Happy Thanksgiving!

Since family is so far away and Josh had to work, we decided to have an all-out Thanksgiving Dinner at home. This was my first time cooking for Thanksgiving, so I was grateful that Josh was the only guest! After a whole day of cooking, this is what we had:

(From left to right: mashed potatoes, dinner rolls, cookies n cream fudge, apple pie, roasted sweet potatoes, green beans, stuffing, and a big turkey in the middle!)

Yes, that's all for two. Needless to say, we have leftovers. Which is good, since I have no desire to cook for a few days!

I must say, Josh did an amazing job carving that bird!

This was also his first time, and he handled it like a pro!

The only bad thing about cooking all day was that my hips were very sore last night. Today, my hands, feet and hips are sore, but I still managed to go hunting for some sales, and we got some neat and useful stuff. It was all worth it, but boy, I need to lay down and be lazy for a while!

Let me just say what I'm thankful for. I'm thankful for my wonderful husband, for a growing, healthy baby, for our family and friends, and for our puppies. I'm thankful for everyone's health, and for everyone's love. And thank you, for keeping track of my crazy thoughts!

I hope you had a very happy Thanksgiving!

31 weeks!

Sorry, I know I'm late! This was meant to be posted last Wednesday, as always, but it was a long weekend (Josh has Tues and Wed off) and we took the picture, but didn't log in to post it.

Anyways, here's the pic of the week:

I don't think I look bigger this week, but I do feel Lovebug getting bigger. The movements he makes are different, cause he doesn't have the same space, and also he is far more visible now than he was a few weeks back (you saw the video!).

Another thing that happened this week: Last night Josh finally convinced me to put my rings away. My hands have been a bit swollen, and though I can still get my rings on and off, it gets harder every day. There's no point risking them or my finger. Most of you know I love my rings, I never take them off, I feel quite naked without them. I think I'll crochet myself a ring, just so I feel something there.

And here's my how time flies: that's weeks 10, 20 and 30:

Yup, there's a baby growing in there!

SciFi movie

Remember a while back I told you that Lovebug moves my belly in weird ways, as in a SciFi movie?

Well, we got it on video for you! It's quite freaky, really. Yes, that is a baby, not an alien. No, it's none of my doing, it's all him. And yes, he does it all the time. So, this video is not for those faint of heart. Be warned.

Good news and bad news

We had our OBGYN's appointment today. We're going every 2 weeks now, as the time to meet Lovebug is getting closer!

Good news: everything looks good. We're still measuring a week ahead and the heartbeat is strong and loud. I got the H1N1 vaccine last weekend, and Lovebug will be born protected. We get to preregister at the hospital soon, so I don't have to answer a million questions while having contractions on the big day.

Another bit of news (not sure how I feel about them!) is I gained 6 pounds... in 3 weeks! Yikes! I'm 25 pounds over my initial weight already... All those pies that I've been happily baking (an eating... mostly by myself!) are coming back to haunt me... To the point where I may have to bake myself another pie! Let's hope Lovebug slows down a bit on the weight gain, or I'll be huge in no time!! Well, ok, let's be fair: let's hope *I* slow down on the weight gain. I'm sure Lovebug is getting all he needs regardless.

And now, some bad news. San Diego for Christmas is a no-go. We asked the doctor and he said: "If you were thinking about going to Phoenix, cause your family is making a big dinner and you REALLY want to go, I'd say alright, but San Diego... no." Basically, between the risk of blood cloths on such a long trip, the fact that Lovebug is measuring a bit ahead, and the closeness to our due date, it's not worth the risk.

I'm bummed about it, I really wanted to go if at all possible. But at the same time, I'm a little relieved. It is a long trip, and I know Josh would've been worried and stressed regardless of how I felt.

On the bright side, we're having our first Christmas at home. We'll probably get a tree and cook some dinner, and spend our first Christmas with the belly, in the comfort of our couch. That doesn't sound half bad to me...

30 weeks!

This is the 30-70 point: 30 weeks, 70 days to go. Eeek!! We're only 10 weeks away!!

Josh is getting a little anxious, and wants Lovebug to be here NOW! He wants to meet him and play with him already. I'm ok with the wait. I better be, it'll only get worse from now on! I'm only going to get bigger and more uncomfortable. I figured I better pace myself, and enjoy the last few weeks of "solitude" and freedom, hehe.

Yesterday, we got a big surprise. And when I say big, I mean it! We knew we had a package coming in the mail, but I thought it would be something, I don't know, half the size of what we got. Nope, it was big, and addressed to Lovebug.

This is what Grandpa Chuck and Grandma Debbie sent in the mail:

So many cute little outfits!! But wait, the best is yet to come:



How perfect are those??

