In Honor of Marion Oteri
June 10, 2009

Having a family means welcoming new life into the world and also losing the ones you love.  After a 19-year long, hard fight, the strongest woman I know finally went home and is now in eternal rest and peace.  Thank you to all of you for your cards, flowers, and support during the past few months.  Specifically Anna; thank you for the beautiful flowers and for being such a great friend.  They arrived on truly the darkest day of my life and brought a smile to my face that had been missing for months.  Zoey, I can't thank you enough for all the beautiful work you did with the pictures and the final memorial card, and for taking care of the little monkey during the service. 

March 26, 2009

Once upon a time a sweet little boy ate his lunch and then afterwards his parents laid him down for his daily afternoon nap.  As he settled into his crib, his parents retreated to the living room to spend a couple hours together relaxing.  Sadly this is where the fairytale ends, because not five minutes later we heard a huge THUD followed by screaming and crying.  Eff….I knew right then without even seeing it happen that my son had officially joined the highly acclaimed “jump out of the crib club” along with other influential members such as his two cousins, and after talking to other friends with kids, almost every other child in America.  This made me feel better….a little.  We went running into his room, and it was the most bizarre thing to open the door and see him walking towards us instead of us going to his crib to get him out.  I could tell by his cry that he didn’t get hurt (thank god this kid is made out of steel), but I still went into panic mode and had our omni therapist see him right after it happened.  He too confirmed that not one thing was wrong with him.  We couldn’t even tell where he landed on is body because there wasn’t a mark on him anywhere.  This too made me feel better…only a little again.  If he had actually gotten hurt I probably would have called my friends at child protective services myself and had them take him away for me being such a horrible mother. 

This was the other funny thing I later discovered, that whenever this happened to other family or friends’ kids the parents always blamed themselves and felt like crap; as if they caused it.   I should have known it was going to happen though being the little monkey that he is.  I have kept his crib bumper on because of how much he thrashes around during naps and at night when he sleeps, and was always afraid that he would hurt his little head on the crib slats.  It did enter my mind however that he could stand on the bumper and jump, but I guess I never really thought that he could or would do it.  Double edge sword….protect his little head and have him possibly jump, or keep him in the crib but risk his head getting hurt and it waking him up when he sleeps.  Of course after he jumped the bumper immediately came off, and only once has he woke himself up from rolling over into the crib.  I think his body has taught him not to do it, because he seems to stay right in the middle of the mattress now when he sleeps.  Anyway, if you still have a bumper on your crib and are torn between taking it off or not, take it from me who learned the hard way and take it off, because they CAN and they WILL become a little trapeze artist and try to jump to freedom! 

Finally I want to say a big congrats to my stepsister and her husband, and welcome to my new little niece who was born on Saturday weighing in at a healthy 7 pounds!  She is so sweet and cute and we are so excited to have another bambino in the family!

The Dog Blog
February 24, 2009

It’s important when you become a mommy to a human to not forget about your parental duties to your canine kiddies J.  Last year I not only missed my dog’s birthday in January, but I forgot my other dogs’ birthday the next month too!  I felt so bad, so this year I put it in my phone to alert me so that it wouldn’t happen again.  It’s true that your dogs, cats, whatever you have get put on the back burner once you have a baby.  People told me all the time while I was pregnant “Oh you won’t care about your dogs once the baby arrives!”  I thought “No way in hell..these dogs ARE my children”, but I have to say a little bit of that is true.  I still love them to death, but they have definitely become second place in this house.  And if they bark while my son is sleeping...forget about it.  My husband has to hold me back so that I don’t kill them!    I even considered getting their voice boxes removed a couple of times, I won’t lie.  But, in the end they are still my babies and I would never do the horrible things to them that I sometimes think of. 

Papa P turned 5 on January 31^st, and Mama Z turned 3 on February 17^th, so I made my traditional cake of ground hamburger, cottage cheese, bones, and candles that has been in my family for years. My parents used to breed dogs and this is what they made for them every year, so the legacy continues with my pups.  They loved both cakes, although Mama Z was afraid of hers at first for some reason.  After a few minutes though, she dove right in being the little piggy that she is.

I’m proud of myself that I didn’t forget about them this year and vow to never forget again.  Sometimes you can get so wrapped up in taking care of your little one that you forget about others around you…just another lesson I have learned on this journey they call motherhood. 

Jordan's Birthday
February 2, 2009


Ah, another birthday has come and gone.  I've noticed over the past couple years my birthdays have become less about partying and huge blowouts and more about small, intimate get togethers that are much more calm.  Last year my son was only 2 months old, so I had a nice little dinner at the Cheesecake Factory with my best guy friend, mom, hubby, and of course the baby.  Very different from the previous year where a big group of my closest friends all surprised me in a hummer limo which we took to eat dinner at a trendy restaurant where my brand new BMW convertible waited for me outside with balloons and bows all over it!  After that birthday the car was sold a few months later to make way for the "baby mobile" as I like to call it, and the birthdays began to change from there!

But, I'm not complaining in the least.  I actually have enjoyed my last 2 birthdays more so than the crazy ones I had in the past.  This year was fabulous and may have been my most favorite birthday get together to date.  Some friends met us up at Mix which is a beautiful lounge that overlooks the Vegas strip.  A good friend who manages the place comped us a bottle of champagne and a table that had a spectacular view where we were able to have nice conversation and just enjoy the surroundings.  It was so good to see old friends who worked there who I haven't seen in such a long time, but are very near and dear to my heart.  One being one of my most favorite people of all time; quite possibly the nicest guy in Vegas.  The hubby had a few surprises for me; which included some beautiful decorations and my favorite cake that he was able to bring into the lounge; something that is usually not allowed but our friend let slide. :0)  It was a great night, but the old woman in me was exhausted by 11 p.m. rolled around, so we were the first to leave so that I could go home and get some beauty sleep and my dear friends and family stayed for a bit and finished their drinks.  

A few nights later the sister I never had flew into town and took me to a fabulous birthday dinner and to some other locations which will remain secret :)  I think we might possibly had been the only people in the entire place with all of our teeth and without a shank in our purses.  The people we came across that evening were very interesting to say the least; from the ones we didn't know who screamed "we rocked and are awesome" at us as we walked past them (tell us something we didn't know mister); to others who still haven't changed after many years.  It was a great night and had the same feel as 3 years before where we talked about everything and acted silly.  (It meant so much to me that you came in and the time we spent together..you managed to basically drive the car from the passenger seat because of my wonderful eyesight, kept me from having a panic attack, successfully made me wash my hands so that I was oblivious as to what was going on, and gave me one of the best nights I have had in as long as I can remember...all just by your mere presence!  I guess thats what "girls like us" do!)  

Thank you to everyone who made my birthday so special! XOXO

It Keeps Getting Better

January 14, 2009

It’s 2009, and I’m wondering how this year will be better than the last.  I always would think in the past on New Years Eve, “Next year is going to be better”, or,  “I'm going to be happier next year”.  Last year I remember being nervous and excited for 2008, partly because I was a new mom and didn’t know what the year would have in store for me.  I had no idea what I was doing, and I was terrified!  This year, I could not imagine 2009 being better or me being any happier.  Now that I have my son it’s hard to picture things being even better than the year before, although I know with all the changes he will make that will definitely be exciting, and I of course am looking forward to what the New Year brings.

Christmas was a lot more fun this year than last, because my son kind of understood that he received new toys.  Last year he was barely a month old, but this year he liked seeing what was underneath the wrapping paper and bows, although those were still the favorite things to play with once everything was unwrapped.  We were so excited to give him a mini ATV that my hubby spent time putting together the night before Christmas.  We were like little kids before we went to bed giggling and talking about how he was going to react in the morning when he walked out and saw it in the middle of the living room.  Christmas morning we awoke to his usual wake up call, which consists of babbling loudly and banging on the wall next to his crib.  We jumped out of bed and grabbed him and brought him out to the living room.  The camcorder started rolling as he walked up to the ATV….and started crying and ran into my arms for me to hold him! Talk about disappointing!  We stopped filming, and now, weeks later he still won’t go near the thing!  The pictures were funny though, and we know that he will get used to it eventually and will be putting holes in the walls banging into everything in no time.  He did, however, enjoy his new posters of the love of his life, Marilyn Monroe, which we have decorated his playroom with.  I swear he knew who she was before he knew who mama was.  We can ask him where Marilyn is and he will bring us to his playroom and look at her, but up until recently when my husband would ask him where mama was he wouldn’t even look at me!  So, while most little boys are into cars, fire trucks, and Elmo, mine is into women, particularly blondes.  What can I say….. he’s just like his father!

New years Eve we were lucky enough to get a babysitter and got to spend the night together celebrating at a fab party that the Diva Miss M threw for the cast.  We were three stories overlooking the Vegas strip at a great restaurant and got to watch all the madness down below.  I was shocked at how many baby strollers I saw on the strip, at midnight, in the freezing cold.  I’m sorry but if I couldn’t get a sitter on New Years Eve I just wouldn’t go out, plain and simple.  That to me is just selfish.  I'm far from the perfect parent and shouldn’t judge other peoples decisions… but come on!  A baby out in that weather and around all those drunks? Not only is that unsafe but is just insanity on the parents part… just my opinion.

So here’s to 2009 and all the greatness it will bring!  Another baby for us? Maybe… maybe not.  But, from what I hear it just keeps getting better!  (I still don’t know how that’s possible.)  Happy New Year!

Happy Holidays from Jordan
December 28, 2008

Hoping everyone had a great holiday season...



and a very Happy New Year!




His First Haircut
December 16, 2008

Instead of writing a blog I figured a picture can say a 1000 words. These are pictures from my son’s first haircut.  It was a traumatic day to say the least!














One Year Later
December 3, 2008

I must start off with an apology….I have been terrible since my son was born at writing updates about him and family life!  Anna, please forgive me and thank you for being one of the best friends a girl can have, being so understanding and never saying a word about me not writing…you’re the best!

I would never have enough time to talk about all the changes my son has gone through…even over just the past few weeks.  But, the highlights are that he turned ONE two weeks ago, started walking a few weeks before his birthday, had his first Halloween, went to the zoo for the first time, is still madly in love with Marilyn Monroe and Pamela Anderson, loves reading books in his room at night, started Gymboree classes, is obsessed with fans, and  just makes us laugh everyday…he is the funniest little guy I have ever met.  Everyday he changes, just this week he started mimicking me on the phone by putting it up to his ear and then putting it up to mine (we go back and forth with this 35 times and it never gets old, for him or me!), he has started sharing, which includes offering to brush my teeth with his toothbrush AFTER we just brushed his, offering me green beans that he has half chewed in his mouth and then spit out which I have to put in my mouth and act like it’s the greatest thing in the world so he will continue to eat them (yuck),  nods his head yes, gives kisses to things when asked to, and finally he holds the remote control to the fan up in the air, and presses the buttons to make it and the lights go off and on.  This may not sound like a big deal, but for a 12 month old it’s AMAZING.  Most will look at a fan and that’s it, but the fact that he has figured out that the remote is related to the fan is far beyond what he should be doing at this age.  He also just figured it out by watching us, we never taught him and then all of a sudden this week he began doing it.  I know, I know, every mother says her child is the smartest, but seriously..I think I have a problem on my hands!  He is also left handed, which is something “extra’ that the brain triggers in only a few people here and there.  What can I say…he’s a genius!  I’m sure he will teach his momma lots of new things!

