Twenty-Four

According to a baby app on my phone, AJ is the size of a grapefruit. He moves a lot whenever he is awake. My parents got to feel his kicks. He doesn't let Joe feel him lol. As soon as I place Joe's hand on my belly, he decides to remain still. It's funny. He does kick Rocky our dog, Rocky kind of reacts to it, like he moves away a little, but of course he doesn't know whats the heck is kicking him. I can't wait to see the dog and boy relationship lol.

Yesterday my brother, sister in law, mom, Joe and I went to drop off the contract at the banquet hall we decided to go with for the babyshower. It was also a great oppurtunity for everyone involved in the planning to see the place and get an idea of where the things will be and such. I cannot say it enough, how thankful I am for my family and their help. My brother and his wife are the ones throwing it for us. Joe and I are helping to buy things, but if it were just us doing this, it wouldn't be as special? I don't know if it makes sense, but as a Hispanic, the entire family is involved in raising the children in the family. Growing up I was aware that if I broke the rules, or treated my parents like trash, I'd have to deal with the backlash of my actions from my aunts, grandparents, and etc. 

I made up my mind of how I want my cake, I know 1 tier will be red velvet, and the second tier will be pineapple filling. Dominicans love their fruit fillings in their cakes lol. I declined a Dominican cake. We eat it at every family event, and it gets tiring. Luckily Joe's co worker is a baker, and his cakes are just perfect. Not too sweet. His prices are also very reasonable. I hear that his cupcakes are excellent. He makes batches with a variety of flavors. Mmmm, really looking forward to it. My family will be cooking, and depending on what everyone makes, we will get additional platters to add more of a variety. All that I have to do right now, is start buying the mason jars, and the acrylic paint. I decided that the most economical way to go with flowers is baby's breaths. It makes sense too lol. Get it? My friend Valeria will help me with the messy part (painting.) The invitations are all of their way to their homes. The shower is less than a month away, eek! So, bare with me and my shower related posts.

PREGNANCY: Like I mentioned above, I know when he is sleeping. He always wakes up after I have a meal, and moments after I am hungry again lol. He makes sure to take his share haha. My energy levels vary. My 5th month I was seemingly normal. Now in my 6th month, I find myself craving naps, and sleeping in later than I did in my 5th month. But, that is normal. One of the scars from my laparoscopic surgery attempt tends to hurt. Like, really bad. I can tolerate high levels of pain so to me its painful but not to the point of crying, but it is annoying, and uncomfortable. I try to move around hoping that he changes position. That usually helps. I will mention it to my Gyn during my next visit. My appetite varies. One thing that hasn't changed is that I NEED breakfast. If not, I feel like I will collapse. I eat at 7am, and then have to eat again at 11 or 1130. I also try to snack in between meals. Water is always nearby. My juice  of choice right now, is natural lemonaide. And junk food of choice? Mc Donalds. During this month, it seems like I can no longer drink Coke. It gives me palpitations "/ Ive never been a huge soda drinker, but I need caffeine here and there, it helps prevent headaches. So, chocolate will have to do hehe. 

Jars, Flowers, and Thangs

The next couple of weeks (for me) will continue to be all about mason jars, and the many different types of ways that I can (with the help of some of my girlies ofcourse) jazz them up to make beautiful non diy looking centerpieces for my babyshower this upcoming January. God willing. Here are some of the inspirations:

credit: emmalinebride.com

credit: glitterweddings.com

credit: itallstartedwithpaint.com

I want flowers. But, I don't want to break the bank. I have been looking into wholesale stores like Cosco, and Sams Club for good deals. In order to keep the spending low, I want to use more than just flowers. I started working on a jar, just to get an idea. I plan on buying more, and visiting my local goodwill stores in order to find vases in different shapes and sizes. I volunteered myself to making my own centerpieces. Idk, I guess I wanted control of something pertaining to the babyshower. I also do not want to get overwhelmed, which is why I left it in the hands of my sister in law.

