39 weeks...1 week til "B-day" (or so we hope)

How far along? 39 weeks!! The finish line is in sight!!

 

Maternity clothes? My wardrobe these days pretty much consists of my pjs...but even then, my t-shirts are always revealing my belly because he's so low & my belly is so big. I am SO ready for normal clothes!

 

Weight gain: Last I checked, I have gained 38lbs. Not bad since I'm no bigger now than I was with Adrian at this point. In fact, I think I weigh a lb less :)

 

Stretch marks? Yep, I can say with certainty that he has definitely left his mark (well multiple marks) on me in addition to his brother's marks.

 

Sleep: It's okay...I wake every couple hrs to use the restroom, and it's a lot harder to roll out of bed or even walk the 6 steps it takes to get there. The past couple nights I have had some disturbing dreams too :( I'm sure they are just manifestations of my nervousness of being able to handle 2 kids soon, but I wish I didn't have them because now I feel guilt and paranoia, and obviously they're not real, but its hard to get the images out of my mind.

 

Best moment this week: Well I'd have to say the baby shower was a wonderful gift to me and baby a couple weekends ago & it was nice being able to spend some time and laughs with loved ones!
The bridal show was fun too and gets me excited about all the planning & preparation ahead for our wedding!

 

Movement? Yes...my little karate kid is still kicking with full force...he is calm 80% of the day, but when he's active, he gets a little crazy sometimes haha I will definitely miss the feeling of hiccups for sure though :)

Cravings? Just sweets still...I CAN'T WAIT to eat sweets without guilt or fear of swelling once he's here LOL

Gender: I have this big fear that the ultrasound tech could have been wrong. If I were to deliver a girl, it would be quite a shock but we'd still be thrilled. We just have so much personalized stuff for our little man and our thoughts revolve around life with two boys, I can't imagine life without this boy I have pictured in my mind. Probably just normal pre-delivery jitters, but I still find myself hoping that the tech wasn't wrong LOL

Labor Signs: I actually had some spotting a couple weeks ago at 36 weeks and it made me nervous that I would possibly deliver early. We're pretty sure it was just due to me over doing it with vacuuming and a sensitive cervix because I haven't had any signs like that since then. I think a week after that happened, I did have contractions that were consistent but not painful but once I had two big glasses of water and laid back down again, they stopped, so I just needed fluids obviously.

I'm ready any day now to begin having those contractions that don't stop, but I'll just have to be patient and know that he will come when HE'S ready, not when I am.

Belly Button in or out? Out haha it's barely anything, but it's still out :)

Rings on or off? Off...they're just too tight now...I can still put them on, but I'd rather not have to use soap to get them off haha

What I miss: Normal clothes. I know that I'll continue to live in my PJs for the first week or two once baby is born, but at least I'll be able to fit in them without having the bottom of my belly being exposed. I also miss sleeping on my stomach, or even just comfortably for that matter.

What I am looking forward to: Meeting our new little man. I have completed many projects and things around the house trying to keep me preoccupied when I'm not chasing after Adrian and it keeps me busy while I'm doing it, but the idea of planning these things was that I wouldn't be able to get to all of them. Fortunately I've been able to complete these projects so I don't have to stress about them not being done, but now I'm still here just waiting and hoping I'll go into labor LOL

Weekly Wisdom: I suppose the past 2 weeks or so have just been about patience and accepting that babies come on their own time, not when we think they should. I don't know why I had this idea in my head that because he's my second that he would come early, but I need to get that out of my head right now! I remember when I was pregnant with Adrian, I had accepted very early on in pregnancy that he may very well be born 2 weeks late and I was content with that. I feel selfish the times that I feel like I just want to be done because it's not in his best interest. Yes, I may be in pain and uncomfortable, but he obviously has more growth and development to do inside the womb or else he'd be out already. I thank God for my two healthy pregnancies and the fact that I do not have to go through the struggles that may come with a pre-mature baby. I believe that my baby will be just as healthy as his brother and will be perfectly and wonderfully made. I am not nervous about taking care of another baby because I feel prepared from Adrian. I am nervous about the transition of going from one to two kids and how well Adrian will adjust to life with a baby. I know that we will do our best and that's all we can do.

