Time flies

As of today, I am only 92 days away from my due date. I was initially going to write 92 days away from meeting my sweet baby boy, or even better holding him- But chances of my baby boy being born on his due date are slim to none- and if he is anything like his mommy and daddy, he'll most likely be running late.

I'm a bit of a procrastinator, i can admit that. I haven't completely finished registering but im about 80% complete, at one location. =-/ trust me- its not that i dont want to finish, I just cant get Juju to take a break from all his studying. Thankfully his semester and my semester are both coming to an end- between his biology class and my 50+ page capstone paper our free time is usually split up between studying, writing, catching up on dishes, laundry, etc.

 I have yet to take another week of vacation at work, and i have to take it before Jan 31st. I plan to use a few days to bridge the upcoming holiday weekends and extend them to 3 separate 5 day off spans- did i lose you? That will leave me with 2 additional days to use in mid-to-end of January. I figured I could leave them unscheduled just case I feel the need to nest one morning as i get closer to my due date. 

I am anxiously counting down the days I have left of school. T minus.... 23 days until my last class, and 34 days until graduation. After that, well- really after my last day of class, Operation Baby Nest will be in full active mode. 

Baby Bucket List

I've read many people post about all the things they want to do before they have a baby. Some people want to travel, others want to pay down or off debt, others want to change careers or finish school.

While I do like to travel- I have to say that we did all the traveling our budget allowed us to. Sure, we didn't visit exotic places or stay at a Waldorf Astoria, but we did pretty much what we wanted to, when we wanted to.

Our finances- I don't think Suze Orman would approve the way we handle our finances but i'd like to think that we are in a good financial position. We deposit money in to our savings account every single week and we pay all of our bills on time.  We've paid off several outstanding debts and are on track to be debt free (with the exception of those pesky student loans) within the next year, give or take a month.

As far as school goes, I started my last class a few weeks ago. I have exactly 5 more nights of class and graduate on December 17th, only 7 weeks away. When we got married- I promised my mom that i would finish school, no matter what. And with that ladies and gentlemen will come a very much deserved promotion at work =-)

Juju and I will be married shy of three years when we bring our sweet baby boy into this world and I think the timing is perfect. Hell- if i found out I was pregnant 3 days after the wedding- the timing would have been perfect then too.

There is/was a few things that I would like to take care of  before the baby is born. There is a few things that we hope to have done before Dec 31st, 2012.

Household-

1. Purchase a washer and dryer 
• Must be high efficiency
• Must have Sanitize/Steam cycle
2. Redo flooring in Nursery
• Natural/Eco/Baby friendly
3. Redo our closet kitchen situation
• Minimum- new sink
• Add counter space

Personal-

1. Learn CPR and First Aid  (Newborn + Infant)
• Both Juju & I
2. Upgrade point and shoot to DSLR
3. Stop frivolous spending (ha!)
• limit take out/dining out 
4. Begin using coupons [before they expire]
5. Maternity leave stash
• Food (non-perishable; frozen)
• Household goods (toilet paper, detergent, face wash, etc)

Finances-

1. Pay off debt (goal date is Nov 2012) 
• Be halfway July 30th
2. Pay off Juju's car
• Before June 1st
3. Save 2 months worth of supplemental income
• maternity leave pay

Im sure there are tons of things that I am missing off this list. And yes- sure there will always be something that i could have done, or places i could have visited... but isn't that how life is? This isn't to bash people who want and actually do all those things- this is just one persons opinion of what I feel is important, again, to me. 

Gender Reveal Party

Juju and I decided to host a gender reveal party for our family. I baked a gender reveal cake for my sister last October and she revealed my nephew gender during a family dinner. The beforehand mentioned nephews baptism was the following weekend after we found out so we decided to wait an additional week- you know, we didn’t want to steal his thunder.

We wanted to do something fun that would involve all of our family. We decided to have a barbecue, since it would possibly be the last one for the summer.

I hung baby shirts, socks, mittens and wash clothes on the clothesline, alternating between boy and girl colors. We hung plastic diaper pins along the fence. I covered the tables with white, pink and blue table covers.  I poured pink lemonade and blue raspberry drinks into clear pitcher, and used clear cups.

You can see where I was going with this.

To include everyone- We went around asking each person present what they thought Juju and I were having. Some people guessed based on intuition, others based on the fact that it was a “girl” year, or everyone they knew were having boys, and many had wives tales to help determine what we were having.

