Tis the Season!

Seems so hard to believe that 2011 has a mere 3 days left before we are celebrating a New Year.
In 2 days I will be 31 years old. Last year I was 20 weeks pregnant as we celebrated my birthday and the New Year. This year we have a beautiful 35 week old baby boy!

He is crawling and showing us bits and pieces of his personality. He grunts at us when things don't go his way, boy we are in for it. He is showing us affection, he will lay his sweet little head on our shoulders and hold it there for a few seconds then look into our eyes. Melts my heart.

Eli fills our home with joy, when he is napping it's so quite and I find myself being bored (well after laundry and cleaning is done).

Christmas was so much fun! He loved tearing open his presents only to attempt to eat the wrapping paper and bows.

I am a little bummed that Eli has been a little under the weather but that hasn't stopped him from playing with his new toys and keeping me on my toes. Since the last 7 months and 4 weeks have been nothing short of amazing I look forward to the months to come!

Wowzers!

Sometimes I feel like I just blinked and bam our little man is 7 months but oh no my friends the last 7 months have been a great, beautiful, exciting, scary at times roller coaster ride.  This picture captures this new thing he does where he starts out crying then ends up laughing. It's fun to watch this little man develop what "I" think is the cutest personality EVER!  He is quite the diverse eater these days, cereal with fruit in the mornings and veggies like sweet potatoes, green beans or peas for dinner.  Still nursing no changes there. He is still figuring the sippy cup out. He mostly likes to throw onto the floor from his high chair and watch daddy pick it up.  Eli is battling his first ear infection right now, all the mucous makes him mad.  I totally relate though.  Here are a couple more of our little man in action!

 

Virginia Bound!

Our little Road Warrior!

Over the Thanksgiving holiday we loaded up and headed to Virginia to visit my cousins for a couple of days. I worried myself sick for weeks over how Eli would handle the long car ride but he did great! Of course there were moments that made me wish we had just stayed home but those moments were far and few. Eli was a champ!

Babies Babies Babies!

Brynlee, Eli & Annie (with their proud Daddies)
Annie & Eli

Koen & Eli

I have said it before and I will say it again, I absolutely LOVE that our friends also have babies right now. Why? Two reasons 1) We get to share the good, the bad and the ugly stories & 2) Our babies have each other!! I haven't snapped a picture of Baby Charlie yet but he will be part of the gang too!

Take your small talk & shove it!

I know it is time for being thankful for all that we are blessed with and believe me I am but this isn't one of those blog posts. This morning I saw RED! This morning I wanted to take my fist and cram it down John Doe's throat. Okay so the scenario goes a little something like this......after dropping our sweet precious little boy off at his Tita's house I headed to work. It had been raining all morning but the rain was down to a sprinkle. Background information: we don't really have much time or energy to do much of anything after work now that we have a baby, so the back of our truck looked like a GDS garbage truck. There must have been 7 huge bags of trash back there. I thought to myself, you know I will help Travis out and drop these off since the recycling place was on my way. Just as I pull in the sprinkle turns into a monsoon. I wasn't about to leave, pull into work looking like the trash lady for the third day in a row so I put it in park, pulled my rain coat hood on and jumped out. At this point the dumpster attendee leaves his nice covered shed and makes his way over to me. I thought, wow, what a good samaritan this guy is. Psssh, the man came over stood right next to the truck and watched me pull all 7 bags out and heave them into the bin, one by one, as he shoots the shit about the rain. The conversation went a little something like this: John Doe "Sure is coming down out here", Me "Sure is", John Doe "Not the best time to be dropping off trash", ME "No, No it isn't but you got to when you can". John Doe finds that humorous. After I heaved the last bag of trash; I jumped in the truck soaking wet and don't look back, the nerve of some people. I would have been fine with him staying in the damn shed but why come over. Got to love a good ole boy.

Ahhh, feel better after getting that off my chest. Thank you for reading.

Baby Food!

