A funny story, sad one actually. When I first told my Mom that I was pregnant, she advised me to rest up and eat well. And she gave me some money. I didn't need it, but I accepted it because I knew how important it was for her to know that she was providing something valuable towards the health of my baby and me. Then she told me a story about her pregnancy. It made me turn away and tear. I'm tearing even now as I'm writing this story.

The story is- When my Mom was pregnant, in her early 20's ( I don't know which one of us 3 she was pregnant with), it was during hard times. Everyone had it hard back then I guess. We were poor. She was working long hours teaching at a high school, then at an after-school academy to help support the family. She took the bus to work at dawn, then to another work, then back home late at night....in the dead cold of Korea winter...in high heels...til the week before she went into labor. She said one day she passed a Ho-dduk truck and wanted eat 20 of them all at once because she was that hungry. She decided not to in order to save money :( I know this is kind of a toss up- not eating is not healthy for the baby either, but I think not eating was actually a result of not having enough money.... I guess that's why she felt compelled to give me some money so I can buy as many Ho-dduk's or any other snacks as I wanted if I ever wanted to.

Our local dry cleaner ajuhmah said something similar to me. She said "You're so lucky to be pregnant at this time. When I was young, we didn't have enough to eat. My baby was 5 pounds and a few ounces- her skin was wrinkly, and she barely had any fat on her body. But nowadays, kids are born heavier, and healthier. They're fat (which is a good thing). They look 3 months old at birth!" Anyway, I'm not sure how many of your mothers had the same story, but this definitely was the sign of the times. They all had it hard back then. I'm so grateful I have a car to drive around in... with heating and cooling systems, enough money to eat whatever I want and whenever I want, a crib and a stroller, health insurance, and a job that will grant a leave for me and secure my position.

Late afternoon- play time for our Unborn Baby Girl. Right around 3PM, she becomes extremely active. At week 17, which is when I first felt her movements, it wasn't as predictable. But now, it's like clockwork. At week 23, I can feel her rolling around and stretching in my belly. Yes, I can feel her streching because I feel her pushing out at one end, and the other. Last night, I felt moving across my belly either her arm or leg. At this point I can't tell what part of the body it is, but I do know what she is doing with it. When I get home around 6PM, I lay on the couch with Hogan for a good 15 minutes just enjoying her activity. Sometimes, she kicks and punches so hard it makes me giggle, or burst out in laughter because it amazes that such a little thing like her can be so strong. Other times, I have to give her a little nudge for her to react ( Eugene hates it when I do that because he thinks I'll bother or hurt the baby, but I've seen the Ultrasound Technician do it when she wants the Baby to respond, and it seems pretty harmless.

Week 23- I've come up with a list of "What to Buy" and almost completed purchasing or ordering big furniture items after weeks of research and window shopping and comparing merchandise and prices. I'm now detailing how many and what type of smaller items to buy such as diapers, wipes, bottles, etc. We've completed 5 books collectively and shared notes with each other. I'm a little burned out from reading so I'm think I'm going to just ask Eugene to finish BABY WHISPERER and highlight the key points and prepare an outline for me :)

So what do I do now? I've finished planning out how the Baby room is going to look like. I've been vacuuming and sanitizing the baby room and baby bathroom every week. I can't start exercising because I've stopped doing so months ago. Plus I'm feeling a few contractions a day already so any form of exercise other than walks with Hogan and walking and running around the office all day is out. Friends have suggested that I enjoy my time out with friends as much as possible now since I will be too busy to do so for months after the Baby is born, watch a lot of movies...and go out to dinners with Eugene. One thing I'd like to do before I get any bigger is to learn to bake. I love cooking but I've never baked anything other than Pillsbury already-made cookie dough. So I guess I'll start with some ginger bread cookies and work my way up to pies and cakes from there. Any other hobby or activities you think I should do before March?

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