4 months already

I can't believe that it's already been 4 months (and a week to be exact) since we were blessed with our baby, Nicolas. :-) He continues to be such a sweet little addition to our family. He has the most adorable one tooth smile I have ever seen but the poor little guy has been cranky and in pain from teething lately.  He's still a sweet little man and just needs a bit more TLC. :-)

We have started venturing out and about more lately as I get more comfortable managing both boys in public, and he takes everything in everywhere we go. He loves watching his big brother play, listening to mommy read stories, and taking cat naps. HA! I don't remember Alex sleeping this frequently at this age but I certainly remember Alex sleeping through the night just shy of 3 months and taking 2 2-hour naps so that's a big difference between the two. Nicolas still enjoys waking up once a night at about 4 or 5 am but he's such an easy going guy and falls right back to sleep that it's not a problem at all. We are enjoying all the "baby" moments as they pass way too quickly!

We are working on getting Nicolas baptized, and I am still at home full time with both boys. I definitely miss working outside the home because of the mental breaks but we don't miss having Alex sick all of the time. When I do return to work, we plan to hire a nanny so that we never have to deal with all of the bronchitis and reactive airway episodes that Alex had this year. He has thankfully been healthy since I've been at home with him so we continue to pray for good health for the little man.

On that note, Alex is certainly growing out of those terrible two's and entering what I call his "fierce" three's. He still manages to act up, which I think is a result of being bored at home and not being socialized enough, but he has certainly stepped up his good behavior and is doing a lot better with discipline. YAYAYAY! We are still being asked to keep him out of school until Dr. Dilley (the most awesome allergy/asthma specialist ever) can make his case for/against asthma and figures out what triggers Alex's episodes. Until then, I will continue to be driven crazy by  my loco moco. :-)


I am constantly in awe of the amount of junk (toys) we have managed to accumulate in Alex's 3 years of life. I am learning to appreciate the wonder that is craiglist and I am trying to rid our house of as much junk as possible. :-)

Birthday Time!!

I can't believe it's that time again: September!!! It's my favorite month of the year. Why, you ask? Not only is it the start of football season, cooler weather (well, not really in Texas, but you get my point), holiday decorations up in stores, but it brings with it my birthday as well as Alex's. :-) On Sept 9th, I celebrated my 30th birthday. It was pretty uneventful which made me happier than ever! My first birthday as a mother was spent in the ER with Alex and a stomach virus. My second birthday as a mother was spent at the doctor's office with Alex and RSV which ultimately led to a year full of respiratory issues and a diagnosis of reactive airway disease. I think it was God's way of reminding me of the selflessness that is parenthood. So, this year instead of celebrating me, I thanked God for and celebrated having 2 healthy children, a healthy husband and family, and my own health.

I can't believe that my baby is going to be 3 on September 19th. He amazes me every day!! This past year I worked full time to complete my clinical fellowship year. I enjoyed it very much but I absolutely hated leaving a crying 2 year old at preschool all day which made him constantly sick. As soon as the school year was finished in early June, it was back to being a stay at home parent and I almost lost my sanity. Alex pushed me to my limits and all I can remember thinking was that I couldn't wait for the allergist to clear him to go back to school. Now that I've been at home for a few months, I am happier than ever! I have many moments of insanity and sometimes wish I could have more breaks from my babies than I get, but at the end of the day, I LOVE LOVE LOVE my life and would be absolutely happy if I never got another break from my babies again (absolutely crazy and nuts, yes but happy!) :-)

Alex has accomplished so much this past year and he is turning in to such a good little rambunctious boy. Nicolas continues to be my sweet dream baby. He smiles and laughs at everything and I cherish his "old soul." I am convinced that he has my Grandma Toribia's spirit: quiet but fierce. He definitely has her chin and looking at him makes me smile because it is the piece of my mom and grandma of which I am constantly reminded.  I am looking forward to all the fun milestones. :-)

