These are a few of my favorite things...

Since I've been home "nesting" since last week I've had time to think back on my pregnancy experience. Now that I am in the "home stretch" it is hard to imagine a time when I was pregnant and had energy, and these last few days have been very rough on me. However, I really cannot complain about a month or so of pain and discomfort given the fact that I never had any other pregnancy symptoms. I have been thinking about things that I've really enjoyed while being pregnant and decided I'd share with you. Here they are not in a particular order:

1. Feeling my baby move: YES!! I love to feel sweet baby Lucas move and kick. Especially at the beginning when it was very new and exciting every time. Now it is very cool to see my belly take a certain shape and know exactly where my baby is. At times he gets ninja on me and kicks the air out of my lungs, or gets in my ribcage, or punches my bladder; but all in all it has to be one of my favorite feelings. You just stay still and feel that baby move and think wow!!! God really is creating a baby inside me... cool!!!

2. Food: Everything has a much reacher flavor. It's like all of the sudden everything is super yummy (or not good at all). I have been eating very normal as far as no crazy cravings, no 2:00 am run to the store, etc. Actually, there is nothing that I am eating now that I was not eating when I wasn't pregnant or viceversa. However, everything tastes a lot better; I guess I want to say that I enjoy food a little bit more than before... and you can probably tell by the roundness of my face and body... which leads me to point #3.

3. Pregnancy is a great excuse to eat what you want: I've been trying not to go crazy with food. However, everytime I want to eat something people say "enjoy it while you can" or " you are pregnant; you can eat what you want!" and that sort of thing. So I have! hahaha I don't eat mountains of stuff but I eat what I want to eat just not as much as I want to eat. I mean, I have to lose all this weight after the baby so a few more pounds won't kill me! lol!! I just don't feel ashamed of eating  what I want when I want... and that is an awesome feeling!

4. Foot massages: Let me just tell you that my husband has been great about rubbing my feet when I am tired or if I had a long day. This last month of pregnancy has been hard on my feet. I have little narrow feet that have to hold all the extra weight. Also, this last month is when I've noticed my feet swelling more and more often. It is a great excuse to get to feet rubbed and massaged few times a week without having to pay for a pedicure. I love it!! I also love how accommodating everyone is around you; and how my husband is always trying to make sure I am comfy. "Is you back okay? Do you need your wedge pillow? Put you feet up? It's cold in here but are you hot? I'll get it so you don't have to get up" are just a few of the daily questions in our house. I love love love the way Tyler has stepped up to the plate and help me beyond what I expected.  

5. People's reactions: I just love how people react so differently about a big pregnancy belly. Some people can't help it and HAVE to touch it; which does not bother me one bit. Other people talk to the belly and greet the baby. Others touch it with one finger like is going to bite them or something, I even had a baby leaning forward and kissing my belly (ok, that was a bit weird but funny) LIke I've said before, people in Latin America have no problem being touchy anyways (in a good way) we greet by kissing and hugging each other so when you are pregnant this is very common. Here in the US of A people ask you if they can touch your belly to make sure that's okay (and probably avoid a law suit hahaha) I know there are people who don't like it and that is personal preference. I also read a great quote in a magazine that says "when you are pregnant people think you are public property"...and it's true! Everyone comments about your belly, how big or little you are. The oh so common "girl! you are about to pop!" or the usual "anyday now" when you are only 7 months pregnant, and I can go on and on about this issue. Anyways, you gotta love people!... or NOT! hahaha

So, that is a small list of some of my favorite things while pregnant. I could give you a list of my not so favorite things but who wants to read about that, right! So; I would like to know what were/are a few of your favorite things while you were/are pregnant. Come on! I know you want to share!!!!

More Updates!

We are now 37 1/2 weeks and I have a lot to share with you...

