20 Day Challenge

I am starting a new challenge this month...it's 20 things to say to encourage your husband and it's actually a spin off from another blog I follow. I am turning it into a challenge by tweeting daily one of these sweet nothings to remind all of my happily married followers to take a few seconds of their day and text your man while at work...or better yet...make sure that it's the first thing you tell your husband when he gets home. Words of encouragement can go a long way...

These statements weren't designed to be flirty, though you could potentially turn them in that direction and I can guarantee he won’t complain. They are just straight forward, short sentences that let him know how often you notice you married an amazing man whom you appreciate and are grateful for!

As I mentioned above, I will tweet one of the statements daily as part of the challenge and I hope that you will join me! If you have questions, comments, or concerns, reach me by commenting below, or emailing me at wife.nextdoor@yahoo.com or tweet me!

xoxo,

                           wife-nextdoor <3

The Big Day

Three months off from blogging and I am back more inspired than ever! Motherhood really teaches you a great deal about time management lol ...but now, it's story time!!!!!! (a little graphic on the next paragraph if you want to skip down)

Baby's due date was April 24th and hubby and I were hoping for an early delivery so hopefully baby would have same birthday as daddy and/or at least be an Aries. Nope...our little man has a mind of his own! Due date came and so we were scheduled labor induction for May 1st, on our 41 weeks of pregnancy. The morning of April 30th, at 6:30ish while J got ready for work, I got up from bed and as I did I felt some liquid stream down my leg but it wasn't enough for me to think it was my water...I thought it was still the "mucous plug". J called in to work just in case because I didn't know what to think...I kept going between thinking it could be my water or not...aaaaaaaaand I was also getting impatient on baby's birth. At about 2:30 we decided to just head to the hospital to check since in case my water broke I had to deliver within 24hrs. We picked up my mother and headed to hospital. J mentioned how all my pregnancy he had imagined driving me to the hospital while I screamed my head off in pain ahahaha which was far from reality.

Once in the hospital I got checked and sure enough my water had broken. I was asked why I didn't come in earlier and was told I would be induced already and would have to be administered some pitocin since I was getting no contractions. By then I was hungry so I asked if I could eat since I heard you can't after you get your epidural but guess what...I was told no food until baby's birth and I was put on a "clear liquid diet" ...horrible! The "chicken broth" I was brought in was nothing more than plain water and some flavored powder that all it did was make me forget I was hungry...that bad!

Back to story. I decided I wouldn't get an epidural until I couldn't take the pain and so we waited until I got contractions. I started getting some at around 7:30 and when I started feeling them stronger I even shook without trying. It's such a surreal feeling! Anyway, once I asked for the epidural, I guess I wasn't dilated enough, so I was asked if I'd take some other pain medicine instead. I agreed and it was amazing! I have never used drugs or "gotten high", lol but it felt amazing and weird when I was put on the medicine...that is until I fell asleep. I forgot how long I slept but I woke up to more contractions and so I was checked and finally received the epidural. They told me that I would feel a little sting & then some pressure and that's exactly what I felt...it didn't hurt at all.

I became numb from my waist down and at around 4:30am I was told I would begin to push shortly and was asked if I felt contractions. I said "slightly" and so my doctor said she was going to lower the dose of epidural until I felt the contractions and I became worried I'd feel the pain of labor lol. After about 30min I was asked again about contractions... (I didn't really feel them but I was getting anxious so I said I did) and they did "trial pushing"...obviously I still had to wait longer. At 5:15ish I finally did start to feel the contractions and soon we started pushing.

