Officially 38 weeks

Symptoms: I am starting to get contractions. Feet get swollen if I walk all day or am cooking all day. Discharge everywhere. I know, TMI.
Weight gain/loss: I am at 146lbs as of Thursday. So weird to be at a weight that I have never been at.
Maternity clothes? I gave up trying on my pre-pregnancy jeans. I am all maternity pants now.
Stretch marks? None. *whew*
Sleep? I get my sleep, but am constantly waking up to pee every hour or two. Not fun.
Best moment this week? I went to see my OB and he said baby's head is low, ridiculously low. No dilation though :\ But Steve felt his little foot and toe!!
Food cravings/aversions: Frosty's or any type of ice cream.
Gender: <3 Boy!
Belly button in or out? Weird. It's flat. Baby is posterior, which means nothing is helping "push" the belly button out.
Movement? Not as much, but still active.
What I miss? None aching legs.
What I'm looking forward to: To meet him. I am so eager and anxious to see his handsome face.
Milestones: Going past "full term."





My bare belly//sideways
Bare belly//front facing.



A little bit clearer.

Twenty + a few days to go!

We are so excited!! Our baby boy will be here in about 3 weeks!! Oh my goodness! That is just unbelievable to me. I can't believe that just in August we announced to the world (our family and friends), that we were finally expecting and we no longer had to endure the "When are you having kids?" questions anymore. Ha! Now, we are often asked, "Did you have the baby yet?" (when over the phone or online) or "He's almost here!! How many weeks left?" I know soon it will be, "When is the next one?" But yes, baby boy will soon be here and we couldn't be any more excited for his arrival. Right now, his grandmother has all of his belongings as I will be staying at her place for a small period as I learn the Ins&Outs of new motherhood. I am hoping I get a handle on things really quickly so I don't feel like such a loser. I'm sure I'll be fine and I'll get the hang of it all.

Again:

Twenty and some odd days left!!

The Gross Side of Pregnancy.

I hate to bring this up, but I have to. Blah!! I'm warning you now, since I know most people are squeamish with these sorts of topics.

Ever since Saturday, I've had diarrhea. Ewe, I know, but I warned ya'! lol. It's been explosive. Okay, enough with the details. Yesterday, Sunday, I could have sworn that it could perhaps be caused by stress. Stress induced diarrhea seems to be a symptom of anxiety. I figured with the situation that we are dealing with right now, that it could be a possible fit. However, I did a Google-Fu search and I got this:

"Take notice of any unexplained digestive disturbances, such as diarrhea or nausea. Digestive disturbances during late pregnancy are often a response to increased hormone levels of prostaglandin, which occurs at the onset of labor."

This would make perfect sense! Especially since I am already at 35 weeks (+ some odd days) and it could be my body prepping for labor. Also, I've suffered from "First Day" diarrhea on the first first day of my menstrual. So I was wondering, any of you have ever suffered from this pregnancy symptom before baby got here? I know that this sort of "symptom" isn't a giant indicator of labor like contractions or water breaking, but it's still somewhat of a Fun Fact.

Speaking of Fun Facts: Baby Boy has for some wild reason decided that he loves hanging out on the left hand side of my belly. You can literally feel his body all lumped together on one side from time to time. This is causing my belly to look somewhat like an egg shape. Crazy, right? Kids, they are funny.

He's almost here!

34 weeks and 3 days!

Symptoms: Braxton Hicks and some of that heaviness I last posted about.
Weight gain/loss: I just got weighed today. I am 141lbs. I started at 120, so I've only gained the "Required" amount so to speak.
Maternity clothes? Still fit in my "pre-preggo" pants, but wear them with a hair band. Depending on the day, I'll wear my maternity pants or my pre-preggo pants,
Stretch marks? So far still non. **knocks on wood** I ran out of my cocoa butter and need to pick some up *eep*
Sleep? I've been getting my 8 hours!! Whoo-hoo! However, every once in a while I need help rolling over. So I tell Steve, "Heave!!" and he pushes me over. lol.
Best moment this week? Going from my last appointment with mid-wife of the "Every two" to going to my OB and starting my "Every week" appointments. Crazy!
Food cravings/aversions: Coke. I try not to drink too much of it, and if I do, I make sure it's weekends only, and try to limit myself to just one, if I go beyond that, two is the max! (still the same)
Gender: <3 Boy!
Belly button in or out? Fully out! lol. Officially an outie.
Movement? Still moving. I can see my belly move. I've been trying to capture it on video, but it's so hard!
What I miss? Alcohol. I just want one glass! Really! Sushi too!
What I'm looking forward to: Finishing up baby boys nursery! Just need the aesthetics done. He's got a lot of essentials.
Milestones: We had our baby shower this past weekend <3

Breathe and let go.

