Living Life As A Newlywed

Liz' Life: 5 Months

2011-10-22T14:40:00.000-05:00

Five Months

Elizabeth,

I am amazed to see how much alert you are and all the things that you do! At your last checkup you weighed 17lbs 14 oz(off the charts) and were 26 1/4 inches tall (off the charts). You are so tall! Since we changed to organic diapers and Aveno products your skin is looking a lot better! You are constantly putting something in your mouth and you like to suck on your fingers. I am waiting anxiously for that first tooth to come in. You stayed a whole weekend away from mommy and daddy this month while we went on a church retreat. We missed you so much! You smile a lot and it just lights up everyone around you. I'm still waiting for you to roll over again but you are liking tummy time a little more. You wear 6-12 month clothes and 9 months fit you very well. You also can wear 12 month clothes. We can't wait to see what next month brings!

Love mommy & daddy

22 Week Stats:

Sleeping: You go to bed around 8 p.m. and usually don't wake up till 6:30 a.m.!!!! You have some nights where you wake up at 4-4:30 and mommy just puts you in bed with us and you sleep for another 2 hours. No more late night feedings!!!!! If we are home you take a 2 hour nap in the mornings and then a 2 hour nap throughout the day.

Eating: Mommy feeds you in your high chair now at every feeding if we are home. Daddy feeds you your last feeding in your room. You have eating a little less now which I think means your starting to want solids. We will see what the doctor says at your next appointment. For breakfast mommy feeds you an ounce of rice cereal out of a bowel along with your bottle. You are eating it so much better now and have been eating it all!

Activity: You are enjoying your bouncy a lot better and I just love to watch you figure out your toys on there. We bought you a tummy mat that has toys on the end which you seem to like better. You are grabbing onto everything!

Likes: You can spend a long time on your activity mat and you enjoy being the center of attention. You also like it when mommy and daddy tickle you!

Dislikes: You still hate being burped!

Pics from this month:

Liz and her great great grandma

Mommy and Elizabeth

Liz and Aunt Krysti

What are you looking at?

Holding her teething ring

Liz' Life: 4 Months

2011-09-25T14:05:00.000-05:00

Four Months

Elizabeth,

This month you've really gotten into a routine. I feel like a lot has changed this month and I love to see the new things that you do. At your last checkup you weighed 17lbs (off the charts) and were 25 inches tall (95 percentile). I hope that you grow to be 5'7" instead of 5'4" like your mommy. You had a really bad rash this past month and we found out that you have severe eczema. The doctor put you on organic diapers and wipes and we had to switch from Johnsons baby products to Aveno. We have been putting Derma Smooth on your skin twice a day and your skin has cleared all up! Dr. Goldberg was so happy to see you talking to him and making eye contact. He was besides himself. You really like to grab things now and this month you learned to pull your car seat toy hard enough to make it sing and it brings a smile to my face every time I hear it! You went on your first road trip to see your great grandparents on my side of the family and you did very well and slept half the ride. Mommy is sorry for not taking any pics of our trip :( For the most part you aren't as fussy anymore and it seems your reflux is getting a lot better! You are also sleeping through the night most nights which makes mommy and daddy very happy! You now wear 6-9 month clothes and 9 months fit you very well. You also can wear some 6-12 month onsies. We are enjoying every minute watching you as you grow!

Love mommy & daddy

18 Week Stats:

Sleeping: You go to bed around 8 p.m. and usually don't wake up till 6:30 a.m.!!!! You have some nights where you wake up at 4-4:30 and mommy just puts you in bed with us and you sleep for another 2 hours. No more late night feedings!!!!! If we are home you take a 2 hour nap in the mornings and then 30 min to an 1 hour nap throughout the day.

Eating: Mommy feeds you in your high chair now at every feeding if we are home. Daddy feeds you your last feeding in your room. You are eating 6 oz at every feeding and for breakfast you also have an ounce of rice cereal out of a bowel. You are eating it so much better now and have been eating it all!

Activity: Your GiGi bought you a bouncy which you aren't that tall enough yet to bounce on it but you like to sit in it and watch your cartoons. You still love your activity mat and mommy has been working with you to sit up on your own and roll over. You did roll onto your side from your tummy for the first time recently but haven't done it since.

Likes: Being held is your favorite, then playing on your activity mat and watching cartoons. You love bath time with daddy and you love to stand up.

Dislikes: You hate being on your tummy still and I am hoping that changes soon! You hate when I have to stop and burp you.

Pics from this month:

Liz and her Uncle Mike at Grandpa Ace's funeral

Family pic at reception after Joey's grandfathers funeral

Liz and Grandpa Junebug

Daddy and Liz watching first UH game of the season

In her bouncy for the first time

Rolled on side for first time

Liz' Life: 3 Months

2011-08-22T15:33:00.000-05:00

Three Months

Elizabeth,

I can't believe you are already three months! You are growing like a weed girl! You have really started talking and smiling more this month and your smile just melts my heart. It makes all that crying you do worth it! This month you started watching cartoons and you really enjoy them. You started grabbing on to your toys on your activity mat and you sat in your high chair for the first time. Dr. Goldberg put you on Soy this month but truthfully momma doesn't see much difference in your reflux. He also started you on solids for breakfast. Momma tries every morning to feed you rice cereal and sometimes with bananas with a spoon but you really don't like it. You would rather have your bottle. And it is the messiest thing! This month you also met your Great Grandpa Lopez who's in a nursing home for the first time. You wear some three month and some six month clothes. You are kind of in between right now. Just yesterday on your three month birthday we put you in a size 3 diaper because the size 2's were getting too small. When we weighed you yesterday at home it said you weighed 16lbs. I'm not sure how accurate that is since at your ped appointment on August 6 you weighed 14.2 lbs. You are a lot more awake during the day now and you rarely want to take a nap which gets a little annoying when momma has stuff to do. You really love your Uncle Ken and I think yall are going to have a special relationship like my papa and I did. You have become really needy or spoiled and don't want to be put down. The only time your not crying is when your held but momma can't hold you 24/7 woman! I can't wait to see what the next month brings.

Love mommy & daddy

13 Week Stats:

Sleeping: You are still going down for the night between 8-9 p.m. and usually sleep between 5-6 hours then wake up to eat and sleep for another 3 hours or so. Last night though you slept for a whole 8 hours then ate and slept for another 2 1/2. Momma's praying you have more nights like that! Recently during the day you aren't wanting to take your naps. You used to sleep for three hours in the morning after your first meal and now you wake up every hour. Not sure what that's about.

Eating: You've been eating between 4-6 oz at every feeding. You are now on Similac Soy with 3 tsp of rice cereal at each feeding and 6 tsp at your night feeding. You are not really fussy during feedings any more but you hate to be stopped to be burped. You get fussy about an hour after feedings and you get really bad hiccups afterwards.

Activity: You prefer your activity mat to anything else besides being held. You are up most of the day now so it's getting harder for momma to entertain you. All of a sudden you started not liking your swing. Not sure what that's about besides you wanting to be held all the time.

Likes: Being held is your favorite, then playing on your activity mat and watching cartoons.

Dislikes: You hate being put down more than anything. Not liking your swing right now and you despise tummy time which makes it hard for me to get that in during the day. You prefer to be sitting up and surprisingly your head is very strong without having tummy time.

Pics from this month:

Taking a Break

2011-08-09T20:12:00.000-05:00

I'm sad to say that I'm taking a break from blogging for a while. I made the decision on Friday after having a complete meltdown and feeling like a horrible mother because I let me daughter cry for 4 hours on and off during the night without feeding her. I was trying to break her habit of waking up at the same time every night because I read that between 9-15 weeks bottle fed babies could go 8 hours without eating and I was trying to extend her nights according to the Baby Wise book. I know now that after the first 45 minutes of crying on and off I should have just fed her. I cried the entire next day and after talking to my family I decided to put the books up!

I was trying so hard to get her on a schedule according to the book and kept referring to it nonstop. I have a problem. I admit it. I compare my baby to every other baby her age and I read too much into things. I have decided that I need to let her make her own schedule for now at least until I get a job and we then we can figure how her schedule needs to be. I know that every baby is different and unique and I need to be proud of my baby and love her no matter what for who she is and not try to change her. So I've decided to take a break from blogging so that I can focus on my daughter and learn to not compare and just be happy with who she is.

I know this is a weird all over the place post but I didn't have a lot of time to get my thoughts in order but I wanted to let my followers know why I haven't written. I hope this break isn't too long and I hope to still read all of your blogs from time to time.

With much love and respect,

Heather

Morning Playtime

2011-08-03T17:50:00.001-05:00

Bye Bye Baby Weight & More - Week 1

2011-08-03T17:50:00.000-05:00

For those that have read my blog for a while you know that I have always had an issue with my weight. I was starting to try to loose it before we got pregnant and then I had to put that on the back burner. Before baby I weighed 164 lbs and needed to loose about 30 lbs for my BMI. When I got pregnant I wanted to only gain 15 lbs since I was already overweight but of course I didn't eat or exercise the way I should have and gained 30 lbs. When I had Elizabeth I weighed 194lbs!!!!!!!!! And I'm only 5'4" people! As soon as I had Elizabeth I automatically lost 19 lbs. I now weigh 175 lbs and am only 11 lbs away from my prebaby weight.

For the past 10 weeks I really haven't been eating any better and working out just seemed daunting because I feel like I'm tired 24/7. But Monday night I decided that I'm absolutely tired of the way I look. I'm too big and am just not happy when I look in the mirror. I'm still wearing my maternity clothes for heavens sakes because nothing fits me. So I decided to only allow myself a dessert once a month which is my BIGGEST weakness, drink a diet coke only once a week and when I get fast food only get a salad. I also decided it's time to start working out and I started the 30 Day Shred again. I did this before I was pregnant but never finished it. So here are my goals:

Short Term Goal: Loose 15 lbs by my birthday (Nov. 27)
Long Term Goal: Loose 40 lbs total by next Summer
This Week's Goal: Have only 1 diet coke, no sweets and finish level 1 of 30 Day Shred.
Current Weight: 175 lbs.

Wordless Wednesday {8.3.11}

2011-08-03T17:26:00.000-05:00

Liz' Life: 10 Weeks

2011-08-01T12:31:00.000-05:00

10 Weeks

Sleeping: Her sleeping has gotten sooo much better since my last post since I didn't do a 9 week post. She sleeps for 5-6 hours when we first put her down at night then wakes up to eat and goes back to sleep for another couple of hours. We have her on a schedule that we got from the book Baby Wise. She eats then we try to keep her awake for a while then we put her down for a nap for an hour an a half and we do that all through the day. It seems to be working. Some days we have to go off the routine but she seems to get back on very easily.

Eating: Her pedi changed her formula to Enfamil AR which has a little starch and rice in it so we are no longer give her the extra rice cereal. She is eating between 4-6 oz at each feeding and twice a day we give her an ounce of water to help with the swelling of her esophagus.

Activity: My baby girl has been a totally different baby. She is smiling so much now and responds to you when you make faces and smile at her. She is talking a lot and is keeping her hands open more. She has found that she can suck on her hand and does that a lot.

Likes: She likes to suck on her hand, likes her swing now, likes it when you stick your tongue out at her, likes to be sitting up rather than laying down.

Dislikes: She hasn't been liking it when we read to her lately. Not sure what's up with that! She hates taking her medicine, hates getting dressed and hates getting her neck cleaned after a feeding.

Highlight of the Week: She met her new baby cousin this week and went to two birthday parties!

Pic from this Week: (I have been so bad about taking pics. I have just really been trying to enjoy her but I need to start taking pics at least one a day!)

Elizabeth and her cousin Jayden

Lopez Updates

2011-07-28T11:24:00.000-05:00

Sorry I have been MIA. We have had a lot going on and I couldn't write about what's been going on until today. Do you remember my post about Comparing and Worrying? Well the day after I wrote that we had Liz' 8 week appointment with her pediatrician. It turned out to not be that great of an appointment and had me worrying even more. So here is the rundown:

Since she was born he has been worried that she has a really small head. She wasn't even on the positive percentages at birth. Since the first time we saw him he said that's something we have to keep an eye on. He said Joey and I both have small heads and she should be fine but we just have to watch it. Even though her head cm has grown every time we see him it was only at 5% last week. So while we were talking I had asked him about her keeping her hands in fists all the time and if that had anything to do with her reflux. He said no and continued looking at her body. I also mentioned I didn't think she was smiling enough. While he was checking her he said that her body was really tense and she wasn't as flaccid as she should be. So then he asked if we've seen any tremors in her body. I told him she does have tremors in her legs sometimes but I didn't think anything of it. Because of everything we told him and what he saw he recommended us to a pediatric neurologist. Also I'm not sure if I've ever mentioned on here but after Liz' umbilical cord fell off she had an umbilical hernia appear. Usually they disappear before an infant turns one but at this appointment our pedi thought it had gotten bigger which isn't good and also recommend we see a ped surgeon.

So as you can imagine I started freaking out that something was wrong with my little girl. We started researching her symptoms (which you should never do before you see a specialist) and it kept coming up that she could have Cerebral Palsy. I seriously cried every day for a week. I didn't write about this last week because we decided not to tell our families until we found out if something was wrong. We had her neurologist appointment yesterday and he said he thinks her tone and motor skills look great! He said he isn't worried about her head circumference either. He did order an EEG for Aug 8 to make sure that she's not having any seizures since she's been having leg tremors but he said he doesn't think so. Now we're praying that the test comes back normal.

Even though he thinks she's perfect I still am a little worried. He said he didn't think she needed an MRI but I think I would have felt better just to be on the safe side. She has her next pediatrician appointment next Saturday and we're gonna see what he says and ask if he thinks we should get one to be on the safe side. I don't think I'm gonna feel 100% better until we do. I know the neurologist knows what he's talking about and I might be over worrying but I had a bad feeling and I just want to be sure.

Next Monday she has her appointment with her pediatric surgeon to see how bad her hernia is and when/if he thinks she will need surgery.

In other news, I have a job interview today!!!!!!!!!!!! It is at Crime Stoppers in Houston. The job description is a little different than what I've done in the past and I am really excited about it. I really hope it goes well. I haven't worked in 3 months which is the longest I've gone since I was 16 and I am ready to start working again. Please pray for us and wish us luck!

