Monthly Archives: November 2014

A baby story [Part II]: Weeks 18 + 19

Week 18: Baby’s the size of a Bell pepper

This little baby is an active little monkey already–I feel it kick and bounce around all day long and nothing could make me happier.  It’s most active right after lunch and a few hours after dinner when I sit down to read a book or watch a show.

Not too much going on this week with the baby other than that a sad day I knew was coming has arrived–I can no longer sleep on my stomach!  Most nights that’s how I have to fall asleep and during those sleepless moments in the middle of the night usually turning onto my stomach does the trick to get me to finally fall back asleep.  I tried to do that this week and was so uncomfortable there was no way I could stay that way more than 2 minutes.  Boo!  I busted out the ridiculously large maternity pillow that I used when I was pregnant with Sirena and have been reacquainting myself with it (that thing takes some getting used to to figure out exactly the best positions to put it in for the most comfort! But boy when I figure it out, it’s a godsend.)

My back has been feeling a lot better this week, probably because I’ve been taking it more easy on myself and have been asking Kevin to pick Sirena up or carry her whenever he’s around.  I went on a mostly uphill walk with some mama friends at the end of this week and the whole night my back was really sore.  It’s so frustrating to not be able to be as active as I used to be (especially given how active I was when I was pregnant with Sirena).  Three years older and caring for a toddler really changes the game!

Belly shot!

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Week 19: Baby’s the size of a mango

Not much going on this week in the baby department other than that it’s more and more obvious that the little bugger is really growing and kicking a ton!  We are so anxious to find out the sex of the baby TOMORROW and we’ve got two fun plans up our sleeves to announce it to our families at our respective Thanksgiving get-togethers.  Just you wait, Delmar and Edmonds families…you’re in for a treat.  A lot of people have asked if we care what the sex is and I am being 1,000% honest here–we will be thrilled with either a girl or a boy.  A few people have made mention of how great it would be to have one of each and my reply to them has been that Kevin and I think we might like 3 kids so we may not be done after #2 (whether or not that is by blood or through adoption, that’s also still to be determined) and also in my family, I’m the second girl and I sure wasn’t a disappointment so I wouldn’t be disappointed in the slightest with another girl.  And if you know us and our parenting styles, very little will be different in the way we raise this child if it’s a boy.  There’s nothing (other than teaching him how to pee standing up, basically) we can do with a boy child that we can’t already do with Sirena, and vice versa.  We want to raise our kids, no matter their sex, with equal amounts of affection, rough-housing, and encouragement to be strong, smart, playful, and compassionate.

In other news we’ve entered a new frontier with big sister Sirena–she officially kicked the diaper habit this week, all on her own!  She had been rebelling against any and all mention of the potty for a couple of months now and I was getting really frustrated and disheartened by the whole process.  One day I came into her room after her nap and she was buck-naked from waist down and hadn’t peed in the bed.  I asked her if she needed to use the potty and she said yes and successfully peed in the potty.  The rest of that day she was in her chonies.  The following day was a school day and her teachers kept her in underwear all day (except for nap time) and she had zero accidents the whole day.  Since then we’ve only had her wear diapers during nap time and bed time and on a couple of occasions on longer car rides or outings.  We’ve successfully gone to a party, to the grocery store, to a restaurant, and to her grandparents’ and Nani’s houses without wearing diapers and she’s kept it up with only a couple of minor accidents.  We are so so so so proud of her and I know that this is finally it!  A few times throughout the day she’ll tell us, “I’m a big girl now” and it makes me smile and fills me with so much pride.

Belly shot!

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Other pregnancy updates:

  • Total weight gained so far:  1.5 pounds
  • Fun baby developments: Baby is around 6 inches long and weighs 8.5 ounces and is busy rolling, kicking, punching, hiccuping, swallowing, and dancing around in its private jacuzzi.

A couple of updates to the blog: I’ve added a page for all of Sirena’s Monthly Photos (from 1 to 24 months) and I’ve updated the Pregnancy Posts page to include weekly photos of both pregnancies–side by side, which is fun to compare.  Check ’em out at the top of our site! And we’ve fixed an issue with our comments so feel free to comment away!

