Those of you who know me in real life know that I’m a pretty even-tempered person (at least, I like to think I am!). I do have a fiery temper, but usually it takes something big to ignite it. The exception is when I’m pregnant. That’s when my “pregnancy cat claws” (as Johnny fondly calls them) come out at the slightest provocation, like the other night when I snapped at Johnny because I couldn’t hear something he was trying to say to me. I believe I actually yelled, “Stop talking so softly that I can’t hear you! What’s wrong with you?” Of course I apologized immediately, upon realizing how stupid that sounded.  I try to keep the PCCs (pregnancy cat claws) in check outside of my apartment, but this morning, I failed and snapped at some poor dude promoting a raffle in the grocery store.

I had pushed Jack in his stroller to Albertson’s (which is only about a quarter of a mile away — we walk there every other day) to get tonight’s dinner ingredients. When I entered the store, two guys in suits waved me over to a raffle table. Occasionally, the store sponsors raffles to give away $100 worth of groceries, so this wasn’t anything unusual. You just fill out a ticket with your name and number, and dump it in the basket. However, today’s raffle was sponsored by the Los Angeles Times, which also employed the guys in suits. If I’d known, I wouldn’t have stopped at the table. Of course, as I’m filling out my ticket, one of the guys tries to persuade me to subscribe to the paper. It went downhill from there. Here’s the conversation.

Slick guy in suit (SGIS): Would you like to subscribe to the LA Times, ma’am? [Side note: I hate being called ma'am by someone who's clearly my age. Hello, do I look like I'm 45 to you? Actually, I dislike being called that in any context, except by little kids who are cutely trying to be polite.]

Me: No, thanks. I do read the Times online, but I’d rather do without the actual paper. It’s a lot of, well, paper.

SGIS: But it’s all recycled paper! It’s good for the planet!

Me: Wow, that’s great! But really, I just don’t like all that paper in my home. [This is for real. The apartment is cluttered enough with all of our stuff and Jack's stuff. Plus, newspapers get your fingers all nasty. I know -- someone who has two degrees in journalism really ought to have more respect for newspapers, but oh well.]

At this point, I’ve finished filling out my raffle form and am getting ready to walk away. I should have.

SGIS: Did you know that if you get the paper, you could cut your weekly grocery bill in half by clipping coupons?

Me: Sorry, I’m not that big on coupons. [I just feel like the time I spend clipping coupons could be much better spent doing something else. I mean, should I spend 30 precious weekend minutes searching through coupons to save $5, when I could make quadruple that amount by working 30 extra minutes during the week? Don't get me wrong, I shop frugally and always select grocery items that are on sale to "preferred members," but I'm just not big into coupons (except Costco coupons ... those are great). Besides, I always end up buying something I didn't intend to get when I go through coupons, just because I had a coupon for it.]

I’ve started to walk away at this point, but then …

SGIS: Hey! If you clipped coupons, you could probably work two fewer days a week!

Me: Sorry, I don’t work. [Of course, that's not true, but I was really annoyed and just wanted to shut him up.]

SGIS: Great! Then you should have lots of time to clip coupons!

Enter the PCCs.

Me: [At this point, I turn around to face the guy.] When you find yourself chasing after a toddler all day while you’re three and a half months pregnant, then you can tell me what I have time to do. Until then, please be quiet.

And then I walked away for real, scurrying down the nearest aisle, while Jack blissfully munched on his snack cup full of crackers and waved goodbye to the SGIS and his partner. I snuck a look back, and the two of them were clearly talking about the crazy psycho lady. Oops. Now I feel like I’ve probably stacked up some bad karma — he was just trying to do his job. But man, he was annoying!

On a more balanced note, I hope you all have great weekends! This afternoon, Johnny and I (and Jack) are going to meet with a lender to talk about mortgages. Tomorrow, we should find out what Baby Surprise’s gender is (of course, I’ll share as soon as I’m back from the ultrasound facility), and Sunday, we meet with our realtor to go look at houses. Fun! Or, probably more likely, sobering!

