How far along? 21wks 7days
Total weight gain/loss: +4
Maternity clothes? Haven't bought any yet. I'm trying to make use of my clothes as much as I can and see how far I can stretch them into this pregnancy.
Stretch marks? No new ones.
Sleep: This past week it's been steady. I've worked everyday since last Friday so when I get home there's nothing I want more than to crash in that bed. I fall out before I can even think about it lol.
Best moment this week: finalizing nursery ideas such as color and layout. More on that soon.
Have you told family and friends? Yes
Miss Anything? Not pregnancy related but my son. I've hardly spent any time with him this last week. I feel horrible!
Have you started to show yet? Yes! Somewhat bigger every week. I feel like the second trimester is when the majority of growth occurs. Excited to see how much I grow by the end of this trimester.
Movement: Yes! Today has been crazy with all the movement. I think he even has hiccups as I write this. My sweet baby :)
Food cravings: this week I've just been craving water water water!
Anything making you queasy or sick: still the prenatals. I think I'm going to buy the gummies for the time being.
Gender: Boy
Labor Signs: no
Symptoms: just headaches this week. Usually right after I wake. I see a pattern. I wonder if it's because I'm sleeping about 8 hours straight with no water going into my system. Hmm...
Belly Button in or out? Half outie.
Wedding rings on or off? On
Happy or Moody most of the time: Happy of course!
Looking forward to: painting the nursery. I'm so excited to see how it'll turn out :)
Milestone: sweet AJ, right about now you are weighing about 10.5oz and measure about 12.7in. You are pretty long already! your digestive system is developing more and more and you can swallow.

xoxo
Pamela

Lately I've been pretty stressed. Overwhelmed actually with all my random thoughts. I can't help it I'm a worrier and if that isn't bad enough I have no patience.

I've noticed that I can't stop thinking about returning to school this fall semester (which by the way started this week) while in the second/third trimester and working full time nights. Just thinking about it makes my heart race. I mean is not impossible I am sure but definitely a stress factor. Especially when you add cooking, cleaning, studying, and the joys of planning a baby shower and decorating a nursery. Oh and let's not forget a first grader. ***pulls hair*** doesn't it overwhelm you just reading it?

Well it's a lot for me. And if I've lost weight not including those factors in the first trimester just imagine what I'll look like in my second and third. All I want is a healthy baby and possibly a problem free pregnancy. I'm certain that it won't be stress free but hey a gal can dream can't she? :)

As I read one of my pregnancy app daily info (baby bump I believe) I saw that meditation is a great way to relax the body and mind. As well as create a unique bond between mommy and baby, lower blood pressure, and furthermore help during labor, which I really want to go all natural this time around so this will be beneficial towards the end I think. The guided imaginary aspect is to help me sleep better since I really believe that's one of my current problems and stress enhancer.

So I started my research. Of course first place is first. I went to google and started reading link after link that appeared. I will be asking my doctor about it later next month for my 5 months check up as well.

Most link basically said the same thing.

1. Pick a location and time frame between 5-20 minutes where you can either sit or lay comfortably and that is quiet.

2. Sit with your back straight and with your hands on your legs. Relax your muscles. Breathe. Start off with a few deep breaths then slow them down concentrating on the movement of your belly as you inhale and exhale.

3. Stay focus. You can do this by imagining the process of inhaling and exhaling oxygen in and out of your system. From nostrils to lungs.

4. Repeat. Try this for 5-20 minutes to enjoy the benefits. If you've never done this before start with shorter times increasing with each passing day/week.

The more you mediate the easier it'll became and the better you'll feel.

I'm sure that it is not as easy as it seem and it will take a while to really focus and maintain a clear mind
However the concentrating in the belly movements is "suppose to" keep you focus on meditating and not thinking about a million other things. With time you will become better at this and that's why your labor should go smoothly. Because you will be able to block out the pain, maybe, and put all your focus on breathing and staying calm.

Will this work? I have no idea. Will I try it? Why not. I have nothing to lose.

As for the guided imaginary that's basically when you either sit or lay down and start imagining yourself in a peaceful place while focusing in all the small details such as smell, weather, water temperature, any breeze, and so on. It will eventually relax your mind and out you go to sleep like a baby. Boy am I excited for this one. :)

Any mothers or expectant mothers out there. Was there anything you tried to release some stress and stay calm? Did you try meditating? How did that work for you?

xoxo
Pamela

Half way there :)

