Anticipation.

So now we're a mere 10 days away from meeting miss Elena. Due to me having gestational diabetes and Elena measuring 3 weeks ahead (at least according to her ultrasounds), I'll be induced April 6th--at 38 weeks exactly. We've been going to weekly appointments with a dietician and perinatologist to check amniotic fluid levels, baby's activity, my blood sugar levels, and every 3 weeks we get a growth scan. It's been pretty cool to be able to see her on a weekly basis, but now I'm ready to see her outside of my belly already. Waiting for April 6th to get here is a huge snooze fest---I am constantly thinking about next Friday and am so anxious. Everything has been washed and put away; her carseat, crib, and stroller are ready to go...all we need is a baby to fill them. The only things I need to do are sterilize her bottles, but that'll take me no time at all. Our hospital bag is ready to go, too. I've been sitting at 3cm dilated and 50% effaced for over a week now. I'll be checked again on Friday. The doc said that's awesome for induction. I'm praying for a smooth and short labor process. Whatever happens, though, I am 100% ready to meet my daughter and hold her. I can't wait to officially be a mommy!

C'mon 2012!

Well, I just realized what a terrible updater I am. Since I've been neglecting my blog lately, I never established whether we were having a boy or a girl, but... it's a GIRL! :) Miss Elena Jane Garcia will be the newest member to the family; we are so excited. Lately I've been feeling her move around in there; little bumps and very dull kicks every now and then. She's not super active, and if she is, I can't really feel it too much yet. She's been a good girl for mommy; this pregnancy is easy now. I feel fine aside from allergies and a cold, but that's mother nature's fault. Elena has treated me well. I haven't reached my pre pregnancy weight yet so that makes me happy. I'm a good 3 lbs away from it. I haven't been gaining at a rapid rate or anything so that's good. Hopefully I won't pile it on the last couple of months like some people claim I could. I don't receive that, though! I'm officially 6 months preggo, so only 4 or less months to go! I can't believe she'll be here so soon. That's insane!!!! I need to register and prepare for this little one. I've been procrastinating big time. I'll be back to update later. Probably next month, lol.

Up & Down and Round & Round.

Lost 2 of the 3 lbs I gained back so that's 12 lbs down. This weight rollercoaster is odd. I eat pretty much WHATEVER. The kid wants crap on the daily. Who am I to deprive my child? :)

So, it's FINALLY November and that means that we'll know THIS month what we're having. I can't WAIT! I need to start planning and shopping and getting excited. Believe it or not, it hasn't quite hit me yet that I am indeed pregnant. It hasn't completely processed. I guess since I have no preggo belly, I have no symptoms aside from always wanting food and always wanting sleep, and I haven't felt it move yet it isn't real to me. It's like I know I'm pregnant, but it's not as dramatic of a feeling as I had been expecting. I'm sure once I'm a big ol' watermelon it'll sink in. I just want my baby already! I am by no means ready as far as clothes, diapers, crib, changing table, formula, etc. go, but I want to hold my baby in my arms and sniff their sweet little head! I can't wait to inhale that yummy baby smell. I can't wait to kiss their little toesies and fingers. It just boggles my mind that he/she will be all MINE. It's insane. Well, I better bounce...I'm starvin' marvin. I'll be back with a blog update on November 22nd! :)

I like to eat.

I already gained 3 lbs back! :( At least they're 3 of the 13 I lost, though. I'd like to only gain back what I've lost during this entire pregnancy. We'll see how that goes. I've been in the 2nd trimester one and a half weeks and I've already gained back 3 lbs--yikes! I'm not showing that much, really. My belly looks more like a gut than a cute preggo belly. I think it would be more obvious if I was a twig before. I was a thicker girl to begin with so people are actually noticing my weight loss more than my belly. My sister-in-law patted my belly yesterday. I get a lot of pats. It's so weird because I totally forget there's a baby in there and I'm like, "Why are you patting my stomach?" Then it comes back to me, lol. When I tell people I'm almost 4 months, they look at my stomach and say, "Wow, really?" They never suspected I was pregnant, just fat. I almost don't want to tell people. Let it be told when I actually have a protruding big belly. I guess it's still pretty early for people to notice that I'm indeed preggo. I'm just ultra-sensitive these days and would love it to be acknowledged. In due time I suppose.

