The Birth Story

This is a birth story, it does include things like blood, fluids, vagina, etc, etc. Consider yourself warned.


First of all, my labor was NOT normal. I had been in labor for 10 days ( ctrx at 10 minutes apart ever day but not dilated) I then went into "active" labor for 3 days ( ctrx from 90 seconds-5 minutes apart 24 hours a day) I was only dilated to a 2.5 when I walked into the doors of labor and delivery at 4:30am.

I could not stand a single contraction more, and was really having to stop, moan, and breathe through each one. I told the nurse who checked me in (triage) that I wasn't leaving without my baby today. She checked me, then stretched me to a 3 and admitted me. It hurt. it felt like she ripped my vagina open.

After she stretched me, I was told to lay down and relax for an hour with a fluid of IV's. After I got through the bag of fluids, I was still only dilated to a 3. They then sent me walking the halls. I had to walk for 30 minutes, then rest for 30 minutes. I did this for 4 hours. When I was checked again I was dilated to a 3.5. My ctrx were still at 3-5 minutes apart. After 6 hours of being in L & D my doctor came in to see how we felt about getting our water broken ( we had a no intervention plan) and we agreed to see if we could get things moving.

The water breaking actually felt good. A lot of pressure was relieved and while gross to have all this warm liquid fall out, it was a nice change. Within an hour ctrx went from bad to worse. I was now having to pick focal points to get me through each ctrx. I held Carlos' hand and had my doula rubbing my back. I ended up getting into the shower at some point during hour 8 and it was the best relief I could have asked for.

My doctor asked me to continue walking the halls to get my ctrx at 3 minutes apart consistently, and to see if we could get dilated any further. After 2 more hours of walking, I was getting into a rough place and needed to concentrate on working through the contractions. I used the birthing ball a lot during this time and even went back into the shower ( with the ball!). Once I was out, I was checked again at 6pm and we just made it to an "almost" 4.

At this point I lost it. I got very upset that there was no progress and I lost all motivation to work through the contractions. I was crying and praying for peace and a break from the contractions so I could wrap my head around not progressing.

They asked me to start pitocin. I had a very hard time with that, and I knew I couldn't make it any further without the epidural. My husband and I talked about the decision for an hour, and decided to start the epidural and the pitocin.
The epidural scared me, a lot! I have a fear of needles and knowing this was a huge needle, there are many risks involved, etc. They pushed 1 bag of antibiotics through my IV and another 1/2 bag of fluids. The Dr came in, and I'd say the worst part of the epidural was the numbing shot. There are multiple pokes that make you "jump" a bit. I didn't feel anything but pressure after that. I still felt contractions for 5 minutes after the epidural was inserted, which were hard to breathe through during the process. The epidural was heavenly once it finally kicked in!.

I was able to finally look at our "birth plan" and know that we had tried every alternative to avoid all the intervention and it just couldn't be helped (in our case) I was finally laughing, and relaxed after an hour. The epidural was inserted around 9pm and I was told to rest.

Our doula stayed with me and I sent Carlos away to go get dinner. Around 10pm, Carlos came back, and we turned out the lights to try and get some rest. The nurse came in every 40 minutes to check on me, and my monitors, which didn't allow for much "sleep".

At 11:00pm the nurse came in because the baby had a dip in his heart rate. They checked me and I was at a 4 almost 5. Within 10 minutes my doctor came rushing in and didn't like my progress or the babies heart rate. She checked me as well and felt the baby moving back and fourth against my cervix. She said she was "tickling" his head and he would respond with a "bang" against the cervix.

She left, and 30 minutes she came back and told me they were stopping pitocin. She told us she felt my body was not responding, and that it was becoming dangerous to me and the baby. We could either wait it out and see if baby would come on his own for 2 more hours, or go ahead with a c-section.

This is where both me and my husband started crying. Our worst fear was coming true and we had no idea what to do. My husband got very shaky and upset and ended up leaving the room for 30 minutes to grab a soda, walk around and gather his thoughts. I was able to talk it through with the doula and find peace with the decision I knew had to be made. Once my husband came back in, We made the decision to get some rest for a few hours then proceed with the c-section. The DR ok'd the decision and went to take a nap herself. We finally got settled back into bed around 12am and had just fallen asleep. At 1:00am the nurse came in to tell us the babies heart rate was all over the place and that she was going to wake the DR to do the c-section 1 hour earlier then planned. We were scheduled for the surgery at 3:00am, but ended up starting the process a little after 1. After we were finally drugged up, and wheeled into the OR it was a little after 2:00am. I remember shaking uncontrollably, and crying when my husband had to wait outside. I saw a whole team of nurses for both myself and the baby and my mind went to the worse place possible. I told the Dr that I was very scared and she did great to try and comfort me. Once they got the sheet up to block my view I heard the Dr announce she had made her incision and to let Carlos and the doula back in. Once Carlos came back in, I could tell he was still very worried and emotional, so he held my hand tight and kept telling me how brave I was and how much he loved me. Within a few minutes I felt a lot of pressure and the Dr held up the baby where Carlos told me "it's a penis" " We have a SON!" I didn't believe him, and kept saying "no way!" I asked the Dr for confirmation, and all the nurses and Dr said how beautiful he was.

Henry was born at 2:41 AM and Carlos and I were just so in love.

After about 30 minutes of getting stitched and cleaned up, Carlos left the room to travel with Henry to have blood work done, etc and I was wheeled into recovery. I really can't remember many details past this point as i was so, so exhausted and doped up. I went to sleep for an hour, then heard my husbands voice and my Henry fussing.

Shortly after they arrived and I got to hold Henry for the first time, we were wheeled into a post postpartum room.
It was around 5:00am when we got settled and we had them take Henry into the nursery so we could get a few hours of sleep.


it goes without saying that my birth plan went right out the window. I held onto the idea so tightly but once I knew my baby was at risk I just didn't care anymore. It was very hard delivery, and a huge emotional roller coaster, but at this point, none of that even matters because I have my sweet baby boy who is healthy, happy and absolutely perfect.

It's a BOY!

Welcome to the world Henry!




Born August 18th @ 2:41 am by emergency C-section. Details to follow soon. We're all healthy, happy and so in love.

Overdue

Yep, that's right, still no baby. But I have had 4 days of slow, ohmygod this is never going to end labor.

Let's talk a minute about the frame of mind I'm in because of the delay. I'm not a patient person when it comes to waiting around. It's kind of a funny thought looking back because my husband? Always late. You can ask anyone he knows and they will tell you he has never been on time a day in his life. It just so happens his kid? Same thing. Stubborn, I tell ya.

I've learned patience with my husband and now I'm learning patience with my baby. I guess it's gods way of preparing me to slow down, and keep the faith. I know I will have this baby, I know I wont be pregnant forever, I know baby will come when baby wants to come. Everyone and their mother tells me this, every 5 minutes of every day I've been overdue. The thing is, I'm OKAY with the baby being late, but having people remind me everyday that my baby is way overdue gives me stress and I kind of want to start throat punching people.

Further more let's talk about early labor. I've been in the thick of this early labor business for FOUR days. I've had no sleep, my contractions are 5 minutes apart all day and all night long. I maybe get a break mid-day where they stall out, I can put my feet up and relax. But then, I freak out. Why did they stop? Oh no, my labor wont start again, ohmygosh my baby is stuck!!! It's mind blowing.

Last night around 5 pm I started timing the contractions again. Sure enough they were coming in at 4-5 minutes apart and I was having to breathe through them. Then it felt like 1 contraction had last 5 minutes long and the top half of my belly near my ribs got hard as a rock and would not let go. I have Carlos feel it and he couldn't believe it either. After an hour, we texted our doula to see what her thoughts were and she immediately called back and asked if we thought the baby might have flipped. I told her I wasnt sure, but the baby was very active the day before. She asked me to go get checked out at L & D just in case the baby turned breech, because that would more then likely result in an emergency C section with being over-due. We didnt mess around and left 10 minutes later.

Labor and delivery were slow so we got in very fast, got hooked up,and all was well. The nurse said baby looked fantastic, and was still head down. Thank god. Then she told me some of the worst news to a 4 day labor having mama I could have heard. I was only 1 cm dilated. WHAT???? I have been 1 cm dilated for 3 weeks. With all the contractions, the back labor, the sleepless nights and I had made zero progress? I was literally devastated.

When we got released ( within 1 hour) the drive home was a quiet one. I'm thankful my husband didnt push a bunch of questions, or any you're doing great baby! things on me, because at that moment I just wanted to be left the heck alone. I got home, hooked the dog to his leash and went for a nice long walk...alone. When I got back, I put my jammies on ( at 10pm) laid in bed and the uncontrollable sobbing began. I could not hold it in any longer. I felt so defeated, so failed. My body was doing so much work and yet it wasn't getting me anywhere. My husband held my hand, gave me a kiss and told me to not focus on the labor and to focus on how I'm going to love our baby when they decide to make their arrival. He kissed me goodnight, and I fell asleep.