The baby and I are fine. His kicks are getting stronger with each passing day. My belly button is starting to pop out lol. It really all depends on how he is curled up in there. He likes to hang low. My appetite fluctuates. A lot of the time, I am hungry and have NO idea what it is that I want. Joe is the one person that gets to me emotionally. Sometimes I am extra sensitive, and cry for the smallest things (another symptom that I noticed before the fatigue kicked in, before finding out I was pregnant.) I am starting to buy diapers. Preparing ourselves for the time that I will be out of work. That is the only thing that I am allowing myself to buy before the shower. After, we will see what we still need and go for it. Anyway, this is it for now. Hope you're well!

19 Weeks

When you read books, or did it for a living (counseling pregnant women) you think that you pretty much are well prepared for the day that its your turn to be pregnant. Oh, how naive I was.

Before I found out that I was with child, I knew that something was different because never in my life (not even with my lifelong struggles with anemia) had I felt such fatigue. Oh, it'll end after the second trimester, is what they told me. Wrong. Don't get me wrong, it does ease up, but every day is a guessing game. One day I feel energized, and then I get a wave of "I just want to go to bed, pleeeeease!" There are some days when that is what I look forward to. Bed time.

The hunger that I experienced during my first trimester was record breaking. In my book atleast. Even Joe would catch himself saying "Wow." I didn't take offense to it, because I myself would be shocked. It felt as if I'd eat, take a break and wait around 20 minutes for the baby to get its fill, and then it would be my turn to get mine because the "I am starving like Marvin" moment would return. That has lessened. During the first couple of weeks, I craved seafood. All that I could think about was having a big plate of paella (that sadly never came because when it was offered, I no longer cared for it.) Now, the only thing that I ever really crave is beans. Dominican style beans, with white rice. I don't know what it is, but mmmm. Other than that, I dont care for much of anything. Only fruits. Note to self: Ask OB if I should be worried about my loss of appetite.

The fun part is that last week I began to feel the baby move. Its random. I feel it when I least expect it. It took getting used to. It feels like a little frog is jumping around in there lol. Now, I just smile whenever I feel it.

On 1O/23 I had my 18 week ultrasound. So far, one of my favorite moments ever! My mami, papi, friend Valeria, and Joe were there with me. The ultrasound tech, Martie was awesome. Such a sweetheart. I loved that eventhough she has seen/scanned thousands of baby ultrasounds she made me feel as if mine was her very first and favorite. Our baby was lying on its head. The position it was in was like a C. It cracked me up. After all of the important scans, and measurements, which I thank God were all normal, we got to find out the gender. Our baby was not shy. It showed us several times that it is what it is... A boy! We are having a boy! I wish I had a camera on me to capture everyone's reactions. We were all shocked. Many of my family members guessed that it would be a girl because of dreams, and such. Joe? He had the biggest smile, and was laughing. His face was the one that I focused on. Me? I was the first one to say... It's a boy? And covered my mouth lol. I couldn't believe it. You might be thinking, why is it such a surprise, when theres only a 50/50 chance of what it could be?--Just wait until you or someone close to you is expecting. It feels like there are a million possibilities of what it could be lol.

So, yeah, Adrian J. Batine is who has been causing all of these body changes lol. Its okay, he's worth it.  If sometimes it sounds as if I am shedding a negative light on pregnancy, excuse me. It is not my intention. Its just me sharing my experience and my wake up call that it isn't all roses and rainbows. Yet, its something that you wouldnt trade for the world because you know that in the end of it, you're getting someone awesome. Something awesome.

Baby, its you!

I know. Don't even say it. I suck.

The last couple of entries I mentioned how I was feeling off, and just dealing with some health issues. Turns out that they weren't really health issues, but the signs/symptoms of early pregnancy. Yep. That's right. God willing come March 2014 Joe and I will welcome our first child. It was a shock. But it wasnt unexpected.

I will try, I mean really try to document and share the entire pregnancy with you. It will also be nice to read back once post partum amnescia has kicked in.

I am 15 weeks. The baby is the size of an apple lol. I have a small baby bump, have yet to feel actual movements. I think Ive felt flutters, especially when I try to lay on my belly. So long belly sleeping days, until we meet again! My family is to the moon with joy. This will be my parent's first grandchild. We caught their reactions to the news on video lol. I will have to get that up here for you to see. Its priceless lol. I always thought that I would wait to share with anyone other than Joe, whenever I got pregnant. I always said that I would want to wait until the 12 week mark, but the moment that I took the second positive test 4 days after two others came back with faint lines, it all went out the window. I got ready and we drove to their house lol. They were the first to know. Then came my brothers. At 12 weeks is when I announced it to the rest of the people in our lives. Now, its your turn! I didnt plan to wait this long to share the news with you, it just worked out that way.