My sons first birthday was a very hard milestone for my husband and I.  It was the first moment that we really realized that our “baby” is gone and now we have a ‘toddler”.  It was an emotional day, one that we were very happy about celebrating but one that also made us cry too.  We are now starting to see why people have two, three, four kids.  You really start to miss that sweet little innocent baby stage and begin to want it all over again.   We had a little party with close family and friends at the park, and had a clown, which made my son cry.  It wasn’t the clown we ordered online, but that’s a different story.  The pictures are classic though of him crying next to this smiling clown…just classic!  During the whole party all he wanted to do was play with puppies that were at the party.  He was going nuts over them, as if he had never seen dogs before when he has two little ones at home.  Again, classic pictures!  We decided for his birthday to donate all of his gifts he received at the party to Child Haven, which was a wonderful experience and something that we are going to make a tradition every year on his birthday.  We know that as he gets older, it will teach him how to share, how to care for others, and will be a real eye opener for him to see how other children have to live and how blessed his life is.  We met children at Child Haven who had been beaten and treated in the most inhumane ways you could imagine.  It was the saddest thing we have ever seen, but we were so happy to see how great the facility is.  It has come a long way in just a couple years, and although the children there have been put through hell, it was nice to see that they had a beautiful place to live in now, although temporary.  We hope that our son’s gifts brought smiles to the children’s faces there, even if it was only for a moment.  We will never forget the kids we met and the stories we heard.  It really makes you thankful for what you have, and even if you didn’t have the best childhood growing up, it shows you that there are others who have it far worse than you ever did.

Of course along with the birthday came some negativity and drama…for some reason you can’t expect adults to act like adults at a childs party.  Call me crazy but I thought I could.  It’s unbelievable that some people can be so selfish and try to ruin what should be a wonderful memory.  But, over the past year of having my son I have learned a lot about people and selfishness.  I have learned how to treat my child, and how to not treat him by things that are done to me.  I have learned that for some reason, having a child makes you not put up with other peoples crap.  Maybe its because once you have a child you instantly grow up (or you should anyway) and because you aren’t a kid anymore you can handle things as an adult rather than reverting back to a child.  Who knows, but I do know that I wont have any negativity around my son, as long as I can help it.  Of course I know that in his life he meet people who are rude, inconsiderate, and are just awful human beings, but if I can prevent him from meeting just one less of those type people, then I will.  I have learned over the past year that some people will do what they want and not respect your rules as a parent.  On the other hand I have learned that some people will rise up and be the most amazing people with my son whom I never knew had that in them.  I have learned that people will give you all sorts of advice, some that you want to hear, others not so much, but the best thing to do is nod your head, smile, and say thanks.  I have learned that some people will get extremely jealous of the way you parent because they wish they had done the same with their own children, so in turn they will make fun of what you do.  Again, smiling and bushing it off is key.  In the end, no one in this world knows my son better than I do, but sometimes others will act like they do.  My son has taught me patience and understanding, which I try to apply when dealing with others.  This past year most of all has taught me that no one in this world matters more to me than my son, and I will do anything I can to give him the best life possible.  Everything I do is in his best interest, and if others don’t like it, well…too bad.  And for those that do, well…those are the people that you will always see around me.  Those that support me and respect my decisions as a parent.  So, on this Thanksgiving weekend, I say thank you to all of you who have been there, whether in person or on the phone from afar.  You all make me a better woman and parent everyday.  To my husband, thank you for my beautiful son and all the hard work you do to provide the wonderful life we have.  You are the hardest working person I know, I have no idea how you do it.  You have given me the best gift in the world…and I’m ready for another.




 
 
My Mother's Day
May 29, 2008

When you are pregnant everyone and their mother has advice for you and doesn’t hesitate to give it to you whether you want it or not; and nothing much changes AFTER you have had the baby, or so I am learning. Although I appreciate people giving me tips that worked for them and their kids, sometimes those “tips” come in such a rude way. Some people actually want to argue about whether or not to immunize, circumcise, when to start my baby on solids, and how I put my own baby to sleep! Everyone knows I am a schedule Nazi when it comes to my son and his eating and sleeping times, however this works for him and the proof is that he has slept through the night since 5 weeks old and sleeps on average 11 hours at night now! When people want to ridicule me for this is where it becomes quite comical. I’m not sure if other people think they know my own son better than I do, or perhaps they didn’t have the success that I have had with their own children, but for some reason people always think they know better. I plan on just doing what I have been doing, which is smiling and pretending to listen when people say ridiculous things, but after awhile it gets annoying and at times hurtful when it comes from people that are close to me.

My son is now 6 1/2 months old and is growing like a little weed. At his 6 month check up he weighed 15 pounds and was almost 26 inches long. He began eating solids 2 weeks ago, which was and still is the funniest thing to watch. Not only does he make a huge mess, he also has no problem letting us know what he likes and doesn’t like. I hate to say it but I think he is going to be a picky eater as he grows up. So far he has had rice cereal, carrots, and peas, none of which he is particularly crazy about, but from what I hear once we get to fruits he is going to go nuts since they taste so much better. He can now sit up on his own for about 30 seconds before he starts to fall over, loves to stand up and hold on to things, and is always on his belly with his arms and legs up in the air like superman. I also had my first mothers’ day with him a few weeks ago, which was very special. It was so weird to hear people saying “Happy mothers day” to me, because my whole life I have associated it with just my mom and saying it to her. It was a great day though and my son knew exactly what to get me…flowers and a day at the Green Valley Ranch Spa…it's amazing how well he knows me already!

 
His First Easter
March 27, 2008

Happy Easter everyone! I hope it is a great one for you all! This is my sons first Easter and I'm so excited for him to get his picture taken with the Easter bunny. I decided to dress him up in some little bunny ears, which I'm sure he will hate me for when he gets older since they are pink. He looked so cute though I just had to snap a picture. This week he is 4 1/2 months old and the time is just flying. He has started to giggle a little this week, still not an outright laugh, but this morning I laid him next to me in bed and said his name a few times and he thought it was hilarious and gave me his first giggle. My husband was in the bathroom and said, “Was that just a laugh?” We have been waiting to hear it for a while now, so today was a happy day! I also think my poor little man is teething right now. I haven’t seen any teeth breaking through the gums just yet, but he is drooling and chewing on everything in sight. Anything he touches he tries to put in his mouth, although it has not affected his sleep (yet) thank god! Thanks to a great book I read while pregnant and the training my hubby and I gave him during his first few weeks of life, he is still averaging 10 to 11 hours of sleep at night; which makes mommy and daddy very happy!

The next big thing for him to do will be sitting up on his own, which I think he is getting very close to doing. He can sit up great with little support from me, so I am hoping by the time he is 6 months he will be doing it all the time. He really likes to babble now and say “eh eh eh” a lot! It’s so fun to hear the beginning of what his voice is going to sound like. I can’t wait to hear him talk and say funny things to me, and of course cant wait to hear him call me mama; but these things are a long way off. For now I am just enjoying everyday with him and the new things he does that make me smile!

 










 
 

Life of Being a Mom
February 25, 2008

So I realized this week it has been quite awhile since I wrote about my crazy busy life and this new little person that has entered my world to make it that way. Yes, I have been in full baby mode and have been so caught up in it that I have failed to write about my experiences, trust me, once you have one, you will see how easy it is for the days to turn into weeks, to turn into months, etc. My little honey bear (my favorite nickname for him) is already 3 1/2 months old! Crazy!!! I can’t even fathom this. I cannot believe that much time has passed already. He gets more and more wonderful each day, always doing something new and making me laugh all the time. I don’t remember my life before him. I have no idea what I did with my time. I don’t know how my life had any meaning. You think it does and then a baby changes everything! No longer does MY stuff matter anymore; it is all about my son. I am so over ME, and so into HIM!

My son's personality is really starting to come out now. He began smiling around 2 months, but now it is constant and is really out of pure joy he is feeling, rather than before where it could have been gas or something else like that. He began rolling over about a month ago from his tummy to his back, and just this week rolled from his back to his tummy. He has always been a little ahead to do these “milestones,” in fact, he is about 1 month ahead of his time. He should start to laugh soon, and I cant wait to hear it. He loves looking at himself in the mirror (he’s so handsome…so you cant blame him), loves grabbing for his toys, and loves putting everything into his mouth lately. If I let him he would suck on his fingers all day long.

Of course along with all of the wonderful things he does, there have been hard times too. His daddy is gone a lot due to work, which is hard on him and on us. I have no idea how single mothers do it, because at times I have felt like one, especially during the first few weeks when my husband was out of town due to work. Breastfeeding has also had its challenges, but I have stuck with it even when I threatened to quit (which happened almost daily at one point)! It is definitely the hardest thing I have ever done in my life but also the most rewarding. It gets better and better each day and has brought me so much happiness it is hard to put into words. Like I said earlier, once you have your own, you will understand.








Ready or Not
December 1, 2007
 
The past two weeks have been the most hectic, but also the most wonderful days of my entire life. I gave birth to my son on November 15th, 2007 at 10:03am. I unfortunately had to be induced the night before because my doctor thought the baby was getting too big and if we waited another week I would have to have a c -section, which was definitely something we did not want. My doctor figured the baby was nearing 8 pounds, so it was best to get “it” out that night. I was very nervous going into the hospital, not because I was afraid of the pain but because of the induction process. I had heard that pitocin makes contractions violently painful and much worse than if your body started them naturally, plus I was not expecting to be induced that night. I had envisioned the entire birthing process to be totally natural, so inducing was not part of the plan. It seemed as everything was happening so fast; we got to the hospital, the pitocin was administered, and then the contractions began. At first I was fine and thought I could handle it, however once the real contractions started the fun soon ended. My contractions were so hard I was throwing up in a trash bag my husband was holding in front of my face while going through them! Not a pretty sight to say the least!

I labored for almost 9 hours and got to 9 cm dilated before my husband decided that it was time for me to get an epidural. Again, not part of my birth plan, however I really do not remember him making the decision; I was completely out of it because of the pain. It is impossible to put into words the pain I was feeling and how delirious it made me feel. My hubby said my eyes were rolling in the back of my head and I was moaning and saying things he had never heard me say before. The anesthesiologist arrived around 4:30am, and from then until my son was born was the most wonderful experience I have ever had. I decided to get the lowest dose of an epidural that you could because I still wanted to be able to push and feel my legs. Some women get it to where they can feel absolutely nothing, but I wanted to be the one to actually push the baby out and do not like the feeling of being under medication; so that seemed like the best decision for me. I am so glad I did this, because I never felt pain after I received the epidural, just a lot of pressure.