Liz' Life: 2 Month's Old

2011-07-21T15:30:00.000-05:00

Elizabeth,

You are two month's old today. You have not had a good day today though and have cried most of the morning poor baby. The past month has been a bit challenging but we have gotten through it. We found out that you have acid reflux and it hurts you a lot. We have you on medicine and have changed your formula to Enfamil AR and we are hoping this will help. You are now a whopping 13 pounds and your mostly so big because mommy overfed you for two weeks by adding too much rice cereal to your formula. Know that mommy is truly sorry but you will outgrow it. You are wearing size 3-6 month clothes and are in a size 1 diaper. You are sleeping better at night. You go to bed between 8-9 pm. and sleep for 5 hours then wake up to eat and go back to sleep for another 3 hours. You usually take your morning nap with mommy on the bed and I just love that time. You are not a very happy baby for the most part but I'm hoping that will change after we get your reflux situated . You are really strong and hold your head up high and on your own for a good while. We didn't have a great 8 week appointment and will be seeing two different specialists to get some things looked at. We are praying that you are absolutely fine but we just want to be sure.

Mommy & Daddy love you very much!

8 Week Stats:

Sleeping: You've been going to bed between 8-9 p.m. and sleeping for about 5 hours and then waking up and sleeping for another 3 hours. You don't go right to sleep after your late night feeding. Some days you take naps and some days you fight it and want to stay up.

Eating: You've been eating between 5-6 oz at every feeding. We changed your formula to Enfamil AR to help with your reflux. You are really really fussy during feeding time and I have to admit its the worst part of the day. I hope your reflux gets better soon!

Activity: You are more alert during the day and we are getting more play time in. You're getting better at tummy time but still don't like to be there for long periods.

Likes: You love bath time, looking at the fan or your mobile in your swing and the one in your crib and you love the vibration of your bouncy.

Dislikes: You hate burping and your reflux. You absolutely hate waiting 20 minutes before you can eat at every other feeding and you hate taking your medicine and always try to spit it out.

Highlight of the Week: You had your 8 week appointment where you got 2 shots and an oral medication and mommy and daddy got some not so good news. Today you are getting you meed your Aunt Lee Lee for the first time and mommy's super excited about that.

Weekend Recap: Moving, Party & CPR

2011-07-18T15:16:00.001-05:00

We had a pretty busy weekend this weekend. Friday Joey took off work to help his mom and brothers move. They moved from a house into an apartment. Don't ask me why I don't really understand it. My mother in law's reason was because her landlord never fixed anything in the house. So she decided now that my brother in law has graduated from high school it was time to move.

On Saturday we were invited to a birthday party for a 3 year old. She is the daughter of a really good friend and the woman who was our photographer at our wedding. She had a cowgirl themed party and a pony ranch out in Katy. Since my nieces were down we took them with us and they had a blast. It was EXTREMELY hot outside but the kids had a good time anyway. They got to ride a pony and play games and go on a carriage ride. Elizabeth of course slept the whole time! That night my nieces stayed the night with us and we spent the night playing SkipBo. We love to play card games. I love playing with them because it reminds me of when I played with my grandparents.

Then yesterday Joey and I took our infant CPR class. There were mostly couples who were expecting in the class. It was a really easy class and CPR is pretty easy to do. Hopefully I'll never have to use it though.

So what did you do this weekend?

Comparing & Worrying: Will Drive You Nuts

2011-07-18T14:35:00.000-05:00

Being a mom has turned me into this crazy person. I read so many baby blogs and books and I find that I spend a lot of my time comparing babies and worrying that mine isn't where she should be. It is starting to drive my husband nuts! I'm always comparing Elizabeth with other babies around her age. I know that every child is different but I just want to make sure that she is developing the way she should be so I worry.

I worry that she sleeps too much. Some days she sleeps most of the day (like only awake maybe 5 hours of the day). I read that they should be sleeping about 15-16 hours a day and Liz is sleeping more like 18-20 hours most days. I worry because she hardly ever smiles. I can make funny faces and tickle her but she hardly ever smiles at me. She smiles in her sleep but she rarely smiles while looking at you. She also hasn't started trying to grab things yet. I've put her on her activity mat and get her to try to grab her toys hanging down but she wont. She puts her hands in her mouth when she's hungry but that's really all she does with them. I've put her in the mirror so she can see herself and she never looks straight in the mirror. She always looks side to side.

Every time I hear about a baby doing something on a blog I insistently compare Elizabeth to them. Then I go and tell my husband well Liz isn't doing this but this person's baby is and they are the same age. It is seriously driving us both nuts! I'm just ready for my little girl to start doing things and being awake more so I can play with her.

How do you deal with the comparing and worrying?

Liz' Life: 7 Weeks

2011-07-09T18:20:00.000-05:00

Seven Weeks

Sleeping: She's only been sleeping for 2-3 hours at a time this week. She sleeps more during the day and sometimes I can't get her to wake up when I want her to since I've been trying to get her on a schedule but she lets me know I'm on her schedule.

Eating: She's still taking any where from 3-6 oz of formula with rice cereal and usually eats every 2-4 hours. She seems to be a lot more hungry lately. Feeding time has been a little hard because every other feeding I have to give her medicine for her reflux 30 minutes prior to feeding so sometimes I have to let her cry until I can feed her. Since I found out this week I was feeding her too much rice cereal she gets 1tsp per oz of formula now.

Activity: She looks around a lot more and is starting to sit up for longer periods on her own. I introduced her to a new toy this week and she seems to like it.

Likes: She likes to eat that's probably her favorite thing to do and she seems to like to visit her Abuela. She likes to be rocked and she still enjoys bath time with daddy.

Dislikes: She's not a fan of bath time with mommy. I guess I don't have that special touch that dad has. She HATES to have her nails filed. That is such a horrible process. She hates having her clothes changed and she doesn't like her swing most of the time.

Highlight of the Week: She had her 6 week check up this week where we found out mommy was overfeeding her and she was a whopping 11lbs 15oz. She got two shots and has started taking her acid reflux medicine. This week we also spent time with my foster family for 4th of July.

Pics from this Week

Bad Mommy

2011-07-05T18:51:00.000-05:00

I have been a bad mommy! Liz had her 6 week check up today and we found out she has gained 2 lbs in just 2 weeks! Why? Because mommy has been over feeding her! Two weeks ago we went to the doctor because Liz had been vomiting up her food and her pedi said she probably had acid reflux and to add rice cereal to her formula. I took Liz to the appointment by myself and I thought he said to add 1 tbsp of cereal per oz of formula. WRONG!!!!!!! I was supposed to be giving her 1tsp per oz!!!!!! So for two weeks she has been eating way more than she should. Her pedi just couldn't stop laughing. And to top it off my baby has been constipated all this time and I didn't know because she still has been having 2-3 bowel movements a day they just have been hard instead of runny. I feel like such a horrible mother. I made my baby the one thing I didn't want to do! I made her a chunky baby like I was and I hate it! I wish I could go back in time so I could do it over. She went from being in the 50th percentile to the 95 percentile.

I am just really really mad at myself! I know she'll grow into it when she starts getting longer and will hopefully burn some of that off when she starts crawling but until then I'm gonna know that I made her a little chubby thing.

Anyone else with kids ever do anything as stupid as what I did?

Happy 4th of July!

2011-07-04T20:31:00.000-05:00

Happy 4th of July from the Lopez Family!

For Elizabeth's first 4th of July we spent the day with my foster family. We chilled by the pool and ate steak, baked potatoes and corn on the cob and don't forget all the yummy brownies and cookies. We wanted to take a dip in the pool but I haven't had my 6 week check up yet :( We did dip our feet in though! Hope everyone enjoyed their day!

Liz' Life: 6 Weeks

2011-07-02T14:51:00.000-05:00

Six Weeks

Sleeping: When we first put her down she usually only sleeps for a couple hours. After her midnight feeding she usually sleeps for a longer stretch. And she sleeps really good at her morning nap.

Eating: She's still taking any where from 3-6 oz of formula with rice cereal and usually eats every 2-4 hours.

Activity: She's been awake a lot more even during the night and follows her toy when you put it in her face and move it from side to side. She's also keeping her head up a lot longer.

Likes: She likes to be held all the time. She likes it when momma sings to her. Her favorite songs are the ABC song and The Wheels on the Bus. She also like her Bright Star toy. She loves laying on her tummy! She really enjoys bath time with Daddy.

Dislikes: She hates being put down for long periods of time. She hates laying on her back and still not a fan of diaper changes or changing her clothes.

Highlight of the Week: Joey's coworkers threw us a Diaper and Wipe shower on Thursday and got to meet Liz for the first time! (Of course she slept the whole time LOL)

Motherhood

2011-07-01T15:57:00.000-05:00

It is very hard to write this post because I'm not writing it for my follower's to make me feel better but I am writing it to get it off my chest. I don't want anyone to judge me.

I have very mixed feelings about motherhood at this point. It is a wonderful and beautiful thing to see my beautiful baby girl and know that my husband and I made her. I love to look at her and hold her when she is content. It breaks my heart to see her cry and I just love her so much. I look forward to watch her grow up and to see what her personality is going to be like.

Every since I could remember people have always told me I was going to be such a good mom. But now that I'm a mom I feel like I'm a horrible mother! I have always been an impatient person and learning patience with a newborn has been difficult for me. At about 3-4 weeks old Liz was vomiting a couple of feedings and was really fussy and not being able to console her was so hard on me. She has been a little better since starting on rice cereal with her formula but she still gets fussy. She's not really on a schedule as our pediatrician said to feed her on demand and she hasn't been sleeping very well. She doesn't like to be swaddled and really doesn't like to sleep on her back for the most part. I always feel like I don't know if I'm doing things right and I always worry! I worry every time she gets fussy if she's sick or her acid reflux or is she just hungry or does she just want to be held. I still haven't distinguished her cries yet and I just want my baby girl to be happy. I need to learn to not sweat the small stuff and to be more patient. I don't know if what I feel is normal and if every new mom feels this way or if its just me. I've had a few good meltdowns since she was born and I know a lot of it is from lack of sleep but I hope that it gets better soon.

I love my baby girl more than anything and am so blessed that I have her! Thanks for listening to me ramble on guys!

Liz' Life: 5 Weeks

2011-06-27T21:12:00.000-05:00

Five Weeks

Sleeping: Every night is different. There have been a couple nights that she's slept for 5 hours at a time but for the most part it's only 2-3 hours at a time. She still doesn't like to sleep in her crib. As soon as I put her down she starts crying.

Eating: I took Liz to the doctor last week since she was vomiting a couple of her feedings and her ped said she probably had acid reflux and told us to add rice cereal to her formula. Since then she hasn't spit up or vomited once! She's eating anywhere from 3-6oz.

Activity: She's getting to stay up more during the day. She has started to like her swing a little better but doesn't like to stay in there long.

Likes: She likes to be held a lot and loves to eat and be sung to.

Dislikes: She hates being put down for long periods of time. She doesn't like diaper change time.

Highlights of Week: My former coworker came to visit her for the first time.

Pics from the week:

Mommy and Elizabeth

Daddy and Liz

Showing off her jewelry

Great Grandma (GG) feeding Liz

Liz and her Abuela

Father's Day Recap

2011-06-21T10:23:00.000-05:00


Daddy & his little sweetie

On Saturday Elizabeth and I took her daddy to Chili's because he loves their chicken fried steak. On Sunday morning I woke up and picked us up breakfast and gave him the cards from Liz and I and a little book called Daddy's Girl. Unfortunately I couldn't buy anything else as I don't have a job. But I think he had a good 1st Father's Day anyway. That afternoon we went to my foster family's house. They cooked steaks and potatoes and we had homemade icecream for dessert. It was a very nice relaxing day. It was Liz' first time around puppies and they have 3 dogs. It was so funny to see doggie Lexie be so protective over her. She had to be laying beside her the whole time we were there. It was so cute. I can't wait to see what next year's father's day brings.

Grandma Deb with dogs Lexie & Elle

Liz' Life: 1 Month Old

2011-06-21T10:05:00.000-05:00

Elizabeth,

You are a month old today! Mommy can't believe how fast it has gone by. You are so adorable and I love watching you sleep. That is when you are most at peace. You are getting heavier every day and that's because you love to eat! You're like mommy in that way. You are eating between 4-6 oz at every feeding. You love to be held and only like to be put down for a short time. You are still sleeping a lot but I love it when you are awake and not crying. You always stay up for an hour or so after your 2 or 3 am feeding. You have learned to like bath time with daddy and you like it when we read to you. You started getting fussy the past few days and Doctor thinks you have Colic and I feel so bad for you. You slept for 5 hours straight last night for the first time and missed your 10 p.m. feeding. I think it was because you were laying on momma. You did so good on this photo shoot. I was really surprised that you didn't cry at all and you were actually awake. Elizabeth, mommy and daddy love you so much and we can't wait to see what the next month brings!

Love,
Mommy & Daddy

Pics from 1 month photo shoot:

Happy 1st Father's Day!

2011-06-18T21:34:00.000-05:00

Happy 1st Father's Day to my wonderful husband! I knew since we first got together over 8 years ago that I wanted you to be the father of my children. You are a great person who is so smart, funny and sweet. Thank you so much for being so wonderful to me through our pregnancy even when I would cry for no reason. Thank you for being so understanding when I cry for no reason now! Thank you for being my rock through the delivery of our little girl and helping me to not be scared. Thank you for helping me make such a special little person. She is so lucky to have you as her dad. I know you will always be there for her and she is going to learn so much from you. I hope she has your temperament. Even if I don't tell you enough I want you to know I'm lucky to have you and am so thankful for all the things you do! I hope you have a wonderful 1st Father's Day!

Love,

Your wife

Breastfeeding Update

2011-06-14T15:33:00.000-05:00

I decided yesterday to no longer pump. My supply had gone down from 2-2.5 oz to 1 oz down to now .5 oz. I have struggled with this decision and had been feeling guilty about the whole breastfeeding situation even though I said I wasn't going to. It's a hard to decision to make because you want what is best for your child and you don't want people to judge you. I've unfortunately always been the type of person to worry about what everyone thinks of me and I didn't want to be looked at as a bad mom.

After talking to a friend yesterday who wasn't able to breastfeed her baby I felt a lot better about my decision. It is not my fault that I have really large breasts and flat nipples. I can't change that. I can't help it that my daughter didn't latch on and the nipple shield didn't work for me. I can't help that my milk supply wasn't as much as I would like it to be. My daughter got the Colostrum which is the most important thing and she received breast milk via bottle for 3 weeks. I can't be mad at that. She had been getting formula since she was born because of Jaundice and it helped her to get rid of it and get back to her birth weight. So formula is the best choice for us.