It's been a rough few days, and I feel like i'm always one to keep it together. I'm trying SO hard to keep it all together, but this waiting game is so hard when all you want to do is love on your baby that you baked for 9...ahem...10 long months.

I know my time will come soon.

No baby, no worries

I'm gonna just pat myself on the back over here for having as good of an attitude as I have. You see, everyone around me keeps trying to hype me up.

The non-stop phone calls from both parents, the text messages, the FB comments of "any day now" " aren't you ready to pop?" "I'm sure you're so anxious to find out what the squish is!!"
My answer is always YES to every single one of those comments. Who wouldn't want to hold their baby at 38 weeks and skip out on those extra 2 weeks of pregnancy? Who wouldn't want to find out what their having after 9 month of anticipation? I mean, c'mon people...

All of this to say, I've remained A-ok with waiting this labor train out. Knowing i'm *only*dilated to a 1 and "soft and squishy" (what the heck does that even mean??) according to my OB. I know I can go into labor any second, and I welcome that with open arms. But until then? I'm soaking up these last few weeks of being a non parent. Of being just husband and wife and enjoying the rest of the Summer. I'm choosing to remain positive and not let my emotions get the best of me ( believe me, I've had my moments)

Monster baby will be here soon. Please keep us in your thoughts and prayers the next few days and send us some good labor ju-ju.

The birth plan

This wasn't something I was absolutely sure I would share. I know everyone has different opinions and I didn't want to get flagged and ripped apart because mine might differ from yours. But this is our journey, and our baby therefore we feel we made the best decisions for our family.

Going into "labor talk" we worked a lot with our doula and our doctor to make sure we were all on the same page. I didn't create this idea in my head that it was all or nothing, I left my options open, but kept the idea that this is how I'd "like" for things to play out, best case scenario.

So without further ado, this is our birth plan based on a vaginal birth. We'll talk C-sections after.

1) We plan to use the services of a doula, and would only like myself, Carlos and our doula in the labor and delivery room until our baby is born. We will have visitors after we are transferred up to post partum.

2)If induction does become necessary, we would prefer to try all natural ways first (breast stimulation, , walking, sexual intercourse) If medical intervention is needed, we would prefer to use the cervical cream before moving to pitocin)

3) We will be laboring at home for as long as possible. We ask that when we come into the hospital to finish labor and start delivery that pain relief drugs not be offered to me unless I have requested them.

4) I would like the option to use natural birthing techniques. Hot showers, walking, birthing balls, massages, etc.

5) I would prefer no episiotomy and to tear naturally.

6) Once baby is delivered, I would like for Carlos to tell me the sex of the baby

7) We would like for the cord to stop pulsating before it is cut. Please offer this cutting job to Carlos.

8) We do not want the baby to have any eye ointment if not necessary

9) All vaccinations are delayed. Please do not vaccinate our baby

10) If the baby is a boy we will not be circumcising

11) We would like all exams to be made in our room; otherwise Carlos would like to be present during all exams in any other room.

12) If the baby is taken to the nursery for any reason, our baby will be exclusively breastfed. Please do not offer formula or a bottle until I have a chance to breastfeed.

13) We would like to be discharged from the hospital as soon as possible if there are no complications.

As you can see, all of our "plans" are based on a natural birth. We're are going into this with a completely open mind, as I know birth plans are sometimes unrealistic once you're in the moment. As I said above, I would also discuss a C-section if necessary. I never included a plan for this as I don't think I will need one. My body was made to have babies and I fully believe that if I didn't allow the option of having a c-section I would pay closer attention to what my body was doing. That's not to say I'm naive. I fully understand complication arise, and this could very well be my future, I just pray it's not.

I told our doctor that if there should be a medical reason to have a c-section I fully trust her knowledge, and would go with the flow on things. I can't control the medicine, I can't control where they take my baby, and I can't control how long I stay in the hospital. In the instance of a C-section It's gods plan for me, and I will surrender to whatever that plan is.


I'm really looking forward to birth, like really, really. I know it will be tough, and painful and I know I'll probably eat my words a time or two. But birth fascinates me, and being able to experience the process with a fully progressed baby just blows my mind.


So on that note, I can't wait to have a natural birth, a healthy labor and delivery and the cutest, squishy-monster baby I ever did see.

Preparing the hospital bags...

I've read lots and lots of peoples ideas for what any expecting mom should put in her hospital bag. Truth be told, I still kept staring at the darn thing thinking do I really need a nightgown? Am I really going to use slippers?...I know everyone is different and we all have different needs but I just thought I'd throw out what I'm putting in MY bag for MY needs...Maybe you'll get a few ideas from mine...


I should probably have prefaced this to say that In my birth plan I asked my Dr to let us discharge ASAP. As in, I want out of the hospital within 24 hours. I'd much rather be at home in my own space, in my own clothes with my healthy squishy baby. She agreed to let me out as she see's fit as long as I have no medication in my system and both myself and the baby get the all clear from the nurses and doctors.

Inside Mama's bag:
4 pairs of maternity underwear..I bought these
2 pairs of slip resistance socks ( I already had a few pair but you can get some like these)
4 nursing cami's/tank tops ( Mine all came from Target and I live in tank tops in the summer, so this is the only "top" I will have
1 Nursing bra ( I'm only bringing this to go home in, as my nursing cami's have built in bras and those are just fine for the hospital)
2 pairs of yoga pants ( I'm mostly bringing these for when we have guest visiting otherwise, I cannot fathom wearing pants with all the nurses checking on me and having to rinse down from all the labor festivities.
Robe; I have a very light weight robe that I can be in for quick nursing throughout the night once the baby is here. I can see myself getting LOTS of use out of this thing!
Essentials bag ( shampoo, conditioner, soap, face wash, lotion, chapstick, tooth brush/tooth paste, earth mama bottom spray, brush, hair ties, light make up bag ( duh, there WILL be pictures!)extra pads, prenatals)
iphone/ipad chargers
Rice bag
Birthing ball
Water bottle
C's bag ( which include a change of clothes, swim trunks ( for when I'm in the shower he can help)extra pillow and his chargers for phone, etc.)
We'll also have all of our documents: Birth plan, insurance cards, etc)

I linked back all of the items to amazon so you can just simply click on the link to see a picture! These all fit in a small carry on suitcase with the exception of C's bag.


Baby bag:
We didnt feel the need to bring much as our hospital provides a great deal of supplies. We have access to as many newborn pampers/wipes as we need so we wont be bringing any of those.

Boppy
Breastfeeding pump and a few storage bottles in case I get lucky and get milk in super fast ( doubtful)
Pacifiers(i'm not planning to use these unless we absolutely have to)
Take home outfit ( 1 for a girl, 1 for a boy)
2 Onesies
Mustela facial cleaning wipes

We'll also have a diaper bag with some bare essentials just to get us from the hospital to the house. It's only a 15 minute drive, so I doubt we'll even get into anything but you just never know...


That about sums up what we plan to bring! I'm not sure if we'll use everything, if my husband will have to run home and grab me something else..I have no idea. I think we'll do just fine though!

Labor & Delivery

I had my first trip to labor and delivery today. I was a little apprehensive and may have even called my DR back to try and cancel going, but alas her and the doula thought it was best for me to get seen.


I've been having a multitude of contractions over the last 4days. They haven't been time worthy in my opinion and have really ranged from the top of my belly to the bottom and over to my lower back. I just figured my body is doing it's thang and getting ready for birth ( duh!)


Last night I realized I hadn't felt the baby much during the day and then decided to get a bit of exercise and try and get things moving. We went swimming for 40 minutes then sat in the hot tub for 10 minutes to help alleviate my back pain. Once we got out, I still craved a bit more, so we took Spencer on our once daily ( read: before I was a million months pregnant) 2 mile walk. I did well, enjoyed it even and when I got home I felt like a little old lady who couldn't stand up straight. I got right into bed, and thought I would have an excellent night of sleep. Psh, boy was I wrong.

I tossed and turned all night, lots of contractions, some strong, some just cramping, but one thing was apparent. My back hurt like hell and the baby wasn't budging.

Fast forward to morning, and I needed to be at work at 10:30am. I was up at 9:45 rushing to eat my breakfast and make us lunch when I got a very sharp pain ( which is now determined as a "real" contraction as opposed to those wimpy braxton hicks!) I had to breathe my way over to the couch, lay down and let it pass. It was then I mentioned to C what I had been going through all night and that the baby still! hadn't! moved!. We decided to call the DR and see if we could move up my Wednesday appointment to today and get checked out just in case. Of course she was fully booked and the nurse told me to head to L & D to be monitored.