I began pushing around 6:30am when my doctor arrived, only to find out that the baby was face up. I pushed for almost 4 hours while my doctor worked to turn the baby around, but “it” did not move an inch. Finally my doctor suggested that we use forceps, and if that did not work then we would have to do a c-section. I was extremely worried at this point because forceps are so outdated and not really used anymore by many doctors, and the thought of two huge metal things inserted inside of me to be put on the sides of my babies head that force him to roll over was enough to make me worried to death. However I trusted my doctor, who said that if it were his child he would do it, so we went ahead with it. I saw the table out of the corner of my eye with all of the instruments on it, including the forceps and decided not to look directly at it and to just think about how great it was going to be that in a matter of minutes my baby was going to be in my arms. My doctor ended up being successful in turning the baby, I pushed 4 or 5 times after he was done, and finally my baby was out. The next few minutes that he was out is a total blur. I missed seeing my husband cut the chord because of all the chaos going on around us. I remember hearing the nurses telling him where to cut, and then all of a sudden this human being was being placed on my chest. When the nurses announced that it was a boy I didn’t even hear them, and my husband was the one that told me what it was, which was very special. I looked down and just saw lots and lots of hair and thought “What are we going to name him?!!” We had a girl name all picked out but had no idea what we would name the baby if it were a boy! We didn’t end up naming him for 6 days, just because we wanted to find the name that fit him best. My husband ended up coming up with the name one day and it just stuck. We finally agreed after 9 months that it was perfect! My son ended up weighing 9 pounds, .02 ounces and was 20 inches long. He was so big and totally surprised us along with my doctor who had thought he was going to be about 8 pounds. This is the reason that I pushed for so long and he wouldn’t move….he was too big and got stuck! I still have no idea how a 9 pound baby came out of me and really do not want to know; but again I have an amazing doctor and literally was completely healed in 7 days.

My son is now two weeks old, and is really the perfect baby. He rarely cries and is already on a schedule. This was not easy to do, but I read a great book while I was pregnant and decided to give it a try. If it weren’t for me waking him at 4am for a feeding he would already be sleeping through the night; which I am going to start weaning him off of this week. We could not have asked for a more happy, healthy baby.

Now that I have gone through the whole pregnancy and birthing process, there are a few things that I would suggest for anyone trying to get pregnant, who is pregnant, and what to do after your baby is born. The most important thing is to not get fat! You are not eating for two and whoever came up with that is full of it! If you stay between 30-34 pounds of weight gain during pregnancy it makes the birth SO much easier. Also, after you have the baby you have the energy to keep up with your little one and you don’t have extra weight holding you down. I was able to lose 23 pounds in the first 10 days just simply by keeping my weight down during pregnancy and breastfeeding. I only have 10 pounds more to lose before I am at the weight that I was pre-pregnancy. A lot of this is attributed to breast-feeding which is the best thing for your baby. If you are able to do it I highly recommend it. The first week is hard….very hard. You are as sore as can be and feel like giving up, but somewhere around the 8th day everything starts feeling better. If you can make it past that first week it is the best thing in the world. Not only is it the perfect food for you baby, helping him/her build up his immune system, but it also helps your uterus contract back to pre pregnancy size and helps you lose weight quickly. It’s great for baby and for mommy!

I would also suggest being flexible with your birth plan. I wrote out a 5 page birth plan for my doctor and the hospital; and most of what was in it went out the window. You cannot predict what is going to happen while you are in the hospital and if you only envision the birth to go a certain way you will most likely end up being disappointed. If you want to go natural say that you are going to “try” to rather than “you definitely are”, that way if you do have to take something you wont feel like a failure. I said I was going to try throughout my whole pregnancy and I’m glad I did, because in the end I had to have an epidural because of my babies size and the use of the forceps, two things that I did not know were going to happen. It was because I didn’t place unrealistic expectations on myself that I am okay with the decision that we made to get the epidural today.

After you have the baby take as much help as you can! The best thing for people to bring instead of gifts over for the baby is food! You will have no time to cook and neither will your significant other who is running around like a chicken with his head cut off, just like you! So many people brought us dinners and it was so helpful, even though I had to eat with one hand and scarf down my food very quickly. Don’t worry…you learn how to do this right away. Everything I do now is with one hand! If people offer to clean your house; let them! If they want to do your laundry, walk your dogs, watch the baby for 15 minutes while you take a shower…let them! Don’t let your pride get in the way and try to be superwoman…you just gave birth to a human being, you already were superwoman in the hospital! Although a lot of your attention should be on the baby, don’t forget about the other person that helped make this perfect little thing with you. Its hard, but you have to remember your hubby and know that he is stressed out too, just as much as you are. He all of a sudden realizes that he has a family to take care of now and will feel like he has to work extra hard. Remember that he needs attention too and thank him for everything he does. Try to be a team rather than snapping at each other because of lack of sleep. If you feed the baby, have your hubby burp him/her. If you changed the baby last, have him do it next time, or both of you can do it together. I personally like to be right there whenever my baby is doing anything, and it makes it fun to give him a bath or change him together. It’s especially fun when he is there with me and my son decides to pee on me, which happens about 90% of the time that I change him. Having someone else there to laugh about it with me makes it not so bad!

Finally, if you are thinking about getting pregnant but aren’t sure if you’re ready right now….do it! You will NEVER feel ready, even after the baby is here! But it’s so true that once you have your baby, you will wish you did it sooner. I regret not doing it years ago! After you have your own child you wonder what you did before without it. You realize everything you did and worried about before is petty compared to what you have now. Arguments you had with people, going out with friends at night, talking about what this person did or what that person was wearing just becomes so silly. You wish you hadn’t wasted so much time on things that did not matter, because now you have something that matters so much. My son is the best thing that has ever happened to me and he is only two weeks old….I cant wait for the rest of my life with him and my family.

It's a Boy!
November 20, 2007

We at the Go-To Girls.com would like to welcome Jordan's baby boy into the world. He was born November 15, 2007 at 10:15am. Jordan went through some intense pain as she was induced and it caused painful contractions. She was induced at 7pm the previous night and didn't receive an epidermal until 4:30am as she tried to stay natural as possible. I arrived at 5am where she was finally getting some rest and was at 8cm. I patiently waited and at 7am she was fully dilated and I moved to the waiting room to wait for the beautiful life to be brought into the world. After two hours, the stubborn boy was yet to be born so after some more numbing, the 9lb 2 oz 20 inches baby boy had to be pulled out by forceps. No worries as the doctor did a wonderful job and there was not even a mark on his full head of hair. Seeing the proud parents and meeting the little one, can not be expressed into words. It was hard to hold back the tears of joy, and I have never been so happy for the two greatest people that now have a new addition to their already beautiful family. ~Anna Parks

The Confirmation
March 13, 2007

Well, I guess I should have known I was pregnant, but for some reason I was still shocked to see the positive test this week! My boobs are killing me, I have to pee constantly and get up in the middle of the night to do so which NEVER happened before, have been exhausted for no reason (or so I thought), and I have been very forgetful about little things, which is also very unlike me.

I had associated all of these things to my period coming on and some stressful family situations that I really did not put much thought into the whole pregnancy thing. Also, my husband and I did not try nearly enough as we “should “ have and as much as we have the past couple months, so you can imagine my surprise a few days ago!

Aside from the things I have mentioned, I really do not feel much different. I feel like I am carrying a little bit of extra water weight that I normally do not have, but nothing that anyone else would notice at the moment. I am not craving any different foods right now, and smells are not bothering me like they did before. By the way, one thing I should mention is that I was pregnant about a year ago…11 months to be exact. My husband and I found out while we were in Maui with my family, which was very, very special. I, unfortunately, miscarried 3 months later in May, which was devastating to us both.

The first 3 months I have experienced before, so I am comparing how I feel at the moment with how I felt then, and things seem to be different, thank goodness! Last time, I was pregnant I had terrible morning sickness, (I would call it ALL DAY sickness… I have no idea where this “morning” crap came from, but wish it was true) and I could not stand the smell of certain foods and craved strange things like, fettuccini alfredo that I hated and never ate in my life. However, last year in Maui, I made my family, which included my 80 year old grandmother, run all around the island in order to find an Italian restaurant where I could have this craving fulfilled. You can imagine how difficult it was to find an Italian restaurant on a small piece of land that is surrounded by the ocean where every restaurant primarily serves fish, but be assured I found a place where I could have my fettuccini alfredo. Funny thing is I only hate about a third of it! My family wanted to kill me.

I have started reading a great book “The Girlfriends Guide To Pregnancy”, which basically lays out everything your doctor won’t tell you. From hemorrhoids that I will get, (oh lovely) to having permission to hit my husband if he touches my boobs, (trust me, I have already exercised this right multiple times). At least now it keeps me laughing and sidetracks me from worrying about another miscarriage. I know I should not worry, but it is only natural, especially if you have already experienced it once.

My first doctor’s appointment is next week to “confirm” by a blood test that I am indeed pregnant, although we already know it is true. If a missed period was not enough evidence, I not only took 1 pregnancy test, but 2, just to be doubly sure! They both confirmed what we had been hoping for!


Week 7: That Sick Feeling
March 17, 2007

Our last ultrasound was done at 8 weeks, this week I am 13 weeks and the difference in the ultrasound pictures was just amazing. Once again as we were watching the baby on the screen it moved all around and looked like it was sucking its thumb. They say beginning in the 12th week the baby starts moving its arms and having reflexes to where it can bring its hand up to its mouth, and we believe we saw that during the ultrasound. We also want to believe that the baby is smiling in one of the pictures at us, but maybe this is just wishful thinking. Truly though, it really does look like it is smiling!
This week, crown to rump the baby is 21/2 to 3 inches and is about the size of a peach. Fetal growth is particularly striking from now through about 24 weeks of pregnancy. The baby has doubled in length since the 7th week. Changes in fetal weight have also been tremendous during the last 8 to 10 weeks of my pregnancy. One interesting change is the relative slowdown of the growth of my babies head compared to the rest of its body. Fetal body growth accelerates as fetal head growth slows down. This week the baby's face is beginning to look more humanlike. Eyes, which started out on the side of the head, move closer together on the face. The ears come to lie in their normal position on the sides of the head, and external genitalia have developed enough so a male can be distinguished from a female if examined outside of the womb.
I have read on different websites that during this week people are able to tell that I am pregnant without me having to tell them myself. However, everyone keeps telling me that they can’t even tell I’m pregnant. My husband and I looked on a website last night that shows pictures of different women in all the weeks of pregnancy. When we looked at pictures of week 13 women they looked huge! I don’t know if we are just having a small baby or if these women literally took on the phrase “eating for two”, but I am no way close to looking like these women. I notice a little bump but all of my clothes are still fitting me (yes they are a little snug but I swear I will force myself into my pre pregnancy jeans when I’m on the way to the hospital to give birth….even if it kills me). They say next week that maternity clothes are pretty much a must by then, so this week I think I will be venturing off to the mall to buy some looser fitting tops, dresses, and sweat pants. Thank god empire waists are popular at the moment. I don’t have to step foot into those dreaded maternity stores just yet..I can still shop like a normal girl. Hey, I’m just pregnant, I don’t want to have to dress like my grandmother for gods sake.

