Telling Cathy About Baby Mini Cooper

37 weeks, 5 days pregnant

Today Cathy drove up to Cindy's house so we thought it would be fun to go out to dinner the three of us and Cindy wanted to tell Cathy about her pregnancy. So we met up at my place and we went to Panera for dinner. Cindy gave Cathy the same story about a new flavor at Coldstone... Cathy was so funny, she kept talking about something else while looking at the brochure. Finally, she was going through it and she was like, "I don't get it..." So we told her to read it out loud... THEN she got it! I think she got it faster than I did. It took me forever!! I am so very excited with Cindy's pregnancy! I'm so happy to think that Cindy's kids and my kids will grow up together.  And G2 and "Baby Mini Cooper" (their last name is Cooper, LOL) will be 7 months apart and in the grade together. :)

At Panera!

I know - random picture! At this point, I could go at any moment -
I need to take pictures whenever I can!

Date Night

37 weeks, 3 days pregnant

We are so close to G2's arrival, so we squeezed in another date night! Blanca came over to watch Mila and Jorge and I went to Season's 52. Yum!

Did I eat a basketball? Nope. But I feel like I did!

Belly Picture: 37.5 Weeks

37 weeks, 3 days pregnant

OK, G2... consider this your eviction notice! You have 2 and a half weeks to make your appearance! Please!!! I'm so tired of being tired! I'm so done being pregnant!! Come on out!!

I don't know how much longer my body can hold you... I feel like I'm going to explode!

She'll be here any day now! I'm both scared and thrilled... scared because of the pain, but thrilled to meet her and to have my body back! 

I'm starting to give more thought to the birth these days... I'm a little scared, but I guess I've done this once before so I should be able to do it again, right? Jorge and I have been reviewing our Bradley book and doing the exercises and going over our notes from class. The key thing for me to remember is to not fight the contractions. I need to relax and not clench. If you're tense, then the contractions hurt more. Another thing for me to remember is the contraction peaks at 30 seconds, so it won't get any worse than that. Breathing deeply also helps. This time, I'm going to be laboring in the water, if possible! Last time, with Mila, everything went so fast Lorie, my doula, didn't get a chance to set up the tub! I'm hoping this time it goes fast too, and if it doesn't, well, at least I'll have the tub!

Belly Picture: 36.5 Weeks

36 weeks, 4 days pregnant

I don't know how people do it. Being almost 9 months pregnant with a toddler running around is just too much! I have to lay down all the time because I'm so tired. I feel so bad because I know Mila wants to play, but I just don't have the energy. I'm hoping this baby will come sooner, rather than later!

When I was pregnant with Mila, I was so worried about the actual labor that I didn't give much thought to how it would be after she'd arrive - which was the part that turned out to be the toughest part: dealing with a newborn!

This time around, I've barely thought about the birth at all and I'm just thinking about how it'll be having 2 kids around. I'm worried things with Mila will change - and things with her are going so perfectly! She's eating well; she's napping awesome - I can even leave the room before she's fallen asleep! I'm afraid she's going to be jealous or that maybe I won't have enough time to play with her because I'll be busy with the baby... I mean, I know ultimately everything will be ok and we'll work it out, but I just worry that the transition will be hard on her, ya know? I remember how difficult things were with Mila when she was born, between the sore nipples and the sleep deprivation... it was just so rough! How will it be with G2? I know this time I'll at least have an idea of how to take care of a newborn, but I don't have any experience with two kids! Thankfully, I have my parents, my sister Cathy and my sister Cindy, as well as my sister-in-law Blanca that will be coming over frequently those first few weeks. It's so nice to have family close by... it makes me feel better knowing they're there. I don't know what I'd do without them!

In the kitchen, barefoot and pregnant

35 weeks, 4 days

Yep... that's me, barefoot and pregnant making dinner! I was so hot (ugh, hormones gone wild!) and Jorge thought this deserved to be documented... LOL!

Belly Picture: 35.5 Weeks

35 weeks, 3 days pregnant

I know it's not my usual belly picture outfit, but I finally remembered to take one and I just went with it! :)

Seriously, and I have 4 more weeks to go?? Where is this kid going to grow into?? I will tell you this, my belly button - do you see it popping out? - hurts sooooo bad! G2 is constantly pushing out right into that area and my skin feels like it's going to tear open! Ahhhh! Drives me insane! Even my shirt hurts when it rubs on it. And, of course, she moves around so much. I'm scared to think that Mila is actually the tame kid in the family! 

