first time mama to my lovely baby girl - adventures await! :)

First 8 months!!!

2011-06-10T10:16:00.000-07:00

First 8 months (written 06.10.11)

As of April 15th, 2011 your stats were:
Weight: 16lbs 6 oz
Height: 26 inches
Your height and weight put you in the 57th percentile.. and your head measures in the 92nd percentile.. smart like your mama and daddy ☺

I’m combining these months because they really seem to have flown by.. considering I’m home with you all day I really don’t know where the time goes sometimes! I will still separate them because you have had a lot going on baby girl.. so let’s start..

Month 6:
You are starting to sit up baby girl.. you don’t quite have the strength to stay up on your own but the effort is definitely there.. we prop you up and you last a few seconds before falling back.. it’s adorable!! ☺ This month was also my birthday.. we dressed you up in the cutest ballerina outfit and went out to lunch with some friends.. though you are usually very social and smiley.. recently you have been more leery of people.. you don’t smile as readily and heaven forbid if someone tries to just pick you up.. that’s an absolute no no.. you have learned to reach out when you want to be held.. and daddy and I are the only lucky recipients of this.. actually, no that’s not true.. ubaldina is as well.. she’s your favorite.. we are convinced that you love the Spanish language.. and why wouldn’t you?? It sounds like a song and we alllll know how much you love singing.. or at least I like to tell myself that ☺ You have also started sleeping stretches in your crib baby girl.. it wasn’t easy the first few nights but you’re a trooper sunshine and by your 5th night.. you even got 8 hours in a row.. I have to say that we were shocked because not only did we start trying out the crib.. we also got you off your swaddle.. did you know you’ve been a burrito baby all this time?? Well you have and baby girl you LOVED it.. I was really thinking that you wouldn’t be ready but you surprised us yet again.. that’s the theme of your first 6 months I think.. surprising us with how you can handle pretty much any situation we put you in.. this speaks so well for you as an adult baby girl.. life is full of twists and turns.. so if you’re already just going with it.. you will have a much easier time later.. we promise! ☺

Month 7:
You are officially sitting up on your own baby girl!!! You are also trying to crawl but your belly doesn’t lift off the ground.. plus you go backwards only.. this is officially called an army crawl.. lol ☺ Just the other day I was cleaning up my cereal bowl.. literally one bowl.. I had you on the floor on your playmat.. I came back into the living room (mind you I was gone about 15-20 seconds) and baby girl I can’t find you!!! I had a minor heart attack because honestly.. where could you have gone.. and then I looked by the front door and baby girl you had scooted yourself back about 5 feet in those 20 seconds!! I still don’t know how you went so fast.. you’ve never gone that fast or that far when I’ve been looking.. sneaky little baby ☺ This month you also got your own twitter account.. it was decided that you had so much more to say than either one of us so we got you an account where we are taking the liberty to try to translate whatever it is that you are saying.. you have a few followers.. namely daddy, me and brofuncle.. lol.. but for future reference your account is under babylylabelle – absolutely adorable ☺ We also celebrated my first mother’s day this month.. we ended up going to the park.. just the 3 of us and it was a lovely Sunday afternoon. Unfortunately we also got some bad news that day.. turns out your grandpa had a stroke and was in the hospital. A few days after that daddy went back home to Missouri to spend some time with family and thankfully it all worked out baby girl.. he is back home now and cannot wait to finally meet you!

Month 8:
It is crazy how much you have grown up in the last few weeks.. honestly.. when daddy came back from Missouri he noted how much he thought you changed.. and then after we got back from mexico.. he noticed it again.. ok, let me back up ☺ You are not only sitting up on your own now.. but you have also started pulling yourself up! You have some strength baby girl.. I feel like it was just yesterday that you would just lay wherever we put you.. that’s no longer the case.. you are an explorer baby girl and nothing and no one is going to get in your way when you want something.. good for you!! ☺ It’s a challenge sometimes because you want to be doing this and then that.. basically anything except just sitting there.. lol.. once you really start crawling we’re going to have our work cut out for us!! So.. this month you went on your first and second plane ride to mexico and back.. not a very long plane ride.. and baby girl.. on a flight that was 98% booked you got your own seat both ways!!! You seriously had a great time on the plane.. I had an aisle seat and you had the middle seat.. at the window was this really attractive guy.. you must have thought so as well because I was speaking to the flight attendant and when I looked back at you.. you were holding his hand!!! Baby girl.. I died on the inside.. but he was taken by you like everyone else was.. and started talking about his nephew who is just a few months younger than you.. ☺ We took a bunch of your toys with us and you flirted with everyone sitting around us.. they all loved you.. obviously!! Even the flight attendants were so impressed with how well you did!! See.. we’re not the only ones that think you’re a superstar!!

In mexico you got to hang out with your teta and jeddo.. they were soooooooooooo happy to see you.. brofuncle was there as well and you just loved everyone!! I’m not sure if you know that you are related to them.. or if you are over your fear of going to other people.. but you reached out and let everyone hold you.. I was so impressed with you.. once again.. you surprised me baby girl.. I guess I should just expect that I have NO idea how you’re going to act in certain situations.. you have pleasantly surprised us every single time and I hope that you continue to do so ☺ Mexico was great in many ways.. we got to see the new apartment.. your jeddo retired a few months ago so they are starting a whole new chapter in their lives and it was nice to actually see their new place.. they even got you a walker to play with while we were there and the first few days you didn’t really understand that you could actually move.. that you actually had space to walk around.. but towards days 3 and 4.. you figured it out and moved a bit.. I’m sure that you will be running around the next time we go ☺

You have been talking up a storm the last few weeks.. we honestly think that you are really talking.. we have yet to understand anything you’ve said.. but months ago you did say help, mama, poopoo and bike.. I guess saying words and KNOWING what you’re saying is the definition of speaking.. but whatever.. you’ve said those words.. and poopoo was actually in the right context.. We are thinking about starting sign language with you this month.. just so that you can communicate better with us.. nothing major.. just the basics.. what do you think about that? Also.. daddy and I keep looking at you and shaking our heads in amazement.. it is really crazy how much you have grown in the last 8 months.. even in the last few weeks.. you are your own little person.. you have your likes and dislikes.. you have a personality.. it’s crazy to see.. but I guess we must be doing something right because everyone that has had the pleasure to meet you says how lovely you are.. you are the lovely lyla.. always smiling.. and if not smiling.. just quietly contemplating the world around you.. you are a happy baby girl.. your smile lights up the room and our hearts.. you make any sleepless night worth it to see your little grin in the morning.. and trust me.. we have had some sleepless nights ☺

Before I sign off for this month.. I need to mention that as of May 22nd - you officially have your first tooth!!!!! It’s adorable and crazy sharp.. it’s on the bottom gum and as of this morning I noticed yet another tooth poking through.. so you have your first two bottom teeth.. as much as I loved your gummy smile.. you are so adorable with your teeth!! According to what we’ve been reading.. your top two teeth are next.. but we will keep you posted ☺ Once you have a few more teeth we will try some more textured foods with you.. so far you have had: apples, avocado, mango (your favorite), pears, apricots (don’t love them), green beans, sweet potato and squash.. not a bad list of items.. we still need to try green peas and some other green veggies.. since we are going organic for your food.. we need to buy when they are in season.. so for now.. we are taking a break on the green veggies.. lucky you ☺

Ok sunshine.. the next time I write you will be 9 months old.. before I ever had a baby I always thought that 9 months was the absolute cutest age.. not sure if that’s still true because I can’t imagine you getting any cuter than you already are.. but you know what.. I have said that every month.. and look.. 6 months was better than 5 months.. and now 8 months are the best we’ve seen.. so who knows.. not sure if I can handle you getting any cuter.. but I promise to try!! ☺

Love you sunshine baby girl!!!!!!! ☺

First 5 Months!

2011-04-07T11:28:00.000-07:00

(written 4.01.11)

Doctor visit is coming up on april 15th – so no stats till next month..

Baby girl, it is seriously so crazy how much you learn and grow and make us fall in love with you even more than we thought possible!! You amaze us with every little thing that you do.. we did so much in the month of march which is why I am writing you so late.. let’s start off with all of the places you’ve gone! ☺

Ok.. so the first weekend of march you went to your very first Los Angeles Kings game!! Yeah, who would take a 5 month old to a hockey game?? Yours truly and you loved it.. at least the 1st period.. lol.. we had you all bundled up and even put the cutest headphones on you, I have picture proof! ☺ You were amazed by what was going on on the ice.. daddy and I were convinced that you thought you were just watching a giant TV! The game was on March 5th – 5 years prior I was on my first date with your daddy and here we were sitting in the seats like a full-on family.. just crazy baby girl!!

The second week of March we went down to San Diego for the day.. went to see daddy’s hogs play some baseball.. I was a bit worried about how you’d do.. but like you have done time and time again, you pleasantly surprised us yet again.. we were in the car for a total of about 6 hours – remind me to tell you a funny story about our drive down to san diego and daddy’s “oops” moment.. (going and coming back) and you were totally fine.. except for a little freak out on our way back.. but that was “taken care of” and then you were good to go.. we went to our favorite bbq place in san diego.. it’s called Phil’s and it’s delicious.. you even got some bbq sauce on your socks.. and then tried to eat it.. but we had to stop you.. I promise you we will take you back and you can have ribs after you have real teeth.. ok?? ☺

The 3rd week of march was our biggest trip yet.. first off your auntie dida came back to visit and to interview.. she’s trying to find a job out here so that she can be closer to you.. she’s so in love with you baby girl and has been from the very beginning.. her and your teta are crazy about you and have NO problems showing it, even in public.. you seem to love it.. so carry on! ☺ So, on Friday morning we drove to Arizona.. we followed Natalie and Lowell for a part of the drive.. it took us about 6 hours and you napped a few times.. not your long naps.. but enough short ones to keep you happy.. amazing right??? We got there and then I was all stressed out about how we would sleep since your swing didn’t come with us.. you slept in a giant bed with mama and daddy.. and you absolutely loved it.. I was so nervous the first night but then got the hang of it and we all slept really well.. as small as you are.. you probably took up the most space.. lol ☺

Arizona was a blast.. we went there for Dodger Spring Training and it’s a trip I can see us making in the next few years again.. you ended up getting daddy a bunch of autographs for his jersey!!! They couldn’t walk past you.. for obvious reasons.. and AJ Ellis even commented on what a lovely name you had.. he is now our favorite Dodger.. Kershaw was super friendly as well.. he said that he doubted you cared about his autograph.. lol.. don’t worry though.. daddy set him straight RIGHT AWAY.. it was a sight to see ☺ Driving back from Arizona was a nightmare only because of the weather.. it was HORRIBLE baby girl and driving on a bunch of freeways in nasty weather is not something we are accustomed to.. but daddy was careful, as always..

