Monday, December 22, 2008

Week 28

Well, at the Doctor's appointment, I was 27 weeks and 2 days - but oversized Baby Anonymous is weighing in at 29 weeks - the 84th percentile. Joanne must have jinxed me.......she just may be a 10 pounder! Eeks! Where do they come out again? !?!?!?! Everything is looking GREAT and we have some awesome pictures that we haven't been able to scan in yet, but for those of you we'll see over the holiday, we brought them with us. Baby Anonymous looks like she has David's nose, so we'll see if she still looks like that when she's born. It's amazing how much you can see in these ultrasound pictures!
My placenta has moved upward, so there is no longer a concern of a 'low lying' placenta. This is good news, as I read somewhere that if you continue to have one, that you may be put on bed rest towards the end. Yuck-o!
Everything else is just looking great, and we are getting very excited! Still no baby name yet, though. I'm still pushing for Nora, but I'm getting resistance. Feel free to weigh in on what a great name that is. :)
Looking forward to seeing everyone! Merry Christmas!!!! xoxoxo

Tuesday, December 16, 2008

Week 26-27







Yikes! I'm slacking on keeping up-to-date, so my apologies! Time is going by a little faster than I want it now, and the reality of little 'Baby Anonymous', as David called her the other day, is setting in. As I explained it to my mother....the first trimester was trying to contain our excitement and not get our hopes up too high in case something happened again. Then, as I began to show - and especially to feel her - you get to feel more comfortable that everything is going to be okay. Then you get to start wearing cute clothes and showing off the baby bump and things go along their merry way. Then comes your third trimester, and the realization that....oh my gosh....we're having a daughter and she will be here in less than three months!!!! There will be a baby here, and we'll become 'mommy' and 'daddy'. It's the most exciting thing in the world....and the scariest!




We have another Doctor's appointment on Thursday, so hopefully I'll be able to post then - if not, there might not be an update until after the holiday's......but then I'll be seeing most of you so I can update in person!



Love and miss everyone!

Saturday, December 6, 2008

Week 25

I hope that everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving! Mom and Marissa - thanks for visiting - and mom....thanks for the yummy Turkey!

I guess I'm a little late in posting, week 25 has come and gone, and we are also almost done with week 26. Time is continuing to fly, and my belly is continuing to expand (although - it could be from the turkey!).

Mom, Marissa, and David started painting the nursery over the Thanksgiving holiday, and David spent some time in there every day since and as of this morning, it's practically all finished! Everyone worked really hard, and David has been going at it alone since the family left since the smell was a little too much for me. He did a GREAT job, and even installed a ceiling fan. It looks awesome, and I can't wait to start getting things in there and decorating.

Joey - Thank you SO much for the crib. We picked it up Friday and will be putting it together once we get the carpet clean in the nursery. It's our first piece of baby furniture and we are just thrilled!!!!!

This week David and I went to Babies-r-us for a seminar entitled "Dogs & Storks". It was a class that tried to give families ideas on how to introduce a "new" baby into the family. We thought it would be a good idea to go as we'll have Buddy and Toebbi a lot next year due to Robert traveling the world! It was interesting....but also a little boring, and didn't really tell us anything mind blowing that I didn't already know. Next week we go to a diaper changing class, so that might be a little more fun. :)

I'll post some new pics of the belly next week - Baby Rivera is growing more and more every day. She is still extremely active, and the wee-hour potty breaks are becoming more frequent, and my sleeping is getting a little more uncomfortable. I thought that this stuff started in the third trimester, but I think I'm ahead of the game.

It will be a busy next two weeks as we prepare for Christmas, the baby, and our trip home - not to mention our everyday work lives. I'm looking forward to seeing everyone for the holidays, and taking a little break from all the craziness.

