The weeks are passing faster and faster as we near the end. We officially enter the 3rd trimester this week. With my careful balance of food choice, avoidance of smells and daily consumption of doxylamine, I’ve managed to stave off most morning sickness lately. I’ve experienced a bit of heartburn, but it has mostly been my own overeating. Unfortunately, I’ve been warned by many that I have apparently just left my most comfortable trimester. This is rather alarming seeing as how I continued to have morning sickness, got inexplicably very ill and now have to pee more than ever! I’d hate to think of what the 3rd trimester may have prepared for me. Luckily, the heat hasn’t begun bothering me yet. I may be the only pregnant woman in the world who continues to enjoy the Southern California heat. I’ve heard that many have problems getting any sleep (due to general discomfort). I get about 8-10 hours a night (I used to only sleep 5-8/night). However, I do get the urge to nap each day now at around 5:00 PM. My efforts to nap have been futile. I don’t think I’ve been able to nap since infancy. Napping, thus far, has constituted me, in bed, staring at the ceiling, growing more and more bored to death. I’ve since given up on napping.

I’m beginning to feel much bigger. I didn’t think I was much bigger, until I spent half of a bridal shower being told by the bride’s aunt that I’m apparently rather big for 26-27 weeks. Usually, I brush off unsolicited advice and dialog, but it is a bit more difficult to ignore what a registered labor and delivery nurse at Cedars-Sinai has to say. At first she was concerned that I may have developed gestational diabetes (it has yet to rear its ugly head at any of my check-ups). She was much less concerned after I informed her that both Kevin and I were born at 9.5 lbs each! Hopefully, Baby Sophie is just a chubster like the both of us, because I really don’t want to do the GD test. So just how big am I?

Checking into Parenting.com, we find that Sophie is now 14 inches from head to toe and tips the scales at more than 2 pounds. She’s finally bulking up with some fat and her lungs are continuing to develop. Her immune system is gearing up for life outside the womb. She has officially discovered thumb sucking, which will help to strengthen her cheek and jaw. We’re going to be checking into BabyCenter.com for the illustration this week. Kevin insists that Parenting.com’s picture this week is both amorphous and scary.

We’ve been keeping rather busy these days. I’m still working on building up Grand Soirees and Whimsical Designs, as well as finishing up the planning for a wedding taking place in one month. Kevin and Grandpa Ly have been putting their time towards the nursery and baby proofing. Grandpa Ly found a new baby gate listed on Craigslist for $20.00 less than retail. Kevin and I dashed to Newport Beach to pick it up on Sunday. After Grandpa Ly did some chinchilla proofing on it, it now functions as both a Chino and Sophie gate.

Please excuse the mess beyond the gate, the former contents of Sophie’s nursery has been moved into the living room

The nursery is coming along nicely. After tearing up the carpeting, we discovered a little snafu. The foundation has cracked a bit since it was laid 7 years ago.

Luckily, Grandpa Ly has since filled in the cracks to protect Sophie from any gases that might seep up from the ground. Grandpa Ly then finished painting it pink (cursing it the entire time, of course). He considers any shade of pink, pepto-bismol pink. He would have preferred Salmon Toast. I chose to go with Poetic Princess. This is how it looks so far:

I was bummed because no one would let me paint :-( And I was rather looking forward to painting. Instead, I had to find a different outlet for my crafting urges. I decided to work a little magic on the packaging for the bridal shower I was attending. The bride is actually both a friend and a client. I ended up packaging her hostess gifts for each of her bridesmaids.

Then I decided to wrap her gift (a cake stand, and a box of baking recipes) into a faux-wedding cake. I then topped it with a peony cake topper (that doubles as a floral headband after you take it off).

As for Kevin, he’s busily researching and haggling for a new vehicle. Kevin has been driving the same Honda Civic since he was 16 years old and newly licensed. As many 16 year old boys would do when asked what kind of car he wanted, Kevin wanted a cool one. Thus, he chose a two door (sporty, but inconvenient), black (impossible to see at night), Honda Civic. With age, and a baby on the way, Kevin is thinking much safer these days. After test driving a few cars, and doing some research, Kevin is leaning towards the 2010 Toyota Camry in white.