Our Baby Boy has been chowing down on green veggies since last week. His facial expressions are too cute. He just didn't know what to think about those plain ole green beans but ate them nevertheless. After a week of green beans and no allergic reaction noted; we moved on to peas, Eli seemed to like them better. To wash down his veggie meal we introduced a sippy cup with white grape juice. He hasn't quite mastered drinking from it but sure likes to chew on it. Up next on the veggie list are sweet potatoes. I hear those are a baby favorite next to the fruit of course. Our nurse recommended we wait a couple of weeks before we introduce those. I am having so much fun making Eli's baby food.

Friday was Eli's 6 month check-up. He weighed in at 18 lbs 7 oz (so we were all wrong) and measured 28 3/4 inches long. His weight is in the 67 percentile and height in the 97 percentile. We had been told his weight gain would slow down but my arms sure thought he weighed 19 lbs! Eli is shaping up to be a little ham, he had all the nurses just melting over his voice and laugh. Unfortunately, Eli spiked his first fever after being vaccinated, poor little fella. Everyone has asked me if I gave him Tylenol beforehand and I hadn't but don't always do. He did get a flu shot which was new. Guess you are damned if you do, damned if you don't. By Saturday night he was feeling like a champ so that made daddy and mommy feel better. I just can't get enough of that little man!

An Ashe Week of Firsts!

Travis, Eli and I stuffed our first Scarecrow, we named him Stumpy. We also had our first craving pumpkins party last week. Eli wanted to help so badly, he held his little pumpkin and tried to bite it like everything else. Travis's jack-o-lantern was awesome, mine not so much and Eli's was cute! We headed to downtown Cherokee for some trick or treating, it was ok but I am making it my mission to find a good neighborhood for next year. I dressed up as a witch for work; made oreo eyeballs for our snack party and overall really enjoyed this halloween & no alcohol was involved! Eli celebrated his 6 month birthday on the 1st of November. He is exploring all over our house in his walker and making our hearts melt with every new thing he does. Next week we will start veggies. He is graduating from his bumbo so we are setting up his fancy high chair (thanks Amanda and Joe) in the dining room. Next Friday is his 6 month check up, our family is wagering on his weight. I am guessing 19 pounds but the others think 20 pounds. What veggie is his favorite will follow, so stay tuned.

Eli loves Fall & I love Eli!

This past weekend we took a little drive on the Parkway. Didn't want to miss out on all the leaf looking. Our little man loves being outside, probably all the colors and things to gaze at. Yes, we took some more pictures of him. I know, I know enough already but he is growing so fast I don't want to miss any of it! It's hard to believe that in a week he will be 6 months old. Everything this little angel does fascinates me. He is laughing now, Travis hopes he has my LOUD obnoxious Garcia laugh but I hope it's more subtle. Funny how simple little things like a scenic drive can be so much more exciting with a baby. In all reality, I still can't believe I am someone's mom but I am....Eli's mom! On another note, we live in a BEAUTIFUL place! Here are some pictures from our leaf looking day.

Apple Bobber Champ!

You just really NEVER completly know someone.....recently found out that my husband of almost 7 years (my main squeeze since 2001, so we are talking a DECADE people) is an olympian apple bobber! He smoked the competition. Out of the 6 apple bobbers, Childers one apple, the rest of us zero apples, and Travis 6 apples! This is him in action!

Fall is in the Air!

Happy 5 Months to my sweet baby boy!
October 1, 2011, turned out to be a cold fall morning. We planned on bundling Eli up in his jogger to support Breast Cancer Awareness but being a new mom and still figuring out temperature and outings, we nixed it. Instead we played with Eli who is doing something new and fascinating everyday! Plus, we were going to be out later that afternoon with friends at an apple orchard for Apple Roland Weekend and didn't want to over do it.

As a matter of fact, a year ago on Apple Roland weekend we told our dear friends the Roland's we were pregnant! This year our little man is 5 months old and the Roland's also have a baby, sweet baby Annie! CRAZY!!

The day was spent picked apples, apple inspired dinner at the Roland's house and discovered Travis is a Champion Apple Bobber! Who would have known? Not I or anyone there that night. So lucky to have such great friends and traditions to share with our sweet babies.

The rest of the weekend and on into the week I have been whipping up more apple inspired dinners and desserts. YUM!

Eli was Baptised!

Our sweet little boy was baptised Sunday September 18, 2011.