I seriously can't wait to meet our baby already! tick tock tick tock...
 

Milestone: Not a milestone that I like having, but like clockwork like when I was pregnant with Adrian, my feet and ankles are pretty swollen and my blood pressure is a bit higher than normal (no headaches or facial swelling or anything of that nature). Nothing that's super concerning, but just means that I need to spend less time on my feet again...I was really enjoying getting housework done again, but looks like I'll be taking it easy until baby arrives. The week before Adrian was born, this is what happened as well so it makes me very hopeful that he'll be here around his due date and not much later than that! Yay!! Mom's vacation starts on the 31st, so maybe we'll have to go get pedicures (Adrian was born on a Thurs...the Tuesday before, my mom had given me a nice foot massage making sure to press "labor inducing" reflex points...a nice pedicure and foot massage sounds great for my swollen feet and if it just happens to help me go into labor too that would be awesome haha).

 

 

That's it for now...here's me today and I'm sure the next time I write here it'll be to share the story of our precious son's birth :) Hooray!

 

 

 

 

Comparison of the beginning and "the end" :)

 

 

Here's a pic I took yesterday just out of curiosity...on a birth board I am a member of online, another mom had described herself as looking like a "busted can of biscuits" in her bikini compared to before pregnancy ha ha ha!   She posted her pictures (she didn't look bad at all) and challenged everyone to post their pics if they dared...so I did LOL

 

 



35 Weeks & a birth announcement!!

I am having to re-type this all over since the website was messing up yesterday and when I selected everything to copy it, it unfortunately only copied just one picture and no text grr...so anyway, here we go again!!


How far along?  35 Weeks TODAY!!  According to the countdown app on my phone, that is 34 days from my due date!!  Getting super close!!

Weight gain:  According to the scale the other day, I am up 31.2lbs. I think at this point with Adrian, I was only 2 lbs lighter.  Not too bad considering that I started 5-6lbs heavier this pregnancy than with him :)

Maternity clothes?  YES!  But I am even avoiding those these days because PJs are just so much more comfortable.  Getting dressed up is just such a chore these days since its much harder to reach my feet, so if I can get away with staying in PJs all day, I do!  LOL  I am looking forward to being able to wear my normal clothes again :)

Stretch marks?  Yeah, I think I've seen new ones above my belly button...hopefully the damage isn't too much worse than when I started this pregnancy since I thought Adrian gave me enough :P

Sleep: I am having bouts of insomnia each night which I guess is good preparation for the sleeplessness I will experience in the fast approaching months ahead of me.  It would be nice to be able to sleep through the night though without waking for 2 hours at ramdom times.

Best moment this week: Christmas was just wonderful and I am so thankful for the family that we have here to celebrate it with!  I am also thankful for technology (even though its the reason I'm typing this for a second time haha) because we were able to Skype with my dad and stepmom on Christmas morning and open our presents with them!  Its great that Adrian can interact with them and see their faces instead of just trying to get a busy toddler to talk on the phone :)

Also, my wonderful friend Stephanie and her husband Tallas welcomed their beautiful baby girl, Veronica Giovanna into the world on the 29th!  Stephanie was exactly a month ahead of me in her pregnancy (due Jan 4th) and it was so fun being able to experience things along with her.  I have no doubts that they are and are going to be wonderful parents and that God has big plans for their precious blessing!  I only wish that I could meet her in person (they currently live in Italy).  Happy BirthDay Veronica!  Lots of love to you and your family!!!

Movement?  Everyday!  He seems to be busiest early morning, and when we go to bed at night...he's currently moving a bit as I type :)

Cravings?  Just sweets, but in order to avoid swelling, I've been keeping my intake to a minimum.  With the holidays, it certainly been harder to resist in eating sweets, but I think I've been doing well and have had little to no problems with swelling :)  I am definitely looking forward to indulging in sweets once he's here though for sure! (I've always had a sweet tooth)  I found a cookie recipe on Pintrest that supposedly helps you maintain your milk supply, so I will definitely be making those for snacking :)

Labor Signs:  Just braxton hicks...they usually happen around the times that he starts getting more active (early morning and before bed)...I have a couple throughout the day as well.  Nothing consistent and very sporadic, but at least 4 times throughout the day.

