San Francisco, how I love thee, let me count the ways...

Well, okay, I only have time for one way today.  I love that you are a "green" city.


What other city can I easily find recycle bins next to trash cans AND composting bins?? I do not have to carry my empty coffee cup or bare apple core very long before I come upon one of these lovely bins.

Our gigantic mall's eateries use biodegradable products known as "tater ware", which are made of, yup, you guessed it, potatoes!

San Francisco is also the first city to ban plastic shopping bags and has an amazing farmer's market full of yummy organic, seasonal, local and sustainable food products.

I love you San Francisco!

Pushing the baby out present

The other day Geoffrey asked me if I knew what a "push present" was and I told him I didn't. Apparently, his BFF Jason brought up the subject at one of their weekly lunches. So I asked Geoffrey what it was and he said it is a present the mom-to-be receives from her husband (or baby daddy) for "pushing the baby out". I thought that was the funniest thing and couldn't believe that it was true. So I looked it up and what do you know? It DOES exist!

I found a good article about "push presents", written from the perspective of the father-to-be. Read it here.

The idea is fairly new in the United States and is part of traditions in England and India, but some find it controversial and unnecessary.

I'm not sure where I stand on the "push present"-- I like the idea and thoughtfulness of it, should a father-to-be want to gift something to the mommy-to-be, but like all presents, they shouldn't be expected (nevermind the bad timing of it since babies are expensive already!). But I guess it doesn't hurt to look...

Anyway, Geoffrey told me he wants a push present too, for all the hard work he is putting in with the pregnancy and I think he definitely deserves one!

LT is a...

BOY!!! That's right, for all of you that guessed that LT is a boy, you are correct! The exact quote from the doctor was "Little Thing has a little thing". Haha. LT was not in a cooperative mood yesterday, or maybe he was just busy playing, but he kept moving around and not wanting to hold still for pictures. My sonogram took about an hour and a half from start to finish. That's a long time to hold a mirror, but I didn't want to stop looking at LT, so the longer the better. We're so excited for our baby boy!

Safety pins, superstitions and the Sustaita's

I spent a few days at home during the holiday break and came back a little bit wiser on my family's pregnancy superstitions traditions.

Allow me to educate you. First, did you know that if the "father to be" does not experience any pregnancy symptoms, then the baby will be a girl? This piece of knowledge was passed down to me by my dad. Our first conversation went as follows:

Dad: Hi Gorda (translation: chubby), how is Geoffrey feeling?
Me: Fine, why?
Dad: He doesn't have any of your pregnancy symptoms: nausea, faintness, cravings?
Me: Nope.
Dad: Oh, then you are going to have a girl.

He then proceeded to ask me to stand up so he could see my "bump" and noted that since I was carrying "low", that also confirmed that I will be having a girl (altho, I've read it should be the opposite!).

Next, my mother, along with a few of my aunts/cousins, insist that we will have a boy simply by looking at the ultrasound. The reasoning behind this is that "boys develop faster" and since they are already able to make out LT's body/limbs, they've come to the assumption that LT must be a boy!

My mother also has indulged all my cravings (mostly for her Mexican food, which have always been there btw), because she doesn't want LT to always have an "open mouth". She still encourages me to fulfill my cravings so that this doesn't affect the baby.

However, the most interesting of these traditions involves safety pins, red underwear and eclipses. And wouldn't you know it, I happened to be home during the recent eclipse in December! My mother made my little sister go out and buy me a box of safety pins to--get this--put on my underwear (red is the preferred color for underwear)! I was also forbidden to go out during the eclipse or to take a shower the day of the eclipse. The reasoning behind this is that eclipses have such strong force fields that they do harm to babies in the womb. They may be born with a deformity. Apparently, when my younger sister was pregnant and living at home, she would get her laundry back and find that all her underwear had safety pins on them. I decided to do a little research and it turns out that this tradition dates back to the Aztecs, who believed that "an eclipse was a bite on the face of the moon" and if  a mother-to-be watched it, the same thing would happen to her baby. Interesting, huh? You can read more about this here or other Latino pregnancy traditions here.

My mom insists that I wear safety pins on my undies for the rest of my pregnancy and as a loving daughter, I shall oblige, even if I do find it a little whacky.

Also, we find out the gender of LT this week! I am taking an official poll of what people think we will have. Comment your guess!

Belly Bands: LT approved!

I am wearing my belly band that I purchased last night at Target and I would just like to say that it is amazing! Whoever invented this item is a genius! It is just a stretchy piece of fabric that you can wear over unbuttoned jeans to keep them and your growing belly in place. So so comfortable! LT approved!

P.S. Geoffrey also made me a fruit smoothie this morning and it was delicious! Nevermind that it was 40 degrees outside and that my fingers got frost burn (just kidding they didn't):) This was also LT approved!

This pregnancy thing is getting better and better each day!