My dearest cousin Maribel(my sister at heart) flew in with family in tow to be our sons Godmother. Maribel brought Eli's baptism suit from Mexico. It was a special day that we shared with the most important people in our lives.

Eli will be 5 months old next month (well if you go by weeks he is 4 months & 4 weeks). Everyday it is a new discovery: his tongue, his hands, his feet, almost rolling off our bed, his sweet sweet squeal, his eating cereal face. Everyday he makes my heart skip a beat. Being a mom sure is hard work but this little man makes my world complete!

During their visit here we have taken lots of pictures, laughed til my face hurts, and ate so much it's ridiculous. I sure will miss them once they are gone but feel blessed to know I can count on my family & friends when we need them the most.

Eli also had his first professional photo shoot a few weeks ago, he is such a little ham. I thought for sure I had just wasted our money because he didn't smile, he was fussy to the point I felt incompetent in controlling my son, he flat out refused to pose but in the end the photographer snapped some good ones.


Now on to the next thing, I am researching costumes for Halloween. My best buddy Kelly has scheduled a Halloween photo mini session for our boys, that will be interesting for sure! Those boys will have no choice but to be buddies. Speaking of buddies Eli will be picking apples next weekend with his future "apple of his eye" Annie Roland. Can't wait to snap picture of them together. So glad our close friends have babies right now!!

Baby Blues

The saying Baby Blues has so many meanings for me. I definitely felt a little bluish after the baby was born, especially since breastfeeding turned out to be so hard. Glad we got through that and didn't give up! Baby Blues represents the color of most of the clothing our son received at our Showers. Never a big fan of baby blue, I must admit baby Eli looks adorable in it. And lastly, Baby Blues means missing my baby while I am at work. I took 2 months maternity leave after Eli was born. Today is my second day back and today was harder than yesterday. He was awake and cooing this morning, yesterday he was asleep. I am grateful that my mom & mother-in-law can keep Eli while we are at work and I keep hearing that the grandmother's are the second best thing but I definitely question me returning to work. I loved my time at home with our sweet baby. I am missing out on 10 hours of his day four days a week. I question if my income is really worth that. We would be okay with one salary but not as comfortable as we are now. I want lil man to have everything he needs and will one day want. Then I think... I love my job, after all I am a working gal and never saw myself as a homemaker. I finally landed a job that is challenging and am finally using that degree I am still paying for. So many things have changed in my life. Things that bothered me before don't and things that didn't bother me before do. All my thoughts are about Eli. It's no longer Travis and me, we hardly get any alone time but yet we seem to be managing just fine. I am a firm believer of saying "I Love You" often and "Thank You For All That You Do" regularly. Our glances to one another say so much more these days. We knew our lives were going to be completely different but I didn't realize how much. We can't pack up for a weekend get away like before. No more improv trips to Asheville after work or weekends. Sex can't be spontaneous like when it was just us in our house. Simple tasks such as laundry or washing up after dinner aren't so simple anymore. Lots of planning must go into things as simple as going out for dinner. Nevertheless, this new chapter in our lives is so exciting and words can't describe what it feels to be a mommy! I have stocked my office with framed pictures of that sweet face and look at him often, maybe this will get easier as time goes by. I hope anyway!

Eli is Coming!

