Greg's Baby Things

Greg's folks came down to visit this past Saturday. They brought a box of Greg's baby stuff, which I thought was really neat. So what kind of stuff was it? Well...

• Greg's baby shoes (so cute!)
• The mobile he used (New Zoo Revue)
• A blanket that Greg's grandma knit for him
• Greg's favorite stuffed animal (it's a duck or chicken)
• The baby gown he came home in (at least, I think he came home in it)
• His baby book (turns out Greg was 8+lbs)
• A plate with his name on it (his brothers also had a plate with their names on it)
• Mickey Mouse spoon and Donald Duck fork
• And a ton of cards (birthday, Easter, Christmas, etc.) he got over the years

I think it's really neat that his parents saved all his childhood things and gave it to him now that we're expecting Baby Boy Tai.

Half-way there!

Today, I'm officially half-way through the pregnancy! Woohoo!

We went to the doctor's yesterday for our monthly check up. Heard the baby's heartbeat again, which is really cool. Everything's looking okay. Knock wood that it continues that way. So far, I've gained 20 lbs. With another 20 weeks to go, I'm not sure I can keep my weight gain to 10 lbs. My doctor doesn't want me to gain more than 30 lbs total. Oh well, I'll do my best.

An Exciting New Chapter

We've got some exciting news to share. We're expecting a baby at the end of March! A boy! We're thrilled and looking forward the adventures of parenthood. You can get Baby Boy Tai's perspective by visiting his blog. I'll be blogging about the pregnancy from my prespective (and occasionally, Greg's).

I'm officially 19 weeks and 2 days along. I'm definitely showing too! The first trimester was a combination of happiness, worried-ness, tired-ness and feeling nausated. Luckily, I didn't experience morning sickness, although I came close a couple of times. I'm happy that we're past the first trimester. My energy level and appetite have come back. For exercise, I'm playing volleyball and running. Just kidding! I'm swimming and walking. :)

Brandon & Tina's Wedding

We attended Brandon and Tina's wedding today. Brandon is Greg's cousin. They got married at Grand Island Mansion & Spa in Walnut Grove. We had to board two ferries to cross rivers in the Sacramento delta to get there. That was unexpected and when the GPS said, "board the ferry" we all paused and made Jeff replay it to make sure we heard it correctly. I mean, for all knew it could've been "toward the ferry." But sure enough, the GPS said, "board the ferry." Jeanette was freaking out. But I digress.

Brandon and Tina had an intimate garden ceremony complete with a harpist, a runner decorated with tossed flowers and a rustic, wrought-iron gazebo. Luckily the ceremony was in the morning, so it wasn't too hot for the briday party and their guests. Brandon and Tina's ceremony definitely showcased their personalities. I thought it was really cute when Tina did the "happy dance" after the officiant pronounced them husband and wife and just before she and Brandon kissed.

After group photos, we celebrated the happy occasion with a Sunday brunch reception in a private room inside the mansion. We think Uncle Bruce's speech stole the show. Nice job, Uncle Bruce! If you'd like to view photos, click here.

Liberty

For the past week, we've been doggie-sitting Liberty while Jeff and Jeanette were vacationing in Maui. It's been fun having another dog in the house. I'm not sure Tachi would agree with us, as he's gotten quite used to being the king of our little castle. But it's good for him to learn to share his toys, water bowl and our attention. Having Liberty live with us for a week has given us a chance to get to know her better. Some observations (in no particular order):

• She doesn't simply walk; she sashays. Liberty shakes her boo-tay when she walks.
• She has no concept of personal space and likes to climb up on your legs when you're sitting on the couch. She'll walk right up to you and start panting in your face.
  
• She's an attention whore. Whenever we play with or pet Tachi, she'll come over and push Tachi out of the way or climb on top of him to try to get to you. When you push her off, she just tries again. She probably thinks it's a game. She'll also climb up on the bed in the morning to see if you're awake. If you try to push off the bed, she'll just climb back up. But if you roll over and ignore her, she'll go away...eventually
• She leaves pools of water on the floor when she drinks from the water bowl. I'm not talking about dribbling water here and there. I'm talking about leaving a trail of puddles around the water bowl, down the hallway and finally dripping some onto your foot in the living room.
• She got used to being crated when we weren't home. I'm sure it helped that we threw her favorite treats into the back of the crate to lure her in and that we'd feed her in her crate too. She barked and whined a few times as we'd leave the house, but by the time we got home it was quiet...no barking or whining.

