22 weeks...... job, condo, car!

How many weeks today: 22 +1 day
Baby is the size of: a spaghetti squash!

Total weight gain/loss: Roughly +4, it changes every day. I will know my "official" weight gain when my doctor grills me on Thursday.

Maternity clothes: Yes. And I love them!

Cravings: Spicy, salty, etc. Same same same.
Aversions: None.

Mood: Pretty thankful and very very excited! Also, easily emotional these days. I get "happy tears" over fast food commercials.
Physical symptoms: I do feel like I am starting to get BIG, and with that comes the inability to catch my breath easily, or comfortably sleep throughout the night, or go a day without aches and pains. Corbin enjoys wedging himself into a small space, and it is painful sometimes, but not as bad as I know it will get pretty soon. I can no longer pride myself on being able to go a whole work shift without having to pee. I go all the time now. Many many many new symptoms related to his heft and size, and I know it will all only get worse before it gets better. I'm still very much okay with it, because it means we have a healthy growing boy.

Miss anything: Not really.... oooh but I have been wanting to go to Disneyland lately. I hear the wicked are taking over the park.

Showing yet: Yes.

Labor signs: Nope.

Baby movement: Quite often! His strong kicks are not easily felt, but he does kick for me, and it lasts a few seconds, and he will NOT respond to our pushes and pokes.... Corbin kicks when he wants to, but mostly just turns over and wiggles and gets cozier.

Wedding rings on or off: On.

Items purchased for baby this week: Absolutely nothing. I am still in the mindset of saving any money we can..... we have some family who are very excited for a "first" on my side of the family, I have lots of friends who have given me some hand-me-downs that are like new, and we are currently rockin' a one-bedroom apartment and don't have space for a whole lot. All of that adds up to me not needing to go shopping for this baby just yet. As much as I would love to have every single item set up and sit and enjoy it all taking up space and get more and more excited about his arrival, I know that Corbin will not come out in February demanding that he have his own room all set up and ready to go. He will need a few basic things for a few weeks, and then we will be moving into our two-bedroom condo where he can have a more permanent residence. :) One very big item that I am excited to have and put together and that I will gladly allow to take up space is the travel system we want. Uhhh correction, I want it. Conner could not care less.... as long as it's safe and cheap enough, and comes in a good color, Conner does not care what I choose. I have spent months researching strollers and car seats and trying to find something budget-friendly, big-baby-friendly because I am sure this kid will be 9 pounds, and something semi-boyish but not too boyish in case we like it so much we keep it for future children. I have done countless price comparisons, safety comparisons, feature comparisons, and have read reviews on too many sites. I narrowed it down to the Baby Trend Expedition ELX in Everglade. Oh mah gaw. It's no B.O.B., but it's also not going to cost an arm and a leg to get the features we want. The jogger is perfect for what we plan on using it for, and that is NOT jogging. We will take walks to the park, shopping, walks on pavement, dirt, camping, Disneyland, etc. I want storage, I want it to easily fold up and be put in a car without having to wrestle it, I want the car seat to fit him up to 30 pounds, I want the car seat to have a 5-point safety harness...... the Baby Trend Expedition ELX is pretty cool. And super cheap! So..... my plan is to buy it a month or so before his expected arrival, and have it set up and taken on walks with the dogs in tow so that they get used to it too.

How is Daddy doing: Daddy tries all the time to feel Corbin.... very little luck. Corbin is just cozy I guess! Daddy is excited that Grandma and Duampa are coming down in about a week and a half, and in the nearer future, he is excited to be going to a concert. He is VERY VERY VERY excited that I start a new job next week that is full-time and daytime hours. It's a huge weight off of both of our shoulders, but especially for Conner, who has carried us financially with little help from me (I will be the one to say it, he doesn't put it into those words exactly). He's a good, strong provider. :) And he is very excited about our big move to the condo (closer to the train station for his work commute), very excited about having a second car again (thank you, Nana and Bompa!), and I would be lying if I said he doesn't sit and stare at Corbin's last 3D ultrasound photo every day. Plus, football season is in full swing, and Halloween is approaching. I think it's safe to say Conner is in his element.
Favorite moment this week: Well, this last week was epic, and I will write a nice long update at the bottom of these weekly questions. We had lots of favorite moments. My personal favorite was when we went to CVS last night.... it's new, and replaced the grocery store that was not even half a mile away from us. So we decided to walk there. We bought a few items and as Conner was paying, I wandered over to look at some makeup and I could hear the cashier talking to Conner. She was telling him about the grand opening they are having this coming weekend, and the products they are giving away or that will be on special sale, and then she said something to the effect of, "And I see you have a little one on the way....." and my head probably whipped around pretty quickly but I seriously hope I didn't have a dirty look on my face. My first thought was, "YOU CALLIN' ME FAT?!" but I smiled and walked back over as the woman continued talking about how great some baby products were and how I can take the opportunity to get some free stuff, maybe satisfy some cravings, etc. I had stopped listening. After we walked out, I asked Conner if he had said something to her, and he said that he hadn't told her, he hadn't motioned, she actually observed my belly on her own. It was bold of her, but still left me feeling very good about the pajama pants, tshirt, and flip flops I had worn to CVS, and how my body is handling this whole "let's get huge" decision.

That was my first favorite moment because it was a stranger who didn't know me and I feel like it was pretty honest and forward of her. My second favorite is a tie between three people.... my grandma, my dad, and my coworker who each separately made a comment to me over the weekend about my belly. Two people asked me if I've lost weight. Maybe Cassie has lost weight and Corbin has gained, but overall, collectively as one unit at the moment, we have gained a few. It's still very flattering, and makes me love my body even more as it goes through the uncomfortable changes. ;)

Looking forward to: I will live for this week. I'm looking forward to going to lunch with a mommy and three little boys (one I used to babysit, and his younger twin brothers whom I have not yet met), going to bed tonight, having my last day at work on Thursday night, the Black Keys on Friday, and starting my new job on Tuesday.