April 30th didn't start out as expected. I had been up all night feeling odd & experiencing a few contractions. About 5am that morning we were headed to Labor & delivery. Mind you I read many books, felt like I was ready for what was to come but all that went out the window when I saw blood on my underwear. I flipped out! I forgot what floor we had to go to, forgot what nurses station we had to report to, I was lost. Luckily Travis was on his A game. I was monitored for a while then let go with some medicine to help me sleep. After we left the hospital we headed to Hooper's for breakfast. Little did we know that this breakfast would be the last we would share just us. We headed home, I napped and felt great when I awoke. We had friends coming over to watch the UFC fight. We enjoyed grilled chicken, veggies and the company of good friends. I remember telling Ivey as they were leaving that this may the last get together before our little Eli was here. I wasn't counting on him coming that very next day. Around 9pm I started having regular contractions. I started timing them. We still had friends over so I didn't want to alarm anyone. After everyone was gone I told Travis. Trying to stay true to our birth plan, I laid down. We didn't want to head to the hospital too soon. Around 2pm the contractions were stronger & more frequent. I finally told Travis that we had to head out. We weren't ready at all. Eli's bag was packed but our bag was not. I hurried around and threw some things together. Upon arrival at labor and delivery, we were told I was probably having false labor because Eli wasn't supposed to be born yet. At 5am the nurse checked my cervix and it was dialated to a 3-4cm. We were then admitted and taken to our birthing room. It was pretty surreal when the nurse told us that we in fact were going to have a baby that day. We were both so tired, we hadn't slept much in two days and with the contractions I couldn't sleep even though the nurse advised that we rest. Easier said than done. At 7am I was given the option to receive pain medication. Our birth plan was to have no intervention at all but I really couldn't handle too much more I thought. After being assured that our baby wasn't going to be born in the next hour and be affected by the medication I agreed. I was given stadol (spelling), I felt pretty loopy and would fall asleep between contractions. The calmness lasted for an hour. The cat nap was what we needed to keep on going. The nurse told us we would have the baby by noon. I became fixated with that. In our child birth classes we were told to transport myself somewhere else, or concentrate on something while a contraction hit. I began counting as soon as I felt the pain. 2, 4, 6, 8, 10 and so on. This really helped me. Around 10am, I was again offered the epidural, I refused and instead got up walked around the hospital floor. We did so many laps. I was against getting in the birthing tub but it really did help the pain. Travis was amazing at keeping me focused. We listened to Adele while the contractions got stronger and stronger. We slow danced every time a big one hit. We tried different positions on the bed, bounced on the ball but the slow dancing is what really eased the contractions. At 11:30, my cervix was dialated to an 8. I thought oh no I can't do this anymore. At 12:30, my cervix was dialated to a 9. At 1:00pm my cervix was fianlly dialated to a 10 but there was still what they called a lip left on the cervix. Meaning I couldn't push yet. Finally at 1:30 pm my very calm doctor came in and I began to push. I wasn't prepared for the pushing part, my legs were up, one was held by Carol our awesome nurse and the other by Travis. When a contraction hit I was instructed to push. I pushed & pushed and our little miracle was born at 1:50pm! When I heard his first cry & caught a glimpse of him, everything changed. I got to hold him immediately afterwards, it was love at first sight. He is my little angel. He was born 8lbs and measured 19.5 inches at 37 weeks. This Sunday he will be a month old. I am not going to lie and say it has all been peaches and cream but I will say that one glance at his beautiful face and all the sleepness nights and nipple soreness disappears. The breastfeeding has been the hardest part for me. I wasn't prepared for the demand, the pain and possible torn nipple if his latch isn't right! In short (well not really this blog is pretty long), I wasn't prepared for so many things. I thought I was, thought I read everything I needed to read about my pregnancy & delivery but I was not prepared for the 17 hours I was in labor. I realized I hadn't read anything about what to do once our bundle of joy arrived. Luckily, motherly instincts really do kick in. I am so in love right now!

Photo Booth Fun

At our first Shower, a Photo Booth was set up for guests to dress up & pose for the camera. Great idea for our little man's scrapbook. I didn't realize this dress made me look so big or that I in fact am that big! Good news is that I am carrying precious cargo around folks!

36 weeks...28 days to go!!!!

Yesterday P'nut & I had an appointment. Things are progressing normally and we are doing really good except for when it's time to get on the scale. Not being a fan of the scale in normal circumstances makes it harder when you are carrying around 20+ extra pounds but I remind myself that our little boy is growing in there. He is roughly 6 pounds and measures 18 1/2 inches long, it's no wonder I can't breathe! He is compared to a crenshaw melon this week. I have never ever heard of a crenshaw melon. At the end of this week little p'nut will be considered full-term! The other night I ate a 6inch sub from subway, a handful of chips & a rootbeer float for dinner but I felt like I had just left a buffet. I read I need to eat smaller meals now in order to avoid feeling like the Goodyear Blimp but friends what I consumed IS a small meal compared to what I normally put away. I guess I need to shoot for smaller :(



