Week 24...

 

Your Size: Cantaloupe… goodness you are starting to get big- and as you can see so am I!

Your Due Date: November 12^th… only 15 weeks left!

Maternity/Baby clothes? New cutie this week:

 

 

 

 

Baby Gear: We have gotten so much done on the Nursery!!! Which is very exciting… too many new things to put in just one post so I will show you a tiny sneak peak of my nursery inspiration- Poppy’s first set of linens!

 

 

 

Sleep: We are not doing too good on this one… especially since every pregnancy book tells you to lay on your left side to sleep and seems that my little boy LOVES when I’m on my left side and decides that that is the perfect time to take up kickboxing… not gonna lie though his strong kicks are so cute they make me start giggling so many times during the day!

 

This week’s adventure:  Another week of fun adventures with you. We did a lot of swimming at the gym, and long walks on the beach. And ate lots of yummy foods!!!! Not only did your Dad and I go for breakfast and a long walk on the beach on Saturday, but on Sunday I meet up with a few of my oldest friends in LA... we figured out we all been friends for over 10 years. And we've been through a lot in those 10 years so it's amazing that even when we don't get to see each other that often anymore that when we do it's like we've never been apart!

 

Source Café... Breakfast with your Daddy on Saturday!

Your Dad's favorite!

Brunch with the girls on Sunday in Manhattan Beach

Chicken & Waffles

Mini-Doughnuts... you loved these!

 

Miss anything? SLEEP!!!!

 

Movement:  You are a little mover and shaker… all day long you like to give me little love pats! But the best part of my week (and possible the best part of this pregnancy so far!) was the night your Daddy got to feel you for the first time. And I know most mom’s probably say this- but I think Dan is the most excited Daddy that has ever lived. When he felt that first kick he got so excited he was bouncing all around and covering me with kisses. I thought it would be hard to fall more in love with your Dad than I already was, but in that moment I think I fell a million times more in love with him. I’m so excited for you guys to meet, because you really are going to have the most amazing Dad!

 

Your favorite foods: It’s funny because I’m still having my cravings but on top of craving food I love I’m starting to notice what food you really do love. You kick a ton after my morning smoothie- Cacao, Banana, Spinach, Avocado & Milk! It may be the sugar but you seem to love it. You also seem to kick a lot if I get really hungry or after I eat… though really you just really kick a lot!

 

Anything making you queasy or sick: I can finally say I think I’m done with having morning sickness… knock on wood!!!!

 

Gender: Boy

 

Labor signs: No

 

Symptoms: All kinds of pregnancy pains going on but the worst part is still the off and on heartburn! Apparently you don’t like- fake sugar, pineapple, lemons, limes, hummus, any type of pepper… you would think that with the amount of food I have to cut out I’d be losing weight but that so isn’t the case!

 

Belly button in or out?  Button in, but belly way out!

 

Wedding rings on or off? On… but we are going shopping this weekend for a new wedding band for me- mine is getting way too tight most days!

 

Happy or moody most of the time: I cry all the time!!!!

 

Looking forward to: Meeting you! I know I have 3 ½ more months to wait, but I’m starting to get really really excited about finally meeting you.

 

Advice to my soon-to-be baby: Marry someone you truly love. I know this seems like something really simple, but in truth it’s not. You are going to meet lots of people in your life, and some of them will make their way into your heart but you need to hold out for the one that truly is your soulmate. Some people don’t believe in soulmates and having only one love, but take it from me it exists. I waited a long time for your Daddy and he was worth every minute of it!

 

P.S. Besides the fact that he's going to being an amazing Daddy your father is also quite the crafty guy... He finished our frames over the weekend and they look simply stunning!!!!

 

Those are all places that are special to us... can't wait to show you ALL of them!!!!

 

 

 

 

6 Months!!!!!!!

 

Some days it feels like Poppy will never be here, especially the days like today when it's hot and I'm exhausted/grumpy/weepy... But there are other times when I start to do a little happy dance when I realize just how close I am to being able to snuggle with my little man!

 

24 Weeks Along.

 

16 Weeks to go.

 

13 Weeks (+2 Days) until my maternity leave starts.

 

And only Days left before I have a true panic attack!

Week 23...

Your Size: Grapefruit

 

Your Due Date: November 12^th… only 16 weeks left… so much to do, so little time now!

Maternity/Baby clothes? New cuties this week:

 

 

No I'm not dreaming of Hawaii at all...

 

Baby Gear: You now have a place to sleep! We bought your crib which should be here in 7-14 days… I think you are going to love it! Also ordered you your first set of sheets and crib skirt so we can complete the look. Don’t know if I am going to be less stressed or just more petrified once we get the crib all set up. This weekend we are going to start your nursery… so far it’s been a bit of a stress on your mom and dad, a few tears were shed (by me of course) but I think when we are done all my frustrations and craziness will be worth it and you will have the most awesome baby room ever!

 

Getting all organized and ready to start the nursery!

