Merry Christmas!

Hi all... So it's been over 6 months since my last post!  Since then, Arnold and I welcomed our baby boy into the world, Zachary Chong.  He's just over 4 months now and I still can't believe I'm a mommy.  I go back to work in a week and I'm going to miss this smiling face so much!

@ Carmel-By-Sea

  

 

We just got back from an overnight trip to Carmel-by-Sea. We like to getaway to this lovely town once a year and we hope to continue the tradition with Zachary.  Recently I was able to sneak in a bit of retail therapy. I've been looking for a fur vest for a few years now and I found one at Ella Moss (Arabella fur vest).  The back is a knitted vest to provide more of a casual look.  We also stopped by Anthropologie and picked up this striped turtle neck from DemyLee.  I just discovered this Korean designer a few months ago and I'm in love with her line.  Now that I'm slowwwllly losing my pregnancy weight my shopping itch is back in full swing!

Anni. Weekend + Baby Shower Bonus!

This weekend was good times all around.  My friends threw me an intimate baby shower and was even able to cater the menu with my gestational diabetes in mind.  I loved the decor, theme and of course the games!

Arnold and I also celebrated our 2nd year anniversary this weekend at Gary Danko, a premier restaurant in the city that I've wanted to check out for several years now.  We decided to give each other budget-friendly gifts for our anniversary so I decided to do some retail therapy before my baby made his debut.  Luckily several stores are currently having HUGE sales so I was able to score some goodies.

Parker Top + my new Tory Burch clutch (gift from my friend who does PR for T. Burch)

with C &S, the Hostesses w/ the Mostesses!

 You can't really see my necklace but I just got this from All Saints on sale and I love it!

@ Gary Danko

Home stretch...

long time no blog.. I know. I'm at the home stretch of my pregnancy and into my 35th week.  The 1st trimester inched by so slowly but the 2nd and 3rd is just flying by.  While I'm counting down my last weeks of freedom, I'm overwhelmed with excitement. I can't wait to meet the little guy!

For the past 1.5 months I've actually been living a pregnant woman's dreaded nightmare: life w/o carbs and sugar!  I was diagnosed with gestational diabetes and have been pricking my finger 4x a day to monitor my blood levels. It's not fun..to say the least but if it's for the health of my little one, I can make the sacrifice.  To combat my low insulin levels I've been forced to be more active and have been going on hikes with the hubby.


Enjoying the beautiful views of Lands End





Enjoying a night out on the town. Sporting my fav Vince leather jacket that is getting a bit tight on me!



Missing Maui...

I just got back from my babymoon in Maui and boy am I missing the beautiful sunsets, gentle breeze and all the delicious food.. Overall the trip was very relaxing... with the exception of the drive we took to Hana. With all the curvy and rough roads and views comparable to what we have near San Francisco, I was a bit underwhelmed and felt like baby Chong was experiencing his first roller coaster. None the less, the trip was extremely memorable and its always tough coming back to reality..

I'll be taking off for LA for the next 2 weeks while Arnold is back in Toronto for a few weeks as well. Since we got married, this is the longest time we've been apart so I'm hoping time somehow flies by.  I miss you already sweets!

I am looking forward to hanging out with my sister who is due with her 1st child any week now! It'll give me a sense of what to expect in the 1st week or so of birth.  I'm so anxious and antsy to become an auntie! Unni, fighting!

Better late than never..

I had a rude awakening when I went to go to see my doctor last week for my monthly prenatal checkup.  She told me that I was gaining 'massive weight' (her exact words) and that I need to slow it down asap. She proceeded to ask my what my daily food intake was and as I listed off everything I ate from morning to night I realized to myself that my self-control had gone out the window the moment I found out I was pregnant.

So, I'm turning over a new leaf..26 weeks into my pregnancy. Only salads for dinner here on out.  I realize breakfast and lunches I can't skimp on since I need enough  energy to get through the workday. So today I whipped up a Honey dijon Salmon salad.  Considering it wasn't fried or pan-cooked, it actually tasted quite delish!