On top of all the travels.. you have been babbling up a storm!! You have so much to say and we are just waiting for your first real words.. though we kind of think you already spoke.. in early march.. I was preparing your last bottle of the day.. you had just gotten out of the bath and daddy was putting your pajamas on.. you didn’t want anything to do with that and just wanted food.. so.. as he was putting clothes on you he swore that you said mama.. not once.. but twice.. and the second time was clear as day.. I missed it.. I was in the kitchen ☹ But I know that you will say it again when you are ready ☺ The second incident is the best one yet.. we have never laughed so hard baby and you can bet that you will hear about this throughout your life.. so we apologize from now.. this was also in early march.. it was early in the morning.. you had just woken up.. we have a routine.. you wake up.. hang out a few minutes.. we change your diaper as your bottle is warming up.. and since you were born.. every single time we change your diaper.. we announce what we see.. you seem to think it’s hilarious.. so it’s always either PEEPEEEEEEEE or POOOOOOOPOOOOOO.. you get what I’m saying ☺ Anyway.. so I was changing you.. took one side of your diaper off and then the other.. pulled it off.. and YOU said “poopoo?”.. yes you did baby girl.. you even said it in question form!! Ahahahahahahahaha.. daddy and I laughed and laughed and laughed.. they say a baby is really speaking when they say something in context.. now, are we going to say poopoo is your first word?? Probably not.. unless you do it again.. then we’ll just have to go for it ☺

You’re still in your swing.. now the issue is not so much that you won’t lie flat (since we know you will because you did in our bed in Arizona).. now the issue is that you are still swaddled and rolling over.. so leaving you in a crib swaddled does not sound very safe to us.. we will be quitting the swaddle cold turkey so I’m foreseeing a few rough nights ahead.. the question is when? We are planning a trip down to Mexico to visit your Teta and Jeddo and see your brofuncle all at once.. chances are that we will go down after your vaccinations and it will be your first time on a plane.. I am a nervous flyer and have only gotten worse as I’ve gotten older.. so this will be an adventure baby.. just me and you.. daddy will stay home.. I bet he is going to miss you like crazy and never let you leave again.. at least not till college.. lol ☺

Ok baby girl.. we love you so so so so much and cannot wait to see what these next few weeks have in store.. you even have your own baby friends now.. you’re like the squishy amigos.. so adorable together and we (the mamas) hope that you maintain this friendship for years to come.. Oh last thing.. since we’re traveling to Mexico we had to fill out a passport application for you.. I’m still laughing about it.. they asked for your statistics.. height.. 2 feet 2 inches.. hair color.. blond.. eye color.. grey.. how stunning are you????

xoxoxoxoxooxoxoooxoxoxo!!!!!

First 4 Months!

2011-04-01T11:15:00.000-07:00

FIRST 4 MONTHS (written 2.22.11)

As of February 18th, 2011 your stats are:
Weight: 14lbs 8 oz
Height: 24 ¾ inches
Your height and weight put you in the 65th percentile.. and your head measures in the 85th percentile.. baby girl.. you’re a genius what can we say?? ☺

Baby girl.. there are seriously no words to describe how much cuter you get every single day. Everyone’s always telling us what a beautiful and well-behaved baby you are.. and let me tell you.. you put in a lot of effort in socializing.. you literally are exhausted after spending hours with other people because you’re trying soooo hard to be perfect.. you are perfect baby girl.. I promise you.. don’t worry about pleasing everyone.. you’re so freaking awesome exactly the way you are.. we’re lucky though.. you are always smiling.. always squealing.. making horse sounds.. you’ve officially been giggling the last few months.. not every single day.. I guess we have to do something really funny to get a laugh out of you.. for instance.. during diaper changes.. you wait in anticipation while we first take off one side of your diaper.. then the other.. your eyes are wide.. your mouth is in a little “o” shape.. and you wait.. once we take off your diaper.. we announce what we see.. “peeeeee peeeeeee” – you smile sooooo big everytime and you even laugh at times.. you seriously can’t get any cuter ☺

Our mommy and me group has been awesome.. you have met so many other babies and you’re all so happy together.. your favorite seems to be River.. you have also spent the most time with her.. you’re so cute together.. her mom May is pretty cool as well.. hopefully you will be able to continue this friendship with your new friends for many years to come.

Daddy cannot get enough of you baby.. honestly.. he smiles so big every single time that you’re awake and playing together.. you love him so much as well.. your whole face lights up when he walks in the room.. you also have conversations with him now.. they include you spitting a lot.. but baby you seem to have lots to say.. we can’t wait for you to actually talk.. just a few weeks ago you said.. mo mmmmyyyyy.. we’re pretty sure that you just put some sounds together and didn’t actually know it was a word referring to me.. but we’re sure that you will be speaking soon enough.. daddy’s convinced your tongue’s in the way.. it’s abnormally large for your little mouth.. ahahahahahah.. just like me baby girl.. my tongue was sticking out ALL the time when I was a baby.. it sometimes still does.. daddy likes to point it out and make fun of me.. it really only happens if I’m concentrating hard on something ☺

Last week.. on the 18th, we went in for your second round of vaccines.. ugh, like we thought.. it was definitely worse this time around.. in comparison to what we hear while we’re there.. the other babies are definitely losing their mind more than you are.. the thing is though.. you seriously NEVER cry.. it’s very rare for you to cry.. so when you do.. it’s heartbreaking ☹ and well.. shots are not pleasant.. not for you and not for us.. this time you knew something was up after the first shot.. I’m guessing you’ll know the deal at your 6 month appointment even before the nurse comes in the room.. maybe being a baby genius is not so great after all sometimes??

Since I last wrote.. you’ve been making serious attempts at communicating.. you now grab stuff.. stick it in your mouth.. you’re constantly drooling – hence your new nickname being drool monkey.. no teeth yet.. we’re checking ☺ The other day we were in Redondo with daddy’s family and you were sitting in his lap.. you were distracting your daddy while your tiny hand grabbed a tomato right off the plate.. good that daddy noticed it because that would have gone right in your mouth.. and you’re a little young for that.. we can’t wait to feed you real food.. but we’ll wait till 6 months.. you’re only eating 22/24 oz of formula per day and that’s on the much lower end of where you need to be.. if you end up closer to 32 oz / day then we will try to start you on solids.. we’ll be skipping cereal all together.. it has no nutritional value and is mainly processed junk.. you, baby girl.. will be eating home made organic goodness!! Only the best for our baby girl ☺

In january your auntie dida visited you and you had a great time together.. she got you that glowworm that you’re so in love with ☺ She even got a few real giggles out of you.. my mom, your teta.. also visited in mid February.. she got lots of giggles out of you baby girl.. I guess you like aggressiveness.. daddy and I are too soft for you.. lol.. they were rougher and you loved every single minute.. it’s so awesome to see how readily you interact with the world baby.. you’re so curious.. so genuinely happy.. you’re just a pleasure to watch.. oh.. I have to mention something new you’ve been doing.. daddy and I call it “passionate embrace”.. let me see if I can describe this correctly because it’s so cute.. if we put our face close to yours.. your hands will reach up.. grab our face.. maybe the cheeks.. or the ears.. wherever you happen to grab.. and you will slowly pull us down close to your face and then give us super sloppy kisses.. you breathe really loud when you do it too.. where do you even come up with your stuff?? You’re so awesome!

The next month is a busy one for us.. you’re going places baby girl!! ☺ Here’s what’s coming up.. on Saturday march 5th, you’ll be going to your first sporting event.. an ice hockey match.. we’ll be rooting for the Kings! The following weekend, we’ll be going down to San Diego to watch daddy’s razorbacks play baseball against san diego state.. we’ll be wearing red and cheering wooooooooo pig!! ☺ The weekend after that.. we’re going on a road trip baby!! We leave on Friday the 18th and will be heading to Arizona for Dodger spring training.. it’s going to be an adventure.. you’re going to get to sleep with mama and daddy in the big bed!!! We’ll be there for 3 days and then get back home.. something tells me you’re going to be exhausted.. but we’ll do our best to keep you as comfy as possible.. we’re bringing your favorite sleepy wrap and the baby bjorn and the beco butterfly II that we just ordered (soooo excited!).. you’ll be good baby girl ☺

The swing is still your favorite place to be.. we’re going to try out the crib for naps in the next few days.. I’m going to hope for the best baby girl.. you’ve honestly surprised us in the most positive way with every single step so far.. so who knows.. maybe you will just LOVE your crib.. and if not.. we will figure out what we need to do to make you happy.. You’re seriously the best thing that’s ever happened to us.. yesterday was our 2-year wedding anniversary and on march 5th.. it will be 5 years since our first date.. we’ve had lots of adventures in the last 5 years.. but you, baby girl.. we could have never been prepared for how much you would change our lives.. I am not a morning person.. but when I look over at you smiling away.. I can’t help but grin from ear to ear.. you make us soooooo happy baby. I hope we continue to do the same for you.. a million hugs and kisses sunshine baby!!