I'm learning to not be mad about it and know that as long as my little girl is healthy that's all that matters. Liz goes for her next checkup in two weeks so we will see what the peditrician says about it then. Thanks for everyone's support!

Liz' Life: 3 Weeks

2011-06-11T18:35:00.000-05:00

Three Weeks

Sleeping: There was a day or two where she slept for 4 hour stretches at night but we are still having trouble getting her to go to bed right after her night feedings. She takes an 1-2 hour naps during the day after her feeding and play time.

Eating: My milk is slowly starting to decrease. I'm now only getting an ounce in at a time. She is eating 4oz at every feeding.

Activity: She is still sleeping a lot during the day and is more active during the evenings.

Likes: She likes to be held a lot!

Dislikes: She does not like the bath nor to be changed or when I try to clean under her neck.

Highlights of Week: Daddy went back to work this week and it was just Liz and I. That was an experience! My sister came over one day and wanted to go to lunch so I took Liz out for the first time without my husband.

Pics from the week:

Professional Hospital Pics

2011-06-11T18:27:00.000-05:00

At our hospital when we had Elizabeth they came in and took pictures of Elizabeth that we had the option to buy which we did. They came out so cute! Enjoy!

My Breastfeeding Story

2011-06-06T21:02:00.000-05:00

Warning: May be too much info for some!

I always knew I wanted to breastfeed if I could. I always thought it was funny when people asked if I was going to breastfeed because you never really know if you can or not until it happens. I told myself while I was pregnant that I wouldn't be upset if I couldn't and we would just see what would happen. Well the day came and Elizabeth had trouble latching on. While we were at the hospital we had a lactation nurse come in and she said that she was having trouble because my breasts were too large. I was always afraid of that. I have always been a size D and when I was pregnant I grew to a size E! I even had dreams while I was pregnant that I was smothering her with my boob!

Not only did the lactation nurse say that my boobs were too big but she also said that my nipples were too flat and didn't stick out far enough for Elizabeth to really latch on to. So she suggested I use a nipple shield. That was a little bit of work to keep on my breast and especially with Liz putting her hands near her mouth she would knock it off. I did that for a week and then I decided to pump exclusively. I didn't want my baby to be so frustrated trying to get her food. I try to pump every 3-5 hours or so when I can but I am not producing a whole lot of milk. Our pediatrician suggested me drinking Ovaltine which is supposed to help bring more milk in but I pump for 10-15 minutes and only get 2-2.5 ounces usually. So I have to supplement the rest with formula. We have been supplementing with formula since she was born since she wasn't getting a lot from me and to help her Bili levels go down. I'm afraid that my milk is not going to last very long and she will be strictly on formula.

I have conflicting feelings about all this. I know a lot of babies are formula fed and there is nothing wrong with them but in a way I feel like I'm doing a disservice to her by not giving her more breast milk. Then on the other hand it is so more convenient to just give her formula. Either way I know that it does not make me a bad mom and in no way do I feel guilty about it. I am doing everything I can do and the most important thing is that my little girl gets fed!

For my readers who have babies, what is your story?

Liz' Life: 2 Weeks

2011-06-06T20:29:00.000-05:00

Two Weeks

Sleeping: She is starting to stay awake more during the day. Still having a little bit of trouble getting her back to sleep after her late night feeding.

Eating: Not producing a lot of breast milk so she eats about 2oz of breast milk and then 2oz of formula at almost every feeding. If I haven't pumped yet she will get 4oz of formula. She's eating about every 3-4 hours.

Activity: My baby girl is already picking up her head for a couple seconds at a time and moving her head from side to side. She is so strong. She grabbed on to my hair the other day and I couldn't unhook her fingers.

Likes: She likes to be held a lot!

Dislikes: She is not a big fan of the swing or vibration.

Second Doctor's Visit: She gained her birth weight back and the doctor said her jaundice was almost completely gone! She got her first shot which of course she cried but we gave her a bottle right after and she was ok again.

Highlights of Week: We left her alone for the first time with her great grandma while we went to my brother-in-laws graduation. I was so stressed about leaving her and had really bad anxiety but she did great and I survived! Then this weekend we took her to her uncle's graduation party where a lot of Joey's family got to meet her for the first time. She is sooo loved!

The Hospital Stay

2011-05-30T19:45:00.000-05:00

We were in the hospital after our delivery for 3 whole days and were released on the 4th day. We were so happy to be going home! I will say that we had a pretty nice stay. We had some amazing nurses taking care of Elizabeth and I and it was nice to have my husband stay with us the whole time.

When Elizabeth was born her Bili level was 8.6 which is right below the level of having Jaundice. The next few days her levels climbed little by little mostly due to not getting enough food from me. Because of this she also lost 9oz of her birth weight. When we left the hospital she weighed 6lbs 2oz and her Bili level was at 14. Because of this our pediatrician suggested we give her a formula bottle with each feeding to get her levels down. Every day since we left the hospital we have had to go back up to the hospital to get her levels checked. They climbed to 15 but have now started going down to 14.6. I am very lucky that she didn't have to be under any lights and so far we haven't had to bring home a Bili blanket. We just have to give her 20 minutes of sunlight through a window each day and give her a formula bottle with each feeding.

Here are some pics of our hospital stay:

Daddy & Liz right after being born

Our little family

Going home outfit

Liz' Life: 1 Week

2011-05-30T19:31:00.000-05:00

One Week

Sleeping: She sleeps most of the day. She is usually only up when I feed her and sometimes getting her to wake up to feed her is a challenge. She stays awake more at night on most nights.

Eating: Right now she is eating 1.5oz of breast milk and 1-2oz of formula at each feeding. This is to try to get her billi levels down.

Activity: Not much yet; a lot of sleeping mostly. When she is awake she is very quiet. She only cries when shes hungry. She moves her arms a lot and I love it when she stretches.

Likes: She likes to put her hands in her mouth which is really annoying when I'm trying to feed her.

Dislikes: She really hates taking baths. She cries through the whole thing.

First Doctor's Visit: She had her first visit on Friday. She had gained 6oz in just 4 days. Her ped said her lungs sound great. He also said that her head is a little small so we have to make sure it grows properly. Elizabeth wasn't born with Jaundice but she ended up getting it while we were still at the hospital so we've been going to the hospital to her checked every day since. At Friday's appointment her levels were going down. Because she still has Jaundice she didn't get her first shot. We go back tomorrow and hopefully she is back to her birth weight. She lost 9oz before we had left the hospital and as of Friday's visit is only 5oz away. Hopefully her billi levels have gone down. I'm interested to see how she takes getting her first shot.

Highlights of Week: Having family over to see our little girl.

We Had A Baby - The Delivery Story

2011-05-27T17:08:00.000-05:00

That's right, 2 weeks before our due date, Elizabeth entered into this world! Last week my blood pressure had been really high and at my last doctor's visit she told me to keep an eye on it and call her if it got high. Last Friday I had a headache that wouldn't go away and my blood pressure was really high after taking a nap so I called my doctor and she told me to go ahead and go to the hospital to stay overnight to do another 24 hour urine. Of course as soon as I got to the hospital my blood pressure went down dramatically but I continued to have a headache. On Saturday the doctor gave me something for a migraine to see if my headache would go away and when it didn't she said she wanted to go ahead with the csection then just to be on safe side in case I did have preeclampsia and she didn't want to wait until the 24 hour urine was done.

Within the hour we were in the OR and Elizabeth was being born. I was so scared and nervous. I was nervous about the surgery but more nervous that Liz wasn't ready to come out and I wanted her to be healthy. My doctor kept reassuring me that everything was going to be OK. I got really nauseous during the procedure and threw up a little bit of fluid. Before I knew it Elizabeth was born. She weighed 6lbs 13 oz and was 19 in tall. She was born with a head full of dark hair with some light brown highlights. She is absolutely beautiful and we are so overjoyed.

Here's a pic of that day:

Stayed tuned for the rest of our hospital story!

Full Term

2011-05-18T14:00:00.000-05:00

How far along? 37 Weeks 4 Days (We are full term!!!!!!!!)

Baby's size? Baby Center says: She now weighs 6 1/3 pounds and measures a bit over 19 inches, head to heel (like a stalk of Swiss chard).

Weight Gain? At Monday's doctor visit I gained 1lb since last week Total gain +33 1/2lbs. I started at 164 lbs and am now at 197.

Maternity clothes? Oh yes and even those are getting really tight

Stretch marks? Yes

Belly button in or out? Still in

Sleep? Not sleeping all that well. Getting harder to turn over.

Foods I am loving? Oranges and anything cold

Foods I am hating? Nothing at the moment

Best moment this week? Seeing our slideshow of our maternity pics

Symptoms? Cramping in my lower abdomen and a lot of pelvic pressure

Gender? A girl Elizabeth Grace Lopez

What I miss? Feeling normal

Dr. Appointment: This week's doctors visit was not that great. Liz' heart rate was good at 152. The doctor said I was still closed at that my pelvis sucked! So we are for sure having a csection. To the not so good news my blood pressure was high for the second week in a row and this time my pulse was high too. My BP was 140 something/87. The doctor thought I might have preeclampsia and made me do a 24 hour urine and come back the next day and get my blood pressure taken again. Yesterday I went back to recheck my BP and it was higher than it was on Monday at 140 something/94 and my pulse was 105. So she sent me to the hospital lab to get blood work done and turn in my 24 hr urine. She was supposed to get the results in an hour but I didnt hear back from her till 4 hours later and I was going crazy! Good news is my urine came back good and I don't have preeclampsia but I do have gestational hypertension. She told me just to keep an eye on it and I have my next appointment next Monday. Hopefully then we will pick a date to have the csection and hopefully my BP has gone down some.

Has anyone else had this problem when they were pregnant?

Sorry I don't have a belly pic this week.

Maternity Pic Slideshow

2011-05-18T13:49:00.000-05:00

I would like to share our maternity pic session with all of you. Here is the link http://goldenphotography.net/viewing/?slideshowID=172557 and the password is HJE.

I just got this so we haven't decided which ones we are going to purchase but the following are my favorite: #2, #6, #14, #17, #18, #22, #27, #29, #37 and #50.

I think my face looks totally fat in a lot of them and I look like I have a double chin and I'm kinda wishing I would have worn something with sleeves but I was trying to make my belly stick out as much as possible since I don't think its very big.

Let me know what yall think!

Bored, Oh So Bored

2011-05-11T17:04:00.000-05:00

It has now been just over a month since I was laid off and I can't tell you how boring my life is! Yes it was a little nice the first few days of not having to go into work but now I have this daily routine that is so boring and of course not getting paid sux! Here is what my daily routine consists of:

6:30-7:30 a.m. Wake up with the hubby and eat breakfast
7:30-9:30 a.m. Go back to sleep after hubby leaves for work
9:30-Noon        Eat a snack, Watch TV, Read a book, Look for jobs
Noon-2 p.m.     Eat lunch, watch A Baby Story, read a book, get online
2-4:30 p.m.       Either take a nap or read/watch tv
4:30-5:30 p.m. Wash Dishes and make dinner
5:30-6 p.m.        Eat dinner when the hubby gets home
6-10 p.m.           Eat a snack, watch tv, read
10 p.m.              Go to sleep and wake up every couple of hours to use the bathroom

This is pretty much what I do every day. I swear I feel like all I do is sleep and eat most of the time. I have never been good at staying home and doing NOTHING for more than a day. I get restless and bored. It's not like I have money to go just drive around with the way gas prices are and go to lunch with friends/family since I barely have money to pay my bills.

I really hope that I find a job after Liz is born. I know that once she gets here my life is going to be a lot more hectic and I won't have time to be bored and then I'm not gonna want to go back to work but right now I really need something to do!

Since I've always had a job, I was wondering if any of you have ever been laid off or without a job for a period of time, what did you do?

9 Months

2011-05-09T16:34:00.000-05:00

How far along? 36 Weeks 2 Days (Hello Month 9!)

Baby's size? Baby Center says: She now weighs almost 6 pounds (like a crenshaw melon) and is more than 18 1/2 inches long.

Weight Gain? At today's doctor visit I gained 1lb since last week Total gain +32 1/2lbs. I started at 164 lbs and am now at 196.

Maternity clothes? Oh yes and even those are getting really tight

Stretch marks? Yes

Belly button in or out? Still in

Sleep? Waking up a couple of times during the night

Foods I am loving? Nothing really

Foods I am hating? Nothing at the moment

Best moment this week? Taking our maternity pics! They were so fun and I'm excited to see how they turn out.

Symptoms? Cramping in my lower abdomen and a lot of pelvic pressure

Gender? A girl Elizabeth Grace Lopez

What I miss? Feeling normal

Dr. Appointment: I had an appointment today and Liz' heart rate was 162 and my blood pressure was a little high. I let the doctor know of the symptoms I'd been having and was for sure I was dilated. When she checked me she told me I wasn't dilated but the baby's head was definitely down and pushing on my pelvis. Then she gave me some not sooo good news. She said that my pelvis was really really tight and not open like it should be. She said that she will keep checking it but more than likely I will end up having to have a csection. Not what I wanted to hear.

I know that doesn't make me any less of a mother or anything like that it just sux for a lot of different reasons.

Financially it is going to cost us more
I will have to be in the hospital for an extra day
I don't get to hold her right after I deliver
The recovery time is longer and harder

I just have to think everything happens for a reason and I would rather have a csection than to have my pelvic bone broken.

Belly Pic:

More Pics from Shower #2

2011-05-05T16:14:00.000-05:00

Here are some pics of the shower that my friend Chey took with her professional camera.

Showering Elizabeth with Love: Shower #2

2011-05-03T11:17:00.000-05:00

Sunday my foster family hosted my second baby shower! It was at a tea room in Katy and it was very quaint. We received a lot more things that we had registered for and the food was fantastic! I didn't have anyone taking pics of me and my guests or of me opening gifts but I did get some pics of the food and when we put the gifts in her room after. I feel very blessed to have the friends and family that I do!

Me with my New Mommy To Be Tiara

Some of the yummy foods

The yummy desserts


Some of her gifts from the day

Diapers received from the day

35 Weeks

2011-05-03T11:04:00.000-05:00

How far along? 35 Weeks 3 Days (Last week of month 8!)