Weight challenges

I didn't realize how annoying it was going to be the 2nd time around waiting for my weight to just melt off like it did with Alex, esp since I only gained 27 lbs with Nico and 33 with Alex. (Now don't be mistaken, I had to work out to get back in shape but I was able to wear my pre-pregnancy pants by 6 weeks postpartum.) This time around, these last pesky 10 lbs just seem to have made themselves at home and don't want to leave. I still can't wear my pre-pregnancy pants, and nothing I seem to be doing is making the numbers on the scale go down. There are a few factors that I think are contributing:

1. The obvious: this is my 2nd child, and it might take a bit more work to shed the weight!
2. The c-section doesn't allow me to work out until the doctor has cleared me (8 wks in this case). 
3. I am nursing Nico and need to consume 500 calories so I can't exactly eat like a "skinny girl"
4. I am on a dairy restriction due to a sensitivity Nico has and thus I feel hungry quicker without my easy dairy filled and healthy snacks. *This is getting very annoying considering my already restricted diet due to food allergies
5. I have to drink 2 types of juice in limited quantities

I'm doing some things right.
1. I'm walking almost every day and trying to get some fun exercise in by playing with Alex like throwing the ball and chasing him outside when the heat allows.
2. I only have half of a soda a day and sweeten my coffee with agave nectar instead of sugar.
3. I am also eating lots of protein and drinking water with every meal
4. I've started simple and gentle exercises: pilates mostly

My endurance is very limited :( but I'm hopeful that it'll get better soon as long as I keep trying. I think I'll start posting side profile pictures of myself so that I can keep track of my progress by my appearance instead of the numbers on the scale. ADM!

First Smile :-)

I am trying to post as often as possible and I finally got a chance now that everybody is bed. The time is just flying by!!! It seems that once our day starts in the morning that we are off and I don't get much down time in between to do much but take care of my little men. The weekends are great but those fly by even quicker.

The days have been bringing a lot of adjustment for all of us, especially Alex. I am adjusting to being at home again, which was very difficult at first. It was very easy to be at home with just one kid but now that I have 2, one of which is almost 3 years old, it is really exhausting. I think the hardest part is the discipline that Alex requires. I'm still really tired (probably due to my anemia) so it is hard to keep up with my pumping schedule (every 2-3 hours,) keeping Alex entertained, Nico duty, keeping everyone fed and happy, and household chores. Alex's energy is so high that when he is not exercised well enough, he starts acting up and it doesn't make for a very happy environment (sleepy and cranky mama = not a lot of patience.)

Nico is an amazing baby so that really helps although lately he has been very fussy. We've been experimenting with different formulas (for supplementation at night) and I am hopeful that formula #4 might be the winner (Enfamil Gentlease.) He has reflux and has been crying in pain due to the reflux and gassiness. It's basically been a trial and error experiment with trying to get the right formula so as of day #2 on the new formula, we are a lot less fussy and the gas does not appear to be causing any pain. Praying that this is the one! This will certainly help reduce a lot of mama's crankiness.

Tonight, we believe that Nico might have had his first real smile. While I was holding him, Eddy was standing right next to me tickling Alex and while Alex let out a big giggle, Nico smiled twice and let out of a small giggle. It was really perfect and all 4 of us were involved so not one person can take credit for causing and observing Nico's first smile. :-)  Heehee.

Alex is really a great big brother. He's never been one to really like candy or sweets, but the man loves him some cupcakes. Yesterday, he asked for one so I made him a batch of strawberry cupcakes. Before he ate one, he asked that we sing happy birthday to him and later asked for some presents. I seriously have the coolest 2 year old out there.

Loving my 2 boys!

Whew!

So, Nicolás is officially one month old (as of yesterday), and once again it feels as if this postpartum time has just flown by. I'm certainly not 100% healed and it feels a bit slower this time around. That's probably because caring for Alex is just as exhausting as caring for Nicolás. We feel very blessed to have both of our sweet boys so I can't complain!

