Dear Mommy,
chemical that is said to leak from many plastic products (polycarbonate etc). According to National Geographic's Green Guide, "The plastics industry says it is harmless, but a growing number of scientists are concluding, from some animal tests, that exposure to BPA in the womb raises the risk of certain cancers, hampers fertility and could contribute to childhood behavioral problems such as hyperactivity." US government and other plastic companies still stand behind its safety and data is inconclusive since big quality studies on humans haven't been done, so this is currently controversial. It has, however, been highlighted in the news more recently due to baby products containing BPA. In fact, the Canadians are so concerned that they have recently started to take all BPA bottles, sippies, etc. off their shelves. Because there are other alternatives, I think it is likely that we will try to limit or avoid exposure since that is in our control. safemama.com is a great website that contains information and cheat sheets for alternative products: BPA free bottles, sippy cups, and milk storage options & BPA free pacifier and teethers . Other bottle options I've read about: for those who want to try Breastflow bottles, the Avent Tempo drop-in liners will fit into the bottles, and those are BPA free; Evenflo glass bottles will take Dr. Brown vent parts and nipples. Here is King County's guide that includes info on safe and questionable plastic recycling numbers. In general, #1,2, and 5 are safe, & 3,6, and 7 (not all 7 contain bpa but it doesn't distinguish) are to be avoided. 
Now for the treat, thanks to Jujube's mommy for sending this info to me. Moms-to-Be get a free soft serve on May 21 at Baskin Robins - Bump Day! We were a bit disappointed to have missed the 31 cents scoop night at Baskin Robins this year, so maybe, we'll be able to stop by for "Bump night." It would be nice if the daddies-to-be, accompanying the mommies-to-be, can have a free scoop too. Oh well, Sweetpea's daddy is suppose to be on a diet.... but I have a feeling he'll want to share or get his own scoop.
After our appointment, we gathered information from childbirth center about the TENS unit as a way to assist in non-medicated labor and delivery. For those who haven't heard about it, it is basically electrodes that you attach to various areas on your back, and it sends pulses to help distract you and make the labor pains more manageable. By no means does it eliminate the pain, and the reading material seems to indicate that it is more effective before the transition part of labor but can also be used to help with pains after the labor. Apparently, it is used commonly in the UK and is non-controversial. We discovered the baby boutique in the hospital and spoke to the sales clerk who rents out the unit to patients of the hospital. She said that different women have different experiences with it; some say it helped while others said it didn't make any difference at all, but overall, it is starting to be used more frequently there at the hospital. In fact, there are at least two OB patients who check the unit out each week. I may consider trying it and hydrotherapy as part of my coping mechanisms (not together of course). 
First stop was Alcatraz. We took the Alcatraz cruise boat across to the island; reservations for this had to be made several days in advance especially in the summer since they only have limited space and times they run. Anyhow, the audio tour we used once we were on the island was surprisingly pretty good and informative. We got to see and hear about the lives of the people in the prison as well as the lives of families who lived there on the island in the past. The scenery and weather was actually quite nice; the Alcatrez island had a variety of flowers and plants as well as different types of birds. Though it was nice, I found that I had terrible allergies in SF since I couldn't stop sneezing and my eyes were turning red and watery :( We had a great time anyways.
Following the Alcatraz tour, we made our way to the Pier 39 for lunch. I can't imagine how crowded the place must be in the summer; already people were hussling and bussling everywhere. Next on our agenda was the Trolley Tour of San Francisco on a "fake cable car." It's actually a replica of the actual cable car except it doesn't run on the tracks, and it's not attached to an electrical cable. We had a funny tour guide who kept making all kinds of jokes. He would speed down the steep hills of SF and have us pretend to be on a rollercoaster or crack jokes about the brakes failing and the last time the trolley went in for inspection. He did give us good tips on places to see and freebies in the area. We did have one way tickets for the "real" cable car, but the lines for that was 3 hours or so. Maybe next time we'll try the "real" cable car :)
Sweetpea has been moving around quite a bit; it has been no problem feeling 10 movements in a two hour period during her active times (usually, she does her 10 in less than 10 min). Some movements feel so strange sometimes, and at times, I would feel like I'm being stretched out when I feel her on two ends of my belly. She's usually up and moving pretty late in the evening; I hope she doesn't go to bed too too late when she's out. Other than that, one of the unpleasant symptoms I sometimes get is acid reflux. Overall, the second trimester has been good, and we're now at the start of our third and last trimester. We've started having OB appointments every two weeks now, and our first labor and birth class (one out of 5) starts this upcoming Wednesday. There's so much to do before the baby comes. Daddy has been busy with doing house renovations (tiling our master bath...so strange most are carpeted in this area). He's done a great job with painting and doing the chair rail and molding in the baby room; we just need to decorate and add the finishing touches to the baby room and tidy up the house (get carpets professionally cleaned and everything put in place) before the baby comes. I know, I know... people say it'll get very messy again once you have children due to the stuff you accumulate, but at least we'll feel better that we tried :)
Seems that there are lots of babies being born or expected within our happyfish fellowship group and circle of friends. First among the little ones is baby Jujube who was born in December and made it for the year of the golden pigs. Then in March, baby Toby arrived early to Auntie Ang, giving him the exact same birth date as his older sister (only two years apart). For this month, the most recent babies born were to my college friend Grace who had baby Sophie on April 1. Our friends Auntie KL and Uncle JL had been praying that their baby would hold off after midnight so they can dodge the April fools bullet, and alas, baby Odelia arrived close to 3AM April 2. Auntie KL did a great job delivering all natural without any drugs, epidural, or any other aids throughout her labor and delivery; I hope I can do the same when the time comes. Congratulations to all our friends; I'm sure the experience and new family life will both be precious and memorable.
