Pre-Op Appointment

WE HAVE A TMIE SET!!!! WHOOHOO!!! It is official, Little Alex will be here at 11am on 10-10-10. Well not 11 on the dot but sometime that hour. My c-section time was confirmed today at my pre-op appointment. I am so happy.

Unfortunately, due to the scheduling time (3pm) Mia and Adrian could not go with me (it was right in the middle of her naptime). So I drove myself (which is not easy with a huge belly in the way.. I have to put my seat far back haha) in the thunder and lightening and rain! (Ya we are having pretty funky weather here right now).

Once I got to the appointment it wasn't long until they took my back. I was seeing my baby doctor, Dr. Dresbach. He has been so extremely great to me throughout this pregnancy. He is by far one of my favorite doctors next to Rita, my OB. We chatted a bit, I signed the consent form for the c-section and he already wrote the prescription for me for after the delivery so I can pick it up early.

He measured my tummy and said that he is growing great, his heart beat was good (150 bpm), and he was in a good position. All my labs came out great and overall I am doing great. He also informed me of how lucky I was that I was getting my c-section done by the doctor he recommended because he said she was his favorite one out of everyone. I am so relieved to hear that and very happy. He also said that the recovery might be easier this time around, and the pain better since they are going through the same incision area and most of my nerves are already dead there. (I have no feeling in my skin below my belly button and around my c-section scar). So that was more good news.

After chatting a bit more the appointment was done and I checked out. Thats when I found out that my time is at 11am!! How exciting! Its just around the corner now!!!

diapers... Diapers... DIAPERS!

All I have to say is, "The Diaper Raffle" is the GREATEST babyshower game invented... EVER!!!!

Baby Shower in San Diego for Baby Alex

We made it!!! Another baby shower for little Alex is a success!!! But it wasn't without some hardships... the main one being... THE HEAT!!!! Ironically, the Oxnard Baby Shower was unseasonably and unexpectedly COLD, and the San Diego one had unexpected record temp. HEAT!! UGH! We have no luck with timing, however, despite the 100 degree heat and the baby shower being held outdoors it was still tons of fun!!!

The morning didn't start out so great though. I woke up extra early due to some uncomfortable pains and discomfort. On only 4 hours of sleep, by the time Mia woke up for the morning a horrible stomach cramp set in! OH NO!!! Anything but that. I was scared that it would put a damper on the day. The morning was a bit rough in getting ready but Adrian helped out TONS! Soon we were all on the road headed to Sunny and HOT San Diego!

Mia refused to sleep in the car and started to fuss about 45 mins in! OH NO! but we managed to sooth our little Mia Monster by putting her favorite song "Baby Baluga" on repeat! haha Eventually we made it to Eastlake where the party was being held. The party was thrown and hosted by my Mother-in-Law and Sister-in-law and they rented out this beautiful clubhouse down the street from Adrian's Tia Ana's house. No one in the family had rented out this particular place before so it was new to everyone. It was very pretty, with wide open spaces, patios and beautiful architecture. However, once we got off the car and the 100 degree heat hit, I was a bit nervous!

We got there an hour before the party was to start so we could drop off a few things and so Adrian could help set up. There was no escaping the heat for me and I started to get light headed right away. Thats when everyone suggested that I stay at Tia Ana's house (who has AC) until the party was ready. I jumped at the chance to escape the heat and took little Mia with me.

His Tia drove me to her house and set me up with some ice water, a comfy chair, and had me put up my feet! I was a treated like a Queen! Tia Gloria was also there watching the little cousins, Brianna, Nataila, Adan and now Mia! All the kids had fun playing in the livingroom with all the toys and riding around in little bikes and cars. Mia found Adan's car and stuck to it like glue! haha I rested a bit and when people started to show up they took me back to the party.

The heat didn't get any better and by the time I reached the patio I was literally dripping. I didn't want that to put a damper on my good time, so I figured if Alex let me I was going to have a good time!!! I said my hellos and just then my best friend since FOREVER, well since we were freshmen in high school, Mona, her husband Brett and Mia's future husband Koa showed up! They drove in all the way from Orange Co.! It was GREAT seeing them again and we spent alot of time catching up.