Nico has been a very nice addition to our family. Given his little problem with jaundice he was slow to gain weight at first but he's now 9 lbs 14 oz and is gaining at a very rapid pace according to his pediatrician so we are very excited about that.  We're still trying to get his feeding down because he seems to have a milk protein intolerance so I've been put on a dairy free diet to reduce gassiness.  When we supplement with formula, we have to use soy formula. So far it seems to be helping and time will tell if we have to make any other adjustments to help the little guy out.

I'm still adjusting to having two boys. Just this morning, my sanity was tested as I was trying to take a quick shower before Nico's one month check when Nico suddenly woke up hungry. Just then, Alex walked in holding his underwear telling me he had pooped and needed help getting cleaned up and putting his underwear back on. Somehow, I manage although I'm sure Nico is learning to be a much more patient baby than Alex had to be, and Alex is learning to be more patient and not to expect me to immediately respond to his every request. For those of you who don't know, Alex nailed down the pragmatic skill of requesting at a very early age. :-)

I'm still cautious about taking Nico and Alex out to the together because Alex is pretty difficult to manage by myself so we've still been holed up in our house all day til Daddy gets home. I'm hopeful that once I'm fully healed I'll be able to take both boys out and about so that Alex won't be completely bored out of his mind all day. 

In the meantime, Alex is talking up a storm and repeating everything he hears (a really dangerous thing if you're in a bad mood or say something naughty.) He has a habit of letting his imagination run wild and talks about seeing dragons and purple butterflies in the suburbs of San Antonio. I love that little guy and he can drive me crazy and have me cracking up all within the same minute. He's such a joy in my life. I never imagined being able to love two little boys so much!

I'm hopeful that soon we will once again know more than 2 1/2-3 hours of sleep at a time. We'll get there I'm sure. :-)

Complete

Nicolás has been home for a week and 2 days now, and we are having a great time adjusting to our newfound family dynamic. Grandma Mary left this morning so now the true test of Alex's adjustment begins. We've all had the luxury of having grandma to distract Alex when Nicolas requires attention from both Eddy and me (which isn't very often thank goodness). Alex fully understands that Mommy must take care of Nicolas but he is having some jealousy issues when Eddy is handling Nicolas. He is too funny! Overall, I'd say that he's adjusting very well and hopefully will continue to do so.

Nicolas came home from the hospital with jaundice but his bilirubin levels were never high enough to warrant phototherapy. Apparently, the jaundice has caused him to be very sleepy which has resulted in him not eating very vigorously. This has in turn has affected my milk supply. We had to rent a hospital grade pump so that I can pump as much as possible in addition to supplementing with formula because his weight gain has been very limited. We're hoping that he will be back to birth weight by his 2 week appt next Wednesday. I have hope because he is eating a lot more now that he is not having to feed for 30 minutes and only getting an ounce. I am very grateful for the lactation center for helping us...they are AMAZING!

Otherwise, this little guy is such a calm and sweet baby. He sleeps like a dream. Last night, he went 3 hours and then 4 1/2 hours between feeding sessions so I feel very rested. The Lord really knew what he was doing when he blessed us with Nicolas. We have a very spunky and vibrant 2 1/2 year old and now a calm, easy-going baby...I couldn't be happier.

Before having Nicolas, I kept telling Eddy that I wanted to try for at least one more, but at this point, I would be happy if we decided to just have 2. Having children is a huge task! It is emotionally fulfilling and exhausting at the same time. We'll see in a few years if we can handle another but as far as I'm concerned, I feel complete. A 3rd addition would just be sprinkles on the cupcake. :-) I love my boys!

We are home and managing :-)

So, Nicolas was born as scheduled on Tuesday, June 22nd at 8:54 a.m. and weighed in at 6 lbs, 14 oz. and 18 1/2 inches long. He is certainly smaller than Alex was (8 lbs, 4 oz and 20.5 inches long) but he is just as beautiful and precious.  The whole labor experience was not as eventful as with Alex but it was certainly still as nerve-racking.  Something about knowingly going into a situation where pain is imminent can be a very scary thing. I couldn't sleep the night before and was worried to death about Alex, who developed a sinus infection from all of the dust as a result of having our carpet ripped out the previous Friday. He and Eddy were up all night as he had a coughing every 30 minutes or so. We had already taken him to the doctor so his meds were in place. Eddy was a nervous wreck though for our entire stay at the hospital.

