24 Days 11 Hours 14 Minutes

That's how long it is until my c-section according to the countdown on my phone.  I say that she is going to be here before that.  Baby girl is going to choose her own birthday and I am okay with that.  Kind of.  I'm okay with it, but I'm scared of it too.  Labor the first time around with Alec was exciting but painful.  If baby girl chooses her b-day, then I have a feeling I will have to endure a couple of hours of pain before I can be taken in for the c-section.  That is scary.  Totally worth it, but scary. BRING ON THE EPIDURAL!

Everything is set and ready to go.  All of the baby showers are done.  All of the parties are done.  All of the shopping is done. All of the packing is done (except for the few thing that I have to grab the day of).  There are only 2 things missing; a bassinet and baby girl.  The bassinet is the last thing on my list of necessities. I wish I had the time/energy to put a little bit of paint on the walls but here is her room all done and ready to go.

Doc told me at my last appointment that if she tries to come before the end of my 36th week (which starts tomorrow) then he will try to stop labor to give her some more time.  But if she tries to come any time after the beginning of my 37th week, then he will just let her come.  So that is one week from tomorrow.  I still have a strong feeling that she will be here before the end of the year.  She has already dropped which has allowed me to breath a little bit easier but it is sending me to the restroom every 15 minutes.  For comparison, here is a pic of me with baby girl and a pic of me with Alec, both at around 36 weeks.



With baby girl.

With Aleczander.

I am carrying them a little differently (Alec kinda gave me a pointy stomach and baby girl is giving me a rounder stomach) but I think I was bigger with Alec around this time.  But I don't remember feeling this miserable with Alec at this point.  Alec arrived 9 days early which leads me to believe even more that baby girl will be early.  I can't wait to see who she looks like and how much hair she will have.  Thanks to family and friends, she is all set on diapers for a while.  This past weekend we had a diaper party/BBQ just like we did with Aleczander.  After his party, we didn't have to buy diapers for 6 months! I think we may be in the same position with her which will be amazing since Alec is still in diapers himself.  We are working on correcting that, but it is easier said than done.

We had a really great night but I was so sore and exhausted the next day.  I didn't get out of bed for 2 days after that.  Some well deserved rest.  During the diaper party I was able to give my new camera a really good test run.  It takes some really nice pictures on auto mode. I can only imagine what it does when I know how to really use it.  Since so many pictures were taken, here is an easier way to display them. 

DIAPER PARTY PIC COLLAGE



Aleczander has recently become obsessed with Super Street Fighter game (thanks daddy) and trying to imitate the moves.  He also loves to say bye bye to everything and anything.  My handsome boy . . .

And then the shot of the day, Alec giving his little sister Hugs and Kisses:

I hope they end up best friends.  



6 weeks or less.

33 weeks into baby brewing and all is going well, thank God.  A lot has happened since my last post so I have some catching up to do.  For starters, baby girl's baby shower was on November 13th and it was amazing.  My friends and family did a great job putting it together and everyone had a good time.  The beautiful decorations were all done by none other than the crafty Jennifer Borgman.  All I told her was that I wanted the colors to be red, white, pink and yellow and that the theme was fairies and this is what she came up with . . .

 

I had no idea what the cake was going to look like and this is what showed up.  How cute is that?!?! And it was DELICIOUS!! It was a banana pudding cake. Yummmmmy!!

The hostess with the mostess . . .

Everything was so beautiful and I was so appreciative for all that went into putting it together. I'm a little upset that I didn't get pictures of the candy bar or the onesie station I set up for everyone.  Here is a pic of the partying gift I set out to go along with the candy bar for everyone.  They are hand painted glass gems.  They have fairies, butterflies, wands and wings on them. I love me some etsy.com!

At the onesie station I had the guests use fabric markers to decorate a onesie for baby girl to wear.  They came out so cute.  Baby girl got a lot of good stuff.  A lot of adorable clothes and blankets. And thanks to grandpa and "mimi", she got a brand new, super cute pink stroller and car seat.  LOVE! Here are a couple of other pics from the party.

The Grandmommies

 

Baby girl's onsie to match Aleczander's "big brother" t-shirt.

 

My best friends Jennifer, Cory, Deniece and Shika.  We haven't all been together since my wedding when they were my bridesmaids.  All of us are mommies now. 

  

A little after party get together.

