Not an alien anymore...

It's been a while since I posted something. I really miss blogging.  I'll be back soon.

The hubs really wanted me to post a new pic of Travis since he's changed so much in the past 4 months. He's a real boy now! (All babies look like an alien the first two months... cute aliens, mind you... but aliens, nonetheless.  You know it's true.)

There's so much I want to write, but no time right now. 

Just know that being a mom has been such an amazing (but hard) experience so far.  I love my little bubba beyond any words I put on this blog.  That doesn't say much though because I am, admittedly, a horrible writer.

Wishing you all a very happy December.  2011 was a good year for me.  I have a feeling 2012 will be so much more.

Your first month...

Eye Color: Grey
Hair: Dark Brown
Weight: 9 lbs, 9 oz
Length: 21.5 inches
Head Circumference: 36 cm
Nicknames: Baby Boy, Bobo, Trav, Alien, Boby Wan
Fun Things You Do:
- Hum in your sleep
- Poop the moment you have a new diaper on
- Sleep with your arms above your head or hands on your face just like your daddy
- Sleep with your mouth open
Temperament: Overall, you are a very calm baby.  You don't cry much and there are only a few hours of the day when you want to be fussy (unfortunately, those hours are usually between 4-9AM).
Milestones:
- You have laughed (though involuntarily and mostly in your sleep, but t it is truly the sweetest noise ever)
- You can follow my voice
- You have grabbed at the toys on your play yard
- You can fit into some of your 0-3 month clothing
- You've grabbed your bottle and brought it to your mouth
- You can hold your head up for a pretty long time
Your favorite things: Besides mommy's milk which you absolutely love, you like sleeping on the chaise portion of our couch (supervised at all times, of course).   You also like mommy's singing -- especially slow jams from the 90's (e.x. *Nsync and Boyz II Men)
Your least favorite things: I don't think you like being burped very much.  Though you don't cry, you arch your back to prevent us from putting pressure on your tummy so we can let a burp out.  You LOVED being swaddled the first two weeks, but now you hate it and kick out of it as soon as you're wrapped up.

---

Has it really already been 30 days?! It feels like just yesterday you were kicking around in my belly waking me up at 4AM... now you still wake me up at 4, but with your sweet cries instead of your pointy elbow.


We are still getting to know each other, but my, how I am so in love with you. I love the way the hair near the back of your head sticks up no matter how much we gently try to comb it down, your tiny (but super long) toes, the sound of your voice as you hum yourself to sleep... I am in awe of everything about you.
 
You look so much like your daddy.  You have his cheeks, nose, lips, hairline, and make many of the same facial expressions.  I can't wait to see what other mannerisms you've inherited from him.
 
Each day is a new learning experience and I truly can't wait to see what's in store for us. 
 

 

Week 28...

Gah! Couldn't my photographer tell me that my hair needed fixing!

How far along?: 28 weeks, 4 days (Last trimester!!!!)

Baby's Size: about 17 inches from head to toe, and 2.9 lbs!

Bellybutton: Still in... I'm *hoping* that since I'm this far along there's no chance of it coming out... who knows though

Stretchmarks: 1 - that red line I mentioned a few weeks ago.. yeah, that was a stretch mark. Boo.

Maternity Clothes: Just bought a pair of jeans and shorts... but that's about it.  I don't know if it's a good or bad thing, but even pre-baby I wore a lot of empire-waist tops/dresses, so I've been able to keep on rocking the same stuff.  Leggings and dresses are my BFFs.

Sex: It's a BOY! Yay! We didn't care either way, but I am loving the idea of a mini-hubs running around building explosive devices (Matthew used to get himself into lots of troubles building his own rockets as a kid).

Movement: Holy cow is he going stir-crazy in here!!! Every morning at 4AM he wakes me up with a good swift kick, then at 10AM, 2PM, and 10PM he likes to go a little wild and distracts me from concentrating on work. He likes to stay on my left side and I rarely feel him on my right.  Apparently, singing to him calms him down... or maybe it bores him.  Does he not like the way his mama sings?!

