One week!!!

Eeeek! I'm so excited! One week from today we will have our ultrasound appointment. I am praying that Bagel cooperates! I'd hate to walk out of there not knowing if Bagel is a girl or boy. how bad is that? The purpose of the ultrasound is not to find the sex out! It's to make sure Bagel is doing well and is healthy. So of course, that is most important. But I think I am assuming that already. Maybe I shouldn't but I don't feel like anything's wrong. ANYWAY...


I think I need to invest in a few staple maternity shirts and things because some of my regular clothes are NOT kicking it. It is NOT cute. haha! the only shirts that seem long enough are the big ol' t-shirts and sweatshirts and while that's EXTREMELY comfortable it looks sooo frumpy. Dammit I want to be cute and pregnant not frumpy and pregnant. haha! Adn while it's great (I'm assuming only the ladies read my blog anyway, but if not oh well) that the breasts are growing the stomach grows with it. hahaha! Can't have it all I guess. In terms of growth, I slowed down if not plateaued for a couple months there, but I think last night they grew... again! Sheesh! Oh and my sis in law keeps pointing it out. "your boobs are huge!" great. thanks. hahaha! filipinos... so blunt.

Recurring Dream

If you've kept up with my blogs then you know that I have some crazy ass dreams! I don't blog about most of them because most of them are just too damn crazy. But last night I had a recurring dream. It was about being in a waterpark. What is up with that? So I searched online to see what I can find. Here are some tidbits:


Waterslide


To dream that you are on or see a waterslide, suggests that you are being swept away by your emotions. You are slowly exploring the realm of your unconscious. Alternatively, the dream suggests that you are going with the flow of things without any objections or resistance.


I think it's the latter because in my dreams I go on the waterslides that even though they are scary I get on them anyway. But I always have friends with me. So I guess that means I'm not alone? I don't know. haha!

Last Christmas with just the two of us.

Merry Belated Christmas to everyone! Hope you all had a great one! We did and it was exciting to think that this was the last Christmas Junior and I will have where our household is just two. Next Christmas we will be a family of 3! eeeek!


So I added a little survey there to the side so take it since I took the time to add it! haha! And I added a couple links of bloggers I follow. If you have a blog you want me to link, let me know.


I've had a couple of people mention that they wanted to leave comments but couldn't b/c they are not bloggers. Well I made sure and my setttings are so that anyone (blogger or not) can leave a comment. So comment away! Reassures me I am not talking to myself. haha!


OK! So today marks 19 weeks! You know what that means, right? Next week is 20 weeks and I find out whether Bagel is a boy or girl!!! So take my survey before then! I find out Friday next week. That is assuming Bagel cooperates and doesn't get camera shy. Ok, so here's the babycenter.com pic for 19 weeks. Pretty crazy, huh? Here's a little excerpt from the 19 weeks update:


Your baby weighs about 8 1/2 ounces, and he measures 6 inches, head to bottom — about the size of a large heirloom tomato. His arms and legs are in the right proportions to each other and the rest of his body now. His kidneys continue to make urine, and the hair on his scalp is sprouting. This is a crucial time for sensory development: Your baby's brain is designating specialized areas for smell, taste, hearing, vision, and touch. If your baby is a girl, she has an astonishing 6 million eggs in her ovaries. They'll dwindle to fewer than two million by the time she's born.


How exciting! Bagel is about the size of a 6-inch subway sandwhich. hahaha! But then again with my genes Bagel could be longer than that. Guess we won't know until Bagel is here.


Oh yeah! So when I find out I will of course be posting the sex on my blog but just a forwarning for anyone who doesn't want to know. But so far it seems the only people that don't want to know are the adults (the original adults) like the aunties and uncles. All of my friends and cousins want to know. Maybe one day when if I have both a boy and girl already and get pregnant a third time... maybe THEN I'll leave it as a surprise... maybe. But until then, screw the surprises! I need to know.

By the way

Here is the 18th week/5 months picture from parents.com. I like this picture much better!

Starting to show

That's right. I'm starting to show! The belly I had that I thought was really leftover dinner never went away. haha! Usually that goes away at LEAST after a couple days. Well it has gone down a bit, but there's still something there. Junior said good morning to Bagel while half asleep but woke up excited when he could feel the hard part of my belly... where my uterus actually is. He was all, "oh my God, I can feel him!" Yes he said him but we still don't know. And really he's feeling my uterus and not Bagel. But I thought I'd keep quiet on correcting him and let him have his excitement. It was too cute.


So my uterus is right under my belly button right now and from what the doctor says (and from what I read) will make it's way to my belly button by month end. eeek! Then it's supposed to be more obvious that I'm pregnant... finally!


Oh yeah! My headaches are gone. yay!

18 Weeks!

So I had my doctors appointment today and I am having a boy. JUST KIDDING! I don't know yet. There was no ultrasound. I just wanted to see who would get react... although I don't really get to see anyone react. haha! ANYWAY...


So I'm at the doctor's and the doctor says, "wow! you really jumped!" I have no clue what she is talking about. But she clarifies and apparently my weight jumped up a lot since my last appointment. But it's weird b/c last night my dietician said i was doing very well with weight gain. But I wasn't too concerned b/c i don't really count my weight at the doctors office. They make me weigh in with shoes! haha! BUT... as it turns out, I think I am retaining a bit too much water and you know why? HAM. yes.. because of HAM. The doctor said although I don't have a weight problem, to be careful since I jumped up there so quick. So she wanted to know what I eat. WELL, I told her since I don't like much of anything else I eat ham. Apparently the preservatives in ham has a lot of salt and therefore retains a lot of water. I should have known that but I didn't think. And then of course, being pregnant alone retains water (could have fooled me I pee like 20 times a day). And to top it all off, I haven't been drinking as much water as I normally do probably causing me to retain more. So solution? Drink more water. sigh... and I know this.


Anyway, so the doctor says what do you crave? I tell her nothing really. Although my appetite is better, I still don't like a lot of food. Still no poultry and beef... only certain cuts. But I haven't figured out what exactly. She says, "what about seafood?" "Well I LOVE seafood, but I have to limit it." "why?" "Well, because I thought for the mercury level." What she told me next was almost like telling me I can have all the ice cream I want. She said that in game fish, I should limit to once a week but anything else is unlimited. She has made my day! I know I just compared ice cream and fish which is really weird but to know I can have shrimp and salmon unlimited makes me so happy!!! So I'll have to have ham maybe as often as I used to have seafood and have seafood more often. And that is FINE by me. What a dummy I am. Why did I misunderstand her?


Anyway, so there is my 18 week picture. I did the whole pic this time b/c the little on I usually do from babycenter.com is just of the baby. This time it was just of the baby but more like an upside baby head with part of an umbilical cord by it's mouth. So I thought this picture looked better.


Changes? Bagel is about 5 1/2 inches now, the size of a bell pepper and nearly a 1 lb! I told my doctor that I've been waiting to feel movement but that I haven't felt any yet. She said I probably won't until closer to 20 weeks. She said veteran moms can feel them as early as 16 weeks and new moms as early as 18 but most don't usually feel anything until closer to 20. I guess I am just being impatient. But Bagel's heartbeat is doing good as usual so that's a relief! Not that I was worried but it's just reassuring.


I have the day off today! woo hoo! I normally go straight to work after my appointments, but I figured I should take the whole day off to get some things done. Christmas shopping... I still need to go out and complete that! Chores... ugh. But I need to do them while I'm still comfortable doing them. But it's been said that while pregnant, if you can take a day here or there off from work to do so. So I figure instead of taking half a day off on my doctors appointments, take the whole day. I'm sure chores and shopping aren't really resting but I just want it done before the holidays!