 

Sleep: Sunday night I ended up having to sleep on the couch the entire night due to sniffles and uncomfortableness, so you can guess that sleep isn’t coming easy. Which is odd because I’m super exhausted all the time!

This week’s adventure:  This week had lots of big milestones for us. Besides ordering your crib and deciding on your stroller, car seat, bassinet and lots of other fun gear for you we had our maternity tour at Cedars! I was a little overwhelmed by it all. Cedars is really huge so I felt a little lost plus there was just so much to take in. We saw the delivery & labor rooms, which look pretty nice (if we get a window one!). It was a little scary there because we heard 2 different births. The first one we heard was just the babies first cry and it was kind of an awe moment, especially when I realized that soon I’m going to be hearing your first little cry! But the 2^nd birth we heard was the scary one because we also got to hear the Mother… and let me tell you it sounded like they were killing her!

View from the hospital waiting room

 

After the Labor & Delivery rooms we went and saw the post-delivery rooms, which are also tiny but at least we will have our own room. Everyone seemed very nice there so hopefully it won’t be too scary of a place for you. After our tour I was starving, like usual, so we went to this amazing vegan Mexican restaurant. I’m already planning on getting it picked up for me when I’m in the hospital after your birth!

 

Cocktails & Mocktails to celebrate

Vegan Mexican Street corn with the most amazing cashew cheese

Mmmmm... Plantain Fritters!

Gorditos topped with way too much goodness

 

 

Miss anything? Not being hungry all the time! It’s hard to not put on so much weight because I’m always hungry these days. On the same light I miss seeing my toes and being able to bend over and pick things up!

Movement:  All of a sudden you are very active! I can tell the different between your little punches and kicks and when you are doing your tumbles and rolls. I told your Dad the other day that it felt like you were packing your bags and moving from room to room down there this week!

Your favorite foods: Not gonna lie we probably had the worst food imaginable for anyone- Velveta Cheese. We made chicken nachos for dinner on Sunday night and I made a velveta cheese dip to pour over it. It really was amazing.

 

I'm still on my heirloom tomato kick so your Daddy made me the most amazing pasta on Friday night- Penne with basil infused olive oil, heirloom tomatoes, sundried tomatoes and spinach. I'm usually the chef of the house but since I've been having a really rough time with the hours I've been working your Dad has really been amazing with making meals and helping me out with just about everything.

 

 

Anything making you queasy or sick: Nothing this week!

Gender: Boy

Labor signs: Nope 

Symptoms: HUNGER!

Belly button in or out?  Button in, but belly way out!

Wedding rings on or off? On… but I don’t know for how much longer, my fingers are swelling up big time by the afternoons.

Happy or moody most of the time: This week we will most definitely say moody- there has been a lot of crying lately. I think part of it is just exhaustion from work and part is starting to get stressed/scared about the fact that you will be here pretty soon. Luckily I talked to my boss and am going to start to cut my hours back- only going to work 10 hours a day at most now.

Looking forward to: Starting on your nursery!

Advice to my soon-to-be baby: We are gearing up right now for your Dad’s favorite holiday- College Football Season. In the fall there is only 1 thing that is truly important in this house- Notre Dame Football. Your father bleeds blue & gold and I have a feeling if you are anything like him that you will too. Though the best advice I could give you is that even if you grow up to not like football just pretend to be a Notre Dame fan for your Daddy’s sake!

 

 

 

 

And the Nursery Begins...

We have started on the Nursery! Right now it's still in the planning stages, which is a very exciting stage! We've ordered some of the key pieces- Crib & Rocking Chair! I've been stocking up on little toys and books... and lots of magazines full of ideas! Since the room (and most of the house) has a beachy/nautical theme already I've decided to keep a lot of the stuff we already had (plus all the pillows I made last year!) and go full nautical with the nursery. I'm thinking dark woods, sail boats, whales, sea shells, fun stripes... and the colors are going to be Navy, Gray & Orange. I have so many ideas in my head with lots of DIY projects for Dan and I, lets hope I will have the energy to finish them all by the time Poppy is born.

 

Currently the room that will become the nursery is an office/craft room/guest room/place to store random furniture we can't find a home for. But in a few short weeks (hopefully by my Baby Shower, which is in early September) it will Poppy's Nursery plus a bit of a guest room too. Here are the before pictures!

 

 

 

Only about half the books I've bought! You can tell I'm a book geek at heart!

 

 

 

 

Can't wait to show some of our progress as we start with this...

 

 

 

 

 

 

Week 22...

Your Size: Papaya… tropical fruits that your Daddy loves!

Your Due Date: November 12^th… only 17 weeks left… no not getting nervous or anything!

Maternity/Baby clothes? New cutie this week:

 

Getting Poppy all ready for story hour!

 

 

Baby Gear: We bought our rocker!!! Very excited to have bought our first big piece of furniture for the nursery! Even though most likely it will be going into our living room since our nursery will be nursery/office/guest room. But it’s from Pottery Barn and rocks and swivels and looks just like our couches, but in gray. Pictures to come when it is delivered in September- only problem with buying furniture that needs to be built is that I have to wait SOOOOO long to get it!