So, some of you may remember how much I raved about taking Bar Method classes to tone up after Jack was born. It’s a killer hour-long class combining movements from yoga, Pilates and ballet, and focuses on tiny movements to build lean muscle, burn fat and improve posture. It sounds kind of loosey-goosey, but seriously, it is a hard workout, during which all your major muscle groups are just shaking with fatigue. When the rare man came to class, he usually had to take breaks while we ladies toughed it out! The reward is that you get results really quickly, especially in your arms, shoulders, abs and thighs — and who doesn’t want that?

When I was a devoted student this spring and summer, going to class at least three times a week (and running on most of the other days for the Disneyland half-marathon … wow, I am really quite the couch potato now, by comparison!), I had the thought that I should continue taking Bar Method classes (with some modifications on a few exercises) while pregnant, because man, wouldn’t it be great to continue to have toned arms and thighs during pregnancy? I swear, last time, there were days when I was like, “Are there babies also growing in my thighs, or what?” So that was always the plan … until I rethought our budget after I started working from home part-time, and decided that with the recession, my new job situation and our plans to buy a home in the near future, perhaps spending $220 for 10-class packages wasn’t such a hot idea. So, when my lovely in-laws asked for a wish list from each of us for Christmas, I asked for (and received) the Bar Method DVDs!

Yesterday was my first time using one of the DVDs in the package. I’ve had it since Christmas, but when we left Michigan, we had so much stuff that my in-laws ended up shipping most of the gifts we got back to us. Since Christmas, I’ve just been exercising to my two pregnancy fitness DVDs from my pregnancy with Jack, and also taking two 3/4-mile walks every day (to and from the park with Jack). I felt like they were getting too easy, though, so last night, I popped in the Bar Method DVD. I expected it to feel kind of half-hearted compared to the actual class, but man, was I wrong! It kicked my ass! Of course, I don’t have a bar at home, but I just used the back of a chair to hold on to for support. My thighs, butt, arms and abs are sore today, just like they were after each class. Lord knows how long my thighs will be sore for, since I haven’t gone to a Bar Method class since my package ran out back in November or early December. Anyway, I highly recommend the DVDs, and now I’ll be alternating my Bar Method DVD workouts with my easier pregnancy fitness DVDs. Both are about 45 or 50 minutes long. I figure if I can get in two Bar Method DVD workouts and two pregnancy fitness DVD workouts (for a total of four workouts) each week, and I’m still doing the walking with Jack thing every day, then I should be set. I’m really a huge fan of exercise during pregnancy — it just makes me feel better about, well, everything.

Plus, I’m happier to have a more difficult workout to do this time, because although I was good with exercising while pregnant with Jack, I still ended up putting on 10 or 12 pounds more than I probably needed to. Since gaining only 25 pounds increases my chances of a successful VBAC, I’m all for trying harder to manage my gain this time around. But, I also know myself — it won’t really be through eating. I’ve never been one to watch my intake too closely; and besides, I’m going to Taiwan soon — and who diets while in Taiwan, surrounded by so much great food?? So, I’ll be depending a lot on my more taxing workouts (not too taxing, of course!). The upside of trying to gain 25 pounds (or fewer) instead of the 35 I did last time is that it might not take seven months for me to lose it all this time around! Even five extra pounds looks like a lot on me because I’m so short … and because extra weight on me likes to go on my face, upper arms and hips. Lovely!

Speaking of sore, I’m not sure whether my butt is sore because of the exercising or because I’ve been sitting on a hard little stool in front of the toilet so much. Jack and I have been sitting on the potty (or rather, he has) eight times a day, for at least five to 10 minutes each time. As Jack either eliminates or happily reads several books, I sit there on the stool and feel my butt slowly fall asleep. Oh, and for those of you who were wondering: After the massive success of yesterday (a poop, followed by three pees during the rest of the day), we are, very predictably, 0 for six so far today! Wish us luck with Jack’s post-dinner poop.

Finally, please don’t miss all the new TV shows on tonight! I can’t wait for The Office, 30 Rock (we’ve gotten into that), Grey’s Anatomy, and yes, Smallville (I’m ducking my head in shame).

