Today I am...34 weeks pregnant.

Getting closer and closer but, with the holidays here, it’s been a welcome distraction. We spent Christmas in LA for the first time and it was nice to celebrate, just the two of us. I suppose it’s probably our first and last quiet Christmas. I’m told by the powers-that-be that fill my email inbox every week that I should be doing my birth plan. Now, I’m generally a type A, organized nut, but writing out a birth plan just seems silly. No one has any idea how their body is going to react or what it’s going to be like so how am I qualified to write out a birth plan? It’s like saying that I’m going snorkeling in South Africa and, while I’ve never been snorkeling or to South Africa, I’d like to tell you all how it’s going to be. Of course not. I leave it up to the professionals. My tour guides. My nurses and doctor. Sure, I don’t want a c-section but, as my doctor said when I told her that, yes, of course. No one wants a c-section. I suppose I could type that out but it would be a short birth plan.

And now for the stats:

How far along: 34 weeks

Baby Development: Baby is apparently filling out and getting rounder. He weighs as much as a cantaloupe which explains my tiredness.

Baby Movement: Very pronounced and big kicks.

Water Intake: Hey, it’s the holidays. Aren’t we on a break?

Best Moment of the Week: Having John home all week and watching “Christmas Vacation” with him in honor of the holiday.

Current baby/pregnancy worry: Starting to seriously worry about actually delivering this baby. I hear it’s kind of painful.

Symptoms: My hands and finger joints are starting to ache and become all mushy. I feel like I couldn’t grab onto something really tightly. My wedding ring is getting very tight.

Sleep Quality: I’ve had better. But I’m afraid it’s only going to get worse.

Food Cravings: Everything

What I miss: Working out. Ha! Just kidding.

What I’m Looking Forward to: Being able to one day turn over in bed like a normal person.

Trying to get done before baby: Hanging some wall décor in our house that we’re been procrastinating on for 2 years.

John's POV: “LA at Christmas time is about relaxing as it can get for a city that routinely gets my bile boiling and turns my knuckles white. Definitely a holiday we’ll always remember, since we had never truly spent one alone with just each other, and probably won’t again for a long, long time.”

Today I am...33 weeks pregnant.

This week was my first week not working and it was glorious. I didn’t realize how hard it had been getting to work all those hours. But it was nice to take it easy and be able to put my feet up for part of the day. Being off work means that my house projects begin and there are many of them. Right now it feels like there is a lot of time before baby comes but I’m not so sure.

We had our childbirth class at Cedars Sinai this week. About 12 couples with pillows and mats watching childbirth videos and hearing in detail all the things that will go on during labor. I think I knew most of the info presented but it was helpful to John. There were a lot of breathing exercises where the instructor would say “okay, a contraction is starting, now breathe through the pain.” Guess what my reaction was in the 2 minutes of silence that followed? Yeah, giggling and stifling laughter. I felt pretty bad but, come on. Of course I can breathe calmly while sitting in a warm room, fully clothed, in zero pain. How do I know how I’m going to react when I’m in the worst pain of my life? Oh well. That’s why yoga and meditation is not for me.

But the highlight of this past week was welcoming our new niece Sophia! John’s sister may have been around the globe in Berlin, but we were certainly thinking of her as we got word that her water had broken. Sounds like Joelle handled her natural childbirth like a champ and her baby girl is beautiful. Can’t wait for the cousins to be so close in age and play together.

And now for the stats:

How far along: 33 weeks

Baby Development: As big as a pineapple and losing that wrinkly alien look. (So they say).

Baby Movement: Pretty sure the little guy is doing somersaults and acrobatics.

Water Intake: Does eggnog count?

Best Moment of the Week: Meeting our new little niece Sophia over Skype!

Current baby/pregnancy worry: the latest terrible website I saw was about SIDS so that’s on my mind.

Symptoms: Heartburn. No, seriously. The worst heartburn of all time. So bad that I woke up practically choking on my own acidic vomit-type stuff. It is by far the worst pregnancy symptom I’ve had all these months.

Sleep Quality: Pretty crappy. I wish I could sleep on my back!

Food Cravings: Prime Rib

What I miss: Not having to chug Maalox once a night.

What I’m Looking Forward to: Christmas day and exchanging presents with John!!

Trying to get done before baby: Hanging the alphabet cards in the baby’s nursery.

John's POV: “Joelle was always the looker of the family. I mean, I wasn’t voted Prom King. I wasn’t even nominated. But you can already see even at 2 days that Sophia’s going to get the Prom Queen’s good looks. She is adorable.”

Today I am...32 weeks pregnant.

This past week was huge! Probably my busiest week yet. It started off with a birthday party for my one-year-old nephew, Johnny. He is easily the cutest baby I have ever seen (and I say when I think a baby is ugly so this is no lie). Unfortunately, that means our little guy is in for a rough ride when taking pictures side by side with Johnny, but he’ll have to learn to cope. He certainly won’t be a blonde haired, blue eyed, Gerber baby. Then that same night we had Christmas party to attend. I managed to stay up until 11:30 or so but when I got home I was in for a rude awakening. I took off my high-heeled boots which had felt tight all day (after 14 hours in them) and found someone else’s legs attached to my waist. I mean, they must have been my legs but my calves were as big as my torso and my ankles were non-existent. I have never seen such a thing. As I stood in the bathroom and freaked out, John assured me that it was only because I was on my feet all day and this wasn’t going to last the duration of my pregnancy. I was skeptical. I mean, what in the hell did he know? How many times had he been pregnant? But, following his advice, I got into bed, and hoped to find a different pair of legs in the morning. And what do you know? Voila. In the morning my legs were back. Granted, they were nothing to write home about in the first place but I was happy to have them. The next day was my San Diego baby shower and it was a ton of fun. Friends, family, and presents galore!

