Prego Pics with Heather!

how cute are these shoes?!?!

When I first found out I was pregnant, I knew I wanted some photos to capture the journey, but I initially just planned on my weekly/monthly updates taken with the self timer of my camera.  I never really thought I'd be interested in professional pictures and wasn't really sure it was worth the money, for us.  But when my friend from work offered  her photography services as 'volunteer work' in order to build her portfolio, I thought, why not?? 

Heather just started her photography business in the last year and wow is this girl talented!  Not only was she wonderful to work with, she perfectly captured this special time with a mix of playful outdoor shots and more intimate indoor ones.  I love these pictures and I'm so grateful that she offered to do them for us AND that I agreed!

If you're looking for a photographer in the SF Bay Area, I'd highly recommend Heather Scharf Photography! 

 

Pediatrician Hunt

If there's one thing I've fallen behind on, it's finding baby girl a pediatrician.  I started doing some preliminary research over a month ago, but between San Diego, Chicago and Christmas, the last few weeks have been just a little busy. 

My OB gave me her recommended list of pediatricians, so I started there and also searched on Yelp.com.  I've never been a huge "Yelper", but I actually found my OB on Yelp, so I've decided it's a great place to start your research for more important things than just which restaurant to eat at. 

When I first yelped pediatricians in my area, I was very excited to see that the pediatrician I grew up with came up very highly rated!  I remember loving Dr. Safir when I was little.  I was never scared of him and when my appointment was done, I got to pick out a toy from the big red train...so cool!  I was instantly excited at the thought of sending baby girl to the same doctor.  The alternate vaccination schedule is very important to me and this is my one concern.  According to his website, Dr. Safir follows the AAP vaccination schedule with no mention of any other options.  So it's not to say he won't be willing to follow an alternate schedule, but I'm waiting to hear back to confirm.  Unfortunately, I left a message well over a week ago and still haven't heard back.  Not the best impression...hoping I'll hear back soon.  But you snooze, you lose... 

I also called two doctors from the recommended list from my OB, Dr. Trager and Dr. Del Signore.  I was able to connect with Dr. Del Signore's office right away and the office assistant was super friendly and helpful.  I had a really good feeling about the office but unfortunately, I'm not sure this doctor would be willing to follow an alternate vaccination schedule either.  The assistant seemed a little clueless about what that meant or if it was even an option, so I'm a little suspicious.  I haven't heard back yet, but I just have a bad feeling about it. 

So, my final option was Dr. Trager.  Online reviews are stellar!  People seem to love this guy.  I called one day last week, left a message with his office and the very next day Dr. Trager called me back...hmm, I like that.  Unfortunately, I missed the call, so I called back this morning, talked to the office assistant again and she said she'd leave him the message.  I expected to hear back tomorrow, but he called me back this morning about an hour after I left the message...very impressed!  He was super friendly and gave me a quick run down of how things work.  He offers evening and weekend appointments, and the best news...he's completely ok with the alternate vaccination schedule!  I think we may have a winner!

I have to say, I hate the tie...not a huge fan of Winnie the Pooh paraphernalia, but I'll let it go.  Looks likes a friendly guy, right?  Well, if the other two don't get back to me soon, we'll make it official.  I think he'll be a great doctor for baby girl...hopefully he switches up the tie.

A Social Network Christmas

I thought this was pretty cool. It's amazing how different our world has become!  Funny to think that this is how the good news might be spread today...

Chicago in December...

Earlier this month, Brad's cousin Bret got married in chilly Chicago!  When we first got the invite, we weren't sure we would be able to make it since I would be 7+ months pregnant.  We checked in with our doctor and when she gave us the ok, we decided this would be our last vacation/flight until after baby girl arrives.  We were super excited to get away, check out an awesome city neither of us had ever been too and spend some time with Brad's "Montana" family...who, by the way, are some of the most kind, genuine, wonderful people I've ever met...love them!

Chicago was amazing!  We loved exploring the city (though with me waddling around in 20 degree weather, we had to explore in small spurts, which usually followed this pattern....grab a taxi to food, eat, grab a taxi to hotel, rest...grab a taxi to a sight, grab a taxi to food, eat, grab a taxi to the hotel, rest...repeat). 

Our first night in town, we headed to the John Hancock building's 96th floor lounge for a drink...and by "drink" I mean hot chocolate :)  We thought the view was pretty cool...

   

The next morning we took the advise of Bret & Aura's "Chicago welcome gift" and had breakfast at M.Henry.  This place was amazing!  If you're ever in Chicago, be sure to check it out!  We both had a breakfast sandwich that was delicious!  Yumm...I'm craving it right now...