After the shower was said and done, I became inspired to finally work on the nursery.  We bought a used crib from one of Alfred's co-workers and it is in pristine condition.  We moved our tall dresser from our room to her room and we are re-using the rocking chair and changing station from Alec's room (which we converted into a dino-land... pics of that will come later). So all in all, the furniture in her room cost us a whopping $80.  Not too bad, huh?  Here are some pics of the progress before her bedding came in.

  

And then a pic of crib area with bedding. It's all coming together slowly.

Notice the hanging fairy in the corner.

The picture above her bed is another spot on gift from Titi Jennifer. Isn't it perfect?

At my last doc appointment, I measured 2.0 and he said that all is looking well.  He is going to schedule the c-section (if I don't go naturally) for either the 6th or 9th of January.  I'm hoping for the 6th because it is a holiday in Puerto Rico called "Tres Reyes Day" which means "Three Kings Day." And it would cut this pregnancy down by 3 days!!

I have been getting really uncomfortable lately.  I have Braxton Hicks contractions all day every day.  I'm still getting hungry really often and the heartburn/indigestion is the worst. At max, I only have 6 weeks left which is exciting.  According to babycenter she should weigh over 4lbs and be over 17 inches long.  She doesn't really kick anymore.  Instead, she does more rolling around and stretching in there.  I always feel her on my right side.  Her booty is under the top part of my right rib, her feet are on the left side and she is head down.  How do I know all this?  Well for starters, I can feel it all.  Also,

we got a 3D/4D ultrasound of her the other day. She is so amazing.  She has my nose, chubby cheeks and makes a lot of facial expressions.  She doesn't look anything like Alec did in his ultrasound pic so we are unsure of who she will resemble. I am suppose to receive a DVD of the pics sometime in the next week so I will be able to share some more then, but for now, here is a pic that I took of one of the pics they gave me. 

Isn't she GREAT?!?!

We can't wait to meet her.

Aleczander is doing great!  He is so smart and so much fun to be around (when he's not being a brat).  His newest thing is hitting people.  NOT GOOD.  When he gets mad or when he doesn't get his way or when we tell him "no" he hits us.  We are really trying to break him of the habit but "time out" doesn't seem to phase him too much.  He really loves his dino-room, which I need to take pics of soon. This boy loves his dinosaurs.  Here he is while playing at the mall during one of his weekly trips to the play area with grandma.

You know what else he loves?  My iPad. It's a battle daily with him when I want to use it. Here he is tucked away in his car with his favorite blankie and the iPad.  I guess I should be grateful that it doesn't take much to keep this kid happy.



This past week, Alfred took the week off for vacation. It was nice to have him home to spend time with us.  And we got a lot done around the house.  The day before Thanksgiving, we put up our Christmas decorations and our tree.  Alec LOVES the tree.  When we leave the house he says "bye bye tree" and waves at it.  It's not the biggest or most lavish tree, but it makes us happy and it's child friendly.  If it had more decorations on it, it would just mean more decorations we would have to put back on it daily since Alec loves to take them off.

 

Me and my Love on Thanksgiving day.

Well I think that about catches me up with all that is going on around Casa de Hernandez.  The next big event will be on December 10th when we have a diaper party/BBQ at the house with family and friends.  I'm sure there will be plenty to post about after that. 



Hello 3rd Trimester!!!

As this pregnancy comes to a close, I am compelled to reflect on some things...

Some things that I have missed while I am pregnant:

1. Sleeping on my belly.  I am not usually a belly sleeper but the option to do so is nice.  I usually sleep on my left side which is good while pregnant.  It increases blood flow and circulation to the baby. 
2. Not having to get up 2 times a night to use the restroom.
3. Not suffering from the intense burning of heartburn all day.  Especially when I get hungry.
4. Drinking coffee without guilt.  Once again, I am not a HUGE coffee drinker but I do enjoy an occasional cup.  And I still do even while I'm pregnant, but I do feel a tinge of guilt while doing so.
5. Being able to pick up my son and play with him.  Now, this isn't a big deal while pregnant in most cases, but due to my sensitive situation I am not allowed to pick up anything over 15 lbs so he is definitely out of the question (and so is my dog, Lilly).  Ha!
6. Handling meat without getting disgusted.  There is something about handling ground beef that kinda freaks me out in this pregnancy.  I can eat it (a little bit of it) but cooking is kinda gross.
7. Painting my toe nails.  I would usually go get a bi-monthly pedicure but I am having to save that energy for when I get closer to my baby shower so it can be special treat.
8. Getting in and out of the car without losing my breath.
9. Being able to cuddle with the hubby without the belly in the way. 
10. Eating at normal intervals.  I am practically starving every 2 to 3 hours still and it is frustrating.