I kind of freaked at the thought of going to the labor dept as I know I wanted to labor at home as long as possible and I wasn't entirely convinced this was the real deal. We texted our doula who is on vacation this week to ask her opinion. She said, she didn't think the contractions were close enough together for it to be active labor, but that we should go get the baby checked out, just to be on the sure side. She informed me that unless necessary, to decline any vaginal checks and once they could confirm baby was healthy and moving to ask to be discharged so we could continue laboring at home. She also mentioned that I could be dehydrated, and to start downing water as much as my body could handle.

I talked to C and mentioned I didnt have any caffeine the last few days so maybe I should try a coke before heading in. I laid down for 20 minutes, drank a coke and my contractions died down. I still had no baby movement but I figured the coke hadn't kicked in yet. I called back down to my DR and told them I'd like to wait a bit and see if I could get baby moving and told them my contraction died down and she said they still wanted me to go in.

Once we got into L & D we just figured it would be a good practice run for the real deal. We got hooked up, and were left to relax and let the monitors do their job. Baby started kicking ( of course!) and the heart rate was perfect at a 145 average. My contractions were not consistent as I thought, but we had a couple big ones in there that were kind of nice to see on the monitor instead of me just telling C " I think I'm having another contraction".


All in all, I probably had my first time mom worry, but I'm glad I went in for a peace of mind. We're home now and baby is moving away while mama is having more contractions and annoying lower back pain. Here's hoping we're making some progress and baby is on his/her way out!

36 weeks

This is probably my last pregnancy post unless I can miraculously find an extra 10 minutes that I'm not sleeping or working to write a "final" post. We have so much going on, if you couldn't tell from my last blog post. We're gearing up for our Halloween season with all the parades, fairs, corn planting, etc.. going on it's been a whirlwind since May. We've had our share of travel to Los Angeles, Las Vegas, Oregon and Washington and with a full work load there haven't been many times I could just sit and write out any thoughts, let alone take any pregnancy pictures.

Let's get to the belly talk. I had a major growth spurt right around 30 weeks resulting in lots of backaches, leg cramps, and busting out of all my pregnancy clothing. I literally had to scramble and get more tank tops from target ( my faav are the long and lean in XL!)and lots of maxi skirts and dresses to get me by.

A comparison shot..



I'm in no way fit in any of the above photos but you can see where I started and where I'm at now. I feel like with the growth spurt I got more wide versus moving outward which could mean girl according to lots of old wives tales, but we shall see....

How far along:


36 weeks to the day. I'm in the home stretch people! The doctor says baby is head down and ready to go, it's just a waiting game from here. She wont check dilation until 37 weeks which leaves me SO curious to see just where we're at.


How are you feeling:


I'd say for 36 weeks I'm doing fantastic. I'm no longer suffering from headaches but have replaced those with quite a few backaches and acid reflux. I still feel very blessed in the fact that I can control all of the above with a hot bath and icy hot and a little tums or Pep ac. I haven't had to run to the doctor to get any prescriptions or complain which I consider a win.


Cravings:


ice cold Gatorade and Capri drinks. I'm sure the 100 degree heat has something to do with that.


Weight gain/loss:


At my doctor apt this morning I was up 36.5 lbs. I'm not entirely proud of that number as I had a goal to not go over 30, but I am proud of a healthy baby and I would take 80lbs for the little love bug. Weight Watchers is calling my name soon though...


Movement:


I've got a rib kicking, bladder punching machine. I can tell baby is getting much stronger because now the kicks and punches make me jump out of my seat. I've also been feeling a lot of pressure in my nether regions when I stand up or roll over in bed. Baby is gearing up to come down!


Gender:


We'll see in August!


What I'm loving:


We have all of our must have baby items at the house and 50% of it, is set up. I washed all the clothes and blankets and set up the bath supplies. Sometimes I pull a blanket out of the dresser and just smell it, and it literally makes me tear up to think this will be wrapped around my very own baby soon. I'm trying to soak up the last few weeks of being pregnant and hoping to start really convincing myself that birth IS coming, and soon. I just feel so blessed, so happy and so loved to be on this journey.

The Truth

I admit, I'm nothing in the blog, Twitter & Facebook category during the Summer. I just can't seem to ever catch up. I develop relationships with people both online and in real life, and once May/June hit? I'm no where to be found. I can barely make time to clean my home, or to take my dog on his 2 mile walk that he oh, so desperately needs. We work during the Summer and Fall and we're "off" work during the Winter and Spring. The truth is, people don't understand our life, they don't understand how we have made inconsistency our norm, because this is what we've known for the last 10 years.

What gets me more emotional then anything is not keeping up with my pregnancy updates.I wanted so badly to have these updates for 20 years down the road. To remember each and every moment and all I have are the memories that are stored in my brain. I know I'll lose thought on those small things and that just eats me alive.

I am so blessed to be able to have 5 solid months off during the year. We get to travel, relax and have down time, whereas other people we know get 2 days off a week and 2 weeks per year. That was never a life for me. Although I'm sure my 60 hour work weeks for 3 months with zero days off might not appeal to others.

All in all, this post is just a reminder that I am blessed with the life I have. I'm busy, and sometimes overwhelmed, but this is what I chose and I'm so glad I did. 4 weeks until my sweet baby comes, and that 4 weeks of maternity leave couldn't come soon enough.

Vacations, Weddings & Family

Holy smokes has it been a crazy few months. We've been in and out of different cities faster then I can say "where are we?" It's a good thing, really.. but all the little things I've wanted to document have slipped away.

When I got pregnant, I told myself we'll slow down in the travel department, because I have to document every! last! moment! of this pregnancy for fear that it might not happen again. But then other desires popped up and I told myself I have to live each moment and travel as much as we possibly can because our lives are not going to be just about us anymore and those sporadic, "let's fly to Vegas in 2 days!" just wont cut it. So traveling we've done and now I can honestly say, I'm SO ready for this baby.

I haven't had a chance to edit our baby shower photos or any of the vacations photos just yet, but I'll be working on that tonight and should have a few posts for this week before we gear up for a very busy day for us, also known as the 4th of July.


We did have a chance to get the 3/4D photos done of the little monster baby and while it's a tad creepy to see your babies face I have to say my baby? is so darn cute! :)

I give you, baby Schollar.


This was displayed at our baby shower and everyone absolutely loved it! Although I must admit, we now have more Team Blue then Team Pink at this point.

Enjoy friends, I'll be back with loads more photos!

Breathe

The last 2 weeks have been insane I tell ya. I can't even wrap my head around the hours of each day because it was so intense. We worked many 12 hour days preparing for our first fair event to promote our business and then we ran the event unexpectedly because our good friend who was suppose to work the week ended up in a pretty gnarly car accident. ( yes, I just said gnarly) She's okay thank god but we were a total mess complete with BH contractions that nearly made me run to labor and delivery and way less sleep then should be illegal.


Our event went splendid and I was thankful we we're only in the high 70s and 80s weather wise. Being on my feet all day in the heat wasn't on the top of my joy list but we survived!

Please excuse my absence while I get caught up on rest, prepare for our baby shower this Saturday and our annual Vegas vacation on Sunday. I promise, I'll be back, just sit tight!

Summer Time Blues And Clothing Woes

I"m really missing Oregon right now. I knew once I got that postive test back in December that It was going to be a long Summer. I just didn't think Summer would come this early.

You see, I kind of got accustomed to Oregon Spring. If you have no idea about the pacific northwest weather, well let me just tell you a bit about that beauty. It could rain, snow, sleet or hail all in the matter of minutes. A gorgeous 80 degree day? Can snow that night. I love it. I love the warm Spring days mixed in with the chilly cool nights. I'm not ready for 100 degree days. I'm especially not ready when almost 7 months pregnant. Can you hear me whining? Would you like to send me some cheese? I'm miserably hot over here guyyyyyys.


I've been to 4 stores in the last few weeks looking for maternity shorts. Except all of our local stores ( Target, Kohls, Jcpennys, Old Navy) doesn't have any. Or better yet, they have 1 style in 1 size ( XS. Who wears an XS while pregnant? I hate you right now. I kid, I kid.)

So I did the next best thing and ordered some online. In fact, I ordered 10 pieces of clothing from Kohls and when it arrived? I sobbed. Every single piece needed to be returned. It was too big, too small, too frumpy. Same goes with my Old Navy order. The fact of the matter for me, is that I have to try it on. I'm way to picky about the way my outfits fit and I refuse to keep buying things online only to turn around and have to return them.

So my fellow mamas. Where are you getting your maternity clothes? Am I too early for Summer to demand my fave stores carry more then 1 style of shorts?

Wedding Photos Revealed

We've had our wedding photos for weeks. I mentioned before that we couldn't post anything because both parents check in on our blog and we had books made for Mother Day.