Thank you, Grandma and Grandpa!! Lovebug sends excited kicks from the womb! We love you!

Eric

Eric is my nephew and godson. He's the second child of my brother Carlos and his wife Ana. In April 2008, Carlos was living in Calgary, and the whole family went there to welcome Eric into the world.



Well, Carlos didn't really get days off (just a couple for the stay in the hospital), so they called in reinforcements. They asked me to come and help them out for a few days, since dealing with a newborn and a 4 year old (Daryna) after a c-section would be a little tricky for Ana. I was glad I could take the time off to help them out.

Of all my nephews (3) and nieces (2), Eric is the only one I met as a newborn. I moved to La Paz to pursue a Master's Degree just a few months before the arrival of the oldest pair, so Diego was already 4 months old when I met him, and Daryna was 6 weeks old. And so of course I was all about being there and helping out with Eric.

He was born April 21st, 2008, and I was there the morning of the 22nd. He was such a cute little boy! This is our first picture together:

I know, you really can't see how cute he is there. You will in this one:

AAAAAAAAWWWWWWWWWW!!!!

Anyways, I had a great time. Though I really enjoyed playing with Daryna so she didn't feel left out, and making sure Ana got food and something to drink and was comfortable, I must confess my favorite part was spending time with Eric. I would completely hog him, and I would give him as many bottles as I could, change diapers, help him get rid of hiccups, put him to sleep, watch him sleep, etc., to the point where daddy got a bit upset at me...

But I didn't care, I only had a few days to enjoy baby Eric, and I was set on taking advantage of it. He was a great baby, very laid back. Not afraid to get comfortable...

I could make him relax so much that he would just lay like that on my legs. You can bet I'll try this with Lovebug!!

As you all know, Josh and I were already crazy in love, and days away from the trip to meet my parents, when he asked them for permission to ask me to marry him (aaaaawwww!!). I was waiting to hear from SFU about my application to their PhD program, and I was still very set on pursuing my career in research. Needless to say, the situation (I had finally met the future father of my children!) and Eric did a lot to make my resolution falter. The day I left, when it was time to say goodbye to Eric, I was crying like a baby. And then Ana and Carlos asked me to be her godmother... well, that didn't help! But I left happy that I got to enjoy such precious days with such a little angel.

A few weeks after that, we heard from SFU. They accepted me into the program, and they had funding for me and whatever project I decided to take. I already had a beautiful ring on my finger, and after talking a lot with Josh (and him saying whatever I wanted to do was good for him, so long as I was certain of my decision), I accepted to enter the program.

We were in Tucson, waiting for our car to get an oil change or something of that nature, doing laundry in Josh's old apartment building. I called my future professor to accept and we talked for about half hour about projects and such. We then went to pick up the car, and as we were waiting to pay and get the keys, a family walked in. It was a mom with 2 kids, a 3-4 year old girl, and a baby. I tried to look away, but it was too late. I realized what a mistake I had made. And then the girl runs to the guy behind the counter, and hugs him. He walks around to say hello to his wife and baby.

Josh took one look at me, and he knew. After weeks of careful consideration, and finally making the decision to do a PhD, one second, one look at that family, and it all fell to pieces. I took another week to make sure I wouldn't change my mind again, and then called my future professor again, this time to decline. I had experienced the time-consuming life of grad school already, and a PhD meant at least 5 years of it. I couldn't see a way to start a family and dedicate time to them while doing a PhD, and I couldn't wait 5+ years.

I knew my priorities had changed the minute Josh and I decided to be together, but I was stubborn and I didn't want to give up my career. I spent so much time meeting the right people, going to conferences, proving I was good, and I didn't want to waste it, I worked hard for the opportunities I got. But sometimes you have to let go of the plans you had, to fulfill other dreams. I finally accepted that what I wanted out of life what different, and I gave myself permission to let go. And I couldn't be happier about it. One day I'll focus on my career again, but right now there are bigger things that require my attention.

And so Josh and I started working towards our new goal. Obviously, when it came time to decide on our wedding party, Eric had to be a part of it! Some of you may remember him, he was our ring bearer.

And can I just say his sister, Daryna, was the cutest flower girl ever??


I saw Eric recently, last September, when I went to visit my family. I hadn't seen him since the wedding, I didn't think he would recognize me at all. I was told that he's such a mamma's boy, that he doesn't go with other women easily. Ana said he probably remembers me from those first days, cause he was very comfortable with me from the start, and he was ok with me holding him and kissing him, right away. I hope so. He's very much responsible of my decision. Maybe I would've made the same decision without those days with Eric, but I wouldn't be so darn sure about it, and I wouldn't be so excited we're having a boy!