Love everyone! xoxoxo

Wednesday, November 26, 2008

Week 24

Baby Names?!?!?! I totally forgot that we needed one of those! Joey - that's for the reminder! David and I started talking about that, but we seem to have a difference of opinion, so it's a conversation that's on hold. :) Don't worry - I don't think that they let you leave the hospital without one, so we have plenty of time.
Not much this week in baby news. We had a doctor's appointment yesterday, and all is still looking great. It seems I gained a lot of weight over the past four weeks, so I was asked not to do that again. :) I'm starting to ween down on the ice cream, but with the holiday's coming up - I'm not sure how successful this is going to be. We have our next appointment in four weeks, so it's right before we head up north for the holiday's. We will have another ultrasound to check out where the placenta is, so we get to see how much she's changed in eight weeks! She continues to get stronger, and more active all the time, and really likes it when daddy reads to her - which he does sometimes at night.
Looking forward to seeing everyone soon........hope everyone has a very HAPPY THANKSGIVING!
xoxoxo

Wednesday, November 19, 2008

Week 23




Hey everyone! Look at what this baby girl is doing to my belly!!!! :) I know that I am very fortunate because I'm really not putting on weight anywhere else (or at least I don't think that I am). Right now it's just all belly!


This week she still continues to kick (or punch) me regularly - especially at night. I have read that I could just be more aware of her then since I'm laying still and ready to sleep, but I'm pretty aware of her whenever I feel her, so I think she's just a very active baby. I have heard that squiggly babies sleep lots when they are born, so I'll be sure to let you know if that's true.


Babies-r-us was probably the highlight of this week. David and I went to go register for all the things we need - and things that we didn't even know that we needed. We spent well over two hours in there and only hit two sections - furniture and bedding. We still have LOTS of work to do. We did find a really cute nursery pattern, and I just can't wait to start getting her room ready. The registry can be found at http://www.babiesrus.com/. You can either put in our name, or our # is 75299985. My mom and sisters will be hosting a baby shower in December (while we are home for Christmas), and invitations will be going out shortly.


Next week I have my next doctor's appointment, so I'll give everyone another update then.


Love and miss everyone! xoxoxo




Tuesday, November 11, 2008

Week 22


Baby Girl Rivera is getting stronger every day! She likes to make sure I know she's around at about 10:30 - 11pm. My belly is getting bigger every day, and yes.....I know I need to post more pics! I'll try to get around to it this weekend (and yes, I know I've said that before too).

It's the most amazing thing to feel her moving around in there. I wish David could experience more of what I feel with her - she's just so active! I love her so much already!! She likes it when I sing to her in the morning while I drive to work - and I also think she liked listening to the book I was "reading" on CD. While I know she didn't hear that well, I have read she picks up on the lower, deeper sounds - and can even become startled by loud noises. I think this is why she is awake when I'm hungry - she wakes up to the rumble of my belly!
Here's another ultrasound pic from our Week 20 Ultrasound. Look closely and you can see her giving her parents the 'thumbs up' sign. I think she was telling us she's doing okay!

My "round ligament" pain seems to have subsided quite a bit, so I'm not worried about that any longer. I still feel some minor growing pains every once in a while, but nothing that concerns me. My belly really itches from my skin stretching, so I find myself itching A LOT. (Yes, I do put lotion on it....but that doesn't help all the time.)

So that's about it for now. David and I still haven't picked out a theme (or wall color) for the nursery, but I'm hoping to get that done this weekend. I found two cute themes at Babies-r-Us while I was home, but I have also been checking out some things on-line - so we'll see.

Lots of love to everyone and we'll be seeing everyone for the holidays!!!

xoxo

Wednesday, November 5, 2008

Week 21


Meet our little girl! She's a little shy so she's hiding her face. She is extremely active and I feel her moving around quite a bit.....especially around bed time. She seems to be a night owl. David has finally felt her moving around too- and over the weekend I actually SAW my belly move a couple times! Finally......the exciting times of pregnancy! Mom and I went shopping while I was home, and I LOVE wearing maternity clothes and showing off my baby bump! I'm SO excited that I'm finally showing!!!! I will take some pics soon and put them up.


My younger nieces and nephew were so cute with the baby too. They kept patting my belly and talking to the baby. They are very excited that she's "coming out" in March, and I can't wait for them all to meet their new cousin.


To David's brothers ........we'll try for the boy next time! :)



Thursday, October 30, 2008

Week 20

It's been another big week! David and I had our 20 week ultrasound on Wednesday and it went great. We were able to see all of Baby Rivera's heart chambers and all of the baby's measurements were great and right on track! As a matter of fact, Baby Rivera is measuring at about 22 weeks, so we'll be keeping an eye on that due date!

The ultrasound technician also said that I had a low laying placenta. Apparently it's very common, and nothing to be concerned about. I just need to go back in about 8 weeks so they can look again. That means another close up of Baby Rivera! Can't wait! I'll post this week's ultrasound pictures next week.