I can say first hand I absolutely LOVE our photos and I'm so glad we found our amazing photographer. If or when we ever get back to Maui I will absolutely be booking a family session with her. She was a complete natural and made us feel so comfortable. When we're doing photos I like when the photographer takes charge and gets us into positions that just flow. While I like the natural approach as well, there needs to be a balance of both.

Without further ado; Some of our favorite images.














(I just had a wave go up my butt. HA!)






There are so many more, but these were a few of our favorites! I definitely need to do a few outtake photos. My husband lost his flipflop and I was his savior. I stomped my way into the ocean to get it. Waves we're pounding in during our pictures and lets just say my dress is a bit see through when wet ;)


huge props to our photographer Mariah!

27 weeks

This week has been both insane and mundane. I worked 2- 12 hour days and then I've had work at home days the rest of the week. My to do list always seems a mile long and yet I find myself walking in circles wondering what the heck I should do. I'm thinking I'm a tad overwhelmed and throw a little guilt on the fact that I'm not doing as much as my husband and other crew members it just makes an emotional Krystie.


I had my first pregnancy melt down last night. It was so silly and looking at it now I can't believe I fell into the ugly cry for 2 hours. You see;My husband and our friend we're suppose to be here at 7 for dinner. I made sure to get the house cleaned up, and cut up a millions melons and make homemade enchiladas. I just wanted them both to come home to a hot meal and a clean house after working in a warehouse all day long. I got a text at 7pm saying they we're running late but were going to leave in 30 minutes. No big deal, I could hold off putting the dinner in the oven. Then I get a second text message saying they just left at 7:30pm. I put the dinner in the oven. By this time, I'm absolutely starving but holding off on any snacks. I know the drive takes 30 minutes and I expected them to walk in the door at 8:00. They didn't end up getting home until after 8:30 and I lost my shit. I was pissed off that dinner was now cold. I was pissed off that nobody texted to tell me they we're stopping at Costco for bottled water ( that we very much needed) and I was pissed off that they both thought it was funny that I was that upset over 30 minutes ( which was actually 1 hour and 30 minutes.) My husband ended up getting in the shower and realizing I was upset and he came to comfort me. It wasn't my proudest moment and I've now decided pregnancy hormones are the devil.

Moving on. My bump is now huge and there is zero definition of ribs vs boobs vs belly. I feel like everything just meshes together with how high baby and my uterus seemed to be sitting.


( looking glamorous this week eh? I haven't been out of my jammies for 2 days)
And because I'm starting to get the belly button question, here she is in all her glory. I can't believe I'm posting this.

The belly button is getting very shallow but I still have doubts it will fully pop out. I have a reallllly deep belly button

How far along:

27 weeks and 3 days. I'm officially a 3rd trimester and it feels so good to have made it this far. I'm loving pregnancy again and not wishing it away this week. ( that could change next week, ha!)My baby is super active and I love waking up to the kicks and movement we've been getting. This morning, my belly was completely lopsided and both C and I couldn't help but laugh.

How are you feeling:

Headache free this week! I had my glucose test a few days ago and that was absolutely miserable. I was told to go to a specific office only to get there and have them tell me I needed to be there 1 hour sooner because my test would interfere with their lunch. I ended up driving 30 minutes away to the next office and had 20 people ahead of me. They wouldn't start my test until I was next on the line which I found ridiculous. Once the test was started they had a hard time getting my veins to cooperate. It took 3 needles in one arm and then they ended up going through my hand. Ouch! The drink itself? Not so bad. I had the orange flavor and brought a cup of ice and a straw to make it go down faster. It tasted like an overly sweetened sunkist soda. I thought I would only be in there for the house but the technician informed me that all glucose test in California are 2 hours. Greeeeeat. I have 8 needles pokes total and now I look like a drug user, ha!

Cravings:

I'm having major food aversions to meat lately and so I've been on a ritz cracker and American cheese kick. I'm also loving frozen lemonades ( Hello 100 degree weather!)and fruit.

Weight gain/loss:

24 lbs. No gain this week, thank god. I'm sure it's my appetite that has decreased and that thanksgiving stuffed feeling after just a small amount, but with the huge growth spurt, I thought for sure I'd tip the scale.

Movement:

so much movement and now it's pretty routine. I know that first thing in the morning (between 5:30am and 6;30am)baby is very active. I always grab C's hand in his half sleepy daze and put it on my belly so he has baby interaction. Right before lunch, right before dinner and just as I lay in bed baby wiggles, flips, kicks, and moves.I absolutely love the bonding experience I'm getting through all of this and I'll surely miss all of these blissful moments when baby comes out.

Gender:

We'll see in August!

What I'm loving:

All the rsvp's coming in for the baby shower and our short 4-day business trip coming up in 3 days. Have I mentioned the insane work hours lately? My husband leaves the house at 9:30am and if I'm lucky he is home at 10pm. 1 night he didn't get home until 1:30am. I miss him! I went shopping with a blog and twitter friend turned in real life friend and was able to get 2 cute dresses. I can't wait to put my maxi on for a work event and a nice evening out with my mother in law and husband. Feeling very blessed this week despite my emotional outburst and my crazy work hours!

26 weeks

I know I JUST posted my 25 week post but let's just pretend I'm on time, okay? okay. This week I've been down with another migraine ( that makes 2 in 2 weeks) ugh. They really knock me down, and I'm not sure what else to do. I monitor my salt and sugar intake which is normally the initiating factor for me. I've now upped my dose of magnesium to 1000mgs and the doctor gave me a prescription that has a high dose of Tylenol and caffeine. We'll see how both play out. We're gearing up for some busy weeks coming up, which I'm both dreading and looking forward to. It's all work related and while we love what we do, a lot of my responsibilities have been put on someone else. My husband and crew members will not let me lift a finger to move, lift, paint, nothing! It's hard when you feel your limited but also makes me feel so blessed.




On my 25 week post I missed out on my weekly picture. I really try to make sure I get one since I want to eventually put all of these posts in a baby book. But let's just say last week I didn't blow dry my hair or put on make up the entire week. It was hot, we were working, I was down for the count or I just threw on a hat. I really was looking a hot mess. This week I'm trying to make an effort!
( My date night outfit that I ended up changing out of because I felt I looked like a blob)








How far along:

26 weeks 2 days. Officially 6 months pregnant. I now have less then 100 days to go until my due date. I do realize my due date could be right on par of 2 weeks off, but it's still mind blowing. I'm starting to get the I just wanna hold my baby itch. I'm trying SO hard not to wish my pregnancy away and really, I LOVE being pregnant. But having more then 5 shirts in my wardrobe and not having to huff and puff when trying to shave my legs sounds fabulous. Still trucking along though!




How are you feeling:

Have I mentioned migraines? They are the absolute devil. I'm getting winded a bit more and it's definitely allergy season. The amount of tissues we go through right now is insane. I also have a "pirate eye" which is my flaming red eye that is watery and itchy all day long. Sleeping is hit or miss. I cradle myself in between 2 body pillows, one on each side. When I have to roll over, I grab our blankets in a wad to help lift me up and do a big ol' flip to the other side. It's really quite comical and thinking ahead how much bigger this belly is going to get makes me feel like I need a crane.



Side note, I'm switching the stretchmark question to a cravings question. I have stretch marks, you know that. They're not going anywhere.



Cravings:

Hansen's root-beer soda and good ol' coke a cola. I've also been loving Popsicle and Trader Joes pasta and sauce.



Weight gain/loss:

24 lbs. I'm averaging 1-3 lbs a week depending on the week.I've been noticing I'm really hungry for lunch but eating smaller breakfast and dinner. The late night bowl of cereal has stopped but I've added in another snack right before dinner. My doctor says I'll more the likely maintain or lose weight in my 3rd trimester. The baby is sitting high, so my insides are getting squished resulting in me getting full very fast and feeling out of breath after my meal.




Movement:

We've had a bit of a slow down this week. Baby is still kicking and squirming away but not in the usual time frame. It had me worried for a few days because the movement decreased so much. After observing for a few days the moving hasn't really decreased per say, but just changed times. Now baby is more active in the middle of the day when I'm working and around 3:30am-4:30am. This probably means my kid is never going to sleep at night. Joy.



Gender:

We'll see in August!



What I'm loving:

Baby shower invites are out!There was also a facebook page set up for rsvping. Gotta love technology! We put in our request for a garage unit at our apartment to start storing baby gear. I found our Bob stroller online for $175 cheaper then I found them anywhere else plus free shipping. I'm really wanting to order that baby and have that as one big item off our list. I booked out maternity and newborn session and scheduled us for our 3d/4d ultrasound. We initially weren't going to do them, but our doctors office was offering a great deal and since we likely will not have another ultrasound unless there is a medical reason to do so, we opted to have a few more photos of the stubborn cute little baby. I ordered a few more summer outfits from kohls and old navy and they cannot come soon enough. My maternity shorts from Hawaii just aren't cutting it any longer. All in all it's been a good week and I love having things done off our list.