Ladies and gentlemen, allow me to be ridiculously proud and boastful for a moment. On this, our third morning of official potty training, and less than 48 hours after we actually began, Jack pooped in the potty!

Seriously, I wasn’t expecting this for quite a while. Jack is smart, I’m sure, but he often takes a while to learn things, and like most kids, he doesn’t like change. I wasn’t sure he would feel comfortable enough on the potty yet to poop. Plus, Jack usually stands up to poop — he’s done that since he was able to stand holding on to something. I noticed this morning that he was standing quite still in a corner of my room, and that’s a telltale sign (for Jack) that poop is coming. So I took him into the bathroom, stripped the diaper off, and put him on the potty. After one reading of “Five Silly Monkeys,” nothing happened. I was about to take him off the potty (my own butt was sore from sitting on a little step stool in front of him, waiting for something to happen) when I heard a little plop. I couldn’t believe it, so I peeked in and saw what might have been the most welcome sight of my life: a little turd! I squealed, “Yay, you pooped in the potty!”, wiped him, and then squealed again when he peed in the potty right after that. Together, we flushed the toilet and waved bye-bye to its contents. Then we washed our hands, put on a new diaper, and as a reward, Jack got to watch TV (also, so that I could write this entry, haha).

Seriously, I think the fact that I’m so thrilled about this might indicate that I have some sort of problem, but I feel like throwing a party! I’m sure that for this one big success, we’ll have an equally huge setback, but for now, I’m just going to be proud! Now please excuse me … I have to go offer Jack some more liquids so we have more opportunities to visit the potty this morning. Yay!

p.s. I promise that I will stop making a bathroom-related post each day. Thanks for bearing with me!

Edit below!

Well, for me, anyway, but probably not for anyone else.  Drumroll, please ..

Jack just peed in the potty for the first time!

Technically, he peed in the potty Saturday night, but it was only after he had already started peeing, and I plopped him on the potty. But this time, he sat down on the toilet (outfitted with the toilet ring) dry, then began and finished peeing while sitting on there! It was right after his nap, and I promptly stripped Jack of his diaper and plopped him on the toilet. I expected the usual singing (by me) while Jack sat there idly, but nope, within two seconds, the waterworks began. Yahoo! Unfortunately, my jubilant praise and “yay”s alarmed Jack and caused him to cry.

Considering we only bought the toilet ring yesterday, I’m really happy. This gives me encouragement to keep on bringing Jack to the toilet every hour or two. I should have bought the toilet ring to begin with. We’ve had the potty chair for a while, but Jack is more interested in the “real” toilet. And hey, there’s no rinsing for me to do.

Wish us continued luck! I welcome any tips from moms who’ve been there and done that (Tina, thank you for yours!).

Edit: Jack just peed in the potty a second time! After lunch, I missed a poop (darn, prime opportunity!), but after a trip to the grocery store, I plopped him on and sang to him for a bit. After a minute or so, he peed. I’m going to try really hard to catch him before he poops next time. He still can’t tell me before he has to pee, but I’m hoping that if he keeps peeing on the toilet, then eventually he’ll pee most times he’s on the toilet. We’ll see! I did pick up two kinds of Pull-Ups today. One kind with a pattern that disappears when it’s wet, so I can tell when he went (thanks for the tip, Tina!), and another kind that feels cold to Jack when it’s wet, so hopefully he’ll dislike being wet. Though who knows, maybe he’ll like the cold sensation!

Yes, you read that correctly: Jack is 18 months old today! Only six months to go until his second birthday (and until Baby Surprise is here) … yikes! Lately I’ve been so nostalgic for those days when all Jack needed was for me to hold him close to me. Guess I’ll just have to do this all over again!

We went for Jack’s 18-month appointment today. His stats are:

Weight: 25.5 pounds (up two pounds from 15 months), 50th percentile as always
Height: 33 inches (up half an inch from 15 months), 75th percentile, again as always!

Jack is nothing if not consistent in his growth, I guess! Since his week-old appointment, he’s been in the 50th percentile for weight, and the 75th for height. The pediatrician was pleased that Jack had about 30 words, considering that he’s a boy and being raised in a bilingual household. Jack took his shots with some brief wailing, but forgot all about the pain when I handed him a Gerber fruit strip.