Sleep: My allergies have returned so sleeping has become even more difficult.

This week’s adventure:  So many adventures this week! I apologize for all the pictures but Dan got me a really amazing new camera so I’ve been taking pictures of everything for the last week! The first of my adventures was my birthday- 35 this year… This may be the first year that I actually felt that old. But I had a great birthday and celebrated it with my girlfriends at one of my favorite restaurants in Hermosa- Buena Vita!

 

35 and Proud!

 

I also got to celebrate my birthday in San Diego with Dan. I had a really rough week at work so we had to adjust our weekend plans a bit but they still ended up being packed with adventures. Our first stop was the neighborhood that I grew up in for lunch and to walk around Lake Murray. You seemed to really like Lake Murray, and every time I would stop you would keep walking!

 

View of Cowles Mountain from the Lake

 

After that we went to check into our hotel. After getting a little “lost” on the way (your Dad says lost, I say adventuring!) we finally found the hotel. The room was amazing and had this great balcony and view of the harbor and Coronado Island. It also had a great pool so we had some time to relax out there with virgin daiquiris!

 

Luckily I got a nice nappie or I would never have made it through the rest of our evening- we stayed up past midnight for the first time in years! Your Dad took me to this really amazing restaurant overlooking all of San Diego- Mr. A’s. It may have been one of the best views of any restaurant we have ever been too.

 

After Dinner we headed out to Balboa Park to go see Into the Woods. It just happens to be my favorite musical and happens to have been playing at a theater that I work for on college.

 

Old Globe Theatre

Museum of Man

Lilly Pond in Balboa Park

 

The next day was the last of our adventures for the weekend. We took a nice long walk along the water- so your Daddy could go see the big ships!

USS Midway

 

All around it was a great Birthday Weekend and I can’t wait to bring you back here to San Diego and show you where I grew up and some of my favorite things from when I was a kid.

Miss anything? Sleeping on my back! I use to think that I would miss blue cheese and salami the most when I got pregnant but really it’s being able to just lay on my back!

Movement:  Still not too much movement but we have found out that you love car rides and country music so far- that’s when you are the most active.

Your favorite foods: COTIJA! We went to my all time favorite restaurant when we were in San Diego. It’s this little hole-in-the-wall Mexican place from my childhood. I was a little piggy and had rolled tacos and a bean & cheese burrito. Though you dad had a California burrito that was the size of his arm! The real secret to the yumminess of Cotija is their guacamole- I don’t know what all they put in it but it’s the best tasting thing in the entire world.

 

 

Anything making you queasy or sick: This week I wasn’t too sick and actually didn’t have too many food aversions, it was amazing!

Gender: Boy

Labor signs: Nope 

Symptoms: Hungry all the time! I also have outgrown all my shoes- my feet are getting so big.

Belly button in or out?  Button in, but belly way out!

Wedding rings on or off? on

Happy or moody most of the time: Exhausted, is that a choice?

Looking forward to: Hilton Head in a couple weeks… you will get to “meet” all the relatives on the Pelner/Marra side of the family!

Advice to my soon-to-be baby:  Make your bed every day! I know that sounds like a typical nagging Mom thing to say, but I really believe that making your bed every day makes your life better. There is just something nice about coming home to a made bed. It also makes your house look cleaner, so when you are on your own and only have time to do 1 thing to tidy up- make your bed. Plus girls will be very impressed with you!

Poppy's 1st Trip to The Zoo!

    Poppy seemed to enjoy his first trip to the San Diego Zoo. He luckily slept through most of it, but did seem to enjoy the sky tram the most- he was kicking like crazy during it, maybe he was afraid of the height like his Daddy... Here are some pictures of the Zoo Trip, mostly of the animals!  

Baby Flamingo's- aren't they the cutest!

 

 

The new Koala exhibit is really cool, you can see tons of them up close. Mostly sleeping but that makes them even more cuddly. I also really enjoyed the exhibit because it had misters and was so nice and cool walking through them.

 

 

Llamas!
 

 

Poppy & Dan's favorite ride- the Sky Tram!

 

 

Camels!
 

 

The Red Pandas... we tried to go see the big Panda's but that had a 40 minute wait. Luckily this sleeping cutie had no wait.
 

 

Baby Wart Hogs!

 

The stork is all set to bring us Baby Poppy.
 

 

Now I'm just showing off my amazing camera I got for my birthday... look at the cool shots it can do!

Rudolph! Another exhibit we went to but missed out on the main animals. This was the artic exhibit and sadly the Polar Bears were off playing somewhere else in the park.

 

 

Gorillas!

 

The Hippo encounter actually looked pretty good to me!

 

 

Orangutan... And Baby Orangutan!

Though of course you can't leave the zoo without souvenirs...

We had to get Poppy all geared up for his first real trip to the zoo next year!!!!