Unfortunately my stomach cramp was still there so I was confined to sitting down in a chair most of the time, but that didn't stop me from enjoying myself anyway. Mia was running all over the place and didn't seem to mind the heat or sun at all! Even with sunblock slathered all over her she still turned out pretty rosey and red. She had a blast running around with her little cousins, playing and getting into mischief! The only time she had issues is when she refused to share toys while Adrian's cousins's Mother-in-law played games with all the kids to distract them. Adrian had to go in there and pull her out, literally kicking and screaming! (Joys of parenthood of a child who was over heated and needed a nap! haha) But once she got a cupcake she was fine... she got cupcake all over her but she was happy again haha

SOOOOO many people showed up and we got TONS of presents. I kept looking at the present table in shock. We literally received more presents than we ever have before... it even put our wedding to shame! WOW we are so loved!

As the day wore on it eventually started to cool down... well sort of. The sun finally got into a position where most of the patio areas were now shaded and the breeze really kicked up. Thats when it got pretty tolerable and I started to come back to life. Though I tried to hide how over heated I was, most people at the party commented on how horrible I looked! Wow! Didn't know I looked THAT bad, of course they didn't tell me but they told Adrian haha But everyone catered to me and made sure I had the coldest water, the best seat and tons of shade... I didn't mind being spoiled! haha

Then it was game time. Unfortunately, I couldn't get up from my chair but I got to watch. The funniest game was when they filled a baby bottle of horchata and had a competition on who could drink it the fastest. The catch was, there had to be TWO people per team.. one had to be the "baby" and the other the "Mommy" haha That was fun to watch. The other game of course was the baby diaper raffle. The grand prize for that was a $50 gift card to the Cheesecake Factory!!! I love this game in particular because we always get hooked up with TONS of needed diapers and today was no exception! We literally have TONS and I mean TONS of diapers!! I am so happy at the money we are saving! haha

Ack, I have been typing away and I forgot to mention the food!!!! My Mother-in-law hired catered food and it was AWESOME! They made the best carne asada pita pockets and awesome beans and rice. Everyone loved it and stuffed themselves up! Even myself! Also, the cake was so cool. My Sister-in-law and her best friend Annika both made it themselves. It was a cupcake tower, that had all kinds of jungle animals (the theme of the party) on it. I can't even begin to describe how cute it looked, but I took TONS of pictures of it.

After some more mingle time and the kids were distracted it was gift time! Luckily it cooled down enough so when I reached the middle of the quad area it wasn't so hot. Adrian set up a little space for me and was my present giver! Mia even got a special present for being a big sister!!! It had a teddy bear, bracletes, a princess wand, and Dora toys in it. She LOVED it and it helped keep her distracted during present time. I swear that present table of presents was HUGE and it almost took an hour to get through all of them. I can't believe how much CLOTHES and blankets we received, we are literally set for the YEAR! I am so happy! One present in particular was given by Adrian's Cousin Robert and his Fiance Cherilyn, it was a HUGE present bag of clothes and other baby items that after 5 mins and only getting 1/4 into the bag we gave up and decided to finish opening it at home! haha That present alone gave us enough clothes for the YEAR! (literally since the sizes ranged from newborn to 2T!)

After present time, the party started to end. Adrian stayed behind to help clean up and put things away while Tia Ana took me back to her house to rest. I took Mia with me and she got to hang out with her cousin Adan. She even got a bath!!! (Which she needed BAD! after sweating so much.. I have NEVER seen her hair poof out as bad as it was!, plus playing in the dirt and getting cupcake all over didn't help) Her Tia Ana gave her a bath and she did really good, she didn't cry or fuss when her hair was washed either! I was impressed. After she was all clean and refreshed she went right back to playing toys with Adan and riding around in his little car (until she tipped over and crashed... then she wanted nothing to do with it again! haha) She ate some dinner and was pretty much a good girl till Dada came to pick us up. I rested on the couch the entire time.

Once Daddy got there he rested as well and thats when Alex decided to protest. He started giving me pains and braxton hicks like CRAZY! I have never experienced anything like that! Soon the braxton hicks were literally coming every 5 mins! I was getting nervous and scared that it might kick off labor or be a sign to something. I drank more water and they seemed to slow down but I was already nervous. So we decided to head some so I could really rest and go to bed. So we said our goodbyes and headed out.

