OMG...

OMG...What happened to me? My gosh I have been gone over a year. I guess having a baby was way harder than I thought...lol! Now it is a must to keep this online journal of my life and our life. I will be back soon.

Advice on having a baby!

I have been given lots of advice about the pregnancy and thereafter..here are some.

1) I have heard several times being a mother is difficult. However, until you experience it you will not know the difficulty.

2)That breastfeeding is HARD. No matter how many classes you take they really do not prepare you for what is to come. Not only that but you may have low milk supply and a very hungry baby, so you have to the what is best for your baby! and then people will make you feel guilty about it :)

3) That you're going to fight with your spouse more than you ever have and its not because you love each other any less, its because being new parents is also HARD and takes a great deal of adjustment. With that said, steal away private moments together whenever possible!

4)That everyone and their mother will think they know everything about being a mother. However, you are the only one that knows best what is BEST for your child!

5) The best advice I was given from a friend when I told her I was pregnant was don't take anyone's advice. I took that one :)

Lori!

Lori Mary Born August 5, 2009 at 7:05 pm. 8 pounds 8 ounces and 19 inches. Also with a head full of hair :). This has been the reason I have not made it on my blog. Lori is now 14 weeks old and looks nothing like the picture above.

Fast Forward :

This is what Lori looks like now.(even though this is at 10 weeks)

making changes...

Since life is going to change for us, I decided to change my blog title. However, it is a bit too big and I can't seem to resize it. I will leave it as is for now. I made this on scrapblog-so cool. Can't wait to play around with it more!

Well...life has been quite interesting for the past few weeks. Last Sunday, on the day of my baby shower I actually fell and fractured my foot. I fell earlier on so I just managed to be on my foot until the end of the shower. I was in pain towards the end as well as my foot was swollen. So my husband and I went to the emergency room and we discovered that I have a fractured foot. They also wanted to observe me and do a stress test and they saw I was having contractions :) It was quite stressful for everyone around but we managed to get through it. Now I am in a foot boot, and most likely have to continue to wear it for another 3 weeks. The doctor said it is healing well-Thank God. The only thing I can say is it could have been worse!

Then on Tuesday my father got into car accident. Again, he was hurt by the air bags blowing off and his seat belt-but Thank God-it could have been worse! I am just grateful we are all healthy and doing well-it includes my father, the baby and me :)

You can find some pictures of the baby shower on the sidebar! Enjoy!

10 Weeks...

10 Weeks till we leave this home as two and come back as three (God Willing).
10 Weeks till we learn to love in a completely different way.
10 Weeks till we have to clean poop and get pooped on.
10 Weeks till we can't sleep through the night or we train the baby to sleep through the night :)
10 Weeks till I can have myself some sushi LOL!
10 Weeks till life changes completely because of a God's miraculous blessing.

I can't believe we have reached this point. My feelings are quite stable right about now. I am just working on wrapping up my school year. There are only 15 days left-then the plan is to spend the rest of June and July focusing on preparing for this baby!

You would think we would have a name by now, however that has not been finalized! I am sure whatever we choose it will be just perfect for this baby.

Five things I am enjoying currently...

1) Babywise book-This is a great book. I hope all things I am learning I can put to use and have it come out successful with my own child!













2) My comfy flowy PJ's-nothing is as comfortable as wearing these while pregnant.

3) My hair color

4) Loquat-My in-laws have a loquat tree. I love this fruit. In Armenian the word of the fruit translates to New World. If you have not tried this fruit I suggest you try it. It is quite small compared to other fruits but it is soo sweet and perfect for the season.












5) The warm Southern California weather-I am throughly enjoying this. All winter I kept saying let it get warm already. (I just hated having nauseau and freezing all at the same time) So summer came sooner than expected here...and when you walk around people are all ready in their flip flops and cute sun dresses. Even though I can't be part of that I am enjoying to heat -even though I am sweating and ending up with water retention...In the next weeks I will be heading to the pool!

Enjoy..the Long weekend off!

Getting Through

Every life has its set of challenges, as we face ours we say "-With God ALL things are possible" -Matthew 19:26.

We are grateful for our health and this little healthy baby growing inside of me.
We are grateful for our family and friends.
We are grateful for the health of all of our loved ones around us.
We are grateful that we have food everyday.
We are grateful for our beautiful and comfortable home.

I know there are people out there who are in much worse conditions, but I also know we will get through this bump in the road and look ahead and wonder how we got through...but we will get through because "-With God ALL things are possible" -Matthew 19:26.

Spring time and more....

