almost like our own!

fast forward a year... and we could almost pass this little guy off as our own. thanks j and b for letting us borrow your babies. come back and visit again soon.

week 22

just four more, very short months left on this part of the journey. i have a feeling the time is just going to fly right by. with the new year on the horizon, it's time to start thinking about baby besmehn as our most important, life priority. i'm making lists, setting up timelines, and trying to mentally and spiritually prepare myself for the next chapter. but i know most of all, we can expect the unexpected :). and we look forward to every moment.

christmas day 2008

lots of firsts this christmas... it was the first time waking up in our new home on christmas, and also the first time we didn't open presents at mama and papafongo's on christmas morning. but as we went through all of our christmas celebrations and family gatherings, it was also the first time that p and i are going through the season of jesus as expectant parents of our son. and it brought an even deeper meaning to the importance of christmas, and a closeness between the two of us that has to be one of the BEST gifts that we could have received.

but all that doesn't mean there wasn't a fantastic present-fest later that afternoon, including the annual christmas letter from santa.

check out the spread! we are so blessed...

the aftermath... it was afternoon by the time we opened presents, but yes, those are pj's if that's what you're thinking :)

we had a chance to visit ngng and spend some time with her on christmas day. i love this picture of her hand on my growing baby bump.

special shout out to uncle c and auntie s. they were celebrating this christmas in tx this year. we missed you guys!

a fong family christmas - 2008

just a few moments captured from christmas 08...

we are missing a few here, s & c... the 4 s', t & r - but all in all another wonderful celebration of christmas with mamafongo's side of the family.

a good lookin' crew if i do say so myself :)!

we love getting practice!

t - check out the photo editing!

and yes, that is p dressing a bear bear in a princess outfit. he won't need too much more practice with that. and don't worry, i'll be buying him some trucks and blocks soon :).

week 21... i've doubled in size

in case any of you were wondering, we went to the pancake house in fremont to do the "big reveal".  we'd heard people tell us that they created more "intimate" moments to unveil the news... and since we are so close to christmas, it was almost like an early christmas present!

baby (boy) b's stats: now weighing in at 13 ounces, 10.5 inches and a strong heart beat at 150 bpm.  yes, we truly are half way there, and i am almost positive that the week 21 picture looks like i've almost doubled in size - even since last week!!!  i'll have to do a side by side comparison soon... 

i'm feeling good... not TOO big yet, but i have graduated to rubber band-ing my pants and wearing excessively long t's.  grandmama fongo took me shopping for a few things yesterday - in the maternity section.  this is to help make sure that i look my "cutest" in the months to come.  but hopefully i will see you all soon, and you can all see for yourself. 

happy almost christmas!  it's been a really joyous and exciting season so far, and growing a baby around the same time of year that jesus was born... almost helps make the miracle of christmas seem even THAT MUCH more real to me/to us.  

drum roll please...

ok, so you all know it's a boy... but here's how we captured the moment on camera :)

it's a...

BOY!!!

video post to come later in the day. thanks everyone for participating in the poll... stay tuned for the fun part.

oh christmas tree...

conquering the tree...

oh, the ribbon is missing. apparently i was supposed to put that on BEFORE the ornaments. OOPS! we'll see if we can rig it up there. otherwise we might have to call in reinforcements (mamafongo) for assistance. but we must say that we're pretty excited about this spot for the tree. it's a perfect fit.

i forgot to mention...

that i felt the baby move for the first time last week... it was on thursday evening, just before i fell asleep. i was concentrating on it actually - so that i could differentiate the feeling from others. it's stronger than a flutter, less violent than your stomach turning when you go upside down on a roller coaster... somewhere in between. it's strangely amazing!!!

i wonder what baby b is doing in there? and i wonder what baby b must think of all the things that go on in my world every day. we'll never be this close again, at least physically.

this is an incredible journey and an amazing miracle. each day it becomes more and more real and exciting. thanks for sharing this with me/with US!

week 20 - half way there and feeling great!

so they say that the second trimester is definitely the best, and i have to agree. i've now had my energy back for about 4-5 weeks, and i'm feeling great. here's what half way looks like:

baby besmehn's stats - 10.5 ounces (or so), 6.5 inches long and this adds up to about the size of a banana. hard to imagine how much life is about to change, but we're really getting excited. and although i am a BIG TIME planner, i feel a sense of ease and peace about this whole new, amazing experience even though i really have no idea what to expect - because reading books and articles doesn't really do it justice. and the comfort and peace... that has to be a God thing :).

hope everyone is experiencing a blessed holiday season, and i look forward to sharing everything that is in store for this week.

p.s. i've had a couple of requests for frontal pics to help with the b/g vote. i'll try to get those up this evening or tomorrow AM.

mop-ies, electronic soap dispenser, and the purple cast

the pictures say it all... feel free to come over and try out the mop-ies and the soap dispenser anytime! we've got plenty of mopping to do and dishes to wash.

the vote...

ok, so the vote was 5 boy, 2 girl... before i noticed my typo and tried to "fix it". for those of you who want to recast your same vote... feel free, otherwise, no worries. i'll keep my running tally.