--
So I would have kept this entry as is.. except for one thing.. tonight.. I made tacos and you sat in the kitchen on your high chair.. you’re my little sous-chef sunshine baby!! Anyway.. we made tacos.. and then we took you in to get a diaper change and to get you to nap.. during the diaper change I started blowing on your little belly.. baby.. you have never GIGGLED so much in the last 4 months.. you kept going and going and going.. of course, we whipped out the camera and the giggling stopped.. but baby girl.. I’m going to try again later tonight.. after our shower.. did I mention that?? You and I take showers together.. we have a great time and you’re so happy happy happy.. thought I couldn’t love you more.. but tonight.. i was proven wrong.. yet again.. love love love you!!! ☺

weeks 8-12

2011-03-04T11:34:00.000-08:00

slowly but surely we're getting to present day.. for anyone reading.. please bear with me.. being a first time mama is all about figuring things out.. and then pretty much starting over trying to figure it out.. yet again :)

WEEKS 8 – 12 (as of 12.31.10 you weighed 12lbs 9oz and were 22 inches long)

Sunshine!! That’s your newest nickname and the one we seem to be calling you the most.. your smile is as bright as the sun.. seriously!! You’re so adorable.. always smiling.. always happy.. even when you’re puking, which unfortunately happens more frequently than it should.. we went to the doctor and found out that you have reflux, which isn’t too bad.. it will hopefully go away on its own in the next month or so and in the meantime we need to keep you upright while feeding you and keep you upright for at least 30 minutes afterwards – kind of makes changing your diaper a bit complicated.. and why wouldn’t we change your diaper BEFORE we feed you?? Oh baby girl.. we DO.. it’s just that you absolutely and adamantly refuse to poop if your diaper is not clean and new.. lol.. so we change you.. feed you some.. wait for the explosion.. and then go right back in there and change you again.. you must have a deal with pampers or something.. maybe they’re paying you on the side?? ☺

Things have gotten so much easier with you (knock on wood).. maybe we’re getting better as new parents.. maybe you’re just more satisfied with this new life of yours.. who knows.. but it’s working.. we sleep more on a regular basis.. you’ve been sleeping from about 10pm – 6 am.. how insane is that?? You then eat around 6:15 and go back to sleep afterwards till about 9.. could we be more lucky? I have to add though that you’re still sleeping in your swing.. the time is fast approaching that we’ll need to transition you to your crib and I’m sort of dreading that.. we’ve been practicing having you sleep with the swing off.. it works sometimes.. slowly but surely baby.. also.. I like having you in our room.. we’re in a 1 bedroom baby and your crib is in the “foyer” area.. which is right outside our bedroom door.. not that you’ll ever really be far from us.. but it’s so awesome to just look over and see how you’re doing.. or if your pacifier falls out you do this grunt and we put it right back and you’re back to your normal smiley self.. whether awake or asleep ☺

You got your vaccinations in mid-december.. something I had been dreading since I knew I was preggers.. 3 shots.. 1 oral.. and baby.. I was so so so so nervous taking you in.. and when the nurse came in I asked her to do everything as fast as possible and that’s the way she operates as well.. you got your two shots and literally just looked confused.. by your 3rd you knew what was up.. lol.. so you cried.. just a bit.. when she gave you the oral one though… you didn’t like that AT ALL.. but we had a bottle ready for you and you were fine within a minute.. don’t know what I was so nervous about.. something tells me the older you get, the harder these shots will get.. you have your 4-month well check in February.. let’s keep our fingers crossed for that one..

Your biggest accomplishments these last 4 weeks have been that you have now noticed your hands.. you can literally stare at them for hours and you do! It’s pretty funny.. you’ve been unclenching your hands as well and trying to fit as much as possible in your mouth.. you’re even trying to hold your bottle now and seem to get annoyed with my hand which is just in the way.. sorry baby girl.. you don’t have a good enough grip to do it on your own yet.. Also.. and this is major.. we were watching the Sugarbowl the other night (Arkansas vs. Ohio State) and obviously we were rooting for Arkansas.. unfortunately they lost after staging a fantastic comeback in the 4th quarter.. anyway.. want to know what the greatest part of the evening was?? You actually giggled!!!!!! (1.4.11) You did it once when you were a few weeks old.. then didn’t do it again.. we’d sometimes hear you laugh in your sleep.. but this was the first time you did it while awake.. I hope that 2011 is filled with your giggles!! ☺

You had a busy December.. people came from everywhere to see you.. your nana and papa came from baton rouge.. your brofuncle (my brother, your uncle) flew in from DC, your teta and jeddo flew up from mexico and next week your auntie dida is flying in from NYC.. how popular are you baby?? You sleep big parts of the day but they’re fine with seeing you even if only a few minutes.. and you love love love all the attention.. after everyone left.. you were so exhausted you slept 18 hours that day.. you NEVER sleep that long!! ☺

I recently started / joined a mommy and me group.. we have our first meeting on Tuesday of next week.. cannot cannot wait.. we’ll meet other mommies and you’ll have some real friends to finally play with.. though I have to say you seem pretty content with your reflection, teddy bear, the fan and pretty much every other object in this apartment.. I hope that you will be so easily happy and content forever baby girl.. hugs and a million kisses to our beautiful sunshine baby! ☺

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time seriously is flying by.. present day.. baby girl is almost 5 months old.. wow wow wow!!

the first 8 weeks..

2011-02-22T14:28:00.000-08:00

so i'm slowly catching up here.. this post was written months ago.. but we'll get to real time soon enough :)

THE FIRST 8 WEEKS: (as of 12.03.10 you weighed 10lbs 6oz and you were 22 inches long)

There are simply no words to describe the rollercoaster we’ve been on for the last 8 weeks.. the combination of having no idea what we’re doing plus no sleep is not ideal, let me tell you.. everyone kept saying that it will get easier after 40 days (or about 6 weeks).. and by easier I think they meant that you’d sleep longer and that we’d be a little more knowledgeable about what to do.. I have to say that they were right.. you BARELY slept from weeks 3-6.. no matter what we did or how hard we tried.. you just wanted to stay up and be a part of the action.. your grandpa came up (from mexico) to meet you and spend the weekend of Halloween with you.. teta and jeddo left on the 31st of October and daddy was in Arkansas that weekend.. I’m sure that I don’t need to explain Arkansas to you (woo pig soooieee ring a bell??).. anyway.. so Sunday October 31st was our first full day together and baby I was soooo nervous.. but we did it.. it wasn’t easy that’s for sure.. I put you in the cutest Halloween outfit.. you were a pumpkin in a tutu and seconds after I took a picture you projectile puked all over yourself.. lol.. at least I got that pic!!

We ended up going to LAX at night to pick up your daddy and I was convinced you were going to lose it on the way.. you didn’t like your car seat or being in a non-moving car.. and this is LA.. where traffic can appear at anytime and usually does.. we got lucky though.. the roads were clear.. we got your daddy and headed home.. of course hitting major traffic on the way back and you screamed and screamed.. but hey.. at least it happened when I was in the back with you and could try to calm you down.. though nothing really worked..

Weeks 3-6 were hard.. I would count down the hours till your daddy got home from work.. I had no idea what to do with you.. how to stop you from crying.. you were exhausted but wouldn’t sleep.. we finally spoke to a doctor and they suggested getting you a swing.. and baby we live in a 1 bedroom.. and those things are huge.. but we decided to give it a try.. best money we EVER spent.. you LOVE LOVE LOVE your swing so much it’s funny.. there’s a mirror on the top and you stare at your reflection thinking it’s your friend.. the last week or so you’ve even been smiling at “her” and trying to have conversations.. it’s adorable ☺

Speaking of smiling.. you’ve been smiling for about 4 weeks now.. at first it was totally random and usually had to do with your bowel movements lol.. but over the last few weeks they’ve been real.. you smile at your daddy alllll the time.. a few weeks ago he stayed home from work and you even laughed!!! It hasn’t happened since then but we’re waiting.. can’t wait to hear it again ☺ Your smile is the cutest thing in the entire world.. your whole face lights up and you kick your little legs and flail your arms around..

We’ve had so many nicknames for you in these 8 weeks.. from baby lyla belle to glowworm to monkey to baby girl to burpy mcfarty.. lol.. baby your poops are explosive and we have no idea how they could smell the way they do.. we’re going to blame the soy formula that you’re on for that.. deal? But seriously.. we also can’t seem to clean the folds in your neck.. so you have formula stuck in there which ends up smelling like swiss cheese.. it’s hilarious.. we’ve been better.. a bit more aggressive about actually getting in there and getting it out.. you don’t seem to like that at all.. but baby trust me.. it’s for all of our sakes ☺

All in all you’re an adorable baby girl.. we’re so excited that we can finally interact a bit with you.. you smile.. you look like you’re about to laugh but no sound comes out.. but we’re getting there.. something tells me it will be a matter of days.. cannot wait ☺ What else? Oh yeah..the last 2 weeks you’ve been sleeping a lot better.. for some strange reason you now hate your bassinet and only want to sleep in your swing which means that mama is in the living room with you.. daddy gets the bedroom alllllll to himself.. how lucky is he?? But we have a good time you and i.. we have a routine and you’ve been sleeping for about 4 hours straight through the night.. thank goodness for that!