Baby's size? Baby Center says: over 18 inches long and tips the scales at 5 1/4 pounds (pick up a honeydew melon).

Weight Gain? At yesterday's Dr visit I gained 1lb and 1/2 since last week Total gain +31 1/2lbs. I can't wait to start loosing weight as I feel so fat!

Maternity clothes? Oh yes

Stretch marks? Have some on my boobs now. Rubbing Palmers oil on 2-3x a day.

Belly button in or out? Still in

Sleep? Waking up more often this week and having trouble falling asleep because of leg cramps.

Foods I am loving? Nothing really

Foods I am hating? Nothing at the moment

Best moment this week? Seeing my family and friends at my 2nd baby shower this past weekend

Symptoms? Really bad Acid Reflux and leg cramps

Gender? A girl Elizabeth Grace Lopez

What I miss? Not being so fat!

Dr. Appointment: I had an appointment yesterday and Liz' heart rate was still 158 and my blood pressure is still very good. My culture came back negative so I don't have to have antibiotics during labor. I got my card that has all my vitals on it to show when I get to the hospital for my delivery. Belly is measuring good as well. Have next appointment next week.

What I'm looking forward to this week: Our Maternity pics on Saturday. Also a little nervous about them because my face has been so dry and I just know I'm going to look horrible :(

Belly Pic:

Anniversary Weekend

2011-04-25T14:15:00.000-05:00

This weekend Joey and I celebrated two anniversaries. Saturday the 23rd was our 8 year dating anniversary and Sunday the 24th was our 1 year wedding anniversary. Friday night we went to my favorite Indian resturant which I had been craving and only get about every 3 months or so. Then we headed to the UH baseball game with our friends. Saturday we went to this place called the Mason Jar for lunch so Joey could try their chicken fried steak and yesterday we spent the day at our families since this year our anniversary fell on Easter. Since I don't have a job at the moment and we have a little one on the way we didn't have the money to buy each other anything but it was very nice to spend the time together and go out to eat.

To me this first year of marriage has been the toughest since we've been together. It's had its ups & downs but this years downs have really been hard. In one year Joey lost his job, found another one, we got pregnant and I lost my job. I have to say though I wouldn't have wanted to go through it with anyone else. I love my husband so much. He really calms me and makes me feel like we can get through anything. (Sorry I didn't take any pics of us this weekend)

I love you babe!

34 Weeks

2011-04-25T14:06:00.000-05:00

How far along? 34 Weeks 2 Days (6 weeks to go till D Day and 3 more weeks till full term!)

Baby's size? Baby Center says: weighs about 4 3/4 pounds (like your average cantaloupe) and is almost 18 inches long.

Weight Gain? At today's Dr visit I gained 6lbs since my last visit 2 weeks ago :( Total gain +30lbs. I do not want to gain anymore weight! I feel so fat! I need to start eating healthier instead of all the sweets I've been consuming.

Maternity clothes? Oh yes

Stretch marks? Have some on my boobs now. Rubbing Palmers oil on 2-3x a day.

Belly button in or out? Still in

Sleep? Waking up once or twice to use the bathroom.

Foods I am loving? Breakfast foods

Foods I am hating? Nothing at the moment

Best moment this week? Hubby putting the pack and play together

Symptoms? HOT all the time! And not finding a comfortable position to be in

Gender? A girl Elizabeth Grace Lopez

What I miss? Not being so fat!

Dr. Appointment: I had my last 2 week appointment today. We are now down to once a week! Liz' heart rate was 158 and my blood pressure is still very good. I had to have a culture done today. The doctor said as long as I don't start having contractions she will start checking for dilation at 38 weeks.

What I'm looking forward to this week: My second and last baby shower!

Belly Pic:

Showering Elizabeth with Love: Shower #1

2011-04-18T14:06:00.000-05:00

This weekend was my first baby shower. Joey's family hosted it and even though there wasn't a lot of people in attendance it was very nice. Liz is definitely loved and everyone can't wait for her to be here. Here are some pics of the day:

Host Barbara and I

Gift table

Little Sister Krysti and I

My mom and I

My Mother-In-Law and I

Lawn sign for when shes born

Delicious cupcakes that had filling inside

My friend Patty and I

Princess bath towel

A handmade dress that the host made for Elizabeth

Play set my sister got us

Diaper cake

33 Weeks

2011-04-18T13:54:00.000-05:00

How far along? 33 Weeks 2 Days (7 weeks to go till D Day and 4 more weeks till full term!)

Baby's size? Last appointment she weighed 4lbs 3oz. Baby Center says: weighs a little over 4 pounds (heft a pineapple) and has passed the 17-inch mark.

Weight Gain? ! Total gain +24lbs.

Maternity clothes? Oh yes and even some of my shirts are getting kind of tight but not going to buy any more since only have 2 more months left.

Stretch marks? Proud to say still none on the belly but the ones on my side are more prominent!

Belly button in or out? Still in

Sleep? I've been waking up every night around 2 a.m. to use the bathroom.

Foods I am loving? CAKE with lots of icing!

Foods I am hating? Nothing at the moment

Best moment this week? Having my first baby shower!

Symptoms? Having trouble turning from side to side

Gender? a sweet baby girl

What I miss? Being able to move better

Dr. Appointment: We have our last 2 week appointment next Monday.

What I'm looking forward to this week: This weekend is the hubby and I's 8 year dating anniversary and our 1 year wedding anniversary is on Easter this year.

Belly Pic:

8 Months!!!!!

2011-04-12T09:58:00.000-05:00

How far along? 32 Weeks 3 Days (We are in our 8 month and have 8 weeks to go!)

Baby's size? She weighed 4lbs 3oz at yesterday's appointment

Weight Gain? I actually didn't gain any weight in the past 2 weeks! I was so shocked with I got weighed yesterday! Total gain +24lbs.

Maternity clothes? Oh yes and even some of my shirts are getting kind of tight but not going to buy any more since only have 2 more months left.

Stretch marks? Proud to say still none on the belly!

Belly button in or out? Still in

Sleep? I sleep good for about three hours then wake up and go back to sleep for another couple of hours.

Foods I am loving? Oranges or Orange Juice

Foods I am hating? Nothing at the moment

Best moment this week? Getting an ultrasound yesterday to see how our little girl is doing.

Symptoms? Not getting comfortable

Gender? a little girl named Elizabeth

What I miss? I really want a glass of wine!

Dr. Appointment: Doctor's appointment yesterday went well. We had our last ultrasound and don't you know Liz wouldn't let us see her face. I moved around and we got one shot of her but that was it we mostly saw her backside. Her heartbeat was 148 so no longer in the 150s. She is now a little over 4 pounds and measuring right on schedule. She is positioned kinda like a backward C. Her head is down near my pelvic area then she curves and her spine is by my right side, her butt is up near my boob area and her legs are by my left side. We are so lucky that everything is looking good and is on track. I have one last 2 week appointment on the 25th then will be going once a week!

What I'm looking forward to this week: My first baby shower is this weekend and I can't wait!

Ultrasound Pic:

She wasn't happy that we were trying to get her to turn towards us and she looked really squished.

A Hardship or a Blessing in Disguise?

2011-04-11T11:08:00.000-05:00

This past Thursday I was laid off at my job. I know I mentioned it in another blog post that I was worried about this and sure enough it happened. I was hoping it wouldn't happen until closer to my maternity leave but of course it didn't happen like that. Even though I knew my position was in jeopardy and I had been trying to mentally prepare I still cried like a baby. I cried because since I was 16 years old I have always had a job. I have always made my own money and supported myself. Not only this but this came at the worst time with only 8 weeks until Elizabeth is supposed to be here. I mean NO ONE is going to hire me when I would be leaving in 8 weeks or less to go on maternity leave.

My company doesn't give a severance package nor do they pay out sick/vacation time which I had over 5 weeks saved for my maternity leave. The only thing I got was one extra paycheck. It is so frustrating financially. Yes I will be able to apply for unemployment but I will not receive unemployment benefits while I'm unable to work when Elizabeth is born. So until the doctor releases me to go back to work I will not have any income coming in.

Next weekend Joey and I will be celebrating our 1 year wedding anniversary and in that one year we have both experienced being laid off for the first time. I know that people say the first year of marriage is the hardest but DAMN both of us getting laid off in our first year of marriage is absurd! And of course they both came at the worst possible times. Joey's company went out of business right before the wedding and his last day was the week we got back from our honeymoon and now I get laid off when we're 8 weeks away from our baby girl coming into the world. Every time things are going good in our lives some kind of set back always happens. I think God doesn't want us to get complacent or too comfortable. I will say that my hubby got a way better job after he had been laid off and I can only hope the same will happen for me.

I do believe everything happens for a reason and I can only pray that this was God's way of telling me I need to take it easy until she gets here because she doesn't need to come early and/or that there is something better for me once I am able to work again. I just have to keep telling myself that and try to get through this period financially. I would appreciate your thoughts and prayers as we go through this hard time in our lives.

Single Digit Weeks

2011-04-04T08:57:00.001-05:00

How far along? 31 Weeks 2 Days (We are finally in the single digit weeks with 9 more weeks to go!)
Baby's size? From Baby Center: measures over 16 inches long. He weighs about 3.3 pounds (try carrying four navel oranges) and is heading into a growth spurt.

Weight Gain? + 3lbs at last week's appointment making my Total gain +24lbs and boy do I feel fat!

Maternity clothes? Oh yes and even some of my shirts are getting kind of tight but not going to buy any more since only have 2 more months left.

Stretch marks? Proud to say still none on the belly!

Belly button in or out? Still in

Sleep? I sleep good for about three hours then wake up and go back to sleep for another couple of hours.

Foods I am loving? I had my foster moms homemade brownies with cream cheese icing that was to die for!

Foods I am hating? bananas

Best moment this week? Liz being more active and Joey getting to feel her more

Symptoms? Getting hot a lot, swelling, itching

Gender? a little girl named Elizabeth

What I miss? daily cup coffee!

Dr. Appointment: Doctor's appointment last week was good. Liz' heartbeat is still in 150's and sounding good. We have our next appointment next Monday and finally get another ultrasound!

What I'm looking forward to this week: Going to my real life and blog friend Val's baby shower!

Belly Pic:

Meeting the Pediatrician

2011-03-30T12:33:00.000-05:00

During our 2nd Trimester the hubby and I started discussing what area of town we should have our pediatrician in. We were thinking that it would be best to have her go to someone in the city where my husband works because a lot of our family also live there in case we weren't able to take her. Elizabeth is going to go under my husbands insurance since it is way cheaper than mine so when we asked for a recommendation from his coworker she said she didn't like the doctors that she met in that town. She recommended a pediatrician in Houston. So about a month ago we asked my OB who she recommended and she gave us the same recommendation as Joey's coworker.

They are a father/son practice and are right behind the hospital where we will be delivering. We met with them yesterday to see how we liked them before we chose and we absolutely fell in love with them. They are so nice and friendly and the son who is who we'd see the most even knew Joey's coworker's daughters name off the top of his head. That says something with all the patients that they see! They are open 6 days a week and you can call them 24 hours a day if you have an emergency and it doesn't go to an office voicemail instead it goes straight to their cell phones. He told us they have people that drive over an hour a way to bring their kids to see them.

He let us know that they come to the hospital when she is born to check on her and then to see how I'm doing and to discuss how things are going with breastfeeding. Then they see her at a week, 6 weeks, 8 weeks and then once a month after that. He told us that they always check to see how things are going at home and help us get her into a routine. He said he'll have her sleeping through the night between 6-8 weeks. We will see.

We really did enjoy meeting them and felt very comfortable after we left. So little Elizabeth now has her pediatrician all picked out and ready to go!

For those moms to be and already mothers out there, how do you go about picking your child's pediatrician?

Finally in the 30's!

2011-03-28T08:23:00.002-05:00

How far along? 30 Weeks 2 Days (10 more weeks to go!)

Baby's size? From Baby Center: about 15.7 inches long now, and she weighs almost 3 pounds (like a head of cabbage).

Weight Gain? Total gain +21lbs as of 2 weeks ago. Will find out Wednesday what I'm currently at.

Maternity clothes? Oh yeah. I went shopping this weekend to buy my dresses for my 2 showers and I bought some nursing bras. I will say that wearing a bra is so uncomfortable for me right now with it leaving marks under the boobs from the wire. A little fact about me you might not want to know but when I went to get fitted for my bras I found out I am now a 41 E!!!!!!!!!! Yes an EEEEEE!!!! I've always been big chested and am usually around a 36-38 D. Now they have just gotten way to huge and no wonder they've been itching like crazy!

Stretch marks? Proud to say still none on the belly!

Belly button in or out? Still in

Sleep? I've been making sure not to drink a lot of water right before bed so I don't have to wake up and pee. Still tossing and turning a lot though. Wish I had a recliner chair I could sleep in to see if I would be
more comfortable.

Foods I am loving? I still want some cream cheese icing and I've also been craving popsicles which i actually bought this weekend at the grocery store!

Foods I am hating? I had a banana with breakfast this morning and that didn't sit very well.

Best moment this week? Feeling Miss Liz move around a lot more. The hubby actually got to feel it yesterday which was fantastic!

Symptoms? Getting hot a lot, swelling, itching, shortness of breath

Gender? a little girl named Elizabeth

What I miss? some coffee!

Dr. Appointment: We meet with a peditrician tomorrow and then I have a doctor's appointment on Wednesday.

Belly Pic:

The Clock is Ticking or Is it?

2011-03-23T10:43:00.000-05:00

Time is a funny thing. One day it can seem to be going by really fast and then the very next day feels like its just dragging on. That's how I've been feeling lately with this whole pregnancy thing. One day I'm like I have less than 11 weeks to go and then days like today I'm like man I still have almost 10 weeks until Elizabeth is going to be here! There are things on my mind that I would like to go ahead and do like giving my notice for maternity leave but thats such a tricky thing that I think I should wait another month to see how things are going with the baby.

There are some weekends coming up that I will be busy at least one day so hopefully that will make time fly by a little faster. Here is what my weekend schedule looks like until my due date.

March 26-27: Getting hair done on Saturday and going to go shopping for my two shower dresses and some nursing bras. Free on Sunday.

April 2-3: Free all weekend as of now

April 9-10: My real life and blogger friend Valerie's baby shower on Saturday. Free on Sunday.

April 16-17: My 1st shower on Saturday. Free on Sunday.