Some things that that I will miss when I am NOT pregnant:

1. The baby's movement.  My absolute favorite part of being pregnant.  The feeling of having your baby kick, move, and stretch inside of you is by far the most incredible part of being a pregnant woman.  It's amazing how a little jab can give you such a sense of reassurance that everything is okay in there. 
2. Being a little bit spoiled.
3. The excuse to shop.  I have had to do a lot of my shopping and window shopping online to help pass the time on bed rest. 
4. The belly itself.  I honestly believe that a pregnant woman and their pregnant belly is one of the most beautiful sights on this earth.  Knowing that inside that belly there is human life makes it such a pleasure to look at. 

All in all, pregnancy is beautiful but I think we are done.  At least for a while.  This pregnancy in particular has been really rough on me and my family.  Such a dramatic difference between being pregnant this time than it was with Aleczander.  I don't feel nearly as attractive during this pregnancy as I did with Alec.  Alfred did point out that the reason behind that is probably because with Alec I wasn't restricted to my bed so I had reasons to get dressed up and be out and about.  With this pregnancy since I am in bed or at home all day, I don't take the time to dress up or put on make up.  I have enjoyed this to some extent and it makes the times that I do have an opportunity to get dressed up (like for doctor's appointment and such) a little more enjoyable. 

There are a couple of big events (before the "big" event) that I am looking forward to to help me feel a little more human.  The first being my maternity/family pictures with the amazing Amanda Adam's (www.dayzphotography.com) on November 9th.  She is so talented and I can't wait to see what she does with our family.  The second being my baby shower for baby girl JAH on November 13th that is totally being made possible mostly in part by my bestie Jennifer Borgman. 

She has some tricks up her sleeve and I cannot wait to see them.  I also can't wait to spend some time with family and friends that I have been unable to really see during this pregnancy along with some friends that I have not seen in a while.  Speaking of the baby shower, if you received an invite, please please please RSVP as soon as possible.  We really need to have a good idea on how many people we are expecting.  Thanks! Also, if you are going to attend, please show up on time.  Unfortunately, we are limited on time in the rented area and I would hate to have to cut the time spent with family and friends too short just to be able to clean the place up.  Thanks again!

The theme of baby girl's room is going to be fairies with the colors red, yellow, pink and white. I love love love fairies and I use to collect the Boyd's fairies until Alfred moved in and made me box them all up and put them away.  Well guess who is coming out of the attic?!?!  Baby girls first official fairy themed gift came from a very thoughtful and sweet co-worker.  My face lit up when I received it! 
I can't wait to put it on her!



In the womb this week (week 28), baby girl JAH is approximately 2.25 lbs and almost 15 inches long.  She can blink her eyes, swallow, and hear us out here in the world around her.  Since she can hear, I'm sure she enjoyed herself this past weekend at Buzzfest with all the music and mommy singing all day long.  The doc gave me the green light to attend Buzzfest at the Woodlands Pavilion only if I took it easy, and I did.  The ONLY walking I did was from the front gate where Alfred dropped me off at to the lawn where I planted my butt for the day and to get up to use the restroom.  I only stood during the first part of Staind's performance (they are the reason why I wanted to go so bad).  So I think I followed doc's orders pretty well. 

Braxton Hicks contractions are in full effect these days.  I get them at least 4 or 5 times a day and they are uncomfortable!! Baby girl gets hiccups almost daily and she one hell of a mover first thing in the morning and between 10:30 and 11:30 at night.  I can't believe I am already in my 3rd trimester of this pregnancy.  Although week to week it feels like it drags on especially since I am on my 10th week of a very lonely and isolated bed rest, but overall it has gone by pretty fast.  It kinda makes me sad that I only have, at most, 12 weeks left to protect my princess inside of me.  I know these next months are going to FLY by.  One thing I have learned while on bed rest is who my friends are.  It's amazing how quickly one is forgotten once they are immobile or "unavailable."  I'm on bed rest people.  I don't have a deadly contagious disease. And even if I did, it wouldn't be catchy through the phone. Just sayin...

