Feeling better and getting really excited :D

YEAH!!!!! I'm feeling so much better. I decided to take thursday and friday off and I'm really glad I did because those two days were the worst out of the week. After nursing myself with Vitamin C, Vicks, and lemon/honey tea, and a nose spray recommended by my doctor throughout the week my symptoms have definiately subsided. Just in time because I'm getting a little stir crazy in this house. It is still very cold outside and it's not like I really want to go for a nice stroll down the street anytime soon but at least I'm well enough to do so and work as well.

Okay so I'm getting really excited about this baby. I was excited before but now that I'm feeling better and getting myself back to the norm, getting used to all the funny things that happen being pregnant as well, I'm really getting excited about having this baby. I started registering for baby stuff my second month, I was in bed most the time, and I'm really glad I started so early because it gave me a lot of time to research different brands and find the things  I loved instead of just getting it because it was cute. I'm actually almost done, I'm just waiting until we know the gender to be able to get some small stuff picked out like bedding and a couple of accessories and knik-knak stuff, everything else is pretty much unisex so we can use it again. We have decided on using cloth diapers instead of disposable ones. I've used both before in the nursery and really, now a days, there really isn't much of a difference between the two anymore. But for us, cloth diapers seems to be the better choice. Not only would we be saving A LOT of money, cloth diapers are just better for the skin. Being able to contribute to the GO GREEN movement isn't a bad thing either.  I'm also thinking of making my own wipes instead of store bought one and the only reason I say this is because I have had a bad experience with store bought wipes. So my thought is if they irritate my bottom why wouldn't they bother my babies? I'm still trying to decide on that one. I am ready for everything coming, or for the moment I am but they do say the second trimester is the best and so far YES IT IS! the fourth month is almost up, one week to go. Untill next time. :D

UGH...

Once again I am sick. Another throat thing. I don't know how many strep throats I've had let alone sore throat infections I've had since I was a kid. It kinda makes me wonder why they never took my tonsils out. GRRRR! It's so frustrating. I guess I'll be sleeping with my friends Vitamin C and Vicks tonight. This is the third time I've been sick being pregnant. I YIYI.

On a better note. An elementary school called me today and told me that the Pre K teacher I had TAed for really liked me and highly recommended me to the office as a sub. They ended up putting me on their preferred list which means if any of their teachers need a sub, I'm the first one they call. YEPPY! :D. I've only been subbing for about a month now and this is the second school that had done this. I must be doing something right. :). I'm really loving it and the kids are so funny, I'm always cracking up. 

Until next time

I'm getting a BIG complex LOL!

Nick measured himself the other day, he's been working out and wanted to get his "start" measurements, and come to find out HE IS THINNER THAN I AM NOW! My belly is bigger than my husbands? I knew this was going to happen soon or later but my mind was set on later than sooner. I also went through my closet to put away all the clothes that didn't fit anymore and that was very sad too. :( Even though I can still fit into some of my smalls it just hit me. "I'm not going to be able to wear these clothes for at least another 6 months, longer, or maybe never again" are the words that crossed my mind as I sadly tried on each dress and had to toss it to the back of the closet. Oh well, at least I can still fit into some of my clothes, this just means I get to go SHOPPING!!! Finally.

I also started doing prenatal yoga after getting lectured by Nick that it will make me feel better and more energized through out the day. He was right but man oh man am I out of shape. I used to be able to do some or those crazy yoga moves before and now moves like "mountain  pose" are hard. For the past 2 weeks, my breathing has been really short so this is really going to help me regulate it. It's weird how your body changes so fast. Once it starts getting warmer outside I'll be waking Lilu as well, but until then it's gonna be 50 mins of yoga at least 3 times a week. I have to do it not only for Nick and myself, but for our growing baby that needs me to be active. Until next time.  

How I'm Doing

I AM BACK! oh but let me tell you I was not a happy camper my first trimester. Here's a list of my symptoms: I wrote them down in my book

1. Nausea- all day but the hurricane hit at night

2. Vomiting- escorted by diarrhea once ALL night in 1 hour intervals, i was on the toilet and throwing up in the tub at the same time. TMI?

3. Extreme lack of energy- i had to practically force myself to get out of bed to pee and eat

4. Frequent urination- the better of all the symptoms 

5. Excess Saliva- waking up to a wet pillow was not fun

6. HEARTBURN- UGH! carried around tums all the time

7. food aversions- couldn't stand meat, eggs, bread...i was practically vegan LOL

8. Breast Changes- you know how that goes

9. Visible veins- my veins are already piercing blue through my skin but now its all over. lol I YIYI

10. Okay I'm not mentioning that one- My grandpa might read this and i don't want to traumatize him.

11. Clothes feeling a little snugger- i didn't realize how tiny i actually was. i grew out of my jeans fast except for one pair. i've got birthing hips now LOL!

in fact i started measuring my self at about 9 weeks. Here are those measurements

9 weeks:               12 weeks:     14 wks:

Bust-     30 34 36

Waist-     26 28 30

Belly-    30 34 35

Hips-     34 36 36

Weight-     123        126     ~128-130

Feeling my First Trimester: 