                                                                                                                          

According to a few common wives tale-

Cravings- sweet or salty? – Girl

Daintiness - Graceful or Clumsy?-  Boy

Skin- Acne or Glow? - Boy

Chinese gender calendar- Girl or Boy? - Girl

Dad’s weight Increase or No Increase? – Boy

Belly- High or Low? - Girl

Belly- Pointy or Wide? - Girl

Wives tale #1- Chain over hand or belly- Boy

Wives tale #2- Holding a baby of the opposite/same sex that you are carrying, apparently if it’s the same gender- baby is happy. If it’s the opposite gender- baby is not happy-  Boy

The consensus at the party was that I was having a baby girl.

13 votes for girl, 12 votes for boys – Girl

Tally:

Girl- 5

Boy- 5

We honored the grandparents to be by allowing them to bite into the gender revealing cake balls that we prepared (with the baby’s gender as the inside colors)

Here are a few shots of the party-

Sister in law + Nephews

Sister, Aunts, Cousins

Sister + current favorite nephew ( shhh- don't tell the others)

Brother, cousin, father in law + brother in law

(manning the rigged grill)

Sister in law, Brother in law + etc, etc

Family

Mo, Larry + Curly

Family

Me + My Daddy

Nats + Maria

Cwisty, Me, Maria + Nats

And finally the reveal- We lined them up (L ro R; FIL, MIL, my Daddy + my Mommy) gave them each a cake ball and told them to bite into it. Everyone watched in silence.

a closer look-

My Daddy, Me, My Son + His Daddy

Celebrating the reveal

Juju awkwardly grabbing my belly

And of course a celebration is not a celebration without the a shot of tequila.

To our sweet baby boy!

Cheers!

21 weeks

Please excuse the missing photo. Mr.Wonderful has misplaced our camera. I assure you my belly is getting big. I will post a picture this week.

Total Weight Gain: 15 (rough estimate since my scale tends to be moody)

Maternity Clothes: I did it. I officially bought maternity tops and bottoms. The small maternity "trousers" ( funny word right?- what am i 80?) fit a bit loose. 

Sleep:  Thank the lord Juju has an 8 a.m class monday through wednesday. Because of this class he now thinks that going to bed at 10 pm, instead of our usual midnight or later, is a fantastic idea. You know who benefits the most from this? right here. me. So i sleep a solid 7 hrs a night now. I sleep on either side with a body pillow support my belly and helping ease hip/back pain. 

Symptoms: This week i have been experiencing some lower right side rib cage pain. Mostly when i sit or sleep- but getting up to walk around every once and a while eases the pain. Nothing too bothersome though.

What I'm looking forward to: My next ultrasound in a few days!

Cravings: Fruit- anything citric. Chicken Nuggets. Chorizo con papas. Anything with cheese in it.

Aversions: Nothing currently.

Movement: Oh! So those weren't gas bubbles. I started to feel my sweet baby move in there about a month ago i would say. I just wasnt 100% sure if that was the baby or just my stomach. Baby has now progressed to kicks. and over the last few days they have become combination kicks and what i assume are punches.

  

Gender: I have a little secret!!

What I miss: Red Wine, Tequila.  I know this seems terrible- but i truly miss me a margarita, original- on the rocks

Milestone: I am noticeable pregnant. People can stop assuming i've just gained weight.

What no one tells you, but i will: Go ahead and put away those tiny lacy thongs, g-strings, tangas and everything in between. Hello Big Momma Drawes'. The last thing you will want up your rear is a dental floss. Trust me. This doesn't meant that you cant have sexy big momma drawes'. I stocked my underwear basket with lacy cheeky boy shorts, also one size larger than usual, in a variety of colors and animal prints. Rarrrr.

Halfway & Thankful

I am officially halfway through my pregnancy! I know- I cant believe it either ;-) I thank God that i have had a relatively smooth pregnancy thus far. When people ask me how I'm doing or how I'm feeling- I always say great, which isn't a lie.

I know a few other pregnant women who can't seem to stop complaining about every.single.thing. I can't speak for them- since I have yet to throw up, (stops typing...) and i haven't been nauseated by the sun, or by the stop and go traffic. But a enormous part of me feels guilty for even remotely complaining about back pain... or new this week... ribcage pain- Because i know that somewhere, out there, there is a woman yearning for a positive test result- who would gladly throw up 4 times a day, and sleep 4 hrs a night, and live with constant headaches, and get stretch marks in places you didn't event know existed- just to be lucky enough to call herself pregnant. 