Week 14: Tell Me Where to Go
May 1, 2007

This week my hubby and I had a lovely time visiting our two options for hospitals to give birth at when the time comes. My decision was extremely easy to make and surprising to me. The first hospital that is literally 5 minutes away from our house has maternity suites that overlook the beautiful Las Vegas strip, have plasma televisions in every room, free internet access, nice pull out beds for the daddys-to-be, and is only a few years old. Our second choice is about 25 minutes away, has been around for at least 50 years, and overlooks a power plant. So, it is obvious the choice was effortless to make and I’m sure you can guess which hospital I chose. Yep that’s right, the 50 year old one about 100 miles away! Why you ask would I do such a stupid thing? Well, the answer was clear-cut for me. I chose service over something aesthetically pleasing. Do I really need a strip view? My guess is I will be looking at my baby, not the glittering lights of the strip that I can see on any night I wish. Also, am I really going to be watching a plasma TV for 24 hours? In between feeding my baby, tending to it’s crying, and trying to recover from pushing a human being out of my body my guess is no, I will not have time for TV. Also, does my hubby really need a pull out, comfy bed? Hey, if I am going to be in pain the least he can do is sleep on a sofa…it’s not going to kill him. Seriously though, the older hospital fit our needs so much more than the newer one, and not for the silly reasons I have mentioned above. As I have said previously, I am going to attempt to have a natural childbirth without an epidural or any drugs whatsoever. People think I am crazy for this, but my mother did it, my grandmother did it, women in Africa do it, heck Mary did it when she had Jesus Christ. It cannot be that hard! It has been done, is still done, and will be done if I have it my way. The older hospital is more tolerable and patient with mothers to be like me. It is almost like you step back in time when you enter this hospital. The nurses are more caring, the bed side manner is fabulous, and they encourage the birth to be how I wish it to be. At the newer hospital they are all about drugs, drugs, drugs, and are basically a baby factory. They are always full and the nurses that I met were not that friendly. In fact one told me “We like to be notified when people come in to look at the birthing rooms”. This was in response to me not calling beforehand to schedule an appointment to look at a room. I still am a little confused about this….what is the big deal? Who knows, who cares. The pretty hospital can have their strip view. I am going where I will be well cared for and so will my baby. They have water birthing tubs there, birthing balls, and a slew of other wonderful amenities that can deliver my child without me being knocked out and not knowing what the heck is going on. I want to enjoy and experience every minute of my childs birth, including the pain!

I am entering my 14th week of pregnancy and feel really great. The morning sickness is gone and I am so thrilled to be in my second trimester. This week crown to rump the baby is 31/4 to 4 inches in length. It is about the size of a fist and weighs almost 1 ounce. Maternity clothes are a must at this point, although I am proud to say I went to the doctor this week and I have only gained 6 pounds! Most women gain 10 pounds in the first trimester, so needless to say my doctor was very pleased. Although 6 pounds on me looks like 20 in my eyes….but that is a different issue for me to work on with my therapist! This week the baby’s ears have moved from the neck to the sides of the head and eyes have been moving gradually from the side of the head to the front of the face. The neck continues to get longer, and the chin no longer rests on the chest. Also some lovely hemmoroids may start to surface soon! How exciting! If anyone has some extra Tucks medicated pads lying around your house feel free to drop them off…it sounds as if I may be needing them soon. Awww…the joys of pregnancy; such a beautiful time. I have getting fatter and my ass hurting to look forward to…makes me want to have another one right after I pop this one out!

Week 15: Creating Space
May 8, 2007

Agreeing on having a baby was no problem for my husband and I, but agreeing on paint colors for the babies room at Home Depot and at Lowe’s? Impossible. After bitching back and forth at each other for a half hour we finally decided on two colors that we liked…or so we thought. Finding paint is a very complicated process, one which I had no idea existed. The problem is we have a border we are using in the room and had to match two colors up to the border and make sure the colors blended together nicely. We decided to paint one wall just to see if we liked it or not before we did the entire room. I happen to like it; my husband on the other hand hates one of the colors now that it is up on the wall. Now we have no choice but to have other people come over and give us their opinions. This means my mother, grandmother, and mother-in-law. Great…just what a pregnant girl wants…all three of these women together yakking like chickens and asking me “What were you thinking?” “I think you should do this” “Your father and I did this” ‘The baby wont like those colors” blah, blah, blah. At the end of our painting day I ended up crying and had a terrible headache from the damn fumes that my doctor said “wouldn’t affect me at all”….yeah right.

This week fetal crown to rump length is 4 to 41/2 inches and is about the size of a softball. Although it is too early to feel movement this week, I should start feeling it in the next few weeks. Sometimes I feel little flutters but my doctor killed that beautiful thought quickly when he told me it was just gas. So now I have no clue what I am waiting to feel. Will it be gas, or will it be the baby? How will I know?At this point the babies skin is thin, blood vessels are visible through the skin, and fine hair called lanugo hair covers the baby’s body. By this time the baby may be sucking its thumb, and eyes continue to move to the front of the face but are still widely separated. Bones that have already formed are getting harder and retaining calcium rapidly. If an X-ray were done at this time, the baby’s skeleton would be visible!

I am trying to change my sleeping positions this week, as all books are suggesting I do. I have to get used to lying on my side, because as I get bigger lying on my back can place the uterus on top of important blood vessels that run down my back. This can decrease circulation to the baby and parts of my body. Also it might be hard to breathe lying on my back. And of course sleeping on my tummy puts extra pressure on the growing uterus and becomes impossible as the months go by. This week I was also looking forward to a lovely massage at a beautiful spa here in Las Vegas. It is at one of the most beautiful resorts and has been named one of the best spas here in town. I chose this wonderful mango scrub and wrap to have, until I was told that the wraps cannot be done on pregnant women and I can only have the “pregnancy massage” that they offer. No bueno. So between the painting, the crying, the headaches, the uncomfortable sleeping positions and me being told I can’t have my damn mango scrub ..I am not a happy camper this week. Where are these women that say pregnancy is the best time of their lives? I would love to interview them and find out what planet they came from because so far I have yet to discover the joys of it. Hopefully they are on their way.

Week 16: Flat On My Back
May 15, 2007

Last week I wrote about our troubles finding paint at Lowe’s for the baby room; this week I will show you first hand what happens when you do not wait for your interior designer to help you pick out the proper color paint and you and your husband decide to do it yourselves. We really thought the colors we picked were going to look great with the border of baby jungle animals that we are going to put up in the middle of the walls…boy were we wrong. After four peoples opinions (all who said ‘What were you thinking?!”) and my husband and I staring unsurely at the colors for a few days, we decided it was time to call in our decorator for some much needed assistance. Now, this week what should have been a fifty dollar paint job has turned into a two hundred dollar paint job to cover up our mistakes, prime the walls, and re-paint all over again. However, the room is looking fabulous now and the colors are wonderful! Hopefully this week we will finish up the little details of our paint job and we can move in the crib and rocking chair that used to be mine when I was a little girl, which my mother saved for 27 years until I had a baby. I used to think my mom was nuts to hang on to things like that, but now I see myself saving the same crib and maybe someday my babies will use them when they are 27. I’m sure they will think I am insane as well.

I am entering my 16th week of pregnancy, (end of my fourth month) this week and am feeling great. This week crown to rump is 4 1/3 to 4 2/3 inches, and weight is about 2 3/4 ounces. I can easily feel my uterus now underneath my bellybutton which weighs about 8 3/4 ounces. Just six weeks ago my uterus weighed 5 ounces! There is also a large amount of amniotic fluid around the baby (about 7 1/2 ounces)…no wonder my tummy is so hard and protruding out. Even though the baby is small, the other changes that are occurring in my tummy are amazing, which allows me to be a little more easy on myself for getting bigger! Fine hair covers the baby’s head this week, and the umbilical cord is attached to the abdomen and has moved lower on the body of the fetus. Fingernails are also well formed, legs are longer than arms, and arms and legs are moving! I also may be able to feel the baby move this week. Most women describe this feeling as a gas bubble or fluttering, and you usually do not realize what you are feeling until you really pay attention and then realize you are feeling your baby move! Movement occurs between 16 and 20 weeks, but I am hoping that I will be one of the lucky ones that feels it sooner than later.
Week 16 is also the turning point of no more lying flat on your back in bed while resting or sleeping. I have been trying to lie on my sides with pillows stuffed under me to get used to this, and you do not realize how difficult it is until you try to stay that way all night long. Next week my hubby is taking me to Cabo San Lucas for my 1st mothers day/our third anniversary celebration, so I guess I better bring some extra towels to prop up behind me while we are lounging on the beach! We are going for a straight week to rest and spend some special time with each other since this will probably be our last vacation for awhile, unless I have a baby that enjoys traveling as much as I do….I’m keeping my fingers crossed on that one. I don’t want to give up vacations!

Week 17: Time for Vacay
May 21, 2007

Viva la Mexico!! The hubby, baby to-be and I are off to our favorite resort in beautiful Cabo San Lucas, Mexico for a week. This will be our last vacay for awhile since pretty soon I can no longer travel on a plane, and then once the baby comes I doubt we will be venturing off to any hot beaches. So, the oversized clothes are packed and of course I will not forget to tote along the beautiful, fashionable new maternity bathing suit I bought. It looks like something my 80-year-old grandmother would wear….no joke. The problem is I am still in that in between stage where my old clothes and bathing suits aren’t fitting, but I’m still too small to fit in maternity clothes just yet, so the bathing suit is a little too big for me and just looks like I gained some weight and am embarrassed to show any skin. Maybe I will walk around and purposely stick out my stomach as if to be yelling to everyone “Hey look…this is NOT a bathing suit to cover up any fat…this is a MATERNITY bathing suit because I am PREGNANT if you couldn’t already tell!” Who am I kidding? By the second day there I’m not going to give a crap what anyone thinks…I will just be concerned where the waiter is with my nachos and virgin pina coloda. Aahh…I love vacation!