Lately, Jack and I have been trying to do different activities (read: something other than Mommy trying not to doze off on the couch while Jack runs around the living room). One of the moms on my birth board said that her son enjoys transferring dry beans from one container to another with a spoon (and sometimes just dumping them out). I figured, eh, for 50 cents, why not give it a try? Well, Jack loved it! Yet another great idea “stolen” from someone else.

This occupied him for 20 minutes

Speaking of new activities, Jack and I began potty training in earnest today. Yes, I know it’s early, and I know it’s going to take a while. But, I’d really prefer to start now and have him semi-trained when the baby comes, because once the baby comes, I know it would be harder to get started. I’m not shooting for complete independence (like clothing removal, going, wiping, putting clothes back on, washing hands); I’d just like to get to the point where Jack recognizes the signs that he’s about to go, heads to the potty, has me position him on there and successfully goes. In other words, out of diapers during waking hours. If we can achieve that by age two, or shortly thereafter, I’ll be happy. Jack has had a potty for several months now and knows what it’s for. Sometimes he will sit on it when he sees me or Johnny in the bathroom. Saturday night, he peed in it for the first time! Granted, it’s not like he went and begged to be on the potty. He was diaper-free in the bathroom, and when he started peeing next to the toilet, I put him on the potty. I did buy him a little board book that shows a boy going to the potty (but sitting on the toilet), and it has a flushing button. Jack loves that book, and today he grabbed it and went to the toilet. So, now I’ve also bought him a toilet ring. We’ll see which one he likes better. I’m basically going to the bathroom and giving Jack the opportunity to go every hour or two during the day. It’s a lot of taking diapers off and putting them back on, but I think it will be worth it. If nothing else, it gives me a sense that I’m doing something in this arena. Wish us luck!

In other news, I hit 14 weeks on Saturday. This coming Saturday, we have our appointment for a gender determination ultrasound. I’m so excited! Here is my 14-week belly pic. I’m wearing my favorite new maternity shirt — my mother-in-law got it for me over Christmas.

The rounding continues! Very exciting.

OK, time to give Jack some dessert. He ate a slice of roast beef for dinner, plus four big chicken and veggie dumplings.  Now it’s time for some mango slices and a banana. Have a good night!

p.s. For my own records (I keep the archived files of my blog, in case they’re of interest in the future), I wanted to jot down Jack’s verbal development at this point in time. So often I talk about his motor skills or his funny antics, and I realized that aside from writing down his first words in his baby book, I don’t focus on the speech much! At 18 months, Jack can understand a lot of what we tell him. He can accurately point out people in photo albums (for example, when I ask, “Where’s Daddy?” or “Where’s Nana?”), he follows simple instructions, he understands the names of all common household objects. In recent weeks, he’s had a big push forward in terms of what he can say. Jack is, by far, not the most verbally advanced of the 18-month-olds I know, but he’s also being raised bilingually, and, well, he’s a boy. I know it’s not true universally, but boys tend to speak a little later, and that was very true with Johnny (and look how much he talks now! ). All that being said, it’s exciting to hear the new words pop up in Jack’s vocabulary. Jack can say 27 words and phrases:

* Hi
* Bye
* Night-night
* Thank you
* Bird
* Woof
* Mandarin word for “dog”
* Mandarin word for “light”
* Mandarin word for “television”
* Mandarin word for “Daddy”
* Mandarin for “hug me” (“bao-bao!”)
* Mandarin word for “push”
* Duck
* Ball
* Mama
* Mine
* Oh, no!
* Uh-oh
* Whee
* Oh
* Whoa
* Vroom
* No
* Shoes
* And also the Mandarin version of “shoes”
* Elmo (sometimes comes out as “Beh-Bo”)
* Down

So, not the most earth-shattering list, but I’m very proud anyway! What’s interesting to me is that none of these words strike me as practical. I would have thought he would ask for water or his cup, or his paci, but it turns out he would prefer to point at those items when he wants them. He’ll say “um” (Jack’s word for “yes) if I ask whether he wants one of those things, and do a happy dance when I go get them for him (followed by “dand-oo!” for “thank you!”), but he never says the words for those most-used objects. Go figure!