Your Papa and Nana are currently visiting from Baton Rouge.. they couldn’t wait to meet you so we went down to Newport Beach to spend the weekend with them.. we were so worried about how you’d be.. you know, being away from home and all your stuff.. we even decided that your swing was more important than your stroller (we have a baby bjorn and a sleepy wrap) so we took that instead.. baby.. I have to say.. you made us look like the biggest liars ever.. like we had nothing to be worried about at all.. not only did you all of a sudden love your carseat.. you slept through the night.. literally.. 6 hours straight.. 3 days in a row.. we got home yesterday and you slept for your normal 4 hours.. we’ll see how tonight goes though since you didn’t finish your bottle and that may be why you didn’t sleep as much.. fingers crossed ☺

You love music.. you especially love “Piano Man” by Billy Joel and “Hello” by Evanescense.. your daddy sings them to you and you seem to be in a trance when he does that.. it’s adorable how you two look at each other.. like there’s no one else in the room.. I guess I could be jealous but baby girl, that’s what I wanted for you.. it’s still what I want.. I hope that you and your daddy have the best relationship ever and that when you’re old enough to date, hopefully you will have the foundation to know what to look for and to refuse to be treated like anything but the princess you already are.. jeez.. talking about you dating is crazy.. you’re barely 2 months old.. lol.. but hey.. time flies.. so I guess we’ll get there before we know it.. the song I sing to you is “just the way you are”.. and baby you LOVE it.. one of the lyrics goes “and when you smile.. the whole world stops and stares for awhile”.. and you smile every single time.. it’s so freaking cute..

Ok.. you’re in your swing and it’s time to feed you and get you to bed for the night.. cross your fingers that we get 6 hours baby!! ☺

--
i just re-read this post.. baby girl is currently 4 months and 10 days.. cannot believe how fast time is flying.. just packed away her 0-3 months clothes yesterday.. definitely a bittersweet moment.. but with every single day that passes.. this baby girl just gets cuter and more of a joy to be around.. i couldn't have even imagined how much i'd love this baby girl.. seriously.. :)

officially a mama! :)

2011-01-06T12:14:00.001-08:00

ok.. so it's january.. i've been a mama for almost 3 months now.. can you believe that??? my posts are long overdue.. but i wanted to write about our birth story.. here it goes.. :)

--- LYLA EMERSEN ---
Born: Monday October 11th, 2010
Time: 5:10 am (via c-section)
Weight: 6lbs 9oz
Height: 19 ½ inches
Time in labor: 18 hours

Baby girl,

There will come a time (in a few years) when you will want to know allllll about your big day.. so here it is.. officially in writing so that we can all remember how you came to be.. ready?

You were conceived on Saturday January 9th, 2010 (we thought it would be great to have a 10.10.10 baby – we had no idea how close we’d be!!!).. this may be more information than you’d like to hear but it is what it is and you were due on Tuesday October 5th, 2010. The pregnancy itself wasn’t bad at all.. you ended up joining us on our honeymoon (which we took a year after getting married) and we had a great time in Italy.. though, all we ate was spaghetti marinara everywhere we went (and lost 8 pounds in the process!!).. the cheese is not pasteurized in Europe and we obviously didn’t want to take any chances.. I promise that we’ll go back and eat pizza.. and cheese.. and all the other good stuff ☺

The first trimester sailed by.. there were days that were harder than others but for the most part.. you were easy peasy.. the second trimester was great.. everyone says that’s when you start to feel like yourself again, and it’s true.. we weren’t big enough yet to be uncomfortable so it was a good time all around.. then came the third trimester. As far as the actual pregnancy went.. I was bigger, obviously.. but no real issues except for my foot / leg which I somehow messed up at some point in july.. to this day, I have no idea what I did.. but I spent the last 2-3 months hobbling around.. I had the waddle going.. as well as my limp.. sexy, is all I have to say..

And then the baby pool.. people were placing bets on when you’d join us.. we had dates from September 20th – October 8th.. we were fairly certain you’d be early.. why, you ask?? I was 15 days early and supposedly that plays a factor.. clearly, in your case it did not.. The first 10 days of October were the longest 10 days ever.. I had a doctor appointment (Dr. V.) every week from 35 weeks onwards.. and every week I got checked.. and again.. every week was at 1 cm.. By October 7th.. you were 2 days “late”.. and the Dr. was concerned that you’d be a big baby since an ultrasound we took 4 weeks prior had you weighing 6lbs 8oz.. we thought you’d be an 8lb+ baby! My blood pressure wasn’t cooperating so we decided to schedule an induction on 10.10.10 (Sunday).

We checked in to Cedars Sinai at 11:30 am.. and by we, I mean.. your daddy, grandmas and me.. by 12:30.. they had started the “induction” process which started off with some sort of pill to “soften” the cervix to help with dilation.. at about 5:30pm, they checked me and I had progressed to 2cms.. still nowhere near we needed to be so the next step was a foley balloon along with pitocin (to induce contractions).. I will not get into the details.. but basically this is a balloon that is inserted and helps you dilate.. once you reach 3cms the balloon falls out.. strange, but true. By 8:30pm, I had reached 3cms and pitocin was still going – at this point we knew you wouldn’t be a 10.10.10 baby but we had been waiting, what seemed like forever to meet you.. so really couldn’t care less ☺

They moved us to a larger room once I reached 4cms (around 11:00pm).. the actual labor and delivery room, the grandmas decided to go home since we thought it would be hours and hours more.. it was now decided that they would break my water.. I was between 4 and 5cms so I asked for the epidural since I knew it was going to be way more intense once that happened.. I got the epi a little before midnight, they broke my water and by 2am, I was fully dilated (10cms!).. they stopped the pitocin a little after midnight because the contractions were super strong and labor was progressing on its own.. you were still pretty high up so they decided to let you “labor down” for a bit.. a little before 3 am, they asked me to start pushing.. which is what I did.. they were monitoring you this whole time and saw that when I pushed, your heart rate would slow down.. this had them worried and had us worried as well.. at one point your heart rate went way below what they were comfortable with so we were in the operating room within 2 minutes.. ready to go.. but then you stabilized.. thank goodness..

We went back to labor and delivery and pushed some more.. Dr. V. was there at this point and mentioned that you were stuck behind the pubic bone and because your heart rate kept dropping with the pushes.. suggested we consider a c-section.. baby girl, let me tell you.. she’s not one of those doctors that likes c-sections.. so when she said that, I knew that maybe that was best.. even the midwife said you were not going to come out the birth canal.. so daddy and I looked at each other and decided that we would go for it.. better have you with us.. safe and healthy.. we were never very set on a birth plan anyway.. this way, we tried.. and we got the experience..

We went back to the operating room at about 4:45.. they prepped me.. did whatever they needed to do and then your daddy came in.. I was super happy to see him (as always).. they had random 80’s love songs playing in the background.. I was very groggy.. from being up for hours and from the drugs.. but I remember a “time out” and then surgery started with “time in”.. daddy can explain that to you ☺

I felt some pressure.. lots of people were talking.. daddy was right by me.. and then they said.. she’s here.. and we heard a tiny cry.. nothing like we were expecting.. they took you to the warmer and were trying to get all the fluids out of you to get a real cry.. we were a bit worried and I kept asking if you were ok.. they didn’t seem to be too worried.. but you didn’t cry.. and I kept waiting for that.. we kept waiting for that.. they then decided to take you to the nursery to continue working on you and get a real cry out of you.. your daddy went with you.. (turns out the umbilical cord was wrapped around your neck.. not once but twice!)

Eventually, I was wheeled into the recovery room.. my mom came in to congratulate me.. she had just seen you in the nursery.. and then j’s mom came in.. and finally your daddy came in.. can’t tell you how happy I was to see him.. he was so awesome throughout this whole thing.. he’s the best lyla belle and I’m sure that you will see that as his baby girl.. he’s already so in love with you ☺ Everyone says you look just like I did when I was born.. and that may be so.. though your hair is lighter and something tells me you will be blessed with colored eyes.. also.. you have the cutest dimple in the world and your daddy’s expressions / mannerisms.. you’re simply perfect!!

We met face to face a little bit after 8 am on the 11th of October (I saw you in the operating room but I was too out of it to really concentrate).. and baby.. you were breathtaking.. you still are.. we cannot believe that you are ours and that they let us take you home with us.. pure insanity.. you’ve been home for 6 days now and we are slowly getting used to one another and the cute things you do.. so far we have been calling you glowworm because of your perfectly round face.. we also call you popeye because when we’re holding you.. you peek at us with one eye to make sure we’re still there.. it’s pretty funny.. you do a lot of really cute things.. yesterday, for instance (you’ll appreciate this when you’re older).. you projectile pooped on me.. not once.. but THREE times.. you’d think I’d learn and get out of the way.. I’m still a newbie though.. so we’re learning together baby girl.. daddy laughed and laughed and laughed.. I think he told everyone.. see.. told you he was so in love with you ☺

I promise to update this on a monthly basis and I will try not to embarrass you with these stories when you’re a teenager.. the key word is try.. ☺

it's been a looooong time..