This week crown to rump length of the baby is 4 1/2 to 4 3/4 inches. Fetal weight has doubled in 2 weeks and is about 3 1/2 ounces. By this week, the baby is about the size of my hands spread wide open! This week the baby’s fingernails are well formed and the baby is also beginning to accumulate a little fat. Also, at 17 weeks of development water makes up about 3 ounces of the baby’s body. At full term, fat makes up about 5 1/4 pounds of the total average weight of 7 3/4 pounds. The books that I am reading tell me that I have felt my baby move at this point, but if not then I should very very soon. Sometimes I think that I am feeling something, but I don’t know what I’m supposed to be feeling so I have no idea if I really have or not! This may not sound like a big deal, but to me it is very frustrating. I was laying in bed a few nights ago, my hubby sound asleep snoring next to me, and I swore I felt something repeatedly. However, I then started thinking it was just gas bubbles, got confused, and then I was mad and just went to sleep. Everyone has told me so many different things of what it is going to feel like, so at this point I think all these people just assumed what they were feeling was the baby moving and that is what they explain to me, so perhaps I should just do the same! Still, I want the first time I feel it to be this obvious moment where I am alerted right away and stand up and yell “IT”S MOVING! IT’S MOVING!” But I know that is probably not going to be how it goes down. Maybe while in Mexico some spicy guacamole will get the little bun in the oven jumping around for the first time. That would be a great place to experience the moving for the first time….wish me luck. Adios and Buenos noches!!

Week 18: Sensing Life
May 28, 2007

The hubby, baby to be, and I unfortunately are back from our vacay in Cabo. We had such a wonderful time though and basically just relaxed for a week and enjoyed our last trip before the baby arrives. We had the most amazing experience while in Mexico when we went to swim with dolphins one day. We had a female dolphin named Endy who was 7 years old and who the trainer said was “very hyper”. This made me a little nervous before we got in the water because you have to be careful of the tail or fin, which is where they get all their strength to swim, jump and do flips, etc. Also, the dolphin itself weighs a couple hundred pounds, so I was a bit apprehensive about getting into the water and guarded my tummy once I did get in. We advised the trainer that I was pregnant and he had me put my stomach up to the dolphin’s ear. Dolphins can hear sonar, so Endy right away could hear that I had two heartbeats…the most important being the babies for her to hear. We were in a group of about 6 other people and we all take turns hugging the dolphin, petting her, taking pictures with her, dancing with her, and riding on her. I had decided before we got in the water that I was not going to do the riding part. I saw others before me do it and it bounces you around a lot and is very fast, plus your body is right next to her tail so I thought it would be best to sit that part out. Our entire group went and it was finally my turn to go if I wanted to do it. Everyone that went loved it, it basically feels like a roller coaster and it was amazing how fast the dolphin could swim. One lady in our group that had to be in her 70’s went and Endy went so fast with her and almost threw her into the edge of the pool wall when it dropped her off. The trainer told me I would be fine as long as I held on to her top fin with my arms stretched out. He assured me that the tail would not hit me while we were riding, so I decided to do it. I swam out in the middle of the pool and waited for Endy to come get me. The trainer whistled at her to go and she began swimming quickly towards me. My heart was beating out of control and I thought it was going to come out of my chest I was so nervous. Endy came up beside me and waited for me to grab on to her fin. I did so and waited….and waited…and waited. I thought, “Why aren’t we going?” Then I realized we were moving, however Endy was swimming so slow it didn’t even feel like we were moving at all! We glided back to where the group was waiting and she gently dropped me off at the edge of the pool. I had to push her body away from me to let her know that she could leave me. It was the most amazing experience ever. The fact that a dolphin knew I was pregnant and was extra careful with me while we swam was just amazing. I could not believe an animal could actually comprehend this. The trainer told us he did not give her any special instructions to be gentle, he said she could sense and hear the pregnancy and knew what to do. Everyone in our group was going crazy after they witnessed this, and needless to say I was a little choked up as I got out of the water.
I am entering my 18th week of pregnancy this week. Crown to rump length of the baby is 5 to 5 1/2 inches and weight is about 5 1/4 ounces. My uterus this week is the size of a cantaloupe or larger! I am definitely noticing a baby bump now and I think I am beginning to look pregnant now rather than just chubby around my tummy. The good news is at this point I should have gained between 10 and 13 pounds and I have gained 12, so at least I am still under the norm, even though it just a little! Tomorrow I go in for a test at my doctor’s office called an alpha feto-protein test. This test can determine if a person is carrying a child with Down syndrome or any other abnormalities. To say I am concerned and nervous for tomorrow’s appointment would be an understatement. This test is performed by a blood draw, and if it were to come back positive an amniocentesis is done. This is a more invasive procedure where a needle is passed through the abdominal wall into the uterus and fluid is withdrawn from the amniotic cavity (the area around the baby) with a syringe. Hopefully we will receive great results from tomorrows test and will not have to deal with any of that. Please remember us in your prayers tomorrow if you can, we go in at 8:30am. It would be greatly appreciated!

Week 19: I Forget
June 5, 2007

This weeks exciting news is that I am getting more forgetful each day and I get dizzy about 10 times a day. I know, I know, it’s really not that exciting, but it is just more of the strange things that are happening to me due to pregnancy. I used to have the greatest memory in the world, but now I….um…what was I talking about? Oh yeah, my memory. As far as the dizziness is concerned, it is common during the second trimester of pregnancy and is due to the enlarging uterus putting pressure on my aorta and vena cava. It can be reduced by not sleeping or resting on my back; which let me tell you is really impossible to do. I have been trying my hardest at night to sleep on my sides, but when I wake up in the morning I am somehow on my back. My husband even stuffs me into bed at night like a sausage with big pillows on both of my sides so that I do not roll over onto my back, however every night I somehow manage to do it. I can’t wait to sleep on my stomach and back again…these are the simple things you look forward to once again and wait 9 months to do!

This week I am entering my 19th week of pregnancy and I cannot believe that next week I will be halfway done! It is just amazing that I am almost 5 months pregnant; the time is really going by fast now. This week crown to rump length is 5 1/4 to 6 inches. The baby weighs about 7 ounces and will increase its weight more than 15 times between now and delivery! At this point my total weight gain should be between 8 and 14 pounds, and I have gained…drum roll…13.5 pounds, so I am proud to say I am still in the normal weight gain range. Even though only 7 ounces is the baby, the placenta weighs about 6 ounces, amniotic fluid weighs another 11 ounces, the uterus weighs 11 ounces, and the ever-increasing boobs weigh about 6 ounces. The rest of the weight is increased blood volume and other maternal stores.

Last week I wrote about the alpha-fetoprotein test that we had done to check for down syndrome and other abnormalities, which came back perfectly normal, thank god. This week we go for our second ultrasound where they can determine the sex (which I have to make sure during it I tell the tech 50 times not to slip and tell us what it is) and also we get more fun pictures! We are so excited to see how the baby has changed since the last pictures we got. This week the doctor will also use the ultrasound to check for hydrocephalus, which is a fun term for water on the brain. It is associated with spina bifida, however if it is found there is therapy that can be done in the uterus to rid it. So, although we are excited to see the baby this week, we are nervous at the same time. I am looking forward to a doctor’s visit that is fun and that I do not have to worry about a thing while I am there; but I guess that will never happen! We know everything will turn out fine but of course worry is part of pregnancy. I suppose I will not stop worrying until I hold our baby in my arms, however I know when that happens I will worry for the next 18 years after that..so I better just get used to the feeling now!

Week 22 & Week 23: Fully Development
June 19, 2007

Last week in my 22nd week of pregnancy I really started feeling a lot of movement from the baby…it was unreal. It literally went from feeling very little to hard kicks and punches in a matter of a few days! Also last week my first stranger asked me if I was pregnant! I wasn’t really wearing anything fitted either, so I’m glad that I’m beginning to show and actually look pregnant and am out of the “just looking chunky” phase. After this girl asked me I wondered later what happens when people ask others if they are pregnant and they really aren’t. It’s a hard question to ask people and you should be pretty sure someone is before you do; otherwise you could majorly offend someone! Anyway, it was fun to be asked last week…I just hope I’m not asked AFTER I have already had the baby!

Last week the baby weighed nearly a pound and was almost a foot in length! The pancreas was almost formed and the baby started producing its own hormones as well. Furthermore, the inner ears were developed enough to the point that the baby now has its own sense of balance! This week I am entering my 23rd week of pregnancy…and the kicks and punches just keep on coming. Whoever said the beginning feelings were like butterflies was either very lucky or out of their mind, because I never felt anything like that! I really went from feeling nothing to feeling like I have a little UFC fighter in my stomach. Many books that I am reading say that movement is much more prevalent now because the baby is able to hear not only me but other voices and outside sounds. I have read that even a car honking its horn in traffic could cause the baby to start thrashing around crazily! As I am typing this I am getting nice little kicks (well not so little) right down into my bladder and trust me, it doesn’t feel too good. For some reason my baby loves to kick down there. I have to literally try to lift my tummy in order to get the baby's legs to kick out to the sides!

This week the baby weighs about a pound and is a foot long, although measured crown to rump is 8 inches. The baby is basically the size of a small doll at this point. The baby’s face and body begin to assume more of the appearance of an infant at birth, with the eyelids and eyebrows being well developed. They say at this point friends are commenting on your size, either asking if you’re having twins because you are so large or saying you’re too small for how far along you think you are. I definitely get the latter comments, with everyone saying they cannot believe I am almost 6 months pregnant. I have actually had people infer that there is no way I am that far along! I think I would know when I got pregnant and how far along I am….but strangers will say the weirdest things sometimes! Instead of getting miffed when people say things like that I take it as a compliment, because really they are saying that I don’t look that big which is fantastic! I would hate it if people were asking me if I was having twins right now! My poor husband would hear me crying twice as much as he does now. For some reason I cry over the stupidest things at the moment…usually things on TV. Last night we were watching a dateline special about a girl that was murdered and I was balling my eyes out at the end for absolutely no reason. Sure it was sad that his poor girl was killed, but before I was pregnant I would say “wow that’s too bad” and forget about it 10 seconds later. Last night though, I cried and cried and said, “Just because she went off with that guy doesn’t mean she deserved that!!!” My hubby just said “okay…okay” and rubbed my leg! Thinking back about it now it is hysterical to me, the fact that I was so emotional and the look on his face not knowing what to do or what the hell was wrong with me! I am glad to report though that it states in a book I am reading that these emotions are typical at this point in pregnancy and most doctors believe they occur from the hormonal changes that continue throughout pregnancy. Stay tuned to hear what I cry about next week!

Week 24: The Last Round
July 2, 2007

We are finally done with painting the baby room and putting up the border! Sounds like a small task, but as busy as our house is, this is a big deal! My husband is the hardest working person I know, so for him to have finished this part of the room with 3 more months to go in my pregnancy made me a very happy girl. This week we will bring in the crib from the garage that was once mine that my mother has saved for 27 years, and will find a place to refinish it white. Right now it is a brown wood, but because there is a lot of white in the baby room we think it will look better and newer if we change it up a bit. Now that all the hard painting work is out of the way, the fun part begins where we can start decorating the room with all the nice things that people have given us so far as gifts. In a couple weeks the room should be almost complete and this is a big relief to someone that has extreme OCD like myself. I want everything to be done early so that in my final month of pregnancy I have nothing to worry about except where I will be when my water breaks!