First let me back up and tell you about the awesome Baby Shower that Christi, Jen, Jaime, and Tobi hosted for me. We had a great time and I got a bunch of cute presents. We played some games and had some good food. I really enjoyed the time to spend with friends and family.  Here are a few pictures of the shower:

Also, we were very much surprised by the awesome Music MInistry of our church (OBC). We normally go to choir practice on Wednesday nights; however this past Wednesday we were going to skip because I am no longer singing in choir and Tyler is taking a break from it (Yes, even Praise Team). Leo -our music minister- called Tyler and asked him to please show up for choir cause him and his wife had a present for us... or something other. We felt like we could not say no so we showed up. Well, Jenny and Paul had asked us to go to eat with them and we did so we were a little late to choir (all part of the plan I learned later) When we showed up for choir we were very surprised. The choir sang "Happy Bottom Wiping to You" (to the tune of Hapy B-day) and had bags and boxes of diapers... many many many diapers and baby wipes! It was the best present they could have given us. We are so thankful and blessed to have such an awesome choir family at church.

After all that excitement we had our Dr.'s appointment on Friday and got more great news. Our sweet Lucas is doing great and looks wonderful. We had an ultrasound and were able to see him. After many different measurements taking the machine calculated an estimated weight of 7 lbs 15 oz... The Dr.'s exact words were: WOW! You have a big baby inside there." HIs " Gestational Age was 39 wks 1 day... That Friday I was 37 wks 1 day so yes he is big and we are praying that he does NOT wait until April 30th to come out!

On that same note; my mom is flying in from Costa Rica on Monday, April 13th, so I am ready to have this baby anytime after that! LOL! So yes, my mom is coming to town and I cannot wait to see her! She is going to be such a great help to me; and just knowing that she will be here tomorrow makes me feel better already. I have been so tired and uncomfortable... my mom has already helped my sister during her pregnancy so she knows exactly what to do.

On a separate note... we had a little scared on Saturday. We were running errands getting last minute things ready (like blinds in the baby's room, and other shopping) and at about 10:30am I told Tyler that I had not felt Lucas move since I woke up. He normally moves a good bit after I have breakfast; but I thought maybe he was just being a sleepy head and didn't think much of it. Well... we ran errands and I was being very aware of any movement and nothing. We had lunch and I had a coke for the sugar/caffeine intake and still nothing. We came back home so I could lay down and maybe see if we felt the baby. We shook my belly; talk to Lucas, called his name, tap two coins against my belly, put on some loud music and nothing, He would not move. I'd read some on this subject but could not remember it all so I got online and started researching in different websites about it. A found out that a healthy baby has to move at least 10 times in a 2 hour period; if not then the next thing every website tell you to do is "Call your doctor IMMEDIATELY." I called the doctor and got a call back within 2 minutes; she asked me: Have you eaten? I said, Yes. "Try to lay down and talk to the baby, even shake your belly a little" I said, I've been doing that for 30 minutes now. "Drink something with sugar" I said, I had a coke for lunch. Doctor's final words: "I need you to go to the hospital right now to be monitored." I can't lie, I was very scared and worried; I was just praying and in silence... I was not talking (and if you know me that is not normal.) We got to the Triage at the hospital and they asked me the same stuff the doctor did and in 5 minutes had me in a hospital gown hooked to two different monitors. The moment the nurse put the monitor in my belly we were able to hear baby's heartbeat loud and clear... I was finally able to breath at peace and so did the nurse. We stayed there and the baby was monitored for about 40 minutes. TYler was there with me the whole time and he was a great support; he held my hand the whole time and we just sat there listening to Lucas' heartbeat without saying a word for a little while. 

Now I have to do daily "kick counts" and drink plenty of fluids until my next appointment on Friday morning.  I keep thanking God for his mercy and protection over us and our sweet Lucas. We are now very near to the end of this journey and ready to start trying the whole parenting thing hahaha. I want to thank each and everyone of you who have prayed for us and our baby.  We can't wait to meet him and for you to meet him as well!

      

Getting closer... and bigger!

Can I just start by saying that whenever I think I cannot get any more uncomfortable... you guesses it! I get even more uncomfortable. I am now 36 weeks pregnant and I am not even going to tell you how much I weight but it's a lot! I can tell you that my belly is now 49" round and sweet baby Lucas is quickly running out of room. Sometimes I fear that he is going to kick his way out of my belly any day now.