April 23-24: The 23rd is Joey and I's 8 year dating anniversary and the 24th is our 1 year wedding anniversary and Easter this year. I would like to spend the night maybe in Galveston to celebrate and as a little babymoon vacation but with the way things are going with my job I'm not sure that's gonna be possible. We've also decided not to buy each other anniversary gifts which I'm kind of bummed about but we have a lot of expenses coming up with the new baby and my job is laying off some jobs and mine might be up in the air :(

April 30-May 1: Free on Saturday. Sunday is my 2nd shower

May 7-8: Saturday we take our maternity pics and Sunday is Mothers Day so we will be spending time with our moms.

Those next couple weekends we will be staying at home more than likely relaxing and getting final things ready before Elizabeth gets here. I could go into labor anytime during that period from 37-40 weeks.

I have to say I'm so ready to not be pregnant any more! Don't get me wrong for the most part it has been nice but I'm at that point where I'm getting really uncomfortable and its getting harder to breathe and don't forget the horrible 1st trimester I had. I have to give it up to the hubs though for being so supportive and loving through all of this! He really has changed during this pregnancy and its nice to see. We are just so ready for our baby girl to be here! Here's to time flying by!

Pregnancy: 29 Weeks

2011-03-21T08:54:00.001-05:00

How far along? 29 Weeks 2 Days (11 more weeks to go!)

Baby's size? From Baby Center: weighs about 2 1/2 pounds (like a butternut squash) and is a tad over 15 inches long from head to heel.

Weight Gain? Total gain +21lbs.

Maternity clothes? Bought a pair of jean capris and a couple of tops last week. Am going this weekend to pick out a couple of outfits for my showers and maternity pics!

Stretch marks? None on the belly yet

Belly button in or out? Still in

Sleep? I slept ok last night. Its going to sleep thats getting a little harder as I have been itching really bad lately and cant stop scratching. Turning over is getting harder and harder.

Foods I am loving? I really want some cream cheese icing!

Foods I am hating? Nothing at the moment

Best moment this week? attending our last childbirth class and registering for the hospital! Also picking out a dress for Liz to wear at her newborn pics.

Symptoms? Itching really bad on my boobs! I think maybe because they are getting bigger than they already are and maybe getting hotter.

Gender? Baby Girl

What I miss? Just feeling normal

Dr. Appointment: Appointment last week was good. Passed my glucose test!!!!!!!!!! Have next appointment next Wednesday.

Belly Pic:

28 Week Check-Up

2011-03-17T11:28:00.000-05:00

Yesterday I had my 28 week check-up. I got to hear Liz' heartbeat which is still in the 150s and going strong and they measured my tummy. Everything is looking good! I also got my results from my glucose test which I was so nervous about but the doctor said I passed with flying colors!!!!!!!!! YAY that means I can continue eating all the sweets I want LOL.

I gained about 3lbs since my last appointment 2 weeks ago and am up a total of 21lbs! Gosh that needs to slow down! I still have 12 weeks left to go! I go back in 2 more weeks which means I only have 2 more 2 week appointments then I'm down to every week! I will get another ultrasound at 34 weeks and I can hardly wait to see how big my girl has gotten.

We have our last childbirth class this weekend and I can't wait to see my friend Val again!

Finally in 3rd Trimester!

2011-03-14T11:49:00.000-05:00

How far along? 28 Weeks 2 Days (82 days to go!)

Baby's size? From Baby Center: weighs two and a quarter pounds (like a Chinese cabbage) and measures 14.8 inches from the top of her head to her heels

Weight Gain? Total gain +18lbs.

Maternity clothes? I went and bought a pair of maternity shorts this weekend because its starting to get a little warmer and i need some comfy clothes to wear on the weekend when we go out. I really need to buy some more jeans as I only have one pair that I dont like and I want some dresses.

Stretch marks? None on the belly yet

Belly button in or out? Still innie and now i'm starting to think it might not pop

Sleep? I sleep good when I nap but at night I do a lot of tossing and turning.

Foods I am loving? I'm not really craving anything at the moment but I really like milk

Foods I am hating? Meat in general

Best moment this week? attending our first childbirth class! We learned a lot and got a tour of the hospital. We have one more class this coming Sunday.

Symptoms? Not getting comfortable, carpel tunnel and add to that now some swelling in my feet

Gender? Miss Elizabeth Grace

What I miss? Getting up without needing help

Dr. Appointment: I have my next appointment on Wednesday and should receive my results from my glucose test.

Belly Pic:

Not great pic of my face and sorry you can see a little of my undies!

Wall Letters & Decorations

2011-03-10T09:47:00.000-06:00

We finally put up Elizabeth's wall letters last night and added a little bit of decoration to it. I'm a little disappointed because we chose to do white letters because the other colors that were offered wouldn't match. Now that they are up you can't really see her name that well. It looks better in the room but I wanted it to stand out more. We got her name decal from WeeDecor where we got her tree from and we got the biggest size letters which cost us $100. I really wanted to do the wood letters but those are so expensive so we had to go with this. Here is a not so good pic that I took this morning and of some more wall decorations. I'm hoping that its just the lighting in her room and hopefully once we get a new light in there it will look way better.

Sorry you can't really see her name and it looks like its leaning but it doesnt look like that in person :(

This is on the wall behind her changing table

What's In A Name

2011-03-09T14:35:00.000-06:00

I found this on Little Mrs. Married's blog & thought I'd join in!!

1. How did your parents decide on your name?

My mom had a baby doll named Heather when she was younger and always said if she had a daughter that's what she would name her. She passed down her middle name Ann to me.

2. Do your initials (first/middle/last) spell anything funny?

Well, before i was married, they spelled HAM. Yes HAM as in the ham that you eat! My best friend always and still does call me hami. Now that I'm married they spell HAL.

3. Did you take your middle name from childhood or did you drop your middle name & take your maiden name as your middle name? (Or if unmarried, what do you plan to do?)

I struggled with this so bad since my dad passed away in 2006. But I decided to keep my middle name and hopefully if we have a boy someday his middle name will be my maiden name.

4. Are you or will you name your children systematically? (ie, same first letter, same origin, etc)

No not at all!

5. Did you decide on baby names as a little girl? Did you stick to them or change your mind?

I don't remember ever picking out baby names when I was younger. Which I think helped now that I'm having kids because I think thats something you and your spouse should decide on together.

6. Does your family have any names that have been passed down through generations?

My dad was a Jr and then only the middle name Ann.

7. Do you look at the meaning of the name or just the name itself?

When we found out we were pregnant and looking at baby names I definitely looked at the meaning. My husband always knew what he wanted his daughters name to be so we picked that and then I helped pick the middle name. Her name Elizabeth means consecrated to God and her middle name Grace means grace.
If we had a boy his name would be Gabriel which means God is my Strength and his middle name/my maiden name Martin means Warlike.

8. Do you name pets with human names or pet names?

It depends on the pet. Our first cat we adopted I named him after my dad because I didn't like his name for a human's name but wanted to keep it a part of our lives so we named our cat Archie. Our second cat we named Chance so more of a pet name.

9. Are their any names that you have an affinity or dislike for based on a childhood experience/someone you once knew?

I hate the name Bobby because that was an exboyfriend of mine and not such a great experience.

10. What are some of your favorite names & why?

I don't really have any besides the names I picked for my children.

Pregnancy: Last Week of 2nd Trimester

2011-03-07T08:58:00.000-06:00

How far along? 27 Weeks 3 Days (88 days to go!)

Baby's size? From Baby Center: weighs almost 2 pounds (like a head of cauliflower) and is about 14 1/2 inches long with her legs extended.

Weight Gain? Total gain +18lbs.

Maternity clothes? I NEED MORE! I really need to go shopping. I have enough work clothes but i dont really have any casual clothes and cried over it this weekend!

Stretch marks? None on the belly yet

Belly button in or out? Still innie and now i'm starting to think it might not pop

Sleep? I sleep good when I nap but at night I do a lot of tossing and turning.

Foods I am loving? still toast with peanut butter and honey and milk

Foods I am hating? Meat in general

Best moment this week? feeling her move around more

Symptoms? Not getting comfortable, carpel tunnel and add to that now some swelling in my feet

Exercise? Non existent

Gender? A little girl named Elizabeth

What I miss? Feeling normal

Belly Pic:

Braxton Hicks at the Rodeo

2011-03-04T09:15:00.000-06:00

Last night my sister and I went to see Sugarland at the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo! For those that are not familiar with this the Rodeo is a once a year event that last 20 days and consists of livestock, carnival rides, amazing food and a concert each night! I try to go once a year. The food is really amazing! I love the jumbo corn dogs and fried twinkies! Yes fried twinkies! I first have to say that Sugarland put on an amazing show! I just love them! They are so corky and fun! I was singing the whole time. Here are some pics of me and my lil sister!

Bad pic of me! I have to learn not to put my face over like that so I don't look like i have a double chin. Also sorry for the big boobs!

Unfortunately I was feeling a little uncomfortable and all that walking was killing me! I'm pretty sure I felt my first braxton hicks contractions. I have to say it was a little painful. It wasn't horrible but I would say on a scale of 1-10 it was a 2ish. When I got home last night my uterus hurt and it made it hard for me to turn over in the bed. Since I've never had a baby before I can't be sure that's what I was feeling but I hope so. You know I get so worried not knowing what I should worry and not worry about. Not knowing exactly what I'm feeling and if it warrants calling the doctor or not. How do you deal with that? How do you know what your body is going through if you've never felt it before?

Sweaty Armpits

2011-03-03T09:56:00.000-06:00

So I have a new pregnancy symptom and its called sweaty armpits! I've never been a person who sweats a lot! Even when I work out. All of a sudden I have puddles under my arms and its sooooo embarrassing! I asked the doctor about it yesterday and she said its due to hormones and theres nothing I can do about it! I can't keep going around looking like this!

Anyone who is currently pregnant or have been pregnant has this happened to you? Are there any tips you can share? Please my armpits need your help!

Pregnancy: 26 Weeks

2011-03-02T15:03:00.001-06:00

How far along? 26 Weeks 4 Days (Less than 100 days to go!)

Baby's size? From Baby Center: weighs about a pound and two-thirds and measures 14 inches (an English hothouse cucumber) from head to heel.

Weight Gain? +4lbs since drs apt 2 weeks ago Total gain +18lbs.

Maternity clothes? Yeppers!

Stretch marks? Yes on my sides but none on the boobs or belly yet! I actually got complimented from the nurse today for not having any on my belly

Belly button in or out? Still innie but i'm interested to see if it will pop soon

Sleep? Sleep is hit or miss for me. Its getting harder to turn over and get comfortable

Foods I am loving? Toast with peanut butter and honey and milk

Foods I am hating? Orange juice is hit or miss with me right now

Best moment this week? Got to hear Liz' heartbeat at doctors appointment today and we ordered her letters for her wall!

Symptoms? Peeing more, not getting comfortable, carpel tunnel and add to that now some swelling in my feet

Exercise? I have so been lacking on this and its not good!
Gender? Our little girl

What I miss? Being able to bend down and put on my shoes without help.

Doctor's Visit: I had a doctors appointment today for my glucose test. The drink itself wasn't that bad. The bad part was not being able to eat until afterwards. I have been feeling a little light headed since then even though I ate something right after. I won't get my results till my next appointment so I'm keeping my fingers crossed everything comes back ok. While I was there they checked the heart beat and I got my belly measured for the 1st time! Everything is right where it should be and looking good! Go back in 2 more weeks!

Belly Pic:

Five Years Ago

2011-02-28T08:19:00.000-06:00

Yesterday was five years that I lost my father. I was only 21 and my youngest sister was 18. He passed away suddenly from a drug overdose and my youngest sister is the one that found him. His death was very hard on us. Even though he'd battled his drug addiction for many many years we prayed that it wouldn't be the cause of his death. I can't explain to you how it feels to loose a parent that way and at such a young age. Over time I guess I have learned to deal with it better. Its funny because I don't tear up on the anniversary of his death or his birthday but when I hear a song that reminds me of him or about a father and his daughter or when I see anything on a movie or TV regarding dads I always ball!

When my dad passed away he was buried in Converse, LA where my grandparents had an extra plot beside theirs and decided to bury him there. It is about a 4 hour drive one way from Houston, TX so my sisters and I don't get to visit his grave often. Yesterday my youngest sister and I along with our husbands made the trip and met my grandparents there. My grandparents put new flowers on his tombstone and we visited for a little while. Sorry I didn't take any pics yesterday as I looked like crap. When my dad first passed away my best friend made me a pic of me and my dad and had the frame engraved "In Loving Memory" with his birth and death dates. Here is a pic sorry for the blur:

Even though my dad had his issues he was the sweetest man and so smart! I would talk to him frequently about how school was going and life in general. We were very close and I miss him dearly every day!

Pregnancy: 25 Weeks

2011-02-21T08:40:00.000-06:00

24 Week 4 Day Ultrasound

How far along? 25 Weeks 3 Days

Baby's size? At last doctor's appointment last Wednesday she weighed 1lb 8oz

Weight Gain? +5lbs since last month. Total gain +14lbs.

Maternity clothes? Of course!

Stretch marks? Yes on my sides but none on the boobs or belly yet!

Belly button in or out? Still innie but looks like its closing in a little

Sleep? Sleep hasn't been that great lately! Cant seem to get comfortable and my left wrist hurts so bad at night thanks to my carpel tunnel

Foods I am loving? I have been craving a cupcake with icing!!!!!!

Foods I am hating? Nothing

Best moment this week? Got to see little miss at last week's doctor's appointment

Symptoms? Peeing more, not getting comfortable, carpel tunnel

Exercise? Need to start back up!

Gender? She's STILL a girl!!!!!!!

What I miss? Nothing at the moment

Doctor's Visit: We had our doctors appointment last Wednesday and we finally got to see our little girl again! She's doing great! She now weighs 1lb 8oz. Her spine looks good and shes forming just fine! We are now down to every 2 week appointments! Unfortuntaly we dont get another ultrasound till 34 weeks which totally sux! My next appointment is next week and I have my glucose test which i'm totally worried about. Fingers cross i pass!

Belly Pic:

Pregnancy: 6 months!!!!!!!

2011-02-15T08:54:00.000-06:00

How far along? 24 Weeks 4 Days (We are finally in our last month of our 2nd trimester!)

Baby's size? From Baby Center: having gained about 4 ounces since last week. That puts him at just over a pound. Since he's almost a foot long (picture an ear of corn)

Weight Gain? + 9 lbs last time I went to doctor. Will find out how much more I've gained when go to doctor tomorrow.

