number 2 [week 35]

Symptoms: It's difficult to tell from the picture, but my belly has dropped. It wasn't until others began pointing it out to me that I examined my unclothed belly in the mirror at home and found my bump resting in a lower position. I didn't notice it myself because I haven't felt like I'm breathing easier or experiencing less heartburn, but gravity has made an effect. I'm trying to stay active--doing as much as I can around the house and even sometimes walking a little bit during the end of my lunch break.

Cravings: French fries. I did indulge. It was amazing.

Aversions: Salads and I still aren't friends. I don't think Eric believed me when I told him I was done.

Missing: NOT having heartburn!

Mood: I'm still happy as a clam, excited, a little hormonal, and tired. A pretty good mix of normal pregnancy emotions.

Sleep: It's been rough here and there some nights. I've woken with horrible cramps and not gotten enough rest. I'm craving naps.

Dreams: I don't know if I've even slept well enough to dream. There was probably something random about work or friends, but my brain is too jelly to remember.

Movement: This little boy continues to feel bigger. He's all over the place, quite literally. Kick counts remain solid.

Best Moment: So many to choose from; I was showered with gifts and love at my work baby shower, Eric and I spent a wonderful night away for our belated anniversary celebration in Lake Tahoe, and Simon enjoyed his 4th Halloween dressed as Rocky from Paw Patrol. It was such a busy week, no wonder I'm exhausted!

Baby Buys: My generous coworkers gifted us an Arm's Reach Co-Sleeper. It wasn't the exact co-sleeper that I wanted, but we're going to try it out and hopefully make it work. I am so thankful for their kindness!

Other News: Eric and I attended our Preparing for Childbirth class offered by Kaiser. We were the only second-time parents there, but there was still a lot of valuable information to be reminded of and learn about. We never took classes when I was pregnant with Simon since I planned to ask for an epidural. Ending up with basically a non-medicated delivery left me with no idea what to do or how to breathe and a serious lack of control. In the class we found a lot of value in learning the different labor positions that can be used during a non-medicated labor, as well as several different types of massages that Eric can perform to ease discomfort and relax me. We feel much more prepared, and I am so glad we attended the class.

Looking Forward To: The end! I want this babe to fully cook, but I don't think we're going a full 40 weeks. We shall see!

my work baby shower

our Tahoe getaway

Clark Kent, Winnie the Pooh, & Rocky

number 2 [week 32]

Symptoms: The magic from the chiropractor started to wear off this week. The familiar weakness in my lower back began to slowly make its return. I've also battled what seems like a small cold with a heavier running nose and scratchy throat than what's typical with my allergies. Trying to keep tissue close and imbibe hot tea is about all that can be done without the ability to take cold meds. On the positive side, I've had much worse colds than this little one.

Cravings: Chips sound good. I miss chips.

Aversions: Still not ready for any zucchini. I also think I'm done with strawberries for the season, even though I see them selling for cheap in grocery stores.

Missing: Sushi never leaves my mind for too long.

Mood: Everything is still really great. I'm feeling a little stressed about having to continue to wait for the carpet install in Wesley's room, worrying that we won't get everything done in time. I don't care so much about my Halloween deadline anymore; I just want to be ready when Wesley gets here, because I think this kid is coming early!

Sleep: There are good nights and not-so-good nights. I've been falling asleep early, really taking advantage of the opportunities while I still have them.

Dreams: My schedule's been so chaotic, I can't remember any!

Movement: Wesley's hiccups now vibrate my entire belly. I remember when Eric couldn't feel the hiccups from the outside, and now my whole stomach leaps with the repetitive hiccuping motion. Wesley feels huge, again making me think we're not going all the way to 40 weeks.

Best Moment: This was an exciting week with Eric's 31st birthday and our 6th wedding anniversary! On the night of his birthday, Simon and I surprised Eric with delicious Ciro's Pizza for dinner. That Friday night, we were able to have an adults-only date night with dinner at Sammy's inside Stones Gambling Hall and a round of arcade games at Dave and Buster's. Our meal was absolutely fabulous, and we really enjoyed sitting outside at the end of what was a gorgeous evening, chatting and just taking some time for ourselves. On our anniversary, Eric brought home a bouquet of beautiful flowers for me, and we took Simon out to eat with us for a casual meal at Applebee's. Our real celebration will be at the end of the month when we plan to spend a night away in Tahoe. This will be a first for us since becoming parents!

Pregnancy Purchases: My friend, Briana, from work just recently announced her first pregnancy and invited me to try out a prenatal yoga class with her. She found a studio called Herself Moms, which offers health and fitness and educational classes that support the prenatal and postpartum journey. The workout felt really great on my slowly, re-tightening back, and it felt really good to stretch out certain joints that I've been slacking on doing on my own. My favorite part was learning a pose called the frog, which is a really comfortable labor pose used with labor breathing. Briana and I really enjoyed the class, and I'd like to commit to going once a week until Wesley graces us with his presence.