After our tummies were full, we headed to Michigan Ave to walk the "Magnificent Mile" and do a little shopping.  We didn't actually buy anything, but I'm always happy around retail :)

We knew we couldn't come all the way to Chicago without checking out the Sears, now Willis, Tower.  Standing at 1,450 feet and 110 stories high, Willis Tower is the tallest building in the western hemisphere.  Another amazing view...

They also have a glass pop-out ledge so you can "step outside" the building.  It's definitely not for those afraid of heights...

Friday was the main event.  The wedding was held at one of the most unique venues, Salvage One, which saves and preserves "architectural elements".  I loved seeing all the vintage furniture and decorations.  It was a very cool place and seemed to suit the bride and groom's style perfectly.

Bret and Aura looked amazing on their day...

The ceremony was held on the first floor and the reception was upstairs.  I loved the different sized and shaped tables, mix and match chairs, and the chandeliers!  So cool! 

And the "soul food" inspired dinner was delicious!

 

We left Chicago the next morning...just in time!  A storm came after we departed and caused some problems for people trying to leave the next day.  Fortunately, Bret & Aura made it out for their honeymoon to Costa Rica.  I'm sure they're having an amazing time...so jealous!

I definitely see another Chicago trip in our future...just not in December ;)

  

San Diego Thanksgiving

So, better late then never right! 

Brad and I decided to flee San Jose this year and meet up with his family in San Diego for Thanksgiving.  Here's our group shot...don't be confused...Shamu is not on the end...I'll get to that later.

We rented an amazing house in La Jolla, just a block from the beach.  You couldn't beat the view...

It was so nice to have a whole week off work and to enjoy sunny San Diego (well, it was a little chillier than I expected...this California girl has high expectations) .   

We loved spending time with the family, particularly our three nephews who couldn't be any cuter! 

With these three on the trip, there was no doubt we'd have to check out some of the fun San Diego has to offer,  including Legoland and SeaWorld (I was secretly just as excited if not more than them for SeaWorld-  I remembered going as a kid and couldn't wait to return!) We had so much fun checking things out, going on rides and seeing all the animals. 

The Shamu show was definitely a highlight!   Brad ran ahead to get us seats and decided that the "Splash Zone" was the place to be.  Fortunately, we didn't get too wet, but we did get amazing views of Shamu!!

My sissy-in-law, Deanna, also took some awesome maternity pics for us around town and at the beach.  I'm so grateful she helped capture this special time for us!

We're excited to go back one day and look forward to future family vacations with baby girl along side!

Hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving as well!

32 weeks

I hit 32 weeks on Monday!  I feel like a broken record, but I can't believe how close we're getting!  I only have 4 weeks left at Gymbo before my leave begins!  SO ready!!

I can't complain much about this pregnancy...it's truly been relatively easy.  I'm getting more tired, my back & feet get sore (fortunately, my hubby is amazing and gives me foot rubs almost every night!), and bending over to put on sock/shoes, shave my legs, etc is becoming quite a task, but all of these things are manageable.  However, in the last two weeks a new symptom has started up and I'm hating it!  Acid reflux is terrible!!  No matter what I eat, I get this awful burning in my chest and throat, like my food just doesn't want to say good bye.  Ugh!  Hopefully it'll go away, but I have a feeling it'll be with me to the end :(

There's lots to catch up on!  Things have been super busy, so when I get a minute, I'll be sure to update!!  I never wrote about our awesome time in San Diego for Thanksgiving, our recent trip to Chicago for a wedding, and we have officially moved into the new house!  Lots going on for the Slyngers, so more posts to come...

Co-worker Love

My amazing Gymboree co-workers surprised me with a baby shower today...well, tried to surprise me. I was highly suspicious...who am I kidding....I knew :)

But it was so awesome! They even contacted Brad and had him come up to the city to surprise me (I knew that part too- hehe).

I'm completely overwhelmed by their thoughtfulness and generosity.  They decorated one of the large conference rooms in lavender and green knowing those are the colors of baby girl's nursery, made a fabulous spread of yummy treats including some of my favorites (pickles and olives!) and created super cute decorations. 

They also bought us our jogging stroller, car seat, extra car seat base and car seat/stroller adapter!  And I received a gift certificate to my favorite "happy place", Burke Williams!  So excited!  They were far too generous and I feel very so incredibly blessed to work with such amazing people!

30 down, 10 to go!

I hit 30 weeks on Monday and I CANNOT believe I'm within 10 weeks of seeing her sweet face! 