Belly Button in or out?  I suppose that you could call it out, but it's not that impressive haha...I am thankful it doesn't stick out more than it does, and I'm pretty sure where it's at is the extent of "out" it's going to get.

Rings on or off?  On!  I have a feeling that I will continue the rest of the time with them on as well. :)

What I miss:  I am not missing too much these days because I seem to have gotten my energy back which was weighing me down heavily for at least the last 6 months!  I feel like I am able to do things without getting exhausted or dizzy within 20 mins of doing something.  Nesting is setting in I think, so I feel like I am getting more accomplished these days!   But with a toddler and all the new Christmas stuff, my house still seems to remain a mess LOL

What I am looking forward to:  Meeting our newest son of course!!  Only 5 weeks to go!   I finally hung up things on the walls of his room, so now it's not so bare in there...I still am working on completing his quilt, a wall hanging and a couple other things.  I am quickly running out of time!!  Plus our birth kit came in the other day, so we are all set in that department, minus a few minor things I need to pick up at the store.
Also, at Christmas I was informed that a baby shower will be thrown for our little one on Jan 12th, so I am looking forward to that!  Other than the date, everything else has been kept a secret from me, so am anxious to see the fun they have planned :)

Weekly Wisdom:  I am amazed how quickly the time passed and it truly seems like I should have like 3 more months of being pregnant, not a couple weeks!  I'm not sure if it is the fact that most of my day is preoccupied with Adrian that I don't have much time to think about things, but I feel much less anxiety about bringing our second baby boy into the world.  I know that with Adrian, everything was new and uncharted territory for us, so of course it can be a little scary.  And I suppose that we are going into uncharted territory again with balancing life with two children, but I have learned that there is no use in stressing about things before they happen. 
I feel like since we're only 2 years past Adrian's birth that things are still pretty fresh in my mind and that gives me encouragement that I know what I'm doing.  I know that each child has a personality of their own and I can't expect him to be like Adrian, but I just have a feeling that he'll be a little easier than Adrian was.  And even if he is just as fussy as Adrian was, I think that I have handled my fair share of screaming baby at this point, that it won't be as traumatic to me when he may cry for bouts at a time haha 
In addition, I feel like we have kind of gone with the flow and followed the cues of our child and really listened to what he needed from us as he's grown as opposed to setting expectations for him because of things that others have done or because he has reached a certain age, etc.  I think that going into having a second child without expectation has really helped keep stress out of my mind becuause honestly, you just never know how things are going to be and worrying about "what if" will only cause you grief.

Milestone: 35 weeks!!  Just 2 more weeks and I'll feel most comfortable about delivering at home (if he decides to come early) without him being too premature!  I have a feeling that he will be born much closer to his due date though, and have not worried about passing this next "milestone."

Here I am at 34 weeks...I need to take a picture today still:

Here are a couple fun pictures from our snow fun yesterday

 

 

 

I am very much looking forward to spending times like these in the future as a family of four!!

 

Love you all!  Thanks for reading!!

 

 

The big THREE ZERO!!!!

How far along? 30 weeks!!!  I can't believe how close we are already to meeting our newest son...just 10 weeks to go! :)

Maternity clothes?  Yep, even bought some leggings...I swear these are a pregnant woman's best friend.  They are WAY more comfortable than maternity pants and still look great :)  The ones I got are even lined with fleece (perfect for the colder weather) :)

Stretch marks?  I'm not sure if there's new ones, but the older ones (from Adrian) are more pronounced around my belly button now (which is funny because those are the ones I couldn't see with Adrian until he was born)

Sleep: Pretty good actually...I have to switch sides several times a night or else I get really bad hip pain, but I haven't had to get up as frequently to use the restroom, so that's a pleasant plus :)