When we got home from work today we were thrilled to find that my mother's gift had arrived!

LG Prime Mat - (Poro-poro Design)

Can't wait to see our baby boy crawl on this cushiony mat!

Happy Mother's Day!

Today we got off to a late start and walked to a near by breakfast spot.  Afterwards, on our way back we stopped by Jeremys and I found myself the perfect Diaper bag! It was a bit above my initial budget but with the help of my friend's b-day contributions, I decided to go for it.

Tod's Nylon Pashmy Pocket D Bag Media Bag

The nylon material of the bag makes it extremely light and easy to carry around.  The only thing I'm slightly worried about is the size. Hopefully I can fit enough diapers..change of clothes..and a change pad in there!

Also Happy Mother's day to all the mother's--and mother's to be out there.  I'm especially missing my mother today.

My parents visiting one of our favorite cities, Salzburg a few months ago

Arnold and I posing in front of the same river bank :)

You can't win them all..

On my last post I mentioned our next dish would be Sam Geh Tang (Chicken soup infused with Ginseng). I was so excited to try it out because I LOVE chicken and always get excited to scoop up the sticky sweet rice goodness in the middle.

I didn't know how labor extensive it was and we forgot to remove the chicken skin prior to boiling.  Also, I let my giddiness get the best of me and stuffed the poor chicken silly with the rice.  A few hours later I opened the lid to see that the chicken had been annihilated. The rice was spewing out and overall, it was just a hot mess. I guess you can't win 'em all. This was the first time we had made a dish that failed to impress us.  Hopefully our next dish, galbijim won't disappoint.

Stuffing the chicken cavity with dates, rices and garlic

The finished product.. Not quite what I had in mind.  It didn't help that the rice wasn't fully cooked

We decided to forgo the Korean version and sliced up some carrots and celery to turn it into an American chicken soup!

Also, Mother's day is just around the corner and since I'm a soon to be mama, Arnold told me to pick a little something for myself.  I have a few items on my wish list that I probably won't be getting anytime soon but a girl can hope right?

Hermes Belt - Reversible

Stuart Weitzman - Alex Wedges

I've been waiting for these wedges to go on sale for the past few years but it never does. At a certain point I just have to make a decision to invest in them or opt for a cheaper pair and start getting some mileage out of them.  I've been eye-ing the Hermes belt as well and perhaps it's the laid back San Francisco side in me coming out, but I can't help feel that the 'H' buckle + burnt orange would be too flashy?  Maybe the belt will have to wait until I'm a few years older.

Tina & Arnold (Julie & Julia...)

After watching Julie & Julia last year, I was inspired by Julie's diligence and determination to complete Julia Child's French Cook book in a year.  So, for the past 2 weeks Arnold and I have been cooking up a storm and It's been a wonderful way for us to spend some quality time with each other. We always complain that there's a serious lack of solid Korean food in the Bay area so we decided to start off with some of our favorite Korean dishes.

My go to source for easy to follow recipes are: weekofmenus.com and maangchi.com.

Sunday: Spicy Pork Bulgogi (Dweji Bulgogi)

Monday: Soy Based Chicken (Dak Doree Ttang)

Tuesday: Kalguksoo (forgot to take pic!)
Wednesday: Sukiyaki (forgot to take pic!)

Thursday : For dessert we checked out Smitten Ice-cream

Def not worth $6/cone but it was cool checking out the liquid nitrogen-assisted ice cream maker

Our next dish: Sam Geh Ttang and Kalbi Jeem. Stay tuned!

So much for my attempt at portion control for my Hawaii trip. sigh..

Lately..

The last 2 weeks has been a whirlwind of b-day dinners, baby shower, and a business trip to LA.  I had a great time catching up with my fam and friends but glad to be back home.

Visiting my dear friend's baby girl!

@ my sis' baby shower

Belated Bday Dinner with my girls

Belated B-day lunch w/ the USC girls

 My belly is growing by the day and I'm feeling the baby kick more regularly.  I've been reading that I should start singing to my baby so he can recognize my voice.  I don't normally consider myself to be overly self conscious but when it comes to singing in public, I cower in fear.  I need to get over myself and realize that my baby won't hold my singing against me. I'm thinking he won't know the difference between a singing nightingale or a quacking duck at this point, right? With that said.. ** clears throats** meme meme Mee..

