33 weeks

We've been quite busy these last two weeks. It seems like we have something going on everyday; between doctors appointments, baby classes, house stuff and preparing for our wedding.

We officially married last week on Thursday, April 19th. We had our good friends Brandy, Dennis, Diego, and Julie attend the ceremony. The ceremony was in Beverly Hills at the courthouse and afterwards we celebrated at a spanish restaurant called La Paella. The ceremony itself was quite short (but sweet) and afterwards we took photos.

The day before the wedding, we bought our rings in the jewelry district in Los Angeles. A couple of days before the wedding, I bought a new dress at Motherhood Maternity and had my nails done as well. I also bought new silver sandles from Aldo, since all of my dressy shoes have heels.

I am still waiting for the official marriage certificate to come in the mail, so I have not changed my name. I am thinking about keeping my maiden name, but having it as my middle name. I would have two middle names and then Valencia as my last name.

Here are some photos from our wedding:



Alfonso and Diego





Exchange of rings





Us with Diego and Julie



Myself with Brandy and Julie

We recieved a beautiful vase from Diego and Julie, along with a photo scrapbook of our wedding made by Julie. The scrapbook is really nice, and I look at it at least once a day. My parents sent us flowers along with a card. The flowers are in the new vase and it looks really beautiful. We also recieved a card and money from our good friend Ro and his wife, and then the other day we got a card and money from my Aunt Bonnie and Uncle Mike.

This weekend my good friends Lenny and Luba are driving down from San Francisco to come visit us. I am so excited to see them! I haven't seen them since September, and this will be the first time that Luba and Alfonso will meet.

I have another three weeks of work left (6 shifts) and I am literally counting down the days. Work has been fairly decent, but I am experiencing quite a bit of back and joint pain. Alfonso is helpful with easing the lower back pain with his massages. I have also been taking baths to help ease some of the muscle tension. Generally I feel large and clumsy. I am still sleeping well, so I am thankful for that.

The other day I had a doctors visit, and she confirmed through ultrasound that the baby is head down. Hopefully he will stay that way and not flip back over. My OB doctor told me that I look great and so far everything is looking normal. She prescribed me iron tablets to help with anemia, especially after the delivery.

How your baby's growing:This week your baby weighs a little over 4 pounds and measures 17.2 inches from the top of his head to his heels. His skin is becoming less red and wrinkled, and while most of his bones are hardening, his skull is quite pliable and not completely joined. This will help him ease out of your relatively narrow birth canal.

Tomorrow I will be starting my 31st week. I can hardly believe that we are almost to the end. In some ways this pregnancy has gone by quickly, but in other ways it has been slow. I've been feeling pretty good lately. I've been having some mid back pain, but this week I have felt better. I went to go see my OB doctor on Tuesday. She said everything looked good and that whatever I am doing to keep doing. Now I will be going every two weeks X3, then every week until the baby is delivered.

My blood count from last month looked normal, but she wrote me a prescription for iron tablets because women generally become more anemic in the 3rd trimester and I will loose blood during the delivery. I asked her if she could tell where the baby was positioned due to the movements I have been feeling lately. When she palpated my abdomen, she thought that he was lying head down but couldn't really tell because he is still pretty small. I think that he has his head down, because occasionally I will feel his head turn from one side to the other in my pelvic region, especially when I am sitting upright. Also, when he is super active, he will kick and I can see two different sides of my upper abdomen going up and down. Christopher's waking hours seem to be in the evening when I am watching television, at night when I am trying to fall asleep or in the morning when I am finished with breakfast.

I am still waiting for my desk to arrive from Pottery Barn. It was supposed to come on Tuesday, but they had to reorder it because it had been damaged during the delivery. So, we are still typing on our laps, and the printer remains on the floor in the guest room. This weekend Alfonso is going to paint the guest bedroom. I hope it turns out ok. We chose a light green in hopes that it will look nice with the cream/white colored carpet. We still need to buy a bookcase for all of our books, but it's not a big priority at this moment.