I think I'm starting to show a tad bit. Not a whole lot. I have a couple maternity shirts and with those on it doesn't look like it at all. But with the tank top I'm wearing at home. oh yeah. I got a belly. haha! but it's not completely rounded or hard yet.

The root of all my pain

is this damn cold weather! Well maybe not so much the cold weather, but the REALLY dry air! It makes my nose so dry it burns! and it burns so bad that I have this major headache. ugh. who'd have thought I'd ever wish for a little humidity?!


but enough of that b/c just thinking about it makes my head hurt more.


So I'm still getting a good amount of "it's a girl" but those who thought it was a boy still think that too. So we shall see. Those that believe it's a girl say I have my features back... which I think is a compliment. I think that means I'm not looking rough anymore. hahaha! but that may just be because I use moisturizer. haha! I don't know. But then there are people who are SURE it's a boy. My brother says that there's no way b/c all first borns in our family are boys. While that IS true, my mom's first was a girl. Yes she didn't make it, but she was the first.


Speaking of girls, I'm afraid that if I have one she'll be a capital B if you know what I mean. However, strong willed and not a push over. Now you wonder why I think that? Well both my neices are that way. And the more I analyze it, people say when my first neice was born and a baby, people say she is a lot like my mom was. Now if you've ever met or known my mom she was the SWEETEST most caring person you'd ever meet. HOWEVER, her siblings say that when she was younger she wasn't that way. In fact she was quite stubborn and strong willed... a bit like my neices. SO then that made me think about myself. How was I? And you know what, I haven't asked (mostly b/c I'm scared to hear the answer) but I think I am the same way! I think that as I've gotten older I'm a much nicer person (haha!) but younger I was pretty strong willed and stubborn myself. Not to say I was never nice and not to say my neices are never nice b/c they can be EXTREMELY sweet when they want to be. But still have that "I don't play" attitude. ATTITUDE. key word. haha! eeek!


So they say what goes around comes around. I will have to deal with myself, so to speak. How funny b/c Junior as a youngin' always got into a lot of trouble. I mean BIG trouble! I never did. I did everything by the book... maybe with attitude... but still by the book. haaha! I told him when our kids misbehave like he did, it will be all him. He needs to handle it. But NOW I'm thinking, dammit I will have to deal with attitude then! great. I guess that goes under the topic of 'The root of all my pain' too. great. haha! sure I laugh now but will I later?


On the bright side, both my neices again are very strong willed girls. They can be intimidating to other kids but still fun at the same time. basically they have a "don't F with me" attitude and I like that. They will push for what they want which can be a pain now, but later life be a good thing. I guess things balance out with age.


Ugh... my nose REALLY hurts. I'm suprised I haven't had a bloody nose yet... knock on wood.

Ham

I really like Ham!!! I went to Honey Hams Market Cafe for lunch yesterday and thought since I seem to have no problems with pork, let's try a ham sandwich. AND since my appetite is better than it was, I decided to try and reintroduce wheat into my diet to try and stray away from the processed stuff that I could only tolerate. And let me tell you, IT WAS GOOOOOD! I even had it with mustard and I could care less for mustard! But this sandwich, the country ham sandwich, was so damn good I think I want another one. mm! mmm!


Dammit. Now I'm hungry and I didn't drive today.

Dreams

I constantly have weird ass dreams. I can't help it. And some I would never repeat b/c they were REALLY weird... shocking... crazy. Not all, but some. Anyway, last night I dreamt I woke up this morning to find my belly more rounded and that line around your waist (that kind of defines a flab) was gone and filled to make my belly look really round. hahaha! I mean really, I think I really want to look pregnant already. Of course when I did wake up this morning, it still looked the same as the past few days.


Yesterday I went to my brother Mark's house to check out their new place. My sister in law, Lisa (whom I haven't seen since... I announced my pregnancy?) was kind of excited to see me b/c she wanted to see my belly. so I took off the big ol jacket and she said I'm still tiny. ok... that was great to hear but I REALLY don't feel that way! hahaha! Ok women. You know at least once a month when you feel like you can burst you're so bloated? And you kind of get frustrated b/c you feel nothing fits that day or few days? Well yes, that is how I feel ALL THE TIME. So again, it's doing a number on my mind but I'm trying to remember it's the pregnancy.


Oh my gosh! It was 17 weeks yesterday and I forgot to put my weekly update!


Ok, so there's the babycenter.com picture for 17 weeks. It says that by now, Bagel is about as heavy as a turnip (5 oz) and about 5 inches long. Oh man, everytime it's amazing to me. Every inch, every ounce! Also, Bagel's rubbery skeleton is now hardening into bones.


So this weeks update decide to focus on dreams. How crazy is that? That is why i love theis website. I experience something and right when I get an update, it's about what I'm experiencing! I mean talk about making it easier for me! So anyway, it defines some common dreams that pregnant women tend to have which makes me feel better because at least I know it's common and I'm not just having these crazy dreams out of no where. So I feel better.


A suggestion for this week from babycenter.com: start making a list of names with your partner and cross off anything the other does not like. I guess we should. Everyone is asking what names we have and we don't really have a lot. But we are willing to take suggestions! anyone???

Ready

to start showing already! Seriously. I feel like I'm really just getting big and not pregnant big. I know it has to do with the pregnancy, but it's messing with my mind. The belly doesn't look round enough yet. Maybe by christmas? please?

Stretchy pants

Yup... I got em. I had to. the jeans one anyway. I didn't like being without jeans I couldn't wear. I felt so sloppy all the time. At least with jeans you can wear em casual or dress them up. So I feel better. But they do have the maternity elastic waist and they feel soooooo good! haha! But I didn't get the one with the big ol panel in the front b/c those are too big for me. I think that's better to wear when you are further along. The one's I got said they can be worn from 0-9 months. So we'll see.


So I talked to my aunt today and she was asking how I was feeling and if I knew the sex yet. I told her that I won't know until Jan. 4 and she said, "oh... so you want to know?" "yeah! I have to know!" I mean don't get me wrong, I don't care if it's a boy or girl as long as Bagel is healthy. But I still want to know. Makes it exciting to know what you are planning for. Anyway, she said to keep it a secret from her. She doesn't want to know. But everyone else in the family wants to know. So I'm sure that although I don't say anything, she'll figure it out. Especially when the family is large, there are no secrets! haha! But we'll try. She's the first one I know of that wants it to be a secret. we'll see how that works out.

Back to being a boy

There was that period of time where everyone (including myself) was sure Bagel would be a boy. Even the ancient chinese chart said so... sort of. And then there was that period where suddenly the people I ran into swore Bagel would be a girl, so much so that I started to think... well maybe. Well today, we're back to it's going to be a boy. My brother was talking to my sis in law on the phone, but really she was talking to me through him to ask questions about my current pregnancy state. Anyway, she asked if we had names picked out and I told her (well really my brother) no, that we are waiting to find out the sex which won't be until January 4.


Well my brother tells me she said she would suggest to everyone to pitch in for an ultrasound machine so we can find out the sex. I didn't even know they had things like that! I knew they had dopplers, but I didn't know there were portable ultrsound machines... unless she was just being funny. ANYWAY, the point is my brother said, "There's no way it's a girl. It's has to be a boy. No one in out family ever has a girl first." And you know what? He's right. OH WAIT! he's WRONG! Our mom's first pregnancy was a girl, but she died shortly after birth. hmmm... so maybe. haha! But there is this ongoing pattern in our family of the first born being a boy. So maybe. Guess we'll just have to wait and see!

Did I mention...

that Bagel has toenails now and a fully working circulatory system??? how exciting is that?!

Much Better

So I had a rough couple of days there but today is much better! I'll just call that a pregnancy low. haha! Thanks for those who worried. :)


So I think I'll be showing really soon. I mean I kind of am already, but nothing that a t-shirt won't cover up. Plus my belly hasn't fully rounded yet so it can still just look like I ate too much. Last night Junior and I were examning my belly (haha!)and we can feel where the uterus is (a little below my belly button right now) and where I was (the pre-pregnancy me). Junior said, "whoa... you really are pregnant!" hahaha! It was kind of cute.