A baby story [Part II]: Weeks 16 + 17

Week 16: Baby’s the size of an avocado

We’re in ‘cado territory right now (that’s what Sirena calls an avocado, and she referred to the baby as “baby ‘cado” this week) and some pretty major developments happened this week, namely…I felt the baby move!  Just like with Sirena’s pregnancy, the first time I felt the little pop-pop-pop action in my lower abdomen was at work after lunch (I guess this baby will be a foodie just like Big Sis!)  I wasn’t sure I was really feeling the baby move or not but the same sensation has been felt throughout the week, mostly when I’m sitting (so my pants are pressing against my abdomen and the little nugget is pushing against it) or when I’m relaxing and laying down in bed.  This is just about 2 weeks earlier than when I felt Sirena move which I hear is pretty typical for a 2nd pregnancy.  Such an exciting time!

This week we celebrated Halloween which was so much fun.  Big sister Sirena dressed as Mickey Mouse and had a blast trick-or-treating.  Holidays are so much fun with her at this age, she seems to really understand a lot about what is going on!  We kept imagining Halloween next year when we’ll have a 6 month old and a 3.5 year old…wow!  Ideas for a fun family costume welcome (extra points if Lola’s included!)

Belly shot!

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Week 17: Baby’s the size of an onion

This week started out with both good and bad things.  The good was our prenatal appointment on 11/6 when we met with midwife Allison and everything was looking “perfect” which we couldn’t be happier about!  And the whooshwhooshwhoosh of the heartbeat might be the sweetest sound in the world, I can’t get enough of hearing it.  We also got news that our first trimester genetics screening came back looking great which is a big relief.  So far baby is doing great!  So the bad thing is my lower back pain which has progressively gotten worse.  Kevin, Sirena and I did some yard work one day and I had to stop in the middle because I could sense that I had been pushing myself too hard.  Throughout the night and when I got up the next morning the pain was pretty intense.  The midwife suggested I go see a chiropractor (I’m going to try going to yoga with my sister once a week first) and to of course take it easy on myself and not push myself so hard.  At the moment this is so frustrating because anyone who knows me knows I always have to keep busy so it’s going to be a major adjustment in my way of thinking and going about my day to day activities.

This week I got the opportunity to go on a girls’ weekend with some of the Edmonds girls (Dorothy, Judith, and Sarah) to support my niece Katelyn in her band competition in Las Vegas.  We had a nice low-key weekend filled with catching up, eating yummy food, and enjoying each other’s company.  Sirena enjoyed wearing out spending time with Nani, Bopa, TT, and Jessie all weekend which was a special treat for everyone involved.  🙂

Sirena took the baby belly love to the next level by putting her stuffed animal “Georgie Bear” inside her shirt and rubbing her belly and singing “Rock-a-bye Baby” to her belly.  Adorable!  She finished by having the baby “be born” and pulling it out from the bottom of her shirt.  If only it were that easy, Sirena…

I think she’s mimicking me and my belly photos, holy cow!

Belly shot!

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Other pregnancy updates:

  • Total weight gained so far: 0 pounds
  • Fun baby developments: Baby’s measuring around 5 inches long and around 5.5 ounces.  It can sense light (even though its eyelids are still fused shut) and it can now probably hear our voices!
  • Days until our BIG ultrasound (where we’ll hopefully find out the sex!): 15 days (day before Thanksgiving!)
  • Days until Thanksgiving: 16 days! That’s when we’re going to announce to the families what the sex is (as long as it lets us see between its legs, haha!)

A baby story [Part II]: Weeks 14 + 15

So this time around I’ve decided to post bi-weekly instead of weekly. Now that we’re not preparing for our very first baby and now that I know a lot about what’s going on and what to expect (and with my life with a toddler and crazy schedule) it just feels better doing it bi-weekly. But the belly photos will still be weekly to compare week to week when all’s said and done (one of my favorite things to look back on with Sirena’s pregnancy!)

Week 14: Baby’s the size of a lemon

The start of the second trimester came with a whole lot more energy and I’ve only had to take a nap every third day or so instead of every day. 😉 And the timing couldn’t have been more perfect because this was the wildest week I’ve had in a long time. I’m producing my mom’s play “Shadows” and I was working like crazy editing her 100 page script, preparing for our first rehearsal with the directors and cast, preparing for and moving out temporarily while our house was tented (termites, oy!), and going on a 3-day work trip to Sacramento (this all within a 6 day span!)