I’ve really been missing my grandma lately. In the two years since she’s passed on, I’ve thought about her every day, but lately, the heartache is even stronger.

It all started with my cravings for hot and sour soup. I have really been craving sour stuff this pregnancy — to the point of eating two whole bags of See’s Sour Stars chewy candies during the holiday season in only three days — and have been dying for hot and sour soup. In the last few weeks, I’ve probably drank five gallons of the stuff. Johnny’s brought it home from every Chinese restaurant in the vicinity; I’ve even made it from the mix they sell at the store, but everything is sub-par. Then I realized that what I’m really looking for is Ah-Ma’s hot and sour soup that she made from scratch, filled with different types of chewy and crunchy mushrooms, silky strands of egg, thin strips of tofu and tiny, tender pieces of pork, in just the right proportions, seasoned to perfect hot- and sour-ness. Of course, I will never have this soup again. Ah-Ma never used a recipe; she just knew how to do it, so no one else learned how to make it. It’s a really complicated soup to make correctly, but she made it seem very simple.

That got me thinking about all the other food she used to make. At first, I chided myself for missing my beloved grandma because of something as trivial as food. I mean, this is the woman who is a second mother to me, and I miss her cooking? But, upon further thought, it’s actually quite appropriate. Ah-Ma loved to cook for us, and being from a pretty traditional Taiwanese family, “I love you” wasn’t said very often — it was shown. June and I never doubted how much we were loved, and when I first went out into “the world,” I was surprised that families (not just the ones in sitcoms) actually said “I love you.” Johnny asked me, very early in our relationship, “Well, then, how do you know that they love you?” I didn’t quite know how to answer that; it was just never a question in my mind, how much I was (am) loved by my parents and Ah-Ma. She listened to all the minutiae of my day at school with great interest, stuffed money into my pockets with alarming frequency and (much to my mom’s dismay) hurried to my rescue whenever I was being scolded or disciplined, and most of all, she made the world’s best meals and snacks, day in and day out, until she was in her 80s. Even when we told her that she shouldn’t be standing in the kitchen each day, she wanted to.

It wasn’t until I got married and began making the household meals that I really appreciated what Ah-Ma did for us. Growing up, we had family-style meals, and I just took it for granted that we would have at least one vegetable dish, one type of seafood, one type of meat, a “novelty” dish for us kids (like chilled, crisp boiled bamboo shoots to be dipped in mayonnaise) and a big pot of soup, along with the requisite steamed rice. And often, because it was Ah-Ma, there would be two types of meat, or three types of vegetables, and even on a routine weeknight, it was common to run out of room on our dining table. Again, I thought this was how all families did things. Imagine my surprise the first time I went to a non-Asian friend’s house for dinner and saw a single solitary plate with three things on it in front of me.

Of course, these days, I know how much loving care and work went into those meals. The meals I make definitely fit only on one plate, and we’re lucky if we have three things on that plate. These days, I’m a fan of the one-pot meal. As long as there’s a protein, a vegetable and a carb on the plate or in the bowl, I call it a successful day. I really enjoy cooking, but I get tired just planning the weekly menu for me, Johnny and little Jack. Whenever Johnny suggests getting takeout or pizza, I jump at the opportunity to take a break from cooking. Yet, Ah-Ma always churned out a feast, day in and day out, never repeating dishes in a week, and always putting at least five items on the table. And she would not hear of my mom cooking, or of us getting takeout. On the rare occasion that we did go out to eat, or brought food in, it took a lot of convincing.