And I am that lucky. God has chosen us as the parents of this sweet baby growing inside of me. Every ache, every tingle, every thing seems so minuscule in comparison of the great reward that awaits us in parenthood.

Lately I've been asked a lot if childbirth scares me. Sure it does. As any first time mother- I'm apprehensive. I've heard both horror stories and 'oh it isn't as bad as they say' stories. I try not to think about it so much ( as in the pain ) because really, at the end of the day- if that's the price one must pay to be called mommy, it seems all worth while. Don't get me wrong, I would like to try to prepare myself, mentally, physically & spiritually, as much as i can. I'll do everything that i can do in my power- and leave the rest in God's hands.

So thank you God- for my sore hips, my achy back, my heavy boobs. Thank you for giving us this opportunity. Thank you for entrusting us with your most precious gift. I promise we'll do the best we can.

18 weeks

Total Weight Gain: 10 pounds [i blame the boobs and the baby ;-)]

Maternity Clothes: Stretchy bottoms and medium tops. I have yet to venture in to full blown maternity clothes, but i have a feeling it wont be very much longer.

Sleep:  I generally get about 5-6 hours of sleep a night. Not ideal i know- My body has this self timing self wake up at about 4 in the morning. Then i simply lay in bed just waiting to fall back asleep.

Symptoms: i find myself getting OUT. OF. BREATH. a lot easier than before. Since i've always generally stayed around the same weight... these extra few pounds have been making my back a little achy. But no big complaints here. 

What I'm looking forward to: Feeling my sweet baby move, punch, kick, somersault. DO SOMETHING.

Cravings: I have been very thirsty lately. thirsty for pineapple mango smoothies from McDonalds! yum. That and roast beef sandwiches. =-)

Aversions: Parmesan cheese. Just the smell of it turns me off. But i can still tear up some Fettucine Alfredo!

Movement: Nothing yet

  

Gender: Unknown

What I miss: Chai Latte, Red Wine

Milestone: I am noticeable pregnant. People can stop assuming i've just gained weight.

What no one tells you, but i will: Those cute 7.5 borderline 8 size shoes you used to wear? Kiss'em goodbye. Your feet are going to grow. And i'm not talking about swelling. I mean GROW. I've read that your bone structure in your feet changes to accommodate your weight gain. I have work heels in about 10 weeks. Do you know how hard that is for me? I am a slave to these cute (looks at shoes) black flats int size NINE & HALF. ( for the record i normally wear an 8.5/9)

Holy Belly!

How far along: 16 weeks

 "Hurry up babe i have to pee for the 67th time today!"

Total Weight Gain: 7 pounds

Maternity Clothes: For the past few weeks i have been living in dresses, Ponte pants and  loose, flowy (or medium sized) tops. I can still wear things with buttons... like jeans- but i cant come close to buttoning them. I do wear them unbuttoned with a belly band. Actually... now that i think about it- I haven't been able to button pants for a few weeks now. hmm. I DID buy 2 maternity dresses and a pair of maternity jeans because they were a good deal but the jeans are still too big. Although the dresses are maternity i would hardly consider them maternity, i mean they do have an elastic empire waist and all, but i think they mainly accommodate the girls. And don't event get me started on those- I had to go up 2 cup sizes already. ALREADY!!

Sleep:  My left side lower back/buttocks/aciatic nerve area have been bothering me, specially throughout the night. I have started to randomly wake up multiple times in the middle of the night, and not because i have to pee mind you, but just because. Matter of fact i have never been that person who wakes up just to pee. I usually pee right before bed and as soon as i wake up- move out the way...

Symptoms: Thankfully i have had a pretty smooth first trimester. I haven't experienced any morning sickness. I do begin to feel a little nauseous if i go too long between meals. There was a few days were it got really hot in these parts of town, that didnt make me feel so good either. Slight back discomfort mentioned above. 

What I'm looking forward to: Feeling my sweet baby move, punch, kick, somersault.

Cravings: When i first found out i pregnant i was craving hot dogs non-stop. I could seriously eat one everyday. I've read that you shouldn't have hotdogs but thankfully they were referring to uncooked hotdogs due to potential bacteria growth called Listeria monocytogene. Other than that i only crave something after someone mentions it, for example say you casually mention spaghetti and meatball. Lightbulb. All systems go on that craving until i actually eat it.

Aversions: Lunch time. I don't know what it is about the mere thought of lunch- but it makes me feel uneasy. I still eat and what not... but as soon as the clock hits noon i cant help but shutter.