Today was my last day at work and it happy and a little bittersweet. I am happy to not have to get up at 5am, not get home at 9:30pm, not get out of breath every time I trek to set. But the goodbyes were hard because it’s hard to leave a movie before it’s finished. Hard to go home knowing they’ll be there for the next 5 months, finishing the movie. But I did get a lot of nice things said to me and a few gifts which were appreciated.

Enough about that, on to the stats:

How far along: 32 weeks

Baby Development: Baby is a large jicama (?) and starting to gain weight fast.

Baby Movement: Bigger movements rather than small kicks and jabs.

Water Intake: Decent. But going to work in 40 degree weather is putting a damper on my iced water intake.

Best Moment of the Week: Saying goodbye to my long work commute.

Current baby/pregnancy worry: post-partum recovery and the terrible things your body goes through.

Symptoms: More of the same. Achiness, heartburn, uncomfortable.

Sleep Quality: Ahh, I remember when sleep was quality.

Food Cravings: Breakfast burritos

What I miss: Being able to walk at a normal adult pace, rather than a mosey.

What I’m Looking Forward to: Sleeping in next week!

Trying to get done before baby: Putting up the pretty wall decals in the nursery.

John's POV: “The mosey is the standard pace of my dad. It is a slow-down-and-take-it-all-in pace. And it’s the only pace that Lisa can do in the morning. At night, she operates at roughly a double-mosey. The reward of getting home, getting into PJs, and getting off her feet is what helps her take it to the next gear. We did a lot of moseying at the studio since it’s a long-ass walk from the parking garage, and part of me will miss it. We got really lucky with our jobs for this pregnancy. Surrounded by lovely people, able to steal away for a mid-day visit, commuting through unbearable traffic together, moseying together. Hopefully we haven’t been spoiled by it.”

San Diego Baby Shower

This past weekend my mom, sisters, and sister-in-law threw me an amazing baby shower in San Diego. It looked totally professional and so put together! Not surprising since all of them are so talented. It was a storybook theme which lent itself to amazing decorations.

The food was delicious and presented so beautifully. There were wraps, a giant salad, and individual little pots of tomato soups.

The topper was definitely the beautiful cookies hand-made by my sister-in-law Kelly. Wow. I mean, can you believe she made these?!

I got some amazing baby gear, handmade onesies, and more books than the lil' trickster will ever be able to read. Thanks for my family for such an awesome event!

Today I am...31 weeks pregnant.

Ahh, week 31. A pretty tough week because of work. It was our first week of shooting on this little superhero movie and it was a long one. Shooting means up before 5 for the hour-long commute and not getting home until 9:30 or so. And that’s me leaving early because I’m the “poor pregnant woman”. I feel a little silly walking around set with a giant belly but no one really seems to mind. Or really take notice. Not sure if it’s because of the long hours (I guess I don’t need an MD to see that) but I am the most tired I’ve been so far. Absolutely exhausted when I get home.

This past weekend we got a Christmas tree and decorated the whole house for the holiday. It is one of my favorite things to do because I love this time of year!

And now, for the stats:

How far along: 31 weeks

Baby Development: The lil’ guy is apparently as big as a bag of oranges and can now suck his thumb.

Baby Movement: Lots of moving and he seems to get the hiccups a lot. That’s funny.

Water Intake: Not bad. Not good. Maybe 8 glasses a day?

Best Moment of the Week: Having my amazing husband put up the Christmas lights and the Christmas tree.

Current baby/pregnancy worry: Those first few weeks after birth. Okay, first few months. Sounds like we’re in for a rough ride.

Symptoms: Tired, sleepy, achy.

Sleep Quality: I’m trying not to disturb John’s sleep too much with all of my tossing and turning.

Food Cravings: Pasta and red sauce (which leads to heartburn!)

What I miss: Staying up past 10pm. Although, let’s be honest, I was always in bed by 11 pre-pregnancy.

What I’m Looking Forward to: San Diego baby shower coming up.

Trying to get done before baby: all of my Christmas shopping.

John's POV: “We had some friends over to help trim the tree/give Lisa a pat on the butt for aging. After everyone left I gave Lisa one last gift, an ornament with the name we’ve picked out for the trickster. No one else got to see it, and we put it in the back somewhere just in case company came a’callin’. I love the name we’ve picked out, but I’ve started warning people that despite the suspense we’re building by delaying the unveiling, it’s going to be an underwhelming reveal. This is where the parental narcissism that every expecting couple goes through clouds your judgment. No one’s gonna really get blown away by a child’s name. We’ve not invented a new way to combine consonants and we’re not using an umlaut. But expecting parents do sort of feel that way. And who’s to say they shouldn’t? It means a lot to us. And probably holding onto the info a little bit longer makes it even a little more precious. Forgive us. And do us the favor of feigning wonderment when we send you a text at 2am after 36 hours of labor with the reveal. Thanks.”

Today I am...30 weeks pregnant.