We got to the hospital at 6 a.m. The surgery was relatively quick (30 minutes or so) and the nurses and nurse anesthetist were amazing! Apparently, my ob/gyn has a reputation for being tough so they certainly didn't want to let her down. They were all awesome about making sure that none of the meds contained the additive I'm allergic to. They were literally on the phone with the pharmacy for the entire 2 hours before my surgery. I am very grateful for the meds they were able to get for me because my pain at the hospital was very manageable. The entire hospital stay was a good one.  

We were released from the hospital on Thursday the 24th so we've spent 3 nights with our new little man so far. He is a dream baby. He gives me at least 2 hours between feedings at night and has given us a 3 to 4 hour stretch of sleep at night as long as he is in the bed next to me. Only people with children can understand the true awesomeness of that especially given that he falls asleep as soon as he is finished eating so my sleep is really easy to get back into.

Eddy's mom is still staying with us and we had planned on her helping me out with the baby while Eddy tended to Alex. What it's actually turned out to be is that she is helping Eddy with Alex as I tend to Nicolas. It's pretty hilarious because Alex is still higher maintenance than an infant. We're very fortunate that my recovery has been a lot more manageable than with Alex so I've been able to do more with the baby. Alex is absolutely sweet about me being with Nicolas but he tends to get very jealous if Eddy has to give him any attention. I can certainly see a divided house in our future. :-)

In the meantime, check out the pic of Alex's reaction to his new baby brother.

Almost there

Here I am at 5:30 a.m. blogging because I haven't been able to sleep since about 4 a.m. I've been having contractions which I'm not certain are Braxton Hicks or not. With my previous labor, my water broke before I went into actual hard labor so I had to be induced. I know what real contractions feel like since I was in labor for 21 hours but I've been told that contractions from induced labor are more painful than naturally occurring labor. For the past 2 weeks, I haven't had a good night's rest due to concerns that my water could break at any moment in the middle of the night...hard to imagine but subconsciously, I'm even a bigger OCD freak than when fully awake and conscious. :-)

I am in full nesting instinct mode which is also a big part of why I'm worried about being in labor and not knowing it. We had new flooring installed on Friday and I've been on a mission to wash everything and re-wash all of Alex and Nicolas' clothes and sheets (in addition to my usual 7 load regular weekend laundry.)  I still have about 6 or 7 loads left so I'm hoping Nicolas will hold out...I have hope!!!! :-)

Grandma Mary arrived safe and soundly on her birthday so if Nicolas did decide to come early, Alex would be in good hands and I wouldn't be freaking out. My poor baby, though, is having another coughing episode due to the floors being taken up and all of the allergens that must be lingering in the air. I have an appointment with the same allergist to follow up on my food allergies on Monday (nothing like waiting til the last minute, I know) so I'm hoping to get some answers and help for my little man before his baby brother makes his grand entrance. In the meantime, we are waking up at 2 a.m. like clockwork with coughing episodes in spite of all the regular treatments he is on.

With that, I will segway into wishing my husband a very Happy Father's Day. He epitomizes what being a loving and amazing father is all about. He is the one who tends to Alex at all hours of the night when he wakes up and is sick or is having his coughing episodes. He makes breakfast for Alex on a regular basis, even when he has to go to work. He is always around and willing to play with the little guy, even when he's tired. And one of his favorite things I'm sure, he's always willing to play xbox 360 at Alex's request. :-) You truly are an inspiration, my love, and I only hope that Alex (and Nicolas) will be as good of a daddy to their children as you are to them. I'm excited to see how you will impact the life of Nicolas. I'm sure it will be as great as the impact you've had on Alex.  I love you all with my entire heart! You are my world.