Speaking of new job.... and all kinds of other new updates, here we go.....


For a few months, we have sort of casually tossed around the idea of renting Vanessa's condo that is in east Simi Valley. For anyone who reads this that does not know Vanessa, she is my older brother's girlfriend, and she is awesome. It's not just that she is his girlfriend, she is like a sister to us, she is part of the family, and she is hilarious and very smart, and so much fun. She was working for a GREAT company here (ok, down south more, towards L.A.) called Hulu, and then she was flown up to the San Francisco area to interview with a little company that really really wanted her that is called...Facebook! This woman is in high demand. Well, she got the job, and now she and my brother are moving up to Menlo Park. Kelly already has a job lined up as well, and it's for a great company called Tely or something like that..... I know their big product is TelyHD. Google it. Love it. So now they are moving into a house in Menlo Park, taking their two dogs with them, and life will be so much fun and new and exciting for them. Vanessa owns a two-bedroom condo here in Simi, but has not lived there for quite awhile.... she rents it out, and the tenant's lease is up in February. Coincidentally, Conner and I are looking to upgrade our home to a bigger place, and we have been looking at two-bedroom apartments and condos on the east side of Simi Valley, so that it's closer to any work commuting, whether it's driving or train station or whatever. Plus, east Simi is much cheaper. While we enjoy living in Wood Ranch, we are not sure what is keeping us here. We are overpaying in rent, we love the area because it's beautiful and safe and yadda yadda yadda, and wow what a nice pool, and look at how huge our patio is...... well, when it comes down to it, we have narrowed down our amenities, and not having a gas station or liquor store nearby somehow beats having a golf course and rolling hills and a nice pool. We don't golf and if we did, we sure as hell wouldn't be allowed into THIS course, we stay inside most of the time because it's hot, we have used our pool once in two and a half years, and that was when my younger cousins came over and wanted to swim, and while the location is settled nicely in between Thousand Oaks, Moorpark, and Simi Valley and I thought it would be great for going to all three cities, we only commute to the valley via Simi now...... it just makes sense to move. The new condo has laundry facilities (hookups IN the condo, and we are using Vanessa's washer and dryer), room for a full size fridge, TWO BEDROOMS, both upstairs (yeah! upstairs), larger living room and dining room and kitchen, a garage, and it's right by a park. It's about a mile from the train station, and about two and a half miles from my new workplace.

Yep, new workplace. About a month ago, I had submitted yet another application for a full-time position in the same department umbrella (Foreclosure) within Bank of America but at either of the Simi Valley locations. My main goal was to lessen my commute, be full-time, and have normal business hours during the day. I am so much more of a daytime person and a morning person than I am a nighttime person! I want to see Conner more, I want to be on a regular schedule for when Corbin comes, I want to experience bath time and bedtime and dinner as a family, even if one is in a high chair. Suddenly, two weeks ago exactly, I was at work at night, and my work email received a notification from the BOA recruiter asking me to come in the following day to interview. Sweet. So I went in at 9am, figured it went well but wasn't feeling overly optimistic because they were interviewing plenty of BOA employees from a semi-local office that had been shut down. Last Monday, I received a call from the recruiter who said that "feedback from the interview was positive" and she would be in contact. Okay, good sign, but still not a for sure. The following day, they made me an offer and started the hiring process and paperwork and fingerprinting and all of those wonderful things that go into working for a major banking corporation. I received an email today saying all background checks are completed, congratulations, they re-re-reconfirmed my start date of October 9th (because Monday the 8th is a holiday and new hires cannot start on a holiday). My agency is aware of the "conversion" into permanent employment and my last day at my current location is Thursday, October 4th. Yay me!

Another new update is car-related..... we were all together on Sunday night celebrating Kelly and Vanessa's last family dinner night before they move up to Menlo Park this coming weekend. Nana and Bompa had a talk with us about their new van they ordered, which will be nice and roomy for the many trips they are always taking.... they go golfing, fishing, camping, and drive to some of the coolest places with family and friends, and Nana literally packs the kitchen sink. She is always prepared with whatever you may have forgotten at home. When they go camping, they have the best setups. It's comfort and convenience, bikes that fold up, air mattresses that sit on raised legs off of the ground, the most comfortable and fulfilling kitchen/bathroom necessities. You forgot a certain spice for one dinner you are making on your week-long trip in Tahoe? Nana has that spice. And while it sounds like I'm mocking her, I'm not! We have ALL borrowed or used something of theirs, and we appreciate how they pack. It's amazing. They literally think of EVERYTHING....even emergency situations with medicine, first aid, extra flashlights, extra batteries. Because of this, Nana has always been a very big fan of the Chevy Astro Van, which Chevy stopped making after the 1999 model (I think). So they ordered a new van, upgraded with a fresh clean start, and they are giving us their Astro Van! This is huge! Conner and I were so excited on the way home from dinner and we jokingly argued over who gets the van, because he seems to think he does, but it really is a safer car for Corbin to be in, and will have so much room for all of his baby gear. I had a dream last night about taking the van to Tahoe next year, which we will be doing of course, and I am just sooooooooo so so so excited!! Even if Conner continues to ride the train to work, it will be great to have a family car, and a reliable car for my short commute to work, before and after Corbin's arrival. We are so lucky to have family like ours....seriously.

This was long... but full of exciting stuff.... here we come, 23 weeks! We are comin' for you.