Best moment this week:  We had our prenantal appointment last Tuesday with Margie and everything sounds/ looks great.  My blood pressure was great.  I gained 7 lbs since my last visit (6 weeks previous) so a little over a pound per week which is awesome. I am still measuring ahead at 32cm but I measured ahead with Adrian too, so I think that he'll still come around his due date and not early.  And his heartrate was 126 bpm :)  I looked at my pregnancy journal for Adrian, and I just happened to have a prenatal visit the same week with him and his heartrate was 127 bpm...so they're pretty similar in that aspect :)

Another plus this week was Thanksgiving and being able to spend 4 days with Manny...I think Adrian really enjoyed having his dadda with us all day long for the long weekend :)  The food was awesome and the company was equally great with family and friends.  I indulged a lot in sweets and juice, but I think I need to get back to my exclusive water drinking (at least until Christmas dinner).

Movement? He's still really relaxed and only moves certain times of the day (like afternoon around Adrian's nap time and especially when I lay down to sleep).  There were several weeks that I considered him to be a baby ninja because he'd kick and punch out of nowhere a couple times and then that was it haha  That has seemed to calm down, but now he likes to stretch his feet into my ribs and it feels like he lays transverse at times which always causes me to have to run to the bathroom lol
One this that I always enjoy are baby hiccups though...I don't know why, but I think they're just so precious and, unlike Adrian, he doesn't really seem to mind them...When Adrian would get hiccups, he'd get all upset and start kicking like crazy LOL

Cravings? Just sweets since I am limiting myself on them...the more I eat/drink sweets, I would notice swelling in my feet and ankles, so it's best I think to limit my intake, but it makes my craving for them more prononunced :)  I always look forward to my prenatals at night since they are sweet gummys :)

Labor Signs:  None...I'm getting some braxton hicks contractions here and there now, but that's normal...practice makes perfect afterall :)

Belly Button in or out? It semi sticks out now and I can see it through thinner shirts...sometimes it's still flat :)

Rings on or off? Still wearing them...I don't think my hands have swelled at all (even when I had the swelling in my feet)

What I miss:  Motivation to clean haha  Household chores just seem to be even more of a chore now because my center of gravity is off with the growing belly and I seem to get a backache fairly easily.  Funny thing is, is that I am actually beginning to miss being pregnant already because I know this is the last one, and it has been going by super fast this time and I know it'll all be over soon.

What I am looking forward to: Personally, I am looking forward to the birth of my friend Stephanie's daughter in a little over a month from now!  She lives in Italy, so of course I will only be able to see her through pictures, but Stephanie is going to be such a great mom and I am just so thrilled for her and her husband.  I am also looking forward to knowing the gender of my cousin's baby who is due in April!  Not sure if it's just wishful thinking (on my part), but I think she's having a boy (that would make 2 boys for her as well) hehehe
For this pregnancy, I am just looking forward to delivery day, not because I want it to be over, but because we finally get to meet our littlest little man.  We still are making progress on his room, so I am anxious to get that done...which is getting more complicated with the holidays being upon us now.  But he'll be staying in our room in the bassinet at night for several months, so I guess it's not essential to get his room done right now, but it would be a weight off my mind to have it done before his arrival :)

Weekly Wisdom:  I think with the holidays around now, all I can think to write for this weekly wisdom is just for all the things I am thankful for.  I am so thankful for my family near and far that are always such a huge support for me.  I am truly blessed to have everyone I do in my life.  I wish that I could see everyone more often (for those that are far), but am glad to be able to have the technology we do these days to be able to keep in touch so well, even at a distance.
I am also blessed and so thankful that I have been given the ultimate gift of motherhood from the Lord above.  I have two wonderful sons who are my whole world and give me new perspective and purpose in life.  Without them I know that life would not be complete and they definately make me feel whole.
I am grateful to have such great in-laws who raised a wonderful son whom I love with all my heart.  I always feared the "in-laws" that you hear so often about that you just can't please or get along with, but I am lucky enough to have a wonderful extended family who have taken me in since day one as another daughter :)
To me, the holidays are more about family and spending time with one another than about the gifts.  I'm glad to have Adrian with us (and soon his brother) to celebrate the holidays because sometimes I get a little sad missing those that I can't spend the holidays with and those that I will only see again in heaven.  Adrian brings back the excitement and wonder to this time of year and I hope that he will grow to appreciate the holiday as I do and not just for the commercial side of it.