2010-08-29T22:41:00.000-07:00

reader (s).. hello!! i apologize for this delay.. as you could tell from my last post, i had a little bit of mental clearing to do.. don't worry i wasn't in bed worrying and being sad.. i just needed to take some time for myself and to get back to where i felt i needed to be mentally.. i guess i'm kind of there.. we'll see :)

the last time i wrote it was all the way back in June.. about 2 months ago.. i'm approaching d-day!!! i cannot wait.. no, seriously.. i can't.. i will be at 35 weeks in 2 days and if lyla decides to join us in the next 2-3 weeks i will be the happiest mama in the world.. why so anxious? well.. let me update you on what's been going on the last few months.. so, pregnancy comes with all sorts of physical changes.. and they vary depending on the trimester.. so in the beginning.. some of us have to deal with nausea, bloating.. flatulence.. general "bla" feeling.. being so tired that we don't even make it to the bed which is a few feet away!! i also dealt with insomnia.. which was a first for me.. i now feel for everyone that has issues sleeping.. how is it even possible to be so tired and yet not be able to sleep?? it's a complete and total mystery to me.. we then move on to the 2nd trimester.. which is pure bliss.. back to feeling like ourselves.. not big enough to be uncomfortable just yet.. it's literally called the "honeymoon phase" of pregnancy.. now i know why.. which brings us to the 3rd trimester.. and in all honesty.. i know my case is unique.. but just like everything i write about on here.. this is my personal experience.. so here we go..

a little over a month ago i woke up to a horrible leg cramp.. i've never been flexible and having an even bigger belly in the way.. it was hard to reach my calf.. which also happened to be tangled in the covers.. i pulled and who knows what i did.. but i eventually was able to massage the pain away.. or so i thought.. later that day i noticed that i was walking weird.. not putting any pressure on a specific part of my foot.. i thought nothing of it.. this continued for a few days.. and as you all know.. when you overcompensate for one area of your body.. it will start being felt in another.. now i had my left foot which was off.. plus my right knee.. so i went to a podiatrist.. being pregnant, he couldn't do an x-ray but did an ultrasound on my foot, which was odd.. he confirmed we were having a baby girl.. lol :) anyway.. turns out i had some internal inflammation which would go away with advil.. but guess what.. you cannot take advil while pregnant.. or any anti-inflammatories for that matter.. he assured me it would go away just as randomly as it came..

it has now been about 5 weeks.. i limp everywhere.. my feet and ankles are unrecognizable and there are times i just look at them and think.. WHAT ARE YOU?? i know we pregnant ladies swell in certain areas.. but it is to the point of ridiculous.. i used to wear a size 7 or 7.5 or 8... depending on the cut of shoe.. i can BARELY fit into a 9 today.. i mean.. come on now.. trust me, i'm not the girl that harps on what size i am.. i stopped being that girl once i hit the double digits.. but as every "full-figured" girl knows.. we take pride in our shoes.. and their size.. so that's gone out the window now.. to recap, i am hobbling because of my internal inflammation.. waddling because my belly has pretty much taken over.. having back problems because of baby AND i haven't seen my feet in weeks or remember what my ankles look like.. welcome to the 3rd trimester..

this post has pretty much been a rant.. i know.. but i had to put it out there so that i can move on and focus on what's important here.. i know that this is all going to be worth it the second i see our little girl.. chances are.. i will have another baby or two after this.. i know this.. even my friend that i wrote about last time.. she only got to be a mama for a few minutes.. even she said it was all worth it.. and she hardly had a chance to enjoy her baby.. i seriously cannot wait to meet lyla.. i know she will continue to change my life.. she already has in so many ways, in all honesty.. jeremy and i can't seem to talk about much else.. she's already such a huge part of our lives.. sometimes it's hard to imagine what it was like before her.. weird, no? we still have so much to do to prepare for her arrival.. and in the beginning i was so nervous about labor.. and another friend of mine said it best.. she said.. when you get closer to your due date.. all you're going to want is to get this baby out.. however it happens.. you won't even care anymore.. she went on to say that the 40 weeks are more for us to prepare than for the baby.. it's making much more sense now.. i know labor won't be easy.. it can't be.. but i also know that it is probably even harder on our baby girl.. she has NO idea what's coming her way in a few weeks.. so i will focus on that.. it may be hard for me.. but at least i know what's happening.. it will be over in a few hours.. and then we get to officially start our family.. i cannot cannot cannot wait..

oh yeah.. before i sign off.. we started a baby pool.. it's $5 to pick a birth date.. i am going with september 25th and jeremy's going with the 29th.. we have dates ranging from september 19th to october 8th.. she's due october 5th and even though they say the first baby usually is late.. i think lyla will follow in my footsteps and be early.. just like i was.. after all, she is my baby girl!! :)

anxious cuppy

clearing my head..

2010-06-20T23:21:00.001-07:00

i've always been the type of person that sorts jumbled thoughts via writing.. this is no exception..

being pregnant for the last 24+ weeks has been nothing short of amazing.. of course there have been moments of discomfort.. times when i look in the mirror and hardly recognize myself.. but all in all.. being pregnant has put me in tune with my body and made me very conscious of how unbelievable creating life, inside of me, really is.. i have always been on the heavier side.. have struggled with my weight for my entire life (we can exclude my first three months on this planet.. but from then on.. my pediatrician literally asked my mom to put me on a diet.. maybe he was on to something?).. but now that i am pregnant, it's changed.. i see my body differently - maybe i even respect it more.. i don't know if that makes any sense.. but when my biggest worry used to be what size i would fit into next time i shopped.. now i am just thrilled with my belly.. oddly enough.. there are days where you can't even tell there's a baby in there.. it may just look like some extra fat.. but i know what's in there.. i know she's in there and that my belly and my body in general are keeping my little girl safe..

along with all the joys.. excitement and "awesomeness" of pregnancy.. comes fear.. an unlimited amount of fear.. i pride myself on being a curious person, so i spend a good amount of time researching, reading and talking to other mamas.. in general, i like to be in control of situations.. i am not very comfortable with the unknown though i have taken many steps in my life completely blind.. i've been lucky, in all honesty.. but this whole pregnancy.. childbirth.. raising a human.. that's a whole other topic.. i am not going to get into all the thoughts that run through my mind.. there's really no need to get into that.. i am sure that every single mother out there has her own set of fears that i don't need to add to.. but just last week we started a childbirth class.. we went around the room, introduced ourselves and gave our due dates.. the instructor then asked us how we felt about actual labor.. i was honest.. i said "terrified".. because i am.. that's not to say i don't think i can do it - i KNOW i can.. but it's an extremely daunting situation.. the instructor seemed completely taken aback by my answer.. which, personally i find shocking.. of course i'm excited.. but i am also terrified.. there are a million things that i can read about every single day.. but until i'm in there.. and it's my time.. i have no real idea of what to expect.. maybe this isn't terrifying for the rest of the ladies in the class.. but it is to me.. they are all due in the next month or two (whereas we have till october).. and according to their responses.. they haven't had the time to think about labor.. is that possible?? you're due in a few weeks and you haven't thought about it?? i mean.. maybe they just cope with it that way.. but i would rather be as informed as possible once it's time to meet my baby..

when i started this blog, i just wanted to document this pregnancy.. something that i can show our baby once she's old enough to read.. something that i can look back on years from now.. in an ideal world.. i'd like to keep this going... you know.. something she can always look back on.. i may forget some of the stuff she did later.. but if i document it here, we will have a record.. and how awesome would that be? as i've been writing this post, i've been going back and forth in my mind about how much i can share on here.. i want this to be a forum where women can discuss how they feel.. it's not just a feel-good blog.. this is life afterall.. and sometimes, it gets ugly..

a few months ago i found out that one of my friends from college was pregnant and she was due this week.. considering no one else i know is pregnant right now, we've been spending a lot of time bbm'ing one another about how it's going and how we feel.. it's been great having someone to talk to that's been through it so recently.. with her being 3 months ahead of me, she was great with all the baby advice.. and body advice.. and so on.. her last status update mentioned how they were anxiously awaiting the birth of their baby boy.. that was about 4 days ago.. i wanted to give her some time.. you know, just in case they were in the hospital and all that.. so today i messaged her.. you know.. a message full of exclamation points and smiley faces.. i mean.. she's having a baby.. of course that's the kind of message i'd send.. a few minutes later she texted back.. her baby boy was born on the 17th.. he did not make it past the delivery room.. to say the least, i had no idea what to say.. this is a great girl.. married to a man who loves her.. their last few months have been planned around this baby boy.. and now this..

i am not writing this to depress anyone or to start some sort of panic.. but this was my friend's situation.. it's 2010 and complications during delivery still happen.. unfortunately.. the reason i am sharing this is because even though they were only a "mama and daddy" for a few seconds.. i can already see how it's changed her.. through all her grief.. she asked me about my baby.. "how's your little princess" she asked.. she followed that with saying that her and her husband were going to pull each other through this and that she knew her little boy would watch over them.. as we were ending our conversation, she asked me to say hello to my baby... i put my hand on my belly.. letting her know i was there.. and i swear i felt movement.. i haven't (officially) felt her kick yet.. but at that moment.. i could have sworn she was letting me know she was there.. like she knew i needed her to show me..

xo -
cuppy

it's been a looong time..

2010-06-03T15:39:00.000-07:00

hello!! first off, apologies for taking the last few weeks off.. the reality is that i went down to mexico to visit family.. hung out there for about a week.. it was fun and perfectly timed! why? well, my brother just started a new position outside of mexico and i was super happy that i got to see the whole family in one place.. it will get expensive from here on out.. but we'll make it work, i'm sure :)

other than that, got back from mexico.. the hubby missed me while i was gone and even painted the makeshift nursery!!! the reason it's not a real nursery is because we live in a 1 bedroom.. so, i'm sure that you can imagine we don't have all the space in the world for baby.. but we're making due.. we even found a crib that will fit in the space that we have.. speaking of cribs, we went to babies r us a few weeks ago to get our registry started and readers, was it overwhelming!!! omg.. i thought a wedding registry was hard.. but at least back then we had an idea of what we wanted and needed.. when it comes to a new baby.. we honestly have no idea.. we're basically going off the checklists they provide, advice from friends and our lack of space.. those are our parameters - hopefully it'll all work out..

baby's been behaving.. i think i'm literally going to give birth to a zen master.. she's super calm.. not sure if she's kicking and punching yet.. because i haven't felt anything.. actually, i've been feeling different things.. just not sure if that's what i'm feeling, know what i mean?? my doctor says it will be very obvious in a few weeks.. so i'll just patient, i guess..

speaking of.. we're currently at week 22.. which according to baby books means that we're starting our 6th month.. i find that odd because i consider this our 5th month.. either way.. baby is now officially 1 pound and about 11 inches long.. crazy right??? i thought that a baby was born measuring about 14 inches.. jeremy said closer to 20... after doing some research i guess he's right.. but 20 inches.. what a giant!!! i guess we'll find out for ourselves in about 4 months..

ok.. not much else to say.. i wanted to update but after re-reading this, can't say i'm too impressed with this post.. so my apologies.. the next one will be better.. i promise!!

cuppy..

last thing.. lakers / celtics start tonight.. i'll be rooting for LA though i'm not a huge fan.. but gotta do it for the hubs.. oh well, i guess this is love :)

not much going on..