Movement: Nothing yet

  

Gender: Unknown

What I miss: Chai Latte, Red Wine

Milestone: First trimester is over!

What no one tells you, but i will: You get gassy. I mean G.A.S.S.Y. and you know how sometimes you fart and your like sniff sniff. meh- no big deal. oh boy. yeah not these farts... Even you, yourself, will be shocked. Juju is. Every time.  Thankfully they occur in the evenings and during the night.

"Gas? What gas? that wasn't me!"

Meet Baby Reyes

Baby Reyes; Meet your blog family

Blog Family; Meet Baby Reyes

Tilt your head to the left and you'll be able to make the out babys body a bit better. 

My sweet sweet baby <3

Sporting the bump

Im a little more than 3.5 months but I feel like I've been pregnant for way longer since Juj and I found out very early on that I was pregnant. I mailed out my pregnancy announcements to my entire family, I wanted everyone to find out roughly at the same time and I wanted them to hear it from us. 

Here is my belly premier shot

Hello bump!

One of the most difficult parts (thus far...) about being pregnant, or finding out very early on is keeping it a secret. We wanted to wait until after the first trimester to officially announce our pregnancy- The only problem is that you know your life has changed... but no one else does. This makes everyday tasks that much more difficult. I lost count on how many times I had to fake a headache, or sip and spit.

I attended a co-ed baby shower- of course there was alcohol... and sangria was purchased just for me, since I'm the only one of my girlfriends who drinks sangria. "Have some sangria Lorena, we got it just for you" My poor sangria cup took so many trips to the toilet/sink where I oh so slyly poured it out.

Then, I had my cousins bachelorette party- where everyone is expected to use the occasion as an excuse to drink until they no longer look like the former hot version of themselves from beginning on the night. I threw a few shots over my shoulder as everyone was still in the tilted head position. I drank a ton a cranberry juice that night and I 'sipped' on the same plastic cup (which worked to my advantage thank God!) of champagne the entire night before heading to the bar.

I'll hopefully try to take weekly belly pics... but I'm not going to lie... I'll have to start fresh this week because I've sorta fell off the wagon since doing the announcements.

21 questions or just 3

This is week 2 of coming out of the baby closet. And it feels liberating! After I told my office that I was pregnant, I told them that I was beginning to fear that they would think that I was just getting fat. I honestly felt like there was an elephant in the room. I felt that everyone 'knew' I was pregnant and I was trying to hide it from them.

One of the top questions that people have asked me, which is a little weird-

Were you guys trying?
You might have well asked me if we were going at it like bunnies. I think people who are trying don't generally tell people that they're trying. People who struggle to conceive, well the majority of them, don't make it public knowledge until they are successful.

So anyhow. We weren't checking temperatures, tracking days or trying the best positions. No, we weren't trying but we weren't trying to NOT get pregnant either, you know to keep it PG.

I always knew that I wanted to have children. I also knew the I didn't want to wait too long to start 'trying'- I've heard/read many stories about people who wait and wait and wait until they think the time is right and when they finally do start trying- they struggle and sometimes aren't able to conceive.

The night before i took the pregnancy test at home I was praying. I had the feeling that i was pregnant but i wasn't certain. And with the uncertainty came, well uncertainty. I thought to myself- what if i really am pregnant? and my mind started racing a thousand miles a minute with every possible answer to "what does this mean?" What does this mean for me? For juju? What about school? What about work? Can we afford a baby? Can we pay to send our baby to private school? it's first car? college? and then i thought but what if I'm not?


So i laid out my cards on the table for God to see and said Let it be your will, not mine. If we are meant to have a baby and that time is now- so be it, I was ready to accept God's plan.

And just like that God sent a little blessing our way the very next day.

1+1 =3 (+dog)

The one time math doesn't add up- Yet it makes perfect sense.

I'm thrilled to announce that Juju and I are expecting our first bundle of joy early February 2012.

I spared you the pee tip and the brand- you know this isn't a free publicity post for first response, though i did find out i was pregnant up to six days before your missed period.  ;-)  I always wondered if i would be that persons who's first thought would be 'holy shit hurry get the camera' right after having peed on a stick. I am.

I can't believe I (we) were able to keep this secret for so long. I had to stay away from the blog in fear that I may just give in and blurt it out. I am so excited- its one of those feelings that you cant describe.

Stay tuned for additional Q&A, I've received plenty of question and I hope to answer the majority here. Please, feel free to stop being a shadow stalker- follow; don't stalk.