The contractions got a bit better but were still very close. We stopped by Wendy's on the way home to pick up some dinner (I was starving again) and we got home. Once I ate the contractions really died down and really spaced themselves out. Adrian put the Mia monster to bed and rested on the couch. I couldn't help myself, I got another surge of energy and ended up going through every since present again, organizing it and gushing over all the cute boy things we got!

It wasn't until it was after mid-night did I realize I needed to go to bed so I could rest, so once all the presents were put in a way Mia can't get into them I headed off to bed and knocked out in a flash!

Wow what a day! What a party!!! I am so blessed to have such wonderful friends and family on both sides of the family. These two parties really helped us get a jump start on all of Alex's things. Having a boy (and him being the first boy on my family's side) is awesome, but was a bit scary since we had NOTHING boy-ish for him.... especially clothes! Now we are set and my anxiety level has gone down so much! All that needs to be done is to wash everything, organize it in his little drawers and wait for his big arrival!!! Wow only 2 more weeks! EEEK!

37 Weeks! FULL TERM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Its official! I am officially FULL TERM today!!!!!! YAY!!!!!!! Wow has time really flown by... well only the last couple of months have at least. I definately have to say this pregnancy is far more difficult than Mia's. I remember after having Mia, I really mourned my belly and missed the whole pregnancy experience, however, this time around I feel I am SOOOO DONE!! with the whole pregnancy concept! haha I guess that is good, I don't think I will be getting baby fever again anytime soon.

When they say that boy pregnancies are harder on Moms than girls, they aren't kidding. I experienced that first hand! Though Mia's pregnancy was no walk in the park, at least I had a good 4-5 months in between where things were pretty good and discomforts were mild. I got to really enjoy the whole experience of becoming a Mama. This time around, it was a whole different story from the get go! I never had a period of time where I could really sit back and enjoy being pregnant. Every step and every stage SOMETHING always came up, weather it be stomach cramps, longer period of sickness, heart arrythmias, anemia, gestational diabetes complications, diet restrictions, dizziness, and the list goes on. Though it was no cake walk this time around, I would do it again 100000x over just have my little Baby Alex. Bringing him into the world means everything to me and I will sacrifice everything for him, my mind, body and SANITY! haha

Well this week hasn't been as bad as recent weeks with regards to my stomach pains. I only got a couple of horrible attacks with that, but I learned if I wear my maternity belt ALL day (which is VERY uncomfortable because the elastic digs into my skin) it keeps most of the pain episodes at bay.

I got to see my OB this week for a routine check up and everything seems on track. He doesn't seem to be oversized and might even be under Mia's birth weight! WOW! I am shocked by that. I have another appointment next week for my C-Section Pre-Op then only 1 more visit after that! The count down begins! Actually it began awhile ago! haha

This week is when it really hit me that he might come early! I really hope not! Though it would be a treat to have him here, I am just not ready yet. I still have to prep his things for his arrival (I have been doing that slowly over time but still have a lot to go), plus I am nervous about the whole transition with having a newborn and toddler! That in itself SCARES me! I am so nervous about that. The reasons why I think he might be an early bird is because of the way I am feeling. I am nesting alot more! and this discomfort and pain. At times he presses on my cervix so hard I can barely walk up right! When I do walk it almost feels like he will fall out! The pressure is crazy! Well I know for sure, if I didn't have the c-section at 39 weeks like I am, I seriously doubt I would make his original due date of 10-17! If I did I would be completely miserable and unfunctional thats for sure!

CRAVINGS:

Still baloney! I can safely say that baloney was definately one of my third trimester cravings! It has lasted WEEKS now and I still can't get enough of it. I wonder if I will even touch the stuff once hes here. Nectarines are still an all time favorite and anything that tastes like Peach! I even like peach flavored Fresca!

TIREDNESS/SICKNESS:

I am so unbelieveably tired ALL the time now. It doesn't even matter if I got a decent night's sleep the night before... I am still a walking zombie. For instance, yesterday I got a pretty decent night's sleep but I was so tired the next morning I was falling asleep while Mia and I were watching TV. I eventually had to wake Adrian up early just so I could lay down and take a real nap. I thought I would be out for only about 30-40mins but it turned out to be a 3 hour nap!!!! Only then did I feel rested enough to finish the day. I guess this pregnancy is taking a bigger toll on my body than I realize. Ugh... I am so tired NOW as we speak!