So last night my friend Sharleen called to tell me that Jaya is expecting too! Congratulations, Jaya! She's due about 3 months after me. She's also a bridesmaid in Sharleens wedding this July so now I am not alone on the dress worries! Will it fit? Will it be too small? I'm not worried if it's too big b/c I can alter that down, but too small would be a problem... and I'm really worried about that!


I've been REALLY trying to pay attention to what I'm feeling though. I want to know when Bagel kicks (or punches) me! i'm sure, though, that I won't realize it until I'm much further along. Sigh... January 4 seems so far away! Well it is! That's a whole month away! but then again, that's one less month of my pregnancy and only one month left in my second trimester. eeeek!!! Again, so far away and time flying by so quickly all at the same time.


But I am looking forward to being able to wear maternity clothes b/c right now I am dressing really frumpy... and I don't like frumpy.

16 Weeks!

Oh my gosh! Here I am complaining about stressing out and I totally forgot that today marks my 16th week! Well there's something to lift my spirits! Wow I am such a wuss... a crybaby. sheesh. I need to be a man (so to speak).


So here's the babycenter.com pic for 16 weeks. Parents.com only has monthly pics. It's so interesting to me that week from week when I read what the updates are online, it's like right on with me. For instance, today it talked about a pain a woman could experience at this time called a round ligament pain which basically is due to the ligaments strectching and thickening as the uterus grows to support it. Ok but here's the crazy thing. It says that you may feel the pain in your bikini line area shooting upward and outward towards your hips. How crazy is it that JUST today I felt that exact pain!? So that's why I say my pregnancy is right on with these weekely updates. It's kind of cool. Makes me think that my EDD (estimated due date) is probably really close to when Bagel will make his/her first appearance in this crazy ass world.


What else did I learn? That Bagel is probably about the size of an avocado and about 4 1/2 inches long and 3 1/2 oz. But, in just about a few weeks that is supposedly all going to double. eeeek!!! :)


I've also noticed that I can eat! Not necessarily anything as there are still amny things I don't like, but at least I can eat something that Bagel will agree to and eat all of it! But on the other hand, I need to be careful because then I may pack on some unnecessary pounds and I don't want that! I really need to get this prenatal yoga video I saw. They have it Barnes & Noble, but for $20 and I know amazon.com has it for like $12! So we'll see. I just hope I get it sooner rather than later before it's too late! Atleast I go walking which I probable should do more of. I only do it on the weekends.

Getting better...

Ok so I am a little less stressed than I was yesterday, but the stress is still there a little. I think yesterday I just had it mixed with my emotions (welcome to pregnancy) and it really got to me. Today I don't have the mix of emotions but the stress is still there a little. And it never fails, of course, that every holiday I feel stressed. Sigh... life moves on and things pass so I'll just try to keep that in mind.

Stressing out

Having one of those days where all I'm thinking about are finances. How are we going to do it? Money's tight as it is. arghhh... I really could cry right now.

Spreading the news...

Saturday was the Bicol Christmas party and I hadn't seen most of those people for a while! Anyway, I knew I had to tell them that we are expecting b/c they ALWAYS ask when we will have kids. So of course I greet everyone and after I greet them they ask the oh so popular question, PROBABLY with expectations that I will respond with, "maybe in a year or two." By the way is really funny because that is the response I used starting 3 years ago. Guess no one caught on to that.


ANYWAY, so I gave them a different answer (than my usual one) and caught them all off guard. But it was great because they were all excited. That's always a cool feeling. And it was funny b/c they said I looked thinner since Sept which is odd because I gained about 5 lbs since then. Guess I dressed well that day. hahah! even with my new stretchy slacks! elastic waitbands are my new best friend right now.


Well I can feel that pretty soon I will start to show b/c I have a bit of a belly now but nothing that anyone can really tell. But I just know that probably by the end of this month it will be a little more obvious. But I'm actually looking forward to it b/c right now it's SO frustrating this "in-between" stage! Not pregnant enough for maternity clothes but too big for my regular clothes. Very, very frustrating! And I must say, shopping is NOT fun right now. Quite depressing. So I'll be happy when I can fit into something well again, even if it's maternity clothes.


My brother just gave me a picture of my neice and nephew on Santa's lap... oh my! PRICELESS!!! I need to scan that one in! My neice must have been throwing a fit b/c she does NOT look happy in that picture! AND she's nothing but all lips! Her lips are so huge that's the first thing you see! haha! so cute, though!

The Origin of Bagel

Oh yeah. So i'm not sure if I addressed this in any of my past blogs and really don't feel like going back to check so I'll just make a new one. I've had a few people ask why we call Bagel, well, Bagel. So here goes.


There was a comedian we saw at the Laff Stop one time and I don't remember quite what he was talking about but it ended with him pulling up his shirt, making an "O" with both hands and placing it over his belly button. So if you can imagine, if you are not perfect with a flat flat stomach, it will look like a bagel! so anyway, since that day, I would always refer to my stomach as a bagel because even though I had lost all this weight, my stomach was never flat, flat. I still had a bagel.


So one day, after we already knew we were pregnant, Junior pat my belly and said, "hello Bagel" referring to the baby of course! And it's stuck since then. Plus it works since we don't know if Bagel is a girl or boy yet and we can't say he or she just yet, AND it's better than referring to Bagel as "it."


So that's it! That is how Bagel came to be, well, Bagel!

Mother in law

So yesterday was my mother in law's birthday. Junior called to tell her happy birthday for us and they talked a little; normal how are you doing etc stuff. Of course she asks how I'm doing and with the pregnancy and all. THEN she tells Junior that she has already bought Bagel something! How exciting!!! I mean, regardless of what it would be the fact that she is already buying Bagel stuff means she's excited! Not that I doubted she would (ok maybe a little) but I knew she was excited when we told her. Anyway, she bought Bagel a Leap Frog. How cool is that??? Those things can be pricey! I'm so excited! Maybe I'm especially excited since this is Bagel's only living grandparent. But let's not go there before I get emotional. However, Junior's aunt and uncle have always been like parents to him and so we consider them grandparents to Bagel too.


Ok I can't help but I thought oh man, mom and dad would have been so excited I can't imagine how much they'd do for Bagel before Bagel even gets here. Hurts my heart a little.


OK ANYWAY, do not make a pregnant get more emotional than she already is. MOVING ON. So my sis in law also gave me a set of clothes for Bagel! they're not new or anything, but still very meaningful. It's a Mickey Mouse pajama set that both my neice and nephew wore when they were babies. So it's kind of neat that Bagel will get to share that with them. Especially since my neice and nephew are 9 and 10 years old respectively! My how time flies by. In fact, by the time I have Bagel my nephew will be 11 years old! OH MY GOODNESS... AND he will be finishing up elemntary and on his way to middle school!!! Oh man... time flies by so quick! I can still remember when I started middle school like it wasn't that long ago. Hmmm... maybe I need a wake up call. You are NOT THAT young, Gail. haha!


I can't wait for Bagel to come join us in this world. I wonder what he/she will look like. More like me? More like Junior? Neither of us? haha! I hope Bagel doesn't get my nose though. It's very flat. haha! Although I (have learned to) love my nose, I hope Bagel is more fortunate than I am! Junior doesn't want any of our kids to look like him at all! I don't know why! He says he hopes all our kids look like me. I guess I should take that as a compliment. But I want our kids to look like both of us!