Welcome to Spring! It is so beautiful here! I keep going to Trader Joe's and buying these beautiful daffodils to enjoy the pleasures of spring. If I could I would buy fresh flowers every week the unfortunate thing is that they die! :(
Made a fresh strawberry tart to enjoy the pleasures of spring for Easter Eve. I just enjoyed looking at it cause it was soo pretty !

We are at 6 months pregnant-can't believe how time flies. We have finalized our registry and decided on a crib and changing table. Now that I am in the swing of things it has gotten easier preparing for this little babies arrival! For example-We can't decide on a name! AHHHH!

But there always seems to be soo much more to do. I have signed up on as many baby websites as possible to talk to other moms as well as just learn. There are some great resources out there from The Bump to the Cradle. Now I need to make another stop at the library to pick up books on vaccines and other baby related stuff.

I am just breathing and enjoying the beautiful California weather throughout this pregnancy and of course praying for a healthy baby.

Half Way there...

Well...we are half way there 20 weeks to go till we meet this bundle of joy :) The first half went quite fast and I have a feeling the next half is gonna go even faster. There is soo much to do in preparation for the arrival that I have no idea where to begin! It was easier planning a wedding, moving and changing jobs.

What has been interesting the past few days when I have been around others, is how people are so fine in making comments about my weight gain. The fact is I am supposed to gain weight and as scary as it sounds the average woman gains 25-30 or more pounds during their pregnancy. But what makes me tingle is how people assume they can share with you how you are fat. Hello! People I look in the mirror too- I know I have gained weight and guess what so much of it is uncontrollable because of the body shape and size as well as water retention. But why do they feel they need to comment about it. For example, someone told me you have gained weight...and I thought oh they must not know I am pregnant. Then the next sentence was how is everything with the baby! Made me speechless for second. The bottom line is I just want to be as healthy as I can for the baby growing inside of me. That is going to mean I am going to gain weight. So if I can just let the world know don't comment on pregnant woman's body unless you are asked to do so! One thing I know for sure no matter what shape or size a pregnant woman is they are beautiful because of the miracle they have inside of them :)

Naval Orange!

We are at 15 weeks and the baby is now at the size of naval orange! How amazing!

Well-then again God's creations are amazing...you seem to never get over the miracle of it all!

Sometines...

itchin in my tummy? hmmm, wonder what it could be :) My husband told me you can feel something around 14 weeks...how does he know you ask- he can read! and what else is the internet for ?!@ so for the past two weeks have this feeling of something scratching me-puts a smile on my face and in my heart. I want to feel it everyday but I am sure he or she is too tired to keep scratching all the time! I wish all women who want to be mommies a tummy scratchin feeling.

Oh and Happy Overrated Valentine's Day! Just remember to tell the people you love that you love them on random days rather than on one day of the year...that's what makes love even more special!

Crazy Times

It is a crazy time right now-in the world in general. I am just trying to get through it, as I am trying to enjoy every moment of this pregnancy :) Been wanting to take some tummy pics but keep putting it off-or maybe I am too scared to see myself in a picture with the belly. My clothes have started to get tighter, so I have headed out for some minor retail therapy so I can feel comfortable. However, most stores I walked into did not even have a maternity section-I felt a bit discriminated! I have always passed this store in the mall, but last time I was there I did not feel good enough to go shopping. So I plan on checking it out one of these days. They have cute stuff but too expensive for something you would wear for only a few months!
This is a gorgeous dress! and I do have plenty of weddings to go to in the spring but $495 is way too much! But looking never hurt! Old Navy never hurt anyone, cheap and in style!

On another note-I had heard you get emotional during pregnancy, but never thought I would cry for random, stupid things as I have lately! I consider myself to be strong, but for the past few weeks it has been mostly tears of nothingness :) If that makes sense! I am scaring my husband a bit and myself for that matter. This too shall pass! Will keep everyone posted soon!

We're expecting!

It has been quite beautiful here in California. The weather has been perfect for me-nice and warm. I occasionally miss the cold, however in my condition I really have not. In case you were wondering what my condition is or if you have not seen the ride side of my blog-I'll let you know :) Vicken and I are expecting :) We are quite excited but of course we only want God to bless us with a healthy baby. I am still in bit of shock mode other than the fact that I have gained too much weight too quickly, but I guess it comes with the "condition". I am just trying to enjoy all the moments now before life gets too hectic.


This book has been great. I have been following it week by week and every time I only think what a miracle it is! Can't get over that fact. Just like I told the doctor during our first sonogram-that's crazy!

Is it 2009 Already!

