It's my 33rd birthday today!!!

Today was my last birthday before Hurricane Newhaus arrives! And it was FAB! Of course you should expect nothing less when spending the day with Edward Cullen. New Moon came out this weekend and I went with a group of girlfriends to see the movie. That explains why we are fawning over Edward and Jacob in the picture. Lucky for us they were as dreamy and magical on the screen as they were in the book. Every single gal in the theatre was as or more obsessed as us, and no one threw us out for screaming I love you Edward at the movie screen. And at the end of the movie no one was too taken aback or offended when I yelled out that if it didn't work out with Bella that he could marry me. And then the lights came up and we went to Nordstrom....almost back to reality.

It was such a great day with girlfriends. It's the kind of day I would love to have any day, and perfect for my birthday. We had a nice lunch at Real Food Daily before heading to the movies. I got a few things that I can really use this year and I am very happy about that. Mostly some clothes that fit, which is all I've needed for quite some time now. Marc got me a pair of fantastic maternity jeans, so I can wear jeans again....yay!!! It's a little bit difficult to maintain creativity month after month in yoga pants. And his mom got me a cardigan cape that is so cute and comfy and perfect for the winter. I'm already at the point where I can't button up my coat, so this couldn't have been better timing. It gets cold in LA at night and now mama can stay warm! And I got some cute pj's that fit. Marc is probably ecstatic about that since I mostly wear the most unflattering clothes around the house that were in desperate need of improvement. I really scored today!

I feel super special and loved! Marc wrote me the sweetest birthday card that made me cry. I told him I wanted him to write me a heartfelt card, and he actually did! I was worried that he wouldn't want to because I asked him to, but he ended up writing me a beautiful card with a cute splash of humor. That made my whole entire day, and I hope he realizes that I'm easy to please. See, it really doesn't take much to make me happy!

Thank you to my sweet friends and family on this birthday! I love you!!!

28 Weeks Pregnant and Rockin'!

Here we go into our 3rd trimester! Weeee! I'm feeling great, just as I have through out the majority of my 2nd trimester. We haven't had any complications and I've been really lucky up to this point. The energetic little monkey in my belly hasn't even been keeping me awake at night. It probably helps that I'm always so tired at the end of the day that it only takes me a few minutes to fall asleep.

As far as food is concerned, I haven't had any real cravings. My favorite things to eat have been watermelon, apples and peanut butter (all natural of course after draining the oil), and red seedless grapes. Even though I have my favorites, everything edible looks good to me these days. Even being around meat hasn't grossed me out too much. Marc and I cooked salmon with black rice and veggies for dinner tonight and it was beyond delicious. We are cooking at home a lot more than we did in the first trimester. I was so grossed out by smells that I was repulsed at the thought of smelling food cooking. But smells haven't bothered me so much for quite some time, and I'm enjoying learning how to cook more things from my self-taught teacher. Marc is a real gem in the kitchen, and I have a sneaking suspicion that he enjoys the benefits of teaching me how to cook!

I'm exercising 5 days a week and plan to continue for the next 12 weeks til our little hurricane arrives. It's tons of fun to hear the cheers and applause from others as I truck it up and down the santa monica stairs. I must admit that I find that very motivating and it makes me feel a little like a rockstar. There are other pregnant gals doing those workouts, but I have yet to see someone else quite "this" pregnant making those same rounds. Hundreds of stairs are a lot of work for someone who isn't pregnant, so it's kind of awesome that I'm keeping it going....even though I've reduced my 13 sets to a meager 5.

The Baby's in the Belly but the Junk's in the Trunk (26 1/2 weeks)

Little baby boy only weighs 2 lbs, but I've gained 20....yikes! The doctor says I have nothing to worry about and that I'm right on track. But I think Marc and I would beg to differ. I am sooo heavy! It took me 2 hours to hike Temescal Canyon the other day. I used to hike that in less than an hour. Slowing down doesn't come naturally to me, but pregnancy gives me no choice.

My skin is stretching so tight over my tummy that it is freaking me out! I've been mixing up homemade stretch mark creams with vitamin E, olive oil, aloe vera, and cocoa butter. How could I possibly make it through 3 more months of this without getting stretch marks. I guess if my anti-stretch mark plan doesn't work, at least you can baste me. Yummmm....tasty Lizzy!