He's still the cutest boy! But not for long...

29 weeks!

We got to work today and put the changing table together. Two out of three, the next and last piece of furniture we're putting together is the crib. We'll probably wait a couple more weeks for that one, though, cause when we do it, it'll go into our bedroom.

We really want to have the furniture set up by Christmas, and any other big items by new year. The last thing we want is to be surprised by an early arrival and freak out about not having things ready for Lovebug!

One week away from 30... that's kinda scary!

Lastly, to all the veterans out there who read our blog: Happy Veterans Day!!! from Josh, Lore, and Lovebug.

Pumpkin pie

This has nothing to do with Lovebug, except maybe that this is part of my baking spree. I should have taken a pic of the apple pie too... I will with the next one (I'm fairly sure they will be a next one). I will say I made whole wheat crust, you know, to make it "healthier".

Now, how good does that look??

Fresh out of the oven!

Our childbirth class

We had our first childbirth class last Saturday: Labor Basics. It was a really good class, for several reasons.

Our instructor for the day is a L&D RN that works in the hospital where we'll deliver, and she's fantastic. I really liked her, something in her demeanor reminds me of a good friend, in a very positive way. I didn't learn much about the procedures, since I've read about most of them, but she had all the props so we could see things live and touch them, and that's always good.

I thought we would be practicing breathing and what not, but it wasn't like that at all. Instead, she gave us the basic breathing techniques, and said "just do what you feel is right, your bodies will know when to breathe faster and shallow, or slower and deeper, just take a deep cleansing breath before and after each contraction". That to me was far more helpful, it gave me confidence. Maybe once we're there I'll need some guidance, but I trust I'll be able to cope with the pain and my body will help me know what to do.

The best part of the class, though, was that we got a very good idea of the policies of the hospital. This hospital is our perfect match. The L&D rooms have bathtubs and birthing balls, they encourage you to drink and eat while in labor. They are willing to do intermittent monitoring so you can move around (so long as you don't have an epidural) and they do "light" epidurals, only once you're 4-5 cm dilated. You can labor in any position you want, and they encourage you to move around and do whatever feels good. They allow aromatherapy and music, it's your room and you do what you want to make your environment comfortable. We have absolute confidence that we won't be pushed or rushed into procedures, and that alone is a great thing. They promote skin to skin contact and breastfeeding, and will leave our baby with us up to an hour before weighting and measuring if we wish so (which we do). Little Lovebug gets to stay with us in the room all the time if we want.

I was getting my list of questions ready about all these things for the tour of the hospital and for our OBGYN. I'm so glad we got the answers now, and even more so that the answers are the right ones for us.

I feel a lot more calm about things. Though it's still nerve wracking, my labor dreams are not scary anymore. I feel more confident. I still must confess that I can't quite picture that moment when he's born and they put him in my chest and arms. I can picture labor, and I can picture being back home with Lovebug, but I can't picture that precise moment when he's born and we meet him. I don't think I'll be able to picture it until the moment is here. I guess that's because that'll be it: the life changing, life altering moment. The moment when I truly become a mom. Crazy stuff...

28 weeks!

Only 12 weeks to go! It may seem like a long time, but it's really not! We put together one of Lovebug's dressers yesterday, and we have his clothes and blankets in there now. We also have our first childbirth class this weekend, we're getting ready for the times to come! It's a good thing, but I can't deny it's a bit nerve wracking as well... Time is flying by!

Here's a comparison of last week and this week:

Definitely a little bigger, I think. Lovebug is having a party in there! He moves around so much, and makes my belly contort in some many ways... it's freaky. I mean, Sci-Fi freaky. But very entertaining to watch too... if you like Sci-Fi movies!

He's growing for sure... he better be, I'm eating like there's no tomorrow! One of the latest things I crave is sweets, particularly baked goods. Some of you may be aware of this, with my Facebook updates on baking apple and pumpkin pies (so good!!) and muffins. I have more apples for a pie, I bought more pumpkin to cook and freeze for future pies, and I'm thinking chocolate cake... I'm so glad my glucose test came back normal!!

I should probably go eat some carrots now, just to balance my diet a little...

Happy Anniversary!!

Today is our first wedding anniversary. People say the first year is the hardest. If that's true, we're in for a good lifetime together!! Even though there have been challenges, we're very close and very happy to be together every day.

Thank you to all of you that have sent messages or cards to congratulate us. We really appreciate that you thought of us in this happy day!

So, Happy Anniversary to us!! Here's to 49+ more anniversaries!!



(And baby, I love you!!)