Our Home - First Level

This post is way over due. So here it is. Our home sweet home.

As you may recall we were blessed with this house out of the blue. It was certainly not what we had in mind at all but definitely a starter home. Which soon we came to realize that the best way to someday buy our dream home is to start off at a starter home and give priorities on those things we really need/want vs those that are not much needed but we want it anyways because it has to be in our dream house. You get me?

We've have put a good amount of money into this house and although you can't really see it, because those such things are things like a new water heater, recarpeting and flooring, changing from oil to electric, lots of painting, new shower, insulation, and changing the electric box. Still there are many more projects to complete such as replacement of all windows, painting the exterior part of the house, changing our backyard fence and fixing up the yard, along with either redoing the kitchen and/or finishing if not all at least part of the basement. More on that on another post. Hopefully all these things will get done within the next year so that we can truly enjoy our home before we move to that "dream house". With the exception of the kitchen and basement of course.

Ok so enough rambling lets give you a tour shall we. Like the tittle states it this will only be the first level. There are three levels to this house so they will be broken up for simplicity. The first floor consists of a front porch, living room, dinning room, kitchen, small back area, backyard, and rear parking. I've had most of these pictures since late September just didn't get the chance to upload them until now.

Front of the house

Part of the front porch

Entry way. I'm looking for a nice console table for this spot and can't find nothing I like :(

View into the living room from the entry way

Wall opposite from the TV

View from dinning room

Dinning room view from kitchen

Here I'm standing in front, or you could say behind, of the sofa

Close up of kitchen cabinets, etc. Some major updates will be happening here next year.

Another view of the kitchen. I don't know what to do in this area. I don't want to add another table since It's so close to the dinning room. So it'll be spacious for a while longer.

That kitchen door leads to a small room where we keep the dog when we're not home and after that another door that leads to the backyard.


Back yard lol. It doesn't look like this anymore I promise. Grass was cut and small fence taken apart. I just don't have a current picture of it. We plan to do big changes here for next summer :) I'm excited!

Behind the fence there is enough space to park a car. You could probably fit two but it'll get too tight.

xoxo
Pamela

34 Weeks

Photo Thoughts: I'm loving how well rounded and perfect my belly is looking. I don't know I may be biased but I'm feeling really darn sexy hahaha.

Weight Gain/Loss: +21 no change this week. I had a stomach virus and I actually lost a few ounces.

Cravings: I'm back to craving sweets. Omg how much I love sweets. Candy, dessert, whatever. Name it and I want it. Those airheads, OMG how good are they! Rice crispies, don't even get me started.

What I love: I love how in love I am with the idea of getting to hold my sweet baby soon. I just love him so much and feel so close to him. Like he's been the only person that has really been there for me/with me these last 8+ months. We had a bumpy road but together we've made it this far and I am very proud of us.

What I'm looking forward to: holding my baby boy and staring at him for endless amount of hours. I know this one is def going to be a mommas boy. Or so I hope :) something else I'm looking forward to is finishing the nursery, washing and folding tiny baby clothes, getting my starter stash of cloth diapers!!! Eekkkk I'm so excited for that! I should have them early next week for sure :)

Worries: I'm not really worried this week. I've been seeing my OB twice a week lately with a weekly ultrasound and stress test and everything looks perfect. My fluid is normal now. It was actually at 20 this week but that's not consider low since your fluid amount is suppose to decrease as you get closer to D date. Baby is officially head down and shouldn't be switching positions at all, but you never know!, and I'm feeling pretty great. Exhausted and out of breath but ok nonetheless.

Symptoms: fatigue, tiredness, really bad back pain and worse of all swollen! *gasp* I'm officially retaining water :( my rings are so tight on me I can barely take them off. I don't want to admit it because I still have a little over a month to go but sadly I'll be taking them off within the next week or so. We wouldn't want them to be cut off at all now right.

Sleep: Surprisingly pretty darn good. I can sleep through the night, take naps and actually stay asleep. And when I wake up I feel we'll rested. That's def a BIG plus! I owe it all to my decrease in work hours. I really think cutting down has made a difference.