Milestone:  Baby can now regulate his own temperature and he produces his own blood now too!  He will also be gaining about a half a pound per week now until birth (and I will gain around a lb per week).  10 weeks to go!!  According to a little countdown clock on my phone, 66 days! :)

 

 

 

 

27 weeks today! 13 weeks to go!!

How far along? 27 weeks today! Chugging right along! :)

Weight Gain?  I am up 20-21 lbs from my pre-pregnancy weight (I weighed 145.8 lbs this morning)...not too bad (sounds like a lot sometimes, but I know my body is quick to go back to normal).  At the end with Adrian, I weighed 164 lbs and when I weighed myself the day after he was born, I had lost 12 lbs immediately.  So I expect I'll probably gain another 19 lbs or so in the coming weeks (equals less than 1.5 lbs per week)...hopefully the holiday eating is good to me though haha

Maternity clothes? Yep!  I was able to fit in quite a few non-maternity shirts before, but now only the longer more flowy shirt are what fit over my big belly haha

Stretch marks?  I'm not sure if I've gotten any more (Since Adrian), but my belly has been itching more lately, so I try and slather on much more lotion! :)

Sleep:  Still waking at least 3 times a night to use the restroom and to flip myself from one side to the other.

Best moment this week: Well last week was so fun with Halloween!  Adrian's first time trick-or-treating and it was definitely a treat having my great friend Stephanie join us.  Adrian was so cute going up to the doors and saying "trick or treat" and "thank you" to everyone...He was not quite sure of the person dressed as Santa though (foreshadowing of whats to come trying to get pictures with Santa this year?) lol  once he saw the candy in his hand, then he cautiously approached him, took the candy and said thank you.  The same happened with a lady dressed as a minion from Despicable me...he was afraid to turn his back on her though when we went to leave haha

Another great moment was getting Adrian's 2nd birthday pictures...although his enthusiasm when taking pictures was short-lived, we still got some great shots and I can't wait to pick them up on Saturday.

I may be biased, but isn't he the most handsome little man you've ever seen?!?



Movement?  He likes to move a lot early morning (I'm getting kicked right now as I type) and he moves a lot when we lay down for bed.  I have gotten a couple rib kicks at 3am when he decides to move and stretch and those were not so pleasant (and they weren't even that hard. yikes!)  At times, he really likes to snuggle really low which means I make a dash to the bathroom (as fast as a pregnant woman can waddle dash HAHA)

Cravings?  Probably sweets since I'm really limiting my intake of them...the day after Halloween, I had indulged in the leftover candy we had and at the end of the day, my feet and ankles had swelled up, which hadn't happened since I had cut out juices and started drinking water exclusively.  So just a sign that what I'm doing is beneficial, but makes sweets even more desireable now!

Labor Signs:  None, 13 weeks ---> 91 days to go!!  Not sure if I've had braxton hicks at this point either, but that's fine with me...funny thing is is that I forget what contractions feel like (except the point that I hit transition and had back labor)...I know I'll remember once they start though haha

Belly Button in or out? It's kind of flat at this point.  Sometimes the bottom sticks out a little, but I don't think that it ever completely popped out with Adrian either.