Well this week on babycenter.com, it's suggested we start talking to Bagel now. I can't wait but at the same time i'm a little bit at a loss of words! haha! Maybe because even though I know Bagel is there, since I haven't felt Bagel or even show it's almost like i'm not pregnant. So then I feel I might just be talking to my belly and not Bagel. Well I'll make that my goal this week. Talk to Bagel!

15 weeks!

Duh! I forgot to mention in my last blog that today I am officially 15 weeks! how could I forget? I guess the pain my pants were causing me to forget. Or it's because i'm pregnant. haha! Anyway, there's the babycenter.com picture for 15 weeks. So now Bagel should be about 4 inches long and 2 - 2 1/2 oz heavy. eeek! How exciting! Something cool I learned was that although Bagel's eyelids are fused shut right now, they say the fetus can still detect light. so if you were to take a flash light and beam the light on your belly, more than likely the fetus will move away. How cool is that? Ok but here's the cooler part. They say that around 16-22 weeks is when you first feel the baby kick! Oh man! 16 weeks is NEXT WEEK! I can't wait! Kick me Bagel! Kick me! haha! I'm just hoping I feel it sooner rather than later. I mean we already have to wait until January 4 to find out the sex so give me this. Let me feel Bagel kick next week! There I go again getting my hopes up. Oh well! I don't care.

I'm worried though that I might not even know that Bagel kicked me. What if I just discount it as something else. Man... I hope I know it's a kick. They say that first time moms usually don't know they are being kicked in the beginning. But supposedly you feel them more when you are sitting or lying down quietly. Something to do with the lack of movement that your baby kicks and punches because they want you to move. haha!


Sure I laugh now like it's cute but I'm sure once Bagel is here in the world, it won't always be so cute.

I gave in

Today at lunch I went to Target and bought myself some pants. I couldn't take it. My jeans were hurting me EVEN with the top button down! But, I still am not big enough for maternity pants. So I bought me some $10 sweats. haha! They may not be pretty but Bagel feels better and therefore so do I!


I'm feeling my appetite coming back. Although I'm still picky, at least I can eat things. So I need to be careful about that.

My jeans

are starting to be a little too tight in my waist area. When I stand, it's fine. it JUST fits. well... maybe it it's a tad bit tight standing but bearable. But when I sit, oh my. It's not cool. Last night Junior and I went to the movies (we watched Enchanted, very cute movie!). After sitting for about half an hour I was so uncomfortable that I proceeded to unbotton my pants. Junior was just laughing at me. Luckily there were only 3 other people in the theatre and not on our row. I looked down and my goodness... it was like rising dough. hahaha! but it felt good! I think I should seriously invest in one of those belly extender things. The only thing is the ones I always see are UGLY! hahaha! I once saw somewhere in a magazine one that was pretty cool looking. I need to find that magazine.

The big day...

is January 4, 2009! So far away it seems! That's the day we get to find out if Bagel is a boy or girl. Well, assuming Bagel cooperates anyway. Man did I get my hopes up high for this last appointment, huh? Shoot... I wasn't EVEN close! My cousin told me to complain of a stomach pain so that they would do the ultrasound earlier. hahaha! but I'm thinking... would my insurance cover that??? Maybe since apparently I have great insurance! haha! But I think I'll just wait until January 4. Junior, of course, mentions here and there that we CAN find out sooner if we wanted. But I'm thinking that that is an extra $200 or so blood test that is not covered by insurance just to find the sex out. So I think I'll wait. Although the blood test would be much more accurate than the ultrasound but still. I'll take my chances and save a buck.


So I did a little Christmas shopping this weekend. I did VERY little on Friday because really, I was not in the mood to be trampled on by those crazy ass folks who camped out the night before just to wait for the stores to open at 4am! Freakin' out of your minds folks! ANYWAY, most of my shopping was for the kiddos since our list of kids has grown to 13! sheesh! When did that happen??? But as I was doing some shopping it dawned on me that wow, this time next year I can shop for Bagel's first Christmas!!! eeek! That little thing is going to be SPOIL-ED! awwww.... I can't wait. Well sometimes I can. hahaha! When I start to think about how much our lives and finances will change. (slightly stressed) BUT, it will be worth it. Everyone says that although you go through so much and so many changes with a new one, it's well worth it and nothing compares. I can believe that. I mean I think about when my parents passed how much I realized I really love them. I mean I know I love them but you feel it more I guess once they're gone. And then to know that it's possible to love someone even more is amazing. I can't imagine! Sometimes I think it's impossible, but then I hear it all the time. Your kids are the most important to you. So that will be interesting.


So I did buy a couple bra's for myself this weekend, but that was quite the necessity! I was spilling out of my last one and feeling the pain I might add. So I finally gave in and bought myself two maternity/nursing bras with the great support! I feel MUCH better! But I have to say, the nursing bra's are kind of weird. hahaha! i mean I know they are made that way for nursing but it's still a little weird. I'm hoping these bra's last me long and I don't grow out of them too soon.... or at all for that matter! But they say that since most women grow out of bras quickly that it's best to buy just two. One to wear while the other is being washed. So that's what I did.


And can I just say for the record, I am shocked there aren't more maternity places around! I mean there are always pregnant women around so someone tell me why most malls either have NO maternity store or just one! And then many department stores don't even carry maternity clothes! The ones that do maybe have 2, MAYBE 3 racks to choose from and that's it! Now there are those stand alone stores like Old Navy and Gap, etc that carry maternity clothes but very FEW of their locations atually have them in store. Otherwsie you need to order online. Crazy isn't it? I figured that with all the pregnant women in the world, there might be a store or two more acessible than there is right now. Oh well, what can you do right? Although, I'm VERY thankful that Target has a maternity section and with cute clothes I might add! I tried on this super cute dress yesterday and it was on sale for $13! I didn't get it though. I didn't feel pregnant enough to wear it and well yes, maybe I could wear it later but then I thought it would be best to buy as I need. That should keep me from spending what I don't need to.


I wonder at what point will I show? I used to think that by Christmas I would but at this rate I'm thinking maybe not. Then again, my sis in law said I will be surprised. I will go to bed one night and wake up the next morning with a bump that grew overnight. haha! That would be interesting. Until then, I'm still not showing folks.

Second Trimester!

I am officially in my second trimester! woo hoo! The first one just flew by didn't it? Seems like it. So changes thus far? None really. But I guess compared to the first trimester overall, my appetite has improved but is still a work in progress. I've learned that I can do without meat. I still eat it to get the protein but the dietician at my nutrition class suggested I also try getting protein from things like kidney beans and black beans. Why didn't I think of that? So I'll be giving that a try. Right now the only thing that sits well with me are fruits and vegetables. Weird huh? Don't get me wrong, I can eat other things but the only thing I really enjoy are fruits and vegetables. Oh, and chocolate. haha! What would a pregnancy be without the love of chocolate, right. Anyway, this is the picture of my 14th week from babycenter.com. BUT, I also kind of like the picture that parents.com had too. so here that is.

OK, so the big question is, is Bagel a boy or a girl??? I still don't know. I really did get my hopes up to high! Darn. At my last appointment we hear the heartbeat (Junior's first time) but this time we got to hear movement! eeek! It was so cool. I mean really, it was just a wooshing or squirming of noice, but as soon as the doctor said that was movement me and Junior had kool-aid smiles plastered on our face. She kept the doppler there for a bit, but I guess the movement noise became more apparent and the doctors reaction of, "ok ok ok i'll stop" had me thinking that maybe Bagel didn't like being pressed on like that! hehe... kind of cute.

So anyway, I figured I'll get my ultrasound at my next appointment which is 18 weeks... NOPE! oh geez! She gave me this form (which they faxed to the hospital) for me to call in and schedule my 20 week ultrasound. I guess they don't do that in the office. The ultrasound machine she had in the office was a little weird since it was internal. I don't know. But that will be when we find out. Man, we won't even know for Christmas! :( It's ok I guess.