Sleep: I get these emails daily from a bunch of different baby sites (What to Expect, Baby Center, Fit Pregnancy, etc) that touch on difficulties in sleeping while pregnant.  I haven't had an issue yet... guess I'm pretty lucky.  I probably woke up twice with minor leg cramps, but I was able to relieve the tightness by flexing and didn't need to wake the hubs up.

Symptoms: OK, so morning sickness is pretty much all gone... save for the 1 or 2 times a week I still run to the bathroom.  No back pains or anything.  I'm still able to wear my rings and all my shoes still fit... Thank goodness.

Food Aversions: None.

Food Cravings: Chocolate.  Anything chocolate.

What I miss: I miss sleeping on my stomach and back! I don't like having to worry about being in a certain position while I sleep. Also, I miss me a good glass of Sangria...

What I Am Looking Forward to: 30 weeks is almost here which means I can schedule our 3D/4D ultrasound soon! I just want to see his face!!! Also, I just recently took my maternity pictures and can't wait to see how they turn out.  Here's a behind-the-scenes shot that Matthew took:

Milestones:  I'm in my last trimester! Can't believe that past 6.5 months have flown by so quickly! Oh, is it also a sad thing to mention that I'm still under my current starting weight?! Geez... I guess I really did let myself go this past year!  You see, I apparently gained a lot of weight while TTC (I'd read that diet and exercise can mess with a woman's cycle), got pregnant, lost a bunch of weight due to morning sickness in the first and second trimester, but haven't gained it all back!  I still have 2+ months left and I know that's when all the weight gain usually happens, so I know I'm not in clear just yet.  I think my scale is playing tricks on me or something because I don't see how that's really possible... but whatever.  I'll take it.

Now you know my ABCs...

Since everyone in the blogosphere is doing it.... Here are my ABCs:


A. Age: 27

B. Bed size: California King - With me being 5 feet nothing, I certainly don't need the length, but hubs is 6'3"... yet he still manages to push me into a tiny corner of the mattress while he sleeps diagonally.

C. Chore you hate: Bathroom duty... especially now that I'm preggers.  I get nauseous just thinking about it.  One time during the first trimester, I kept throwing up WHILE I was cleaning the toilet, so I eventually gave up and made Matthew finish the job.

D. Dogs: 2 English bulldogs - Harry & Marv

E. Essential start to your day: Snoozing for at least an hour, then snoodling for 5 minutes, and a glass of ice water

F. Favorite color: Cerulean Blue. Google it.  It's quite a relaxing color.

G. Gold or silver: Silver.

H. Height: See B above... 5'0"

I. Instruments: voice, and a little bit of the piano

J. Job title: Community Manager

K. Kids: 1 in my belly.... Baby T.

L. Live: Bay Area, CA

M. Mom’s name: Amy

N. Nicknames: Aub, Aubs, Brey, Brizzle, Brey-cheese..

O. Overnight hospital stays: Luckily I've never had to stay at a hospital overnight.

P. Pet peeve: I want to think that I am a very tolerant person and that it takes a lot to annoy me... but I can't stand it when ladies wearing heels can't walk properly (I know you've seen them before).  Don't try to rock shoes you can't handle... or at least practice before going out in public! (OK... I probably have been guilty of looking like those ladies after a long night in a cheap pair of stilettos... but still!)

Q. Quote from a movie: "That's my sweetheart in there. Wherever she is, that's where my home is."
 
R. Right or left handed: Left.

S. Siblings: 1 older brother, Ryan.

T. Time you wake up: Lately Baby T has been waking me up every morning at 4AM on the dot!  I don't get out of bed until around 6AM though...

U. Underwear: VS

V. Vegetables you dislike: Brussel sprouts... gag.

W. What makes you run late: Not knowing what to wear... I can spend hours trying on different outfits and am never satisfied.  Also, I tend to underestimate how long it takes to get from Point A to Point B.