Maternity clothes? Of course!

Stretch marks? Yes on my sides but none on the boobs or belly yet!

Belly button in or out? Still in

Sleep? I've actually been sleeping throughout the night.

Foods I am loving? Nothing in particular

Foods I am hating? Nothing

Best moment this week? Getting to the 6 month mark!

Symptoms? I recently started having pain in my hands thanks to pregnancy carpel tunnel. Its no fun. Its worse in my left hand than my right and bothers me more at night when i'm sleeping.

Exercise? I haven't excerised in a couple of days thanks to something wrong with our TV. TV repairmen come out tomorrow to look at it so hopefully will start again at end of week.

Gender? Shes a girl!

What I miss? Nothing at the moment

Belly Photo

Nursery: Tree Decal

2011-02-09T09:54:00.001-06:00

We bought a tree decal to put on the wall in Elizabeth's room. We are going to put her butterfly decals around it later this week. The tree came in different pieces and were numbered and we had to put it together. It looks really great in her room.

Here is a pic:

We ordered this online at weedecor.com and we purchased the larger size. We also plan on buying the wall letters for her name through this site.

Blueberry Pie Recipe

2011-02-09T09:46:00.000-06:00

I mentioned yesterday that I make an unbelievable blueberry banana cream pie. It was one of my dad's all time favorites and its so easy to make and delicious! I made one for my in laws for the Super Bowl and on Monday we celebrated my boss' birthday so I made one for work as well. Everyone at work just loved it and had to have the recipe so I thought I'd share with you as well.

I forgot to take a picture of mine so I found this one online. I don't put blueberries on top of mine.

Ingredients:

8 ounce package of cream cheese
1/3 cup white sugar
2 bananas peeled and sliced
1 cup of blueberry pie filling
9 ounce graham cracker pie shell

Directions:

Combine cream cheese and 1/3 cup of white sugar
Spoon mixture on pie shell
Put bananas on cream cheese mixture
Spread pie filling on top of bananas
Top with cool whip

Enjoy!!!!!!

Weekend Recap {2.8.11}

2011-02-08T10:18:00.000-06:00

After a few boring weekends we had a pretty busy weekend this past weekend. Friday Mr. Lopez and I didn't have to go to work because of the Ice Storm that came through Houston. Yes I said ice storm. There was over 800 accidents that day and 4 fatalities that I know of. Us Houstonians are not used to driving in that kind of weather. Most people forget how to drive when it just rains. So we stayed inside during the morning and in the afternoon we headed to AT&T to get me a new phone. We were up for an upgrade and the phone I wanted had a deal for $100 cheaper than normal until Valentine's Day. I had an IPhone for the last 2 years and I was getting so over it! I didn't really use the apps anymore and I was tired of using just a touch screen. So I got a new white Blackberry Torch. So far I love it! Its still touch screen but also has a keyboard.

Also this weekend Joey's uncle got remarried to a great lady! Mr. Lopez was asked to be an usher for their wedding so we had to attend the rehearsal on Friday night and then we went to Olive Garden for dinner with his aunt and cousins and grandmother.

Then Saturday was the big day. It was a VERY VERY long day! The wedding was a catholic service so the wedding started at 1 p.m. and was over around 2:15 p.m. Yes an hour and 15 minutes of standing up and sitting down and standing up and sitting down some more. After the wedding the immediate family took pictures at the church. The reception started at 4 pm. so until then we went to Joey's aunts to hang out. His 10 year old cousin and I are very close and we always play when were together. She wanted to take a pic of me with her baby doll. I look totally pregnant in this pic.

Then we headed to the hotel where the reception was. It was soooo crowded that you could barely walk through the aisles of the tables. The reception lasted from 4 until midnight! Around 10:30 p.m. I started feeling horrible. My whole body hurt! I think it had just been a long day but I was so ready to go home.
Here are some pics of the wedding. Sorry I didn't get more buy my camera seriously sucks!

Then of course Sunday was the SuperBowl and we had Joey's mom and brothers over to watch the game. I was rooting for GreenBay as I dispise Ben Roethlisberger. We had bbq and I made my famous Blueberry Banana Cream Pie. Receipe to come later! All in all we had a great weekend.

What did you do this weekend?

Pregnancy: 23 Weeks

2011-02-07T10:00:00.000-06:00

How far along? 23 Weeks 3 Days

Baby's size? From Baby Center: more than 11 inches long and weighs just over a pound (about as much as a large mango)

Weight Gain? + 9 lbs last time I went to doctor

Maternity clothes? Yes

Stretch marks? Yes

Belly button in or out? Still in

Sleep? Been sleeping a little better. Still tossing and turning and getting up more to pee at night

Foods I am loving? Cake

Foods I am hating? Nothing

Best moment this week? Nothing really exciting this week but feeling her move more.

Symptoms? Been having more leg pain and my hands are starting to feel some weirdness.

Exercise? Day 4 of prenatal pilates video

Gender? Baby Girl, Miss Liz

What I miss? Getting up without it being a chore

Belly Photo

Remember Alex Brown

2011-02-01T09:08:00.000-06:00

So Sunday night I was watching Extreme Home Makeover and they were rebuilding a home for the Brown family in my home state Texas who lost their daughter Alex to texting and driving. It just broke my heart seeing their story and of course I felt quilty because I text and drive a lot. I've come to the point in my life where I have to start thinking about the little one growing inside of me and that my decisions affect her. I want to make sure when I have her in the car with me that I don't text or even talk on the phone while I'm driving. I would hate myself forever if something bad were to happen to her because of that.

So I took the pledge to remember Alex Brown and not text and drive. If you text and drive please take the pledge to remember Alex Brown and help save a life! http://www.rememberalexbrownfoundation.org/take-the-pledge/sign.php

Pregnancy: 22 Weeks

2011-01-31T09:20:00.000-06:00

How far along? 22 Weeks 3 Days

Baby's size? From Baby Center: At 11 inches (the length of a spaghetti squash) and almost 1 pound

Weight Gain? + 9 lbs last time I went to doctor

Maternity clothes? Yes couldn't fit in anything else even if i wanted to!

Stretch marks? Yes but putting my lotion on.

Belly button in or out? Still in

Sleep? Been sleeping a little better. Still tossing and turning and getting up more to pee at night

Foods I am loving? Peaches

Foods I am hating? Nothing

Best moment this week? I made my appointment for maternity pics for beginning of May. I registered us for our Childbirth classes in March. This weekend we finished registering for baby Elizabeth at Target & Babys R Us. My father-in-law bought us Elizabeth's high chair and it came in this weekend.

Movement? Shes been moving a lot more and been hanging out on my bladder!

Symptoms? Headaches have seem to have gotten better! I'm peeing like a pregnant woman now. I feel like that's all I do! LOL Also my boobies have been itching A LOT!!!!!! My boobs have always been big and now they are just getting way too huge! I've also started seeing my linea nigra on my tummy. Its not that noticeable but I can definitely see it.

Exercise? For the past 22 weeks I haven't been doing anything active besides going to work. Today I started doing a prenatal pilates video and I felt so good afterwards. I'm also going to start walking again after work today. I've also started to eat healthier and limit my desserts to only special occasions. I have been eating really bad since I got my appetite back around week 16. I'm really afraid of getting gestational diabetes and decided I need to do everything in my power not to get it.

Gender? G.I.R.L

What I miss? Nothing at the moment

Belly Photo

Pregnancy: 21 Weeks

2011-01-24T09:17:00.001-06:00

How far along? 21 Weeks 3 Days

Baby's size? From Baby Center: now weighs about three-quarters of a pound and is approximately 10 1/2 inches long — the length of a carrot.

Weight Gain? + 9 lbs

Maternity clothes? Yes couldn't fit in anything else even if i wanted to!

Stretch marks? Yes

Belly button in or out? In but getting shallow

Sleep? Last night I slept horribly! I'm not sure if its because I'm so tired in the evenings that I go to bed earlier and then wake up all throughout the night. I think I might try to stay up a little later and see if that makes a difference.

Foods I am loving? Frozen Yogurt

Foods I am hating? Nothing really

Best moment this week? We went and started our registries this weekend. I have to admit that I felt like for some things like bottles and stuff I wasn't really sure which ones to get. I was a little overwhelmed. A funny moment this week was my youngest niece called me after seeing my belly pictures on Facebook and asked me why my tummy was so fat. After telling her its because baby Elizabeth is in there she then tells me no I think you're having twins! Like I didn't have a weight complex before. LOL

Movement? Still waiting to feel her kick!

Symptoms? Still having headaches and just trouble sleeping. Also let me apologize in advance because this is a little TMI but before getting pregnant I was not a gassy person. I hardly ever passed gas. Now it seems like I do that all the time. It's really embarrasing! Oh the joys of being pregnant!

Gender? G.I.R.L

What I miss? A glass of wine!

Belly Photo

Sorry for the bad photos. My bathroom lightening is not that great!

Nursery: Little Details

2011-01-21T09:42:00.000-06:00

As I mentioned Elizabeth's room is almost done. All that is left is her wall art and purchasing a glider chair. I thought I would share some pics of the little details in her room.

Comforter for looks

Bedding

Mobile

Dirty Clothes Hamper

Diaper Hamper

Her first stuffed animal

First year picture frame from her abuela

Lil Coog picture frame

Start of her book collection (Oh the places you'll go, Beddy-Bye Baby, Brown Bear Brown Bear and I love kittens)

Lamp

Valence

Like mother like daughter

Nursery Beginnings

2011-01-19T09:27:00.000-06:00

This weekend the hubby and I were busy getting Elizabeth's nursery together. Mr. Lopez painted her room Thursday and Friday night and then we spent the rest of the weekend putting together her furniture. The room is reallly starting to come together. We still need to put up her wall art and get a gliding chair but other than that everythings done! I can't tell you how happy it makes me to see her room. It feels just a little more real. I know some of you might be wondering why we're working on her room so early but I didn't want to be eight months pregnant and be so big and tired that I couldn't help with anything. I also worry about everything and I didn't want another thing to stress about that close to Liz being born. I also wanted to be able to read to her in her room and get her used to being in there.

Here are some beginning pics of what her nursery will look like:

Her Book case and toy chest

Changing Table with UH diaper bag

Crib and mobile

Her dresser and lamp

Her room is painted in a light yellow

I will share pics of her bedding set tomorrow!

Halfway There: 20 Weeks!

2011-01-18T09:43:00.001-06:00

How far along? 20 Weeks 4 Days

Baby's size? From Baby Center: weighs about 10 1/2 ounces and measures 6 1/2 inches about the length of a banana.
Weight Gain? OMG I can't believe I'm sharing this but I had a doctor's appointment yesterday and since my last visit I gained 9lbs!!!!!!!!!! I just can't believe that! I'm really worried about that as I only wanted to gain 15lbs the whole pregnancy since I'm already a little overweight. I asked the doctor about it yesterday and she said some people gain the most of it in the beginning and slow down at the end so for me not to worry about it yet. We have another appointment in 4 weeks and well see how I'm doing then.

Maternity clothes? Loving them and Mr. Lopez' coworker who just had a baby gave me some of her maternity clothes so I have a lot more!

Stretch marks? Yes and I've been using Palmer's Cocoa Butter Formula for Stretch Mark Cream

Belly button in or out? In but getting shallow

Sleep? I've been sleeping a little better now that I bought a pregnancy pillow! Not tossing as much.

Foods I am loving? I've been eating a lot of sweets lately but I've always had a sweet tooth so not sure if that's just me or if its gotten worse since the pregnancy.

Foods I am hating? Nothing really just tired of eating fast food these past couple weeks.

Best moment this week? Mr. Lopez painted Elizabeth's room and we put her furniture together! Her nursery is almost done all we have to do is put up her wall art! Also heard her heartbeat yesterday at doctors appointment.

Movement? I'm pretty sure I felt some moving around but not an actual kick yet.

Symptoms? I had my first nose bleed last week and I've been having a lot of headaches.

Gender? It's a girl! Elizabeth Grace Lopez

What I miss? A glass of wine!

Dr. Visit: We had a doctors visit yesterday and we didn't have an ultrasound but we did get to hear the heartbeat. We have one more 4 week appointment and then we're down to every other week! I can't believe it! Time has just flown! We've started looking at childbirth classes at the hospital and hopefully will have signed up for one by the end of the month. We will also probably take an infant CPR class as well before she gets here.
Belly Photo

Pregnancy Crazies

2011-01-11T10:25:00.000-06:00

This whole pregnancy thing has got my body all whack! Friday night Mr. Lopez and I went to Lowe's to see if they could match the sample paint that we ordered from the same place we bought Elizabeth's bedding set. They said they could but they didn't give us a sample to take home to make sure. Instead they gave us a gallon and when we went home the paint was more of a gold color instead of a pastel yellow. I for no reason at all got so upset and started crying because I was worried that the paint wouldn't come off and now we have a can of paint and not sure where else in our house we could use it. My poor husband just kept telling me there's no reason to cry that all we have to do is buy some primer and it will come off. Sure enough the next morning we did just that and what do you know it came off! Now I have always been an emotional person, I cry at tv shows and movies but I never cry for no reason. I just couldn't stop crying and I had no idea why! Thank goodness the Mr. is understanding.

Then this morning I woke up to my nose bleeding. I was like WTF! I woke up Mr. Lopez and told him my nose was bleeding and he got up and got me some tissue. I have read that's normal in pregnancy but it freaked me out because I was sleeping! Needless to say I will be ready for my body to go back to somewhat normal after Liz is born.

Any weird pregnancy crazies that you've experienced?

ABC

2011-01-10T11:33:00.000-06:00

I stole this from The Housewife at Happy Hour with a Housewife!