And, most exciting (aside from Baby Rivera looking so good) is that we know now what we are having!!!!! Some of you already know, but David and I will be traveling to NY, at which time the rest of you will know! We are truly blessed, and very happy.

Love you all!

Tuesday, October 21, 2008

Week 19

It's been a great week!!! Saturday morning (10/18) I felt the baby kick! I was laying in bed, with my hand on my lower belly and felt Baby Rivera kicking me! He or she did it three times, but after I called David to come in and feel, the little one stopped. I felt the baby again Sunday, and again tried to get David to get a piece of the action, but the baby stopped again when he started to feel. :( The baby is definitely getting stronger, and the more I feel baby move, the more excited I get! I can't wait until David gets his first kick! With the baby getting stronger everyday, I'm sure he'll feel Baby Rivera soon!

I also has my name list completed (well.....at least until I think of more)!!!! David said he wanted at least five, and I came up with ten! GO ME! I'm not sure if I love them all, but hey - it's fun to think of names.

That's all the big news this week. A week from tomorrow we'll know if it's a boy or a girl (as long as Baby Rivera is ready to tell us.)!!!

Love you all!!!!

Wednesday, October 15, 2008

Week 18 - Pictures




Here are a few more pics!

Week 18


Another week flew by! The baby squiggles around mostly at night, and I can occasionally feel him or her during the day. My late night (or early morning depending on how you look at it) pee breaks are back, accompanied by great hunger (which I thought I could escape until my third trimester). I find myself eating a bowl of cereal around 3 or 4am, then struggle to get back to sleep.

I am also having what the Doctor calls 'round ligament' pain in my lower left hand side. It's extremely unpleasant and I'm hoping that it goes away soon. Not just because of the pain, but also because I tend to worry (I know.....me? worry?).

Everything else is great, and David and I are getting really excited about our next Doctor's appointment at the end of the month. We are both now leaning towards finding out the gender....but there is still time for us to change our mind.

Here are a few pics from this week (today actually). Enjoy!

Love and miss everyone!

Wednesday, October 8, 2008

Week 17

Not too much happened this week. I'm still feeling the baby move, but only every once in a while - usually when I lay down at night. I seem to look pregnant depending on what I wear. Some days, you can tell I'm pregnant, other days it just looks like I've been putting on some weight. :)

David has started to clean out our office which will soon be the nursery. Pretty soon we'll get to start 'discussing' what color it will be!

Not much else going on, so I'll post again next week. I also might take some more belly shots during one of the days I look pregnant and post them too.

Love everyone!

Tuesday, September 30, 2008

Week 16

It's been quite an exciting week! I think that I felt the baby move! I'm not too sure (gas was the other option), but I was laying in bed a couple nights ago and felt......hmmm....I'm not even too sure how to describe it.....butterflies seem to make it sound too light, and it was stronger than that. When I feel it happen more I'll try to explain better how it feels.

Also - not as pleasant, I'm feeling "stretching" in parts of my lower abdomen. It mostly happens when I've sat for a long period of time and then get up to walk around. It literally feels like there is stretching inside my body.

Today David and I had another doctor appointment. We got to hear the heartbeat, beating a little over 150bpm. We have read online that heartbeats over 140 could be a sign of a girl (and we were told today they are right half the time! ha ha). And according to the Chinese birth calendar, I'm also having a girl (well......depending on what calendar you use....as I did find one that said I was having a boy). It's fun guessing, but October 29th will be the day that we decide whether or not we will find out. That's the day of the 20 week ultrasound!!! This will be a really exciting appointment, and we should get lots of pictures for posting, so mark your calendars! We are also able to hear the baby moving around inside. The little microphone thingy sounded like it was getting kicked....so we know the baby's moving around!

I haven't gotten much bigger, so I think that one day I'll just wake up and it will all have just popped out! I've gained almost 5 pounds since my last appointment only three weeks ago, so since I'm not getting any bigger on the outside, maybe I'll be birthing a 10 lb baby! :) (EEKS! Lets hope not!)

That's all the news we have this week.

Have a great week, and I love everyone!

Monday, September 29, 2008

Week 14 - 15 Pictures



Here are a few pics....can't really see much! Maybe in another week or two.