A big week for the Trickster household. I turned 32 years old and John and I celebrated our 10-year anniversary. (10 years of dating, not marriage.) Ten years is a long time. A LONG time and a lot has happened. I’ve certainly changed since he met me at age 21. And now I’m 32. Might be considered old in some towns to start a family but, luckily, in LA, and especially in the film business, everyone is acting like I am shockingly young to be pregnant. It’s nice never to have felt any pressure. That being said, talk to me in 13 years when we’ve got a teenager and I’m in my mid-40s and exhausted and wishing I was younger. But, truly, I am glad this is happening now. John and I got to do a lot of amazing things and take a lot of fantastic trips. And I can’t wait to be a parent with him and see him become a father.

Enough of the mushy stuff, here are this week’s stats:

How far along: 30 weeks

Baby Development: It’s getting a little crowded in there but I think he still has room for kicking and rolling. Especially since he’s kicking me in all my internal organs.

Baby Movement: Plenty.

Water Intake: I’m trying. Straws definitely help.

Best Moment of the Week: Having my father-in-law and husband build the little one’s crib. It looks great and I’m so glad they got to do it together.

Current baby/pregnancy worry: Just a general worry about his health, from newborn on up to about 4 years.

Symptoms: More heartburn and so many aches and pains. Maybe from sitting in my office chair for too many hours.

Sleep Quality: It’s okay. Getting up about once a night.

Food Cravings: my homemade turkey chili

What I miss: Nothing. It was a great week with family.

What I’m Looking Forward to: The holidays...a nice quiet Christmas at home.

Trying to get done before baby: Clean out the garage so it’s actually usable.

John's POV: “With us working most of the time and leaving my parents to their own devices, it was tough to keep the old man from assembling every piece of nursery furniture that was in a holding pattern in the garage. I was lucky he waited for me. And it definitely meant more getting to assemble it with him. As far as Lisa’s birthday, I got her a lovely assortment of gifts, but what she got me in return was the best: for our 'anniversary', (dating, not marriage) she framed the 'Songs: Ohia' poster I took off the wall at Spaceland during our first date. I don’t know how I held onto it as long as I did, but it was a lovely token of the distance we’ve come to where we are now.”

Today I am...29 weeks pregnant.

What a great week! Thanksgiving and my LA baby shower. My in-laws were in town and they were troopers as John and I worked all day. We’d come home to find a home-cooked meal, house repairs done, and furniture assembled. My sister was nice enough to throw me a little LA shower earlier in the week. It was a casual thing at my house but it was great! So nice to get all of my friends together. Though the whole open presents while everyone stares at you for an hour is a little daunting. I hate being the center of attention so, in general, these type of events are not for me. But it was fun and then we headed to Cuyamaca for Thanksgiving with the whole family. I am proud to say that even with my big belly, I managed to take a nice sized hike around the lake and make it back up the mountain to my parents’ house. Quite an accomplishment.

And now enough of the bragging, on to the stats:

How far along: 29 weeks

Baby Development: He’s apparently about 15 inches which is so long! He must be curled up in there.

Baby Movement: Getting more and more frequent.

Water Intake: Pretty solid. How much water is in decaf coffee again?

Best Moment of the Week: Being in Cuyamaca for Thanksgiving. It’s so beautiful there.

Current baby/pregnancy worry: Probably autism again. 1 in 70 boys are autistic. Wow.

Symptoms: The usual. Heartburn, aches and pains.

Sleep Quality: Getting worse and worse and increasingly detrimental to John.

Food Cravings: turkey, stuffing, candied yams, cranberry.

What I miss: Being able to button up my awesome winter wool coat

What I’m Looking Forward to: Being able to break out the Christmas decorations and Xmas music without being called crazy.

Trying to get done before baby: Go to the movie theater to see good movies

John's POV: “I don’t know how usual it is, or tacky it is, or if it’s just not done in polite society to have two showers (not that I could care any less), but doubling up the showers was a result of wanting to have my mom in attendance for the occasion. Since she was only in town this week, and my sis is in Germany and won’t be doing a shower until she gets back to the States, this was the time to do it. My mom would probably scold us for making such a fuss, but it meant a lot to both of us that she get to be included in the merriment of…. doing whatever it is ladies do at those things.”

LA Baby Shower

This past weekend my sister was kind enough to host a little LA luncheon/shower for my local friends. We also wanted to take the opportunity to do something when John's mom was in town so she could join in the baby fun.
I am lucky enough to be friends with a super talented invitation designer, Carolyn, and she came up with a little something that perfectly fit me (and John). Casual, funny, movie-centric... pretty awesome I think.

With that invitation, my sister decided to do a school-themed shower. The tables were set with apples, fresh #2 pencils, crayons, and books. It looked fantastic.

We used bulletin boards to describe the menu which included school favorites like Mac n' Cheese, three different kinds of sandwiches, ants on a log, salad, and brownies, and an old family favorite, puppy chow. Delicious!

I'm not big on games but we needed an activity so I decided to have each guest paint a small little canvas that I could use to decorate the nursery. While people balked and said they weren't artistic, they all turned out fantastic! I was super impressed.

I got a ton of amazing baby gear, cute outfits, and am so grateful for everyone that could make it. I had a great time.

Today I am...28 weeks pregnant.

A few monumental things happened this week. One, I had to switch over to full panel maternity jeans. Do you know what those are? They look ridiculous if you see them without a shirt. Because starting below the belly, there is this sheer elastic fabric that comes up right beneath your bra. So attractive. But, guess what? They are comfortable as hell. So I’m not sorry that I had to make the transition.