NEW SYMPTOMS:

TONS of cervical pain and pressure! Like I mentioned before, at times it gets so bad I can hardly walk and it feels like he will fall out! Pretty crazy huh? I get stabby pains in my "girly" part that I just can't pin point the exact location but it doesn't feel good at all! I am still getting those side cramps aka stomach pains and I am tired ALL the time. Getting up and down is also becoming a challenge and I can't manuver as good as I used to. I ram my belly into things ALL the time... poor baby Alex haha. He's also been rubbing on my pelvic bone alot which doesn't really hurt but feels WEIRD! I don't like it and it makes me jump alot! haha Stretch marks are at bay the the two that I have are still very tiny, THANK GOODNESS! Mia really took the cake in that department last time!

Made with L-O-V-E!

As promised (alittle late I might add) I am posting pictures of some of the crocheting projects I made for Baby Alex. When I was expecting Mia, I made her two baby blankets and hat but unfortunately other than the GIANT blanket I made, the other two were too small when she was born. Now I am more experienced and prepared, plus with the awesome invention called "You-Tube" (haha) I was able to learn NEW patterns and new ways to crochet! I am no longer just confined to blankets! As you might guess I have been going alittle nuts with it all!

Having Doubts

I am starting to truly get nervous at the fact that there is a small chance Alex might come early! I don't know why I feel this way, maybe its for the fact that I haven't been able to prepare for him ahead of time like I did Mia. With Mia on the loose, packing for our move, and having horrible stomach pains that cause me to sit down motionless alot... I haven't been able to do all the things I want to.

What also fuels my doubt is how I am feeling. I am in a full on nesting mode now! More so than I ever was with Mia, which I don't even think I experienced. Also I have been getting more and more tiny contractions, my cervix has been hurting for two days now (stabby pains), hes pushing harder onto the cervix and I feel he is dropping lower and lower. At some points hes so low (after I get up to walk)that I literally have to hunch over and I can barely walk, it almost feels like he will fall out!!! Its a crazy feeling!

Well I have talked to Adrian about this but he insists that since I didn't have Mia natural that my body doesn't know how to go into labor early (Mia was induced at 41 weeks). We brought this fact up to the doc when we saw her earlier in the week and she basically said it really doesn't matter, when hes ready hes ready. Adrian still has doubts that it could happen. I am trying to believe him but its hard to ignore how I am feeling.

Maybe my body is just preparing to have him and it doesn't necessarily mean that he will come today or tomorrow. I am just getting nervous, I think I will start to feel better once we have his little space in the house prepped my hospital bag is packed and bottles are washed. I have yet to do all those things.

Well hopefully I will make my c-section date. I worked so hard to achieve the 10-10-10 I would hate for him to override that! Then again... just seeing him and holding him will overshadow it all anyways.

UGH!!! I am so stressed!

36 Week Check-Up

Phew... we just got in from the doctor's office. It was 95 degrees outside and HOT! I felt like passing out in the car for a min. there, thank goodness for AC! Well Mia isn't to happy either, infact she is crying in her room as we speak, I think we all got overheated a bit.

Well today was my 36 week check up and I got to see my OB again. I haven't seen her in a few months due to the diabetes and needed to see my Baby Doc. I love my OB because I have been with her since 2006. She has seen me through Mia's pregnancy and most of this one as well and my miscarriage. I have a great relationship with her so its always a treat to see her again.

Another treat was, this time Adrian and Mia got to come with me! That is a HUGE treat for me since I love involving them in the whole process. Unfortunately, the appointment was around Mia's nap time.. so she was alittle giddy, which I prefer over cranky (which she is right now!).

While at the appointment, to our surprise, they actually took us back a bit early. They are great doctors but are notorious for calling you back LATE! UGH! So I was happy to see that today that was not the case. They put Mia and Adrian in a room and the nurse took my vitals. I weighed 183 on their scale which is 3 pounds less than my previous visit. My blood pressure and urine tests all came back fine. After all was done they took me back to the room to rejoin Mia and Adrian.

This was a visit where I had to have a culture done where the sun don't shine... OUCH! I remember this specific test from Mia's pregnancy, and yep it was the same. So while we were waiting on that, Mia had fun playing with the little toy they had in the room and Adrian and I chatted.