Lately I've been checking out craig's list for baby items. There are some items that I do not need brand new since the baby will grow out of it so quickly. The other day I bought a Baby Bjorn carrier and Snugglenest for $65 total from this woman in Marina del Rey. Brand new, these items would have cost $180. Now I am looking at a second infant car seat base that normally costs $40, but a family in Van Nuys is selling it for $10. Next I have my eyes set on mini co-sleeper (it's like a bassinet that is connected to the side of the bed) that normally runs $120, but is being sold for $60 by a family in Chatsworth. After I have bought my mini co-sleeper, I think I am set for now. My parents bought us our car seat and stroller (which I prefer to have new and we can also use it for another child later on) and I am waiting for it to be delivered.

I am still working by two days a week (24 hrs), but I will be taking maternity leave at 36 weeks. Work is really exhausting for me, not only are the night hours are hard on me, but the running around is getting to be difficult. Alfonso has been working a lot lately, so that we are prepared for when the baby comes. He worked extra last night and is going to be working extra tonight.

Overall we are doing well. :) Until next time.

Love, Becky

Our weekend together

I started to feel kind of punky last week and ended up getting sick over the weekend. I just had a lot of sinus congestion, sore throat, fever and body achiness. I called off from work Friday and Saturday and spent my time resting and with Alfonso. Alfonso painted the baby's room this weekend, so it was quite productive. We are both really excited and happy with the finished product and hope to start decorating it in the next month or two. Hopefully our baby furniture will arrive in the next couple of weeks.





We went to Costco on Saturday and bought $300 worth of toilet paper, diaper wipes, zip lock baggies, dish washing soap, dish pads, toothbrushes, shampoo, lotion, razor blades, gum, and other sorts of items. We also bought two lbs of crab meat that was $10/pound. We had quite a feast Saturday night; this was the most crab that we had ever eaten. It was literally coming off in chunks. It was sooo good. Here are some photos of our crab feast:













At night time I like to light candles on top of the mantle. My sister gave me a little statue of a pregnant woman for my birthday that I have sitting on the mantle. When I light the candles, the pregnant woman statue creates a shadow on the wall. It looks really cool. Here is a photo of her:

28 weeks and counting

We are officially into our third trimester! Yaaaay! However, I am starting to experience some aches and pains that I didn't have before. Since last week, I've been having quite a bit of lower back pain. I think it's due to my expanding belly and the stretching of my abdominal and pelvic muscles. These muscles no longer support my back as well as they used to. I've been taking Tylenol, (which does not help at all) warm baths, and wearing my belly/back brace for support. I have another 8-9 weeks left of work, and I just want to make it to the end.

I chose some paint samples for the babies room last week. I am thinking of a neutral/sandy tone to go with the dark cherry color of the furniture. Our crib and dresser should be arriving in mid-April. I've been researching glider chairs, and I am going to check out a couple more today.

Last week was my 28th birthday. My parents sent us newborn and 3 month t-shirts, 2 bath towels with hoods, and baby socks. We also recieved a hand made quilt from my mom's sister Sue. The quilt is amazing- with designs inprinted from the baby cards that my mom had when she was born. Along the pink border is an inscription that reads "To the most precious baby in the whole world. You are loved. From your great aunt Sue." The quilt is very sturdy and will be able to withstand washings and other forms of use.




This is what is going on with the baby developmentally:
Your baby's head is in proportion with body now. He appears more like a newborn each and every day! Fat continues to accumulate under the skin -- only now preparing for entering the *real world*. Your baby's brain can control primitive breathing and body temperatures. His eyes can move in their sockets. Soon he will be able to follow a blinking light. Your baby is increasingly sensitive to changes in light, sound, taste, and smell! Various studies show that your baby may indicate preferences (or disdain) for particular tastes or odors at this stage. He is also moving from side to side, but probably still is head up. In the next few weeks, he will move to the head down birthing position. At times you may feel as if he is performing somersaults for a circus act! Her length is now approximately 15.2 inches (38.6cm) and weight is 2.54 pounds (1153gm)



At 18 weeks and 28 weeks. What will 38 weeks look like?