Yesterday was also Group B Strep day, it felt a little weird nothing major but it always feels a little weird when I am spreadeagle at the Dr.'s office. We will find the results out next week. We attended a breastfeeding class on Tuesday, I am more determined to breastfeed than ever! It was a one on one type class with a lactation consultant. At first I thought that this wasn't going to work, she opened by saying she didn't have anything planned, she just wanted us to ask questions. 1) I didn't have any questions wrote down, 2) are you kidding me? To my surprise once question #1 was out there I was full of questions, we left with a notepad full of 42 questions and answers plus a few brochures. She was great. We learned about the importance of positioning, we were showed how to cradle hold, cross cradle/over, clutch or football hold the baby. I feel more at ease and confident that we can do this; lots of women work and continue to breastfeed their child, so I am hoping to do the same.



Currently I am a little uneasy regarding the state of our house, we are remodeling a few things, the contractor isn't starting until the 2nd week in May. He states it will take him a week but I doubt it. I don't cope well with not being in control. The nursery is almost complete but I can't put up p'nuts clothes or finish decorating until this man is finished. I know it isn't the end of the world if p'nuts nursery isn't complete by the time he arrives but that was my goal. I have been washing his little clothes & storing them in totes for now, his little clothes are so freaking cute! At one of his showers he got a onsie that says....wait for it....."stud (with a picture of a little muffin next to it)". I can't wait to see him in it!



With our due date 4 weeks ago I am starting to get nervous about the labor. Our birth plan is to have a natural childbirth. I have had a few braxton hicks contractions and some pelvic pain that stops me in my tracks here and there. I am trying to stay positive about being able to handle it all. My sweet husband is ready to give all the support I need.



We were talking the other night about this being the last Easter, last Mother's Day before our little miracle is here to share in all the holidays. We are looking forward to the new experiences we will share with p'nut, his first 4th of July, first Halloween, first Thanksgiving and first Christmas. We can't wait to meet him & hold him!

Belly Bump Shoot

These are the contenders. We are going to have one of these shots blown up & hung in the Nursery. Which one do you like the best?

Ay Dios Mio! 32 weeks means 8 weeks to go!

(hands on my cheeks!)

I can't believe my little kickboxer is so big already. I have the belly to prove it now! I don't know exactly how much he weighs right now, he has always weighed more than my readings allow. This week they are comparing his weight to a Jicama. Jicama is a sweet, root vegetable that looks like a turnip. Jicama makes me think of this delicious cold fruit salad that one of my favorite restaurants in Tucson serves. With its giant portions of mango, watermelon, pineapple, jicama all lightly seasoned with lime juice and chili powder. They call it Pico de Gallo, which is a little odd since pico de gallo is a salsa that contains tomato, onion, jalapeno, and cilantro. The name isn't important though, just know it is a delectable fruit dish and my mouth is kinda watering right now. Our little guy is making me really hungry these days, all I think about is FOOD (can you tell)! Moving on...P'nut makes me smile everytime I feel him move; it feels so weird now, I know I have said that before but his kicks are so much stronger. Little Cheli got to see my belly move yesterday and she said "wow, that's weird Tia". She is convinced she is going to babysit P'nut while I work. I am a little scared for P'nut because that 4 1/2 year old is something else! On another front; my work clothes are fitting really snug, thank goodness for my BFF Kelly and her mathernity wardrobe hand-me-downs! This Saturday we have our Belly Shoot, I am really excited to pick out the nursery picture. Excitement is everywhere, our baby shower is planned for April 9th and a work shower follows April 15th. P'nut and I feel so loved!

Amati got Married!

It has been exactly one year to the date that my dear friend Gayle Amati moved back home to Las Cruces, NM then relocated to Houston, TX (well Spring, TX). More than a friend she is like a sister to me and I miss her dearly. Lucky for us we got to fly out to be with her on her very special day. Even with all the festivities that caused her to run around like a chicken with her head chopped off, it was nice to catch up with her. It was great reminiscing about her time here in NC. In my pregnant state I wasn't able to hang out too late but the time spent with her was fabulous! Her wedding was beautiful, her and Steve made a handsome bride and groom. I am glad we were able to be a part of her wedding. P'nut flew for the first time and had his first visit to Houston this past weekend. I think he missed our bed and pregnancy pillow but other than that he had a good time!