Rita (my OB) soon arrived and greeted us. She commented on how big Mia has gotten and of course Mia acted shy around her. Rita asked some questions regarding how I am feeling and I explained that I have bouts of dizziness (she thinks I need to drink more water, and shes probably right) I told her how the diabetes is going and about my horrible stomach cramps. She says to keep wearing my maternity belt all the time to help with that. She also ordered another urine test to make sure everything is fine ... (ugh I hate those things, I am so big I can't even see the cup!! haha) We chatted a bit more but Mia was a little bit distracting. Like I mentioned before, she was tired and giddy so she thought it was funny to sniff the toy in the room and say "PEE-U!" really loud and laugh! She was doing this over and over and we couldn't get her to stop! It was still kind of funny though... sigh little Mia!

Then came time for my culture which only took about a second... though it was still uncomfortable. She then measured my belly and said hes a good size. I asked her how much she guesses he weighs right now and she said probably around 6 lbs and shouldn't get bigger than 7-8 lbs at the end! YAY!!!! Maybe he will be around the size of Mia who was 8.3! I might still get my little newborn afterall!

Then she listened to his heart beat. She couldn't find it right away but eventually he allowed her to check it out. It is strong and beats 42 bpm. Mia got a kick out of hearing her little brother's heart beat and I got a kick out of watching her.

Everything checked out great! I have another appointment next week with with my Baby Doc for my pre-op, and I see Rita again the week after! Pretty crazy that I only have 2 more appointments left before hes here!!!! EEEK!

After the appointment I had to go to the lab to get my blood drawn and we were on our way. Mia didn't like that I had an "ouchie" on my arm and her mood changed from there. Thats when she started to get upset and cry alot... so the ride home wasn't very fun.

Anyway, the appointment was great, everything checked out well! I can't wait to meet him now! I can't believe its just around the corner!

36 Weeks

Hello!! Its that time again! I am another week along and the count down really begins... actually it has already began! But now there is only 3 weeks left and still so much to do! I had my Dad down for a few days to he could watch Mia for me while I started to pack for our big move. I was hoping to get more done so I could start preparing for the baby but unfortunately Alex had other plans. My stomach pains have come back in full force and everyday is a nitemare with them. I will talk about them more later. Any way I have decided since it is getting harder and harder for me to do ANYTHING anymore, I need to set some priorities. I hope to get everything pretty much prepared for him by Oct. 1st. This coming weekend is the Cardoso Babyshower in San Diego so after I get my "loot" from everyone I can finally wash his clothes and get them all set, along with all his other baby things... like steralizing Mia's old bottles and stuff.

EEEK! I can't believe hes almost here! I just pray he doesn't come early.. I really want that 10-10-10 date for him... I really need to slow it down or I might provoke that to happen YIKES! Overall the week has been good, getting bigger and bigger and feeling him more more, in more detail!

Oh and I forgot to mention, his Halloween costume came in this week! YAY! Hes going to be Baby Superman! The costume is so adorable I couldn't pass it up! Its alittle Superman costume with a cape and everything! What makes it even more cute is that its a SACK!! AWWW! I love baby sacks, it reminds me of Sweatpea from Popeye or something, I dunno I just think they are so cute! I can't wait to see him in it.

CRAVINGS:

Still Baloney! I am the baloney monster and I found out that its only really Oscar Mayer baloney too! (Which happens to be the nastiest baloney there is!, but I love it right now). I eat so much baloney now.. at least twice a day! Sometimes three!

Unfortunately I still have a craving for some foods but I can't have them due to my diet, such as pancakes (this has been one for a couple of months now), Oreo cookie milk shake, and donuts! Well I guess its a good thing that I can't eat those things... they will just cause me to gain unnecessary weight, which by the way I am still doing good with. I weighed myself this mornign and I am 181.8! 3 lbs under my pre-pregnancy weight! Not bad for being 9 months along!