Happy New Year Everyone and Happy Armenian Christmas! Can't believe it is 2009. I am actually glad Christmas and the rush of the holidays are over. I look forward to the California weather getting warmer and 2009 getting ahead. I have a feeling 2009 is going to be filled with lots of exciting adventures and changes and I truly look forward to it! On one scrapbookers blog I read I found she uses a word for the year as the focus therefore I am taking on two words for 2009 that will help build the foundation for the changes and myself. The words are "good" and "balance" , these two words are important to help focus myself and my life. I challenge the readers to find a word to use for the year!

Resolutions-so many resolutions for 2009. I still have not fully thought about goals or resolutions for 2009 since I have been a bit overwhelmed with life changes ;) but I will get to it soon enough!

I will be back soon!

Happy Anniversary to my blog!

It has passed two weeks but this month marks one year for my entrance into the blogging world. Unfortunately, I have not kept into it as much as I would like to. Things here in this neck of the worlds has been good...life as usual right?

It has been a month and half since we have been back at work and for some reason I am looking forward to Veteran's day. However, before that I look forward to Fall, my favorite season.

Top 5 reasons I will miss summer...

What I will miss most...


5) What not to Wear on TLC at noon (Love Stacey and Clinton and hate that hair stylist he cuts everyones hair too short!)
4)Going to the gym when I am not tired already from work.
3)The pool, the beach and my tan.
2)Going to lunch with friends and family and just relaxing.
1)Waking up after 8 am (for some of you out there that is still early)

What am I looking forward too...

I look forward to being back at work and helping my little kiddos. Remember when you were a kid and couldn't go to sleep the night before your first day of school. The excitement would keep you awake because you couldn't wait to meet your teachers and see your friends. Well, teachers feel that way too. However, as a teacher I do fall asleep, but I really look forward to the new year. I love that in my profession there is a beginning and an end. Therefore, the light at the end of the tunnel always shines. As a teacher learning never stops, there are constant meetings to revamp our style as teachers and to perfect what we do. However, specifically with the children I deal with I kind of have to work harder to help them be successful. So wish me luck for the 2008-2009 school year. I look forward to it. I promise I will be back to blog. :)

Summer Recap

Well, summer is almost over-I am trying to stretch it as long as I can. However, even though I do not go back to work officially on Monday, I got to start setting my alarm so I can wake up. I have gotten used to sleeping in. But I won't be missing it..then again ask me around October :)

Summer 2008 was quite fun. Here is a recap:

May 2008: Nora Graduates from CSUN with her Bachelor's of Arts Degree in Graphic Design. Congrats Nora..break a leg in the design world. We are all proud of you!


Can you tell..she's happy :)


June 2008: AAOP's first tea fundraising event. Great turn out and great event. Thanks for my family who supported me :)

Vegas Baby! June 2008

Our 2 year anniversary: July 2008
Oh, how time flies. It has been a truly amazing two years. There has been a lot of learning, a lot of growing and a lot of happy moments. I look forward to the coming chapters in our book!

August 2008: Miami
Remember this Will Smith song:
Party in the city where the heat is on
All night on the beach till the break of dawn
Welcome to miami
Buenvenidos a miami
Bouncin in the club where the heat is on
All night on the beach till the break of dawn
Im goin to miami
Welcome to miami

We were not necessarily bouncin in the clubs till break of dawn..but we had our share of drinks!


I am glad we made it out of there before a hurricane hit!

I do not want to add anymore pictures, but I enjoyed spending time with cousins and seeing people I hadn't seen in a while. So...I go back to work soon. Goodbye summer!

Food-Part 1

Since I am getting ready to go back to work in 8 days I have been trying to figure out what types of things I can make and stick in my freezer. Ideally I would love to have a tasty dinner ready to go in my freezer and I can just pop it out and defrost it and cook it later that night. I have come to the realization that if Kate from Jon and Kate Plus 8 on TLC (more on this later)!
can cook a dinner for a family of 10 I sure can cook a good hearty meal for a family of 2. Mind you I do cook often and I do cheat often thats what moms are for :). However, there are times that I sure do not feel like it too. So like I said since I have the time, the energy and my mojo...I want to cook some homemade meals that I can add to my freezer. So if you have some ideas please make a comment.

My food obsession for good restaurants and different types of food began when I was planning our honeymoon. I found the tremendous amount of blogs and travel websites raving about certain restaurants that were a must try. We went to Tahiti for our honeymoon and we went to Moorea and Bora Bora-two of the many islands of Tahiti. So my obsession began when we went to one particular restaurant-Villa Mahana.
This was a beautiful place. It is a home converted to a restaurant and the chef cooks every meal for you. This was very exciting for me and from there on began a journey of food.

FOOD-Part 2

I found this off a this food blog-Chocolate and Zucchini.