I am still working full time; which is not too bad and at least it keeps my mind busy. I don't think I could stay home just waiting for "something to happen"... it'd drive me insane!!! I am planning on staying home sometime in the middle of April and just nest. My mom will be here on the 13th and I can't wait to spend some quality time with her and just let her take care of me. I sure hope Lucas waits for his Abuela to get here before he does; I've always imagined the birth of my first child with my husband on one side and my mom on the other.  

Lucas' room is now ready and just waiting for him... my only worry (as far as preparations) is that Tyler and I have not decided on a diaper bag. Can you believe it?! He does not want anything "that looks like a purse" and I don't want a "daddy diaper bag"  cause they are not very cute. Maybe something like a tote would work for both but we have not found one that we can both agree on. My mission is to find one by the end of this week so I can get it ready. We are also open to suggestions if you have one.

We went to see the doctor this past Tuesday and she said that everything looks great. She also said that I am 1 centimeter dilated but baby has not dropped enough... however that can happen any day... Or I can be walking around on 1 cm for weeks! We have to go next Friday (04/10) for our next appointment and also an ultrasound. The doctor will be measuring the baby and get an estimated weight. We can hardly wait to see him make sure everything looks good. We are now seeing the doctor every week until the baby is born. 

Symptoms this week: Heartburn after pretty much every meal; sleepless nights - I believe this is God's way to get us ready for what's coming. Also, I have to pee a lot; I believe my bladder has little room so I have to go more often. Tiredness, very tired at the end of the day especially; it takes a lot of energy to get up and down and move around.  I get very hungry at times but I also get full fast; this probably due to the fact that my stomach is crowded in a corner with little or no place to expand. I also get hot very often and at night (maybe from all the tossing and turning) which means our house is a freezer and Tyler walks around in sweat pants and a sweater... he does not complain though; I guess he knows better hahahaha.

Speaking of tired... I am now going to bed to try to sleep. I toss and turn and when I am finally asleep I have to change positions which means that I wake up then I realize that I am hot and throw all the covers at Tyler (who is covered up to his neck)... after that I have to get up and pee and then start all over again; by the time I've done this a few times is 6:30 am and I have to get ready to go to work... ugh!

I'll be blogging again pretty soon - I have to tell you all about my baby shower and post pictures. 'Till then please pray I don't go crazy or in labor before my mamma gets here. LOL!

 

33 down... 7 more to go!

So here we are at 33 weeks pregnant and things have been moving right along... and slow! Last time we saw sweet Lucas he was 26 weeks old and very handsome. We had our 4D ultrasound while in Costa Rica and we loved every second of it. We can see a dimple on his chin just like his daddy. Ever since that ultrasound we have been asking ourselves daily "I wonder what Lucas looks like?" The color of his skin and hair. His size, his smiles, his cries, etc. I can't wait to hold him and kiss his big cheeks. However, every day that goes by I wonder if I am ready... I mean, can I really DO this??? And by " this" I mean everything from the long and uncomfortable last few weeks, to the painful contractions, to the probably long process of childbirth. After that, then I have to care and provide for this little baby, make sure he is okay, has enough to eat, etc, etc, etc... Okay, so maybe I am freaking out a little too much; but all this thought go through my head all at once and I have to vent somewhere... what better way than  with you guys.

Moving on... I went today to the Mom2Mom sale with Jenny and Christi. It was a bit crazy, but a lot of fun. I bought a bunch of cute little baby clothes for my sweet Lucas for really good prices. Today, Saturday, was the last day of the sale so everything was half price. The most I spent on one outfit was $5. After that, I came home and Tyler was working on installing a closet organizer in the baby's closet so I sat down to catch up on my baby books reading and felt asleep... it was such a great nap!! When I finally woke up we ran some errands and then when we came home Tyler had the great idea of assembling our stroller. We got the stuff out of the box and put it together; it was very easy... the base for the car seat is in my car ready and waiting for us to have to run to the hospital. 