only 4+ days left to vote. who knew so many thought "boy"!!!

celebrating in houston... let's play a game!

we were down in houston, tx this past weekend for paul's niece's wedding. of course, with all the things on my mommy brain (dress, nicer purse for the occasion, accessories, etc.); i forgot to take my camera to the wedding. DOH! but, thankfully the besmehn clan has at least 2 cameras at every occassion. so... pictures forthcoming in the next few weeks (after uncle j gets back from his vacation in the gallapegos islands).

uj - here's another shout out as you seriously consider the action going on across the room...

and... can you spot the differences?

that's sam, the newest member of the besmehn clan and the sister of the bride. it was good times with family and an enjoyable, early christmas dinner at the daily grill. thx mom and dad besmehn!

take a wild guess...

so it's about that time to start considering gender - since the week 21 ultrasound will reveal a mostly accurate answer as to the boy or girl debate. i have my feelings, but i'll wait to reveal until after i hear from you.

what's your intuition?

here's a few helpful facts for you to consider as you register your vote:

1) morning sickness - mostly tired, not a lot of sick

2) baby's heart beat - registering in at between 136-140 bpm

3) how i carry the baby - you've seen the pics, you decide

4) family genetics - this all has to do with the boy's part in the process right? p has two brothers. if it skips a generation... grandpapa besmehn has a brother and a sister, which makes this last part not as helpful.

bonus: twins - these do run in the family, but up until now... we've only seen and heard one.

ok, time for you to vote. and don't forget to leave a comment if you're interested in the prizes. can't tell who you are without a comment :).

week 19... starting to feel more and more real

looks a lot like week 18, with a different outfit.

this week... baby b is the size of an heirloom tomato, weighing it at a whopping 8.5 ounces and and its arms and legs are becoming more proportional to the head size.

one big development, is in the sensory organ department. some research says that baby b will start to hear things soon - if not already. but don't worry, i've already been talking to baby b for quite some time now. we chat in the morning as we're getting ready, on the walk to work, and randomly throughout the day. i'm never alone :). but, it's time to start getting p into the action. he mentioned on the plane ride to houston that maybe we should start reading some books to baby b. not a bad idea...

week 19 was quite eventful

i need some pictures to post an adequate recap of the week, but here's a preview:

1) mop-ies - a picture will define this much better in a future post
2) an electric soap dispenser - self explanatory and very handy for dish washing

(at, t, k, and mm - thanks for the fun stuff!!!)

3) a purple cast - ok, so this really doesn't have anything to do with either p or i, but the foot surgery has been a hot topic for quite some time for auntie b. i hear the doctors took a cue from her fashionably, purple glasses, and decided she was a purple kind of girl. (b - if you are reading this a) i need a picture and b) we'll be over to leave our mark when we're back from houston)

oh and the actual, week 19 pick - that's coming soon too; along with a poll to guess baby's gender. still considering prizes for first responders and accuracy. we're off to get our ultrasound dec. 19th, and YES - we want to find out. what can i say, i like to plan!

baby b's second plane ride

we're on our way to houston for a wedding this weekend for p's niece. looking forward to seeing family, the wedding celebration, an early christmas dinner... BUT, definitely not the cold weather. the wedding is on saturday, 6:30pm, outside. so baby b and i will be well bundled for the 38ish degree weather that is predicted.

the plane ride was mostly uneventful, except i have to say that our southwest flight crew was very entertaining and friendly. the pregnant lady was particularly parched and needed several glasses of water throughout the 4 hour flight, and i was offered as many snacks i could down. there was a little girl behind us, i'd say she was about 4 years old... do children that age have volume control? can you teach that? just wondering outloud...

week 18... ten weeks to the third trimester

this week we have a baby besmehn bell pepper who weighs nearly half a pound and has the ability to flex its arms and legs. amazing really. and in three weeks, we get to find out if baby b is a boy or a girl!

but as you can see from the photo below... my desire for "streeeetchy pants" has become more of a necessity than a desire. clothes have the ability to hide most of the thickness in the middle, but bring on the rubber bands and bella bands. and the yoga pants aren't far behind.

the party continues...

we had a sleepover after thanksgiving which meant we got to make, share and capture a few more moments and memories for the blog.

we watched a pumpkin chiffon pie come to life

we had show and tell - thanks gma (that's santa perfume for any of you wondering)

we watched mm parade around with the one right shoe...

and we wore ourselves out!

come back for another visit soon!!!

our first thanksgiving

well, it wasn't really our first thanksgiving - but it was the first thanksgiving in our house. we loved having everyone over... it was definitely a house full of love and lots to be thankful for. here are a few of my favorites. but there were so many that you may be seeing them peppered throughout the posts to come.

say cheese! & don't worry mm - i've got ya!

two years goes by fast!

a lot has happened in the past two years - married november 25, 2006, expecting... as of august 25, 2008 (well, that's at least when we figured it out), moved into a new house on november 6, 2008, celebrated two years this week and hosted our first family thanksgiving!