Needless to say I am glad that week is over and that I survived somehow! The only major pregnancy development this week has been some intense lower back pain. I never experienced sciatica or really much back pain with Sirena’s pregnancy but I remember when she was a newborn I was lying flat on my back in my sister’s living room and I got a sharp and intense pain in my lower back on the left side which happened off and on over the past 2 years. The past couple of weeks, though, it has been really frequent and really intense. The pain is sharp and in my lower back but it doesn’t shoot down my leg like sciatica does. There have been a few times that I can’t put a lot of weight on my left leg or I have to modify the way I get up from sitting or laying down. Definitely something to talk to at my next prenatal appointment.

Belly shot!

My little shadow Lola at it again! And can you tell I’ve been out of practice with these timed self portraits? I need to work on better lighting, haha!

Week 15: Baby’s the size of an apple

Complete opposite of the previous week came a huge breath of fresh air with a much-anticipated family vacation! The trip coincided with my birthday which was an extra special treat. We went to Palm Springs with my mom and Steve and had an absolute blast. This was the first real vacation we’ve taken as a family since Sirena was 6 months old when we went to Zihuatanejo, Mexico, and it’s safe to say that this girl likes to vacation! The weather was still gloriously hot even in late October and we enjoyed an early morning hike, a trip to The Living Desert zoo, and lots and lots of pool time.

The only major pregnancy development this week is dizziness! I never experienced this before and thought it was just random but when I’d get dizzy at least once a day for a week I started to worry. I went to trusty Google and it seems that dizziness during pregnancy is common and is usually related to changing hormones, faster blood flow to baby, and slower blood flow to the mama. There was one day when I just could not shake the dizzy feeling off and I began to get a bit worried but since then it’s been okay. Just another interesting way to prove that no two pregnancies are alike!

Sirena saying hi to the baby belly

Belly shot!

No photo this week, oops!

Other pregnancy updates

  • Total weight gained: 0 pounds
  • Food cravings/aversions: The meat cravings have definitely calmed down but they’re still there for sure. The only other out of the ordinary food I’ve been interested in is cold cereal for breakfast which is generally not something I go to. No major aversions at all right now.
  • Fun baby developments: Baby measures around 4 inches long and weighs a whopping 2.5 ounces and it’s probably sucking its thumb and wriggling its little toes all while bouncing around like crazy even though I can’t yet feel it.
  • How many years Kevin and I have been together as of this post: THIRTEEN YEARS! We celebrated our 13th anniversary on 10/27. It’s hard to believe that we’ve been together almost half of our lives (we were just a couple of fresh-outta-high-school-nerdy-18-year-olds when we started dating in 2001) but it just keeps getting better.  Here’s to another Lucky 13 years together, Kevin (aka Daddy)!

Halloween 2014

Sirena’s third Halloween was a total blast! She rocked her Mickey Mouse costume and enjoyed all of the fun festivities leading up to the big day including decorating our house, carving pumpkins, pumpkin patches (two!), a train ride, and of course, trick-or-treating with her neighborhood buddies.

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Our first Halloween at our home. Sirena and Kevin helped decorate!

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Tanaka Farms pumpkin patch

We spent a morning at the Tanaka Farms pumpkin patch in Irvine with Sirena’s buddy Amelia and her family.

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My little fox on the hay ride to the pumpkins

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Amelia’s family on the hay ride

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Pumpkin picker in training

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Waving hi to the creepy scarecrow

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I thought this shaved ice might save me from an I’m-hotter-than-hell-and-it’s-way-past-my-naptime meltdown but instead it was probably the worst idea because she had the worst meltdown in the history of Sirena’s existence on the way to the car after eating this with me! At least I enjoyed my share, haha.

Irvine Park pumpkin patch

We spent a fun morning at the Irvine Park pumpkin patch with Alden and his mom Christine.

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We took a ride on the train which was a lot of fun…

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Strongest 2 year old in the world!

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Buddies waiting for the train to pass

Pumpkin carving

Just in the nick of time we bought some pumpkins to carve before the big day. Grandma and Grandpa came over to help!

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Trick-or-treating

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Showing off her costume out front of our house

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Practicing trick-or-treating with Grandpa (Grandma, Aunt Kathy, Uncle Clay, and Daddy were part of her entourage that night)

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Aunt Kathy and Uncle Clay volunteered to hold down the fort to pass out candy while we were out trick-or-treating

We had a drive-by visit with Auntie TT, Nani, and Bopa…

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The Rancho Rascals…

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