To my dad, Happy Father's Day. You have always been my rock and the one I go to for everything. You have been my father and my mother figure, and I am forever grateful for having a great man in my life. You are an amazing grandpa to Alex, and he and I love you more than anything.

To all other dads and daddies to be, Happy Father's Day and may you be continue to be blessed and celebrated for everything that you do.

Happy Birthday Tio Roly!

We had a sweet quiet dinner with Tio Roly, Tia Marissa, Grandpa, Daddy, and Mama tonight to celebrate Tio's 32nd birthday. Alex wanted to sing Happy Birthday to Tio all day and finally got to start singing it before he got too shy. :-)

Today I am 38 weeks, 2 days preggo, and I am still riding an emotional roller coaster. I have managed to keep my cranky pants in check, but I have been very nervous every time we leave the house that I might go into labor. I've been bad about carrying my hospital papers and bag with me so I guess I really need to start doing that. As a natural worrier, I have increasingly been worrying about Alex's transition to big brotherhood. He is not very attached to me in general, but he has started to become more attached since I've been at home with him.

Tonight, I had a breakdown because as we started taking out the baby items in preparation for Nicolás (pack n play, swing, bouncer, etc.,) Alex started trying to play with them (they use to be his so I don't blame the guy.) I started to explain to him that we are getting ready for his baby brother to come home (as I've been doing for the past months,) and he began to cry uncontrollably. He started to calm down when I had him sit next to me on the couch but he wasn't okay until Eddy sat on his other side and reassured him too.  Ugh, that has been my biggest worry this entire pregnancy: that Alex will have a hard time transitioning. At the end of the day, I know worrying won't accomplish anything but it still breaks my heart. I'm worried that my c-section recovery will keep me from giving Alex the attention and affection he needs from me. He is after all a man and needs constant reassurance despite not being an affectionate kid. He's also rough and is hitting a lot lately so I know we will need a lot of discipline and structure, which I know won't be easy with a newborn in the house and no sleep on behalf of mommy and daddy.

I just have to pray that all will go smoothly. At the end of the day, I am very excited to be meeting Nicolás soon, and we will all adjust in due time. In the meantime, I will enjoy every minute of my time with Alex.

Bad Sleep

Today I am 37 weeks, 5 days preggo and I continue to be grateful for the awesome family and friends I've been blessed with. I seem to be less cranky when Eddy is home, and that's probably because he's a superstar daddy and husband. Today, he made breakfast, cleaned the dishes and kitchen, took Alex outside to play, and he took Alex out with him to get the car inspected. Whew! It provided some major relief!

I have one more week and 2 days to enjoy Alex alone before we welcome our 2nd little man. :-) I am very excited and nervous. I'm hoping that it'll be a smoother ride and that he waits until the scheduled c-section to make his arrival. I have fears of my water breaking in public (AGAIN) and being away from home. My plan is to stay at home (or near home) as much as possible while Eddy is at work.  Otherwise, my hospital bag and copies of my ob-history will be traveling with me.

Sleep continues to evade me. I wake up at night every hour to pee and I'm finding my short term memory to be horrible (probably due to my lack of sleep.) I still have a lot of appointments and things to do before little man comes. Nicolás likes to throw a party it seems every night right as I'm going to bed. Let's hope that this is not an indication of his future sleeping habits. :-)

37 weeks, 1 day

Happy Wednesday everyone! I have officially finished my Clinical Fellowship Year and my first year as a speech/language pathologist with Northside ISD. :-) I couldn't feel more relieved that my journey that began 5 years ago this August is finally complete (once my CCCs and license come in the mail of course.)