So I decided to add it to my blog. If you want to add it to yours go head! :) I went through the list and marked what I have tried and what I have not tried. The bottom line is most of those things that are not tried, I really do not have a desire for. I do like meat, but I am not into eating glands, insects and any reptiles.That job is reserved for this guy.

Here’s what I want you to do:

1) Copy this list into your blog or journal, including these instructions.
2) Bold all the items you’ve eaten.
3) Cross out any items that you would never consider eating.
4) Optional extra: Post a comment here at www.verygoodtaste.co.uk linking to your results.

The VGT Omnivore’s Hundred:

Orange- have not tried it

Green- tried it

1. Venison
2. Nettle tea
3. Huevos rancheros-can’t believe I have not tried it considering I live in Los Angeles.
4. Steak Tartare
5. Crocodile
6. Black pudding
7. Cheese fondue-I have made it once but I sure do love it. A fun food experience.
8. Carp
9. Borscht
10. Baba ghanoush
11. Calamari
12. Pho-tried Korean cold noodles for the first time. It was tasty but cold didn’t cut it for me. But I really want to try Pho.
13. PB&J sandwich
14. Aloo gobi-have eaten these flavors separately but not together. (potato and cauliflower with curry)
15. Hot dog from a street cart-next time I go to New York I will have to try. I get grossed out.
16. Epoisses
17. Black truffle
18. Fruit wine made from something other than grapes
19. Steamed pork buns
20. Pistachio ice cream
21. Heirloom tomatoes
22. Fresh wild berries
23. Foie gras
24. Rice and beans-hello, I do live in Los Angeles
25. Brawn, or head cheese
26. Raw Scotch Bonnet pepper-I love spicy but I also love to taste the food!
27. Dulce de leche
28. Oysters
29. Baklava-grew up with it and every occasion this was the dessert
30. Bagna cauda
31. Wasabi peas
32. Clam chowder in a sourdough bowl
33. Salted lassi
34. Sauerkraut
35. Root beer float-haven’t tried it cause I hate root beer.
36. Cognac with a fat cigar-I have drank cognac, but the cigar is not gonna cut it.
37. Clotted cream tea
38. Vodka jelly/Jell-O
39. Gumbo
40. Oxtail
41. Curried goat
42. Whole insects
43. Phaal
44. Goat’s milk
45. Malt whisky from a bottle worth £60/$120 or more
46. Fugu
47. Chicken tikka masala
48. Eel
49. Krispy Kreme original glazed doughnut
50. Sea urchin
51. Prickly pear
52. Umeboshi
53. Abalone
54. Paneer
55. McDonald’s Big Mac Meal-yes, at least 15 years ago. Before I discovered what real food was J
56. Spaetzle
57. Dirty gin martini-so strong (I only like the olives)
58. Beer above 8% ABV
59. Poutine
60. Carob chips
61. S’mores
62. Sweetbreads
63. Kaolin
64. Currywurst
65. Durian
66. Frogs’ legs
67. Beignets, churros, elephant ears or funnel cake-churros and funnel cake YUM! But want to go to New Orleans for true beignets.
68. Haggis
69. Fried plantain
70. Chitterlings, or andouillette
71. Gazpacho-always wanted too, but the idea of cold soup doesn’t do it for me.
72. Caviar and blini –need to try a good one though.
73. Louche absinthe
74. Gjetost, or brunost
75. Roadkill
76. Baijiu
77. Hostess Fruit Pie
78. Snail
79. Lapsang souchong
80. Bellini-I want to host a brunch so I can make Bellini’s.
81. Tom yum
82. Eggs Benedict
83. Pocky
84. Tasting menu at a three-Michelin-star restaurant.-there is one on my list but haven’t made it out yet. (maybe my birthday J )
85. Kobe beef-want to try
86. Hare
87. Goulash
88. Flowers
89. Horse
90. Criollo chocolate
91. Spam-tried it when I was like twelve, eeewww, yuck! Why would anyone want to eat out of a can! They should take this off the shelves in the supermarket.
92. Soft shell crab-had it in San Francisco. But unfortunately whenI went to Miami the famous Joe’s crabs were out of season, so I missed out on it L
93. Rose harissa-Armenians make a harissa dish with meat. After searching I learned this is not a
94. Catfish
95. Mole poblano

96. Bagel and lox-I was quite into Bagel and Lox a few years ago (maybe it had to do with the fact that I was working at a Jewish temple) however, now it really does not interest me.
97. Lobster Thermidor

98. Polenta
99. Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee
100. Snake

Miami

Here are some of our Miami pictures.

Just click on the link :

Miami Pictures

Enjoy!