I try not to think about it too often, because of how sad it makes me, but there are so many foods that make me think of Ah-Ma, and that I’ll never taste again. Yet, when I’m pregnant, I really crave those foods of my childhood. There’s the fatty pork braised in soy sauce and shallots, with stewed hard-boiled egg; octopus, scored so that the pieces curled up prettily when boiled, dipped in a garlicky soy sauce; omelettes filled with chopped-up preserved daikon radish; “hollow-heart” vegetable (kind of like a Chinese version of spinach, if you will) sauteed with lots of garlic; perfectly steamed fish; bowls of silky steamed egg filled with shitake mushrooms and shrimp; homemade sushi rolls; eggy potato salad (yes, Ah-Ma made a mean potato salad!); and my favorite snack food, mochi toasted so that it’s golden on the outside, gooey and melty on the inside, with a generous pat of butter inserted in the middle and all wrapped with nori. There are a lot more, too, but those were some of my favorites. Whenever I’d plan a visit home from college or, later, from New York, Ah-Ma would ask me several days in advance what I wanted to eat for my first meal home, and all of the dishes I named would show up on the table, waiting for me when I got home. I don’t know how to make the majority of those dishes, and even the ones I do know how to make just don’t taste the same. Part of the magic is having her make them for me.

So, anyway, it’s about food, but also so much more than the food. It’s about all the things that my grandma did for us, and about how very much she is missed every day.

First of all, be sure to read the entry below if you are a lurker!

I don’t often post twice in one day, but I had to share these videos with you guys.

The first is of Jack eating cut-up spaghetti with a spoon. For a while now, he’s been pretty reliable about eating yogurt with a spoon, but he prefers to pick up other foods with his hands. I’ve been trying to encourage him as best I can to use a spoon all the time, since I’m taking him to Taiwan soon. For some reason, most toddlers there are still willing to be fed out of a spoon, by an adult. I have got to ask the moms there what they do differently, because the moment Jack turned one, he refused to let me get near his face with a spoon. He’ll actually push me away and spit out the food. It’s fine with me, personally, because it allows me the freedom to eat, and he gets a decent amount of food in, but sometimes it would be more efficient if Jack would let me feed him. Anyway, I figured that while we were on our trip and eating with lots of family friends, I might hear fewer … comments (or advice) … if I have “the American baby who uses a utensil all by himself!”, rather than “the poor, uncivilized American baby whose mom makes him pick up scraps of food”. So, finally, Jack appears to be eating spaghetti with his spoon! (For those of you who are wondering where the fork is, Jack views that as a toy.) Now, if only I could get him to wear a bib. For now the solution is shirtlessness. Please excuse my creepy narration.

This second one is of Jack dancing “with” his favorite new toy, Elmo Live. My major complaint with Elmo Live is its damned lack of volume control. When Elmo asks, “Can you hear Elmo?”, I always respond with, “Good God, Elmo, the Canadians can hear you!” If Jack weren’t so in love with Elmo, I would personally take a hammer to Elmo’s head, but for the love of my son, I’ll leave Elmo alone.

I just read on my friend and fellow blogging mom Liz’s site that this week is National De-Lurking Week, in which all you lurkers (that’s those of you who read my blog without my knowledge ) are encouraged to leave me a comment. I know there are lots of family who read this, and you guys don’t count (although you’re more than welcome to leave a comment, too), but I also know there are lots of random strangers out there — or as I prefer to think of you guys, new friends I haven’t yet met — so please show yourselves! I won’t bite. Bloggers love comments, and although I don’t have a problem with lurkers, I do enjoy knowing who reads my blog.

By the way, you don’t need a Xanga account to comment. Just choose the “anonymous” option, which still allows you to put in your name and your blog address if you choose. If you put in your blog address, that will allow me to visit you! So, come introduce yourself!

Edit: Ultrasound photos added!

Well, folks, much as I’d suspected, today’s ultrasound was inconclusive when it came to Baby Surprise’s gender. I’m 13 weeks and 3 days along, and it was the routine first trimester screening, in which the ultrasound technician takes some measurements in the neck and spine of the baby, and looks for a nasal bone, to try to detect markers of Down Syndrome or Trisomy 18. There’s also a finger-prick blood test that goes along with it. The technician was super nice and tried to look for the gender. She said that at one point, she thought she saw a penis, but the baby was moving around a lot, and was still too small for her to get any sort of decent confirmation or picture between the legs. Of course, what I heard was, “I saw a penis.” But she reiterated that it was really too early to tell one way or the other, so I guess we’ll have to wait! I think we all know what I want.  Please, please, let it just have been a shadow down there or something. I go in to the independent ultrasound place in one week and four days (they can determine gender at 15 weeks), so we might know then!