Now, I am just awaiting the arrival of little Nicolás while trying to manage the ups and downs of dealing with Alex and his terrible 2's.  He is absolutely sweet and loving but he has certainly learned some not so fun behaviors (hitting, screaming, kicking,) and it is extremely hard trying to manage those behaviors being so pregnant and emotional.  Not to mention that the weather hasn't been conducive to allowing the amount of outside time he requires to expend his energy. Needless to say, we have had a lot of time outs and a few emotional breakdowns on both of our parts. We bought Alex a new playscape (a gift from his baby brother Nicolás) so we are hoping that the novelty will make the transition to big brother a smooth one. It should be installed next week.

My nesting instinct is in full force. With that, though, comes by typical OCD anxiety and nervousness that Nicolás will come early before we have time to do everything we have planned. Before Nicolás arrives, I am planning for the following:
1) install laminate floors in the remainder of the house-followed by re-washing all sheets and clothes (it's amazing how much dirt/dust 4 years will leave under your carpet and how it manages to settle on EVERYTHING in the house)
2)doctor appt for Alex with allergy and asthma specialist
3) buy remaining necessary baby items
4) allergist appt for mama
5) HR appt for mama's FMLA

I have accomplished a lot of random to-do items that I probably would not normally accomplish (i.e. organizing all of Alex's pictures into albums.) In the meantime, I will continue to try to accomplish as much as possible and will hopefully manage to keep my cranky pants in check. These hormones are raging and I'm hoping not to bite off too many heads before the little man comes. (WARNING: from now until 8 weeks following my surgery, I will not take responsibility for offending or insulting anyone.  If I look cranky, it's probably because I am. I have not slept well for the last 12 weeks, I pee every 10-15 minutes and no I'm not exaggerating, my back hurts, my toes hurt, my face, feet, and hands are all fat, and I get nauseated at the thought of pretty much everything. Consider yourself warned!) :-)

xoxo

Happy Memorial Day!

Today I am 35 weeks, 5 days pregnant with Nicolás Andrés. :-) I realized that I haven't typed as much as I did with Alex but I figured that I still (God-willing) have plenty of time to make up for it with only 4 work days left in this school year. I have officially completed my CFY and I couldn't be happier. Once I mail in my money and applications, I should be a fully certified speech/language pathologist, a journey I began in August 2005....WOW, what a relief! :-)

This pregnancy has hands down been much easier than with Alex. That could be because of the fact that I am not in graduate school nor am I commuting 3 hours a day. Of course, this school year hasn't been easy pickens as an itinerant SLP at 4 campuses but I certainly haven't felt the pressure I did in grad school. With this little guy, I have had a little bit of nausea, but I haven't had the carpal tunnel syndrome, severe back and hip pain, anaphylaxis. Of course, I also have a very active 2 1/2 year old little boy to take my mind off of things. :-)

As of this week, Alex is really starting to talk about his baby brother by name and is jumping into his crib. He's such a sweet boy! I'm praying for a smoother recovery from the c-section with Nicolás than I had with Alex so just trying to stay positive. In the meantime, we're hoping to get the cause of Alex's respiratory issues figured out so that the little man can actually have a day without a cough. Keep him in your thoughts and prayers please.

We're very excited about meeting our 2nd little man so keep your eyes open. Hopefully it won't be for another 3 weeks, 2 days. :-)

Large & In Charge

These days as I creep on my 32nd week of pregnancy, I can't help but to stare at the large growth that is my belly. I know I'm only going to get bigger but somehow I keep hoping that I won't get that much larger (haha, dream on Ronnie.) I guess what "they" say is true that my body already knows how to have a baby so we're certainly reaching all of those tiresome milestones really early (discomfort while sleeping and all the aches and pains.) I am looking forward to meeting our little man but I'm certainly really worried about a lot of stuff.

First and foremost, I'm really worried about how Alex will handle his transition from only child to big brother. I'm worried about leaving him for the 2 nights I'll need to sleep at the hospital, and I can only hope that Eddy's mom and my dad will make him feel extra special for those days that I need to be at the hospital.