Like I said, I will try to update on here as much as possible. I will warn you. I will keep it 100% real, and it'll be raw. I already have a few post ideas in my cabeza.  Here we gooooooooooo!

BABY, YOURE A FIREWORK.

I was lucky enough to be able to snap some pictures while Joe and I's family was here. The pictures are of our god children/niece and nephew Ethan 5 years old, and Ava 1y 6month old. You also see appearances from their parents, Vanesa and Jeffrey, my fiance's brother. You also sorta see my fiance. That's his arm in the last picture, and you can see him standing with Ethan, and his brother watching the sort of kid friendly-but not really kid friendly, fireworks. 

I will keep uploading more, and will share them with you as I go. I took a lot of the fireworks. I love to do that. Sometimes you end up with cool effects without even having to do anything with your camera. That's the type of photo taker that I am. I like to stand back, and let everyone do their natural thing, and I just snap away. I also don't like to edit the pictures TOO much. As cliche' as it might sound, I like to keep things real.  Not knocking anyone who edits a lot.

I am a beginner, and am learning as I go. In the near future I hope to share with you the other half of this blog. My photography blog. Its a working process. 

As for my personal life, I am doing well. Got some things going on, and many things to look forward to. I will share all of those with you sooner than later, I promise! Also, expect more Vlogs! I love making those. Its funny when you look back at your younger self in videos. The way you talked, the things you said. I laugh at myself, and I enjoy it : )

I hope you're well! If not, then trust me it will get better! Just give it time. Kisses! Kisses!

PS. This heat has got to go! That is all.

WHERE DO YOU GO?

Apologies for the lack of posts. I had my brother and sis in law along with our niece and nephew/god kids, here since Wednesday. They left on Sunday afternoon. It was a very busy couple of days, and I have a few other things going on right now.

I haven't abandoned you, and expect pictures when I come back. A post of mine without pictures feels incomplete. I have to edit many pictures in order to add them to my photography page that I am putting together. I hate using the macbook for that because it hurts my wrist after a while of editing. I hope to purchase a desktop in the near future, it will make things easier. Laptops tend to give off a lot of heat. Or is it just mine? I've been having hot flashes as it is lol. This weather sucks. I do not enjoy the Summer. I think I go out more during the other seasons. Weird right?

Before I go, I don't quite remember where I heard or read this, but I will try to live my life, looking at the positive qualities in people, and life, instead of dwelling on the negative.

I will leave you with that. Enjoy your week!

A VLOG

OOTD

A girlfriend of mine from my old job set up a movie date. It had been a few weeks since we last saw each other. This was on Tuesday. It was a hot, hot day. I knew that I didnt want to wear jeans, or anything long, so I went with this tribal print dress. It is one f my favorites because I can wear it many, many, ways. I'm sure you'll see it again, since I can dress it up according to the Season.  I've even worn it as a top! The options are endless. Whoops I got sidetracked (common) we were originally set to watch Monsters University 3D. That quickly changed because I was fashionably late to our get together, so instead we ended up watching World War Z, and I loved it. I cannot wait until it is available on RedBox. I know you're thinking "Why were you late Cindia?" See what had happened was... after I grabbed my car keys, I realized that I hadn't put my engagement ring back on after seasoning the meat I was going to cook for dinner... I went to where I usually store it whenever I am cleaning and it wasn't there. I searched everywhere! Even in the places that you would never store a ring. Nope. Nada. Zip.  I cried. I decided to step away and keep the movie date, and come back with a fresh mind, and take my time looking for it. I just hoped that Joe wouldnt find it before me.

When I got back home, I couldn't keep it from him. I told him what happened. He was like "What? You lost a (insert price here) ring?!" He then helped me look for it. He said that he knew something was up because I was too quiet (side eye.) I was in the kitchen doing dishes (I clean when Im angry, or nervous etc) and he comes in and asks "Still haven't found it?" He had his hand near his face, and what do ya know? He has the ring! I was VERY happy. I wouldn't want any other ring. This one is very special, and meaningful. I am sure you will notice the Forever21 ring (So is the bracelet) that I wore instead. This is my very first ootd, so be kind. I will get the hang of it. It was kind of awkward posing for my fiancee. It doesn't help that he does not like the camera.  

