Week 23 – Eggplant

Last week, Baby Vo was the size of an eggplant.  (Sorry for the late post – we had another busy weekend.)  Last week was exciting for me because my legs stopped swelling and my kankles turned back into ankles.

Spring Training

I was never that into sports until I met Steve.  Sure, I occasionally watched a football game or enjoyed a baseball game in the summer, but ever since meeting Steve, I realized that being a sports fan is a year-round hobby.  For the most part, I have a good time, but there are a few points in the year when I have a GREAT time.  One such time is our trips to Spring Training in Arizona.  This past Saturday, we packed our bags and took a five-hour roadtrip with our friends Jenny & Brian (from San Diego) over to Phoenix to watch baseball.  We left at 6:00 a.m. on Saturday morning and arrived in Phoenix just in time to grab a quick lunch at Cracker Barrel (so good!) before going to the Mariners v. White Sox game in Glendale.  We bought lawn seats and enjoyed the game stretched out in the sun on our blankets just past outfield.  It was so relaxing and fun!!  Since we were close to the bullpen, Steve and Brian spent half of the game trying to call to the various pitchers to throw them balls.  While Jenny and I caught some sun (just the perfect amount to get some color), Steve finally caught a ball.  Steve’s friends, Chris and Jean, joined us for the second half of the game and although the Mariners lost, we all had a great time hanging out.  (Chris was one of Steve’s ushers at our wedding.)  Chris and Jean also brought their daughter, Olivia, who is absolutely adorable and enjoyed being at the game.

Steve was able to get us a great deal at the Ritz Carlton in Phoenix, so we stayed there for the night (super fancy!) and we had a terrific dinner at True Food Kitchen, a super healthy, trendy restaurant.  We’re pretty sure we spotted a bunch of baseball wives dressed to the nines enjoying their dinner at the same restaurant.

On Sunday, we went to a hipster part of Phoenix and had crepes at Jobot Coffee.  It felt like we were inside someone’s house (because the restaurant is in a house), but the food was top-notch.  The weather was a little cooler, but we made it out to Surprise for an Indians v. Royals game.  (Jenny & Brian are from Kansas City, so they are big Royals fans.)  This time, we had actual seats and sat three rows back from the first base line.  We were so close that when one of the players let go of a bat, it flew up into the stands and hit a man a few seats down for us.  Jenny and I were super scared (me more so than her), but the guys loved it.  I think Steve wishes that he would have been the one hit so that he could have taken the bat home as a souvenir.  Of course, we visited the bullpen area, where one of the pitchers threw Brian a ball.  (Now both guys have MLB balls…I guess that’s cool.)

Other than some ridiculous traffic on our way home (why was there traffic in the middle of the desert?!), it was a very relaxing and fun weekend!!  Hopefully we can go again next year!

Week 22 – Corn

Last week, Baby Vo was the size of an ear of corn.

Week 21 – Papaya

This week, Baby Vo is the size of a papaya.*  As for me, I’ve noticed that my feet are swollen at the end of each day.  It’s not the most pleasant look, but being that I’ve had no other issues during this pregnancy, I can’t complain.

* Baby Vo is nowhere near the size of the papaya in this picture.  We could not find a small papaya at our local grocery store and due to time constraints, we did not have time to visit any other stores before we took the picture.  In reality, Baby Vo is approximately 8 inches long and 1.2 pounds.  Sorry for the inaccuracy.

A Fun (and Free) Night Out

Not only do Steve and I love Yelp for finding new restaurants and fun things to do in LA, but Steve is an active member of the Yelp community.  In fact, this year marks Steve’s fifth year as a Yelp elite member (thanks to his many useful, and often hilarious, reviews of places we go and restaurants we eat at).  One of the perks of being classified as an “elite member” is invites to Yelp-only events.  Some are fun, others are not our style.  Last night, we went to an event at the Pantages Theatre in Hollywood that was by far the best event we’ve been to thus far.  (This was our second time to the theatre.  We saw “In The Heights” there last year.)