Holy Moley....10 more weeks!

The fact that I have a little person in my belly that is growing, stretching and kicking; is still very surreal. He is very active these days, or should I say he is much stronger because I feel every move. I feel like he has NO room to be wallering around in there. This week P'nuts stats have him weighing 3lbs and 10oz (at last Dr. appt) and http://www.babycenter.com/ states that he is measuring 17in. Crazy to think about when a full term baby measures 19-21in. I am constantly amazed; right now he recognizes our voices, when Travis talks to him or puts his hand on my belly he starts showing out for his daddy. When someone else tries to feel him move he stops, almost like a button is pushed. He saves all his movements for us! Speaking of movements, his kicking and jabbing really hurt sometimes but all I do is smile, rub my belly to let him know I know he is in there. We have been going to Lamaze Childbirth Classes, they are nothing like TV shows or movies portray them. You think Lamaze and visualize women sitting on the floor, breathing heavily with their partners behind them or at least I did until I read the Lamaze book and attended these classes. I am really happy with our decision to learn about natural childbirth. It really doesn't have to be like an assembly line upon arriving at the hospital. I know many things can go wrong and a birth plan is just that a plan but we will try our hardest to keep it as natural as possible. Friends that have had babies are quick to discourage this notion because of their experience but every pregnancy and delivery is different. Our mindset going in, is that we can handle this, if it proves to be otherwise then we will adapt. I recently witnessed a real life labor and I must say it put things in perspective. I know what I want for our labor but I can just hope it works out that way. The important thing is to concentrate on the end result! Our baby boy!

Operation Baby Room

It seems like every weekend is planned out by the Monday before, this weekend not being any different we set out to get our baby's room ready. Friday morning while at work I noticed that the furniture we wanted was on SALE. I text Travis to tell him and we made a game plan for after work. When Travis got home from work that plan somehow was forgotten and talks about eating dinner and maybe watching a movie while in Asheville began. Friday night is usually our date night. We headed out...once at Target we find out they have only one crib and one dresser left but no changing table. We take the time to get a rain check for the changing table and then it came time to get the other furniture home. This is the first time we both realize that we drove our little car instead of the truck. I can't really explain the thoughts I had going on in my head but what I can tell you is that as fun as our plan seemed; it in fact was absolutely ridiculous..1)"how are we eating dinner and watching a movie with furniture in the back of the truck", 2) why would we get in the car and not the truck?" and most importantly 3)"are you kidding me? we are getting ready to have a child and we pull this!!!!!!!"

Travis suggests driving all the way home to get the truck but that sounds even more ridiculous in my head so I call my mom and ask if they could come bail us out of the predicament we were in. As we stand in the baby isles of Target looking at each other thinking we are idioits. I start mentally measuring our trunk, I suggest to Travis that they may fit once the seats are down, he looks at me like I've lost my mind. I tell him its worth a shot b/c if not we we"re eating dinner with my parents and heading home..no date night. He apparently was really looking forward to date night b/c against his better judgement he agreed and went to get the car. (I have to tell you guys this) We have had a giant bow and arrow thing that my father-in-law gave Travis in the back of the car, so I knew Travis was hating life right about then. 1) he hates looking dumb in front of people, 2) he already thinks the Target guy thinks we are stupid for even attempting to cram these huge boxes in a sports car, and 3) now the Target guy is going to see this bow, why would we ride around with a bow and arrow? Somehow Travis hides the bow between the seats,and with the help of the Target guy they start putting the boxes in.