So we are all settling in into our new home quite nicely. I still have loads to unpack, and I also have to make our new place "homey" enough for the baby shower. Other than that, I still  have quite a few boxes to unload and figure out where I'm going to put its contents so everything "has it's place."

Yep, the baby shower will be held at my new home since it's the biggest place to hold so many people (60+ guests!) We are rearranging furniture to accommodate so many people and make sure they all have a great time. I'm sure once we figure out the layout, everything will fall into place. Which I am quite eager to figure out, especially since I have so many people who are eager to help move furniture and help with the unpacking. I am very blessed to have so many loving and caring people in my life.

The nursery is all set up, I just need the decor aspects to be done. I will take care of that this weekend and make sure it's ready for the shower that is in two weeks. If I don't have the decor set up, that's fine. I will have time to do so in the coming weeks. I just have to remember to relax and everything will fall into place somehow--it usually does. At least I can say that the color scheme is still the same: Teal & Yellow. Mind you, that's the theme for the baby shower that is being thrown for my baby. Coincidence? I think not. Regardless, I know our baby seems to be quite loved already. I was told that the guest list so far is getting quite a turn out. That warms my heart to know that so many people care and want to help.

Changes.

I'm about to hit the point where I can say "OMGoodness!! I only have 8 weeks left!" That is, if I don't go beyond the 40 week mark, but that's beyond the point. My point is, that right now, my panicking about getting everything ready is about to set in. We are moving and I have a ton to do. We move this weekend and I have yet to do the nursery. I don't even think we will be able to finish the nursery on time since I have to unpack the whole house once we move. Luckily for me right now, all of our stuff is in storage, and  packing is practically done for now. All I would have to pack is our bedroom and clothes.I don't know if I'll be able to finish unpacking everything by the time baby comes, let alone by myself when Stevan is at work, but I guess I'm going to have to, right?

I'm at also at the point where I'm starting to wonder if I'll be able to handle everything on my own. Will I be a good mommy? Will I be able to distinguish the difference between a wet cry and a hungry cry? Can I soothe baby when he cries? What about bathing him? Most people would say, "Then why are you moving out of your parents' home?" Simple, we need the space, and have been offered a great deal on a house that we cannot by any means pass it up. There's a lot more to it, but many wouldn't understand. We need to be a family, and I know that I can't always rely on my parents to help me out--we need to do this on our own, or at least try to.

Life right now seems to be working out for us, although it's been giving us small bumps, but at least we are able to jump those hurdles at the moment. Hopefully we don't get bigger ones and are able to handle whatever life throws at us without any major obstacles. We need a break, and I hope this year and the next few years, we get that.

I guess it's time for new beginnings, new chapters, and a new way of life. I hope it's an amazing time!

Tests, Nurseries, and Color. Oh my!

I have my Glucose Test tomorrow and I'm quite nervous about it. I really hope I pass the 1hr test and don't have to deal with the 3hr. I've heard that the solution they give you is quite nasty, so I'm hoping that I won't pass out or puke it out. That would not be fun! So here's hoping to my passing the 1hour.

We bought our crib! Finally! After much procrastinating and always saying "I'll buy you soon! Once I make room, I promise!", we finally got it. Fun Fact: We bought the crib we've been eying for $100.00 cheaper!! Which to me is a steal! Everywhere that I have looked, the crib in that model sells for 154.99. So you can imagine my surprise when I found out that I could get it for 50.00!! I just have to buy a mattress, which is still cheaper than the crib at retail. In other words, SCORE!

Since the crib is now in our possession, the nursery colors and scheme ideas have been running through my mind! I blame the Nesting stage. I really can't do much while we live with my parents, but that seems to be changing in the next couple of weeks--which means a real nursery! This is so exciting for me! I've been dreaming about building a nursery since we found out we are expecting. Then once we learned that we were having a boy, the nursery in my head started to come together. Right now, it's all I can think of. This nursery will make baby boy's homecoming that much more real.