30 Weeks

( sorry for the crappy iphone photo done in a hotel room, because that's where I've been the last 4ish weeks)
We've made it to the 30s! 10 more weeks to go and we should have a snugly little baby in our arms ( give or take a week or two)
We've been so incredibly busy that I feel like I've sort of lost sight on the fact that I'm really pregnant. A lot of people have asked when I'm due, lots of belly rubbers and stranger comments of " you're due WHEN?" I was finally able to find some shorts and other tops that fit well so I'm back to loving my pregnant body as I find more flattering clothes.


In other words, we had our 3D/4D ultrasound this week,

How far along:
30 weeks. I feel like this has got to be one of the biggest milestones to come by. We ONLY have 10 more weeks. We have baby gear ( rock N play sleeper, pack N play and various other items) in our house. Our baby shower is in 3 days. I'm starting to get anxious and I feel like I cannot wait one more minute to meet this little. But then my rational side says, enjoy these last few weeks while we can. Oh this ride we're on. So much joy.

How are you feeling:
I'm body tired. My lungs no longer function when walking more then 6 steps. Sleeping is awful. Rib kicks hurt, and my feet are swollen. But every single moment of these aches and pains I'd take every minute of everyday to guarantee a healthy baby. Some days I go to bed singing "I'm a survivor" because really? Growing a human is hard work.

Cravings:
My longest standing food aversion to date has been grilled meat. Not so great timing for the Summer months but I'm hoping that will subside as bbq sauce is starting to smell worthy again. I've been eating lots of PB & J sandwiches, veggie burritos, Hansens creamy root beer and watermelon.

Weight gain/loss:
We weren't home for more then 6 hours a day over the last 10 days so we did LOTS of eating out. French fries will be the death of me. I'm up 5 lbs, putting me at 29 lbs gained. This sort of makes me want to vomit seeing that number but it is what it is. I'll be working extra hard to get it all off once baby arrives. Can we say AMEN to a BOB jogging stroller?

Movement:
Baby is kung fu with all the rib kicks. I think we got ourselves a little star soccer player in the works.

Gender:
We'll see in August!

What I'm loving:
Our baby shower is in 3 days then we leave the very next day for our annual Las Vegas vacation for a whole week. I can't wait to lay by the pool, finish reading 50 shades of gray, spend time with my hubby while drinking lots of frozen lemonade. I'm really loving how fast these weeks are flying by bringing us much closer to meeting our sweet baby love. Lots of my blog and twitter friends gave birth these last 2 weeks and seeing those little people in all their newborn glory just makes my ovaries ache for my own.

25 Weeks

Keeping with the late posting. I have no excuses just busy.

I looked at my pregnancy app on my iphone and it said I had 15 weeks left ( on Tuesday) and then I died. 15 weeks is nothing, and with a packed Summer schedule I know the next few weeks are gonna fly by. Not too much to report on this week, as we're just working away. We had an amazing weekend despite our car troubles and soaked in as much sunshine as possible. This week? Rain. I guess you just never know how the weather is going to change.



Not much difference in the belly department this week. I think different outfits make me look bigger then others. In fact, I didnt even get a chance to get an official belly picture so these few instagram pics will have to do.










How far along:

25 weeks 2 days in this photo. I'm almost 6 months pregnant. Isn't it funny how pregnancy weeks work? I'm so confused and therefore have a little guide held up by magnets on our fridge so when people ask I can say I'm 5.8 months pregnant, etc. I guess essentially if you count by months we're almost 10 months pregnant in all, but what women wants to hear that?



How are you feeling:

I had to stay home from our work day on Tuesday due to a mild migraine. I'm not sure what the cause was, but it wasn't fun and nothing I did seemed to take the edge off. Other then that I'm doing great! Peeing all the time as usual, and still feeling very full after every meal despite how little I eat. It's usually always after dinner when it happens which is also when baby is the most active. My guess is the baby moved up and sits in a position squishing my stomach and makes me feel winded and overly full.



Stretchmarks:

Yep.Not much I can do about genetics.


Weight gain/loss:

23 lbs on the dot. Doctor says I'm doing great so we'll just stick with that. I'm still tracking calories and watching the junk food intake.



Movement:

The baby now has very active times throughout the day. I'd say the most active is right after dinner, before bed and from 6am-8am. Kicks and rolls start and she wont sit still until I roll over or get up. It's pretty funny and so amazing to feel. C can now put his hand on my belly and she'll start kicking right away. Also, in the morning we get that very strong heart beat right where she is kicking and I still can't figure out if it's mine, or the babes placenta. Also; hiccups! normally, right after lunch I'll feel a series of "pops" and then I think she gets mad or uncomfortable and moves up and they stop. So cute!



Gender:

We'll see in August!



What I'm loving:

I"m looking forward to our busy Summer and soon enough having a baby to hold. I've been getting emotional just looking at my side of the bed where I know my baby will be sleeping next to me ( not IN bed with me, but in a rock and play sleeper)Opening up our big box of diapers to organize and hanging itty bitty baby clothes on itty bitty hangers. I'm doing a lot of research this week on our vaccine schedule and also booked my maternity photo shoot in June and our newborn session in August. I'm just over the moon excited and can't help but fall more in love with my husband everyday for blessing me with this gift.
Despite some aches and pains, pregnancy has been a breeze for me and already knowing it's going to be over soon makes me both happy to lose the baby weight but sad that my little will no longer be inside of me. C and I have been in talks about when we'll start trying for a second and possibly and 3rd and then came the discussion of surrogacy. It's something I would love to do, for someone else who has suffered from infertility as I have, but it all depends on how my next babies go and how easy ( or not) it is for me to gt pregnant again. At least the idea is thrown out there and we'll just see how it goes. We're happy, healthy and very loved :)

Taco Pie

It's been awhile since I've posted recipes, yes? Since we've been home a lot more often I've been trying to cook as much as I can. Unfortunately nothing really stood out as being blog worthy ( basics like: spaghetti, enchilidas, pancakes, etc) throw in there my many food aversions and I'm not embarrassed to admit just how many boxes of cereal I eat in a week ( 1.5 if you're keeping track)



When I was browsing Pinterest I came across a recipe called Taco Pie. It's exactly what it sounds like. A taco inside a pie shell. Easy, simple and tasty!






( source)



Ingredients:

1 lb of ground beef
Taco seasoning to taste
1 Can of re-fried beans ( optional)
1/2 cup grated cheddar cheese
1 Pie Shell
Lettuce
Tomatoes
Salsa
Sour cream




Directions:

Preheat oven to 375

Pan fry the ground beef until golden brown. Drain the fat then add in taco seasoning until mixed well

Heat up re-fried beans stove top.

Add beans to the bottom of frozen pie shell and then top with taco meat mixture and cheddar cheese.

Bake in oven for 20 minutes

Once the crust is golden brown, remove pie and let cool for 5 minutes.

Add on the rest of the taco coverings and cut into pie slices and serve.

Travelin'

We've laid out the rest of our traveling schedule before baby S arrives. I've had a major travel itch since we got home from Hawaii and I haven't been able to shake it. Unfortunately, we have a budget we have to stick to, you know...to pay the bills. So we've been home. Last year we were able to do lots of little trips, snowboarding, beach, Seattle, etc. So not having the ability to just pack up our bags and head out for a weekend has been BORING.


Anyhow, onto the good stuff.


Our first smallish business trip will be down to Southern California in the middle of May. My mother in law won a state wide award for her division through her county job and they are flying and paying for her trip down to Los Angeles to accept and attend some seminars. We decided to support her and head down to attend her award ceremony and take her out to dinner since it is mothers day after all. In the mean time, we are picking up a few new props for our 2012 season in Vegas. Just quick 3 day trip but at least we'll be out of this tiny shack apartment.



Our second travel adventure takes place the first week in June. We'll be flying into Vegas for our yearly summer trip. We don't ever gamble but enjoy seeing shows, hanging out by the pool, people watching etc. I'm looking forward to relaxing with my husband on a sort of baby-moon.






We're staying at the Flamingo hotel which is one of our favorite hotels on the strip. They have one of the best pools around and easy access to everything on the strip. Also the coconut smell? so lovely, especially in the summer.

We always try and see a few shows while we're there and it will be no different this time. In the Vegas heat ( 110 degrees anyone?) I'm sure I wont be doing too much walking at 8 months pregnant.

We'd like to see Peepshow




And a Cirque Du Soleil show " O "




We'll probably walk the strip when it cools down at night and do a bit of shopping, watch the Bellagio fountain show lots of frozen ( non alcoholic) drinks and a whole lot of relaxing.


