Halloween

Our pumpkins

For Halloween, Nan and I carved these pumpkins. I was trying to make a rabbit, but it came out looking like a cat.

People from a lot of different neighborhoods come to our neighborhood for Halloween because the streets are lighted and there's a lot of houses that you can walk up to. All the parking on our street was taken, and about 400 kids came by our house. Also there were a lot of older people trick or treating too. I think when you're pregnant, it's probably time to stop trick or treating.

Nan and Leng, 25 4/7 weeks

Kauai Trip

Nan and I went to Kauai early October for the wedding of our friends Oliver and Uyen. This was the first time I'd been back in years, and the last few times had been with my Boy Scout troup to hike the Kalalau Trail.

Kauai was more even beautiful than I remembered it. Green valleys, sandy white beaches, hidden waterfalls, and good food!

Nan is at the end of her 23rd week of pregnancy in these photos.

Hanalei Valley

Nan in the Queen's Bath, a giant tidepool in Princeville

Sitting at the edge of the Queen's Bath tide pool

In Limahuli Garden with original terraces for taro.

Terraces for taro, now filled in mostly. You can see a few patches of taro being grown--the dark green spots on the 4th-6th terraces.

There are feral chickens everywhere on Kauai. While we were in Kokee above Waimea Canyon, we saw this group of chicks who were so hungry, they were eating this cigarette.

Waimea Canyon

'Opaeka'a Falls

Sunset over the Na Pali coast

San Diego Zoo, 22 5/7 weeks

We went down to San Diego for a conference, and on Mike's birthday, we went to the zoo! There were lots of interesting things to see, like a family reading books to a toddler pygmy chimpanzee, a snake swallowing a whole mouse, a polar bear swimming around, and a young siamang and baboon playing with each other. Too bad we had to leave the zoo early to go back to the conference, but we had a great time.

A pregnancy update: Nan's been showing more in the last few weeks, but she's still feeling pretty good. The next visit to the obstetrician will be next week Thursday, when Nan has her glucose tolerance test to look for gestational diabetes.


Nan at 22 5/7 with siamangs. Somewhere in the tangle of apes is a baby siamang that was playing with an orangutan.

A 17 month old pygmy chimpanzee reading a book. To tell the kid he was ready for the next page, he looked at the bottom right corner of the right page, and the kid would flip the page. He really liked a pop-up book with crabs in it.

Hippo crouching beneath the water's surface. You may know why Nan is interested in hippos especially with baby names under consideration.

Three zebras eating lunch

Foot massage after a long day. The metal plate under my feet vibrated really fast, and eventually I think there was some feedback inhibition of the nerves in my feet, because it really worked! My feet felt a lot better after the massage.

Prenatal visit, 20 weeks

Mike and I had a visit with our obstetrician today. We also had an ultrasound today to look at the baby's anatomy. Our baby boy looks healthy according to the ultrasound technician and the doctor.
In the last few days, I have started to feel lots of movement from the baby. He's especially active at night around the time I would like to get some sleep. Pregnany has been going ok so far. My energy level has increased quite a bit since I have finished my credential program in mid-August.

Check back for more updates later.

Oahu Trip

Hanauma Bay and Koko Crater

Last week, we squeezed in a trip to Honolulu to visit family. We usually go back for the holidays, but Nan is due in January, and we can't go back then. We went to the beach a couple of times, ate a lot, took lots of naps and got a hand-me-down crib from my mom's friend. No sunburn this time though! I guess we weren't there long enough.

Among the places we went:
Hanauma Bay
Kailua Beach
Yummy's Korean BBQ
Loco Moco Drive In
Kakaako Kitchen
Cabanas

18 weeks is coming up tomorrow!


Nan at Hanauma Bay, 17 weeks


Dried lemon, crackseed shop 


Nan at Kailua Beach 


Oahu

LA Tofu Festival

Tofuzilla!


Mike and Nan waiting for the Mayor of Los Angeles to introduce Ozomatli


Akiho Puppy at the Tofu Festival 


Sumotori Nan, 16 weeks

End of First Trimester

As of today, I am at 12 weeks 5 days. We went to visit our OB, Dr. Lu at UCLA on Thursday. I also had an ultrasound appointment, which was the exciting part. Mike wasn't able to make it in time for my ultrasound appointment because he was caught up in the GI wards. As you can see, the baby is much bigger. The length from head to rump is about 6.5 cm. I was able to see the heart beating as well as the baby moving. The picture shows the baby sucking its thumb with the legs sticking up. I wonder when I will be able to feel the baby moving.

Mike was able to come by soon after the ultrasound appointment to meet Dr. Lu for our OB appointment. They knew each other before since Dr. Lu was one of Mike's professors during his OB/GYN rotation in medical school. Dr. Lu was very nice and talked to us about making healthy nutritional choices for the health of the baby.

First ultrasound of baby at 6 and 6/7 weeks. The head is to the left.

Nan at 7 6/7 weeks pregnant showing her maternal instincts to a baby crocodile in New Orleans. 

Eleven weeks

Las Vegas, May 2005: Mike's parents and Nan, 4 days pregnant

In case Nan hasn't told you personally yet, she's pregnant. The doctor estimated the due date to be January 24, 2006. Today marks the 11th week of pregnancy and one more week to the end of the first trimester.

This means no more exotic trips. Thailand is just a memory and photos now. No more sushi. The toro will have to wait. California rolls will have to suffice. No rare steaks or mixed drinks. We'll have it well done, please. No over the counter medicines although since Nan has some pretty nauseous days and she can't shake this cold she's had for a month now.

Still we're very happy to be parents-to-be. Nan's been keeping a journal, and she's promised to write here too. Check back in later for more updates, and maybe some prenatal photos...

London Leaving

Offices of the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health. Nothing to see here. 

Right now, I'm sitting on my couch in Los Angeles and falling asleep as I write this. It's already 7 am almost in London, and we've been up for 24 hours now. Not that it compares to being on call, but still, we're tired.

We got up early Thursday morning to see some last sights, but everything was still closed. We walked by the Royal College of Paediatrics near Great Portland Street. Nothing to see there. Then we walked to the house of Charles Dickens, which wouldn't open until 10. Since it was still early, we went to the British Museum for a short while and then we had to get back to the hotel to collect our luggage and leave for the airport.

An hour on the Tube and we were waiting in line at the terminal. An hour later, we were at our gate. Eleven hours later, three movies, and level 36 of Tetris on the personal onboard entertainment system, and we were at LAX.