Then mid-way through this week, John finally felt the little guy kick!! I’ve been convinced in the past that he was kicking so hard that John HAD to be able to feel him. But no. Yet, lo and behold, one night this week I was laying in bed and the baby was going crazy. John put his hand on my belly and finally felt him! Thank goodness. I was beginning to fear that John thought I was making it all up.

This week I also got the results from my gestational diabetes test. Negative! I was so glad because I was dreading having to go back for the 5 hour version of the test. The doc did say I had a slightly low iron level so now I get to take iron supplements in addition to my prenatal vitamins.

And now, the stats:

How far along: 28 weeks

Baby Development: The little guy can open and close his eyes. Good to hear because we have a pretty awesome pool and we want him to be able to open his eyes underwater.

Baby Movement: Finally can feel it from the outside.

Water Intake: I’m sucking it down at my desk with my handy straw.

Best Moment of the Week: Definitely watching John feel the lil’ guy moving inside me. Totally amazing.

Current baby/pregnancy worry: Making sure he comes out healthy.

Symptoms: My belly is no joke now. I look pregnant.

Sleep Quality: Certainly not what it used to be.

Food Cravings: Trail mix. Heavy on the M&Ms.

What I miss: Sushi. Ohh, delightful albacore how I miss you.

What I’m Looking Forward to: More and more movement from the little guy.

Trying to get done before baby: Buy a new family room rug that isn’t toxic.

John's POV: “I think I felt him once before this, but it was this one lonely little pulse, and wasn’t sure if it was the real deal or not. This week was. He’s swinging for the fences now.”

Rejected Invite

I am super excited about my upcoming LA baby shower. We ended up with an amazing invitation but I feel like I have to share the runner-up. Also fantastic but the winner edged this one out a little.

Today I am...27 weeks pregnant.

The start of the third trimester! I have to say that I can’t believe I am in the third trimester. Time has gone by so so fast. I am sorry to say goodbye to the honeymoon trimester because it’s been fairly nice and easy (knock on wood).

This week I had to do the obligatory gestational diabetes test. I was dreading it for many reasons. One, I didn’t want to fail it like a lot of my friends had. Two, I heard the orange sugar drink was pretty nasty. And three, the test means another needle and another vial of blood drawn. Turns out, it wasn’t that bad. I guzzled that orange drink quickly with no problem and maybe I’m even getting used to having my blood drawn. Who is this person?!

This week was a little rough because all of the many pregnancy newsletters I receive talk about the baby’s movement and what’s “normal” and doing kick counts. So, of course, the pessimist that I am, one night I felt like I didn’t feel him. I hadn’t felt any movements in a while. Of course, the logical, intelligent person in me looks back and thinks, yeah, he was probably sleeping. Leave him alone. That’s not exactly how it went down at midnight though. I freaked out, got up, tried to walk around a lot, had a big glass of orange juice, and put on some music. After what seemed like an eternity, I felt something. A little something. But it was enough. The following day he moved a lot, just to reassure me that everything was okay. But I wish someone had told me that this happens all the time. Babies will have active days and then a completely quiet day. Would have saved me from a lot of panic. Or maybe not.

And now here are the stats:

How far along: 27 weeks

Baby Development: He’s as big as a cauliflower and is sleeping and waking at regular intervals.

Baby Movement: Well, like I said, it’s up and down.

Water Intake: Going well. I’m proud of myself.

Best Moment of the Week: Hearing the little guy’s heartbeat at my doctor’s appointment.

Current baby/pregnancy worry: Everything. I’m kind of a worrier.

Symptoms: More heartburn and acid reflux. How do people deal with this on an ongoing basis?

Sleep Quality: Not too bad. I still can usually make it through the night without getting up.

Food Cravings: Chopped salad. Hear that? I do like some healthy stuff.

What I miss: Brie. What a fantastic cheese.

What I’m Looking Forward to: Hopefully my back will hurt less post-pregnancy.

Trying to get done before baby: Need to clean out my closet and give stuff to Goodwill.

John's POV: “Belle & Sebastian’s 'Boy With the Arab Strap' is what we used to get the baby moving. Specifically the title track. And a combination of the natural sugar of OJ. But I’ll never hear that record the same way again. Oh, and we went right out and ordered a fetal heart monitor. Anything not to put ourselves through that again.”

Today I am...26 weeks pregnant.

Halloween was this past week and John and I were invited to a costume party. A costume party where we had to dress up as a movie or TV character. Well, when you’re pregnant, the choices are pretty slim. After narrowing it down to Juno or Katherine Heigl in “Knocked Up”, we went with Juno. (Only because Heigl wouldn’t have required much of an outfit.) Of course, before we went, I said out loud, “I hope there are other pregnant women there because I’m sure they’ll be Juno.” Guess what? There were TWO other pregnant women there and BOTH were dressed as Juno. With BOTH of their husbands also dressed as the Michael Cera character. Poor John. Bad enough that he had to wear short running shorts. But then he had to be one of three guys wearing running shorts. Oh well. It was still fun and I think a costume success!

And now, let’s get down to business with the stats:

How far along: 26 weeks

Baby Development: He’s supposedly two pounds and has all 5 senses! Which means he can taste the deliciousness of the burrito I had for dinner. And which also means he’s probably more than two pounds.

Baby Movement: Not as much as the baby newsletters made me feel like I need. But maybe our little guy is just as mellow as us. Not like John or I are out there bike riding or doing mountain hikes.

Water Intake: Drinking like crazy and continuously filling up my cup at the work water cooler.

Best Moment of the Week: Picking out a crib for the little guy and finally having some concrete ideas about the nursery.

