Parents visit and shower

My parents came out for a few days...it was great to see them, and it was fun to involve them in our on-going shopping spree for the baby. My mom also got to come with me to a doctor's appointment, which was fun.

On Sunday several of our friends hosted a little shower for us...it was so much fun. Jen, Nikki, and Heather provided tons of great food...and made all the guys (including my dad) drink their beer out of baby bottles, which was priceless.

All in all, a very busy and very productive few days for the Davidsons (and McCulloughs)!


A windy day in Twin Peaks



Lovely Sunday brunch



A shower of gifts for Baby Davidson











The guys escape to play washers out back



A small slice of the goodies the baby has accumulated



We wrapped up Sunday with dinner at home...and you can see a glimpse of the still-in-progress nursery in the background!



Dinner out...



...and dinner at home again



Check back soon for baby and nursery updates!

Chicago

I spent last weekend in Chicago, on what is commonly referred to as a 'man-cation'. In other words, my last chance to head to the Windy City to watch a couple Cubs games before Baby Davidson gets here. It was a great trip. Beautiful weather. Plenty of Old Style. Two game-winning home runs vs the St. Louis Cardinals. Doesn't get much better than that. I took a lot of pictures, but decided to put a little video together instead (it looks a little off-center on the blog, but if you click on it the original youtube page will come up). Hope you enjoy.





Back in SF, we are continuing to put the baby's room together and getting ready for the baby shower our friends Nikki and Jen are throwing for us this Sunday. Pictures of it all to come...

32 weeks: Everything there is to know

So, officially less than two months to go!

We finished our childbirth classes last week--we officially know everything there is to know. I know I was a little harsh after our first class, but I seriously enjoyed the last two...they mainly consisted of me laying on mats and pillows while Mike practiced various massage and comfort techniques--very nice! We've just got two classes left, newborn parenting and breastfeeding, plus our hospital tour--all scheduled for early next month.

Making progress on the baby's room. Per the earlier post, we've bought and assembled a crib and I'm almost done putting up the Blik decals. Next steps are to find a few more furniture items and some curtains.

I continue to feel great and am, I think, doing a better job of getting off my feet once in a while. One issue has been the current heat wave we're having (yes, mid-80s constitutes a heat wave in San Francisco)...since the weather is always cool, my maternity wardrobe is pretty much all long-sleeved...so I've been cobbling together some very interesting outfits from the stretchy non-maternity things I can still fit into.

We have made some wonderful friends here in the last year and a half and are very excited for the co-ed shower that Nikki, Jen and Heather are throwing for us this Sunday! Will be sure to post some pictures!

Oakland, Easter, my Birthday and more

Last Saturday our friends Heather and Blair had suite tickets to the Oakland A's game and invited a bunch of us to join them. It was a beautiful day for baseball, even if it was in Oakland.








After the game, Todd and Nikki invited us all over for an impromtu rooftop BBQ. Their apartment is in Nob Hill, which offers some of the best views of the city.






After dinner, a spontaneous group karaoke session broke out. This is the highlight. And that should tell you all you need to know out the rest of the concert...


Of course I performed my signature leg-guitar maneuver


We spent the next day, Easter Sunday, working on the baby room. I built the crib we had picked up earlier in the weekend and Kate began the long process of putting up our wall graphics.








And no Easter at our house is complete without an amazing dinner prepared by Kate. We had pork tenderloin on the grill, au gratin potatoes, salad and a fantastic strawberry cake. The cake was the only thing we took a picture of - I don't know what we were thinking...


And for those interested, here's a profile shot of Kate - to give you an idea of how much Baby Davidson is growing. Still time to vote on what you think it will be (right hand side)


On Tuesday Kate planned a surprise dinner for my birthday. We finally went to the Woodhouse Seafood Co, a place I've been wanting to try for a long time - and she arranged for our friends to be there when we arrived. I don't know how she keeps doing it, but she surprised me again. You'd think I'd have learned by now.


$1 oyster night on my birthday. Doesn't get any better...

Assorted pictures of weekend fun

Below are some pictures from the last two weekends. We have had some beautiful weather...and some fun times with good friends!

Recently, on Friday nights, Mike has been making fun dinners for us...I get to relax on the couch until these dinners magically appear--it's great! Here are some pics from a recent taco night...



(As you can see, Manny now resides in the kitchen to make room for the baby. Though he/she will have to get used to him sooner or later, we figured a having a mannequin in the nursery was probably not the best idea.)



The next day, after hitting the Ferry Plaza farmer's market I stopped to relax and sample some of my purchases. It was lovely to read in the sun...and a pain au chocolat and strawberries provided the perfect snack!




Painting the nursery (Thanks to our design-obsessed friend Kim Senn, for suggesting the gray paint--it looks great, and coordinates perfectly with the Blik decals Mike found.







Last Friday night we met the crew at The Monk's Kettle for dinner...we crammed into a booth for some good old-fashioned beer (ginger beer for me), food and fellowship.







Heading to prenatal yoga Saturday morning...



Saturday afternoon we caught some rays in the newly-mown backyard.



(Our house looks crazy-big from the back)





Our friends Jen & Dave recently returned from a vacation in Mexico, where they convinced a chef to share his recipe for some authentic pork tacos. They were excited to give it a try on Sunday, and we were excited to sample their efforts. Of course, we couldn't show up empty-handed, so I made a chocolate Pavlova to show off the tasty strawberries I'd picked up at the Alemany Farmers Market.

30 weeks: Goodbye, sleep!

Everything continues to go well. I've had some lower back pain (mostly on the weekends when I'm on my feet most of the time), but nothing too bad. I'm trying to get in the habit of stopping to rest, but it's really hard. Mike would probably say the worst thing about pregnancy so far is lack of sleep...his not mine! Apparently (I cannot officially confirm these things, as I'm sleeping pretty well for the most part) I am quite the bed-hog and am constantly changing positions and crowding him out of the bed. And then there are the multiple nightly trips to the bathroom. Unfortunately, I think things are going to get worse before they get better.

A few baby-related updates:

Childbirth classes: We started our three-session series of childbirth classes at the hospital last week. One complaint--why, why are all the people featured in childbirth videos and pamphlets so comically unattractive and out of shape? Childbirth is kind of a scary thing to watch anyway...if the people were attractive or at least decent-looking, it would maybe make the whole experience seem a little less terrifying. Just an idea.

Baby's room: We're making progress on the baby's room...it's freshly painted and ready for us to start experimenting the cool Blik wall decals we found. Next on the agenda...finding a crib and a dresser.

Doctor's appointments: Starting today, we begin seeing the doctor every two weeks...until 37 weeks, when we start going weekly. Fun times.

Growing: The baby is growing...the fact that it can simultaneously kick/punch my ribs and my bladder has got to be a good sign, right? Also, though I have never been the neatest eater, my ever-expanding belly is proving to be the perfect canvas for all sorts of drips and spills. It's embarrassing.