Other News: We attended the first of 3 (that's right, I said three) weddings we've been invited to during the month of October. My friend, Cristin, from high school had a lovely wedding ceremony at Monte Verde Inn in Foresthill where we were able to visit with many close friends as well as some I don't see often. Simon was a little bit of a handful having not taken a proper nap that afternoon, but he received many compliments on how handsome he looked and was whisked away to dance by some of our helpful friends.We surprisingly stayed until the end of the wedding and were so grateful to be included in this lovely affair.

Looking Forward To: More October events to come, stay tuned!

the birthday boy with his COMPLIMENTARY dessert

our family at Cristin's wedding

photo booth fun

2014: a year in review

It's absolutely atrocious that I haven't posted on my blog in over 8 months.  I had planned to continue posting here after The Big One, but after 31 weekly pregnancy posts and 12 months of baby updates I guess I needed a little long overdue break.  What matters now is that I'm back and ready to play catch up and reflect over this past year of 2014!

We began the year on January 1st with a cranky and brief after-midnight photo, one that may have interrupted an early slumber on the couch.

In February, our little boy celebrated his first birthday!

During the month of March I attended my very first Comic Con with Justin, Athena, and James.  We enjoyed the beautiful sunshine with lots of outside play.

April brought us Simon's 2nd Easter and a more successful visit to see the Easter Bunny at Fairytale Town.  Pappy and Uncle Ben joined us, which made the holiday extra special.

Simon was enrolled in his very first swim lessons in May, I turned 29 and celebrated a relaxing Mother's Day, and Eric and I both left Simon overnight for the first time... separately!  One night for me chaperoning the 8th grade field trip in Yosemite, 3 nights for Eric spent at KublaCon in the Bay Area with the guys.

In June the regular school year ended and summer school began, and we had a fun Father's Day with both of our dads.  Simon of course played, played, played.

When summer school ended, July included many adventures such as Independence Day, our FREE TRIP to the Aulani Disney Resort in Oahu that we won (joined by Jen and Bliss because Eric was unable to come due to work), and a visit to the California State Fair.

We took a family camping trip to Bucks Lake in August with all of our friends.  I went back to work mid-month to start the new school year.  Great Aunt Sami traveled to Lake Tahoe for a wedding so we drove up for a visit.  Simon also turned 18 months old and got his first haircut!

September was a busy month full of many birthday parties, including Uncle Ben's 9th birthday at Roller King.  Simon visited the dentist for the first time and was an all-star patient!

Our family was even busier during October celebrating Eric's 29th birthday, our 4th wedding anniversary, the wedding of my wonderful friends Josh and Rob and Caitlin's visit, and Halloween.  Oh, and Courage turned 4 years old!

Things calmed down in November and we had a nice Thanksgiving celebration at Cho-Cho's house.

The holidays came and went in a flash this month in December.  We saw Santa, watched the Festival of Lights Parade in Auburn, and continued our Christmas traditions as a family.

Oh yeah, and Eric's been growing a beard.

2014 has been one crazy ride full of many wonderful memories and experiences.  As we close out the year tonight, I am reminded of the adventures that await us on the horizon: Simon turning TWO, Eric and me turning THIRTY, celebrating FIVE years of marriage, and so much more.  I hope to make as solid of an effort as possible to be here on this blog documenting as much happiness and love as time will allow me.  I hope that you decide to stop by to share in this journey, too.

See you soon, 2015!

marriage [3 years]

 

Yesterday, Eric and I celebrated 3 wonderful years of marriage.  The day was special to us in more ways than one, because our beautiful son also turned 8 months old.  We were so incredibly overjoyed to be sharing the celebration of our anniversary with Simon, whom just one year ago was still nestled cozily inside of my belly.

 

I remember writing our anniversary blog post last year, guessing that our yet-to-be-named boy "[would] be roughly 7 months old, making baby noises and rolling around and possibly even trying to crawl or pull himself up."  Amazingly, my predictions were correct, as our love bug has already hit all of these milestones and is headed toward accomplishing even more.

 

Eric remarked yesterday that he doesn't remember what our lives were like before Simon; I do, because it doesn't seem like it was that long ago.  Eight months went by so quickly, and three years even faster.  What I do know is that the journey Eric and I are traveling together, now with the addition of our little angel, is one I am beyond happy to be on with the two most important people in my world.

 

Happy Anniversary to us.  Happy 8 Months to our Son.

marriage [2 years]

Today marks two years since Eric and I stood before our families and friends and promised to spend the rest of our lives together as husband and wife.  In the days since I have not doubted for a single second that marrying this man was the best decision I've ever made.

I remember as soon as we got married the questions started coming: "When are you going to start a family?  When will you and Eric have babies?"  My auto-response was something along the lines of, "In about two years, maybe.  When we're ready..."  And here we are, two years married and 5 1/2 months pregnant.  Life has truly blessed us.

It stuns me to think that on this day next year, we will no longer be a family of two but rather a family of three.  Our son will be roughly 7 months old, making baby noises and rolling around and possibly even trying to crawl or pull himself up.  Life will be drastically different, but I'm confident that we will be even happier.

Partners in marriage, life, and soon-to-be parenthood.  Happy anniversary, Eric.  I love you.