Rings on or off? They are still on and easily slid on and off :)

What I miss:  My energy.  I know that I'll be exhausted once baby is here, but at least I'll be able to do things like walking up and down the stairs without feeling winded and needing to take a break haha  I also miss not having restless legs when I'm tired and not having pain from SPD, but I know they're not forever and come with the territory of being pregnant, so I will gladly deal with them for 13 more weeks for a healthy baby :)

What I am looking forward to:  I am truly looking forward to meeting our new little man and beginning life as a family of 4!  It seems like this pregnancy has flown by so far, and I'm sure it's bound to start picking up even more now with the holidays!   I think I will miss pregnancy since we're done after this, so I am enjoying it while it lasts, but I think this experience has made it apparent to me that pregnancies after the first are much more exhausting becuase you already have another baby to run after and take care of...I'm not sure how people do it with 3+, but I'm pretty sure that it is definitely not for me haha

I look forward to taking pregnancy pictures in the next couple weeks too probably 3-5 weeks from now :)

Milestone:  One week until we reach the THIRD TRIMESTER!  Yes, that's right, the 3rd trimester already!!  Where did the other 2 go? haha  Baby is approximately 2 lbs now (according to babycenter.com)


Weekly Wisdom: Being a part of a birth board group on a website I think has it's benefits because people share their stories, concerns, questions and most of the time you can relate to them or gain insight from people's posts.  I am a member of a group for February 2013 babies, so all the women on there are generally around 24.5 to 27.5 weeks pregnant at the moment.  My problem with some posts lately is that some women are already discussing how uncomfortable they are right now and/or will be towards the end of their pregnancies and are already talking about how they plan on trying to naturally induce themselves after 37-38 weeks.  I just don't understand the thought process because I understand that while you may not be comfortable the last couple of weeks...it's only a couple weeks!!  The baby is still developing and growing and preparing to make it's entrance into the world...the baby will not stay there forever, and should be allowed to come when it's good and ready (medical issues aside).

I am so grateful to have never experienced a loss and have had two successful and healthy pregnancies thus far, but I don't take that for granted for one second.  How selfish I think it is to complain about the discomforts of pregnancy and decide for yourself the child should be born on your schedule, not theirs.  It makes me angry and sad that there are women who struggle to get pregnant, or to keep a pregnancy and would give anything to reach that 40 weeks, enduring all the pains happily because it's worth the prize at the end of a healthy baby to hold in their arms. And then there's those that complain about every little thing like it's not a big deal to be pregnant.  Every pregnancy is a blessing and a miracle and should be treated as such, not as an inconvenience as some of these women portray it to be.  I think it's sad that some women haven't educated themselves about the benefits of the baby remaining in the womb until it's ready.  Even the March of Dimes has a campaign going urging women to at least go to 39 weeks because it's that important to allow labor to happen naturally rather than to induce because "you're done." http://www.nytimes.com/2011/08/09/health/09brody.html

My hope is that more women become educated about the well being of their babies, and stop thinking of themselves selfishly.  I pray that those women I know who are struggling with getting pregnant or loss are able to experience all the "discomforts" that pregnancy brings because it's all worth it. All the morning sickness, all the back ache, all the swelling, all the stretch marks...all of it is worth it!  There should be no complaining about something so precious that many women yearn to have the pleasure of experiencing.

Okay, I've said my piece...onto pictures haha

27 weeks

Adrian and baby brother in belly (stretch marks are my tiger stripes earned from having Adrian) :)

You are so loved little man...can't wait to meet you in February :)

Pumpkin Carving Fun!!

Picture overload warning!!!

We had so much fun the other night carving pumpkins...but Adrian was even LESS interested in touching the pumpkin guts this year and refused to do it. haha  He did eventually think that it was okay to sit on our laps while we carved pumpkins though...and he thought they looked so cool when they were done :)

 

Me and two of my pumpkins :)

 

Carving away!!

Pulling out the guts

Adrian decided it was okay to help me

 Adrian helping out Tita

And Teddy thought he needed to help too :)

 

Aunt Tina's "Tita" Pumpkin

I just like my bump in this pic hehe

Adrian and the pumkins

 

 Zappos shoes by karla, rainbow/hearts/cat face by John & Elmo & Thomas by yours truly

 

 

Adrian loved the Elmo and Thomas I carved for him (Thomas was a lot more work than I expected).  He was able to tell right away who each character was, so that must mean I did a good job haha

 

I am excited for the day that he'll want to join in and help pull the guts and try and carve his own pumpkin...he is so funny about his hands being dirty though, so it may be awhile before that happens haha

 

Thanks everyone for joining us to carve...I think this is a fun tradition that we've started :)

24 Weeks!! Growing right along!

How far along? 24 weeks & 1 day!!!  Time is FLYING!!! 16 weeks until we meet our lil man!