I am officially at the 6th month mark, 24 weeks pregnant. I still feel pretty normal and haven’t grown very much, but from what I understand the real growing is going to begin now. The last trimester the baby begins to develop and gain weight quickly, and at the end of this week the baby will be over 2 pounds! This is amazing because at the start of the week it is about 1 1/4 pound! It will also be 14 inches long…so that is some major growing that is occurring in one weeks time! This week the ears and fingernails are done, and if I am having a boy the testicles are decending down to the scrotum from the abdominal wall by the end of the week as well.

This week I have to take a lovely trip to the doctors office and drink some disgusting concoction that tastes like absolute garbage to determine if I have developed diabetes during pregnancy. This is a common test that is done at the 6th month mark, however I am really not looking forward to it. Not only do I have to drink this stuff, but I also have to wait a few hours after I drink it for them to draw blood (2 more things I hate….waiting and getting pricked by needles) in order to determine what my blood sugar levels are. Should be exciting! Although I must admit I used to have a major fear of needles and hated getting my blood drawn, but when youre pregnant it seems that every week someone is taking your blood for some reason, so I am actually starting to get used to it. This is very weird to me because I really was the biggest baby in the world when it came to giving blood. Now something seems “off” during my week if I don’t have a blood draw scheduled! Perhaps it is just natures way of helping you get over the little pains in life to lead up to the big pain…having a human being come out of my body in 3 months!!

Week 25: The 7th Inning
July 9, 2007

This week I am entering my 25th week of pregnancy. It is hard to believe that I am starting my 7th month and am in my final trimester at this point. It really has gone by so very fast. Reality is definitely starting to set in now, and to think that I will have my baby in my house in less than 3 months is very exciting but of course overwhelming. This week has been the hardest for me so far during my pregnancy due to a lot of stress that I have been under and just different personal issues going on. I need to try to just relax so that my body is not under so much stress, so this week I am planning on doing very little and just trying to calm down. Aside from this past week though I have to admit that pregnancy has been very good to me. I don’t feel that much different than I did before I was pregnant, so as long as this last trimester isn’t too bad I would actually look forward to being pregnant again. We would like to have a few kids so I am hoping if all goes as planned I will probably be pregnant for the next couple of years, and I am hopeful they will all be as good as this one has been to me.

This week the baby is 13.5 inches long and weighs about a pound and a half. At this point my uterus is the size of a soccer ball, so I am definitely looking pregnant at this point without any question! At this point if the baby were to be born today, the chances of it surviving are very good outside of the womb. The respitory system is getting stronger each day, and although it would be very premature, it is a relief that to get to this point. This week the baby also begins to rotate out of the breech position, and the head begins to point towards the birth canal. In only 14 short weeks the baby will be out of my body!

I am looking forward to a week of relaxation, getting my hair done, getting a pedicure, and going to see my godson for his baptism in California for few days. I am finally treating myself to a “me” week where all I will take care of is myself. Hopefully next week I will be back feeling rejuvenated and ready to face this final, dreadful last trimester!

Week 26: Seeing the Light
July 16, 2007

My baby can finally see this week! His or her little eyelids have been fused closed for the past 25 weeks, but this week they have finally separated and they are able to see the inside of the womb! This is so amazing to me; I wish I could remember what it looked like in there! My little one is piling on baby fat this week as well, and hair is starting to grow on its head! Most importantly this week, neurons and brain tissue are developing at a rapid pace and will continue to do so until eight years old of childhood. This is a big week for my little kicker!

This week the hubby, baby and I are off to Cali for our nephew/godsons baptism. We are so looking forward to getting out of Vegas and getting to see our family and the beach! This week I'm in my 26th week of pregnancy and the baby will hit almost 2 pounds of weight. Also I will start to grow a 1/2 inch a week along with the baby! This is where the uncomfortable phase of pregnancy begins (so I am told) because the bigger you get, the harder it is to do simple things. I am already having trouble bending over tying my shoes when I take my dogs for a walk! But, everything has gone well so far so I am planning on continuing to exercise and eat well and I should be able to avoid a lot of the uncomfortable feeling that some people bring on themselves with poor diet and sedentary. I am proud to say that at this point I have gained 17.5 pounds, and the book I am readying says I should be between 16 and 22 pounds at this stage if I have been doing everything right. I am glad I am in the normal range, which should make delivery much easier.

Last week I had to redo my blood glucose test because I failed the first test that was given to me the week before. Many women acquire gestational diabetes for some reason, so I had to have another batch of tests done. I am hoping these will come out okay, although even if they don’t it is quite common and easy to control. However I am looking a bit like a heroine addict at the moment with all the needle marks that are in my arms. I had to sit at the doctors office for 3 hours and get pricked 4 times….so not fun! I guess I will have to pile on make up on my arms to hide the bruising and marks so that they don’t show up in the baptism photos!! I should find out when I get back into town the results of my tests so I will keep you posted. Now I am off to pack!

Week 27: Time for School
July 23, 2007

I was beginning to worry last week that something was wrong with me. I’ve been more tired, irritable, and just one of those pregnant girls that you really don’t want to be around. So, I was relieved this week to learn that once again, just as in the first trimester, my hormones have kicked into high gear during this last phase and all of these symptoms are completely normal. My husband though, probably not so relieved. He has been getting the brunt end of all my irritableness and bad moods on a constant basis! I dont think a day has gone by this past week where he hasn’t said “You’re being mean to me” to which I always reply “No, you were mean first!!!” I don’t know why, but blaming it on him makes me feel even better…again, must be the crazy hormones. These are really the only symptoms I have been experiencing, thank god. All the books I am reading say I should be swelling up like a little pig, sweating like there is no tomorrow, having naseau once again and having to pee every 10 minutes. Aside from having to pee a lot especially at night due to the baby compressing my bladder I haven’t had any of these problems, which I am very thankful for!

This week I am in my 27th week of pregnancy. The baby is a little over 2 pounds and is 151/4 inches long. I have no idea how he/she is fitting in that tiny space being that long! At this point the lungs are already capable of breathing air while the pulmonary vascular system can provide sufficient gas exchange and the central nervous system can regulate rhythmic breathing as well as basal body temperature. It feels good to know that the baby could be born prematurely at this point and be able to live perfectly outside of the womb with all of these important body parts functioning and being complete.

Tonight the hubby and I are off to our first childbirth classes. Of course I went nuts and signed us up for about 7 of them…when you have OCD you can never be too prepared! For the next three Mondays we are going to learn all about the birthing process and what to expect, as well as learning different breathing techniques. I am excited to go to class and be around other mommy to bes and maybe gain some new friends that understand what I am going through and have the same concerns that I do at this point. I think it will be good for the hubby to be around some other soon to be daddys too, whose wives are dragging them to these classes that they all are probably dreading to go to. It will be nice for all of us to have someone else to complain to for the next few weeks!

Week 28: Engaging the Rage
July 30, 2007

And once again... the bitchiness continues for another week in a row. I am really becoming one of those pregnant girls you don’t want to be around…really. I know I said that last week but sadly it is true. And my poor husband, he is a saint. In fact I told him so today. He is now figuring out these weird moods that hit me here and there, and he just deals with them by trying to make me happy in anyway possible such as; hugging me, bringing me flowers, bringing home dinner, dancing to make me laugh, telling me I don’t look fat and pointing out all the girls that are, sitting quietly while I whine about insignificant things (I told you this man is a saint), and just really scrambling to do anything other than piss me off even further! I don’t even know how to explain these moods. One minute I am fine and then the next minute I am mad at the world. I think maybe I have a lot on my mind with registering for my shower, finishing the room, figuring out what to bring to the hospital, doctors appointments, baby classes, and just getting ready for another human being to be in our lives that we are totally responsible for. It’s a lot of stress…happy stress, but still stress and I guess it just gets to me sometimes! (Although lately more like ALL the time!)

I am in my 28th week of pregnancy, which means I have officially completed 7 months! Only 2 more months to go and the time is really flying. The baby weighs nearly 2 1/2 pounds this week and total length is 15 3/4 inches. I had a doctor’s appointment this past week and he said the baby is already in the head down position, which is amazing! I still thought it was lying on its side and would take at least a few more weeks to get into the birth position.

This week the baby is doing a lot of blinking and can respond to light and dark if it is near my belly. Also the eyebrows and eyelashes are becoming more present and the hair on the head is growing longer. The baby is beginning to fill out a lot due to increased fat underneath the skin. In the past 11 weeks the baby has increased its weight more than 10 times 11 weeks ago it only weighed 3 1/2 ounces compared to 2 1/2 pounds as of now! It is amazing how fast the baby changes in just a few weeks…I can only imagine how sad I am going to be to watch it change so rapidly right before my eyes. Everyone that has children tells my husband and I how fast they grow and just to enjoy everyday with them, which we are going to try to do. I need to start doing it now and enjoying these last few weeks of pregnancy as well.

Week 29: Registering the Store
August 6, 2007

I will be happy if I never have to set foot inside Babies R Us ever again in my lifetime. Unfortunately though, I hear once you have a baby you are there almost weekly getting things that you think you need. After spending 4 hours last week starting my baby registry for my shower and going back yesterday to update it for another couple hours... I am completely over that place and all the gadgets that are inside of it. Worst of all… we didn’t even finish yesterday so we have to go back for a third time this week. I’m sure it gets easier the more babies you have, but going as first time parents is completely overwhelming. You know you need a pacifier; however there are 87 different ones from which to choose. Same goes with bottles, swings, bathtubs, mattresses, sleep positioners, breast milk bags, diapers, etc. The list is endless and some of the stuff I have never even heard of in my life…yet Babies R Us gives you a checklist of all these things that you “need”. What do women in Africa do that don’t have this mega store down the street from their hut to run to if they run out of gel breast absorbent pads? The hubby and I got to talking about this and people that just don’t have the money to get $400 Jeep jogging strollers, $250 pack and plays, $500 high chairs, and not only realized how blessed we are that we can’t afford and get these things for our new baby, but also how these things really aren’t necessities. Our grandparents didn’t have these things back in the day because of such tight budgets they were on, yet they made it work and their kids came out great. However, we now are forced to believe that without these things we are bad parents or our babies won’t have the essentials needed in life. So, although we are very thankful for all the things we got, it was good to realize that it really isn’t “needed” and gave us a newfound respect for our family that weren’t afforded these luxuries.