Current baby/pregnancy worry: If I’m getting enough nutrition with my diet. I think I am…

Symptoms: Not many really. This is a piece of cake!

Sleep Quality: As good as could be expected.

Food Cravings: Chips and salsa.

What I miss: Feta cheese. Do you know how many delicious salads and sandwiches have feta in them? Especially in LA.

What I’m Looking Forward to: Getting baby stuff!

Trying to get done before baby: One of these days I should really get a haircut.

John's POV: " I wanted to go as Nick and Carla Tortelli, since Carla was knocked up in almost every season of ‘Cheers’, but Lisa claimed no one would know who we were. Apparently because one of the most popular sitcoms of all-time was too obscure. So I joined the other prospective fathers at the party in looking like a jackass in USC running shorts.”

Today I am...25 weeks pregnant.

Week 25 is the week we crossed things off our To Do list. Big things! Like registering at Babies R’ Us and buying a new car! Yeah, it had to be done. My car was 10 years old and John’s car was 13 years old. His car had to go and, in the grand tradition of becoming parents, we bought an SUV. Well, a crossover as they like to call them now. It’s a Hyundai Santa Fe and I love it. I can’t believe that one day there will be a car seat in the back. Right now I’m being super strict about even taking a beverage in it which is somewhat funny considering that in 4 months, a little baby could be throwing up all over the place. I’ll be damned if those leather seats won’t look nice for the next 4 months though.

Registering for the baby showers was fun too. Like our wedding registry, the only way to motivate John was to give him that scanning gun. Everything is more fun with a scanner. We scanned this and that and picked out some cool things. None of those crib bedding sets because I didn’t really want something that was too matchy-matchy. And those sets really only come in pastel colors which is not my style. (And a nursery is for the mom, not the baby!) Who knows what we’ll get but it was fun.

And now for the current stats:

How far along: 25 weeks

Baby Development: The little guy is growing more hair which may account for the heartburn. Or it may be an old wives tale. The newsletter tells me he’s the size of a rutabaga but I don’t even know what that is. I just assume he’s getting bigger.

Baby Movement: Some, I can feel him more and more.

Water Intake: Oh yeah. It’s happening.

Best Moment of the Week: Realizing that I haven’t had a single cold or sniffle the entire time I’ve been pregnant. That’s rare for me.

Current baby/pregnancy worry: Everything. Down’s syndrome is a popular one.

Symptoms: Hasn’t been too bad besides the heartburn. That’s why I have a bottle of Tums at work.

Sleep Quality: I hope I’m not bothering John too much. It’s been okay.

Food Cravings: The pumpkin pancakes at our local breakfast. The best pancakes I have ever had in my entire life. Topped with cinnamon butter. Yum!

What I miss: Being able to order something in a restaurant besides water. No soda, no iced tea, no wine, no cocktail. Argh!

What I’m Looking Forward to: The next time we get to hear the little guy’s heartbeat.

Trying to get done before baby: We really want to redecorate the guest room before he comes. Obviously not a priority so not sure if this a crazy nesting thing. We’ll see.

John's POV: "Since the boy announcement, it's begun. Getting stuff. There's a lot of practical stuff that a baby needs. Important stuff. Sterilized stuff. But I'd say we're operating on a 10 to 1 ratio of cute to practical. And the cute is pouring it on. Because you're not going to buy your newly pregnant friend nipple cream. You're going to get the onesie that reads 'Mommy's Little Rock Star'. Because as I've told Lisa many times already, you can't stop people from buying cute shit."

Today I am...24 weeks pregnant.

I’m smack dab in the middle of the second trimester and I have to tell you a secret…. This hasn’t been that bad. Truly! I really thought it would be worse. I’m not overly exhausted at the end of the day. Certainly no more than usual with my stressful job. I’m not sick, not having weird cramps, not getting hemorrhoids, not having terrible aversions to food. In fact, there are quite a few good things. I haven’t gotten sick with a cold or cough or flu even though everyone at my work is sick. My nails have never been longer. My hair is pretty damn thick and luscious (or so my husband tells me). My skin is clear and free of acne. So what’s everyone complaining about? Sure, I’m sure the third trimester will kick me in the ass, but right now, I’ll take it.

(Sarcastic shirt courtesy of Kelly.) Now on to the stats:

How far along: 24 weeks

Baby Development: He’s a foot long, or about an ear of corn. Mmm…corn…

Baby Movement: Definitely. Nothing crazy like my fellow 24-weekers, but he’s in there.

Water Intake: Not a problem. As long as I have a disposable cup, lots of ice, and a straw, I’m good.

Best Moment of the Week: Indulging in a prenatal massage at my house. Pure bliss for my aching back.

Current baby/pregnancy worry: Is the little guy moving enough?

Symptoms: See annoying paragraph above. But I definitely still have heartburn and an achy back.

Sleep Quality: Seriously, no back sleeping? Are you sure?!

Food Cravings: Chinese Fried Rice

What I miss: Not having to stretch at my office once a day. But it does feel good when I do it.

What I’m Looking Forward to: Registering next week!

Trying to get done before baby: I really do have to sign up for all of these baby classes. Just trying to decide which ones.

John's POV: "I know there's a point where Lisa is going to have to get a hair cut that's more conducive to avoiding vomit and feces and the kung fu grip of a 1 year old, but we're going to let the hidden magic of pregnancy glamor up her lioness mane a little longer."

Today I am...23 weeks pregnant.