I mostly felt really bad for Nick because like I mentioned in the last post he had to do EVERYTHING! i didn't feel like myself. I HATE a messy house and I didn't even care. I had dishes stacked practically up to the ceiling and didn't even notice or care to notice them. I felt like my femininity had been taken away from me. It was so hard for me to ask Nick to make dinner and hear him clean the kitchen as i just lay there thinking i could get up but was pretty much paralyzed and sick in bed. UGH! horrible. But that is all over and I'm so glad. I did get a major migraine a couple days ago which caught me by surprised, i haven't had one since i was 19. Hopefully that was the only one i'll get during this pregnancy. Well I'm up before Nick now, cooking still kinda grosses me out a little but i try. Meat is still a little bit of an issue but not too bad. All in all I'm getting back to my regular self and loving this pregnancy now. The only thing is that it is so cold outside and all but two pair of pants fit. I have to wear the belly band if i want to wear any other jeans. and my jackets are getting a little snug too. Can't wait for the spring to come. I have so many cute tops and dresses I'm dying to wear. I'm just getting started in my fourth month so I'll update you on the fourth month symptoms in about a week or so. 

We got our first couple bills from our insurance, I was so scared to open them. To our surprise the balance was $0. What, what $0. i had to rub my eyes and look again, not even a co pay? I thought.WOW. We were a little confused until we got our bill from the hospital. I read it very carefully and when it cam down to how much insurance paid it said

Insurance pays: 100%                   Patient pays: 0%

THANK YOU JESUS!!!

we both had huge smiles on our faces, this is something we had been worried about and God, like always, pulled through.  I'm so glad we hadn't worried too much about it. Our way of dealing with it was we'll worry about it when it comes, which is something that is not easy for me to do but sometimes that's not a bad way to see things I guess. LET GO AND LET GOD. very good advise. I think that's it for now. Love you all. CAN'T WAIT TILL MAY!!!

Until next time

How Nick's Doing

Nick is wonderful! He loves his job, friends and of course the reality of being a father. He's been working A LOT, and when i mean a lot I mean a lot. Not only is he putting in his 40 hours a week, he's been adding an extra 20-30 hours to that in overtime. What an awesome husband I have. He is a true provider for his family and a true "server" at heart. He's had absolutely no complaints about helping me transition into this new life and body. Since our first trimester I was flu sick twice, pretty much dead from being so sick and very tired all day, and had extreme night sickness. Luckily Nick had absolutely no sympathy symptoms the first trimester, actually it seemed he picked up my energy I had obviously check at the door. He pretty much cooked every night cause I also had a very heightened sense of smell and would pretty much gag at the thought of cooking. He helped me clean and do laundry too. I am so thankful for him, I don't know what I would have done if he didn't have a "servants" heart. That is a quality that is truly a gift from God because I know many men that wouldn't be so absolutely willing to do pretty much everything without ONE complaint. 

In this second trimester it seems the sympathy symptoms have caught up to him. He as been nauseated a few times, very tired and a little irritated at certain things that wouldn't usually bother him as much. Just in time though cause I don't have  night sickness anymore, and pretty much all my energy is back. I actually got him out of bed today, imagine that. Poor guy hopefully it will passes soon.

Nick's Birthday is coming up soon and I have awesome plans on how I can celebrate him. With the limited amount of funds we have available to spend I was sad i wouldn't be able to find something  special to do for my baby daddy :D, but I did. I'm taking him to the Spy Museum in Washington DC. It is going to be so great. I'm inviting all his friends from work. We'll be taking a 2 hour tour of the museum and all the cool things the exhibit has. I'm super excited because it seems like they have some high quality spy stuff there because they strictly say you absolutely cannot bring in any cameras or video cameras to the museum. OOOOOOOO VERY SECRETIVE> and the museum was founded by a former US intelligence guy. VERY COOL> after the tour we will be involved in a simulated spy mission designed for adults. LIKE JAMES BOND. LOL! It's a special "Operation Spy" they have at night were you have to reserve your ticket. It's a one hour mission with secret messages, decoders, spy tools, the works. Then after you get to drink cocktails and "debrief" with your fellow spys and talk to an actual former spy. There are prizes you can win as well. SOUNDS LIKE FUN! I think Nick will really enjoy it.

I'll tell you how it goes, since i can't show you ;). until next time.

How Lilu's doing

So since I've been pregnant Nick and I have both noticed a big change in Lilu's behavior. If you've ever met Lilu you know she loves to jump on adults to say "Hello" and the bigger you are the harder she likes to jump on you, it's a habit we've been trying to brake for a while. Well, when i come home to take her out of her cage she will absolutely NOT jump on me. She'll tackle Nick but with me she waits until I come up to her, pat my knees and even then she will only walk on her hind legs toward me until her paws hit my hand. It is so funny. She also used to climb on top of me at night and fall asleep in a small ball on my tummy, doesn't do that any more either. She'll lay on our bed and stare at me, cry, and wait for me to say it's okay to lay next to me. Then she'll ever so gently but only one paw and her chin on my belly. It is way too cute! Every once in a while she does get into her snuggle moods where she tries to get as close to me a possible and she usually end up on my legs, an arm, or want to get on my chest but the belly she knows is pretty much off limits. She nows something is going on down there. :D

I'm not surprised though. Lilu has very good senses. It's almost as if she feed off our energy and mood. If people come to the front, door she knows if we are expecting them cause she gets excited to meet our guests and when someone comes to the door we are not expecting she'll growl and wait for our response. She's a very good watch dog. I'm so thankful to have her around. Esscpecially here in a neighborhood I'm still not used to and since Nick has been putting a  lot of overtime in I'm glad I have her to protect me until he comes home. And Nick feels good knowing she is here with me as well, it's just an extra peace of mind for him esspecially when the baby arrives. God really did a good picking out a dog for us. She's a good girl.