Having Liberty for a week has also helped me appreciate how well trained Tachi is. It's so much easier when your dog actually responds to you say, "Sit." "Off." "Down." or "Drop." We've enjoyed having her with us. She's back home now with Jeff and Jeanette, but I have a feeling Liberty might be staying with us again sometime in the future.

Doggie Update

Just a quick update on momma dog, Mikasa and her pup, Molten. Molten was adopted to a family in Alameda who had an 80 lb black lab. He has been renamed Quincy. Our friends at Pound Puppy Rescue, think he might be a Lab and Newfoundland mix. Good think his adopted family has experience with big, energetic dogs!

Mikasa has been adopted by Greg's brother and sister-in-law. I guess they didn't realize how much they wanted her until she was gone! =) They've renamed her Liberty. Jeff and Jeanette came down last week to pick her up. She met Tachi, her doggie cousin, and they got along fine. Well, if you consider Tachi ignoring her every time she tried to get him to play with her getting along, then it was fine. Liberty's going to be staying with us next week, so they'll have plenty of time to get to know each other.

Thanks to Grace for helping find homes for both Quincy and Liberty!

We're Going to Disneyland!

Actually, we went to Disneyland last week. We were attending a Greg's cousin Brian's wedding in Pasadena this past weekend and drove down a few days early to spend a day and half at Disneyland and California Adventure with Greg's brother, Jeff, and sister-in-law, Jeanette.

The last time Greg and I were at Disneyland were our respective high school Grad Nights. That was a looooong time ago...slightly longer for me than him, but who's counting. Jeff and Jeanette, on the other hand, are Disneyland regulars. They go *at least* once a year. And they don't have kids! Of all the people we could experience Disneyland with, Jeff and Jeanette are by far the best people. They have Disneyland down to a science...fast passes, what to ride and when, hidden Mickey's, where to eat, parades, where to shop, firework shows and more. It was like having our own personal Disneyland tour guides.

We both agree that Disneyland has changed since Grad Night. A lot of things are the same (Main Street, Mad Hatter Tea Party, Dumbo, Haunted Mansion, Matterhorn). They've incorporated a lot of the movies, Disney and non-Disney, into the park. The submarine ride has become the Nemo Submarine ride. There's a Buzz Lightyear Astro Blaster ride, a Roger Rabbit ride and an Indiana Jones ride. Johnny Depp as Captain Jack Sparrow has been incorporated into the Pirates of the Caribbean ride. And what happened to the Sleeping Beauty castle (I found out that it's not the Cinderella castle like I always thought it was)!? I remember it being grey (v. pink) and much bigger than it was on this trip. Space Mountain was also completely re-done. Greg says it's better than before. It's faster, smoother and darker so you can't anticipate where the roller coaster is going to go next. I think this was the first time I rode Space Mountain, so I'll take Greg's word for it.

Of course, California Adventures and Downtown Disney were completely new for us. California Adventures is a much smaller park than I thought it would be. Apparently they built it where the parking lot used to be. There were some cool rides at that park and several parts of the park do look like places in California. My favorite part of California Adventures was Disney Animation, an interactive experience that gives you a behind-the-scenes look at the art and magic of animation. They had a special Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs animation exhibit when we went. Downtown Disney has a lively vibe with lots of shops and restaurants. It reminded me of Universal City Walk.

By the way, Brian and Christie's wedding was classically beautiful and quite grand. They had an outdoor ceremony at the posh Langham Hotel (formerly a Ritz Carlton), rose petals covered the center aisle, trellis decorated with flowers, string quartet playing Vivaldi's Four Seasons and Pachelbel's Canon in D, cocktail reception on the patio overlooking the pool, ornate ballroom with fancy chandeliers, and beautiful dramatic center pieces. Christie was a beautiful bride. She and her dad did a charming father-daughter dance to Moon River. Her dad is a good dancer! Brian's brother and cousins, including Greg, succeeded in getting him drunk. It was a lovely affair.