Just Me and My Belly

Just me and my belly. :)

Belly Picture: 28.5 Weeks

This pregnancy is definitely much tougher than Mila's. I never threw up as much as I did the first time around, but that round ligament pain is just terrible! I definitely feel like I was almost full term last time. My midwife says with every subsequent birth after that it gets tougher, sooner. Not that we're decided on another, that is!

Belly Picture: 25.5 Weeks

25 weeks, 3 days

Oh my! How G2 has grown!! I'm sooo feeling it now! I'm so sore all the time! 

It's a Girl!!

We had our big ultrasound today! We have been soooo excited waiting for today! Before the appointment, people would ask me if I had any inkling on what I thought the gender would be. Honestly, although I'd be happy any which way, I thought it might be a boy - mostly because my nausea wasn't as bad as with Mila and so many people would look at my belly and say, "Boy!" Even my grandmother thought it was boy! She was so convinced, she went out and bought boy clothes and even gave it to me already! Then, a few nights ago, I had a dream that it was a boy. And then last night before the appointment, I dreamt it was a boy again!

So imagine our surprise, it's a girl! I couldn't help but get teary-eyed! Mila's going to have a little sister! I have 2 awesome sisters, both younger, and it was great! I'm so happy Mila and G2 will get to share toys and clothes like I did. Sisters rock!!!

Belly Picture: 17.5 Weeks

17 weeks, 2 days pregnant

Finally got around to taking another belly picture! It's so hard to remember to take one, but here it is!

Baby G2 Belly Picture: 15 Weeks

Seems like the belly keeps growing, huh? I feel like I'm at that point where I don't quite look like myself, yet I don't quite look pregnant. I've still been feeling a bit yucky and nauseous. A lot of burping that's been grossing me out. Yuck! I can't wait for this part to be over. :(

Baby G2 Belly Picture: 14 Weeks

Finally got around to getting another belly picture. Ugh! I feel so bad that I'm not more on top of this this time around. With Mila I was meticulous about getting a picture every week. But now I'm either busy, I forget, I'm taking care of Mila or I'm nauseous. So G2, forgive me for not documenting my pregnancy as well as your sisters! Just know we think of you all the time and we are so looking forward to meeting you!

Like I mentioned, I've been feeling nauseous more frequently and I've been starting to throw up more… not good. I'm at the end of my first trimester, so I'm hoping it doesn't last much longer. :(

I can't believe how quickly my belly seems to have popped. Last time around, I was this far along when I told my job I was pregnant and no one had a clue. I can't imagine being able to hide it now!

Baby G2 Belly Picture: 12 Weeks

Nausea is still hanging around. Ugh. Usually after dinner now, I have to lie down just so I can settle my stomach. Jorge has been so good about feeding Mila and keeping her entertained. And I'm so tired all the time that while I'm lying there on the couch, half the time I just pass out! I'd almost forgotten about the joys of the first trimester! Thankfully, it's almost over. Just one more week and I'm officially in my second trimester!

Baby G2 Belly Picture: 11 Weeks

Belly is growing! Looks like it's just starting to show just a teensy bit. Been feeling crappy and the throwing up has begun - hence the lack of belly pictures. I just haven't been feeling well at all. At least it hasn't been as bad. I've thrown up only a few times, but nothing nearly as bad as when I was pregnant with Mila. I have been nauseous a lot though. So even though I'm not throwing up, the terrible feeling in my stomach still ruins my day. Since it hasn't been that bad, I have wondered if maybe that means this one will be a boy? But then again, my mother threw up her entire pregnancy with me and didn't throw up at all with my sister. So ya never know!

On to the belly picture!

Compare to 2 weeks ago at 9 weeks.

Baby G2 Belly Picture: 9 Weeks

I was hoping to take a belly picture earlier, but hadn't gotten around to it! Not that there's much to see yet. Our midwife said this time around I'll probably start showing sooner, so we'll see. Apparently things change after you've had your first! She also said that the pain and uncomfortableness that I felt at 40 weeks, I'd start feeling at 28 weeks!!

So far, things have been... ehhhh. I've had lots of nausea and icky tummy feeling, a lot of burping (ick! just thinking about it makes me sick!) and just overall exhaustion. I find that I need to take a nap in the afternoon when Mila naps (which I never do!) and that by the end of the day, I'm crashing. I'm at least thankful that I haven't thrown up yet. By the time I was 8 weeks with Mila, I started throwing up a lot. Sometimes as much as 4 or 5 times a day. It was brutal. I'm 9 weeks now, and thankfully, it hasn't gotten that bad.