X. X-Rays you’ve had: I guess just dental xrays... unless you count airport security.

Y. Yummy food you make: Nothing.. I suck in the kitchen.  Well, Matthew would say I make yummy stuffed mushrooms and I like my fetuccine alfredo... but otherwise, I only stick to PB&J.

Z. Zoo- favorite animal: The cassowary.

Gotta love our bulldogs...

We came home the other night to find H&M not in the garage like they're supposed to be while we're at work.  They somehow managed to break free from their area and get into the house -- those sneaky little devils!

Imagine coming home after a long day of work to this....

Pardon the crappy iPhone picture

But check out how innocent and cute they look! How could you not just laugh it off?

After cleaning up the mess, I checked our doorstep and noticed a package had arrived for me:

$9.95 @ Baby Gap

I love my bulldogs, but I hope this isn't a sign that Baby T will be as much of a handful as H&M...

H&M were apparently pooped after destroying our downstairs

Almost A Maternity Shoot...

(Originally posted 1/26/11)

Like many other mamas out there, I plan on doing a maternity photoshoot later on in my pregnancy -- probably at around 7 months. Right now, even though my baby bump is very visible, it still can be mistaken for just your average big belly... so it's still a bit early to sign up with my maternity photographer...

HOWEVER -- when my friend/coworker, who is also an awesome photographer, told me about a Valentine's Day photoshoot special she was having, I jumped at the opportunity! She specializes in boudoir photography, but was willing to take me on as a subject even though I'm obviously not in boudoir-shape!

I had such an amazing time during the photoshoot! Desiree made me feel super relaxed and confident about my preggo body. We decided that we wouldn't try to hide it, but we wouldn't be emphasizing my belly bump either.



I definitely would do it again... and would recommend others to do it, too! I left the shoot feeling really good about myself -- and with all the pressure that Hollywood and the media give us about how we should look, all women should feel empowered with their bodies!



Click here to check out Desiree's other work!

Week 18...

(Originally posted on 1/24/11)

First off, let me just say that my face and hair look all sorts of whack in this pic because it was taken at the end of a looong day. In the previous weeks, the pictures were taken right after getting ready for the day... I don't mean to be so vain, but ya know -- I'm putting my picture out there for all of the internets to see, so I felt this photo needed a disclosure... and I guess I'm kinda vain, too.

How far along?: 18 weeks, 2 days

Baby's Size: about 6 inches (the size of an heirloom tomato - what's that?), and 8.5 oz

Bellybutton: Still in!

Stretchmarks: None... I think! There is a small red mark near the bottom of my belly.. is that the first sign of a stretch mark?! It's too early!! I have lots more growing to go!!!!! For now, I'm going to believe I scratched myself...

Maternity Clothes: Still in "regular" clothes, but I'm running out of options!

Sex: May be able to find out this Wednesday!!! Official appointment not until 2/4. I've been dreaming of little girls a lot lately though...

Movement: I'm PRETTY sure I've started feeling it kick... but they come and go so quick that when I realize it's happening, it stops doing it!

Sleep: Sleeping on my side... and having very lucid dreams.

Symptoms: Threw up just once this past week! Woohoo! Waking up with very light headaches, but they go away as soon as I have my morning cup of water!

Food Aversions: None.

Food Cravings: Milk Tea with Boba pearls!!!

What I miss: Seeing my feet...ha - jk, I can still see the tips of my toes. But I certainly miss wearing my heels on a daily basis! I only have 3-4 flats that I rotate between and that is NOT enough options!

What I Am Looking Forward to: Next OB-GYN appt is on Wednesday and 3D appointment on 2/4!!!! Also... hubs and I are leaving for Hawaii on Thursday for a week! Probowl here we come!

Milestones:

As mentioned earlier, I'm pretty sure I've felt the baby move around in my belly... but there hasn't been a super strong kick that I can say with 100% certainty was the baby. However, I can say that I'm starting to feel all sorts of pregnant again and it feels lovely!