I'll end this here. I hope you have a wonderful weekend!

GODMOTHER

Pictured: Male in white tank top is my cousin Billy, Liam's uncle. The male in the blue striped polo is my father. In the green top, we have my mother. In the black t-shirt is Darren, Liam's father. Red striped dress, Malvina, Liam's "momma" as he calls her. In the first picture with the brown tank top, is my mama (grandmother) Maria, she was the one saying the prayers and pouring the water. And of course we have the little man of the hour, Liam. You can also see a piece of my fiancee in the background lol.

For my non-latino readers (correct me if I am wrong in singling us out) what you see in the pictures above are not child abuse, I swear. It is a custom called "Bautismo de Agua" or "Hecharle Agua" it translates to "Throw water." Google translate for ya'll here. This was not really planned, which explains how everyone is kind of grouped together like that. It was kind of hectic especially since Liam was crying his little eyes out. The godparents are myself (oh and thats me in the mustardish top), and my cousin (Malvina/Liam's mami's brother.) He happened to be in Pennsylvania, so we took advantage of that and handled our business. The older generation of our family which includes; all of our parents/grandparents, believe that you cannot cut the child's hair until this (points up) is done. Le sigh. All of the young adults just agree, because we all know you can't argue with grandma! Especially not about something that is so meaningful for them. And heck, I'll probably keep the tradition alive with my future kids. When we left, my fiancee Joe, tells me, "I don't know what was going on in there, but we're not doing that to our kids." I couldn't help but laughed, but once I explained the circumstances he changed his mind.

Other than that, my day started off pretty early. I won't say whats considered early to me, because I think I would get whacked in the head. At least thats what my oldest brother does to me. Let me put it like this, I love my sleep. I am the type that if I wake up a minute before my alarm (cringe) goes off, I will get that extra minute in. Yeah, so I woke up early because my parents both had appointments with their doctor. I actually liked the fact that I went with them, because I got the doctor to order some overdue tests on my mother. Mami wasn't thrilled, but she understands why they have to be done.

Sheesh, it was hot today. Its still hot now! I can complain, because you never hear me saying "I cant wait till the Summer comes!" I enjoy Spring, and Autumn. Winter and Summer can go to Mars for all I care.

I hope you had a lovely cool day. Mine sure was a lovely one.

NOT ABOUT THAT LIFE

Keeping up with a house is no joke. But, it always brings a great feeling when you see it all coming together. My past few weeks have been filled with googling new recipes to try, food shopping, cleaning here and there, laundry, dishwashing (I am not about that life lol ;) , I want a dishwasher! We joke about our wishlists being filled with household appliances, oh how priorities change.) 

I have also been the chaffeur of my parents whenever they need to go to their appointments. The only time that I mind is when its to go see their primary care physician, they take forever to see you there. My father went through another eye surgery, this time for his right eye. His retina detached. The doc says that it can happen if you sneeze, cough, heavy lifting, etc etc. Poor man, he couldnt see at all (He is to have surgery for his left eye as well. Diabetes is no joke.) As for my health, I popped my left arm last night while stretching, and now I have a pinched nerve. It feels like my arm weighs a lot, numbing, and tingly feeling in my hands. I have been taking Naproxen for the inflamation, and putting cold and warm compress. No bueno. 

As for the photographs, I love watching Joe taking care of the lawn. Its his weekend hobby. Who would've guessed that a guy from the Bronx would be mowing, weeding, and gutter cleaning. Not long ago when my mother and I were gardening, we noticed that we had roses blooming. They are beautiful, and I love the contrast of the brick wall. I have been trying to go back to eating more furits, instead of junk food. I do not want to gain back all of the weight that I lost. Its tough without working, and not as much physical activity. If you haven't met him yet, that is my heart, Rocky. He's a 6 y.o chihuahua/jack russel mix, and he is spooooiled by me, and especially Joe. You really should see the two of them. It melts my heart. As for the other pictures, they are pretty self explanatory. Cooking, and treats received in the mail.

I hope that you're having a wonderful week. Thanks for stopping by!