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It’s true you can’t force your kids into liking something if they don’t like it. Let them try it once and see if it sticks…then move on to the next thing. Alison didn’t want to play soccer, so after a year of torture, her parents didn’t force her to keep playing. Me? I wasn’t so into water polo — treading water for that long just wasn’t my thing. Of course it’s not just sports I know, but whatever it is, we’ll just have to wait and see what exactly our daughter’s “thing” is. One thing’s for sure though. It’s a pretty safe bet that she will be a Dodger fan.

I know, I know. I just finished saying we can’t push things onto our kids. And that’s true. But just based on genetics alone, I’m pretty sure Dodger fandom will be in running through this kid’s veins. Like Tommy Lasorda says — she’ll “bleed Dodger Blue!” When I was little, I don’t really think my family pushed me to be a Dodger fan as much as I really just was one…for as long as I can remember. Same for Alison. Sports team loyalty is just one of those things that just gets passed down from generation to generation.

Of course, with a boy, I’d probably be excited to share baseball with him in a different way. We’d “have a catch” in our front yard and he’d probably play little league (or teeball at least until his genes catch up with him and he realizes he’s probably not destined for the majors). But of course with a little girl, that’s less likely — and with our little girl it’s extremely unlikely. No offense to us or our families, but we are not exactly known for our athletic prowess. Still, I can share with her what is perhaps an even greater love for me — watching baseball.

I can’t even describe how excited I am to take my little girl to her first Dodger game and share some peanuts and a chocolate malt with her. Alison will neurotically apply sunscreen and adjust her hat and I will explain to her what’s happening when she asks what’s going on, just as simply as my dad and grandpa explained it to me. (Of course she’ll be taught very early on that baseball games are not for beach ball throwing or chitchatting about things unrelated to the game that’s going on…this will be her first important life lesson.) Thankfully, Alison and I grew up having shared the Dodger Stadium experience. Probably our very first picture as a couple was at Chavez Ravine, so we can pass on the tradition together…(if not the season tickets).

And trust me, being a Dodger fan will not be the only thing we pass down to our children. I mean, seriously, who are we kidding? They’re sure to inherit our love of theatre as well — and occasionally our love of theatre and baseball will even collide, like they have before:

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Once upon a time in March 2010, Bryan and I taped an episode of The Newlywed Game that aired on Game Show Network 3 months later. A friend directed us to an audition there and with shrugged shoulders and a “why not” attitude, we went for it and sure enough, we booked the show, taped, and had an unforgettable television experience that was hosted by Carnie Wilson (it should be noted that my parents were on the original show with Bob Eubanks in 1973!).

Well, most of you know the outcome of the show:

We won!

Yes, we kicked ass, but the other two couples were definitely just not as in sync. We had no idea what we were playing for or when we’d claim the prize back on that day in March 2010.

“Tell ’em what they won, Carnie!”

We won a “2nd honeymoon” — six nights at a resort on the British Virgin Island of Tortola, airfare, and daily breakfast. We booked the trip in August and just a month ago in February, we flew across the country and way down south, to plop our feet up and relax in the Caribbean.

When we won and booked the trip, we had no idea we’d be pregnant on vacation. And despite the lack of rum in my Caribbean rum punch drink, it wasn’t so bad. In fact, it was great to enjoy a last big vacation alone with just my husband. We had a romantic time, enjoyed some adventures, got eaten alive by bugs, made some friends, saw beautiful beaches, and experienced a brand new destination together. We don’t know when we’ll take our next “oo la la” vacation, and we hope to be able to travel with our daughter and introduce her to many cities and cultures around the globe, but it was nice to know that we had one last hurrah before parenthood begins in a mere five months.

Since our baby is currently the size of a mango this week, I thought it would be appropriate to share some tropical vacation photos (mango.l.. tropical fruit… mango… tropical fruit… Get it? Bueller?).

It took three flights to travel from Los Angeles to Tortola. This is the sign before our final flight from San Juan to vacation!

Flying in a 70-seat passenger teeny tiny propeller-jet aircraft above a cluster of the British Virgin Islands.

Our first photo at Long Bay Beach Resort, which was great… for free!

Enjoying the swim-up bar at the hotel and some fruity drinks on our first day!

Like Hawaii, a sprinkle of rain would refresh the island for just a few minutes. This is one afternoon, just seconds after the short-lived rain stopped.

Taking in the beautiful beaches of perfect, powdery sand and crystal blue water!

We started the vacation at 15 weeks pregnant and left at 16 weeks. At the beginning of the trip, I didn’t fill up my new maternity bathing suit, but by the last day, there was definitely some belly pop-ness! And no, it wasn’t from eating too much (food was just mediocre). Since this is a baby blog after all, I thought I’d document a mini maternity shoot we did on the beach during our last afternoon in Tortola.

Apparently, people read this thing.

And also want Baby Friedman to represent Passover in the most righteous way!

Thank you to Mama and Baby Girl Hollander, friends from the Simi Valley theatre gang, who read my little blurb about shopping for baby, and knew just how to fix the Mama Bib Blues. Marilyn and Erin are so thoughtful and are sweeter than apples and honey (okay, wrong holiday, I know, but “They’re sweet unlike seder plate horseradish” just didn’t sound as poetic).

Anyway, how adorable is this?!

Marilyn picked these up for us in her temple gift shop and we’ll display them in a few weeks at our own Passover seder so Baby Girl can still be represented from inside the womb. And for April of 2012, our daughter will get to wear it so we won’t have to say “Next year in Jerusalem… may they have Passover baby bibs.”

Thanks, Marilyn and Erin!!