We've started the transition into the new house and were able to paint her room this week.  Seeing it all come together is so exciting and it's definitley becoming more and more real! 

Brad and I are like kids on the night before Christmas, super anxious and beyond thrilled! 

Here's the latest pic of the bump :)

30 weeks

Decisions, decisions...

One thing I've learned so far in this pregnancy is that having a baby requires a lot of research!  I'm the kind of person that likes to know as much as I can before making a decision.  I can spend hours (much to my hubby's dismay) researching options, pros and cons, and others' opinions. 

I hadn't even considered that there could be options when it came to vaccines.  It seemed very standard to me...everyone does them and our doctors know best, right?  I had heard some controversy about about vaccines due to Jenny McCarthy and her son, but not because I was researching vaccines...I was probably just doing my "celebrity" research through a US or People Magazine.  At the time, I wasn't pregnant and I didn't give it much thought. 

Around a year ago, a good friend posted on facebook that she had read The Vaccine Book by Dr. Sears.  I remember she loved the book and felt much more well informed about the topic of vaccines and what her options were.  For the first time I recognized that there were options out there and it was something to look into when the time came.  So once we found out we were pregnant, I knew Dr. Sears would be on my list of "pregnancy reads". 

I just finished the book last week and I'm SO glad I read it!  Dr. Sears is definitely not anti-vaccines (neither am I) and thinks the benefits absolutely outweigh the risks, but does question the standard vaccination schedule set by the AAP (American Academy of Pediatrics).  In his book, Dr. Sears clearly explains each of the twelve vaccines on the standard schedule and the disease associated with it.  He covers (from the back cover of the book):

*How common or rare, as well as how serious, each disease is
*How each vaccine is made and what its ingredients are
*Which ingredients are potentially controversial
*What each vaccine's side effects might be and how likely they are to occur
*How to recognize, treat and prevent vaccine side effects
*Which brads and types of vaccines are safest
*How to tailor your child's short schedule to minimize risks and satisfy state requirements

For those who are interested, here's a chart showing the differences between the AAP schedule and Dr. Sears alternate schedule:

Like my friend, I feel much more educated on the topic and more equipped to make the best decision for me and my child.  I know this is just the beginning of a lifetime of worry and decision-making for this little girl...I'm pretty sure she's more than worth it!

On the move...

We FINALLY got final approval on the sale of our condo! Which means we also got a "move out" date. Fortunately that deadline is no sooner than when we planned to move anyways. With baby girl on the way, we decided we should move between the holidays, so the 12/20 deadline is actually perfect timing!

We discussed and decided a while back that we would rent from my dad and move into the house I grew up in. I love the house and I'm super excited to have more space. Though I'm looking forward to this move, I'd be lying if I said I wasn't just a little bit anxious. Living in and potentially raising our family in the same space I was raised in could be...well, emotional. There's lots of memories at that house so I hope it's not too difficult. The place does look much different than when I lived there (minus the bathrooms that are dying for a re-model...wink wink dad...kidding...kinda) and I'm sure once "our stuff" is added it'll feel even more different.

Five years in the condo was about 4 too many and I will definitley not miss...
1- our extrememly inconsiderate upstairs neighbors who think stomping around at all hours, throwing parties every weekend and dragging furniture around the hardwood floor are all fun activities (well, I guess parties are fun, but not for us)
2- going up and down 3 flights of stairs everyday
3- terrible parking for our guests and having to walk back up and down those stairs to let them in

I will miss...
1- our large bathrooms...I think the guest bathroom might be as large as the guest room...
2- the pool...though we didn't use it too often, it's nice to have the option
3- the gym! I'm not using it much now, but I used to go every morning. Despite the fact that it was a shoebox, it was nice to be able to just go down stairs to have a morning workout...no drive, no fees!

Hopefully baby girl will love growing up there as much as I did. I can't wait to bring her home and start our own memories in our new house!

Oh baby!

Brad and I couldn't be more excited to welcome Baby Girl Slynger into our "family" next year! The last six months have been an amazing experience as we prepare ourselves for this next big stage in our life. I've never felt so much love and yet I know it's only going to increase in a way I can't imagine when I finally have her in my arms. I'm so thankful God has blessed us with this sweet little creation growing inside. Feeling her move around (and she does A LOT!) is such an incredible feeling. I fall in love with her more and more each day.

Looking forward to February 7th 2011...or whenever she makes her debut (hopefully not 2/6, Superbowl Sunday)!

Here's a little picture recap of the growing bump so far...