A is for Age: 26
B is for Beer of choice: I don't drink beer I'm a wine kinda girl
C is for Career: Communications Coordinator
D is for favorite Drink: A glass of Pino Grigo
E is for Essential item you use everyday: My IPhone
F is for Favorite song at the moment: I don't really have one
G is for favorite Game: Phase 10 and Taboo
H is for Hometown: Baytown, Texas
I is for Instruments you play: I've never played an instrument. I did twirl a flag when I was in high school. I was in the Band Flag Corp.
J is for favorite Juice: Orange Juice and Apple Juice
K is for Kids: Have two kitties and a baby girl on the way!
L is for Last kiss: This morning before we left to work
M is for marriage: 4.24.10
N is for full Name: Heather Ann Lopez
O is for Overnight hospital stays: I was born with an extra toe that I had to have removed and had to stay the night at Shriners Hospital
P is for phobias: Snakes, spiders and CLOWNS!
Q is for quote: ?
R is for biggest Regret: I've had a few growing up that I can't share but they've made me the person I am today
S is for sports: UH football! Go Coogs! and the Colts! I love you #18
T is for Time you wake up: For work at 6 am. On weekends I try to sleep until at least 8 am
U is for color of Underwear: Right now they are Grey.
V is for Vegetable you love: Squash, Corn, Green Beans
W is for Worst Habit: Cursing
X is for X-rays you’ve had: Dentist
Y is for Yummy food you make: I make a mean King Ranch Chicken!
Z is for zodiac sign: Sagittarius

Pregnancy: Week 19

2011-01-10T08:49:00.000-06:00

How far along? 19 Weeks 3 Days

Baby's size? From Baby Center: weighs about 8 1/2 ounces and measures 6 ounces

Weight Gain? I got on the scale at home yesterday morning and I think I've gained like 4lbs since 3 weeks ago. Not sure that's a good thing.

Maternity clothes? Yes and my wonderful foster parents bought me some nice maternity work clothes and undies this weekend!

Stretch marks? Yes and I've been using Palmer's Cocoa Butter Formula for Stretch Mark Cream

Belly button in or out? In :)

Sleep? I can go to sleep really easy and sleep well for first couple hours then I toss and turn the rest of the night. Been getting really hot too when I sleep.

Foods I am loving? I'm not really craving anything at the moment.

Foods I am hating? Nothing really just tired of eating fast food these past couple weeks.

Best moment this week? Got in Liz' nursery bedding set and ordered her paint

Movement? I'm pretty sure I felt some moving around but not an actual kick yet.

Symptoms? Getting more tired for sure and having more trouble getting up

Gender? It's a girl! Elizabeth Grace Lopez

What I miss? Good sleep!

Belly Photo

Sorry for the bad pic. I'm not sure if its my camera or Mr. Lopez!

Joey's cousin Danielle and I at her birthday party

First Fab Friday of the New Year!!!!!!

2011-01-07T09:38:00.000-06:00

This Fab Friday is dedicated to my wonderful husband, Mr. Lopez! Be aware this post is going to be very sentimental.

My husband is really fabulous for a lot of reasons. He is the most caring man I've ever met and since we got pregnant his sweetness has been showing more and more. As far as the pregnancy goes when I first found out I was pregnant I freaked out! We hadn't planned it and the Mr. had just started his new job after being unemployed for four months. I thought he was going to be upset and he was so calm and excited. I really wish I could be more like that. Then when I started getting sick he would come hold my hair for me and lay down with me and comfort me. Now that we're further along he helps read to Elizabeth, always asks how we are doing and is very involved in getting her nursery together.

Not only does Mr. Lopez care for me and Elizabeth but he truly cares about others as well. For Christmas his job had an angel tree where you pick an angel from the tree and it has a child's information on it and you buy a gift for him or her. So not only did we buy a gift for one child but when it got closer to the time they were going to be donating these gifts there still were coworkers who hadn't picked an angel. He felt so bad so we bought another child a gift as well. Also since Joey's grandfather has been in the hospital he has been to see him almost every day and this week since his dad flew back to Arizona, he has been going up to the hospital and feeding his grandfather his dinner.

I swear to you over the past couple of months I have been falling more and more in love with this man! I'm so proud to say his my husband and the father of my daughter!

Graco Ally Collection

2011-01-06T09:29:00.000-06:00

We found the cutest collection of baby essentials including a stroller, a car seat, swing, high chair and a pack and play for Elizabeth. It is the Graco Ally Collection and it is gray with pink polk a dots. We have already bought the stroller and car seat and plan on buying another car seat base or two. We are going to register for the other items in the collection and then whatever we don't receive we will buy later.

Here are some pics of what they look like.

Joey's aunt is going to get this for us and we will be keeping it at my sisters for her to use since she will be watching Liz.

If your expecting or have kids what collection did you choose or did you borrow these items?

2010 in Review

2011-01-05T11:36:00.000-06:00

A lot happened for me year last year both good and bad. Here is my review of 2010 in the life of Heather!

January
I had my bridal shower and bachelorette party!

February
I ordered our place cards for the wedding.

March
We found out Joey's job was closing. We ordered the gifts for our wedding party and had our food tasting.

April
I married my long time boyfriend and best friend of 7 years! We went to Niagara Falls for our honeymoon and enjoyed being married!

May
I switched over from my wedding blog to this one. We went to see my sister receive her GED. Joey became unemployed.

JuneWorked on wedding recaps on my blog.

July I went to see Wicked for my first time, went to Dallas for a cousins wedding, had my nices for a weekend, went to my sister's lakehouse and participated in 30 Vows of Summer.

August
Participated in the 30 Day Blog Journal, read The Help and donated my hair to Locks of Love.

September
We celebrated living in our home for a year, Joey started his new job and we went to a birthday dinner for a friend.

October
I found out I was pregnant and the sickness began!

November
We hosted our first Thanksgiving at our home as a married couple and I turned 26!

December
We had our first christmas cards made & we found out we were having a baby girl!

Nursery Furniture

2011-01-05T08:34:00.001-06:00

I mentioned yesterday that we ordered Elizabeth's bedding and have picked out a paint color and her furniture. We are going to wait to buy the furniture until her room is painted which will hopefully happen this month.

Here is some pictures of the furniture that we've chosen. All the furniture will be Dark Cherry and they have a scroll design. Sorry some of the pictures are small. The only piece of furniture I haven't picked out yet is a glider. To see a better picture of the collection visit JCPENNY. That is where we will be purchasing the set from.

Bookcase and toy chest

Changing Table

Dresser

Convertible Crib

Nursery Bedding

2011-01-04T08:40:00.000-06:00

I know I shared back with you on Week 14 the ideas we were thinking about for the nursery for a girl and a boy. I had wanted to do a princess theme for a girl but I couldn't find anything that had a complete set of everything like a matching lamp etc. So I continued looking and I found this:

It's called the Sundae collection by CoCaLo. I really really liked this and showed Mr. Lopez and he agreed he liked it better than the princess theme. So we bought it! We bought it from BabySuperMall.com. We got the full collection including the diaper bag, bedding, blanket, pillow, a little teddy bear, the window valence, the mobile and hamper. We even bought the sample color paint and we got everything in yesterday! We tested the paint on the wall and it really brightens up that white dull room. So this weekend we will be purchasing the paint and hopefully by the end of the month will have Elizabeth's room painted! Mr. Lopez also wants to try his hand at painting a tree like shown in the picture. I have to admit I'm pretty scared about that.

After the room is painted we plan on purchasing her furniture. I had been going back & forth between white or brown furniture. I really wanted white furniture for a girl but after seeing the Dark Cherry with this set it really pops out the rest of the colors especially the yellow. So we decided to go with the Dark Cherry furniture. Stay tuned to see the furniture that we picked!

Pregnancy: Week 18

2011-01-03T10:07:00.000-06:00

I know that I missed weeks 16 & 17 with me being on vacation and all the family stuff going on but I'm back with week 18.

How far along? 18 Weeks 3 Days
Baby's size? 6 ounces from our last doctors visit 2 weeks ago

Weight Gain? As of two weeks ago when we went to the doctor I had gained my weight back that I lost from getting sick and was up 1lb from where I started.

Maternity clothes? Yes and loving them! I really could use some more but I got a belly band for Christmas so I'm using that with my other pants.

Stretch marks? Yes and I've been using Palmer's Cocoa Butter Formula for Stretch Mark Cream

Belly button in or out? In :)
Sleep? Been sleeping better but still a lot of tossing and turning

Foods I am loving? I'm not really craving anything at the moment.

Foods I am hating? Nothing really just tired of eating fast food these past couple weeks.

Best moment this week? We bought Elizabeth some more books yesterday to read to her. Best moment last week was ordering her nursery set and stroller and car seat and week 16s best moment was finding out the gender!

Movement? Every time we get an ultrasound we've gotten to see her move around but I havent felt anything yet.

Symptoms? Getting sick once a week and just started having leg cramps.

Gender? It's a girl! Elizabeth Grace Lopez

What I miss? Wearing clothes that fit and sleeping throughout the night.
Belly Photo

Week 16 Ultrasound Photo

ICU & A FUNERAL

2010-12-28T14:57:00.000-06:00

Last week was one hell of a week. I am still exhausted from it. Last Monday night after we found out the gender of the baby we got a call saying that Joey's grandfather was in the ER and was unconsious. He has a really bad infection that is causing both of his kidneys to shut down. They put him in ICU and on dylisis. He is now doing a little better and has been able to eat and breathe on his own for a few days. We don't know yet how damaged his kidneys are yet though. So we were at the hospital everyday last week until pretty late.

Then last Tuesday morning, the day after Joey's grandfather was put in ICU, his great aunt passed away. They had just put her on hospice on Sunday morning and that afternoon we had went to see her. Joey was asked to be a paulbearer so I had to get him a suit. We had the roserary on Wednesday night and then on the 23rd was the funeral. So needless to say last week was a rough one. My heart is saddened for my husbands family and just pray that his grandfather makes it through this.

It's A......

2010-12-28T14:49:00.001-06:00

We found out last Monday that we are having a BABY GIRLl!!!!!! Her name is Elizabeth Grace Lopez. We decided to wait until Christmas to share the news with our families. We made cookies for everyone and inside put this napkin on top that said Baby girl and then we put a name card with her name on the inside of the lid. We made everyone open them at the same time and they were so excited! My mother-in-law went right after we told her and bought some clothes. I also bought some girl clothes last week and right after we found out we went to the UH bookstore and bought a diaper bag for daddy that doesnt look girlie and a bib, beanie, booties and a picture frame. We're proud alumni!

This week we bought Elizabeth's stroller, car seat and nursery set! I will post pics of all those later!

Talking to Baby

2010-12-14T14:15:00.000-06:00

From what I've read they say it is good to start talking to your baby now. I have talked to Baby Lopez quietly in my head but its been a little weird to talk aloud to it. But its good to talk aloud to the baby so that they can start recognizing your voice. So last night Mr. Lopez and I sat down and I read to Baby Lopez his/her first book, Dr. Seuses Oh, the places you will go!

Again I just absoultely LOVE LOVE this book. I think its a very good life lesson. So in case you have never read it here it is: ( I have to warn you it is a long book.)

Congratulations!

Today is your day.
You're off to Great Places!
You're off and away!

You have brains in your head.
You have feet in your shoes.
You can steer yourself
any direction you choose.
You're on your own. And you know what you know.
And YOU are the guy who'll decide where to go.

You'll look up and down streets. Look 'em over with care.
About some you will say, "I don't choose to go there."
With your head full of brains and your shoes full of feet,
you're too smart to go down any not-so-good street.

And you may not find any
you'll want to go down.
In that case, of course,
you'll head straight out of town.

It's opener there
in the wide open air.
Out there things can happen
and frequently do
to people as brainy
and footsy as you.

And then things start to happen,
don't worry. Don't stew.
Just go right along.
You'll start happening too.

OH!
THE PLACES YOU'LL GO!
You'll be on y our way up!
You'll be seeing great sights!
You'll join the high fliers
who soar to high heights.

You won't lag behind, because you'll have the speed.
You'll pass the whole gang and you'll soon take the lead.
Wherever you fly, you'll be best of the best.
Wherever you go, you will top all the rest.

Except when you don't.
Because, sometimes, you won't.
I'm sorry to say so
but, sadly, it's true
that Bang-ups
and Hang-ups
can happen to you.

You can get all hung up
in a prickle-ly perch.
And your gang will fly on.
You'll be left in a Lurch.

You'll come down from the Lurch
with an unpleasant bump.
And the chances are, then,
that you'll be in a Slump.

And when you're in a Slump,
you're not in for much fun.
Un-slumping yourself
is not easily done.

You will come to a place where the streets are not marked.
Some windows are lighted. But mostly they're darked.
A place you could sprain both your elbow and chin!
Do you dare to stay out? Do you dare to go in?
How much can you lose? How much can you win?

And IF you go in, should you turn left or right...
or right-and-three-quarters? Or, maybe, not quite?
Or go around back and sneak in from behind?
Simple it's not, I'm afraid you will find,
for a mind-maker-upper to make up his mind.

You can get so confused
that you'll start in to race
down long wiggled roads at a break-necking pace
and grind on for miles cross weirdish wild space,
headed, I fear, toward a most useless place.

The Waiting Place...
...for people just waiting.
Waiting for a train to go
or a bus to come, or a plane to go
or the mail to come, or the rain to go
or the phone to ring, or the snow to snow
or the waiting around for a Yes or No
or waiting for their hair to grow.
Everyone is just waiting.

Waiting for the fish to bite
or waiting for the wind to fly a kite
or waiting around for Friday night
or waiting, perhaps, for their Uncle Jake
or a pot to boil, or a Better Break
or a string of pearls, or a pair of pants
or a wig with curls, or Another Chance.
Everyone is just waiting.

NO!
That's not for you!

Somehow you'll escape
all that waiting and staying
You'll find the bright places
where Boom Bands are playing.

With banner flip-flapping,
once more you'll ride high!
Ready for anything under the sky.
Ready because you're that kind of a guy!

Oh, the places you'll go! There is fun to be done!
There are points to be scored. There are games to be won.
And the magical things you can do with that ball
will make you the winning-est winner of all.
Fame! You'll be as famous as famous can be,
with the whole wide world watching you win on TV.

Except when they don't
Because, sometimes they won't.

I'm afraid that some times
you'll play lonely games too.
Games you can't win
'cause you'll play against you.

All Alone!
Whether you like it or not,
Alone will be something
you'll be quite a lot.

And when you're alone, there's a very good chance
you'll meet things that scare you right out of your pants.
There are some, down the road between hither and yon,
that can scare you so much you won't want to go on.

But on you will go
though the weather be foul.
On you will go
though your enemies prowl.
On you will go
though the Hakken-Kraks howl.
Onward up many
a frightening creek,
though your arms may get sore
and your sneakers may leak.

On and on you will hike,
And I know you'll hike far
and face up to your problems
whatever they are.