Maternity clothes? Yep, I'm officially wearing "maternity pants."  Fortunately I have a bunch of flowy shirts that I am able to wear normally and during pregnancy, but my normal pants just do not fit anymore. I think my days of dress wearing are coming to an end since it's actually cooling down now!

Stretch marks? I think I got 1 new one below my belly button because that area itched for several days...it is less than the width of my finger nail though.

Sleep: I am actually sleeping pretty well these days...I only usually get up once a night and fall right back to sleep! yay!  But occassionally still have those very strange pregnancy dreams haha

Best moment this week: Hearing our little guy's heartbeat last week at my pre-natal appointment, and I think we finally decided on a name today!  We've been going back and forth between two names for the past 3 weeks, but I think it's settled now.  Manny has this thing about me not posting stuff like that on facebook or here, (and I respect his wishes because he is Manny's baby too)  So if you want to know, just ask me and I will share (but I'd request that his name not be announced by anyone I share it with either) :) 
Another great moment was something I already posted about on Facebook, but was so so sweet:  The other morning I had lifted my shirt up a bit to feel my stomach because it was really hard when I got out of bed...I figured that he had made himself really comfortable scrunched up as low as possible...then Adrian walks over to me and places his hand on my belly, then says, "Hi baby! Hi baby! Hi brother!"  Then I guess he decided he was done with that and pulled down my shirt and said "Bye brother!"  Love him to pieces!! :)  Adrian can also tell you what his brother's name is too now :)

Movement?  I feel him moving every day now!  He is so much more calm than Adrian was and even though his kicks are getting stronger, they are sweet little jabs.  Since I have an anterior placenta, I mainly feel the jabs either low down or high up (& high up is a recent development).  We'll see how he is once he's up in my ribs, but for now I am enjoying his sweet little kicks :)

Cravings?  Sweets, but nothing satisfies my craving, so I avoid having sweets in the house or else I'd probably be eating junk all day long haha  Like sour gummy worms...I could eat those all day long

Gender: Boy oh boy!

Labor Signs:  None, but my belly has gotten hard a couple of times lately, so that could have been a braxton hicks contraction, which is completely normal.  And it was only once, so my body is just "practicing" for now :)  Or else I think it was just him snuggling all the way down haha

Belly Button in or out? Still in, but is getting closer to going out.

Rings on or off? On.  I read something the other day that cucumbers help a lot with swelling and edema, so I've been trying to incorporate them into some meals during the week because swollen feet are so uncomfortable and I want to try and avoid them as long as possible!

What I miss:  I don't want to sound like I am complaining because pregnancy is such a blessing and I do not take it for granted one bit!  I do miss being able to fit into my regular clothes however.  I feel like I just look frumpy all the time and I feel like I'm stuck in a rut...I love my growing belly and I think that pregnant women are beautiful.  I just wish that I could buy a whole new wardrobe to make me feel as beautiful as I think my belly is, but that's a waste of money since I'll be back to normal in 4-5 months or so.

What I am looking forward to:  Having Karla take some maternity pictures in a couple weeks...I think I'll wait until around 32 weeks this time.  I am also looking forward to having baby's room all the way painted since Manny finished putting up the chair rail and now just has paint left to do :)  Then we can put in a crib and I can put up decorations too!!