While I'm complaining, I should just get it all out. Why is my butt expanding? I'm starving all the time and go to bed hungry at night. And I can't even eat as much as I want at a meal because it puts too much pressure on my insides and makes it hard to breathe. The sensation of our little one pushing on my belly button creeps me out. I've never liked the feeling of someone touching my belly button, and now I can't control it. But hey, why would I waste my time talking about my belly button when it has practically disappeared. And isn't it true that some guys like a gal with junk in the trunk!

There are tons of fantastic things going on right now besides the fact that I'm huge. We've already gotten a few things for the baby! Yesterday we got a rocking chair and a bassinet! The rocker is a vintage bentwood style rocker and I think that the fact that I love it makes me feel like an old lady. And the bassinet was donated by one of Marc's coworkers and it is perfect for when the little bunchkin is sleeping right next to me. And the baby's room is getting really clean, organized, and understandable. Yaaayyyy!!!

Also, the baby is moving around like crazy, and it feels like I've gone to a theme park when I just sit down on the couch. I can feel him rolling around, which is similar to butterflies. It's extremely entertaining to watch my tummy moving around as he situates himself in his warm, cozy home. He probably just likes to stir the pot by reaching out for my belly button to test my patience because he knows I will love him regardless. That little stinker! He's probably going to be just like his daddy!

One of my biggest fears is living in a "baby house". Sometimes when you walk into a family's home that has kids, it looks like a monster came in and threw up a house full of toys. Gross! And then you can't walk in the dark because a tonka truck might stab you in the foot. Please don't ever let that happen to us! Thank goodness Marc is a minimalist and doesn't like that either, so we can keep that to a minimum. Yeah, yeah, I hear there's no stopping it. Watch this fear come true and feel free to laugh very loudly at me.

So Marc loves to joke and give me a hard time. He thinks I will never put our son down, because I love to hug and cuddle so much. He thinks I baby the cat too much and give in to anything he wants. But he never saw me in my years of teaching dance and how much respect I had from the kids. We had a lot of fun and the kids loved me so much that they never wanted to disappoint me....very similar to my brothers and I with my Dad. He was so cool that we didn't want to let him down. Even at that, I do think Marc is right. I can't wait to smother our little angel with hugs and kisses all the time!

Marc says things that are so sweet and cute so often and I'm afraid if I don't write them down I might forget them. He said he can't wait until our son is in high school and he can relearn high school math and algebra and help teach our son. That is especially endearing to me because Marc is such a diligent, patient teacher. He also expresses how lucky he feels to be having a boy with me. And I believe him because he doesn't say things because you want to hear them. He only says what he genuinely feels or believes.

Instead of working out today, I planted some palm trees. Don't worry, they weren't too heavy. But it sure was a workout carrying everything up to the rooftop to plant. Boogars helped me by hopping over to the neighbor's deck and sunbathing on their patio furniture. And I love it when Marc comes home and is happy with my progress. Ok, so once again, I'm defininitely getting older. I never would have taken such pleasure in being domestic in my 20's. But I absolutely love doing things to make our home nicer.

According to some books, I begin my 3rd trimester in 2 days on Thurs., week 27. In one sense I feel like time is flying, but on the other hand it feels like I have been pregnant forever. I'm trying to get the hang of this blog-thing, and hope to update more often.

2 for 1 Special?

Happy Halloween! I worked on Tues. night and dressed up as an angel. Unfortunately they weren't very keen on the 2 for 1 special that I had to offer. I guess pregnant angels aren't so hip in hollyweird when dozens of supermodels are right behind you ready to take your place. Needless to say I was fired from my duties for the rest of the week. The news was delivered via email stating that they were "at capacity" and didn't have room for me. Ouch! That hurt! Pregnancy has definitely taught me a thing or two about discrimination, and I am probably becoming a better person for it.

Since I didn't have to work that awful job through out the rest of the weekend, I got to go to the west hollywood parade with friends. It was the best people watching and we had so much fun.

Marc defininitely knew how disappointed I was and has been extra sweet. Rejection is never fun anyway, but especially when you're big and prego with limited options. For the first time in my life I am realizing that almost every single job I have ever had in my WHOLE ENTIRE LIFE has been appearance based. Now I must rely on my creativity and brains!!! Lucky for the world because I am up for the challenge!

Also, Marc has also been extra sweet to Boogars, and I am certain that he secretly loves him to pieces. They have become best buds and it melts my heart. Thank heaven for all my sweet boys!!!