This week the baby weighs almost 3 pounds and is 16 inches long! The growth at this point week to week is truly amazing, and with only 11 weeks to go it’s amazing to think of how rapidly it will grow to be ready for birth. It is has accumulated enough body fat to account for 3.5% of its overall body weight, and it’s spleen is now complete and is building up important blood components. Apparently the baby gets a bad case of hiccups at this point every now and then from practicing breathing which I should be able to feel, however I haven’t just yet. I am a little grateful though that either I’m not feeling it or it hasn’t gotten them yet, since a friend recently told me that her baby’s hiccups kept her up all night one time during her pregnancy! I’m having a hard enough time sleeping comfortably at night as it is with my 4 different pillows and weird sleeping positions I have to concoct, so my baby better save its practicing with breathing for during the day!

Week 30: Fitting for Fashion
August 13, 2007

There’s a reason you never see pregnant women at hot, happening celebrity filled parties and I have finally uncovered the answer why this week. This phenomenon is due to the fact that it is IMPOSSIBLE to find any outfit that looks somewhat decent to wear in order to fit in with everyone else that is looking fabulous around you. This week my cousin is taking me to an over the top, extravagant private party that her hubby is throwing to celebrate different clothing lines such as Roca Wear and Fetish; where the likes of Jay Z, Beyonce, Eve, Paris Hilton, and Britney Spears just to name a few will be attending. So imagine my frantic search this past week that I had to endure to find an article of clothing that would fit around my 7-month expanding baby bump..not an easy task let me tell you. This I am positive is why pregnant gals do not go to these functions, because not only do you want to give up after trying on 800 different things, but once you do find something that you have to settle for you are still convinced you will look like a huge whale in a party filled with everyone weighing 110 pounds or under. Nevertheless, I am taking one giant step for pregnant women everywhere this week and am going to go no matter how frumpy I may feel. I will hopefully get some great pics with some celebs and lie to everyone and tell them it was my celebrity baby shower!
 
This week I have hit the big 3-0, meaning I only have 10 more weeks to go in my pregnancy. This is just insane for me to even fathom...the weeks are really flying by and I have been told that these last 10 whiz by like you wouldn’t believe. However, we are not nervous because everything is pretty much done. Our baby classes are winding down, the drapes are up in the nursery, the crib is finished and just has to be put together, I am finally done registering for my baby shower, we have registered at the hospital, my sister in law has sent out all the invites to my shower, and I am almost done with the 435th pregnancy book that I have read over the last 7 months!

This week the baby is 3 pounds and is a little over 15.5 inches in length. It is putting on baby fat continuously and the fine laguno hair is beginning to fall off this week in preparation for birth. As far as I go, I have noticed a huge drop in energy this week and haven’t been able to work out everyday like I have been for the past 5 months, do errands, and just basic little things. I am just exhausted all the time and really don’t even want to go out of the house or get out of my PJ’s in the morning! This is fine by me though; I think I will take the next 2 months to relax and sleep..two things that I won’t be able to do after the end of October.

Week 31: Cleaning Up
August 20, 2007

I have officially begun my “nesting” phase of the third trimester this week. For some reason NOTHING can be clean enough; no matter how many times I scrub it, wash it, windex it, dust it… you get the idea. It’s bad enough that I already had a little problem with OCD and cleaning prior to getting pregnant, so this “nesting” thing that people refer to during pregnancy has only made it ten times worse. I put my husbands’ cups in the dishwasher only to hear him say, “Um, honey, where did my glass of water go that I was just drinking?” Or I am in the laundry room filling the washing machine up when he comes in and says, “Uhh, I’m missing the clothes I was just wearing and I need to go out”. Today I even instructed him on how to sweep the front doorstep and took the broom from him to show him the proper way (as if there’s a right and wrong way to sweep leaves off cement). However to me, I feel like there is a right and wrong way to do everything nowadays, so I need to learn how to back off of him and let him do his thing. Later if I don’t like the way it was done I can go back and fix it, rather than telling him he is doing it wrong!

This week I am 31 weeks pregnant, which means we are down to single digits when it comes to counting down to my due date. Only 9 weeks to go and I am beginning to freak out, even though there is still plenty of time to finish everything up. Still, I feel the need to re-read two books that I previously read because I’m scared I have forgotten what they said in them about sleeping, feeding, and burping a baby. I have even begun xeroxing pages in the books that I will need to have on hand and have started a nice little binder filled with this information (crazy I know…it’s that damn OCD haunting me). But enough about me..this week the baby is about 4 pounds and is over 17 inches in length and will gain about a half a pound of weight per week from now until 2 weeks before birth. Its immune system has been really building over the past couple weeks as well, and the skull bones are beginning to fuse together. It’s beginning to get a little crowded in my tummy so I am not feeling as much movement as I used to, and I’m sure the baby is beginning to want to come out right about now. Only 9 more weeks and we both will get what we want!


Week 32: Beach and Baby
August 27, 2007

Last week I hit my 32nd week of pregnancy and spent the time down in Manhattan Beach celebrating our nephew/godsons first birthday. The hubby and I had a great time with my wonderful in laws and friends, although the fatigue of my pregnancy really got to me while we were there. After the party in the park we went back to the house where I thought I would take a short little nap. I ended up passing out for a good 5 hours instead, making it impossible for my husband to wake me up! Nevertheless I am happy this is my only complaint because I have friends and have seen other girls at this point in their pregnancies with swollen ankles and feet and are as big as houses and can barely walk, so I am thankful that I am only tired! The baby last week weighted a little over 4 pounds and was almost 19 inches long. Also at my doctors appointment my hubby was able to feel the babies head through my stomach! My doctor was feeling my tummy and showing us how the baby was positioned and where it’s back, legs, and arms were. He then pointed out where the head was and offered for my husband to feel it. He was shocked to feel how big it was, but I guess that just means that the baby will be super smart with it’s massive brain mass, just like it’s mommy and daddy of course!

Week 33: Sweet Dreams
September 19, 2007

This week I am 33 weeks pregnant and the hubby and I took some time and went out of town to be with each other and get away from the hecticness of his work and just life in general. It was so nice to have nothing to do but just have a good time with each other. While we were away I had a dream that we had a boy that we named Alex; so to date I have had 4 boy dreams and 1 girl dream. I have been hoping that I would receive a boy name in a dream since we do not have one yet, although Alex is definintely not going to be it. I have no idea even where that name came from since I don’t even know an Alex, but the baby sure was cute and the dream felt so real that after I woke up I wanted my baby right then! I don’t mind being pregnant, but after having these dreams I get excited to see what our baby is going to look like and act like and I get selfish and want it out and in my arms!

This week the baby is 5 pounds (it is growing at almost a pound a week at this point) and 19 1/2 inches long. They say that I will not notice as much movement in these last few weeks, however our baby is still moving around and going strong. It loves to dig its feet right under my ribs making it hard for me to breathe and sit like a normal person. I am constantly leaning back or slumped over to the side in order to be comfortable, and I could care less where I am when I have to do it. At this point I am all about making myself comfortable and don’t care what I look like or what other people think! This week I have the daunting task of going to try to find something to wear for a wedding this weekend, which I am so not looking forward to do. I think I am actually going to have to break down and look in a maternity store which I have been able to avoid for the past 7 1/2 months. Although the one I am going to actually has stylish things; and even though I will never be able to wear what I get until I am pregnant again, I figure it’s not too big of a deal to spend a lot of money as long as I look cute for now!

Week 34: Showering
September 25, 2007

This week the hubby and I are off to interview different pediatricians near our home and hopefully find one that compliments our attitudes and beliefs in how we want to parent our baby. It is a nerve wracking process because this is the person that will be responsible for my baby’s health, and although we will have the final say in what happens with our child, it is still a lot of pressure to find the perfect doctor. We have about 4 that we are going to interview that were recommended to us by my ob/gyn, family, and good friends who recently had babies. I am hoping we are able to find the perfect one out of the four so that we don’t have to keep going through doctors every week up to the birth! I am in my 34th week of pregnancy and it's just crazy to think that I only have 6 more weeks to go, assuming that I don’t go into labor early. It is becoming more and more real each week that this cute little thing that does somersaults in my belly actually has to come out in the next few weeks. This week the baby weighs almost 5 pounds and is 19 3/4 inches long. I am still carrying very high up, right underneath my ribs, however my week-by-week books are telling me that the baby will begin to drop soon. Although there are some unpleasant things that come with dropping (having to pee more, more pressured on my pelvis, trouble walking, etc), I am looking forward to being able to breathe a little better and not have my stomach pushed up into my ribs to the point that I feel sick every time I eat something. It will also be nice to be able to sit like a normal person again instead of halfway leaned back to give the baby room and not be so stuck up in my ribs!

This weekend is also my baby shower, which I am super excited about! My wonderful sister in law is putting it all together and hosting it for me, and is expecting about 35 to 40 people there. It should be quite the party and I am looking forward to seeing all my friends and family together and celebrating. Oh, and of course I’m excited for all the presents…it’s going to be like Christmas only 3 months early!

 Week 35: Putting on the Ritz
October 3, 2007
 

This past weekend my sister in law threw a beautiful baby shower for me where about 40 close family and friends attended. It was such a nice time, but it really set in after the shower that this baby is coming and coming fast. Up until now it seemed like my due date was far away, and I was wishing that the weeks would go by faster. However last night after my shower I had my first mini melt down during pregnancy while my hubby and I were lying in bed. I suppose opening all the gifts and talking to people at the shower and actually verbalizing that I only had 5 more weeks to go just made it all seem so real and so close. The good thing is my panic only lasted about an hour, and this morning I woke up excited to start putting away all the gifts and setting up the baby’s bathroom and finalizing the room. From what I read all of these crazy up and down feelings that I am having are perfectly normal and are experienced by almost every women at the end of pregnancy. I just hope I have more days like today rather than nights like last night!

This week (yikes, here I go saying it again) I am 35 weeks pregnant, which means “if” I go full term I only have 5 more weeks before our baby arrives. The baby is almost 6 pounds this week and is 20 1/4 inches in length. My only complaint this week is still fatigue and just feeling big and not being able to do all the things I used to do. But I suppose carrying around 6 pounds of baby, not including the weight of the placenta, umbilllical cord, and amniotic fluid is why I am feeling a little bit more like a whale more and more everyday. Still, I have only gained 25 out of the 29 pounds that I should have gained by now, so I remind myself of this every day to make myself feel better! I definitely think all of the exercising I did up until about 7 months and the little that I am still able to do now helped with not gaining 50 pounds like most women at this point. In my future pregnancies I hope to be able to do this again since it made such a difference!

Week 36: The Last Hooray
October 11, 2007

The hubby and I just got back from our last vacation we will probably take before our little bambino arrives. We spent this past weekend in beautiful San Diego where we had a nice relaxing time, although we talked about the baby almost the entire time we were there! We also started to wonder on the drive down if it was really smart for us to be traveling with me being so close to delivering, since it can happen anywhere between 2 to 4 weeks at this point. I wondered what we would do if we were in the car in the middle of the desert on our way to Cali and I went into labor, to which my husband replied “Well, I would just call 911 and tell them we need an air lift to the hospital”! He was completely serious and for some reason this just made me crack up; I guess because of how matter of factly he said it, as if it were very simple! Now that we are back I plan on finishing the baby room up this week and packing my bag for the hospital, just in case the baby decides to come early. Since we are unsure of my actual due date I want to be plenty prepared in case we do have the baby in two weeks.