Weekly Wisdom:  I learned a little about pre-partum blues from a Ricki Lake show that was on a couple weeks ago.  I've been feeling down for a lot of this pregnancy, and I didn't know why I could feel so sad when I am so excited about having our second blessing to complete our family.  I learned that I am not alone and that there are other women who go through the same thing, but it is so taboo to talk about it because no one would probably understand how you could be sad and they would think you're just being ungrateful. 
Having your second pregnancy is so much harder than the first because people see it as "you've been there, done that" so there's not really many people calling, texting or messaging you about how you're feeling, if there's anything you need, is there anything they can help with, any advice they can give, baby shower plans, etc.  There just isn't a feeling of excitement from others like when you're going through your first pregnancy...at least that's how it's been for me (and I've had others tell me the same).  I've tried to keep my mind from wandering to these negative thoughts by keeping myself busy with crafts and things for Adrian and the baby, but I have such a long list of things to do and things to get that it reminds me that I'm kind of doing this alone this time.  Yes I may be having another boy, but that doesn't mean that I have everything I need and that I'm all set for when he comes...I don't want him to wear every single thing that Adrian wore because he's his own person and deserves new clothes too...if I was having a girl, she certainly wouldn't be wearing Adrian's old clothes, so what makes it any different?  Sorry for the rant.  I just honestly can't wait until our little baby gets here because all of these things I dwell on now will be in the past and I won't have to feel sad about it anymore (plus I won't have the crazy pregnancy hormones making me...well...crazy) :)

Milestone:  Baby is most likely over 1 lb now and growing like crazy...this is the time when they start plumping up with fat :D  4 more weeks until the 3rd trimester!!!  Getting closer and closer!!

 

 

I never posted a video from the gender reveal, so I'll do that now (well, 2 from different viewpoints)...and also add some cute pics of big brother too!! :)

 

 

 

 

Adrian and I took these pictures after we found out the gender, so I was 21 weeks here

 

These pics were just for fun the other day because I thought he looked too handsome :)  He wanted to be more goofy than pose for me though haha

 

 

 



IT'S A.........................

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BOY!!!!!!!!!

 

 

Adrian will be getting a baby brother in February!!!!!



Ultrasound: Baby Pena #2s debut!

Just want to say before I get started that you will not see any gender pictures here, so don't get your hopes up lol

Anyway, the ultrasound went great and baby is perfect as can be!  Such a relief to not get scary news like we did with Adrian!  Although I haven't felt a lot of movement like I did with Adrian, this baby was on the move!!  I think the pressing of the ultrasound wand made baby pissed off because he/she was moving everywhere, flipping in circles and kept turning his/her back towards the screen LOL  oh and then the kicks too like stop it, leave me alone! I was sleeping just fine in here! haha

Measurements were all great and the estimated due date the computer projected was Feb 5th, so looks like we were almost on the money with the date...but of course they are still estimated dates and doesn't mean baby couldn't come sooner or later.  Heart, stomach, bladder & umbilical cord all look good, so we couldn't be more pleased :)  Baby's estimated weight right now is 362 grams which is almost 13 ounces, not quite a lb yet :)  Also, baby was head down at the moment (good baby, stay that way) but with all the flipping that we saw on the ultrasound that could change several times I'm sure between now and birth day!  I'll be praying toward the end that baby stays head down and that we don't have to try crazy acrobatics to flip him/her LOL

When it came time for the gender determination, we closed our eyes while the tech fought with the baby to get a picture...he said that it was not hard to see what baby was (I took that as girl, manny took that as boy lol), but getting the picture was difficult because baby would not stay still and kept flipping away from him LOL  He finally got the picture though and put in into a paper bag for me which I put in a box in the car trunk 1) so that it wouldn't get smooshed, and 2) so that Manny wouldn't be tempted to peek in the bag while I was driving haha

I was so anxious for the ultrasound itself because I just wanted to hear everything is okay and now that we've heard that our baby is perfect and healthy, I am SO SO SO excited to find out "mystery baby's" (as the tech referred to him/her) gender!  I wonder if these next 2.5 days will fly by or go really slow now? :)

So as the title of this post says, making his/her debut, I introduce our little baby Pena #2 :)

 

Baby's profile

 Baby's face

 Baby's leg

 Baby's arm & top of head

 Baby's spine

 Another profile pic (though not as good as the first)

 

Come back this weekend for the gender reveal! :)