I didn't want J staring as I pushed lol so he was next to me but unfortunately we couldn't hold hands while I pushed since the doctor made me hold my thighs as I pushed...my mother held one of my legs and a nurse the other. J helped lift me up as I pushed. The whole pushing during contractions came naturally but I pushed for 2 whole hours before baby decided to come into this world. Two times while pushing I felt like giving up...the whole process is very exhausting even with an epidural! I was told the baby was almost out and they could see his head but in my head I was thinking "yeah right I've been pushing forever!" Lol I even cried the second time because I was that drained and I literally couldn't keep pushing...lol...but I did pull through! On the last push I felt the baby's head tear me down there...and burning sensation, but it didn't faze me once I saw his body and heard him cry...then I saw my mom tearing up...she was soo happy and it was such a bonding moment. J was shocked to be there and see the big moment!

I was expecting my baby to be put on my chest asap but he was taken to pediatrics (who came to my room) since there was "meconium" in my placenta (due to baby pooping inside womb shortly before birth) which could be harmful to baby if swallowed. I was disappointed that baby was taken away and my mother and J were hurdled around baby while I was impatiently waiting for the moment when I could finally hold my baby! The doctor worked on getting the placenta out and it took a while specially the stitching part since baby tore me...wahh. J showed me pics and after it was all done they finally let me hold my baby! It was sooo surreal and amazing! He was the cutest thing I've ever seen!

Baby boy J was born on May 1st at 7:21 am. He weighed 9lbs. 2oz. and was 21.6 inches long. 

The recovery felt slow the first few days and I am guessing it was because of the stitches. After the first days though, you realize the pain was just momentarily and having a snuggly precious newborn makes it all worth it and it's the best pain reliever!

Thank you guys for being patient with me as I enjoyed the transition between pregnancy and life as a  mommy! That's all for now...if you have questions, comments, or concerns, reach me by commentng below, or emailing me at wife.nextdoor@yahoo.com or tweet me!

xoxo,

                           wife-nextdoor <3

Baby Shower + 32 Weeks

Wow I can't believe it's been almost 2 months since I last updated the blog...I have been busy as you can see on my twitter though by my lack of tweets lol. Well let's start catching up!

• I'm in the third trimester, finally!
• J and I had an amazing Valentine's Day filled with some presents but most importantly, lots of love.
• Got one stretch mark on my belly *sob*
• People keep reminding me of how soon it's getting to our due date; please don't!
• We got our baby's crib, now all we have to do is build it...wahhh (please help us dad! lol)
• I was a crazy woman planning our baby shower but it was just ... the best time ever...thanks to my husband and my parents who helped me set up everything the day of...and a few other family members too (:

Now for what you've been waiting for probably...

Baby Shower

(in pictures)

Oh yeah one thing I forgot to take a pic of was the delicious food and fruit baby carriage! I sooo wish I woulda thought about it lol but by the time I thought about the food it was half gone ahahaha...

dessert table

diaper cakes made by my bff and my aunt

We got soo many presents!

It also shows one of the games we played, advice for mom for ages 1-3, and advice for baby for ages 4-18...dad would read all and choose a winner

Another game...beer botthe relay!

We did two rounds

Then we did open presents which dragged some lol but my inlaws insisted...I guess since they were soo excited for the gifts they had gotten us...I told them already that our baby is going to be one very spoiled brat! Ahahaha 

I think this might've been the funnest game yet...making babies out of play-doh! Participants make a baby and set them on a table for parents to be to choose their favorite. I didn't get a good picture but you get the idea...

 We also had waaaay more creations than shown lol

and with sooo many options we had to choose ugliest, cutest, and funniest lol

everyone had such a blast making the babies and just looking at each others babies ahahaha

Cake cutting time!

I was the happiest mommy-to-be ever! Sooo much love around us!

We also played other games like "what's in your purse?" for females and "don't say baby" which keeps attendees involved all party long lol

We gave little angel jewelry holders as party favors and I cannot stop repeating myself but it was just a ball having all of our family and most of our friends around to celebrate with us the awaited arrival of our firstborn...

I want to thank my husband more than anyone else because he always pleases me and we just love each other so much! We are sooo ready for our baby boy! Thanks also to my parents for helping with preparations/final details and in-laws for contributing some too; the other family members who helped also by providing their home and last minute help! It definitely wouldn't have been that amazing without every single person who helped! 