Movement: nothing new here. AJ has been moving non-stop lately and I can finally tell what part of his body kicks me (most times at least).

The Belly: Perfect! I love it. 34 weeks is officially my favorite week :)

Milestones: baby is about 17.7 in long and weighs as much as a average size cantaloupe (4.7 lbs). This week baby should be positioning himself further into my pelvis. I really haven't noticed anything weird belly wise nor do I feel different so I don't think baby has drop just yet. The liver is not quite ready yet but it has been accumulating waste. The lungs and central nervous system continue to mature and baby skin has probably lost all the lanugo hairs and is now filling up with fat making it super smooth and round. This should help baby regulate his temperature after birth.

Best moment of the week: getting our maternity pictures! These guys did such an amazing job, I felt like a supermodel. Now to get started on those Christmas cards :)

xoxo
Pamela

Happy Thanksgiving!

Today I am thankful for being able to host my very first Thanksgiving in our new home and to be able to see both of my family together in the same house. That brought a lot of joy to me.

There are many things that are not the way I want them to be but one thing I can say is that I am thankful for being alive and healthy, surrounded by amazing friends and family. I am thankful for my ability as a woman to carry and birth another human. There's so much I am thankful for and so many things we often take for granted. Like being able to walk or even blink. Yes weird I know but working at the hospital I've come to see many things a little child can't do, something as simple as blinking yet she has a beating heart and working brain. Why do things like this happen to innocent people? I say it's because in one way or another we as human sinners need to be reminded of the miracle of life and the things we need to appreciate and thank god for.

So, among many of the amazing things happening in my life I am simply thankful for being alive and having a functional body.

I hope you all enjoyed a wonderful day with loved ones.

xoxo

33 Weeks

Photo Thoughts: I sayI look bigger this week due to the Thanksgiving dinner I had today jejeje

Weight Gain/Loss: +21 not too bad I suppose. With 7 weeks to go and 25-30lb weight mark I think I'm doing pretty darn good. Especially after the rough beginning.

Cravings: Pork. After the baby shower my taste buds were left wanting more. I want pork. I need pork! There's no choice I'm going to have to make a pork shoulder for thanksgiving.

What I love: how things are coming along perfectly with the nursery. I'm behind of course, I think most mommas are done with the nursery at this point, but due to some set back in moving our PC table to the third floor I'm not able to put everything where it belongs in there. Everything is however built it just needs to be out on its permanent spot.

What I'm looking forward to: Attending our breastfeeding class next Tuesday. Since I plan to breastfeed exclusively for at least the first year I can't wait to go to this class and see what I can learn to help me achieve my goal.

Worries: I'm actually not that worry this week. For this weeks' ultrasound they found my fluid still elevated but lower than last week. It was at 28 (needs to be at 25 was at 30 last week). Actually, I was a bit worried this past weekend. I thought I had a decrease in fetal movement for a little over 24 hours, as to previous posts we all know this baby moves a lot, so I was getting worried. I spoke with the hubby as to if I should call the doctor and he told me that I was worrying for nothing. To give it a little more time. I tried eating and laying on my left side, drinking really cold water, eating sweets, etc and nothing. My belly also felt very tender and like I couldn't feel the baby anywhere. Then in a couple of hours he returned to his normal spot and normal self. This made me feel a lot better. Maybe I didn't feel him because he was way back in my belly. Still not a fun feeling at all. :(

Symptoms: tired. I'm so tired. All the time. I can hardly stay up at work or focus on my school work. But I need to remind myself that it is almost over. About 4 weeks to go for the semester to end so I need to get through it.

Sleep: Still ok. I wish I could sleep for longer periods but at least I'm getting some sleep and have been trying to nap in between. That had help a bit.

Movement: baby boy is back to normal with his movements. That makes me happy again :)

The Belly: is very hard, round, cute, and a decent size too. Can't really complain much.

Milestones: baby is still weighing in at a little over 4lbs and is filling up with baby fat. His bones are hardening but will not be fusing together like they should until early adulthood. This will make for an easier delivery and will allow the bones to grow normally in the years to come. It was made known to me that baby's movements will slow down a bit in the coming weeks and that is totally normal as long as I still feel movement. I can tell this is going to be hard to accept for me.