Last Birthday as a free Woman!

Okay..so that sounds a bit dramatic but I do feel like a significant part of my life will be forever changed the second my baby is born into this world. 

On one end, I'm thinking to myself no more last minute trips to Napa with the hubby, no more weekend trips to LA to celebrate a friend's b-day party/bachelorette party, and most importantly no more planning carefree adventures out of the country.

On the flip side, I cannot wait to meet this little person that is constantly karate chopping my tummy and doing somersaults!  He must definitely take after his dad.

So back to my b-day... It was my 29th and I celebrated with close friends in the city for dinner and drinks (gingerale for me) after wards.

@ Zuppa

For my b-day gift, C, A, & S joined forces to contribute to my diaper bag fund.  Although I'd love to splurge on a beautiful high end tote that acts as a diaper bag, Arnold put the kibosh on that idea quickly and gave me a tight budget.  Within the budget, my sis found an adorable one for me. Too bad it's sold out everywhere.  If anyone happens to see this bag please holler!

Lesportsac Ryan -Zoo in Love

For Arnold's gift to me, I picked it out myself..again and  just had to stay within a certain budget.  My friend works in PR at Tory Burch and is able to hook me up with an amazing discount. With my upcoming babymoon (Maui) in mind,  here are the goodies that I snatched:

Color Block Scarf

Tumbled Leather Sandals- Equestrian Orange

I cannot waittt to get away.  I'll be over 7 months pregnant but nonetheless excited to lay out and bask in the sun and slurp on some pina coladas..virgin of course!

Baby-shopping Bonanza

Today was one of the rare days I literally shopped 'til I dropped..and for once it wasn't for me, but for our baby boy. I recently started my research on all the baby necessities and though people find the book 'Baby Bargains' to be extremely helpful I found it be overwhelming and a bit daunting. I realized when it comes to certain things in life I find myself going back to the basics and keeping things simple.  Now a days it seems like women are being overloaded with baby info whether they like it or not and personally its difficult not to succumb to the pressure of adhering to all the latest medical/safety recommendations.

With that said my baby's health is of course my top priority, but if I'm craving a piece of salmon sushi once in awhile or don't feel like picking off every piece of sausage on my pizza I just SUCCUMB to it. (I had my first serving of salmon sushi in 5 months a few days ago and it was heavenly!)

Anyways I digress.. Back to my adventures in baby shopping.  Today, we started off by picking up a brand new bugaboo bee stroller we had bought off of Craigslist.  Since we bought our BOB Revolution stroller slightly used I wanted to get our 2nd stroller brand new.

Can't wait to test out this bad boy!

Next we went to Bloomingdales to check out their Friends and Family sale. I urged myself to skip the Y.E.S section and go straight to the baby section and we ending up finding some incredible deals!

Ralph Lauren PJ's, 5 piece set of Little Me onesies, and a swaddle set for $32!

On my way out I passed thru the shoe dept and quickly perused the clearance section. I'm so glad I did because the rain boots I had been eyeing for the past year finally went on sale. Although they didn't have the color I wanted (Olive) I was happy enough with the Taupe. I got them for $39.99..down from $195!

Loeffler Randall Matilde Rain Boot-  Love them :)

 We stopped by Pottery Barn Kids and found the cutest bedding set ever:
http://www.potterybarnkids.com/products/baby-elephant-crib-sheeting/?pkey=e|elephant|12|best|0|1|24||1&cm_src=PRODUCTSEARCH||NoFacet-_-NoFacet-_-NoMerchRules-_-

Organic Baby Elephant Nursery Set

Arnold couldn't get over the steep price tags so we opted out of the matching bed skirt (he insisted that the bedskirt would never touch the baby's skin and therefore we should go with the one at Target for $19.99)

We made a final stop at Stanford's student store to check out some baby gear.  I urged Arnold to pick only 2 items and this is what he ended up with:

Hopefully our baby boy will aim high and follow after his dad's footsteps!