The Graco "Lauren" crib that I have been drooling over.

Our chair.

His dresser. The one we have, has a bookshelf on top that we will add pictures and baskets for more storage.

The color scheme. Should we do "Mediterranean" or "Seaside"?

29 weeks!

Symptoms: I'm starting to feel a bit of heaviness under my belly button. He tends to lay there for a bit here and there, and the moves. Sometimes his little legs will be in my rib area (this is so not comfortable!)
Weight gain/loss: I'm somewhat under by either a pound or two, depending when you weigh me. My Mid-wife doesn't seem to mind and thinks we are right on track, while the nurses are always "Gotta get that 1lb or so up." If my Mid-wife isn't concerned, I'm not either.
Maternity clothes? Depends on the day. I can still fit my pre-pregnancy jeans and since the ones in the picture are the "skinny jean", then I can wear them with my boots. They work, so all I have to do is use a hair tie and I'm comfy :)
Stretch marks? No. Thank goodness!! I've been greasing my little basketball everyday, and as of today, have upped it the dosage to twice a day.
Sleep? Most nights I can knock out till 3:30am, that's when I wake up, and make sure Steve is out the door (otherwise he'll sleep through his alarm.) But every once in a while, I won't get my 8 hours and this is "No bueno!"
Best moment this week? I'm in my last week of the "Twenties!" Plus today was the first day that my whole family got to feel the baby move. They are so excited :)
Food cravings/aversions: Coke. I try not to drink too much of it, and if I do, I make sure it's weekends only, and try to limit myself to just one, if I go beyond that, two is the max!
Gender: <3 Boy!
Belly button in or out? It looks so weird! The top part looks like a Simpson top lip. lol
Movement? All day, every day! More so in the mornings before breakfast and in the late evenings. Kicks, jabs, an punches. He's definitely Steve's kid!
What I miss? Not having to go to the bathroom so often. Oh! I'm at the point where I'm starting to crave Margaritas. I love the "lemony" flavor, but know it will be quite some time before I can drink one. Unless I go virgin!
What I'm looking forward to: Starting the "every two weeks" appointments. I had my first this past Tuesday. Plus finally getting to nest and creating baby boy's nursery.
Milestones: Getting the crib I have been eyeing since we found out we were pregnant.  <3

Baby's now the size of a squash!

Baby's energy is surging, thanks to white fat depositing beneath his skin. And since he's growing so fast (weight will triple by birth), things are getting kind of cramped in the womb. What all this means for you: Get ready for some more kicks and jabs to the ribs.

Thanks to your ever-expanding uterus, it's time to welcome back the constant bathroom dashes. And try your best to forget about any emerging varicose veins -- they might be ugly, but they're harmless and should fade after delivery. Until then, avoid standing or sitting for long periods of time and make sure to get some exercise (it'll boost your circulation).

Front View.
My belly is a bit rounder. Steve said it's the size of a basket ball.


Side View
You can see my belly growing!
29 weeks and counting.


Side view, naked!
See the roundness?!

Flakey Breasts.

Earlier this week, after a nice hot shower, I discovered that my breasts are flaking. This is a totally new pregnancy symptom. I can't really seem to find anything on Google (or my Google-fu is failing me) on what it may exactly be. Since I "discovered" this new change, I have been adding Palmer's Cocoa Butter "Tummy Butter" on the under side of my breasts. It's the only area with the flakiness. Figured, so far no stretch marks (+1 for me!) and it's keeping belly soft and moist, it may work. Here's to hoping. All I can think of is that perhaps my breasts are growing again and so the skin is tightening and stretching, thus the flakiness. I don't know, but I don't like the fact that there's dead skin cells on my bras when I take them off. Not a fun look. Ha ha!

Questions.

As we all know, people are curious creatures. We are always asking questions, wanting to know more, even if it doesn't quite benefit us. We've all asked these questions from time to time, and even though they are expected, sometimes one gets baffled.

When you are a teenager, usually the questions you get are "How old are you?" "Are you dating anyone?" "Can you drive?" or even, "What college are you going to?" Then it stems off from there on the sort of questions you will get later on.

If you are dating someone, normally people ask "Is it serious?" If by any chance you answer this questions with a "Yes", you will get the following, "When are you two getting married?" One of the "eternal" and sometimes annoying question.