Dressed in cocktail attire, we arrived at the Pantages and checked in.  Although the event was hosted by Yelp, it was sponsored by a number of local restaurants and other vendors pushing their fares.  No complaints from us!  For absolutely free, we had kale salad and bread pudding shots from Delphine, spicy tuna spoons and crispy tuna tarts from Katsuya (only for Steve), hand rolls (mine without tuna) from Kabuki, massages and oxygen facials (a special pregnany-focused massage for me) from Bliss Spa, Irish Car Bomb cupcakes from Cake Bar, delicious pasta from The Fabiolus Cafe, wine from CalNaturale (only for Steve), and beer from Kirin (only for Steve).

We split up our evening with a tour of the Pantages.  Led by the theater’s general manager, we sat in the front row of the theater and heard about everything from its history to the current musicals and shows coming to town.  Steve and I both agreed that it was the best part of the evening (which is hard to believe considering how stuffed we were from the excellent food and how relaxed we were from our mini massages).  After the tour, we were allowed to wander the theater on our own…hence the pic of Steve on the stage.  (What other time would we ever be on the Pantages stage?!)

We left with gift bags full of coupons and other swag (mostly Yelp items such as shot glasses and breath mints, but that’s fine).   I’m so glad we are able to enjoy these things together before Baby Vo arrives…hopefully we’ll have a few more fun Yelp events in the next few months.

All pictures in this post taken with iPhone.

A Day in the Sun

One of the MANY advantages to living in Southern California is our beautiful weather.  Sunday was no exception.  With temperatures in the 80s, we couldn’t help but eat a picnic lunch with friends and then head out for a late afternoon hike (more like a gentle walk in nature).  We went on the hike with our good friends and their children.

And that brings me to one of the worst things about living in Los Angeles.  This city is uber transient, which means that we are constantly saying goodbye.  The family we hiked with will soon move to Nashville.  Although I am sure we will visit them (we’ve always wanted to see Nashville!), it’s going to be lonely once they’re gone.

Food Trucks

As you know, Steve and I LOVE to eat out.  We don’t discriminate so long as the food is tasty.  We’ll go to a high-end steak restaurant in Beverly Hills one night and a B-rated, Mexican, to-go restaurant in East LA the next night.  (The alphabetical rating system is a reference to the Los Angeles Health Bureau – an “A” rating means that the restaurant is clean, a “B” restaurant needs improvement and a “C” rating…you should probably avoid.)  One of the more popular trends right now is the higher-end food truck.  I think it might be a nationwide trend (and Philly has had normal food trucks forever), but Angelenos seem to think the trend started here.

Anyhow, on Friday night, Steve and I went to First Fridays in Venice Beach with some of our friends.  First Fridays is an event in which the stores on Abbott Kinney (the main street in Venice Beach) stay open late and the art galleries exhibit their best pieces.  The real draw, however, is the abundance of food trucks.  There were at least 20 food trucks lining the street and parking lots and hundreds of people in the lines.  I had my heart set on the Grilled Cheese Truck, but alas, the line was forever long.  Instead, I grabbed a bite at a nearby food truck.  Don’t feel sorry for me, though.  I had some of the most delicious truffle mac-n-cheese I’ve ever tasted.  Steve opted for some mouth-watering Greek food.  To round the meal out, we almost stopped at the cupcake truck, but opted for some frozen yogurt from Nice Cream instead.  Regrettably, the only picture we took from the evening was of a random food truck sign that we passed…clearly the food is the focus for the trucks and not grammar skills.

Week 20 – Cantaloupe

In week 20 of my pregnancy (which ended yesterday), Baby Vo was the size of a cantaloupe.  Unfortunately, we were too busy this weekend to timely post the picture, but at least we weren’t weeks late!  We decided to take Baby Vo to a more urban setting for this week’s photo shoot – hence, the graffiti art in the background. The location is actually a very artsy area near our offices.  We see professional photo shoots in the area ALL THE TIME, so we thought it might be fun to try our own.

Week 20 marked the half-way point in my pregnancy.  Other than the weight gain and the growing belly, things are still going along smoothly.  Our excitement for the week was last Thursday evening when Steve felt Baby Girl Vo move for the first time!  He had to wait for a bit, but then she kicked twice (or at least made some sort of movement twice).