As you may have read in an earlier post, Alec HATES getting haircuts!! So instead of taking him to a barber, we decided to buy some clippers and take matters into our own hands.  We thought that if we tried to cut his hair outside while he was on his swing, that he may be a little more peaceful and relaxed through the process.  Turns out he wasn't.  Once you start a hair cut, you can't stop until it is done, right?  So there we (Alfred and I) were, outside with the clippers attempting to cut Alec's hair.  I could have SWORN that the neighbors were going to call the cops on us after hearing the way Alec was screaming and crying. It took us almost 45 minutes to get it to look reasonable.  I really don't know why he has such a fear about his hair getting cut.  His hair is a hot mess right now.  I personally like his hair long.  I think it is super cute and it helps cover up that crazy cow lick. But we have decided to cut his hair at least once every week to see if that helps him get more accustomed to the idea.  Wish us luck.  Here are a couple of before and one after pic.  Please don't laugh at us...

After

Well that's all for now.  I will leave you all with a picture of my sweet baby boy resting his head on his sister while we were all hanging out in bed one day.  I cherish these moments of peace and family. 

From the bed of Jessica Hernandez

So here is the latest news on the growing baby girl.  At my doctor's appointment on September 28th, not much had changed with my cervix so the doc released me to try going to work for a week to see what happens.  So on the 29th, I returned to work.  It was nice to get up, put on my nice work clothes, drive to work and enjoy some time with co-workers that I missed o-so-much.  Thrusday and Friday passed without any issues. The weekend came and went.  On Monday, while I was at work something felt "off."  I'll spare you the details of what exactly I was feeling but it ws enough to alarm me and spark me to call my doc.  He had me come in that afternoon for a quick check on things.  Good news was that my cervix hadn't gotten any shorter but the bad news is that it had started to funnel. 

What does that mean exactly?  Basically that my cervix had started to dilate or "open" on the uterine side (where baby girl's head is at).  So the the "closed" portion of my cervix is shorter but the overall length of it was about the same as it has been (around 2.2mm).  Make sense?  I know... there is a lot to take in.  So, the outcome of the visit is that after only 3 days of being at work, doc took me off.  And instead of the doctor's note saying "bed rest for a week" it stated "bed rest for the next 8 to 10 weeks" which is pretty much the rest of my pregnancy. Booooo!

So that was Monday the 3rd of October.  Continuing with the weekly adventures to the doc (sadly enough they are the highlight of my week) this past Monday we got a bit of decent news. NOTHING HAS CHANGED!  And in the world I am currently living in, that is great news.  The funneling is still there, the cervix is still short but it is all the same as it was last week.  The doc actually sounded optimistic and positive during this visit.  He said that at week 19 (when we first discovered this issue) he would have hoped to get to the point that we are at now with the measurements we have now.  We are still shooting to make it to 30 weeks, which is 4 weeks away, before we feel a real sense of relief.  He said if I continue to take it easy, that he can see everything being okay.  But he is also a realist and says that he cannot predict the future but he feels pretty good about things.  He said I can be a little more active throughout the day but just to make sure I don't over do it. 

I still have to see him every week for a couple of more weeks but if all continues the same then he may only need to see me every 2 weeks instead.  Woo-hoo! We still have an issue with weight gain.  I have gained weight but I am still about 3 lbs under from where I started during my first doc appointment.  According to him, I should have gained about 14 lbs at this point but I have only gained about 8.  I promised him I most definitely have been eating.  Like every 2 hours. 

Planning my baby shower (with the help of my incredible and crafty friend, Jennifer) has kept me busy the past couple of weeks.  It's going to be on the 13th of November (invites should be leaving here today) and I'm super excited.  Due to me being chained to my bed for the past 8 weeks I originally registered online at amazon.com and babiesrus.com but I think I will venture out of my home this weekend to finish up my registry at the Babies R Us store.  It will be my outing for the week.  With talks of the baby shower happening, people have really started to ask more often for the baby's name.  As tempted as I am to share the beautiful name we have picked out for our princess, we are still keeping it under wraps.  If anyone would like to purchase a personalized item for her, they can do it with her initials, JAH or it can wait until after she is born.  :)

Here are some pics of what's been going on around the Hernandez home. 

Putting on daddy's shoes.  He almost got them on right.

Drawing on the back porch.



Hanging out watching Cars.

Here recently when it's time for bed, Alec has to take some of his toys with him and keep them in bed while he sleeps.  The other day for nap time, he chose 3 of his toy cars to sleep with.  About 20 minutes after I laid him down for bed I went to check on him and this is what I found...

Look at how they are all lined up facing forward on his blanket.  He's so funny.

We went to surprise daddy at work this past weekend and Alec got to take advantage of some of the amenities the grocery store had to offer.

Just hanging out around the house.

So that's all I have for now.  I must resume my search for the perfect dinner recipe for this evening.  Adios Amigos!!!