on tuesday of this past week, paul and i revisited some very fond memories and walked up to "rocky mountain" - the place where paul proposed. yes - we climbed that hill...

but check out the view! how could we resist!

then it was off to dinner - acme chophouse for a great flank steak and YUM mac and cheese. paul had the baby back ribs, and they were really tender but i'm not sure either one of use was completely in love with the marinade. but the service was great and so was the company :)

p.s. the donut shop across the street was open, it's actually 24 hours... so we picked up a half dozen. we still have a few left over... eyes were way bigger than our stomachs. but we might have to make that an anniversary tradition.

food, family and... the aquarium

we headed down to carmel this weekend to spend some time with the besmehn side of the family - we enjoyed great company, stayed at the cute "carmel mission inn", and had some fun feeding the ducks...

hanging out...

and spending time at the aquarium, where we even "found nemo"!!!

sunday afternoon we feasted on lasagna, salad, fruit, veggies, rolls and pies. a wonderful meal for baby b and the rest of us! here's a picture i couldn't pass on posting of uncle j. he can't wait for another new baby to arrive in the family.

today's actually our two year anniversary. love you p! we're heading to dinner tonight and then planning for thanksgiving at our house. we'll miss you guys that won't make it up, but we're so blessed and thankful to have you in our lives. we'll have more pictures to share with you soon.

week 17... no doubt

so they still tease me at work... that i've got nothin' to show. but as you can see from this picture, i'm "really starting to pop" in the words of my doctor. we had an appt. last friday with a clean bill of health. woohoo! she said if she had to guess, i looked about 18 weeks (maybe it's all the eating i've been doing). seems like it would weigh more than 4 pounds, but that's my weight gainage so far. we heard the heartbeat again. it was in the 136-140 range, so legend has it that means it's a boy. but, intuition around the fong camp says otherwise. we'll see. the ultrasound is dec. 19th - what a perfect christmas present to look forward to!

what a weekend!

we had a great weekend... our second weekend in the house and it was busy with activity. we had our first overnight guests when t, k, mm and b came to visit for the weekend. the weather was amazing so we went to the park up the hill. it's a great park for little ones and has one of the most incredible views of the bay. paul is going to love going there once baby besmehn is old enough.

we made cupcakes, jelly, ate and snacked, watched movies, and stayed up late - slumber party like. we were treated to sushi dinner, went to church and had some friends and family over for sunday football and brunch (the perfect combo): pancakes, sausage, eggs, oj and mimosas. yum!

oh, and we have an eventful story to tell about the biiiiiiigggg truck that broke down on our street. the next time you see k... maybe you can ask her to tell you the story. she definitely tells it with the most color.

thanks everyone for coming over to visit. we'll have to do it again soon. here are a few of the pictures that we took of our weekend visitors.

arent' they cute?!

our little fashionista - at 3 yrs old!

following in her big sister's fashion footsteps, or a b-ball star in the making?

we've learned that the right shoe thing is very common. she is proficient in most shoe styles, including heels. leave your shoes at the front door, and watch her go!

week 16

ok, so i found the gray tank. but now that i'm looking at this picture, i think i much prefer either the black or the white... so we might be moving to black in the weeks to come. i'm slowly starting to adjust to the fact that my pants are getting tighter and by the end of the day, all i want to do is put on my sweat pants.

i work in a casual work environment, very casual actually. i'm wondering if i could get by in yoga pants for the last couple of months...

commuting... and being pregnant

ok, so we're basically at week 16... baby besmehn is the size of an avocado - something like 4.5 inches long. this also means that the baby besmehn bump is growing... as you've seen in the pictures. don't worry, week 16 pic is right around the corner, so you'll have a great illustration of what i'm about to explain.

so, you know in the morning... everything in your body has had a whole night to rest, it's mostly in the places it should be and gravity and food and all those other factors haven't quite set in yet. and by the end of the day, when all those factors actually do come into play, you are likely to be slight shorter, feet slightly fatter, belly a bit more enlarged. right? now add pregnancy into that equation and what does that mean? that means... if you stand with the right posture, hand on the belly, and stick it out as far as you can - you SCORE a seat on the bart train. and with a longer commute these days, this definitely comes in handy. of course, not recommended for everyone. but i'll work it for all i can right now.

week 16 coming soon!

week 15... catching up

so it's actually week 16, so i need to catch up... this was week 15. we are in transition still, so the clothing that was previously used in other pictures is of course - no where to be found. still unpacking, but getting very close to feeling mostly settled.

baby besmehn's first flight

so baby besmehn won't remember his/her first plane ride, but we will! it was off to phoenix, arizona for a GIRLS TRIP the first weekend of november. we had tons of fun with mamafongo, s, b, a. t, t and the little girls. we ate, hung out, ate, enjoyed and soaked up the sunshine (80s to 90s even)... did i mention we ate? it was the perfect pattern for the pregnant lady.


a couple of really great highlights were... the spa treatment that mamafongo treated all of us to while she watched the little girls; and splashing around in the fountain with k. she was so cute with her water socks.

we also had a chance just to relax, and here are a few photos of us hanging out at the condo. thanks mamafongo... what a treat!