Best moment of the week: finding out baby is head down. A couple of weeks ago he was in a transverse position and I was worried but he made it to the right position. I hope he stays that way for god sakes, and my own.


xoxo
Pamela

32 Weeks

A bit late but what else is new.

Photo Thoughts: first off the the heck is a jicama? Since I had no idea nor where to buy it (I would of probably had some luck going to the market) I had to settle using a picture from google. Boo!

Weight Gain/Loss: +19 that's 4lbs in almost 2 weeks. Umm not cool Pammy. Easy it down will you.

Cravings: this weeks craving have been more subtle. Just ice and water. I could eat ice all day long if it would make me take a kazillion trip to the ladies room. *sighs*

What I love: getting closer and closer to meeting my sweet boy.

What I'm looking forward to: hosting my first Thanksgiving. Will you look at that! A non baby event to look forward to ;) lol

Worries: the closer we get the D day the more worries that come our way. On this appt I was diagnosed with too much amniotic fluid, technical term polyhydramnos. The normal amount of fluids I should have right now is 25 and I'm measuring at 30. The doctor says is not too bad but they need to be cautious and keep an eye on it which now requires weekly ultrasounds. Awesome! (Being sarcastic of course) like if I don't have better things to do than visit my docs office 2x a week. This info also brought more stressed to my life. Just thinking of all the possibilities if why this could be happening and the not knowing why this is happening had me over the ledge this week. :(

Symptoms: low energy level. This anemia thing is really getting to me. I'm so tired. All.The.Time! I just wish I could sleep and sleep some more. I also move so much slower nowadays and I get cranky easier/faster too.

Sleep: ok for now. I could def be using more of it but what can you do. I'm just taking it a day at a time and looking forward 8 days off in the next week which will be mostly spent by myself since DS will be going to work with DH a lot. I could really use time off right now.

Movement: still plenty. Nothing to be concerned about in that department :)
The Belly: judge for your self, what do you think? I could def see those extra pounds in there. Can you?

Milestones: AJ is measuring right on track weighing 4lbs 2oz and over 17in long. The lungs have recently matured and the immune system keeps getting stronger. If he was to be born now he would have a 90% chance at survival. How awesome! Although I would prefer he stayed in there a bit longer. You know. To bring that 90 to 100 :) he's starting to shed the layer of lanugo hair and his real hair and skin will become softer in the coming weeks. By delivery he should be double his weight now, Holy Cow! So should I be expecting an 8+lb baby? Yikes!

Best moment of the week: the baby shower! It was Saturday the 10th and it was so much fun. We danced, are, played games, and spent some time with lovely people. It was everything I had hoped it would be and we ended up making out pretty good in the gifts department.

xoxo
Pamela

31 Weeks

These weekly posts have been getting somewhat boring for me. I don't know if its the repetitive questions, that I honestly have nothing exciting to say, the busy-ness of every day life, etc.

So I thought I'd change it up a bit for the weeks to follow and the last trimester. I'm going to start posting these updates either Fridays or Saturdays, the actual day I enter the week and change up the questions from time to time. Also I'm going to start doing fruit and belly comparison. I saw this on another blog and wished I had started it from the beginning. I think it's such a neat idea!

Photo thoughts: I love how it actually looks like there could be a baby that size inside of me. Probably all curled up of course but still beautiful.

Weight loss/gain: +15

Cravings: Omg Sweets! I am craving sweets like you have no idea. Just today I went to Walmart to order cupcakes for the baby shower next weekend and I swear I was about to drop on the floor and eat all those yummy frosting on every cake and cupcake they had for sale. I have never had a craving like I did today. I of course left without no cupcake but as I drove home and stood home all I wanted was to drive back and buy some. I tried to be good and not give in to my cravings especially if they're sweets so I settled for an airhead candy. And boy did it taste good, whoa! And lemonade. Oh my darling lemonade how much I want you.