This week was super quiet. Not much to report on the pregnancy front. I’ve always been a super heavy, great sleeper but that skill is dwindling I’m afraid. It’s due to being forced to sleep on my side. Inevitably I wake up in the middle of the night on my back and freak out because I’m not supposed to be on my back. So back to my side I go. Or, more often, John pokes me in the middle of the night and says “you’re on your back”. To which I reply with a grumpy grunt and roll to my side.

I’ve been getting a little more tired at night but nothing alarming. During the day I am having sciatic pain. Before I was pregnant, I had heard the term but didn’t really know what it was. Now I do. A serious pain in your very low back. Okay, more like pain right above your butt. It hurts though. I find that the only thing I can do it kind of adjust myself in my office chair and cross my legs a certain way. The internet also recommends getting on all fours on the floor but, guess what? It would look a little weird if any of my 300 person crew came walking into my office to find me on my hands and knees on the ground. So I suffer through it.

And now, ladies and gentlemen, the stats:

How far along: 23 weeks

Baby Development: The little guy is a large mango which is fine except that I don’t particularly like mangoes.

Baby Movement: Yup. He’s kicking me a bit though I’m hoping he’s not a soccer player.

Water Intake: That’s the one pregnancy guideline I’m following.

Best Moment of the Week: Pretty much just hanging out with John. He’s been the best pregnancy partner ever.

Current baby/pregnancy worry: Sometimes I have nightmares about worst case scenarios but I tried to remain positive.

Symptoms: Sciatic and back pain.

Sleep Quality: If you’d let me sleep on my back it’d be great!

Food Cravings: Steak.

What I miss: The time of my life when I didn’t know what heartburn was.

What I’m Looking Forward to: Fall. Cooler weather, pumpkin muffins, and a month closer to Christmas!

Trying to get done before baby: John and I are toying with the idea of a babymoon but we’re just so busy. We’ll see what happens.

John's POV: "It was kind of a quiet week. I think we spent most of the time coming down from the high of finding out the gender. It's kind of another round of 'hey, everybody...' but this time the sentence finishes with 'we're having a boy' as opposed to 'we're pregnant'. The father/son thing is starting to sink in for me."

Today I am...22 weeks pregnant.

This past week was a doozy. Only because we finally got to confirm our own feelings and find out we are having a boy! Truthfully, it wasn’t very surprising because, from the start, I’ve known it’s a boy. Just had a feeling. Then John’s mom predicted boy (as she had predicted a girl correctly for her daughter). Plus, I just wasn’t sick enough for a girl. And my face wasn't all broken out (old wives' tale about girls). The great part of the anatomy scan appointment though, was finding out that he looked healthy. Spine looked great, heart looked great, brain looked great. We were overjoyed. And then at the end when the doctor said, “go buy some blue stuff”, we couldn’t have been happier. Time to put away those girl names we love and settle on the one and only boy name we like.

And on to the important business:

How far along: 22 weeks

Baby Development: They tell me he’s the length of a spaghetti squash. How did he get so big? His eyes have formed and he’s getting tooth buds.

Baby Movement: Yup, I can feel him moving around. Even got him to change positions at our ultrasound by doing jumping jacks.

Water Intake: Definitely 8 glasses a day.

Best Moment of the Week: Seeing the little guy on the ultrasound monitor. Hearing that he was healthy.

Current baby/pregnancy worry: Not any this week, now that we know we won’t have to deal with a teenage girl.

Symptoms: More heartburn. And a dull ache below my left breast. Could that be him just hitting me there?

Sleep Quality: No mattress or pillow will make this any better.

Food Cravings: Eggs, always eggs.

What I miss: Having more than 8 shirts to wear.

What I’m Looking Forward to: Looking at baby boy stuff!

Trying to get done before baby: I feel like we should be going out more, seeing more movies. So next up, “The Social Network”!

John's POV: "There was no way Lisa was leaving that doctor's office without knowing what the kid was packing. The doc sort of thought he saw a scrotum (his word of choice), but wasn't 100%. The kid was covering up. He's already super stubborn like his parents. But Lisa wasn't going to lose her first battle of wills with her child. Mama was determined. The doctor excused himself and Lisa leapt from the exam table and started jumping up and down in teh air to get the lil' trickster to show his cards. Damn if it didn't work. The doc cam back post-jumping jacks and saw the scrotum (again, his word) and we're off to the blue store."

Today I am...21 weeks pregnant.

This week we attended Brian and Marah’s amazing wedding up in Mendocino. It’s probably the last big trip I’ll take before the baby so I was determined to have fun. The flight wasn’t bad and I even survived the subsequent 4 hour car ride. Mendocino was freezing so I found that I had to buy tights/nylons for my dress or I would freeze at the outdoor wedding. Do you know how many maternity stores are in Mendo? Zero. How many clothes stores? Two. I bought the biggest pair of nylons they sold and managed to pull them on over my expanding belly and thighs. The wedding was a blast. Everyone had their doubts about me going home early, not getting on the dance floor, not being on my A game, but they had nothing to fear. I danced the night away and stayed later than 90 percent of our friends. All this without the aid of cocktails! John was very proud of me. Sure, I got home at 12:30 and immediately sunk into bed with some achy feet, but it was worth it. I mean, check out this sassy couple...

Now for the stats:

How far along: 21 weeks

Baby Development: He’s as big as a carrot but I HATE carrots. And so will he if he has any sense.

Baby Movement: Kicking me for sure and he even has quiet and active times of day.