How far along? 20 wks 4 days (in this pic I'm 20:4)
Total weight gain/loss: +3
Maternity clothes? Still in the in between stage. I could probably use a belly band tho to keep my pants looking normal ;)
Stretch marks? No new ones. I keep reading that it doesn't matter whether or not you use cocoa butter as long as you moisturize your body, especially belly, well. That helps your skin stretch easier and prevent dryness which bring out the stretch marks since they really appear under the skin.
Sleep: If I am tired I fall asleep instantly otherwise it takes me awhile to fall out. On my nights off I either go to bed around 3am or lay in bed early just watching TV or playing with my phone. Most time I'm out by 3-4ish am.
Best moment this week: having our gender reveal party and finding out we are expecting a baby boy :) this was such an emotional day! (post coming soon)
Have you told family and friends? Yes
Miss Anything? Again I'm really missing my moms cooking. I can't wait for her to come back from DR next month. I Guarantee that I will be at her house every single day and will not cook for the rest of September :)
Have you started to show yet? Yes! I'm feeling more pregnant with each passing week. Is amazing all the changes that have happened in 5 short months and all the changes that still need to happen.
Movement: Yes! Especially when I lay on my back. Not that I do it often but sometimes I just need to. And it's great because whenever I want to feel movement all I have to do is lay on my back or put my colds hands on my belly lol. I'm sure baby AJ doesn't like that very much.
Food cravings: Not so much real food aside from my moms cooking but def sweets. I crave sweets all the time whether is ice cream, cake, a lollipop, etc. not so much chocolate or gum tho. But I try and keep it healthy by eating cookies and milk or a semi sweet cereal.
Anything making you queasy or sick: Believe it or not my prenatal vitamins. Weird since I'm so far into this pregnant and it just started happening. With my son it made me sick really early on. O well like they say, each pregnancy is totally different.
Gender Predictions: so much for my girl predictions. We're having a boy!
Labor Signs: no
Symptoms: same ol' headaches, fatigue, and a little bit of insomnia.
Belly Button in or out? Almost fully out.
Wedding rings on or off? On
Happy or Moody most of the time: Happy of course!
Looking forward to: Viability mark! Just 3 more weeks s :

xoxo,

How far along? 19 weeks 5 days
Total weight gain/loss: +1 yaayyy we're on the positives now :)
Maternity clothes? Not really. I'm not at the point where I can go shopping for maternity clothes yet I can't quite button up my pants. I read this is the in between stage.
Stretch marks? No new ones.
Sleep: Much better if I try hard. Meaning if I go to bed right when I feel the Zzzzs coming in.
Best moment this week: making sure things are going ok at my appointment. Even though I look small for almost 20 weeks I'm measuring right on track at 19cm fundal height. And heart rate is still up in the higher side, in the 160s. This is def going to be the longest weekend ever! lol
Have you told family and friends? Yes
Miss Anything? Some wine. I just want to sip on anything wine or beer related while seating on my front porch watching my son play and be a kid :)
Have you started to show yet? Yes. I def see a baby belly there not just bloating or stuffed lol. Still I'm not yet that big where people can tell I'm pregnant depending what I'm wearing.
Movement: Yes!
Food cravings: I am craving a turkey sandwich. Toasted wheat bread with mayo, baked turkey, cheese, lettuce, and tomatoes. Yum! But that stupid deli meat is keeping me from enjoying it. I tried heating up the turkey before putting it on the sandwich, yeah not something I'll do again. It tasted weird. Not how I really want to it. So 20 more weeks to go until I enjoy this delicious craving :)
Anything making you queasy or sick: Still our dog and painted walls.
Gender Predictions: girl
Labor Signs: no
Symptoms: headaches, fatigue, a little bit of insomnia.
Belly Button in or out? Almost fully out.
Wedding rings on or off? On
Happy or Moody most of the time: Happy of course!
Looking forward to: Our big ultrasound on Friday.

How far along? 18 weeks 7 days
Total weight gain/loss: -1 looks like I'm gaining some :)
Maternity clothes? Not yet.
Stretch marks? No new ones.
Sleep: Uh a tiny bit better.
Best moment this week: lots of more movements happening.
Have you told family and friends? Yes
Miss Anything? Not this week.
Have you started to show yet? Yes
Movement: Yes!
Food cravings: Dominican Espaguetis
Anything making you queasy or sick: Still our dog and painted walls.
Gender Predictions: girl
Labor Signs: no
Symptoms: headaches, fatigue, insomnia, also some bloating this week.
Belly Button in or out? Still flat.
Wedding rings on or off? On
Happy or Moody most of the time: happy
Looking forward to: the half way mark next week.

xoxo
Pamela

This has been my favorite meal to eat during this pregnancy. I remember eating it as a child and loving it. In fact I remember making this as one of my very first meals at the age of 7. Yes 7 years old. I also remember being hungry and boiling the spaghetti, draining it, then adding margarine, mixing it around and voila dinner was served :).

For a few years now I haven't really had it at all. I guess I had enough of it. It was like "ugh espaguetis again?!" I don't know if it was the oil (because this can get kind of oily), the onions, or what but one day I decided I didn't like it anymore. Until baby #2 entered my body, then all I wanted was espaguetis. I called my mom to ask her to make it for me and it taste just like I remember. A week later I called her again to ask her to talk me through how she makes it and I've had it at least 3x a month for the last four months since then. It might not be the healthiest meal but right now it is my favorite ;)

We eat this with (are you ready for this? I think you should sit down lol. No seriously if you're reading this while walking I suggest you sit) Rice! White rice. White rice with beans. Rice mixed with beans or gandules. My hubby and everyone else I serve this to thinks Dominicans are crazy for having so much carbs in one plate. What can I say, that's how the adults made sure we stayed full longer hahaha. Just kidding, I don't know the reason behind it all I know is that that's the way it is. And I'm not complaining. Yet.