By some sort of miracle both boxes fit, the trunk closes and we are on our way. I call my mom to tell her we figured it out. I wish I would have taken a picture of us in the car, our knees were touching the dashboard but the boxes were in and we were able to finish out our date night! Saturday morning Operation Baby Room continued.....I can't express how bad I wanted to help paint our little p'nuts room but it's frowned upon. The painting is complete minus a few touch ups and trim. Sunday Travis assembled the crib and the dresser. Our little guy's room is finally coming together. We are so excited! Here are a few pictures of our progress :)

Family Fotos

This past Saturday was a great day! For starters it was my brother's birthday & my sister-in-law's birthday and to top it off the sun was out and we were registering for our baby shower. My sister-in-law Tab is about to graduate from WCU in May. In preperation for this monumental event she had graduation pictures taken but was unhappy with them, so she scheduled a photo op for her and the rest of the clan. We were to wear our WCU shirts and meet in Asheville. After having breakfast with my love at Cracker Barrel we made our way over to the mall. Mind you I am not the biggest fan of pictures right now b/c of the extra weight I am packing but I am glad we did b/c we got great family portraits. That said, if you know me you know I don't go anywhere without my camera, I LOVE PICTURES! I love a hardcopy proof of a wonderful night out with friends or family, so there is no such thing as too many pictures. These pictures are special b/c the family is together, Tab is graduating and we are documenting the growth of our pregnancy. Travis and I have belly portraits with a local photographer later on this month; which I am really excited about, so I hadn't planned on having any belly shots taken this Saturday but the lady was a fan of the belly!

Belly on the Move!

WOW!

Our little man's movements have been very noticable these days (@ 27 weeks) but just now as I sit at work checking my e-mail, my belly did the coolest thing EVER! Allow me to paint the picture for you. I am facing my computer, feet propped on the harddrive (so I am leaning back some), keyboard is close to my belly and peripheral vision just caught the wildest thing! I stopped my typing and braced myself for what was to happen next......P'Nut made the left side of my belly completley move!!!! So here I sit staring at my belly barely breathing, it happened 2 more times, guess he finally got comfortable in there :)

26 Weeks

This morning we had our monthly checkup....P'Nut and I are doing just fine. According to my readings our little man is 2 lbs but he was 2 lbs 2 weeks ago so I can only assume he is weighing in at a little more than that. He is the length of a English Hothouse Cucumber! Mmmm I want a cucumber with lime and salt right now! Even though he has been constantly moving for months in there; I really feel him moving all the time now. He has also been hearing our voices for a while but I just recently told my mom that so she has been talking to him. It's so sweet to hear her refer to herself as Tita (that's what all the grand kids called our grandma, my moms mom) when talking to my belly. I had been really nervous about my blood glucose test because of my risk factors; PCOS and family history of diabetes so you better believe I was ecstatic when they told me my results were normal. I only gained 4 pounds since my last visit, right on track according to my Dr. I really feel like I have gained more but evidently it's all belly thus far. To celebrate our great check up we had banana splits for dessert!

Best of Friends

23 Weeks & some Change

It seems that as a general rule we are wishing time away. Months back it was seeing the baby bump, hearing the heartbeat, seeing his tiny little self during the ultrasound, feeling the first flutters to right now.....the day we meet our little boy, his first tooth, his first words, his first attempts at walking and so forth. Present day, all 3 of us are doing pretty good....yes I still have my weepy spells, my days of exhaustion from, well I really don't know from what considering I take it pretty easy these days, and planning for P'nut's room. According to babycenter.com, our little P'nut is weighing in at a pound and measures 11inches! We can't believe how fast our little boy is growing, this pregnancy is flying by! I always said that if we were blessed with the miracle of one baby I would be happy with that. Now that we have experienced this beautiful time in our my lives, I can't help but hope for P'nut to have a sibling!!!! I know what you all are thinking....wooooow pump the breaks lady, we will see what you think after delivering this baby! Honestly though, I have never felt more like a woman, a beautiful woman than I do right now..minus the sickness at the beginning this has been such a wonderful experience for me. (& for my Trav) I know in my heart that we will be great parents. I know we have lots of new experiences ahead, lots of mistakes when it comes to parenting but if we can be half the parents our parents are I think P'nut will be just fine. This little guy is going to be loved unconditionally, he will have a few obstacles as far as the culture differences between my family & Travis's family but hopefully this will shape him into a wonderful person! As I sit here typing our little boy is moving around in my belly (he knows I am talking about him), every time he moves he brings a smile to my face. My mom always told me I would never truly understand the love of a parent until I had my own and you know...surprise surprise she was right! It simply amazes me just how much I LOVE him already!