2010-05-13T18:56:00.000-07:00

so.. it's slowly sinking in that puncakes is a baby girl.. it still feels weird to say "she".. or "her".. but now we know.. at least with a little over 90% certainty.. :) it's been a very good few days since the last post.. my brother was just offered a job.. and he will be moving to a new place.. doing new things.. and finally making some real money.. what's better than that?? as for me.. i'm officially no longer looking for a job.. at a little over 19 weeks, i'm starting to look preggers and i can't imagine going to interview a few months from now.. i'll just take this for what it is and enjoy a few months at home with our baby girl.. it's weird not looking for a job.. i feel like my job over the last 18 months has been to find a job.. obviously i haven't succeeded but i still had a purpose every day.. now i'm playing a waiting game..

other than my brother's news.. i will be going to see family in mexico for a little under a week.. jeremy will have the apartment allllll to himself and i'm sure that a big part of him is looking forward to some peace and quiet.. at least for a few days and then he'll start missing me.. and then i'll be back.. it all works out perfectly, don't you think?? anyway.. going to mexico from sunday morning to next saturday morning.. and while there, my mom is throwing me a baby shower!!! it's going to be interesting to say the least.. my mom's in her early 60's but for some strange reason, she hangs out with women wayyyyy older than her.. so that means that the average age at this baby shower will probably be closer to 75.. lol.. and i'm not even exaggerating!

speaking of baby showers.. i know that technically they're meant to be thrown much closer to the baby's due date.. but since my friends are on crazy schedules and don't live by me.. we're going to throw the US version at the end of june.. i will have some friends coming in for the dodger - yankee series that weekend.. so we thought, why not?? everyone seems to be on board and the key players will be in LA.. which, with my crowd.. is not necessarily a given!! :)

ok.. well.. i might write before heading off to mexico.. but if not, will be writing from there.. tomorrow we're going to see robin hood and i'm excited.. i think russell crowe plays that type of character really well.. for example.. gladiator's marcus aurelius.. or whatever his name was there :)

hasta la proxima,
cuppy!

and the verdict is...

2010-05-04T23:01:00.001-07:00

we officially found out a few hours ago that puncakes is a baby GIRL!!!!!! in all honesty.. both jeremy and me were pretty sure we were going to have a boy.. just goes to show you that intuition is not always right.. we are so happy though!! :) there's nothing like the bond between a daddy and his little girl.. no matter how old she may be.. it's completely unique and i am a firm believer that it shapes her male relationships throughout her life.. i am lucky enough to be very close to my own daddy-o.. and this isn't meant to sound weird or anything.. but jeremy seriously has many of the same traits.. i have absolutely no doubt that he will be the best daddy to puncakes.. and i can't wait to see him fall in love and be wrapped around her teeny tiny pudgy little finger..

is it too early to start thinking about her father/daughter dance??

cuppy :)

looking for the "money shot"

2010-05-03T15:15:00.001-07:00

today is monday may 3rd.. which means that tomorrow is tuesday may 4th.. the day that we could potentially find out if puncakes is a baby boy or girl, assuming baby cooperates.. i can say that i'm super excited.. but i don't think that gets the real emotion across.. i've known i was pregnant since the end of january.. i'm not necessarily showing just yet, since i had my belly from before hand so i can't put the "blame" on puncakes for that.. but anyway.. back to what i was saying - so even though we've known we've been pregnant for over 3 months now.. and since then.. we've done the ultrasounds.. seen the sonograms and.. most importantly.. heard the heartbeat - with all that being said, tomorrow makes puncakes that much more real to me.. i don't know why.. but actually calling the baby by the names we've chosen would just solidify this whole process.. i love calling baby puncakes.. and i'm sure that we will continue doing that even after baby's born.. but after tomorrow.. i will say baby lyla.. or baby quinn.. those are the names we're going with for girl and boy (respectively).. lyla we've been sold on for quite some time so i'm fairly certain it will stick.. for the boy's names.. we've gone from liam.. to luca.. and as of last week.. quinn.. the middle name will be maximus either way.. :)

so yeah.. i'm excited.. and i cannot wait.. but i still have 21 hours to go.. so until then, i'll have to find ways to keep myself occupied.. it's funny.. did i tell you that i've already lost my identity ever since we told friends and family we were expecting?? it's odd.. jeremy is still being called jeremy.. no one's called me by my name in months.. i'm just "mama" now.. and i've been told it only gets worse.. when they go to school.. you're literally just bla bla's mom.. maybe i'll get used to it.. but for now.. i keep repeating my name after they say mama.. most of my closest friends don't have babies yet.. so i'm sure that i will be returning the favor at some point soon.. until then though.. i guess i'll just have to embrace this

in the next week or two (or 3).. i'm supposed to feel the baby kick.. i don't really have any idea what that feels like.. so i've been doing my research, as usual.. and it's described as "quickening".. kind of like a butterfly going off in your belly.. doesn't that sound super strange?? yeah.. i think so too.. others say it feels like popcorn popping and finally.. i've also read that it feels like gas and it's very hard to differentiate the two.. but eventually it all becomes crystal clear.. especially once the baby gets bigger and stronger.. maybe we'll even see hand and foot prints towards the last few weeks.. that would completely freak me out.. or maybe i'll think it's cute by then?? who knows.. emotions are all over the place during this time..

well, this is all for today - next time i write, i hope to be calling puncakes by their upcoming given name...

might as well sign off with what we've been talking about..
lyla's mama / quinn's mama

:)

sometimes too much research is not a great thing..

2010-04-29T12:48:00.000-07:00

i went to the dentist today and got a cleaning.. here's a little secret about me.. i hate flossing.. i do it because i have to.. and in reality.. i don't do it half as much as i should.. and obviously.. you can't lie about that.. so i got called out on it.. and i know she's right.. so mark my words.. i will do a better job starting today.. it seems that there's a thing called "pregnancy gingivitis" and there's no way in hell that i want to get that.. imagine that on top of everything else??

speaking of everything else.. i know you don't know me very well.. at least most of you don't.. so here's something that is important information.. i'm a research freak.. i like to know as much as possible about anything that i might be experiencing.. in this case.. childbirth.. since i have NO clue what will really be going down.. i've been doing my research.. and honestly, there is such a thing as knowing a little too much.. feel free to stop reading at this point because i'm about to tell you something that most people had NO idea about.. ok.. if you're still reading, it's at your own peril.. so here we go.. did you know that after you've been pushing for hours.. and finally see that teeny tiny baby.. your work is not done.. that's where all the movies end.. that's what most of your friends have probably told you.. but guess what.. you're not done because you still need to push out the placenta!!!!! have you heard of such a thing????? yeah.. me either.. so you get the cute baby and then you push for another 15 minutes or so.. and get this placenta out.. i'm told it kind of looks like a deflated water balloon.. how sexy is that?? barf barf barf.

i wanted to share this information with you because as i said in the beginning.. this blog will be unfiltered.. i'm not here to sugarcoat pregnancy.. we've all heard all the wonderful parts time and time again.. i'm just here to spread information.. as i find it out.. i'm sure that there is just so much that i have yet to discover.. but readers.. believe me when i tell you that i will share that information with you.. that's a promise.. i will warn you ahead of time though.. i'm not here to shock you or to make you throw up your lunch :)

cuppy

having a belly is acceptable.. but ONLY during pregnancy

2010-04-27T11:01:00.000-07:00

forgive me for repeating the following, if i am indeed repeating it.. but did i mention my insane shopping spree at the maternity store last week?? honestly.. you'd think i was in the desert and just saw water.. i full on went nuts.. and by nuts.. i mean i spent more money than i have spent on clothes in years.. in my defense.. because, hey.. i have to stick up for myself sometimes.. so in my defense, i haven't really shopped in years, if you're wondering why.. it's simple.. we ladies, we like to do this thing that when we're a size we don't like.. we just don't buy anything in that size and walk around uncomfortably until we decide to do something about it.. this is a strategy that hardly ever works.. but still.. one that i am a full subscriber to.. so, at the maternity store, i bought all the cute stuff i haven't been buying for years.. cargo pants.. shorts.. cute tops.. pants.. a pair of jeans.. other pants.. dresses.. i could go on and on and on.. and i also rationalized by saying i would be wearing this stuff afterwards as well.. which isn't to say that i plan on not losing weight.. but honestly.. have you seen how cute maternity clothes are these days?? even major brands make clothes for the one time in your life where it seems it is acceptable to be "heavier".. all those jeans that go up to a size 12 max (rock & republic.. seven for all mankind.. you know which ones i'm talking about).. anyway.. turns out they make jeans for pregnant women too.. i just don't understand why they can't service all the in-between sizes.. i mean.. honestly.. it's ridiculous..

ok.. i'm done with that rant.. today marks 17 weeks.. which means that puncakes is now 5 ounces and 5 inches from crown to rump.. or like we adults call it.. head to toe.. AND the major development is that the skeleton is changing from soft cartilage to bone.. baby is becoming more real by the day!! :) one more thing about puncakes.. by this time next week.. we could possibly know if puncakes is a he or a she.. how cool is that going to be?? i am taking all the mommy advice to heart.. they say to drink something cold and with sugar before the ultrasound so that we can get the "money shot".. isn't that a lovely way of describing it.. but still.. fingers crossed!! :)

well.. i'm off to run some errands.. or more likely.. to kill a few hours before the hubs comes home.. hope everyone's having a good week so far..

cuppy :)

information overload...