 

Great end to a wonderful day/night!

Pregnancy Q's

How far along? 32 Weeks
Total weight gain/loss: 17 lbs!!!!
Maternity clothes? Yes but I am probably done shopping...I just wear my husband's comfortable sweats at home anyway lol
Sleep: Still great surprisingly
Best moment of the week: Our baby shower!
Miss Anything? The occasional margarita

Movement: Yess I always feel our baby it is simply an unexplainable, amazing feeling
Food cravings: None
Anything making you queasy or sick: Nope
Have you started to show yet: Yessss but no swelling yet?
Gender prediction: It's a boy!
Labor Signs: None
Belly Button in or out? Half out
Wedding rings on or off? On, but occasionally it feels tight

Happy or Moody most of the time: I'm loving pregnancy, our baby, my husband and my life in general!
Looking forward to: Finishing baby's room and the weekend with my husband! <3
 

Well that's my update! If you have questions, comments, or concerns, reach me by commentng below, or emailing me at wife.nextdoor@yahoo.com or tweet me!

xoxo,

                           wife-nextdoor <3

25 Weeks

 Pregnancy Q's

How far along? 25 Weeks, 2 Days
Total weight gain/loss: 15lbs but maybe more lol
Maternity clothes? Yeah, I'm mainly in my maternity jeans and lose/maternity tops
Sleep: Awesome!
Best moment of the week: Spending time w.my husband who's on vacation!
Miss Anything? Margaritas! lol
Movement: Yess and I specially loved the 2 times J has been able to feel our baby
Food cravings: None
Anything making you queasy or sick: Terrible heartburn earlier in the week!
Have you started to show yet: Yes sir
Gender: Boy
Labor Signs: None
Belly Button in or out? In ish
Wedding rings on or off? On, but every morning my finger is a bit swollen

Happy or Moody most of the time: Sooo happy except when I wanna look sexy and I just don't see it happening ahahah!
Looking forward to: Enjoying the rest of our vacation! #babymoon

Well that's my update! If you have questions, comments, or concerns, reach me by commentng below, or emailing me at wife.nextdoor@yahoo.com or tweet me!

xoxo,

                           wife-nextdoor <3

Like a challenge?

As I shared on the first post of the year, one of my resolutions is to read the whole bible this year and I am going to follow through with it. (I failed last year...ooops) Anyway, now it will be easier for me since my amazing husband agreed to join with me! It truly makes my heart rejoice; I am truly blessed! <3 I found this challenge last year on Pinterest from a blog. Well I will share the first 7 days and hopefully you will join us!

Well it's pretty easy...you just read 4 numbers a day...of course if you are catching up, it will take a bit longer to catch up, but once you do, it will go by pretty fast! I love learning new things about it and really thinking about how it was possible or what it means! (I also learn new words ahaha). If you want to talk about it (like a bible study), you can be sure to contact me, ya know where to reach me, comment below, email me at wife.nextdoor@yahoo.com or tweet me!

xoxo,

                           wife-nextdoor <3

24 Weeks

Please ignore my ribbon lol

 

Pregnancy Q's

How far along? 24 Weeks, 2 Days
Total weight gain/loss: 15lbs!!!! (Gained 10lbs in ONE month! What the...now I'm scared I'll gained over the 25-30lbs wahh)
Maternity clothes? Some but I wear lose shirts most time and thankfully it's winter time so I can layer
Sleep: Great but 2 days ago I was having hip pain from being on my left too much
Best moment of the week: Hearing everything is great in my pregnancy so far and New Year's Eve w.fireworks!
Miss Anything? The occasional margarita and maybe a night on the town for dancing lol...also realized I can't go ice skating like I love to every winter =/ #smallsacrifice
Movement: Yesss and I LOVE it!!! It's THE best feeling ever! I can't wait til J can feel the baby and til it shows from the outside lol
Food cravings: No real cravings
Anything making you queasy or sick: Not really except 2 days ago I threw up again after having milk and cookies but I think it was the fact that I ate in the car
Have you started to show yet: Oh yes, just look at the pic!
Gender prediction: It's a boy!
Labor Signs: None
Belly Button in or out? In ish
Wedding rings on or off? On, but every morning my finger is a bit swollen