The last big travel on our list is to head back to Oregon and Washington for a few weeks in June. We'll be staying with my mom in Oregon and then heading up to Washington for our friends wedding. I'm looking forward to going home for a bit and seeing my family!


We have so much to look forward to this Summer and it just can't come soon enough! I"m having a blast planning a few little things to kill time in boring ol' April and plan to soak up as much time with my husband as " just the two of us" as I can. Soon enough we'll have a teeny, beautiful little baby to take with us!

24 Weeks

Slacking again but what else is new? This week was far more adventurous then last. We made big headway on getting some work stuff ironed out and we're now back to working a 40 hour work week with big deadlines coming very quickly. The weather made a big 180 which went from 60 degrees and raining to 90 degrees and the AC on. After our crazy week I booked a 1 night trip up to our favorite mountain town in South Lake Tahoe just to help us unwind and relax before the next few weeks. Unfortunately we drove the 2 hours up there, stopped at the north shore of the lake to walk around and my radiator exploded. A quick call to AAA and 110 miles of a tow later, we were back home. It was unfortunate but what can you do?

Moving onto the baby.





Ridiculous growth this week. All my clothes are feeling uncomfortable and I've worn a lot of sundresses this week. I bought 3 pairs of shorts before Hawaii and even those are feeling tight in all the wrong places, so I might need to make a mini shopping trip to pick up a few more summer essentials.


How far along:

24 weeks 4 days in this photo. Hitting the 25 week mark on Tuesday is INSANE to me. How the heck did I get this far? I know I say that every week but oh my word. Soaking it all in.


How are you feeling:

Feeling good. The hot weather has been interesting and has certainly given me a small glimpse into my near future. I've been sweaty, out of breath and a little uncomfortable right after our walks or after a warm shower. Something else to note? being full after every single meal. I don't just mean satisfied, I mean Thanksgiving STUFFED after a bowl of cereal.I guess that's good indication I'm carrying this baby high and my insides are getting more squished. Something else to note that's come back with a vengeance. Constipation. It's not glamorous but it's there. I have a doctor appointment this week and I'm gonna cave and ask for colace. I can't stomach the prune juice and I drink at least 8 bottles of water a day ( plus milk, Gatorade, cherry Coke, etc)


Stretchmarks:

Yep. And now I have them on my upper thighs. Still white. Still annoying but not much I can do about genetics.


Weight gain/loss:

up 19lbs and now tracking calories. Before you get all " you don't need to lose weight" on me. I'm not trying to lose weight. I'm trying to monitor my intake to see where I'm at. As you know, I was on Weight Watchers before I got pregnant, and still really depended on the point system. My brain wasn't trained yet to cycle through how many calories this is, or how big of a portion to put on my plate. I'm trying to find a balance of feeling okay with my eating and the weight gain from baby. I'm doing what's healthy and have the okay from my doctor and my husband to monitor my intake as long as I'm still having a small gain each week.


Movement:

We have a lot of movement on some days and then quiet days on others. It does make my mama heart worry but I know baby is still healthy and doing just fine. I'm loving the outside show we get most nights and can't wait for a few of our friends to be able to feel kicks when I place their hands on my belly.


Gender:

We'll see in August!



What I'm loving:

We had our hospital tour on Monday and I immediately had anxiety when I walked in. I have such a fear that the nurses are going to pressure me into things I don't want and they're going to drug my child to no end. I'm not sure why I feel this way, but for me it's very serious. Getting a chance to view the rooms and meet some of the nurses, I did feel a bit relieved. Knowing we have a Doula and my very strong willed husband also helps me to relax about the hospital birth process. We made the decision to just have my husband and Doula in the room with us, while our family is in the waiting room. I think that removes some stress from us about who can be allowed, etc. We're making progress on a few baby projects ( our changing table, dresser, etc) and looking forward to our baby shower in June and finishing up our shopping in Oregon. I've been a little emotional thinking about my journey and all who follow. This wasn't an easy road for us to get here and I feel so blessed. Trying to find the balance of sharing our journey and keeping my excitement at bay is hard. I know too many people who have lost babies or who haven't been able to get pregnant and my heart aches every day for them. I don't wish infertility on my worst enemy, but at the same time, That's a road a lot of people are going down and in the end, when you finally get that positive test it makes that road SO worth it.
So in the end, all is well with us. We have a busy week, with a doctors appointment coming up. Have a great rest of the weekend! I'll be pool side :)

23 Weeks

If you read my last post then you know it's been a blah blah blah kind of week. Even though it's technically "Spring" we're having a late winter, and so we're sort of in a funk and not sure how to spend our time. Every activity we throw out as an idea ends up with...But you're pregnant, so we shouldn't. I'm not complaining, because I would take this pregnancy, and this baby over any other thing in this world but dang. I'm bored! ;) I guess I need to read adjust my standards here. Anyhow. Baby is huge. I mean, I need help getting out of bed, can no longer shave my legs without huffing and puffing and all I want to do is sit in my comfy leather chair, with my feet propped up eating cherry vanilla ice cream.





Side note. that cardigan was purchased in December and was too big to wear. Now, it does not button. Not even a little.



How far along:

23 weeks 1 day. and yet again, I missed my 22 week post. I had good intentions, you see...It's all written out, but the photo is nonexistent because of the crap weather. We're either dressed for the rain, or trying to wrangle the dog to stay out of the mud. It's not pretty, and therefore the pic? didn't happen.
I'm now officially in the countdown mode. 16 weeks 6 days left feels like such a huge milestone, and yet, so far away.


How are you feeling:

I am feeling absolutely awesome. A few allergies here and there, but nothing that Benadryl can't fix. I'm headache free, I have energy for more then 20 minutes and food is my best friend. We're still walking 2 to 3 miles a day, which I plan to continue up until my feet will take no more ( see also: 100 degree weather that's sure to come)


Stretchmarks:

No change. Same ol' same ol'


Weight gain/loss:

The scale and I aren't friends. I'm at the point where I should probably just put it away until I'm ready to lose baby weight. I dread every lb ( or 5) that shows up and it literally make my heart stop when it's 4lbs more then I expected. I eat healthy,i'm exercising and baby is healthy. That's all that matters, right?


Movement:

Lots of it. But sometimes baby gets stubborn and doesn't move in her normal times. Then my mama worry comes out and I quickly drink some caffeine hoping to try and wake her up. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't. The other morning she kicked me so hard, I put C's hand on my belly. Within seconds, she moved and we felt a VERY strong heart beat. I'm not sure how, or why that happened, but it was completely different then my pulse, so I know it was baby. I can now see the baby move on the outside, especially at night when I first get into bed. It makes my heart melt and I cannot hide the ear to ear smile that pops up on my face. Such an amazing thing for me! Absolutely my favorite part of pregnancy so far.


Gender:

I still vote girl, but we'll see in August!


What I'm loving:

So much movement going on this week and we have hired a doula for the birth! She was an immediate fit, and came highly recommended. To seal the deal, she actually works at the birth center here in town as their doula/RN. We also loved that she has backup in case she's at another birth, etc. We have also been researching more baby items, and even bought baby their first outfit. It's a little surf sweatshirt and matching shirt from target. It came from the boy section but can totally be turned girly with a headband bow. I'm researching Bradly classes which is a 12 weeks program ( yikes!) and natural birthing classes held through our hospital ( 6 classes total) We have our hospital tour next week and hopefully we'll have narrowed down info on our baby shower.

Mishmash

* It's been a lazy, boring, and uneventful week in our house. We picked up a new work schedule to start some big projects and had that come to a halt when the landlords of our warehouse decided to be difficult and change the rules on us. It's a lot to get into, but we're praying right now they let us back in our building before August 1st to start designing our sets. We wont know anything for another few days, which is leaving us cramped up into a little tiny apartment with nothing to do.


* We're finally on a budget and sticking to it. We've always "free spent" and then reined ourselves in when money was getting tighter ( especially at the start of our busy season)But we decided with a baby on the way, and expanding our business we needed to have a big cushion to fall back on. I can't say we're following anyone or anything in particular, but we are using the envelope/cash system. We deposit a certain amount each month, then divide accordingly. We have funds allocated to rent, food, gas, and free spending. So far, we're doing great. We even paid off my car 2 months earlier then we were suppose to!


*We've started the process of looking for a home to buy once we get back to Oregon come December. We're very particular on the house we want and have no problem renting up there until we find it. Hopefully with a lot of extra time we'll be able to find something to purchase!


* None of my underwear or bras fit anymore and I need to shop for some in a major way. I just don't even know where to start. I'm slightly mortified going into get fitted and really dreading the number on the bra tag.


*I have vacation fever. We have one trip planned to Las Vegas in June and one trip planned to Oregon/Washington in June for a wedding. We've maxed out our travel time so spending the next 2 months at home? killer. I know, I know. Cry me a river.