However, there has been a change in opinion. Up until lately, most people have been guessing that Bagel is a boy, me included. Lately, I've been getting guesses that Bagel is a girl. My cousins and one of my cousin's friends think I am having a girl. My cousin Imacel had a little get together at her house Wednesday night before Thanksgiving. Her baby girl was sitting on Imacel's friend, Brandy's lap. I barely touched her and Mykaella just started screaming and crying! And I normally have a good effect on children. Brandy and Imacel just both looked at me and said, "you're having a girl." ok... maybe. I don't know. Then late Imacel's mom, Ate Chelie (who is actually my frist cousin) was asking me how I've been feeling and doing and she looked at me and said, "I think you are having a girl." Today, I'm talking to my friend Muna (who just had her son this past September) and she was asking how I've been feeling etc. So I told her about my appetite and things and SHE thinks I am having a girl too because of my symptoms. Hmmm... maybe? All I know is I'm starting to think... maybe I am. Guess we won't know until week 20! arghh!!! so far from now, but then again it's not. Crazy thing is, I may start to show by then! But maybe not. haha! Guess we'll just have to wait and see.

Anxious again...

So this Wednesday I hit the 14th week and my offical first week of my second trimester. Man does time fly by fast. I think I need to get to steppin' on getting ready for Bagel to come. Or as Junior would call it, Bagel delivery. hehe... it's cute!

Well if you weren't already aware, I'm so anxious for this appointment because I think, well I HOPE I get to find the sex out. But the more I think of it, my appointment after this one would be a more ideal time to try and determine the sex because by then I'll be 18 weeks already. So I've heard and read that some people are able to find the sex out as early as 12-13 weeks but that most know around 18-20 weeks. But I'm thinking if Bagel is a boy, then it should be pretty easy to figure out b/c there will be an appendage (sp?) there. Oh man, if she doesn't do an ultrasound, I think I will be totally crushed. sigh... but then again, atleast at 18 weeks it will be right before Christmas and it'll be like a Christmas gift. But who says we can't have Thanksgiving gifts?

Well this week is going to be pretty cool. Off Wednesday and Thursday and half day Friday. woo hoo! I love days where I can sit and do nothing! oh man! Sunday... I don't know what my deal was! I mean I GUESS it was the pregnancy but I was SO freakin' tired! I must have taken like three 2-3 hour naps the whole day. AND I still went to bed around 10:30p. Well I take that back. I went to bed at 10:30p but I was watching tv. So maybe I actually fell asleep around 11:00p-ish. I thought the tired periods would be over at this point but I don't know... maybe it was a 'one last time' before the second trimester? shoot! I don't know! I mean I was so tired that just loading the dishes into the washer... I had to sit! hahah! what a wimp I am! I tell Junior all the time that I am such a wimp. We can go out somewhere and I see these woman with their bellys out to there with kids just walking around doing whatever they need and here I am, not even showing, complaining I'm tired or I can't eat anything. hahaha! I'm such a wimp! Junior always tries to justify my actions by saying that it's because I'm in my first trimester and that it's the most tiring and adjusting period. And then I try to justify it by saying that for a while there I got so used to being so healthy and feeling so good every single day that these changes just turn me upside down. But really, I think I'm just a wimp! haha! I need to step it up and be a man... so to speak.

13 Weeks Today!

OOO!!! Fancy schmancy! haha... I got this 13 week picture off parents.com. I like it better than the drawing for 13 weeks on babycenter.com.

So let's see. Not much new yet. Although people say I'm not showing, I sure do feel like it! I'm ready to look pregnant and not like I'm just gaining weight already! But supposedly I have about a month before that happens. Who knows. Everyone's different.

They say that pregnant women tend to have some really vivid and bizarre dreams. Oh man I can't tell you how true that is! Last night, in a nutshell, I had this dream. In it was this girl I knew back in middle school (whom I haven't seen or heard from since!) but her name was something else... the name of a girl I went to high school with who looks nothing like the middle school girl and I also haven't seen or heard from since. In fact, the girl form high school I wasn't even that close with! We just had a few classes together! Ok, so I offered a cousin of mine if she wanted me to striaghten her hair with my Chi which she declined. So the middle school girl with the high school girls name wanted me to straighten hers. Ok. Except her hair was in braids! Mind you the middle school girl (and the high school girl for that matter) are both white so she looked pretty funny with all the braids! But in my dream, I wasn't sure how to take them out before I straightened it. So I turned and this guy, whose name I can't even remember, that I met on a cruise (and no, it's not like that) was there and I asked him how to take the braids out since he had some. He told me to cut the rubber bands from the top. I don't even know if that's how it works! hahaha! He said he'd do it himself, but he was hooking up with one of the lab's clients! hahahaha! and this lady is realllly old and such a christian! hahaha! oh man. So I teurn back to the middle school girl WHO all of a sudden is Ashley Simpson. hahahahaha! I didn't need to straighten her hair anymore! And that was the end. How WEIRD was that? Having dreams of people I totally forgot about until now mixed in with a celebrity!? I don't know.

Salad

I think I figured it out. I like salads! And salads without meat! Weird huh? But it's true. I like going to Souper Salad or Sweet Tomato b/c it's a buffet so I can sample what I like and what I don't like AND it's salad! My stomach seems to always agree with salad. Of course with specific things. Usually just lettuce, spinach, tomatos, onions, sunflower seeds, croutons and fat free italian. mmm! mm! Oh and do I LOVE tomatos! Makes me smile when I eat them. BUT they have to be fresh. For some reason tomato sauce, ugh. No wonder I could never eat my spaghetti or lasagana. Junior was like, "oh great. my kid is going to be a vegetarian." hahaha... I doubt it, I still eat meat b/c I need to but I could go without it. very weird. But whatever. At least now I know for sure what food will always be cool with me.

So body changes. Well... I think I'm losing my ass. It really is sad b/c I didn't have much to begin with and now... well geez. I mean the girls and my belly are growing but my back end seems to be disappearing. Doesn't that suck? hopefully that will be temporary or I will have to do some crazy lunges after the baby comes.

WHICH, oh my. I'm slightly nervous. Yesterday I went with my friend Sharleen to David's Bridal. She is getting married July 12 next year and earlier this year (around August) we (the bridesmaids) got our dresses. WELL... then shortly after I find out I'm pregnant and I already have the dress! So we go to David's Bridal to see if we can exchange the dress size since by that time I will have already had the baby, but it will still be fairly soon afterwards. the sales lady asks what size I want. Shoot! I don't know! I have no clue what my size will be at that time. So I trust her judgement. Hoping that she's dealt with situations like this before and kind of knows what women like me need to do in these situations. So I tell her I'm due May 21 and the wedding is July 12. She asks how the dress fits me now and I tell her perfect. Like I don't need any alterations to it... right now anyway. So she says she is going to order me one size bigger and that if I need to I can alter it down. Now... I'm a little nervous. Does she really think I will be that close to my prepregnancy size by that time? I mean I don't know, I have no clue. She's looking me up and down and says that to get me two sizes bigger may be way too big. I guess. All I know is I will REALLY have to watch my weight gain during this pregnancy and do my best to try and work it off afterward. But that should be good motivation for me to work towards my prepregnancy weight.

This past weekend I bought my first set of maternity clothes. Although, I probably don't really need maternity clothes yet, but I got this velour suit that I can actually wear now and can see that it will grow with me. So that's cool. I tried on maternity jeans... uh yeah. not even CLOSE to that point yet. I just looked like a fool in those things.

ONE MORE WEEK UNTIL MY NEXT APPOINTMENT!!! I hope we're lucky and Bagel cooperates and we get to find out the sex! how sucky would that be if she didn't do an ultrasound! I shouldn't get my hopes up but too late. I already did!

Boy or girl?