Water Intake: 8 glasses? No problem.

Best Moment of the Week: Going with John to the Hollywood Bowl to see the Pavement/Sonic Youth concert. Our little one’s first concert and it was a LOUD one. During one particularly rocking song, I tried to cover my belly so he wouldn’t get hearing damage.

Current baby/pregnancy worry: Labor and how painful it’ll be.

Symptoms: Itchy and scratchy skin. I’ve always had dry skin but this is insane. I could scratch all of my skin off my legs if John let me.

Sleep Quality: Not too terrible. I’m tired enough to sleep through the night.

Food Cravings: French fries.

What I miss: At a wedding with 100 drunk people and having to dance? Yeah, I missed alcohol then.

What I’m Looking Forward to: Our anatomy scan this week!

Trying to get done before baby: We really should fix our doorbell. And that side gate. And that light that flickers. And that other thing. Yeah, we should get on that.

John's POV: "Lisa was a super trooper this week. First, the concert, which was a long walk up a steep hill to see three bands that she had moderate interest in (as she did this for her husband) and then the short plane ride for a long car drive to a wedding where she outworked all the non-pregnant ladies. (I guess she just wanted it more.) The concert was especially fantastic for me. I think I'll always look back with a little indie rock pride that the baby's first concert with ears was a couple of the seminal bands of my lifetime. Hopefully he comes out humming 'Teen Age Riot' or 'Summer Babe'.

Today I am...20 weeks pregnant.

I’m halfway there! Or that’s what they say. But that is total b.s. because for the first five weeks, I wasn’t pregnant and didn’t know I was pregnant. So I’ve only been pregnant for 15 weeks. But this whole numbering thing is ridiculous anyways. You’re supposed to be pregnant for 9 months and yet it’s 40 weeks?! Someone explain that please.

I’ve also decided that I’m too much of a nerd for my own good. I am the type of person that will read everything about pregnancy and I have a desk job so I can surf the internet all day, clicking from one story to the next. Well, do you know what stories are on the internet? Bad ones. Worst case scenario ones. Blogs and blogs written by mothers whose babies passed away from SIDS, from a rare heart defect, from meningitis. Support websites for parents dealing with children born with fatal diseases. Terrible terrible things. And these things happen. You can’t say they won’t happen to you because who really knows. But, all it does is make this already hormonal pregnant lady upset and that is not good for me. Better yet, it’s not good for John. He’s forbid me from reading such things. He tells me I have to B Positive (like my blood type. See? Funny joke.) I am trying to listen to him but it’s easy to get caught up. So far though, every appointment has been great and everything is going smoothly.

Here’s the stat update:

How far along: 20 weeks

Baby Development: He’s banana-sized and is now producing meconium which is that gross tar-like substance that newborns poop out the first couple of days. Yay!

Baby Movement: Yes, whoever is in there is moving around now which is great!

Water Intake: I have never drank so much water in my life! John would be so proud.

Best Moment of the Week: Meeting the newest addition to the Lynn family! Little Violet Katherine is absolutely adorable.

Current baby/pregnancy worry: Everything and anything you can think of.

Symptoms: Itchy, rashy skin. Kind of weird pimple type bumps on my arms. And itchy legs. When the itch comes on, it REALLY comes on and I have to scratch for what seems like hours. Usually hits me at the end of the day.

Sleep Quality: Don’t usually have to go to the bathroom in the middle of the night so that’s good.

Food Cravings: Breakfast burritos. Is there a more perfect food?

What I miss: Having people not know that I am pregnant. That was a fun secret for me and John to share.

What I’m Looking Forward to: Why did I schedule that anatomy scan for so late!? I can’t wait!

Trying to get done before baby: Do I have to babyproof our kitchen and bathrooms? It’s too early for that, right?

John's POV: "Fighting the pessimism bug is probably the toughest thing we do on a day-to-day basis. Trying to maintain a winning streak when it's absolutely out of your hands is hard to wrap your head around."

Today I am...19 weeks pregnant.

This past week was big. I finally told everyone at work that I was pregnant. I figured I should do it before I hit the halfway mark. And before they REALLY started talking about how fat I was getting. I have to say, everyone took it really well. I expected more a backlash (hey, it’s Hollywood) but everyone was very nice and supportive. I guess I shouldn’t have worried all of those weeks. And I told them just in time because this week I had to switch to maternity jeans. I was really holding on for dear life but I have no idea why. I mean, 19 weeks is a long time. Shouldn’t someone give me a medal or something for fitting into them for this long? Anyways, have you tried maternity jeans? They are awesome! Just jeans with an elastic waistband! Why don’t we wear these all the time? I am extremely tempted to never go back to regular jeans. Who would know? I don’t wear short shirts so my tops would easily cover up the elastic. Anyways, they are the greatest. I am currently sporting a pair from the Gap and I am very happy.

We had a quick doctor's appointment this week and here's the pic of his head.

And, for all of you lucky readers, here are my stats for the week:

How far along: 19 weeks

Baby Development: He (or she…but probably not she) is around 8 ounces and 6 inches. They say that’s the size of an heirloom tomato. Finally a vegetable I can get behind!

Baby Movement: He’s going some more little kicks but I don’t think he has really put his full weight behind any of them.

Water Intake: The work water cooler is suffering because I keep draining it.

Best Moment of the Week: Telling my producer that I was pregnant and having him tear up because he loves being a dad so much. Awww, that’s so sweet.

Current baby/pregnancy worry: Will we really be able to afford a kid? In LA? If I can’t work? Who knows.