As you read; we are slowly getting ready for the arrival of our sweet baby boy... I bought my mom's plane ticket today... God willing she will arrive in Pensacola on April 12 and stay here for two and half months; and hopefully Lucas will wait for her to get here before he does! I still have to wash all of the clothes I have for baby and decide where everything is going in his room. In the meanwhile I am practicing with our own laundry which seems to pile up and never go down... maybe I am just not doing it as often as I should... Oh well!

We have started Lamaze class (or Child birthing as they call it.) We have class every Tuesday from 6 to 8 pm. So far we have learned some breathing techniques and watch a very detailed video of a natural child birth. I would like to have my baby without pain medication; HOWEVER, I am fully aware of the fact that I don't take pain very well. So, we are very much open to options. I have watch  the video and signed the release papers for the epidural or any kind of other anesthetics. To be honest; the epidural video scared me a little, but I also know that doctors do it everyday.  I am just praying for every minute of labor from beginning to end.

So far I am doing well, I get very tired at the end of the day. I move very slow and have to be constantly changing positions when I am sitting or laying down. My belly is pretty big; and just when I think that I can't get any bigger and heavier then I have to go to the doctor so she can tell me how much weight I have gained and how many centimeters my belly has grown. Like I said before, I have officially 7 more weeks to go. Lucas is very active and kicking like he wants out sooner. We both think he is going to be here a few days before April 30 (EDD) which would be nice. 

And to end on a happy note; here is the picture of Lucas' ultrasound. I have to take and post pictures of my daily growing belly; so expect those soon.

    

Costa Rica... Part II

Ok, I'm back with more from our trip to Costa Rica since last time I only covered one day. This will go much faster, I promise. Before that I wanted to leave you with the video of when we sang Happy Birthday to my dad....so here it is:

After all the partying on Saturday we left to go to Manzanillo beach in Limon (about 2 hours from the border with Panama in the Caribbean.) We were very excited about this trip with my mom and her husband. Tyler had never been in that part of the country and it had been about 12 years since the last time I was there. We got there at about 4:30pm and it was a bit cloudy but still nice so we took some pictures of the place and waited until the next day to enjoy the amenities. On Monday we got up to an even cloudier day but still got ready and went to the beach. We had been there for about 5 minutes when it started raining. We decided to hang out at the beach and get wet with the rain cause we were planning on getting in the water anyways. We thought the rain would pass and we could enjoy the beach. WRONG!!!! The rain didn't stop... for 3 whole days the rain did not stop!! That MOnday we still walked to a high point for the nice view... it was pouring down rain and muddy but we still made it. Here are pictures of that day... the only day at the beach we took pictures. You can tell it's a beautiful place when is sunny.

Tyler in the rain

By Tuesday afternoon we were so bored that we decided to go check out the border with Panama. All we had been doing for 1 and 1/2 days was eating, playing ping pong, and listening to the rain. We were excited to be doing something else. Let me just tell you that border towns and never pretty and you can't judge a country

At the Costa Rica - Panama Border

Moving on... Wednesday we had planned to return. My mom and her husband were planning on staying until Friday but the rain was so bad that they decided to go back with us. We packed up and drove for about 2.5 hours when we came up to a bunch of cars lined up in a complete stop at the side of the road. We figured we'd pull over like everyone else and get out to see what was going on. Since it had rained for the past 3 days straight and it was still raining up in the mountain the Banano River had flooded.  The only highway to get back home was completely flooded - only large trucks and SUVs could go through.  We ended up waiting for 3 hours for the water to recede.  Finally, after almost deciding to turn back - we, instead, decided to brave the water and go through.  We were so nervous treading trough that murky water, we thought the car was going to stall at any moment.  When we reached the other side, we were so relieved.  But we were more relieved later when we found out that we were lucky to be able to go through when we did.  If we had turned around and gone back - we would have been stuck there for at least a week!  Wow, how God watches out for His children!

Whew!!! So that's been our week until Wednesday night so far. I will post pictures of our 4D ultrasound on the next post!! 