In close second, I'm of course worried about having major surgery but what really concerns me is the recovery and how managing a very active 2 1/2 year old and a newborn will pan out. After having Alex, I was in tremendous pain. That could be because of the uterine infection, the 21 hours of labor followed by c-section, or it could have just been what everybody else who has a c-section feels.  Or all of the above. I dunno...only time will tell obviously but I'm praying and hoping that the Lord will get me (and my family of course) through the difficult part gracefully. :-)

Third, I'm worried about going into early labor. At this point, the little man has a very good chance but I continue to remain thankful for the amazing job my body is doing at keeping him healthy and safe. I count my blessings every day. 

In the meantime, I'm enjoying the last 7 weeks of having Alex as my only child. My hormones are raging and I keep getting emotional, annoyed, and upset very easily. I urge anyone that has any bad news to bear to tread lightly and only relay negative messages if they are absolutely necessary. :-) I also urge any of my Republican friends to keep the conservative rhetoric to a minimum...this liberal Democrat will fight the decency I usually display and rip you a new one the second any hatred, ignorance, or racism spews from your mouth.  Thank you from this very cranky and fat pregnant woman. xoxo

30 weeks and counting

Yesterday, I officially reached the 30 week mark, and my c-section appointment has been set: Tuesday, June 22nd at 8:15 a.m.  9 more weeks until we meet our little man. It's kinda strange to know exactly when your baby is going to be born. I could always go into labor early but I'm hopeful that I won't. Doc said that anything earlier than 39 weeks poses a much higher risk of a NICU visit.

Meanwhile, I'm just trying to deal with the many discomforts of my growing belly (i.e. peeing every 10-15 minutes, backache, foot pain, swelling, round ligament pain, etc...) I never realized how hard going to 4 schools would be, but I certainly gained a new respect for my body. I know it wouldn't be possible without my new favorite pair of shoes. http://www.nbwebexpress.com/newbalanceWR993GL.htm These even tolerate the swelling in my feet. I might become a New Balance spokesperson. :-)

Alex is sick right now, and I think he's really starting to understand that he'll be having a baby brother...I'm not sure that he's very happy about that though because he'd rather be with his daddy any day before he even gets close to me.  It's kind of depressing but I'm trying not to take it personally. Hopefully he'll realize once his brother is born that we're all one big happy family. At least when he's older I'll be able to explain to him that all of the baby gear we used for him was brand new while his baby brother's were all hand-me-downs. :-) 

I'm hoping to get a 3d sonogram soon but we'll see when I find the time. Stay tuned for pics.

xoxo

Sick Mommy/Sick Alex :-(

The past few weeks have been just a rollercoaster of viruses in the Contreras household.  I caught my first cold this pregnancy and ended up with a pretty bad one and pink eye to make things just even more fun. It took about a week to make a full recovery but I did so without taking the good meds so it was like torture.

As for my sweet boy, Alex, it seems that the poor boy can't catch a break. He caught a small cold the Sunday after Roly's wedding that went away pretty quickly. It led to a small cough but we didn't think much of it because it went away after a few days.  Then he caught the same cold I did last week.  Grandma Mary came up to stay with him so he got almost a full week away from school.  He was doing so much better when he started with a small cough this past Saturday.  We didn't think much of it again until he couldn't sleep on Monday night.  So, we took him to see his pediatrician and told us that he got pneumonia.  I was in denial until we got home and Alex had another high fever. He's doing much better now on antibiotics, steroid, and breathing treatments, thank the Lord!

As for the pregnancy, we have a first name picked out but we can't agree on a middle name just yet for baby boy Contreras #2 so I'll be sure to post once we have his entire name picked out. I'm 24 weeks, 1 day and my doctor put me on biweekly visits, UGH!  I'm such a whiner but being at the doctor is not my idea of fun.  I spent my last pregnancy living at doctors' offices with my anemia (hematologist), anaphylaxis (allergist, gastroenterologist, and pcp,) and my regular and emergency ob visits for all of my "episodes." I guess I thought I could get away with monthly ob visits at least until 7 months but looks like Dr. Mayo has other plans. That's cool, I'll quit complaining.