We've also been preparing Lilu for baby. So far she does really well with kids 3 and up, she did meet a infant once but only for a very short moment and smelled it. I've heard trainers say that Pits are really good with kid because they are protective of their families and they have a really high pain tolerance which means the chances of them snapping at a kid pulling their tales and ears are slim. I also heard this from one of our friends Gail. She has three Pits and two kids I think around 8-10. I picked her brain about how she introduced her babies to her dogs and how their relationship is now. She pretty much said what I've been reading and hearing from trainers; her kids play with them, put them around and it doesn't seem to bother them at all. This made me feel a whole lot better. So Nick and I, for the past couple months, have been preparing Lilu by pulling her ears, tail, and pinching her randomly. So far we haven't had any negative reactions, so so far so good. Nick has also tried getter her  riled up with the rope. If you've ever seen Pits with a rope you'd know how much they love it, it could kinda sound a little scary actually. Anyways he'll play with her until the intensity peaks and then tell her to drop it, sit and give him a kiss. So far she's been doing VERY well, she pretty much got the point of the exercise right away. FFFFFEW!

Next i think I'll bring an actual baby doll home and train her with it so she gets used to having a little human around. If she treats the baby anything like she treated the little kitten we brought home for a week, our baby will be covered in her slobber. LOL! Hopefully she'll understand that she's the Big Sister and not the Mommy. :D I'll keep you updated on her progression. Until next time.

getting BIGGER

So I've decided to start taking bi-weekly photos for now since my belly has been growing at incredible speed the last two weeks. The picture in the last blog was taken just two weeks ago and this one was taken about 2 minutes ago. I hope you enjoy the photo cause I'm starting to cringe and it's just going to start getting bigger. I think it's because it is very very hard for me to gain weight naturally, I have a very high metabolism, and have never weighed more than 123 lbs, and that was when I was training for water polo so it was all muscle. YIKES!. I weighed in at about 126 1/2 lbs two weeks ago and in this picture I'm probably 128 almost 130, WOW! I know when I start feeling the baby actually kick, instead of feeling just movement, I'll feel like I'm actually pregnant instead of feeling just fat. :D . Thank yo all for your wonderful comments! Until next time.

So we're PREGNANT!!!

Hey everyone!!!! So I've been slacking on the blogging lately sorry but there is good news, WE ARE PREGNANT!!! We are due August 16th and we are super excited :) We will find out the sex on April fool's day and will have a baby shower in California Memorial Day weekend. I have been reading and watching everything I can about pregnancy and babies thus far so hopefully I'll be as prepared as I can be. Since I spent about 4 years in the newborns room at Sandals, I am pretty confident on knowing what to expect for the first 6 months and Nick has 3 year olds down so anything in between will be an adventure for both of us. I started subbing not too long ago and am loving it. My favorite class so far has been the preschool special ed class, they are just way too cute. I think I'll stick to it for a while since it is so flexible and I can pretty much work as much as I want to, and since we don't have any family out here it really helps to have a job that is flexible and best of all NO WEEKENDS!!! When the baby is old enough for me to have a full time job who knows were God will lead me but until then I will be enjoying this awesome blessing of being a wife and mommy. I find myself falling more in love with Nick everyday since we've been out here as well as falling in love all over again with a new person, our baby. Being out here and starting a family kinda scared me at first because I know we both really want our families to enjoy this time with us but being able to have to rely on only each other and God has been one of the biggest gifts God has given us as a married couple. I know our family will always be there to help and I am very thankful for it but I know God planned for us to be out here for a reason, to be able to grow in Him and as couple, JUST US. At first it was very hard for me to realize it and to understand it but after I found out I was pregnant it all just made sense. 

            We are both VERY excited to go back to California in May. I already have a list written down on what I want to eat and do when I get there. Here are some of those things

1. Beach

2. In-n-out- Plain grilled cheese with secret sauce, animal style fries and a chocolate shake please!

3. Jamba Juice- they don't have them out here and I'm dying

4. Pink Berry and Golden Spoon- Don't have those either

5. Hot Dog on a stick- MMMMMMM I love the cheese on a stick and their Lemonade

6. Hitting the sales- they aren't as good out here and I really haven't gone out shopping for myself since I've been out here, CAN YOU BELIEVE IT!

7. Hitting the thrift stores and vintage shops- don't even get me started on those, LOL!

8. green burrito from CUCAS in Redlands 

So far that's it. Until next time peeps ;)