2010-04-22T13:05:00.000-07:00

so.. last night i get a call from my doctor's office.. they say.. sorry.. but we have some bad news about your last blood test.. and i'm thinking.. oh oh.. this is where this all goes downhill.. so i take a deep breath and ask what the problem is.. this was a blood test for the second trimester screening.. it is meant to be taken between 15 weeks and 18 weeks (i believe).. turns out that they drew my blood at 14 weeks and 6 days.. and i guess one day.. makes a HUGE difference.. can you sense my sarcasm?

anyway.. i went in.. got it done.. and for the first time in i don't know how many blood tests.. the nurse actually found my vein on the first try.. and i think that i might get away without a giant black and blue this time.. fingers crossed!! afterwards, i treated myself to a fruit cup.. and it was fantastic!! :)

other than that, all's been well.. i am planning on visiting my family next month in mexico and we will have a baby shower while i'm there.. and then another one when i come back here.. but that's not till summertime.. anyway, i was looking at baby stuff online, because.. why not? i have all the time in the world.. my friends and husband have jobs.. and i need to find ways to entertain myself.. anyway.. it's insane how many stroller brands are out there.. honestly.. click here for a list and a short breakdown of what's what and which parent's lifestyle fits with which stroller.. it's insane! anyway.. all i really want is a stroller that the baby will be comfortable in.. that i can store baby's stuff under.. and.. that's not so heavy that i want to die every time i lift it and put it down.. and then.. that's not enough.. they even sell "travel systems".. ever heard of those?? nope.. me either.. well.. that's when you do the stroller / car seat combo.. you know.. so you can be color coordinated and so on..

it's actually kind of crazy how much baby info there is out there.. the more i read, the more stuff i think i have to buy.. so i will put it in writing.. and when i start shopping.. if you see me veer too far off this list.. feel free to call me out.. ok.. so here's what i think we need in terms of products (clothes, diapers, bottles, diaper cream, blankets, stuffed animal or two.. are a given.. here's what else we need):
1. car seat - ideally that goes from newborn to whatever the maximum age is.. most newborn car seats seem to go to 1 year and according to research need to be rear-facing for that first year.. oh yeah.. i also want the material to come off the car seat so i can actually wash it.. something tells me babies are a bit on the messy side :)
2. stroller
3. changing table
4. bassinet (i think someone's letting us borrow this part)
5. crib (just wait till i start the research on this one.. i know that the ones where the bars actually come down are no longer being manufactured.. so whichever we get.. i will need to be able to get my 5'1" frame over the bars to reach puncakes
6. baby swing (it's the only product that's been recommended by every single mom)
7. bouncy chair (i'm debating if we need this one.. i feel like a swing might be enough.. but we'll see)

ok.. so that's all i can think of.. if there are any mamas or papas reading this and thinking.. omg.. she has no clue.. feel free to share!! :)

well.. guess it's off to lunch for me.. later readers!

cuppy :)

my little caterpillar

2010-04-20T16:03:00.000-07:00

readers - so i have news.. remember that whole dilemma about interviewing and being preggers and all that jazz.. it's all done.. the position is not mine so back to focusing on the baby! :) a part of me is a bit disappointed.. only because if i'm not qualified for this position.. then i can't imagine what i am qualified for.. but the other part of me.. the ever growing part of me is a bit relieved.. i have always wanted to stay home with my baby.. and at this point.. i don't exactly have any other choice.. plus, the fact that newborn care is super expensive.. and if i don't have a job that pays well.. then there's really no point if all the money goes just for childcare.. know what i'm saying??

today marks 16 weeks.. and according to babycenter puncakes is the size of an avocado and for the next few weeks will be doubling in weight.. and increasing in length!! and even more importantly (or maybe really not) puncakes now has toenails!!!! is it just me that finds that exciting?? yes, probably..

i turned 33 this past weekend.. as i mentioned in my last post, we did the grown up thing and had dinner.. i also ended up having, what we call in my parts, a "mexican beer".. know what is?? i will paint the picture.. imagine a hot day.. you're all sweaty and feeling gross.. on a day like that.. there's nothing that tastes better than an ice-cold beer.. in a chilled glass.. with a salt rim and some lemon juice.. are you drooling yet?? that's exactly what i had.. and no one report me.. it was a non-alcoholic beer (o'douls) and it tasted FANTASTIC!!! i almost bought myself a 6-pack of o'douls today.. but that may be going just a bit overboard..

jeremy got me the cutest charm to add to a bracelet he bought me years ago (valentine's 2007).. on our wedding day, he bought me a little pink cupcake (for obvious reasons).. and this last weekend.. a really dainty butterfly.. i asked if it was supposed to represent anything.. and you know what he said?? he said a butterfly starts off as an egg.. then a caterpillar and eventually becomes a beautiful butterfly.. and guess who that sounds similar to??? yup.. puncakes!!! how cute is that?? my little caterpillar is slowly becoming a beautiful baby.. love love :)

cuppy!

week 15

2010-04-13T20:32:00.000-07:00

today marks the first day of our 15th week - what does this mean exactly? well, in the last few weeks puncakes has grown by leaps and bounds.. currently the size of an apple! in addition to that, puncakes can now pee (yup... that makes me feel all warm inside).. can make faces (grimace, smile, scowl).. and is currently growing eyelashes! on top of all that.. though puncakes' eyes are still shut.. if i shine a flashlight on my belly today, it will instinctively try to move away from the light.. i will definitely try that experiment a little later.. maybe when it can react to that light with a kick or a punch.. it'll be a game! :)

other than that.. we're firmly and solidly in our second trimester now.. and honestly, what a DIFFERENCE!! i've been able to sleep.. i've been able to enjoy food again (hopefully not too much) and i've been feeling much better all around.. they all say this happens around this time.. but when you're in the middle of wanting to die in weeks 6, 7, 8 and so on.. it doesn't seem like this time will ever come.. but here it is.. and thank goodness!!

that job that i wrote about last time is still up in the air.. i'm supposed to hear back at the end of this week if i will be moving on to round 2.. the reality is that i did as well as i could have.. i was honest.. well, as honest as i could be without mentioning my growing belly.. and should they choose to go another route.. i will take that as a sign to stay home with baby for at least the first 6 months.. i still believe that everything does happen for a reason.. and that we are exactly where we're supposed to be in our lives.. so if this is in the cards.. then i will enjoy staying home with my first baby.. what's better than that?? :)

my birthday's coming up this weekend.. i turn the big 33.. we'll probably be laying low (dinner with friends like grownups tend to do) and as long as i get my strawberry shortcake i'll be good to go.. that's been my favorite cake since foreverrrrrr and hopefully jeremy will buy a giant cake and then i can have leftovers for breakfast, lunch and dinner.. notice the discrepancy?? earlier i mentioned that i hope that i don't enjoy food TOO much.. and here i am.. planning cake for every single meal.. sometimes even i don't understand myself.. oh well.. but on a positive note.. i haven't gained weight yet.. lost 8 pounds in my first trimester.. and this last visit (yesterday).. went up about 2 pounds.. so i'm still at -6.. which technically leaves me room for shortcake!!! :)

the reality of puncakes is slowly starting to sink in.. i still have moments of "NO WAY!".. but those are getting fewer and farther in between.. maybe my brain has caught up with my body? i don't know.. this week, we made things even more official by signing up for our prenatal education classes.. sounds fancy, i know.. but we'll be doing a birthing series.. consisting of breathing techniques and pain management stuff.. and this also includes a maternity tour.. yay!!!!! not sure if they'll take us to where all the little babies are, but i hope so!! :) the other two classes we signed up for are a breastfeeding class.. supposedly it's a lot harder than it looks.. we'll see about that.. i've been pretty well endowed ever since i could have boobs.. i've had them.. so if they're not functional after all this time.. words will be had! finally.. we'll be taking a newborn care class.. that's the one i'm probably most excited about.. i have no clue about teeny tiny babies.. and neither does jeremy.. we'll be needing all the tips we can get in a 3-hour class.. as long as they show me how to burp the baby, bathe the baby and diaper the baby.. i'll be good to go :)

ok.. that's enough writing for now.. on may 5th we get to go in for a part of our second trimester screening.. if puncakes cooperates we'll even be able to officially say HE or SHE.. fingers crossed.. let me put this in writing.. so you'll all see it.. i have a feeling it's a boy.. as does jeremy.. my bbf.. she's been calling puncakes "she" from the get-go.. we've done the old wives' tales and don't come up with anything definitive.. boy according to the chinese calendar.. girl according to the mayans.. girl according to holding my wedding band over my belly with a string (goes side to side).. boy according to hair growth (no need to get into that).. girl according to my imperfect complexion.. and so on.. and so forth.. basically puncakes is a baby of mystery.. hopefully we'll be able to crack the code on the 5th!!!

wish us luck..

cuppy :)

and the odds are..