So far so good, otherwise.  I've gained more weight than I had gained with Alex at this point but I also lost 11 pounds with Alex in my first trimester.  I'm also not anemic (at least not yet) so that's exciting! I'm starting to freak out a little bit but I'll be sure to keep my diet in check as much as possible, especially because I'll have my sugar test next week. JOY! Fun times.

Don't eat that!

With Alex and with this pregnancy, I have pretty much stuck to my guns with following all of the dietary restrictions that go along with being pregnant.  For me, they are as follows:

-limited caffeine intake (maybe 3 servings/week)
-no meds with the exception of Tylenol
-no cold sandwich meat
-limited tuna (3 oz of chunk white/week and 6 oz of chunk light/week)
-no teas or other herbal supplements
-no artificial sweeteners (i.e. Diet drinks, splenda, sweet n low)
-no red meat less than well done
-no bean sprouts
-no fresh cheeses
-no alcohol (that goes without saying)

When in doubt, I always err on the side of caution. I figured that 9 months of precautions is absolutely a small price to pay for having a healthy baby. Well, now that I have a bad cold with severe congestion, I decided that it would be okay to take benadryl (my doctor ok-ed it) and have been taking Tylenol twice a day to help reduce the inflammation. I even drank some hot decaf tea to help with the congestion...**big gasp** I feel like such a bad pregnant girl! I'm living on the edge! Someone please slap me.

My Bladder is a Trampoline

I don't understand why my body is just different than most women's bodies but it is. With my first pregnancy, I didn't have the urge to constantly empty my bladder in my first trimester like most women do. My time came in the second trimester. With this pregnancy, both trimesters have presented with frequent potty breaks. It was confirmed that I have a baby who LOVES bouncing on my bladder with the sonogram. So, in light of my little acrobat, I found a funny cartoon and decided to share. ENJOY! :-)

It's a boy...again! :-)

Yes, you read right, it's a boy. For those who haven't heard through FB or via the family chisme (my dad), we have been blessed with some more testosterone in this house. All looks well and healthy with the little man so we just thank the Lord for blessing us and keep praying for continued good health with this pregnancy (and of course afterward too.)

The Chinese gender predictor calendar was certain that it was a girl but we all know it was wrong. Like Eddy and Roly said, it's got a 50/50 chance of being correct. It was right for Alex though. Eddy had a feeling the entire time that we were having a boy. He seems to think that we're destined to have all boys in this house so we'll see if he's right if we choose to try for a 3rd. As far as we're concerned, we'll see how it goes with 2 and then consider #3 if all goes well. :-)

Eddy was hilarious during the ultrasound and I think it was God's way of preparing me for having more men in my house. The ultrasound tech turned on the machine and she didn't even press on my belly for more than 5 seconds when Eddy shouted (and mind you my doctor's office has very thin walls,) "It's a boy! I see his penis!!" That was followed by immediately texting all of his friends and our family and only to be continued with ignoring the remainder of the ultrasound and appointment. Oh yeah, and he forgot about his wife too...sheez, the nerve of some men!

I made sure not to let the hormones get the best of me and eventually we congratulated each other. :-) And now on to the name game!

19 weeks 3 days

Almost half of my pregnancy is over...YAY! And technically, my doctor will perform a c-section at week 39, so it's already half over. :-) In 4 days, we'll know whether we're expecting a little girl or a little boy. We'd be happy with either so I'm just looking forward to knowing if we need to go shopping for new pink stuff and get rid of all of Alex's old stuff or bust out all the blue stuff again. The belly is growing more quickly than I thought it would so fortunately I went shopping for maternity clothes and am enjoying the comfort of all the room in the pants and shirts.

Otherwise, so far so good with the pregnancy. I'm just getting kinda tired of taking all of my vitamins all of the time. Look out for another post on Tuesday the 9th to find out the gender and help me with some names. :-)

Roly & Marissa are getting married in 2 weeks, and we're really looking forward to it. Crossing my fingers that I don't outgrow my altered bridesmaid dress. HA!