Ok, so I found a new site to also check out. It's parents.com and they have some cool stuff on there. There's this ancient chinese chart that supposedly predicts the sex of your baby with 93% accuracy. It does so by tracking the month you conceived and your age at the time you conceived. Ok, so for me it's August and I was (still am) 28 years old. So this is what the chinese chart predicts:







I really do think it's a boy! But ok, then it says based on my age here is the likelihood of having a boy or girl:








Ooooook! So now it's 50/50. great. hahaha! Oh man I'm getting my hopes up for my next appt and hoping we find out if Bagel is a boy or girl.

hee...hee...

Just doing a little reading and Bagel should be about 3 inches long right now. So big so fast but yet, still so tiny!

oh just kidding...

I said my next appointment was next week didn't I? I mean in TWO weeks. Sheesh... can we say anxious?

12 Weeks!

I am officially 12 weeks! There's a little picture I got from babycenter.com to give me an idea of what Bagel might look like right now. Big difference from the 8 week picture, huh? Here's the 12 weeks excerpt from babycenter.com:

The most dramatic development this week: Reflexes. Your baby's fingers will soon begin to open and close, his toes will curl, his eye muscles will clench, and his mouth will make sucking movements. In fact, if you prod your abdomen, your baby will squirm in response, although you won't be able to feel it. His intestines, which have grown so fast that they protrude into the umbilical cord, will start to move into his abdominal cavity about now, and his kidneys will begin excreting urine into his bladder.Meanwhile, nerve cells are multiplying rapidly, and in your baby's brain, synapses are forming furiously. His face looks unquestionably human: His eyes have moved from the sides to the front of his head, and his ears are right where they should be. From crown to rump, your baby-to-be is just over two inches long (about the size of a lime) and weighs half an ounce.

Eeeeek! So exciting! I can't wait until my next appointent next week. Hoping I get an ultrasound which I'm pretty sure I will... hopefully! Maybe I shouldn't get my hopes up to high.

We've been getting Jake to try and kiss Bagel (well my belly). Jake, in case you weren't aware, is our dog... almost like our first born. haha! Anyway, he knows the command "kiss" and so we've been pointing to my belly and saying, "kiss." Well it hasn't worked yet, but a few times he plops his head down on my belly. But I don't think that's because he can sense Bagel or anything. He just likes to act like he's still a puppy. haha! Junior can't wait until my belly gets a little bigger and Jake rests his head on my belly. He wants a picture of that so bad. I think it'll be pretty cool!

Been a minute...

since I've blogged. But I guess that's because I really don't have much to update. Let's see... I lost a couple pounds about a week or so ago because I just didn't want to eat. I DID eat, but not much. So that was bad. It's kind of hard to eat when nothing is good to you. Anyway, I've since gained those pounds back and although most food STILL doesn't sound good to me, I can actually eat things and finish it. Not always, but sometimes. So that's an improvement. I haven't had Saltine crackers for a few days now, so maybe I don't need to be dependent on those anymore.

This week marks my 12th week! Crazy isn't it? How fast time passes by. I'm heading into my 2nd trimester really soon! I'm not showing yet, so I STILL don't feel pregnant although I am definitely experienceing all the pregnancy symptoms!

Next appt is on the 21st which will be 14 weeks for me. Hopefully the doctor will be able to determine the sex of the baby on that day! Everyone pray that Bagel cooperates! If not, then I'll have to wait a whole month. Though, it might make for a nice Christmas gift!

Self Control

If I had lack of self control I think I might be crying right now. I'm so happy I finished my food I could cry!

I think I found acceptable food!

So it's lunch time and as always it's like... ugh... what can I eat? I know I have to eat, but I don't have the appetite for it even though I'm really hungry. Make sense? Anyway, so the norm is I usually get something, try it and after a few bites it's like... ugh. Don't want it anymore. So I have one of the guys here at the lab (usually IJ) finish my food.

So today I decide, let's try chinese. Not that I haven't already tried chinese, but maybe a different plate this time. So I get sweet and sour pork and crispy shrimp. Let me tell you, so far so good! I'm happy at the moment! Needless to say, as I was telling my friend Andrea, I've noticed the pregnant "attitude" has made itself apparent. But maybe, it's just because I haven't the appetite for so long that I'm getting cranky. I don't know. It's probably horomones. We'll see.

But at least I'm eating! yay!

oh yeah, so last night was Halloween right? We went to my oldest brother's house and they ordered pizza. I found that the thin crust hamburger pizza was acceptable for me, although I didn't really enjoy it. But at least I can stand to eat it. So I ate a little more than usual because well, i haven't been eating well and that's not good. ANYWAY, so this morning as I'm changing getting ready for work, Junior pats my belly and says good morning to Bagel. But he keeps looking at my belly, even as he is walking away. I'm thinking... ok... but whatever. I'm too tired to ask. then he says, "Is that a pregnancy bump?" With excitement I might add. Unfortunately, I broke the news to him that it was a pizza bump. hahaha! He said, "oh. sorry." hahaha! I thought it was funny.

One more thing. I think I may never (knock on wood) have 5 kids! hahaha! Last night I was excited to go walk around the neighborhood with the kids. Maybe they can even score me some good candy. So it was my neice, nephew and 3 of their friends. All of which, I might add, are very different. One was like speedy Gonzales just out there to get the job done almost running from house to house to get his candy. My neice, on the other hand, LOVES to socialize. "I love your dog!" "I know your daughter." "I'm a pirate." etc. Oh my, and I just want to keep all the kids together and mind you, one is running from house to house practically and the other taking their sweet time and then I have 3 in between. One is 13 yrs old, so you think no problem. Which really, I didn't have a problem with her although she LOVED to tell the little ones what to do. hahaha! One was all, "let's go home. my bag is heavy. my foot hurts." and the other one with a mind of his own. Fast one minute, slow the next. So i forgot to tell them to score me some good stuff b/c the whole time I am making sure I can count to 5. oh and I felt a bit like a mom. "Stay there until everyone catches up!" "nobody walk behind me, I want to see all 5 heads in front of me." "slow down!" "catch up!" hahahaha! I told them at one point, "I'm going to call you guys my Jackson 5." They all just looked at me like, "who is Jackson?"

Murder Mystery

Ok, so this is not REALLY about Bagel but I wanted to share. Last Saturday I had a murder mystery party at my brother's house and it went pretty damn good I must say! Thanks to all who came and put all that effort into participating! Everyone looked great! I'll have pics up here in a little while. Been feeling a little ugh lately, so give me a few.

Appointment #2

Yay! I heard Bagels heartbeat today! I can't describe how amazing a feeling it is when you hear that. I'm 10 weeks and my doctor said that normally you hear the heartbeat at 11 weeks, but there are times you can hear it at 10 so she wanted to try. She scan me with the doppler twice before she finally found the little guy (she called him that! must be a boy. haha!) sitting low. 172 beats. crazy isn't it? But she said it was perfect. I was so happy that after my appointment I immediately called Junior to tell him. After that I wanted to call my mom and dad. :( yeah... a bit of a downer, i know. I got a little emotional... to myself of course... well and I guess to whoever actually reads this. But it's ok. I know they were there. I'm still happy I heard Bagel's heartbeat!

Easing into the second trimester... maybe

Well the whole sickness thing isn't so bad anymore but I'm not sure if that's because I've been living off of Saltine crackers in the morning or what. I'm too scared to see what my day will be like if I don't have Saltines in the morning b/c that could potentially ruin the whole day.

But maybe I'm just easing away from the sickness thing as i get closer to the second trimester. Wow! I can't believe I'm almost there. I still don't feel pregnant, I guess since I am not showing yet.

Anyway, I have another doctors appointment tomorrow so we'll see how that goes. I hope seh gives me another picture, but probably not.