Enjoying our home, preparing for Christopher

It has been two weeks now since we moved into our new place. It feels so nice to be living in a place of our own and to not have the same worries as living in an apartment complex. Just before we moved from our apartment, we had our bikes stolen (they were double locked and inside a cage) and the constant noise level and destruction of common areas was just annoying. Plus the apartment complex management were just plain incompetent and rude.

We had our good friends Diego and Julie over for dinner tonight. Diego's daughter Vivian (she is almost 15) joined us as well. We made our favorite dinner of marinated chicken (using Italian dressing) placed on the grill, and seasoned vegetables (potatoes, yams, carrots, red onion seasoned with oregano, bit of salt and seasoning) baked in the oven. We also had a garden salad, corn bread, and for dessert brownies and vanilla ice cream. Alfonso and I really love marinating chicken and grilling it- it just tastes so flavorful. Next week we are going shopping for a little grill so that we can grill food and not have to use the common grill up the hill by the pool.

I have been doing some planning for the baby lately- I have most items registered at www.babiesrus.com and www.target.com Planning for the baby is a little overwhelming, so I am appreciate of any input and suggestions. I am trying to choose the most necessary items, but I really do not know what items are good and what items are not. I have been trying to read reviews, but some people give positive reviews of items and others give negative views. So, any helpful tips and suggestions are much appreciated. :)

We have our doctors appointment tomorrow. I will be fasting for 6 hrs and then taking a high sugary drink called Glucola. After drinking the Glucola, I need to have my blood drawn an hr later to see what my fasting blood glucose is. I will be in my 3rd trimester in two weeks, so soon I will be going to the doctors every two weeks and then every week for the last month.

We are starting to get excited, knowing that in just 3 months little Christopher will be here with us. He has been really active, and his strength is growing. I no longer feel gentle tapping but little thumpings. Sometimes when I watch tv, I will see my stomach move out of the corner of my eye. I believe that his head is still facing upwards and his feet and down near my bladder. Sometimes I have the sensation that he is sitting on my bladder and then I have to go to the bathroom frequently. Here is a picture of me taken earlier today. I am wearing a dress that I bought from the Gap, it's very light and comfortable. This week the temperature is in the 90's, so I have been trying to dress cooly.

Our new home

I realize that it has been over a month since I last posted. Since we came back from MI/GA in early January, we started to look at houses. This time, we started to look at homes 30 minutes north of Los Angeles in a community called Santa Clarita. Santa Clarita is more of a family-friendly community with affordable housing, better schools, and less traffic and congestion than Los Angeles. Although driving to work would take 30 minutes without traffic each way, we weighed the benefits and chose to move to Santa Clarita.

Within our second week of house searching, we came across a home that we both really liked. By this time, we were working exclusively with one realtor who was recommended by a friend of ours. Also, his son works as a RN at the same hospital as us, so we had heard about him through word of mouth. We placed an offer on the house during the 3rd week of January and were expected to close February 21st.

Meanwhile, I had to move out of my apartment by January 28th (my current lease was ending) and I had to move everything into storage until we moved into our home. Alfonso had given 30 day notice on his apartment and had cancelled his utilities. We looked into hiring movers for our move-in day of February 25th. With one week left before move-in, we had everything ready.

Then we get a call from our realtor saying that the seller (who is a realtor herself) needed another two weeks on the home before we could move in. She currently had a tenant who needed more time before he moved out. We were upset since we had given notice to our apartment complex and had cancelled our utilites in advance. We were basically without a place to live after February 25th. We told our realtor this, and said he would tell the seller. Alfonso decided to check the MLS listings at work one night, and saw that our house had been put back on the market.

We started to get a bad feeling about the situation. We soon found out that the seller was trying to cancel escrow on the house. Our realtor reassured us that she couldn't cancel escrow, and the VP of our branch was involved in the situation. Our realtor reassured us that we would close February 21st, regardless of the seller. After several stressful days, (we were feeling pretty helpless at this point) we signed our final papers for the loan and waited for the bank to fund our loan. We officially closed on the house Thursday, February 22nd (a day late due to Monday being President's Day) and I picked up the keys Friday, February 23rd.