* A lot of my favorite bloggers are leaving blogland. It actually makes me sad. Kristal decided to stop her journey as she started a new journey in foster care. One of my favorite home blogs Holly left without notice and Heather threw out the idea she might be leaving too. Getting attached to online friends and then loosing that small peek into their lives is actually really sad for me. :(


* Who thinks we're having another baby boom? * Raises hand* I know 20 people pregnant right now, and it seems like once a week another one pops up. Something is absolutely in the water. Heck,even I got some of that baby makin water. 'tis good stuff.


* I walk 2-3 miles a day, every day. I have no idea why we started out on this mission other then trying to get our overweight turned perfect weight dog, fit. Now we can't give it up, but round ligament pain while walking? ouch. At least we're keeping active before the Sacramento summer heat sets in. Then my butt will be in the pool and no where else.


I think that about wraps up our week. Boy, are we exciting people or what? ha.

21 Weeks

It's been a big baby week over here. I've had 2 Dr appointments, and an ultrasound. Also, I feel like my belly grew even more. Although in this photo i'm not sure it shows it's hugeness. It was a rainy, yucky week, so you get the self portrait in the mirror!








How far along:

21 weeks 2 days. I can never seem to make my posts on time. Also, the ultrasound tech measured us at 20 weeks. I asked my Dr about it and she said at this stage in pregnancy, it's typical to have babies measure bigger or smaller but that she is still keeping our due date at August 7th. As much as an August 17th baby would be cute ( we were married on the 17th, C's birthday is on the 17th!) I'm glad to know I'm not crazy off, on my original dates.


How are you feeling:

I'm doing much better this week! I haven't had any headaches ( knock on wood) and my leg cramps seem to be doing better. I read about a few home remedies, one of which caught my eye. Putting a bar of soap in a sock at the end of your bed is suppose to help relive the restless legs. I kid you not, it works. I have NO idea why, or who even came up with that, but thank you soap gods! I've also been supplementing my prenatal with magnesium/calcium tablets. My Dr recommended this to me for both my legs and my migraines and so far, we're doing pretty good. My sleep is getting much better other then getting up to pee once or twice a night and trying to find a comfy side to lay on.


Stretchmarks:

No change. Same ol' same ol'



Weight gain/loss:

I'm kind of embarrassed to admit this but I'm up 12 lbs I gained almost 8 lbs in less then 3 weeks. I guess I can say I've had a big growth spurt, but holy cow! I sort of freaked at the doctors and demanded to my husband I was going to start monitoring my calorie intake. I obviously know I'm going to gain, I just figured the bulk would be in the 3rd trimester. I don't want to get too out of control so just know, I'm keeping a close eye on that scale and my waist line and plan to continue our 4 mile daily walks as well in hopes I can keep up some sort of work out routine. Lord knows I haven't stepped foot in a gym in months


Movement:

We have outside movement! After we had our ultrasound, and saw my very stubborn child not wanting to move, she started waving her arms to get comfy and jammed her head right into my cervix and bladder. I felt that one! Then last night we were watching some work videos with the ipad sitting on top of the tablemy belly, and the baby started going crazy. kicks every few seconds.I put my hands on my belly and bam! I felt it from the outside. I grabbed C's hand but she must of settled down because that was the end of her show for the night. I'm feeling her move a lot more during the day and not just at night, which is awesome. I love having the reassurance that she is active and growing right on track.



Gender:

We'll find out in August! My baby was very stubborn and had her legs under her belly, so the ultrasound tech wasn't "sure" if she got the sex or not, but she thinks she did. I'm glad we didn't want to know, because how annoying would that be? Still voting girl at this point, but who knows.



What I'm loving:

We started our registry at Babies r us last week after out first Dr appt got canceled.( Dr was called into emergency surgery) It was pretty cool to start seeing items that we will actually with OUR baby. C and I both go over heated so we only stayed an hour, but I think we go the essentials and I'll finish up the rest online. Also, we got 600 diapers! We've decided to go the disposable route for now until we transition into our big house in Oregon. We placed the order on Diapers.com and with their current sale and a coupon code I was able to get 600 diapers ranging from newborn to size 2 for .4 cents a piece. That's one hell of a deal if you ask me! Even Costco brand diapers run you .10-.12cents a piece. With free shipping and 2 day delivery? We'll absolutely be going that route until we can transition into cloth. I'm also loving all the movement, a sold heart rate of 162 and a Dr we really like. It's been a good week, and we're both soaking it all in. :)

THANKFUL

I'm still trying to find my place in this whole being married, and 4 months pregnant thing. Some days I forget I'm pregnant because I'm still in the honeymoon stage of marriage. other days I feel like my belly is growing so quick and there are so many changes happening, I can't breathe. I do feel like I'm coming into a middle ground though. I feel like I do have balance with my everyday life, and for that? I'm thankful.


I'm thankful for so many things. I can't express that enough to the people I love and to myself. I really thought I would never be in the place I am. With cancelled weddings, miscarriages, constantly picking up our lives and going back and fourth from Oregon to California for our business. It all seems like such a blur, but I know deep down it's what's shaped me. I don't overlook the simple thing my husband does. Like, bring me cold rags when I have a migraine, cleaning out my car, rubbing my belly in the middle of the night. They are things I wouldn't have noticed before. But I'm thankful that I do now.


I'm also thankful for the relationship I have with my mom. We weren't always close. In fact, for a long time as a teenager I had a very strong hate for her. We are complete opposites. I actually went to live with my grandma for 2 years because I couldn't stand to be in the same room as my mom. I'm not sure what triggered any of that as a kid, other then having very different personalities, but it was something I was so upset about. We've always talked, we've always had respect for one another, we just didn't always like each other. It's not like that now. It really changed when my grandma passed away. I think we both made a effort to be involved and slowly but surely we built our own connection. I'm thankful we have that now. I'm thankful I can call her at anytime an she'll just listen, or vice versa. I love my mom whole heartily and I'm so thankful to be able to say that.


I'm thankful for a roof over our head. It's not my dream home, and wasn't even suppose to be our home for more then 3 months. But we've made it a home, and it's nice to come back from a long day at work or traveling to a comfy us place. It will serve as the place we bring our baby home to, and will have been pressed in our memory as the place where we spent our first year of marriage.


I'm thankful for a healthy pregnancy. I still feel like I'm in denial about the whole thing. But then we saw our baby on screen, and the next night felt our baby kick from the outside and my brain suddenly clicked on that we ARE doing this, you ARE growing a little human who depends on every ounce of your being. I'm so excited to finish our my pregnancy and welcome our beautiful baby into the world.



I'm thankful for real friends. We've had people come in and out of our life over the last several years, and the ones that stayed are the ones that mean the most. We're not the easiest people to stay in contact with, as we're on the go a lot. Unfortunately not a lot of people understand that. We can't make it to every birthday party, bar outing, dinner out, etc. We do try our best though, and I feel like our core group of friends understands and doesn't judge us.



While it's a materialistic item, I'm thankful for my iphone. It took us a while to get on the smart phone kick, but once we did? so amazing. I love my phone, and the apps I can play with. Some of my favs? Twitter, instagram, what to expect, draw something and the weather app ( what? I like to know how hot or cold it will be!)


So in the end my heart is happy. My love cup? Completely full.


What are YOU thankful for?

20 Weeks

We're half way people, WHOA! And Yes, I missed another weekly post ( 19 weeks) I just can't seem to find the time lately, which is something I'm really trying to get better at. I'll try and do better this week since I now have a full length mirror to take my own dang picture. Trying to get my husband to take one is like asking him to remodel a kitchen.


( lots of growth this week!)


How far along:

20 weeks, half way! I can't even believe it, and then at the same time, I feel like it's taken us forever to get here. I googled "20 week babies" and "20 week pregnancy bellies" and let me just say yikes. The bellies that I just witnessed online are insane. I feel like mine grows a little tiny bit every week, and can't come anywhere close to the bellies. Also the 20 week baby? looks just like a REAL baby. That for me is mind blowing. Apparently my baby is the size of a cantaloupe which is funny because I just bought one to eat this week.


How are you feeling:

I still have a runny nose which has been normal for me since around 12 weeks pregnant. I can't tell you how many napkins, boxes of tissues and rolls of TP we've gone through. I finally caved this week to buy a body pillow. My hips, back and legs have ached every single night, resulting in no sleep for me, or for Carlos with all the tossing and turning. Headaches have pretty much disappeared and boy am I thankful for that! Also, I went in for a pedicure and 2 hours later I started having braxton hicks. I'm sure that's normal, but I kind of freaked out and C has banned me from going back for awhile.

( I actually wrote this post 2 days ago, and had planned to post it yesterday, but unfortunately I was down all day with a migraine. I finally got out of bed at 8pm last night! I guess this might teach one to keep your mouth shut about improving symptoms because you just never know..)