I do experience morning sickness...

just not in the morning only but more like until late afternoon to early evening. That's a long freakin' time, huh? But I just realized it. I thought maybe it was that I don't like a lot of foods right now... which I still think is partly true. But I found one (like spaghetti) that I do like and when I got it for lunch today I couldn't eat but 2 or 3 bites.

So I did research online and apparently "morning sickness" (which isn't always in the morning, but they just refer to the pregnancy sickness as morning sickness) isn't always accompanied with vomiting. Thank God I have not experienced that... although I gag here and there. But that's the extent of it. And after I read that it's not always accompanied by vomiting I thought, "duh." It makes sense why didn't that occur to me earlier?

Anyway, that website I found had some helpful tips on how to alleviate. So if I'm lucky, this will go away in about 3 weeks and I can use that list to alleviate for 3 weeks. I'm praying that I will be lucky!

Oh yeah, at 9 weeks the embryo has all four chambers in the heart and the genitals are there but not developed enough to determine sex. How exciting!

Bleh

what a sucky day. i've had this headache all day along. It's not major, but enough to bother me. I know that although I can't take most medicines, i've been told I can take tylenol and I think I read that too. But I'm playing it safe until the doctor says it's ok. hopefully this headache will not persist because my next appointment isn't until a week from now. I'm still in a phase where I get hungry but nothing really sounds good. I've been trying all different things to see what Bagel considers acceptable but so far nothing really. Don't get me wrong, I can tolerate SOME food and so I eat because I need to but I'm not really enjoying anything right now. i'm mainly eating b/c I have to. ugh.

I PRAY this goes away or at least lessens by the second trimester because I am over it already. seriously. Let's move on.

So I'm 9 weeks this week which means only 3 more weeks left in the first trimester. Can I make it? haha... I'm going to have to.

Old wives tales...

I did a search online to see the different wives tales out there as to how you can tell the sex of your baby. There are some crazy ones out there! I'm posting them for your entertainment:


Carrying High, Carrying Low

The way you are carrying during your pregnancy is one of the most oft cited ways of determining the sex of your baby. The general story goes that, if you're carrying low, you're having a boy. If you are carrying high, then you must be having a girl. Science says "NO, NO, NO!" to this: the way you carry is determined by muscle and uterine tone as well as the position of your baby. But who's to say that boys don't like being lower in their mom's stomach while girls prefer a view from the top?


What Your Urine Says

This next test to determine a baby's sex may not be for everyone, although it is very simple. Just take a sample of your urine and mix it with Drano. Depending on the color change of your urine, you will have a boy or a girl. Unfortunately, there is no consensus on what color equals which sex. So, if you do decided to try this and your urine turns bluish yellow, brownish, brown, black or blue you will be having a boy. If your urine looks more greenish brown, green, blue or doesn't change at all, then you're having a girl. But be warned: if you decide to do this test, there could be some pretty harsh fumes produced - not to mention the possibility of an explosion!.


Heartbeats

One belief that has been around for some time, and even had some acceptance in the medical community at one point, is that the fetal heartbeat differs for boys and girls. If you're having a girl, then the fetal heart rate will be above 140. A boy will have a heart rate below 140. However, that pesky science has reared its little head again to say that this is complete fiction. A baby's heart rate is not affected by its sex until it is born, when a girl's heart rate will increase considerably compared with boys during labor.


Craving Something…Sweet?

Many people believe that your cravings are caused by the sex of your baby. So, if you can't get enough chocolate, you could be having a girl. Does the idea of drinking straight lemon juice sound delicious to you? Then those sour cravings are a result of the little boy inside of you. However, if you go by the scientists, then some of them will claim that you're not even having cravings because cravings just don't exist.


Weight Gain

Thankfully, this one doesn't refer to your weight gain. The belief is that, if your husband puts on weight during your pregnancy, then you will be having a girl. If he doesn't put on a pound, then you're carrying a boy.


Is Her Face Round and Full?

Some say that the shape and fullness of your face during pregnancy can indicate your baby's sex. Every woman gains weight differently during pregnancy, and every woman experiences different skin changes. If people tell you that because your face is round and rosy you are having a girl, they might be right - but it's just as likely that they are wrong!


At-Home Tests

Here's a test that you can do next time you change or get out of the bath. Look in the mirror at your breasts. If the right one is larger, you're having a boy! A larger left breast indicates a girl (if they're the same size, does that mean you're having one of each?).

H old a pendant over your hand. If the necklace swings back and forth, you're having a boy. If it is more of a circular motion, then it's a girl. This can also be done by suspending a ring on a string above your belly.

Do you have acne? Some believe that getting acne during your pregnancy indicates you're carrying a girl. Maybe the acne is caused by twice the amount of female hormones?

Pick up a key. If you've picked it up by the thinner end, you're having a girl. Picking it up by the bottom, rounder part means a boy is on the way. Did you pick it up by the middle? Then congratulations! You're having twins!

Ask yourself what you think you're having. In a study that asked women with no previous knowledge about their baby's sex, the moms-to-be correctly guessed the sex of their baby 71% of the time.

An idea of what Bagel looks like now...

Here's a little clip (and pic) from babycenter.com on what Bagel might look like at 8 weeks.

"Webbed fingers and toes are poking out from your baby's hands and feet, his eyelids practically cover his eyes, breathing tubes extend from his throat to the branches of his developing lungs, and his "tail" is just about gone. In his brain, nerve cells are branching out to connect with one another, forming primitive neural pathways. You may be daydreaming about your baby as one sex or the other, but the external genitals still haven't developed enough to reveal whether you're having a boy or a girl. Either way, your baby — about the size of a kidney bean — is constantly moving and shifting, though you still can't feel it."

Now you know, your genitals are newer than your fingers and toes. haha!

Grumpy

I'm hungry, but still nothing sounds good. I have a headache, but can't take anything. Sleep... pssh. I don't consider waking up every hour sleep. I'm grumpy today.

i forgot

to mention that during our doctors visit we could see the tiny hearbeat going a mile a minute! :)

Still on cloud 9

I'm still so excited about our first ultrasound pic! I can't get over it. haha! i really have nothing new to tell. i'm still frustrated about eating, though. i get so hungry but nothing sounds good to me! i've learned that chicken and turkey are a no go for me. sometime's I can eat beef and sometimes not. I think it depends on the cut/type. So far I think ground is ok. Things I used to love like grainy or bran type things... uh-uh. That's a no go too. sheesh. what does Bagel want?!

More and more everyday I am believing that Bagel is a boy. I only say this b/c everyday I wake up with a new zit on my face. How lovely is that? But because I should not use certain facewashes and pimple creams my doctor said, "soap and water. that's it." that's it!? sucks for me! But she had a point. She said that happens to some people when pregnant b/c their hormones are out of whack. But that once you have the baby, it goes away right away. Great... so 7 more months of acne. how fun.

Meet Bagel!

Here's our first picture of Bagel! You might know but just in case, the white blob inside the black space is the embryo (not quite a fetus yet... I think maybe in a few weeks). The rounded part on the right is the head. On top of the blob looking embryo in the middle is a hand. To the left is the foot and right below (near the foot) is the umbilical cord. How cool is that? woo hoo!

My First Appointment!

woo hoo!!! Finally, some validation! So we went to the doctor today (who by the way is VERY, VERY nice and I'm glad I went with her) and as it turns out I am further along than I thought. I'm 2 months already! Here I am thinking 5-6ish weeks but it's more like 8 weeks! So our official estimated due date is May 21, 2008. I'm so excited! AND, we got a our first picture of our little bagel! You can already make out where the head, hands, feet and umblical cord is! eeeek!!!!! I'm going to post that as soon as I get home. I still need to scan it. Ok, so I never took my one month belly pic but really, it's no different than now. So i'll remember to take one tonight.