Update... Part I

Hello my friends... I know it has been a long time since I blogged and I am sorry. I really need to be better about it. So let's see... where do we start?? After Lucas Tyler's room got painted (by Tyler and his mom) we moved in the furniture. Also hung some pictures and even his name. It is finally looking more like " the nursery." We are so excited... everyday a bit more. I flip from excited to scared to am I ready for this adventure? But then I calm down and thank the Lord for our precious child. So here is a picture of the baby's room so far.






The idea of having the room as ready as we could by mid-January was because we had planned a trip to Costa Rica on Jan. 30th. There my sister and my mom had planned a Baby Shower for us with the whole family. So that's my next update... Our trip to Costa Rica. We arrived there late Friday night... said hello to my mom, dad, sister, and niece and went to bed. The next day got up early and went to the Farmer's Market... nothing like you'd see here. They set up their booths on Friday late night/Saturday early morning and for about 5 blocks you have people yelling at you to try their fruit or buy their veggies... it was a cool and different experience. After that we headed to Fotos Anna Studio; there we had an appointment for our "Pretty Pregnancy Pictures" (that's what I like to call them). The lady took several pictures and was very nice... she put some make-up on me and then I had to work the camera. So here is the product of that morning... I must tell you that this pictures were NOT digital so I had to scan and post them. Here they are:



Sorry about the "nudity" but I thought they were very tastefully done ;-) So we had a busy Saturday since that afternoon was the Baby Shower... we had about 70 people between family ad friends (mostly family). After that we went ahead and celebrated my dad's 50th birthday... Needless to say that we partied for about 7 hours. we had a great time! Got to see everybody all at once. I've never had so many hands and kisses on my belly in one day. I thought it was going to bother me but it was kind of fun to see how people always have something to say while rubbing your belly. Many leaned over and talked to Lucas; many kissed "him"; many hugs... I am just glad I did not wear a white shirt!! It is funny to me how cultures are different; here in the USA we are so private and in touch with " my space"... in Latin America they don't even ask you if they can touch your belly... they just do! They hug it and kiss it and even ask you to lift your shirt so they can see it! hahahahaha

My sister had planned some awesome games for the baby shower... You may have heard or played the game where you melt a piece of chocolate in a diaper and then people have to taste it and find out what type of chocolate it is... here is a twist! How about you melt the chocolate in the diaper, hide 2 pieces of party favors in the chocolate, and then put the daiper in a chair and make the game about finding the items with only your mouth (hands behind your back!!!!) Yes... that is exactly what Tyler and my dad had to play! It was so funny!!! I'll let you see it for yourself!

We played more games and had great food! Later on we transitioned to my dad's 50th birthday celebration. We had a piNata, cake, and CARNIVAL!!!! It was so fun! We danced and laughed and danced some more. We sang happy birthday A-la-Costa Rican and ate some cake!! After that Tyler and I opened the presents we received for Lucas and oh! they were all so precious!! I love the little pajamas and outfits; he even got his first pair of soccer cleats! We are very thankful to all the family and friends who are already loving on our baby boy.

So... that's the summary of our first day in Costa Rica...I am sorry it was so long but I promise that was just the summary!! I am know going to leave you with the video of Happy B-day Frank and a few pictures of the BAby shower. I will post again soon... you don't want to miss the rest of our adventure...

My mom guessing the size of my belly

Tyler and his baby diaper after the chocolate game

My sister explaining the next game

The cake my sister and cousin baked for the Baby Shower

A painting my cousin pained for the nursery

Opening more presents

Happy 50th Birthday daddy!!

My dad and sister dancing during Carnival time!

Tyler and I during the carnival

I'm It!!!!

I was tagged by Christi so here it is...




This is our baby on Dec. 3, 2008 - I was 19 weeks pregnant and that day we found out that we are having a boy. Speaking of the baby; we have decided to name him Lucas Tyler Kepner... we really like the name regardless of our families' distaste.

Here are the instructions:

Go to the place where you store all of your pictures on your computer
and open up the 4th folder.
Open the 4th picture.
Post the picture and give an explanation.
Tag 4 people

I tag Jenny, Martha, Tobi, and Liz

More pictures and updates on Lucas are coming soon!!