After said couple does decide to "jump the gun" or "tie the knot", then before the honeymoon stage is over, we all get the dreaded, "When will you have children?" or even "Are you guys trying to have children?" The questions never cease to stop. When we (and I mean my husband and I) were asked said questions we always answered with "If it happens it happens" in hopes that people would leave us alone. Did it happen, the question stopping, no, but us having children yes (well, in the process of it.)

Now that people have found out that we are expecting, the questions of "How far along are you?" and "When is your due date?" had commenced. Now by this time, I was quite ecstatic to answer, and I did. Then not long after that we got "Boy or Girl?", this one was a bit tricky since we didn't know yet--and ended up answering with "Don't know." It was an honest answer since we clearly didn't know. Soon after the gender was discovered, we began getting bombarded with "What names do you have?" or "I like this name, why don't you use it?" I never thought that picking a name would ever be so hard! Not only that, but when you come up with a name that you "may end up using" you more than likely get others suggesting names that they themselves liked. Granted, those names would be considered had they had any part of creating your unborn child--ha ha!

I'm sure that said questions won't ever stop. Especially since I can sense that the next set of questions are "Who will be the God-Parents?" I assure you people, we are thinking about these special people who we would love to have in our child's life to guide them through out his life. We ourselves are asking the necessary questions in order to come up with that answer for you. Questions such as "Who will love this child as if he were theirs?", "Who will help guide him become a great man both spiritually and emotionally?", and even "Who can we count on to help become the support system when we ourselves aren't enough?"

Don't think I am complaining about these questions. I can honestly say we aren't, however, I will say this:

These questions, whether welcomed or not, are what help us move on to the next step. So keep them coming, but be patient when we ourselves don't have the answer yet. Okay?

New Year, New Start.

Whoa! It's been since May of last year that I had last written in here. During that time, I wanted to switch over to Tumblr with the mindset that I would like it better. Although, I like the simplicity of it, it's not the same and I somehow keep coming back to Blogger. So I guess the best way to start, or should I say, restart this blog, is to just jump right in.

New year, new start. Or at least I hope that's how it goes because quite frankly, I could use a fresh start. I do know this for certain: one aspect of our lives will definitely be a new start--parenthood.

Right now we are 26 weeks and 3 days! I seem to always update at the "3day" mark of whatever week I am updating. Oh well, that's just how that goes. lol Back to what I was saying--we are 26 weeks, which means that by the end of next week, we will be officially OUT of the Second Trimester and entering the Third Trimester. Oh how exciting!

This is what thebump.com has to say:

Baby's now the size of an eggplant!
Baby's soaking up your antibodies, getting her immune system ready for life outside the womb. Eyes are forming, and she'll soon be practicing the blink...perfect for batting those freshly grown lashes.

That's pretty big if I say so myself! Mind you, I know he may only weigh 2lbs, but sometimes it feels like more! Speaking of weight, I have officially gained 15lbs all together! You have no idea how excited I am! It has taken me forever to get past the "10lb" mark and the nurses at my OB's office have been shaking their finger at me for not gaining weight. This isn't my fault, I swear! I've always been petite in size and my metabolism burns my food faster than I can ingest it. So imagine now having two tummies to feed--nearly impossible! I have a Dr.s appointment tomorrow, so I hope they share in the excitement that I have over the mere 5 lbs weight gain. Heck! If I didn't know better, I'm pretty confident that those 5lbs will vanish tomorrow and just make me feel like it was all one giant joke. *sigh*

25 weeks

So I have officially hit the 6 month mark last weekend. Whoo-hoo! I believe it's the 6 month mark. Every website says it differently, which is so confusing. Some say that at week 26 I will be hitting 6 months, while other say that at 24 weeks I hit 6 months (especially since 24/4 = 6, hence the 6 months?) I don't know. However, what I do know is that I am officially 25 weeks and 3 days as of today. This Saturday I hit 26 weeks. That's all that matters. Progress is always a good feeling :)

Now, I present you my 25 weeks and 3 days photos. lol.

 

 

 

 and the side view.

 

So...

Tomorrow is the big day!! Eeeep!!

[Edit: 11.24.2010] It’s a boy!! 

Time sure is flying by quickly….