To this day, we believe that the seller was trying to get out of escrow due to a higher offer. We have heard several different stories from her- ranging from the tenant needed another two weeks before he moved (however, when I was opening the accounts for the utilities in early February, the operators were telling me that the power and water were going to be turned off on the 19th/20th of February and not two weeks later) or that she had another tenant that needed to occupy the house for only one month, so she didn't want to cancel the agreement with the other tenant.

Also, as part of our contingency, we had wanted the carpets cleaned prior to moving in. The seller did not agree to clean the carpets, so we made arrangements to have the carpets cleaned before we moved in. However, when I picked up the keys Friday evening, there was a note from the seller saying that she was willing to pay for the carpet cleaning and to give her a call. We later had her reimburse us for the cost of the cleaning, but we found it sort of strange.

Overall, the experience went well except for the last week of escrow. We didn't have any difficulties securing a loan and we were able to shop around and negotiate with various lenders. However, the other day I woke up from a bad dream- I dreamt that the seller was trying to get the house back!

Here are some photos of our new home:



Our home is three levels, with the garage, closet and entranceway on the bottom level. You go up a flight of stairs to the second level with the living room, dining room, kitchen, two bedrooms, full bath and utility closet. The third level has the Master bedroom and bath.


Attached garage


Side section off of garage for storage


Living Room


Dining room


Kitchen


Baby Christopher's room


Guest room


Our new front loading washer and dryer in the utility closet


Full size bathroom downstairs


We also have a little balcony off to the side of the living room. This little nook is where we are going to have our computer station.


Balcony


Another flight of stairs to the master bedroom and bathroom


Our Bedroom




Master bathroom with two sinks!


Master bathroom with tub and shower

Now, nearly two weeks after moving in, we are very happy with our home. It feels so nice to be able to call a place home and to be proud owners. We now have all of our major appliances installed and running (washer, dryer and refrigerator) and we are slowly decorating the place. Our next big project is to get ready for the baby (I have another 14 weeks left until my due date) and we are planning on hosting a house warming party with our friends and co-workers (and family members for those who can join us) Saturday, April 14th. The baby shower will be in mid-May. :)

20 weeks

Lately we've been really busy with buying the house and searching for refrigerators, washers, and dryers. We will be closing on the house February 21st, and moving in on the 25th. It's been a little chaotic lately, but hopefully everything will slow down during the next couple of weeks.

We had our 20 week ultrasound with the perinatologist on Tuesday. This ultrasound was to look at the different organ systems and make sure that the baby is progressing well. So far everything looks normal- they measured the brain, kidneys, bladder, legs, and cervix. The ultrasound tech commented on how much movement the baby was doing. She said it looked like he was pushing down on his legs so that he could change into another position. I just hope that the baby does not do too much movement and will not turn into a breech position by the time of delivery.

The screening for Downs Syndrome was negative, and the baby does not have a cleft palate (as was viewed during the ultrasound). We could see the four different chambers of the heart, and his heart rate was normal at 143 beats per minute. The baby measured 25cm in length (10 inches) and weighs 15 ounces (about 1 lb). We could see his little hands and feet and at one point he sucked on his fingers.

I can feel the baby moving- he is starting to get stronger. I had Alfonso put his hand on my lower belly and he could feel the baby moving around.

Lately I've been having quite a few nosebleeds. I think it has something to do with the heat drying out my sinuses and the increased hormones softening my mucous membranes. I normally do not have nosebleeds (I think the last one I had was when I was four) so this has been a little new for me. I don't dare blow my nose hard (even though I wake up every morning feeling a little stuffy) and I may just ask my OB during my next appointment about a OTC nasal spray for the dryness.

We are still looking at names, but we are going to narrow it down to three names by the time the baby is born. We want to include a middle name, so we will have a couple of different combinations. We'll keep everyone updated on which names we choose.

Here is the baby waving bye to everyone: :)