the whole time. The yoga class I took in the Bay Area was much more challenging, probably because it wasn't geared for pregnant ladies haha. During the last 10 mins of the 90 min class, the yoga instructor pretty much told us to take nap on our sides and put pillows b/w our legs, under the arms and head... it was very relaxing. After yoga, I decided to take a dip in the pool. I swam a full ONE lap (2 lengths of the pool) haha. Today I feel really tired, relaxed, and am checking my email every 5 mins pining for a response from my advisor.

Retail Upgrades:
The new Whole Foods in the District in Tustin is INSANE. It's the biggest most expensive grocery story I've come across (makes Bristol Farms look CHEAP). The Tustin Whole Foods is equipped with the snootiest foodie bars: a Brazilian churrascaria, taqueria, panini bar, WINE AND TAPAS bar, truffles bar, seafood bar, SMOKED MEATS bar, coffee and tea bar, sushi bar, and buffets of hot food. I decided to try a samosa but was disappointed b/c it tasted too "healthy" for me. The samosa cost $2.75 and was underseasoned. I'm still loyal to my fave Wholesome Choice which offers samosa's (granted smaller than Whole Foods) at only 75cents plus it's perfectly seasoned and come with TWO dipping sauces. I also bought some Tunisian olives from the olive bar and crostini from Whole Foods - they were both excellent. Try not to go during peak hours - you'll get run-over!

Diamond Plaza is coming to Irvine on Jamboree and Alton!! INCLUDING THE FAMOUS DING-TAI FUNG DUMPLING HOUSE . I pass by this plaza everyday but judging by the progress of construction - the new Chinese shopping ctr won't be ready until probably at least the 2nd/3rd qtr of 2008.

Almond "Dark" Chocolate Cupcake

Chuperman is gonna kill me. I couldn't resist trying Sprinkle's new cupcake flavor - almond dark choc cupcake=P I'm not a huge fan of Sprinkles, however, I was impressed with the deliciously moist almond cake. The almond essence in the cake reminded me of the popular Chinese jello dessert "almond tofu" or "almond pudding" ("xin nen dou fu"). As usual, the frosting was way too sugary and did not satisfy my dark chocolate tastebuds. In fact, the claimed "dark chocolate" frosting tasted more like milk chocolate (booo!!). I think Zov's makes the best cupcakes in recent memory - I love their red velvet cupcake with cream cheese frosting haha.. I know, I have major problems. I need to go to a Sugar Addicts Anonymous meeting or something. Thanks Bootie for getting me into trouble! I blame you for informing me of Sprinkle's latest creation. haha. Anyway, 2 doors down from Sprinkle's sits Gelato Paradiso. And across the way is Bristol Farms. The devil is here. I'm finalizing my thesis at the kick-ass Newport Library, which as locals would know - is dangerously close to all the good eats/good sweets. I'm also an arm's length away from Teuscher Swiss Chocolates in Fashion Island. Everyday is such a struggle! I comfort myself with thinking that going on long walks at night might counteract my glucose spikes. I'll prob be reporting my pregnancy weight gain in kilograms now on haha. Okie, back to more fun at the library.