So here's the recipe all thanks to my awesome mother.

Ingredients:
~1lb Spaghetti
~1 garlic crushed
~1 tsp of salt
~1 tsp of olive oil

~Dominican Salami cut in squares or triangles (you can add as much or as little as you want of this)
~1 tbs of olive oil
~1/2 of a green pepper sliced or cubed
~1 small onion sliced finely
~2-3 garlic crushed with salt
~1/2 tsp salt for the garlic
~1 chicken bouillon (sopita maggie)
~1 can of tomato sauce (you may use spaghetti sauce as well but I like the regular tomato sauce better)
~ green olives (I don't measure this, I usually just add 5-6 whole olives)
~1/2 tsp vinegar

Instructions:
1. Put water to boil with salt, oil, and crushed garlic.
2. Cook the spaghetti until slightly soft, drain, and put aside

*while this is being done you can get started on the rest*

3. In a large sauce pan heat a tablespoon of oil over medium heat.
4. Cook the salami until it browns stirring often so that it doesn't stick to the pan.
5. Add the onions, peppers, mashed garlic, olives, vinegar, and chicken boulion and cook and stir for about a minute.
6. Add the tomato sauce and stir. Let it simmer for a few of minutes.
7. Add the spaghetti and mix well.
8. Simmer over low heat for a minute stirring often.
9. Serve by itself, with rice, fried plantains, salad, etc the options are endless.
10. Enjoy!

***1lb of spaghetti makes A Lot! I always have leftover for the next day. 1/2 lb would be perfect for a family of 3-4.

I hope you like this as much as I do.

xoxo
Pamela

For weeks now I've spent most of my free time searching the web for ideas as to what I want the nursery to be. I kind of had an idea in my head but wasn't really sure of what I really wanted. Then after seeing so many nurseries I got overwhelm. How was I suppose to decide on a theme? A color? A crib design? There are so many options! Of course that not knowing what we are having yet doesn't make it any easier either.

What I did know was that I was not going to spend lots of $$$ on a crib or furniture. No sir, not again. With our son our crib was a gift and it didn't even make it to the first year. At 10 months my sweet baby boy's chubby thigh got stuck and we had to break it in order to get him out. Ooh the memories lol. He also managed to mark his crib with teeth marks all over not just the top. So we learned and although we know this won't necessarily happen with baby #2 I just want to be cautious and do something different.

I want a calm, happy, modern look for our nursery. Something totally different from what my decorating style is. Well I don't really have any "specific style" but it will be something different to other rooms in our house. It'll probably take some getting used to, still I'm convince that it will look amazing! I can't wait to get it started and finish it.

Here are some inspirational pictures of what I sort of have in mind.

xoxo
Pamela

For the past 2 weeks I've felt like there's been some kind of movement happening. Although I've been a bit unsure because they haven't been that strong. One thing that I know for sure is that if not "feeling pregnant" yet was an issue, well that's no longer a problem. Before feeling the soft flutters part of my abdomen would get rock hard and would stick out more than the rest of my abdomen. Usually the right side right below my navel. It is the weirdest feeling ever! But I see it as a peace of mind. Just looking down seeing and feeling baby right against my abdominal wall is priceless. That happened back to back 2-3x a day and would usually happen early morning.

Last Friday I woke up and was laying in bed quietly with my hands over my belly. And then I finally felt it! My sweet baby moved. There was no mistaking it. I was so happy and kept still to see if it would happen again and what do you know. It did! I was over the moon. It happened a few more times and once again my belly was hard as rock. I couldn't bring myself out of bed, I wanted this feeling to last all day long :).

Since last Friday I've felt baby move almost daily with the exception of yesterday. Even big brother and auntie Yami (my youngest sister) have been able to feel the baby move a couple of times. This morning I noticed that the movements were a bit stronger... Awe! It actually freaked me out a little lol. I was not expecting it at all! I'm so happy that things are going well and I can't wait to see baby through video again in two short weeks :) I want to start calling this baby by his/her name.

Happy Saturday!

xoxo
Pamela

How far along? 16/17 weeks
Total weight gain/loss: -7
Maternity clothes? Not quite. Pants are def tighter on the belly area though.
Stretch marks? No.
Sleep: I've been dealing with insomnia lately :(
Best moment this week: Baby's first movements. I can't get enough of them :) best feeling in the world!
Have you told family and friends? Yes
Miss Anything? Sleep!
Have you started to show yet? Yes
Movement: Yes, Yes, Yes!
Food cravings: Typical Spanish meals (rice & beans)
Anything making you queasy or sick: Our dog and painted walls. I foresee this getting worse rather than better :(
Gender Predictions: girl
Labor Signs: no
Symptoms: headaches, fatigue, insomnia.
Belly Button in or out? Flat? Lol. I see it popping out in the next month or so.
Wedding rings on or off? On. Actually it fits a bit lose.
Happy or Moody most of the time: Happy
Looking forward to: the gender reveal party :)

xoxo
Pamela