I just turned 30 yesterday. Was it memorable, not quite. However, I guess you can say that turning 30 or getting older isn’t always memorable. It’s just another notch on your belt, but I wish that the number doesn’t make me feel so old. I know people say “It’s just a number!” or “You don’t look a day past 25!”, but I don’t feel how I look. Granted, I’m glad I look so young and don’t look my age. That’s a gift in itself, but when I think of it, that’s when I get all down and think “Wow! Really?! I’m that old?”

Let’s get off the depressing page of getting older. We finally heard a heart beat last week. This is quite an exciting thing for us since we have gone about 17 weeks without hearing it. We’ve only seen it on screen flickering back at us, but was during week 8. Quite some time ago. Now you can officially say that I will be half way done come Saturday. Yep, I’ll be in my 5th month starting Saturday. That’s a feat in itself. I’m quite excited knowing that come Thanksgiving we will be able to find out what we are having. Not being able to know is driving me nuts! I keep referring to baby as “Hey you!” or “It”. I want to bond. No, wait, I need to bond. By knowing what we are having, it makes things that much more real to me. I don’t even feel pregnant. Every once in a while I feel a lil’ tap from Hey You or a fluttering sort of movement, but if weren’t for those, then I seriously wouldn’t think I was pregnant at all. So come on November 24th!! You aren’t that far away!

A bit of a scare....

I keep forgetting that moving from one place to another just blows. Tremendously. I have to figure out where everything is going to be placed. I have to fit everything from a two bedroom house and garage into a teeny bedroom. Not fun! However, the upside of this is that at least I won’t be home alone. I’m so glad that we made this move, especially after yesterday. I bled a bit (I know TMI), but it scared the daylights out of me. It was during a bathroom break, and as soon as I was done, I walked over to my bed and took the day off (from organizing the bedroom and closet.) I’m not allowed to do anything today either. This also resulted with a messy room. Now I have to wait until Monday since tomorrow is the last day that I can go to the house and finish up (and do a final clean.)

Like I said, I am so glad that we decided that our best bet was for me to be near my family in case of an emergency. I decided to wait it out and see if I bled some more before deciding to rush to the ER. Luckily it was just a one time spotting thing and we are okay, I hope. I’m going to take things slowly and watch what I do. Hopefully this works.

14 weeks.

Timeline: 14 weeks.

We are all moved in at my parents. So far it’s the first week and things are going smoothly. Actually, there are a few loose ends, but I’m hoping those will be dealt with soon and with a happy outcome. That’s all I can do, is hope for the best end with some of those loose strings.

I’m now starting my second trimester and in the next coming weeks we will know what I will be having. This is oh so exciting and I just cannot wait until that moment so I can bond with baby even more. We are all so excited!

Recession.

Its been quite some time since I last posted on here. Its due to having a world wind of new changes coming our way.

Aside from our growing little bean in my belly, we have been struggling with our company. They say that the recession is over, but I don’t think California has gotten that memo. So in order to keep ourselves sane, we have decided to move in with my parents temporarily. This way we aren’t stressing over every day bills and buying necessities for our baby at the same time. Now we can save and buy our items at ease without stress. Stress + Preggo lady = bad! This will only be a temp thing, plus its a great way to bond with my family while I go through this journey. Another plus, I’m not alone anymore for the remainder of the day while the hubby works. Right?

So here’s to a new season for us all :)

Life.

The life I was talking about.

It get's better, right?

Life is zooming by rather quickly. Certain things I wish would just slow down in order for me to grasp it, others I can’t wait until it’s time.

Right now I’m a mess. I feel defeated and just want to give up. Life doesn’t seem to be in our favor right now, or should I say, it never really was. Which makes me believe that things won’t be okay in the end. I don’t get why we are always get picked on, kicked, and even walked all over when all we do is try to help those around us.
The only thing that is keeping me somewhat sane is knowing that I have to at least try and stay calm for the sake of my baby. Its hard doing so, but I have to. I don’t think I’d have faith if it weren’t for our gummy bear.

It will get better. It has to.

The cat is out of the bag.

Now I won’t feel so guilty for lying to people. I can openly say that hubby and I are expecting our first child. As nervous as we are (due to last time), we are very much excited. :)

I can now chronicle our adventure into the world of parenting. So hang on tight because I’m sure its going to be one hell of a ride. Oh my!