TIREDNESS/SICKNESS:

I am still very tired. With my Dad here I was able to sleep in as much as I could, but unfortunately Alex still wakes me up early and makes me use the restroom and eat. Though I do get in a couple of naps it still doesn't help. I hit the wall and fast... I blame the pregnancy now rather than the amount of sleep

NEW SYMPTOMS:

STOMACH PAINS!!! OMG!!!!!!! I wrote a few weeks back about massive stomach cramps I got but would rarely come? Well they are coming and frequent now too! They are not labor related so its not like I am going to have Alex, but they do come ALL the time now and rarely go away. When they hit they hit hard and I can't walk! I almost got stuck in Target just a couple of days ago because I could no longer walk the pain was SO bad (from a scale of 1-10 it was a 8!) I don't know how I made it to the car! Yesterday it was still there most of the day but wearing my maternity belt kept it at bay, at least enough to still function and walk. This morning, so far so good but I am going to put on my maternity belt for good measure anyway... just incase. The cramp feels similar to when you run to hard and over exert yourself and you get a side cramp that hurts like heck?! Well its like that but worse! and it doesn't just go away! Sitting, standing, and walking even laying down all hurt! I have to find a sitting spot that is decent and stay motionless until it finally eases up, but as soon as I get up or even sit up, BAM its back! Its pretty bad... I'd take Mia's ligament pain over this ANYTIME! It always seems to kick off on the right lower side of my stomach... where he likes to hang out the most. I am scared that the pains will keep coming because he is getting bigger and bigger!!

I am feeling him in more detail now, tiny elbows, heels, butt and head! Its pretty crazy! Poor little guy doesn't have much room to move anymore, but he tries so hard!

I am really starting to get a bit nervous now about his arrival! Its just around the corner! I am not to scared about the newborn stage though I know its going to be tough and TONS of work... but I've been through it before and Mia was no picnic! I am prepared for the WORST! However, what I am most nervous about is how Mia will react to the baby. I am sure she will be ok with him, but not sure if she will be ok with ME! I mean she is the little princess of the house and gets everyone's 100% attention, that will all change soon enough. I just hope she and myself adjusts ok to that HUGE change.

Baby Alex's Costume Came In!!!!

I am so excited, Baby Alex's Halloween Costume came in the mail today!! He is going to be Baby Superman!!! I saw the costume and I just HAD to buy it for him, althought it is a bit big (he will only be little less than 3 weeks old when Halloween comes around) I still think its ADORBALE! I can't wait to put my little Superbaby in his costume!

35 Weeks!

We are getting closer and closer!! I can feel it... literally!! haha Only 4 more weeks to go, I can hardly believe it! Now time is really picking up and every week seems like a blur to me.

This week however, was pretty exciting. We had Alex's baby shower in Oxnard! It was so awesome to see the family again and to show off my tummy. I was literally showered with TONS of baby boy gifts and that was so much fun in itself. The whole family was so excited to finally buy things for a boy (we have nothing but girls in the family... on my Moms side the last boy born was my brother in 1976!, on my Dad's its been a good 5 years! Craaazy) Now that we actually have baby things in the house again its starting to feel real and I am getting anxious. I can't wait for him to be born so I can hold him and see him, however, I know its going to be a huge life change and with Mia running around I am a bit nervous!

Also we finally are set on a name... its official, he is: Alex Victor Cardoso!!!! YAY!

Cravings:
Baloney!!!!!! That is still going strong... there isn't to many other things that I constantly think about than that...

Tiredness/Sickness:
I am always tired but not sure if its due to just the pregnancy or chasing around his toddler sister all the time.

New Symptoms:
PAIN, DISCOMFORT, ACHEYNESS!!! Is the theme for this week, including ligament pain! Its pretty bad I am in constant discomfort ALL the time. Not sure if its because I have really been pushing myself too much the last couple of days (due to the traveling and baby shower) or what but I feel awful almost like I might give birth early! OH NO!!! The contractions are there but still very sparatic, I have been getting more stabby cervical pain too! The main pains are the ligament pain (yes, almost identical with Mia's only this time it goes down my leg and doesn't go away with walking!) My stomach skin feels like its being stretched beyond its limits, and my stomach inside feels like you ate to much and there is no room to breath. Its very cramped in there for him I imagine and every kick and move HURTS! He is constantly pushing against my ribs and pelvis and that really feels uncomfortable. My lower back is in constant pain and we had to rearrange our couches today just so I could sit on the more supported one because our old one was causing to much back pain. Its horrible! I won't even get into sleeping at night!! UGH! I can no longer wear underwire bras comfortably either! He is now sitting pretty high and even bending over is impossible! Well only 4 more weeks... I can do it!!!..... I hope! haha