You'll get mixed up, of course,
as you already know.
You'll get mixed up
with many strange birds as you go.
So be sure when you step.
Step with care and great tact
and remember that Life's
a Great Balancing Act.
Just never foget to be dexterous and deft.
And never mix up your right foot with your left.

And will you succeed?
Yes! You will, indeed!
(98 and 3/4 percent guaranteed.)

KID, YOU'LL MOVE MOUNTAINS!

So...
be your name Buxbaum or Bixby or Bray
or Mordecai Ali Van Allen O'Shea,
You're off the Great Places!
Today is your day!
Your mountain is waiting.
So...get on your way!

Pregnancy: Week 15

2010-12-13T15:58:00.000-06:00

How far along? 15 Weeks 3 Days

Baby's size? 4 inches — about the size of an apple — and weighs 2 1/2 ounces.

Weight Gain? Weighed myself yesterday and I gained 2lbs so almost back up to where I was before I started vomitting.

Maternity clothes? Yes and loving them! I'm starting to show a little more so

Stretch marks? I have some on my legs and sides but I think they may have already been there.

Belly button in or out? In :)

Sleep? The past couple of nights I have been sleeping a lot better!

Foods I am loving? I'm starting to get a little bit of my appetite back! I'm still loving anything cold and in particular frozen yogurt.

Foods I am hating? Any kind of meat, mexican food, pizza and almost chicken hast started getting me sick.

Best moment this week? I had two people on Thursday comment that all of a sudden I look really pregnant! Also I haven't gotten sick since last Sunday!!!!!!

Movement? Not that I can feel yet.

Symptoms? Stomach is a little quesy but vomitting has gotten better! Also I've been breaking out really bad on my face and my chest. Anyone else experiencing acne?

Gender? We will hopefully find out next Monday in time to tell our families on Christmas!

What I miss? Last week I had a mixer for work and I really missed being able to have a glass of wine! I was just smelling other peoples drinks. Its sad really!

Happy Holidays: The Lopez Family Christmas Card

2010-12-08T15:00:00.001-06:00

Since 2010 was a big year for Mr. Lopez and I with us getting married and getting pregnant, we decided or I should say I decided to create a holiday card with pictures of us instead of just sending out regular Christmas cards like we usually do. So I used Walgreens.com to create our cards and they were only $15.99 for 20 which I didn't think was a bad deal. And we only sent them out to family but will probably start sending them to our friends next year as well.

So without further adue, Seasons Greetings from The Lopez Family! (Side note: Since Joey's family are the Lopez', we decided to say From Joey & Heather Lopez & Family)

In case you can't see the smaller pics very well, the pics include a pic of our first dance from our wedding, our cats and an ultrasound pic of baby Lopez!

Do you send out Christmas cards and if so do you create one or use generic ones?

Pregnancy: Week 14

2010-12-06T14:24:00.000-06:00

How far along? 14 weeks

Baby's size? 3 1/2 inches — about the size of a lemon — and weighs 1 1/2 ounces.

Weight Gain? As of 2 weeks ago I had lost 5 lbs. Haven't been on the scale since.

Maternity clothes? I went shopping this weekend at Kohls and bought a couple pair of work pants and some shirts. I can button up by regular pants at all. When I'm home I like to wear night gowns that dont constrict my stomach.

Stretch marks? Not that I've found on my belly yet.

Belly button in or out? In :)
Sleep? I have not been sleeping well at all since I found out I was pregnant. I can't seem to get comfortable and I toss and turn all night and usually get really hot.

Foods I am loving? Truthfully there are no foods that I love right now which is so sad :( Nothing sounds good to me at all! I do like almost anything that is cold and I have been eating a lot of cereal because nothing else sounds good.

Foods I am hating? Any kind of meat, mexican food, pizza and almost chicken hast started getting me sick.

Best moment this week? Bought the baby its first book, Dr. Seuss "Oh, the places you'll go!" I absolutely love that book because its so motivational.

Movement? Nope not yet.

Symptoms? Still very nauseous. Saturday was a really bad day. I didnt get out of bed except to vomit and I beat my record of twice a day and vomitted three times that day :( I hope that goes away very, very soon!

Gender? We have our appointment on December 20 so two weeks from today. Hopefully the little one is in a good position for us to see. We have decided on nursery themes for either one. If its a boy its of course going to be sports theme after his daddy and if its a girl i found the cutest princess theme.

What I miss? Feeling normal and not getting sick!

Dr. Apt and Thanksgiving and My Birthday, Oh My!!!!!!

2010-11-29T12:01:00.000-06:00

I was totally MIA all week last week from blogging so I'm here with an update.

I will start with our Dr. Apt as it was last Monday. I had lost 5 lbs since my last visit. Mr. Lopez didn't get to attend this one with me because he had his own doctors apt so my cousin went with me instead. It was a great appointment. The baby was moving and trying to turn over and it even waved at me! I'm not even kidding! It did! Here are some pics I took of the ultrasound. Sorry quality isn't so good.

Baby

Belly pic at 12 weeks

This year Mr. Lopez and I hosted our first thanksgiving ever! I totally forgot to take pics of all the yummy food and decorations so I'm sorry! We had about 20 people in attendance including my family, Joey's family and my foster family. I was smart and had everyone bring a dish and all I had to do was cook the ham and make a pie! It was such a success but boy was I tired after it was all said and done.

Saturday was my 26th birthday and it was such a great day! Mr. Lopez woke me up with a card and then went to buy me an outfit to wear for the day. When we got back home there were flowers waiting for me from Joey! Let me just tell you this was very special because Mr. Lopez doesn't believe in giving flowers since they just die and in 7 1/2 years since we've been together I've never received any. Then that afternoon we went to see the new Harry Potter with my foster family and it was a great movie! Really you must see it! Then we went to dinner and then we headed to Joey's grandmothers where they had a cake for me and I blew out all 26 candles in one blow! Oh yeah I'm a good blower! LMAO!

So needless to say I had one busy week for this pregnant momma and I think I'm paying for it now. Yesterday and today I've been really sick and just feel horrible! Hopefully that doesn't last much longer now that I'm done with my first trimester!

I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday!

Pregnancy: Week 11

2010-11-15T13:24:00.000-06:00

My Body

Our baby is over 1 1/2 inches long and about the size of a fig and is almost fully formed. Even though I already had a tummy before getting pregnant I am definitely starting to show.

My Symptoms

My nausea has been horrible but I feel like my vomiting has gotten a little better. I didn't upchuck at all this weekend but of course it was back this morning :(

I'm still waking up throughout the night from tossing and turning from side to side. Once I get comfortable and am sleeping good my side becomes numb and i have to turn over. Its also hard to sleep when my tummy stays upset all the time.

My Weight

Starting Weight: 163 lbs.
Last Week: 161lbs
This Week: 159 lbs.

My weight keeps fluncuating with all the vomiting I'm doing.

Next Doctors Visit

We have our next doctors visit next Monday.

What I'm looking forward to
My first trimester being over and hopefully by week 14 my nausea will have magically disappeared.

We are hosting our first thanksgiving at our home this year and I'm praying that I am feeling good.

My 26th birthday is next Saturday and the family is going to see Harry Potter which I'm very excited about. This will be my first time doing something since about week 6 when I started feeling like crap. So I'm hoping I'm having a good day that day.

Taking a picture of the growing belly this weekend!

Pregnancy: Week 10

2010-11-10T10:27:00.001-06:00

I am so sorry that I have been MIA for the past two weeks! I feel so bad :( I just still haven't been feeling well and pretty much all I do if I'm not at work is lay on the couch or in my bed. My life is pretty boring and miserable at the moment so I apologize. Hopefully just a few more weeks of feeling like this and I will be back to normal.

My Body

Our baby is now the size of a kumquat — a little over an inch or so long, crown to bottom — and weighs less than a quarter of an ounce, and has now completed the most critical portion of its development. The baby is now swallowing fluid and kicking up a storm. Vital organs — including kidneys, intestines, brain, and liver (now making red blood cells in place of the disappearing yolk sac) — are in place and starting to function.Tiny nails are forming on fingers and toes (no more webbing) and peach-fuzz hair is beginning to grow on tender skin.

My Symptoms

So nothing has really changed. I am taking a new nausea prescription every 4 hours and truthfully I don't like it as much as the Zofran. It isn't as easy on my tummy and it makes me very drowsy. It also works sometime and other times it doesn't. I have been vomiting at least once a day sometimes twice at different times during the day.

On Saturday I was driving back from a store with Mr. Lopez and I threw up while I was driving! Luckily I had put a plastic container in the car in case that happened but who has actually thrown up while driving down the freeway? It was crazy! Then yesterday I had my first meltdown! I have so many emotions going on of feeling miserably sick to feeling guilty for missing work, feeling guilty for complaining all the time and being sick, feeling bad that I'm not all positive and happy! So many damn emotions! I just want to feel better and myself again!!!!!!!!!!! Is that too much to ask for?

My Weight

Starting Weight: 163 lbs.
Last Week: I didn't weigh myself
This Week: 161 lbs.

Second Doctor's Visit

So we had our second OB appointment on Monday and everything continues to look good. The baby's heartbeat was 168 this time. So still strong which is a good sign. At this appointment we had to decide whether we wanted the first trimester screening test to test what our percentage is for having a baby with down syndrome. We had decided we were going to do it and made our appointment to find out that the Genetics place doesn't have a contract with our Insurance company or something and so we would have to pay close to $300 for the ultrasound. Because we can't afford that we had to cancel our appointment. I'm not too worried about it as they say the older you are the higher chance you have and since I'm only 25 I think and pray that our baby will be fine and if not we will just have to deal with it when it happens.

I did receive my blood work for our last visit and everything looks good except I have a stupid bladder infection! So I'm taking an antibiotic for that right now. We have another appointment in 2 more weeks which by the way kinda worries me that the doctor keeps making our appointments for every 2 weeks instead of once a month. She did say in the beginning we will have more ultrasounds than the normal person because she doesn't like to be surprised but I'm hoping after we pass the first trimester mark it will go to once a month. Taking work off every two weeks is a pain in the butt!

Thanks for sticking with me through all this and hopefully soon I'll feel better to post more!

Pregnancy: Week 8

2010-10-26T10:30:00.000-05:00

My Body

New this week: Webbed fingers and toes are poking out from our baby's hands and feet, his/her eyelids practically cover his/her eyes, breathing tubes extend from his/her throat to the branches of its developing lungs, and the "tail" is just about gone. In the brain, nerve cells are branching out to connect with one another, forming primitive neural pathways. Our baby is about the size of a kidney bean this week.
My Symptoms

This past week was not good for me at all! I vomited at least once a day and Sunday was really bad as I couldn't keep anything down! I bought Preggie Pops and Gingerale and nothing has been helping! I'm only talking my nausea prescription when I have to as my insurance only covered 12 pills for 30 days.
My Weight

Starting Weight: 163 lbs.
Last Week: 162 lbs.
This Week: 158.8 lbs.

I lost weight this week I'm sure due to all my vomiting! I'm hoping that this next week I can actually keep my food down.
First Doctor's Visit

We had our first visit with the doctor yesterday and it went really good. We got to hear the heartbeat and it is really strong at 167! Everyone's been telling me that means its a girl so we will see. My doctor said I need to be taking my nausea medicine every 8 hours so she sent a different prescription and hopefully my insurance will pay for all the pills! I feel a little better today taking my Zofran twice yesterday and this morning so far.

I really like my doctor. She said she doesn't like surprises so we will be having more ultrasounds than normal and even if shes not on call when the baby is coming as long as she isn't out of town she will be there to deliver. I of course had to get blood work and a urinalysis done and waiting to get the results back from those.

We have another appointment in 2 weeks. Something funny happened while we were in the room getting to hear the heartbeat. Mr. Lopez started feeling sick. He said he got hot then cold and felt like he was gonna vomit! I couldn't stop laughing. He said he thinks it just became really real right then. If he was the one throwing up the past week he would know it was really real already LOL

Sorry I haven't been posting a lot. Besides feeling bad and SUPER busy at work I just haven't had the time. I promise as soon as I get through this trimester and get done with this stuff at work I will be back to posting regularly. Thanks for all the sweet comments!

Pregancy Pic: 7 Weeks

2010-10-22T09:28:00.000-05:00

I have decided to capture what I look like throughout my pregnancy. Here is me at 7 weeks before gaining baby weight. Sorry in advance for looking like crap but that's how I feel.

Pregnancy: Week 7

2010-10-18T08:14:00.000-05:00

My Body

I am 7 weeks pregnant this week and this is what my uterus looks like. This week's major developments: Hands and feet are emerging from developing arms and legs. Technically, our baby is still considered an embryo and has something of a small tail, which is an extension of their tailbone. The tail will disappear within a few weeks, but that's the only thing getting smaller. Our baby has doubled in size since last week and now measures half an inch long, about the size of a blueberry.

My Symptoms

My nausea is the same. I did cave in and call the doctor for a prescription which she prescribed Zofran (Ondansetron). I am only taking it when I have to and I can say that even though my nausea feeling doesn't go away completely when I take it, it helps it tremendously. This weekend I did vomit for my first time after eating cereal so now I'm staying away from dairy at the moment.

I don't really have much of an appetite as nothing sounds good to me at all.

My sleeping is all whack! I can't get comfortable no matter what I do. I usually sleep on my side anyways so I didn't think I was gonna have a problem with that but I'm just not comfortable. Either my stomach hurts or between our cat who sleeps right beside me and Mr. Lopez I feel too claustrophobic. So last night I laid on the other end of the bed and got a little more sleep but I still tossed and turned for the most part.

My Weight

Starting Weight: 163 lbs.
Last Week: 162 lbs.
This Week: 162 lbs.

I have maintained my weight this week which is good. Mr. Lopez and I did not go walking at all this week because I was just feeling miserable. We're hoping to start back up today.

I am hoping to get Mr. Lopez to take a pic of me this evening so I can start taking progress pics every month.

Catch Phrase Vs Taboo

2010-10-12T10:42:00.000-05:00

This weekend one of our friends had a party and asked us to bring our game of Taboo. Another one of our friends brought Catch Phrase which Mr. Lopez and I had never played before. Of course for both games we played girls vs boys.

For some unknown reason the girls ALWAYS won at Catch Phrase and the boys ALWAYS won at Taboo. And of course there was arguing over who was the better team. I liked Catch Phrase if there was/is a way to update the questions because we ended up going through all of the entertainment questions.

So have any of yall played either of these games and which one do you like better?