Also, I've come to realize that I think I am not feeling poultry so much. All the feelings that I was hungry but nothing sounded good... I think that's what this is. Except it's not just poultry. I think some red meat too. great. I mean I can eat it and I won't feel sick... right away anyway. But after a few bites, i'm done. And all this time I thought I was just full. Negative on that. I think I just couldn't eat it so much. So here I am for the last several days with a lot of left over food and thinking I'm just not a big eater lately. DUH... All the food I had left over was either chicken or turkey. Well with the exception of my beef quesadilla which I finished off the next day. So maybe I'm better with red meat over poultry. Thankfully I have a husband and brother who are gladly willing to eat my leftovers. So nothing is really wasted.

my only frustration now is... i'm so freakin hungry but I don't know what I want to eat! arghhh! but it's ok b/c I have a picture of bagel.

Oh one more thing. So a while back I was explaining to Junior that when both my sis in law's were pregnant with boys, they had things like dark skin, breakouts, etc. And when they were pregnant with girls they were so bright and cute! So I told Junior that if I start looking rough, maybe it means we will have a boy. Well today he said, "it's a boy." And I said, "You think so? Why?" He says, "Because you've been breaking out." Which I have but I realized that my husband just said that I look rough. haha! But he quickly said, "I'm not saying you look bad. But since you've been breaking out, then maybe it means were having a boy." hahaha! I let that go because let's face it, I HAVE A PICTURE OF BAGEL!

oh yeah...

This is for you Friend's fanatics...

Do you remember the episode where Joey wears Phoebe's maternity pants for Thanksgiving? Well anytime I look at a pair of maternity pants, Junior laughs at me. He says it reminds him of Joey. I think we will search for that episode and watch it again.

Good times.

Weird

I think lately I've been getting this I'm really hungry feeling, but nothing sounds appetizing. I mean I eat anyway because I have to and i'm fine after that. So it's all good. But nothing sounds appetizing lately. weird.

I have these pair of shorts that I sometimes wear. Well I noticed the waist is a tad bit tight, but I can still get into them w/o having to try too hard. i'm wearing them today. But I am noticing that my zipper keeps coming undone! good thing I have a shirt that covers it. could that be a sign I need to stop wearing these shorts? possibly.

I think I better take that first belly pick soon, though. I have to say I'm looking forward to looking pregnant and not just like I'm gaining a fat belly. it's still a little mushy. haha! not rounded yet. So nobody pat my stomach until it looks round and pregnant! otherwise it'll feel like you're just patting my fat. hahaha! My bagel. haha! some of you know why that is funny. Which by the way, Junior has nicknamed our baby Bagel.

Anxiously waiting...

...for my doctor's appointment on Wednesday. Not necessarily looking forward to all I will have to go through, but anxious to find out how far along I really am and all that. Plus, I need validation. I mean I took the test at home and it came out positive. I have all the signs and symptoms of being pregnant plus I know I am... I just feel it. But for some reason I just need to hear the doctor say it. Call me weird, but I do.

So until I have that appointment I won't really have anything new to tell anyone. I mean, I feel some of my pants feel a tad bit tighter, but nothing noticeable. I haven't gained any weight (nor I have I loss) which I heard is normal for the first trimester.

I'm tired a lot more than normal. I was supposed to go to two places this past weekend and instead I slept. haha! Seemed more important to do that instead.

OH! Not that this is huge but it bothers me greatly. I have this HUGE pimple... crater on my face. Face wash is NOT enough. I need that freakin' spot treatment. But I know I can't use anything with Salicylic Acid, Accutane or Retonal. And most spot treatments have at least one of those. So... it's just camping out on my face for the last week and half. I even tried toothpaste, damnit. That did me NO good. So... that sucks. I need to find out what I can do for that. I hope I don't have to just let it sit there until it's ready to leave. That would really suck!

Ok, I know I haven't taken a belly picture yet and I need to soon before I hit 2 months. I'm GUESSING I'm about 5-6 weeks but I guess we'll know for sure on Wednesday!

From October 2, 2007

(Note: Antoher copied post)

I think the past week or so has been pretty much trial and error here. I was fine (no real pregnancy symptoms) up until the end of last week; around Thursday or so. That tired feeling hit me like a train. Regardless of going to bed early, I'm still freakin' tired! NOW I know what they mean when they say in your first trimester you get REAL tired all the time. It just doesn't seem to go away. Well the weekend wasn't so bad mainly b/c I took four hour naps. But getting back to the norm of the week is tiring! This morning I got up, took a shower, lotioned up, changed clothes, fixed my hair, grabbed a little breakfast and when I sat at the table, I was tired! Like I ran around the block or something. sheesh!
I've also noticed taste preferences. My normal breakfast is usually half a cup of yougart mixed with some bran cereal and almonds. Been eating that for a while now. Well come yesterday I'm eating and I don't like it like I usually do. but I convince myself that it's psychological. I just THINK I don't like it b/c I always here of women suddenly likeing and disliking certain things cduring their pregnancy. So I force my self to eat it... very reluctantly so. At least until half way though, I just can't. I'm borderline pushing myself to that point of vomiting. So I stop b/c I REALLY don't want to ever have to do that during this pregnancy. But now I'm hungry, damnit. And if there's one thing i'm so paranoid about, it's being hungry. It's one thing when you are hungry and maybe starve yourself until you get a chance to eat. you are only depriving yourself. Now if I get hungry, I fear that I'm depriving the baby and the baby won't develop well and healthy! So I HAVE to eat when I am hungry.
So what do I do? I up and leave work to grab a chicken bowl. How crazy is that? But now, I came right back and ate it while I worked. Oh I felt SO much better AND felt more energized. Guess I needed some calories!

From Sept. 30, 2007

(Note: some of these I copied from the babyblogs.com/babyarriola. I changed blog sites b/c they wanted to charge me. This site is free. So there! Anyway, the first few entries are just copied from the other site.)

Ok... so I think I finally figured out how to work this thing. I had typed up this WHOLE blog and hit save only to find it didn't save. argh. So hours later I decide to give it another shot.
Well I guess I have a bit to cover since I THINK we're in our fifth week. But we won't know for sure about how far along we are until out doctors appointment on Oct. 10. Seems so far away but I think I'm just really anxious!
We took the pregnancy test Sept. 23rd and it tested positive within two seconds! I had JUST set the test on the counter and it turned already! So that's when we found out. But I did suspect about a week before that already. I told Junior the Thursday before we tested that I was late. He was so excited he told Brian the following Saturday and we weren't even sure! But he told Brian we weren't sure and that we MIGHT be. Well then he told Rachelle b/c we assumed Brian told her (which he didn't!) and got her hopes up for something we weren't sure about. Well then we had to tell Albert because he was with us and wondering what the hell was going on and Ta-lung? I'm still not sure he knows what's going on! haha! oh well.
But Sunday I did research online for pregnancy sympotms and I found a checklist of things many, of which, I checked out on. So Junior tells me, "you probably are! just go take a test!" So I went and bought a test, took it and there we were. Expecting!
So supposedly if you count two weeks from the first day of your last menstrual cycle and the time between that point and now should be about how far along you are. So based on that I would be about 5 weeks... maybe. But again we'll have to see what the doctor says.
So how did we feel? Well excited of course and elated! I can't explain well enough the rush of emotions I went through within 5 minutes! I was so happy that I couldn't stop laughing and crying out of joy! Junior was like, "why are uyou laughing?" hahaa! I didn't really know why. But while doing so I thought about mom and dad and went from a laughing/crying state to a full on balling state. But while doing that I realized that I just switched my emotions in a split second and I began to laugh again... this time at myself. haha! I hope that is not a sign of the emotional states to come! I feel bad for Junior if that's the case!
Well that's all for now. I'll share more stories tomorrow. I don't have a lot right now anyway since it's so early!