This week I am 36 weeks pregnant and the baby weighs 6 1/2 pounds and is over 20 inches long. The bones this week are complete and done hardening (except for the skull), and muscle tone is still improving. If we are having a girl, the labia are now fully formed, and the amniotic fluid is beginning to decrease. Many books say that because of the loss of fluid I may be noticing a decrease in movement, although it has been quite the opposite for me. The baby has been more active the past few days then it has in my entire pregnancy; which has been a total trip to feel and watch. My husband and I probably spent 90% of our time in San Diego with our hands on my stomach or just watching it completely roll back and forth and trying to figure out what we were feeling. At one point while we were laying in bed he could feel each individual toe roll across his hand; it is definitely the most insane thing we have ever seen and felt in our entire lives. Although I won’t miss a lot of things that go along with pregnancy, I will miss feeling the movement and just staring at my stomach in a mirror knowing that an actual human being is being housed inside of it preparing to come out. It has truly been the most amazing experience of our lives so far.

Week 37: False Alarm
October 13, 2007

Being this close to the end of my pregnancy, false labor pains should be expected and occur quite frequently, however getting these for the first time while your husband is out of town for just one night is never a good thing. Welcome to my world last night, where I woke up around 1am feeling strange pains and began thinking “this can’t be happening right now!” I laid in bed for a while hoping they would go away, but after about a half hour I decided to call the hubby and fill him in with the not so good news. Surprisingly he was very calm, however I was beginning to get a bit panicky on the other end. So many silly things were running through my head….we haven’t gotten the car seat yet, the shelves aren’t up in the baby room, etc. However the main thing was that my husband wouldn’t be able to get a flight out until the morning and I was afraid I would have the baby before he got home! After I calmed down a bit and realized I wasn’t having contractions, I laid down and tried to get some rest. Needless to say the hubby nor I got very much sleep last night..I guess that “what if” was running through both of our minds even though deep down we knew I wasn’t in labor. Thankfully there are no more out of town jobs coming up for my husband, so if I did go into labor early everything would be quite alright since he will be right by my side.

This week I am 37 weeks pregnant, and our not so little bambino weighs about 7 pounds and 20 inches long, however that is according to the books I read. My doctor thinks the baby is only about 4 or 5 pounds at this point, unless he said I am hiding the baby really well. He said he has seen girls with little tummies pop out 10 pound babies, so he could be wrong, but from what he is feeling he believes it is around the 5 pound mark. Developmentally there is nothing really new happening this week since the baby is basically done with everything it needs to do to live outside the womb. A part of me is hoping the baby will stay in for the remaining 3 weeks just so I can finish everything that I think needs to be done, but at the same time there are days that I want to see our baby now and know what it is and what it looks like; however it’s all up to God and the baby when it wants to come out so I’ll leave it to them to decide when and where it happens!

Week 38: Waiting for Baby
October 24, 2007


I am still in the running of pregnancy this week and am basically going day by day wondering when I am going to go into labor and if every little ache and pain I feel in my pelvis and my back is the actual beginning of labor. I wish that I had an exact due date, but my doctor has given me three dates throughout my entire pregnancy, so at this point it is just a waiting game. The baby could come as early as October 25th, (which is this week…yikes), or as late as November 8th (still…only 2 weeks away). Either way we are totally prepared and ready with everything in place and I must admit I am not really stressed out at all. I am so glad we over prepared because now I can sit back and enjoy the last part of my pregnancy. As I lay on the couch today and felt the baby rolling around in my stomach I became a little sad to know that I won’t be feeling that again coming up real soon. I have gotten so used to getting kicked and punched, so it will be a little strange to actually have my body back to myself and I must admit I will miss it. Of course having the baby out and in my arms will definitely make up for that loss!

This week the baby is between 6 and 8 pounds and really nothing is going on developmentally anymore. The brain continues to develop daily, however other than that the baby will not get any bigger; which is good news for me because that means I wont be getting any bigger either! Last week at my doctors’ appointment I was already dilated 1 1/2cm and 60 to 75% effaced, meaning the cervix is thinning out and is almost completely effaced! I am excited to go this week to see if I have progressed any further, which could help narrow down when we will actually have the baby. However if gravity has anything to do with it, this week there is a full moon on the 26th, and supposedly many babies are born when there is a full moon due to the gravitational pull….so either the baby or mother nature will decide this week if this is the week to come..I wonder which one will win.


Week 39: I'm Late!
October 30, 2007

One due date down, one full moon down, two more due dates to go; this is what I have experienced this week. Originally my doctor told us that we were due November 4th, however after our second ultrasound that date was changed to October 25th because of how big the baby was measuring, then my doctor changed his mind again and decided November 8th was the date….so here we are still waiting. This past week was a full moon and everyone and their mother was telling me that I would deliver that night because of the gravitational pull, but that night came and went as well with no action. So many friends and family called this week saying they had a “feeling” that I was going to deliver in the next couple days, but this baby has a mind of its own and doesn’t listen to ultrasound results, full moons or people’s feelings. Personally I think we are going to go another week because I still feel pretty normal and haven’t experienced any major false labor pains, but I could be wrong like everyone else has been!

Again there is not much to report this week…the baby is about 7 pounds and everything is complete and ready to go. My hospital bag is packed, our camera and camcorder are charged and ready, the baby room is complete, and we even already have someone lined up to watch our dogs while we are in the hospital! We are so over prepared due to my OCD its not even funny; which is a great feeling because now we can relax and just wait for the big day to arrive!

Picture a gorgeous church, a beautiful white strapless dress, my best girlfriend since I was two years old at my side, along with my other friend since kindergarten serving as my “man” of honor, extravagant bouquets of red roses, two trumpet players and a string quartet in the church, 250 guests, the reception site being a perfect night under the stars overlooking the Las Vegas strip at a stunning resort and spa, two live bands at the reception, a 5 tiered strawberry and vanilla cake with 27 dozen red roses circling each tier, (yes… 27 dozen), and of course my handsome best friend finally becoming my husband.


Now if only I could have enjoyed that day as much as everyone did who was invited, or if I could remember it all without having to look at the pictures. The problem with having a big wedding? We were so busy running around all day taking pictures and saying hi to everyone that we did not get to enjoy one minute of our special day. We did not even get to eat the fabulous dinner that was served!

 
So much goes into planning a wedding, whether it be big or small. I was engaged for almost two years; with a year of it being spent planning every little detail. I always wanted a small wedding on the beach with immediate family and very close friends present. Me in a white bikini and veil, my husband to-be in white board shorts with neither of us wearing shoes. Perhaps this is because I come from a very small family, so the thought of a huge wedding really seemed unrealistic. My husband on the other hand comes from a large family and has many friends, and always dreamed of an elaborate wedding. My parents also wanted a grand wedding, so my dream of the wedding on the beach was vetoed from the start. Almost three years later I am content with this, however one piece of advice I can offer is do what makes you and your husband happy, not what everyone else wants.

Do not get me wrong, I am not complaining at all! My wedding was like an absolute fairytale and could show up many celebrity weddings; but because it was so detailed and intricate it flew by so fast and seemed like such a whirlwind. I wish I could have soaked in my surroundings that day and really remembered every minute element. This is why I am so thankful that I hired a videographer; I love watching the video and reliving that day and seeing things that I did not notice because I was so busy. I would highly suggest hiring a videographer; it was one of the smartest decisions we made for our wedding day.

Of course a wedding would not be complete without a few snags along the way. The day of my wedding, one of the limos forgot to pick up my husband's parents and mine! Our wedding was delayed an hour because of this, while I sat in the back room of the church wondering what in the world was going on. My husband did not want me to get upset so he told my bridesmaids not to tell me that our parents were not there yet. I think this made me even more nervous and confused because I could not understand why we did not start the wedding at 5pm like I had perfectly stated on my beautiful, yet extremely pricey invitations!
Also the morning of my wedding I was told by the cake decorator that not enough roses had been ordered, and my cake would not look like the picture I had provided to her. My husband called the decorator back, and when I arrived at the reception site my cake looked exactly like the picture with all of the roses if not more adorning it. Another piece of advice: marry someone that knows how to take care of things so that you do not have to worry about anything.

 
We had to get up early and get ready for our week long honeymoon in Kauai, Hawaii. Without a doubt, this is the most romantic and beautiful place to retreat to with the person you love. We spent every day on the beach and exploring the island by car and helicopter. We loved it so much there we have gone back twice since our honeymoon. My last piece of advice: go all out for your honeymoon! Even if it means having a smaller, less expensive wedding. This is the time you have to relax and enjoy with the person that you love; it is so much more important than showing everyone at your wedding a good time. Go somewhere you both have never been and begin your life together in a happy, tranquil place.

 Know that there will be many ups and downs once you return home, but always remember your wedding day, and why you were married in the first place. A guest at our wedding signed our picture frame guestbook with the following quote, which I believe is quite fitting for newlyweds or couples who have been married for 25 years: “May the best of your past be the worst of your future”.

It seems as though everyone and their mother is pregnant nowadays.  I'm not sure if it’s something in the water or what, but every time I turn around another friend, family member, or celebrity I see on TV is pregnant.  Ashlee Simpson, Angelina Jolie, and Alessandra Ambrosio are just a few celebs that are preggers, not to mention the many that have just had babies recently such as Jessica Alba and Tori Spelling.  Odds are you know someone that is pregnant or is trying for a bambino, so I thought I would share some of my secrets to hosting a fun and unique baby shower. 

I recently held a baby shower at my house for my sister in law and really personalized the event and made it so that it wasn’t the typical boring shower where you are forced to play the same games that you have played at 100 other showers prior.  My first idea for the shower was to call it the “not a shower, shower”.  This is my sisters’ second baby, and since having gone through it once before she didn’t want or need any more clothes or toys.  I can totally relate because I still have clothes that my own son never wore when he was a newborn because we were so overloaded with so much stuff.  I definitely know that IF we have a second (big if there), I wouldn’t want anyone to give me anything either, and I also probably wouldn’t want another shower.  So, I called it the not a shower shower and decided to make it to where women and men could attend, as well as kids.  I basically wanted a big family get together just to celebrate the new little one on the way where everyone was welcome and no one was banned from attending because of their sex or age!

The “not a shower, shower” was a huge success and everyone had such a good time; even MEN at the shower noticed all of the little personalized things I had and the matching colors, which was amazing to me!  Although it took a lot of time and was not easy to orchestrate with a 6-month-old baby clinging to me the entire time I did everything, I have to admit I really enjoyed doing hosting the party and was so happy to see everyone enjoying themselves.  This is just one example of how to show people in your life that you love a good time!