I'll post an update on what happened this week and about our doctor appointment tomorrow evening.


I have also adjusted the blog so that you can comment without having to have an account. Just check 'anonymous'. Be sure to put your name in the body of the posting so I know who's commenting!!!


Love everyone!

Monday, September 22, 2008

Week 14 - 15


I will be "exactly" 15 weeks pregnant tomorrow! Time is flying by now. It seemed like I was in my first trimester forever - but I was looking so forward to crossing that critical barrier that it just dragged on. Now time seems to have gone into fast forward.

I am not feeling a lot of nausea, so I'm glad to see that pass. I'm still pretty tired, but not like I was. I'm actually able to make it without a nap in the afternoon (on weekdays, that is), but I like to go to bed fairly early (like 9).

I'm starting to get a little bigger, so I'll be posting pictures as soon as I can get David to do some glamour shots. I'm still not too noticeable, but for those who know me, you'll be able to tell.

I have not felt the baby move or "quickening" as I've read it's called. Maybe by the end of this week or next. I'm fairly thin, so I'm hoping to be able to feel it soon.

I'm not craving anything yet either. As a matter of fact, I have almost a lack of interest in food. Nothing seems to look good to me - and so it's a struggle to pick out things to make for dinner.

David and I have another appointment a week from tomorrow. We are still not sure if we are going to find out the sex - although I have to admit I'm getting more and more excited to find out what it is.

I hope everyone is well, and I miss and love you all.

Monday, September 15, 2008

My First Trimester

Well, before I start my weekly baby updates, I'll try to summarize the first 13 weeks of my pregnancy.

I discovered that I was pregnany on July 7, 2008. Interestingly, a week before I had blood work done which resulted in a negative pregnancy test. I was quite suprised when that test was negative, as I just "knew" I was pregnant. I wrote off my feelings - thinking I just wanted to be pregnant and that was why I felt like I did. But, as the week passed, I checked my calendar and realized that I was late. Hmmmm......I just happened to have a home pregnancy test that I took, and that was my first indication that I was in fact pregnant.

I called my husband, David, and told him that I thought I might be pregnant, and then called my doctor - neither of us getting too excited just yet. A blood test confirmed a positive pregnancy, and I was scheduled for an ultrasound during my seventh week. July 29th was when David and I got to see the first image of our baby - although there wasn't much to see. The most amazing thing, however, was that we got to hear and see the heartbeat.

Still not getting overly excited due to two past miscarriages, David and I tried to keep the news to ourselves until passing that week 12 mark. That didn't work out so well and by week nine, most of our immediate family knew the news.

On July 29th, we had an ultrasound at ten weeks where we got to see the first baby images that actually looked like a baby. Those ultrasound pictures are shown on my home page. This is when things started to become more real - more exciting - and more hopeful.

Around week nine or so was when I really started to think that things were going really well. This was when I started getting morning sickness.....although I was sick throughout the day - certainly not just in the morning. It seemed that when I didn't eat....I was sick - when I did eat...I was sick...I couldn't win.....but I took this all as a good sign, that things were progressing and I just kept looking forward to crossing over that first trimester barrier and hoping the sickness would pass.

I'm currently just starting week 14 of my pregnancy. I still get a little sick to my stomach here and there, but nothing like it was before. I have learned to eat small portions of food often throughout the day, which helps out a lot. I've read a lot about a "burst of energy" in the second trimester, but that hasn't hit me yet. I'm tired a lot (but David would say that is just normal for me).

My weight gain seemed like it was taking off in the first trimester, as I started to realize that I could no longer button any of my pants. It seems to have leveled off (for now) and I try to make due with the clothes I have until I start to round out a little more.

I still can't feel the baby move, but I've been told it's too early. Hopefully in a few more weeks!

Stay tuned for more baby news!

Saturday, September 13, 2008

Introduction

Welcome to my Baby Blog! I have decided to begin a blog to update throughout my pregnancy. I decided to do this for several reasons. First, it to create sort of a diary of my experiences throughout this awesome time in my like. Second, and probably most importantly, was so that I could share this time with friends and family who are so far away. I want you all to be able to share in this joyous time with David and I (and our little baby), and this was the best way that I though I could make that happen. I hope you enjoy everything you read and feel like you are right here with me! Love you all!