2010-03-30T22:43:00.000-07:00

hi - it's been a crazy few weeks and i apologize to my readers (hey, let me dream) for not updating sooner.. did i mention that i haven't slept through the night in over a month?? yeah, initially i thought it was the jet lag.. but i've always traveled well.. so during one of my loooooong and restless nights.. i decided to google sleep problems in the first trimester.. and guess what?? it afflicts over 70% of us.. from mild to severe.. for someone that's never had sleep problems, i was baffled - i read everything.. tried everything.. and you know what eventually ended up working? our last weekend in phoenix, arizona.

jeremy is a HUGE dodger fan.. and yet he's never been to spring training, so since the dodgers moved their facilities to phoenix, we decided to go for the weekend.. not being a baseball lover myself, i have to say that i had a great time.. we got there friday night.. i slept for about 3-4 hours.. (from 5-6:30 and then again till 8:30).. we spent the ENTIRE day at the baseball facility, hanging out with friends.. watching them drink lovely margaritas and beers.. i consoled myself with an ice-cold lemonade.. it actually did the trick! :) afterwards, we went out for an early dinner and ended up back at someone's house who lives in arizona.. actually the sister of one of jeremy's co-workers.. for those of you that live in LA or NYC, you understand how crazy it is when we walk into homes in other cities.. in all honesty.. her house is HUGE.. 5 bedrooms.. with the option of a 6th.. giant bathrooms.. walk-in closets.. for a couple and their dog.. and a snake.. they plan on filling the house with kids.. but can you even fathom all that space?? living in a one bedroom, it's hard for me to imagine.. maybe one day.. anywayyyy.. we got back to our hotel room at about midnight and i was EXHAUSTED!! i thought.. yes, this is it.. i will sleep through the night tonight for sure!! i was wrong.. another few hours here and there.. and then.. wait for it.. two nights ago (sunday night).. i slept through the entire night.. i didn't want to chance it.. maybe it was a fluke.. but it happened again last night.. can i tell you how excited i am??? i feel like me again!!! :)

so.. the test.. we went in last week for that BUN test.. sometimes also called an NT test.. or something like that.. anyway.. i'm 32.. so right off the bat.. my odds of a baby with a genetic issue.. is that the PC way of saying that?? anyway.. my odds of having a child with any sort of genetic problem was 1 in 380.. based on my age alone.. i guess we're supposed to be having kids in our 20's.. maybe my mom wasn't wrong... lol.. oh well :P anyway.. they then did the ultrasound where they managed to jiggle my belly around so puncakes would move around and show them that it indeed had two arms, two legs.. one belly.. and whatever else they were checking for.. we even heard the heartbeat!!! it was super fast 170 beats per minute (bpm) and when i heard it.. i had a moment of HOLY SH*T.. there's really someone in there!!!! i know, i've had almost 2 months to adjust to the positive pregnancy test.. but i just can't imagine that there's an actual baby in my belly.. that at this time next year.. said baby will be almost 6 months old.. honestly, isn't that insane????

ok.. back to the test.. so after they did the ultrasound and the doctor checked it all out.. they told me my odds were now 1 in 2000.. basically moving in the right direction! :) since i had my blood test done previously.. they called my OBGYN and factored in the blood test which then dropped my odds to 1 in 8000 something.. how awesome is that?? i'm super relieved to hear those numbers.. and though i didn't really picture it going any other way.. it's still crazy to believe that there are parents that are going to go into that appointment super happy and giddy about being pregnant.. and not all of us will be lucky enough to hear such good news.. trust me, i'm very well aware of how lucky we are.. thank you.. thank you.. that's really all i can say..

before i sign off.. i have an update on that ethical dilemma from last time.. as you know, i've been unemployed for the last 18 months.. it's been hard.. it's been frustrating and at times.. it's been lonely and depressing.. i have handled it as best as i know how.. but obviously i am still applying to jobs.. in the hopes that someone somewhere sees my resume.. and guess what?? today.. i got a call... and next week i have an interview.. i will be interviewing with 3 different people.. one's in HR.. one's the person who this position reports to.. and the last is a VP.. this was all just hypothetical in the last post.. but now this is real and coming up.. so i'm debating who to tell.. i know that legally i don't have to say anything to anyone.. supposedly i can wait for a job offer.. accept.. start the job and THEN mention.. oh hey.. guess what? i'll be going on maternity in about 5 months.. for me, that doesn't seem like the best option.. i would like to be honest.. but i also want to be in the running for this position.. so the question is.. when do i say something.. and to whom?? jeremy and i debated it.. we both agree that if the interviews are going well.. then i should mention something to the person that i would be reporting to (if hired).. my bff says that i should try to find out how many rounds of interviews there are.. and if more than this one.. wait till i'm in the final set of candidates standing.. i understand that logic as well.. so cyberspace.. any thoughts??

confused cuppycake

one down, bigger one to come..

2010-03-15T20:52:00.000-07:00

today is march 15th - meaning that i went in and got that ultrasound that i was kind of nervous about.. but not to worry, all is well!! puncakes is even starting to look like a real baby.. teeny tiny bent legs and all, super cute!! the last few days have been rough.. with jet lag and a lovely cold i have been a complete mess - slept all day yesterday and therefore am back on my european inner clock.. though i was never even really on it while there, go figure. i will be taking benadryl tonight, turns out that's allowed even in the first trimester, so yay!! :)

so the test next week, on the 25th specifically is called the BUN test (i guess i wasn't making that up last time) so now that's what i am stressing about. the thing is that the test doesn't say anything definitive, just tells you how likely down syndrome is based on the fluid behind the neck, my age and whatever other factors go into it. i am going to try to not stress from now till then, it's probably not possible, but i will do my best.

this weekend, we are planning on telling the rest of our family - so far, only our parents know, siblings and super close friends (that may as well be siblings). a part of me wants to tell every single person that i see, but then i don't want to jinx anything.. you hear horror stories all the time and i am hoping to avoid that, though how me talking about it changes anything, i have no idea.. that's just me being paranoid.. so hi, nice to meet you - this is who i am.

a little more about me, i'm currently unemployed and still applying to jobs - i am debating the moral / ethical dilemma of this. the fact is this, i apply to jobs all the time, i hardly ever hear back.. i have had about 4 interviews in over a year but i'm still wondering - should i keep applying? i mean, it's going to be pretty obvious that i'm pregnant soon enough and i can't imagine any company wanting to hire someone that will need to go on maternity leave soon. but another part of me thinks that if i do get an interview in the next month or so, i won't be showing yet so am i obligated to say anything if made an offer?? i don't want to mislead anyone, but i also don't want to screw my own chances over - i keep going back and forth on this, but it's all hypothetical since i need to actually get an interview first and an offer second.

ok - well that's all for now, i made the best dinner ever tonight. the whole time we were in italy i was craving this meal and tonight, i finally made it.. potatoes.. chicken topped with garlic, cilantro, olive oil and lemon juice baked in the oven.. i'm debating going in for round 2.. but i will just have to wait till tomorrow (if possible).

goodnight everyone.. sleep well!

cuppycake

the story behind puncakes

2010-03-12T04:24:00.000-08:00

we found out we were pregnant on january 29th, 2010 - after 3 negative pregnancy tests, the 4th came out positive. i was shocked, maybe i shouldn't have been, but i was. when i first saw the faint double lines, i thought "no freaking way, this test can't be right" - so i went and got an easy to read test, simple enough - it says pregnant or not pregnant, guess which one i got?

i guess i shouldn't have been too shocked, i just didn't realize what a fertile combination my husband and i make! we've now been married for a little over a year and were planning on TRYING for a baby in 2010. turns out we're 1/1 which brings us to puncakes.

puncakes is what we have named this baby, it's a combination of what i call him "punkin" and what he calls me "cuppycake" - we think it's cute. next baby will be cuppykin, i'm sure you're all following that train of thought :)

as i write this, we are approximately 10 weeks and 3 days along - morning sickness has reared its occasional head as well as bloating, constipation and gas - this is a very sexy time for me. speaking of sexy times, we just got back from our long-planned honeymoon! we had our trip planned for over 7 months, we thought it would be just the two of us, but puncakes came along and behaved for the most part. we went to roma, firenze, cinque terre and ended with milano - it was a fantastic time for the three of us.

about jeremy - he's my baby daddy, he's also my husband and best friend. i lovers him with everything that i have and i cannot imagine raising a family with anyone else. i am very close to my own daddy-o and i know how important a good father figure is for the development of a child (at least it has been in my experience). we are both a little overwhelmed at this pregnancy and i sometimes feel bad for him because of all the ridiculous questions that i have, but honestly.. when baby poops / pukes / farts, where does it go?? i can't imagine i'm the first mama-to-be that wonders that.

since we just came back from italy, our next ultrasound is a very important one for us. i go in on monday march 15th which will mark us just short of 11 weeks. i have done my research, i'm generally a pretty curious (or nosy, whichever you prefer) person so i know that statistically, we are not in the clear yet. i am hoping that all goes well on the 15th and that puncakes decides to stay with us forever and ever and ever. it's funny how all my stress is for the 15th when there is an even bigger test on the 25th - but the way i figure it goes like this, if the 15th doesn't go well, then the 25th won't matter. what happens on the 25th? i am not going to pretend i know the technical name (maybe it's a BUN test, i might have just made that up??) but basically, they're going to go in there and check something in the neck which will signify the likelihood of a baby with down syndrome - honestly, i had no idea they could check for that so early on, but i guess 12 + weeks is when that test happens.

i hope to slowly learn the lingo and what goes on in the next few months, as you can probably tell, i'm not very well-versed in this whole pregnancy thing, but i guess all mamas started out this way? oh, here's a fun fact for everyone that has not had a baby yet, did you know that they calculate the 40 weeks of pregnancy based on your last period?? how odd is that?? so basically you are 2 weeks pregnant BEFORE you are actually pregnant, it's confusing, i know.. but that's seriously how they do it. that is, unless you know your specific conception date which is not that common it seems (january 9th in our case.. hands down, 100% sure - is that too much information??)

ok reader (or readers dare i say?) - i will continue to update this with any questions or thoughts i will have in the upcoming days, weeks and months. i hope that this blog entertains you, educates you and / or makes you shake your head in amazement (whether it's the ridiculousness of my questions or anything else that may come up in the next few months).

cuppycake