I made it this far!

The 2nd trimester has officially begun! Today I am 14 weeks preggo. I surprisingly feel more energetic today and have only gagged a couple times. I had a fried chicken sandwich and shared fries with Bobby and the baby actually allowed me to keep all of that down! Sprite helps so much; it's my go-to drink all day every day if I'm not drinking water. I have to munch on something every 2 hours or I'll get nauseous. So around noon I had the sandwich & fries, and now I'm snacking on some grapes. I feel fine. I love strawberries right now & unfortunately I don't think they'll be in season much longer now that Fall is here. Boo. Our next ultrasound isn't until November 22nd at 10am and I'll be 18 1/2 weeks along by then. We find out the sex of the baby that day! I'm excited! I just want to name this little critter already. I really can't wait to actually feel he/she move. I haven't felt anything out of the ordinary just yet. I'm still down 13 lbs, and haven't gained back any of the weight I've lost yet. I'm not complaining. As long as the baby's ok, I'm ok. I've read that weight gain really should start happening until the 2nd trimester anyway so all is well. I'm assuming I may have more of an appetite soon so that could be why. I'm rarely hungry as it is so I can't imagine just magically being hungry but whatever. I'm just relieved that the first trimester is over!!

Me & the little twerp.

Well, after re-reading my last entry, I have to admit that I AM feeling a little better than I did then. I'm definitely not throwing up as much, which is awesome. I've grown accustomed to eating super small portions and as long as I do that, I'll only maybe gag afterwards. Usually I throw up mostly water after breakfast, and get random feelings of nausea throughout the day. It's not so bad, but it's strange not being able to eat really. I've lost 11 lbs so far. Who knew that my pregnancy would be the best diet ever? I hope that I only gain what I've lost for the remainder of my pregnancy; that would be perfect. Portion control is key. Fruit is always a safe bet, but I even have to eat that in small amounts or I will indeed throw some of it up. Lately, as long as I eat like a bird, I'm alright. I can't eat anything super greasy in the morning or I'll be in trouble. It's all one big learning process for me.

As for the little one, he/she is in tip top shape according to our first visit with the OB. We got to see the super fast heartbeat and our silly little baby swimming around in my belly. Here's a pic:



That was back when I was 8 weeks 6 days. Today I'm 10 weeks 2 days, and I've read that already the baby looks a lot different. Now they have noticeable fingers and toes, arms and legs, and their little ears are just about done forming. My baby is just a tad bigger than a quarter at this point. Our next appt. will be the day we get back from Hawaii (October 11th) and by that time the baby will have grown a lot. I'll be 12 weeks 5 days. I'm so excited! A friend of mine just had her 12 week ultrasound and I couldn't believe how different her baby looked! It's completely a little human by then! It's all so amazing and surreal. I still can't believe a little person is in there. I think once I feel the baby move and my belly starts showing a little more, it'll process for me. Right now I'm still in disbelief. I do know that I already love this silly little baby so much. I couldn't be happier.

The First Trimester & the Joy it brings...

Nausea, fatigue, constant puking, feeling completely dead... yes this is the first trimester, folks. Every day I repeat the process of throwing up straight liquid (since I eat dinner very early for fear of being nauseous at night), eating breakfast just to throw up about a good 1/2 of it 15 minutes later, and an early dinner that, if I'm lucky, doesn't make me hurl but more often than not does. I take my prenatal vitamin at night, pray to be able to sleep, and always wake up before 7. That's about when my nausea kicks in. For the past hour I've been gagging and puking. I am now feeling decent, but this will only last until I eat breakfast. It's definitely not my idea of a good time, but the only thing that makes me feel better is knowing that if I'm feeling this miserable, the kid must be healthy. People always say that symptoms are a great indicator that the baby is ok, so with how completely awful I've been feeling, this child must be on cloud 9 in there. I'll be 9 weeks this coming week and our first OB appt is this coming Wednesday the 14th. We are SO anxious. I just want this trimester to end already! I have another month to go. Lord, give me strength.