Sigh..it's been a long day but I was excited to come back to my temporary baby substitute!

my new ipad2!

_____ Chong?

For the past week I've been going through several baby name websites to come up with the perfect name for our baby boy.  Arnold and I both want a name that is unique and distinguished yet one that isn't trying too hard to be different.

Up until now, I had a hunch that I was having a baby girl and had my heart set out on a name: Sophie Chong. Arnold of course had a hunch it was a boy and already had a name picked out as well.  Now, I don't want to knock his name down but I wasn't exactly crazy about it when he first told me.  It's slowly growing on me but I have a few default names in place:

1. Cedric

be honest..do you first think of Cedric the Ent or Cedric Diggory from Harry Potter? Thought so..

Arnold, bless his heart seems to be the only one who associates Cedric with the short lived Harry Potter character.  Ain't nothing wrong with Cedric the Entertainer but he doesn't exactly embody the essence of a true gentleman.

The other 2 names in the running are:
2. Colin
3. Darren

So many names to choose from! Although Cedric isn't a name I'd come up with on my own the more and more I recite Cedric Chong in full, I like the sound of it. I wonder who the little bugga is going to resemble. Me or Arnold?  (Growing up I looked, acted, and was treated like the son my parents never had)

That's me at the bottom!

Arnold, the little rascal!

Home sweet home!

I just got back from a 5 day business trip to NY.  I usually look forward to my quarterly visits to the mothership (I currently work in the satellite office in SF) but this time around I was dreading the long flight, 3 hour time difference, and the fact that I could no longer partake in happy hours and late night bar hops.

Nonetheless I tried to make the most of my time out of work by indulging in filling breakfasts and huge dinners followed by decadent desserts.  I'm pretty sure I gained a solid 3 pounds but it's due to the fact that the food in NY is simply better than it is in SF.

My hotel was right next to a Dean & Deluca so this was my daily breakfast stop!

Conveniently, the MTV office is located right in front of a Shakeshack (the east coast version of in-n-out)

The 1.5 hour wait @ Ippudo ramen is always worth it. The chicken wings, pork buns, and ramen hit the spot!

When bed time rolled around I couldn't fall asleep and ended up watching the news for over an hour.  They say pregnant woman should only focus on happy thoughts and aesthetically pleasing images but this was hard to do when almost every news channel had live footage of the utter damage caused by the tsunami.  It was incredible and horrific watching the Japanese locals fleeing for their lives from the spreading tide and screaming 'kowai' which means 'scary'.  Though it sounds trite, I realized how precious life is.  I thought about the little one in my tummy and already felt so protective over her/him.
 

I got in late last night just in time to attend my 2nd ultrasound today morning.  Arnold was giddy as a school girl to learn that we are having a boy!

Home is definitely where the heart is.  I never missed my husband so much and I was so thankful to hear that our baby boy is alive and well and kicking up a storm!

I can get used to this..

So I recently discovered what a push gift was when I went down to LA over Christmas.  My friends back at home enlightened me on this wonderful concept of rewarding the mother for bringing a child into this world.

My wheels started spinning right away and I realized I couldn't wait the remainder of my pregnancy to 'receive' my push gift.  Plus I already knew exactly what I wanted.  I informed Arnold of the idea of a premature push gift and I took his chuckle as a 'yes'.  So the next week I purchased my own push gift before he could change his mind:

Score! Cartier ring from the Love collection in Rose Gold

As silly or plain unromantic as it sounds, Arnold and I have been buying our own gifts (for ourselves) for the last few yrs now.  The element of surprise is mostly gone and now replaced with ease, efficiency, and the certainty that we'll both love our gifts!

Apparently,  I must have been the only one who didn't know what a push gift was because when my parents drove up last week my mom presented her own push gift/early b-day present to me:

Husqvarna Sewing Machine

My mom presented the same machine to my sister as well and she's been sewing away.  I'm looking forward to getting in touch with my inner Martha Stewart!