Stretchmarks:

My belly was very itchy this week which could have been from the crazy change in weather ( hello 80 degrees one day at 30 the next) so I was expecting some more to pop up, but alas nothing more, nothing less. I have noticed the white faded one on my hips starting to pop up just a little bit more.


Weight gain/loss:

Up 8lbs. At week 19 I was hungry all. the. dang. time. I could not get enough food. Unfortunately for me, it wasn't the healthiest choices either. So I'm sure that contributed to 3 lbs gain in 1 week. This week I didn't have a gain, and I'm back on track and continuing to juice fresh fruits and veggies and eat more snacks instead of huge meals.



Movement:

Lots of pops or baby "kicks". It makes me so excited to feel them first thing in the morning, and when going to bed at night. I've also now started feeling them while sitting in my chair and relaxing. I'm hoping any day Carlos will be able to feel them! I'm sure him hearing " oh,I just felt the baby kick" is making him full of anticipation to feel his child, too.


Gender:

We'll find out in August! ( although on Friday we should get our gender ultrasound. At least we'll get to see our baby!)


What I'm loving:

We're finally fully insured! No more rescheduling appointments, no more worrying about a 10k hospital bill, it's covered and I couldn't be more relieved. On Friday we have our first appointment with our new doctor. I switched doctors right around 17 weeks, and then had to wait for our insurance to carry over so it's been a long time coming. I'll have lots of blood work to get caught up on, and I'm sure the appointment will be long with adding in the ultrasound, but it's all worth it in the end. Also, we have chosen our car seat and stroller!

We're going with the Chicco keyfit 30 for our car seat




And the BOB revolution single





We haven't made the purchase just yet as we'll be in Oregon in June and plan to buy tax free! At least it's one thing off our list. Now we just need to get our baby registry started for our end of May shower. I'm loving having things to look forward to!

18 Weeks

I feel like I look HUGE in this picture. My tummy sticks out and there is really no line drawn where my boobs, ribs and belly end. In reality I think the bra and shirt I had on made me look like a huge blob. I still have some curves left, somewhere



How far along:

18 weeks 2 days. ( I sort of dropped the ball on my 17 week post. I asked my husband to help me with the photo 4 times, then we got busy and I never got back around to nagging him about it. I need a full length mirror to do it on my own)



How are you feeling:

I feel generally good in the middle part of the afternoon. At night I have back aches and leg cramps which are no fun at all. I recently had to start sleeping with a pillow between my legs to get any rest at all. In the morning, I wake up completely stuffed up. I'm not sure if it's an allergy thing or a pregnancy thing but either way, My nose feels like it might burn itself off. I've had a few headaches in the last few weeks but that could have been my small appetite and not enough water. Overall, I can't complain. I love being pregnant aching back and all.


Stretchmarks:

Yep. And I'm okay with that. They aren't red or purple which is why I think I'm okay. I know in the future weeks they will probably start turning different colors with how fast this belly is growing.


Weight gain/loss:

I prepared myself after Hawaii for a 10 lb gain. I didn't eat terribly unhealthy, but I ate whatever I wanted which normally is not the case for me. I stepped on the scale shortly after 16 weeks and found that I had lost 2 lbs. 3 days later I lost another 1 lb. As of this morning, I'm back at a 5lb gain. Watching my pant size go up, as well as the scale, was really hard at first. I struggle in the weight department and worked very hard to loose the 25 lbs pre-pregnancy.In the last week I've accepted that my weight will go up to accommodate my healthy baby. And in the end? I'll get that weight back off plus some, and tote around a cute baby in my arms as a prize.


Movement:

This still boggles my mind. Some days I know FOR SURE it's baby. It's so strong! Then I'll go 2 or 3 days with no movement and start back tracking my thoughts. I just want a huge jab right in the belly to say HI MOM!


Gender:

We'll find out in August!




What I'm loving:

I've been on the phone back and fourth with the insurance company trying to get coverage, tis been fun ( not!) At the end of the day I know we can afford to have this baby insurance or not, it would just be nice to have a little help. Accepting that I can't control what happens has been a good thing for me. I'm also loving that I've accepted my body and all the changes it's making. This weekend we're headed to look at our top contenders for a car seat and stroller. I don't think we'll actually purchase just yet, as we have a space issue, but it'll be nice to make the decision on the model we want. More big news; We got our wedding photos back 2 days ago and they turned out gorgeous!

WEDDING DAY

February 17th, 2012


It has finally come, and today I get to marry my best friend. I've heard a lot of women say they didn't sleep the night before, they didn't eat anything until their wedding dinner etc, etc. Well I'm here to say, we slept great! Waking up next to the person I will be waking up next to, the rest of my life felt amazing.

We actually slept in until 7:30 today, and then had some cereal and toast for breakfast. We had an appointment to drive to Paia about an hour away to save ourselves a $100 delivery fee to pick up our flowers. The drive was beautiful but very windy.

Once we arrived at the shop owners home/shop we took a peek at what she had for us. We decided to use Lois for our flowers based on some photos we saw on style me pretty. I'm so glad we splurged and did this because my bouquet? was gorgeous!


(sneak peek of my flowers. this photo doesn't do those beautiful flowers enough justice.)

After we left we decided to head to a little french restaurant in Paia. The blue bible steered us in the direction of Moana Bakery and Cafe. Apparently this place is owned by a french chef and had to die for chocolate eclairs. When we got seated we both decided on a burger with french fries and some type of hand picked garden salad. We must have waited 45 minutes before our waitress realized we still had no food. She went back into the kitchen to ask the chef/owner where our food was and he started downgrading her, and told her he never got the ticket. Long story shot, their printer stopped working.She came back apologetic and offered us a pastry while we waited. Unfortunately they didn't have any chocolate eclairs so we opted for a chocolate croissant instead. The pastry was pretty good, but had a lot of un-melted chocolate inside. not 10 minutes later they delivered our food. Carlos cut is hamburger in half and realized it was still raw in the middle. We sent both back and asked for our check at that point. Two thumbs down for this place!


We headed back to the condo so we could make a sandwich and get ready for the make up lady and hair lady to show up. I showered, dried my hair and before I was even through my hair lady knocked on the door. I originally wanted my hair down, but because of the wind, I opted for it to be put up. Without doing a trial we both collaborated on what would look good and she got to work.She was finished within an hour and I absolutely loved my hair. 5 minutes after she was done Camiko the make up artist knocked on our door.

Camille was so sweet and really worked with my vision. I didn't want bridal soft because most of our photos would be at sunset. I asked for more dramatic smoky eyes and long lashed. She took a little on the longer side ( around 2 hours) but the end result was amazing. I had such a great team helping me get ready, I just felt so incredibly lucky.

Once Camille left, Carlos and I both got dressed and we loaded up the car to head to Makena Cove


(source)


(on our way to get married!)


(handsome groom not loving the slooooow traffic)

We met up with our Photographer Mariah our videographer and the officiant.

Walking down into the cove there were 4 other weddings going on. I thought by picking a Friday we could avoid that, but apparently not. Once we started our actual ceremony 3 of the other weddings we're getting finished, and we never heard a peep from the 2nd wedding going on.

Our officiant was really cool and a true authentic Hawaiian. We asked for a non religious ceremony and told him to make it about our new lives forming together, bringing a baby into our world and how this would all form us as a united family. He did a wonderful job, sang us a few Hawaiian songs, blew on the conch and 20 minutes later we were MARRIED!



(we're married now!)

We did about 1.5 hours more of photos, did a few snippets for our video and parted ways with our vendors.

We we're both wet and sandy from our water shots and decided to change clothes before heading to the restaurant. I'm SO glad we did this because my dress was literally soaked all the way up to my butt.

We arrived back at the Grand Wailea where we used their pool restroom to hose the sand off and change into our dinner attire. We had 8pm reservations at Humuhumunukunukuapuaa. Yes, that's really the name and no, I can't even say it without getting tongue tied. They call it humu humu for short. We were seated on top of a huge fish pond and enjoyed a few fruit drinks before they brought our meal.


(mine was a pineapple/coconut/strawberry drink..no alcohol of course)



(Carlos had a pineapple rum cocount type deal)

They also served bread with a sweet type of butter.

We both ended up ordering a lobster with filet mignon, garlic mashed potatoes and roasted asparagus. It was incredibly delicious and now counts as our favorite meal of the entire trip. I took more then half my plate of food home because there was just so much.



After dinner was over, we strolled the Grand Wailea one last time and headed back to valet to pick up our car and drive the 1 hour back to Lahina. It was such a long day, but amazing and full of love.

Once we got back to the condo, I washed all the make up off, took the 500 bobby pins out and we went to sleep.

Wailea on Dwellable