What I love: I love that I am getting closer and closer to D-day. January 4th seems so far away and so does 9 weeks but when you think about it there's so much happening and so much I'm looking forward to like the baby shower, thanksgiving, breastfeeding class, childbirth class, end of school semester, Christmas, New Years, and BOOM! D-day. See what I mean. Before I know it baby boy will be here and ill be snuggling in my warm bed with my three favorite boys. Or at least two since we only have a Queen and DH will have to settle for the floor or couch jejeje...

What I'm looking forward to the most: going part time. My official date is Nov. 9th and then I'll only work 2 days a week and/or any extras I may want. I think I'm going to take it easy the rest of the month and work on the nursery, organizing, spending time with my son, ect. I just want to slow down and start prepping for this baby. I feel so behind with only 9 weeks to go.

Worries: in my last visit my doctor told me that I was measuring small. About 2-3 weeks smaller actually. With that he wanted to take precaution and instead of seeing me once every other week he wants me to come in twice a week one for a growth/stress ultrasound and the other for my weekly checks. It has me somewhat worried but I know that this is only precaution that they are taking and at my last growth ultrasound everything looked normal. With my first son at about 36 weeks they told me I was measuring small and again I had to go in twice a week every week and at birth big boy weight was 7lbs 6oz and 21 in. There was nothing small about him now was there. I think that my belly is all baby but they expect it to be bigger because they think that babies need some sort of space in there. I guess in my situation my belly stretches as far as he needs to to accommodate baby not an inch more not an inch less. Or so I'm hoping. However if you was to feel my belly now you would notice that you feel the baby in every part of it. That would also explain all the movements that I feel right? I'm just keeping a positive outlook. I could be wrong but after going through this with my first born is hard not to have a little faith thinking that there's nothing to worry about.

Symptoms: again with the back pain. And not just lower back but my entire back including my neck. It is so uncomfortable. Sometimes I just want to curl up and cry. And does a weak bladder count? Because I seriously could live in a restroom for the rest of this pregnancy.

Sleep: this week it's been so so. I don't have a problem falling asleep, is more staying asleep. I wake up every 2-3 hours and only sometimes I can fall back to sleep. Most of the time I can't and all day I go by on a short amount of sleep which is not good because I then get cranky and feel exhausted.

Movement: baby boy is an athletic one. He moves so much. I'm sure you're getting tired of me saying that but seriously this is like the best part of being pregnant. Witnessing the little miracle growing inside of you through his movements. The way my belly wiggles, like jello. The sudden and hard kicks and punches that take me by surprise. The weird feeling of a position change. When hubby touches my belly he says "that must feel so weird inside you" and I say this is how a miracle feels to me. This is how my baby and I bond. Sometimes I wish he could really experience these movements. They are truly priceless.

The belly: the past week it's like the baby had a growth spurt. Omg is this thing big. To me at least. I walk down the hallways at work staring at myself on the big class windows and I look like a big balloon ready to pop. Even my co workers have noticed and tell me that now I really look pregnant lol.

Milestones: this week baby weighs 3lbs and is about 17in long. The skin is looking less transparent and more pinkish due to the fat that's filling it. Immune system has developed a lot the past weeks to get baby ready for the outside world. And most exciting milestone is that baby will be gaining about 1/2 lb per week for the next 7 weeks :) I love chunky babies although I hope a get a good size baby for an easier delivery ;)

Best moment of the week: has been preparing for the baby shower. I can't wait to dance my ass off! Yes I will be dancing pregnant and all. Is my nature, heck is in my blood.

xoxo
Pamela

Some changes are coming!

To the blog that is. With the family growing and all I thought it would be nice to change the picture on the header and change the look in total. For the next few months you'll be noticing different views or layouts until I find something I really like. Nothing will be finalized until baby AJ comes but I'm sure it'll take just that amount of time to come up with something I like and that will be permanent, for the time being that is.

I'm really excited to be able to be home more and spend the time with my boys and making our home feel more like our love nest. Lots of cooking and baking will be happening. As well as some more decorating. And get this. I'll finally have the time to blog it all :D don't get me wrong deep down I feel a bit worried about decreasing my work hours but somehow when I think of the benefits that'll come out of it I think it'll be totally worth it. I just have to remember to put god in the center of my mind and home because with him all things are possible!

xoxo
Pamela