Of course, the important thing that we found out today is that the baby’s doing very well. All the measurements were normal, and she was very active, flipping this way and that way, putting her hands into her mouth and then snuggling way back where the ultrasound couldn’t find her. Heartbeat was 160 bpm this time. I do have some pictures that I will scan in later tonight and then post. (And here they are!)

See the cute profile?

Stretching his/her legs

Sucking on his/her fist

This time, I saw a midwife at the practice — because I’m a low-risk pregnancy, I’ll mostly be seeing the midwife. The doctor I saw last time, lovely as she was, will be there for me if I turn into a high-risk case (very unlikely). The midwife told me that all my blood tests and urine tests last time came back clean, and was pleased that I’d gained only 2.5 pounds in the first trimester (bringing me up to 119 now). She advised that to increase my chances of a successful VBAC, I should try to keep my weight gain closer to the low end of the recommended 25 pound to 35 pound range. Last time, I had gained 10 pounds by this point, so hopefully I am well on my way to keeping the total gain to 25 pounds.

OK, time to get some work done and then head to Jack’s play date. Ultrasound pics later tonight!

Even though Johnny and I have been married for nearly 4.5 years, we still acknowledge our dating anniversary. So, happy dating anniversary, sweetie! Today is the big one we’ve talked about for so long — 10 years. Yes, we began dating a decade ago. That kind of makes me feel old, but on the other hand, it really feels like no time has gone by at all. In many ways, we’re still those 18-year-olds, head over heels in love with each other. However, those 18-year-olds had no idea how good they had it, without jobs and bills and home-buying worries and other minor reponsibilities, like child-rearing.

Of course, you all know what Johnny and I look like, but many of you haven’t seen the truly old-school pictures, back from 1999 and the early 2000s, when we were in college. (Then again, others of you actually were with us every day during those times, so feel free to skip the pics if you’d like!) In honor of our 10-year dating anniversary, I thought I’d share a few that happened to be scanned into the computer. (Another disturbing sign of aging: You are not a professional photographer, but you have many albums of pictures that were actually developed from film!)

February 1999: At the Delta Zeta “murder mystery” date party. Yes, I’m holding a towel. It was a prop for the character I was playing in the murder mystery. Ha, looks like I’ve given Johnny some of my face fat over the years (just kidding, Johnny!)

This was taken in the fall of 2002 or early spring 2001 … I’m pretty sure we were in our junior year

From left, Johnny, me, David, June, Matt and Jon at Disneyland. This was the summer of 2001, I think. I don’t remember whether it was Charles taking the picture, or if he wasn’t yet surgically attached to June’s hip at the time

Ready to go to the Delta Zeta formal in the fall of 2001 (our senior year at Northwestern)

OK, yes, we went to a lot of formals, but bear with me — this was the Delta Zeta spring formal, senior year (spring of 2002). We used this picture on our knot.com site when we got engaged a year later

Late fall of 2002, hanging out in Chinatown in Chicago

Of course, these days, we have someone else to join us in our pictures:

Aside from a very angst-filled six months in 2002 (during which I’m sure all of our friends considered running far, far away from us), it has been a wonderful 10 years. While I wasn’t thinking about a lifetime together when we first started dating, I don’t think I would have been surprised, either, if someone had told me that Johnny and I would get married and have a family. From the beginning, all of the pieces have fallen into place — there were no weird mind games, no awkward silences, no major disagreements on our values and what we held dear; and best of all, there has always been love, the deepest of friendships and lots of mutual respect. Day-to-day life — with its many demands — can be stressful, and I’m always grateful to retreat into the wonderful haven that Johnny and I, and now with Jack, Atari and Baby Surprise, have created.

Unfortunately, Johnny isn’t with me today, as he’s on Day 3 of his cross-country drive with Chris, but hopefully he’ll get Internet access at the hotel tonight and read this.

Thanks for taking a sappy trip down memory lane with me!