Happy or Moody most of the time: I'm loving pregnancy, our baby, my husband and my life in general!
Looking forward to: Our getaway to Ohio and the casino in Oklahoma coming up! (:

Well that's my update! If you have questions, comments, or concerns, reach me by commentng below, or emailing me at wife.nextdoor@yahoo.com or tweet me!

xoxo,

                           wife-nextdoor <3

New Year

This post is to recap the past weeks that have been busy! One of my New Year's resolutions is to post more often so it's only fair to start on the first.

We celebrated our one year wedding anniversary, the "paper" anniversary (which I will post about later)...had a maternity photoshoot (which I will post later as well lol). We had family over on Christmas Eve and visited J's family on Christmas. It wasn't very festive at all to be honest, the only festive thing was giving each other gifts and that kind of made me sad. Maybe next year I can make it funner and more Christmas like. As much as Christmastime seemed to be dragging on, it went by pretty fast...

New Year's Eve seemed like it was going to blow considering we didn't really have plans til last minute. We went to my cousin's, played cards, and drove back home to light fireworks. (All which my brave husband did by himself for our entertainment lol) I don't even know why I was stressing but I enjoyed every part of yesterday spent with my husband. And with that last sentence I shall write down some of my New Year's resolutions that I can name from the top of my head.

1. I want to enjoy every moment more.
2. Write more on my blog
3. Write on my personal journal
4. Be a better wife
5. Spend less on nonsense
6. Finally pay off my credit card (which I relied on this Christmas....ooops)
7. Get fit after baby
8. Be the best mommy I can be
9. Read bible in one year


Those are just a few; I'm actually pretty tired but even writing a few down makes it more probable that you will accomplish a goal. With that said, I hope everyone had a fantastic NYE and an awesome first day of the year...let's make 2014 our year! Well yall know where to reach me, comment below, email me at wife.nextdoor@yahoo.com or tweet me!

xoxo,

                           wife-nextdoor <3

Gender Reveal!!!!!!!

This morning we went to our 20 week ultrasound! We were soo excited and the baby's features were sooo clear! Ahhh we love our baby! The baby was being very active and moving too much so the session lasted a while, so much that I almost fainted! Lol my pregnant followers know what I'm talking about, once you hit the second semester you can't lay on your back for long without feeling faint! I was like "umm I feel weird and lightheaded...I think I need water" ...and then the tech told me to lie on my left and gave us a few minutes. Now let's cut to the chase...

We are having...

a very very cute and healthy baby!!!!!!!!!!

Took off baby's full name for personal reasons but starts w.J like daddy!

Pregnancy Q's

How far along? 20 Weeks
Total weight gain/loss: 3lbs
Maternity clothes? I have two jeans, a few tops, and I'm loving leggings
Sleep: Good, no need for maternity pillow yet lol
Best moment of the week: Today! Finding out our baby's gender!
Miss Anything? Not lately
Movement: None...cause of the anterior placenta but hopefully soon!
Food cravings: Nope
Anything making you queasy or sick: Nothing thank God!
Have you started to show yet: Look at the picture and you tell me hehe
Gender prediction: Everyone was right...BOY!
Labor Signs: None
Belly Button in or out? In
Wedding rings on or off? On
Happy or Moody most of the time: Sooo very happy! We love our baby!
Looking forward to: Buying ONE boy outfit tomorrow (don't wanna have too many considering we will probably get some at baby shower!

A very big thank you to everyone following my pregnancy and blog! yall know where to reach me, comment below, email me at wife.nextdoor@yahoo.com or tweet me!

xoxo,

                           wife-nextdoor <3