Symptoms: I got some serious round ligament pain this week. I think it’s just my belly swelling in size but it is enough to make you pause and double over in pain.

Sleep Quality: I have a feeling it’s only going to get worse.

Food Cravings: An egg mcmuffin from McDonald’s sounds so good right now.

What I miss: Not my jeans!

What I’m Looking Forward to: I need to buy some maternity wear I suppose.

Trying to get done before baby: I should really put all of those old photos in photo albums rather than have them sit in the garage.

John's POV: "Meanwhile, I told my work 5 weeks ago. In those 5 weeks, I thought she was being silly for not bringing it up, but I grew to understand it. And I sympathize. It's all congrats and cigars for the papas-to-be. For mamas-to-be, they can be seen by a pragmatist as a cog that needs replaced. And that can be inconvenient. And in an industry that coddles those that cannot be concerned with the inconveniences of real life, Lisa felt a real fear. Luckily there are as many kind-hearted and generous people in Hollywood as there are scumbags. And Lisa was surrounded by a lot of them on this gig, which was a blessing. P.S. that skull ultrasound freaks me out."

Today I am...18 weeks pregnant.

I get a lot of pregnancy emails. In fact, I’m on so many lists that I probably get 10 a day. Invariably half of them have the nerve to mention pregnancy fitness and exercise. I know it’s great to exercise. It was a great notion pre-pregnancy and during pregnancy. But it just ain’t gonna happen. Luckily, in my case, maybe it shouldn’t happen. Or at least strenuous exercise. They say that you should only do as much as you did before pregnancy. So if I wasn’t jogging two miles a day pre-conception, I sure as hell shouldn’t start running now. Yes! How convenient. But I should probably be walking more. Or swimming. Or stretching. Or, god forbid, yoga. John keeps trying to force prenatal yoga on me. I think it’s mostly a joke because he knows how boring and ridiculous I find such an activity, but I know it would be helpful. I just won’t do it. See that stubbornness? I hope that skips over our child.

But, truthfully, I walk a bit at work since the movie lot we’re on is so big and every thing is so spread out. For the past few weeks I’ve gotten out of breath just climbing the stairs. I know I’m not THAT out of shape so I’m blaming it the kid pressing up against my lungs.

And here are the weekly stats:

How far along: 18 weeks

Baby Development: The little one is the size of a bell pepper this week and is practicing flexing his arms and legs. Turns out that his genitals are formed and you could see them on an ultrasound.

Baby Movement: Definite fluttering. It’s confirmed.

Water Intake: I am drinking water like it’s going out of style.

Best Moment of the Week: Getting my 2^nd trimester blood results back. Combined with the 1^st trimester results, we’re at a 1 in 68,000 chance for Down’s. Woohoo!!

Current baby/pregnancy worry: How big will I really get?

Symptoms: Tight jeans. Is that a symptom? I feel extremely hormonal this week.

Sleep Quality: Did I mention that sleeping on your side kind of sucks?

Food Cravings: The weirdest one yet…orange juice. A previously abhorred beverage.

What I miss: Feeling a little more spry that I’ve been feeling. Not that I was every a woodland sprite or anything.

What I’m Looking Forward to: Hitting the halfway point soon

Trying to get done before baby: I should really be savoring all of these nice long hot showers without any interruptions.

John's POV: "I'm not 'forcing' anything on her. Am I suggesting she try prenatal yoga? Sure. But there's not some ultimatum. Wouldn't something that increases flexibility be an asset in a situation where flexibility is beneficial? I've begun to think about the endgame in this scenario. Somehow, someway, a baby has to find its way out of there."

Today I am...17 weeks pregnant.

This week marked the first time that I felt definite fluttering. It’s such a bizarre feeling. Or maybe not. In fact, it feels like an upset stomach or gas. Just that it happens all the time. But it certainly makes this whole pregnancy thing very real. Still wake up most days and say, “I can’t believe I’m pregnant”.

I’m still undercover at work and, while I assume I look giant, I don’t think anyone thinks anything of it. I have to wear loose shirts so I’ve ditched the tube tops I usually wear to work. (That’s a joke.)

And here are the current stats:

How far along: 17 weeks

Baby Development: He (or she…yeah right) is as big as a turnip. He’s currently developing baby fat. Or, knowing my gene pool, a lot of baby fat.

Baby Movement: Fluttering I think. Such a great and crazy feeling.

Water Intake: People must think I’m a camel at work.

Best Moment of the Week: Hosting my friend Lizzielu who was in town from London. So lovely hanging out with Liz and Phil. They are a delight.

Current baby/pregnancy worry: Will the baby be healthy? I sure hope so.

Symptoms: Nothing too bad. Feel much better than I did a few weeks ago.

Sleep Quality: It’s starting to get uncomfortable to sleep now which is a bummer because I usually sleep so well.

Food Cravings: Mexican food, always.

What I miss: My morning cups of coffee. But I still enjoy the smell. Going to start drinking decaf lattes soon I think.

What I’m Looking Forward to: Looking pregnant rather than bloated.

Trying to get done before baby: More outings, concerts, restaurants.

John's POV: "I don't know what more has to happen for Lisa to not wake up and look at me and say 'I can't believe I'm pregnant.' I don't know what week it will be when it really sets in if it hasn't already. I will set the over-under at 28 weeks. I think it'll be the third trimester before she really believes she's pregnant, or believes it enough so that she doesn't have to hear herself say it out loud."