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

Uncommon fact of my pregnancy

We had a doctor's appointment yesterday and everything seemed great! Surprisingly I've only gained 3 lbs, and I say surprisingly because my belly is already showing...the baby was measuring a little higher/bigger than the 19 weeks but that was okay. J and I got a little worried when the assistant took a while to find the baby's heartbeat, but she did and it was normal...149. According to our nurse practitioner though, it might've taken longer to find the baby's heartbeat because I have what is called an "anterior placenta". At first I worried a little but the nurse explained it to me.

As you can see on the picture, it all depends on the location of the placenta in the uterus. Most of the time, a fertilized egg will situate itself in the posterior uterus (the part closest to your spine), sometimes, the egg implants on the opposite side, closest to the abdomen. When the placenta develops, it grows on the front (or anterior) side of the uterus, with the baby behind it. This also explains why I still haven't felt our baby's movements...the placenta is cushioning our baby's movements. It made me a little disappointed knowing it'll take longer to feel our baby but I am still grateful that our baby is still doing great!

Well that's all I have today; I am getting ready for our one year anniversary and Christmas shopping for family! We cannot wait to find out our baby's gender in just TWO days!!! I will definitely share it with everyone on here so if you want,  comment below, email me at wife.nextdoor@yahoo.com or tweet me!

xoxo,

                           wife-nextdoor <3

Mango baby!!!

19 Weeks

Please forgive the crappy picture lol (bad lighting)

Pregnancy Q's

How far along? 19 Weeks
Total weight gain/loss: I really don't know
Maternity clothes? I have two jeans, a few tops, and I'm loving leggings
Sleep: Good just have to remember not to sleep on back sometimes I find myself in that position
Best moment of the week: Thanksgiving dinner!!! Nom nom! All that cooking was definitely worth it!
Miss Anything? Feeling like I look hot lol I feel like I look cute but it's not the same...specially since I love dressing up and stuff during the holidays. I miss cute dresses and heels!!! Wahh
Movement: None that I've noticed...I'm starting to worry =/
Food cravings: No real cravings
Anything making you queasy or sick: Nothing thank God!
Have you started to show yet: Yess I'm soo happy! In the last week and a half I'm actually looking pregnant, not just bloated/fat lol
Gender prediction: Everyone says boy lol
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! I love our baby!
Looking forward to: Thursday's gender reveal ultrasound!!!

Thanksgiving

I hope everyone had a yummy Thanksgiving full of the people you love! Family, Food, and Football! Lol well not really for us, we are more basketball fans. Anyway we had my parents and J's parents over for thanksgiving and we all went to town with the turkey and the ham ...ok enough about food or I'll be heading to the fridge for leftovers!

This year I am thankful for too many things! Like I always say, I am definitely blessed...we both are. This past year we were engaged, got married twice, the second being our dream wedding, honeymooned, had many moments with family, started our life together apart from everyone and then luckily ended up back near family! We enjoyed our time, traveled, and on my birthday I got the best gift ever! I found out I was pregnant with our first baby! We bought our first house and have finally settled in...now it's time for the joyous holidays!

Well I wish you all nothing but the best, remember to be positive and enjoy the little things, they are what make up the big pictures anyway; we attract what we give and reap what we sow. Have a great weekend, yall know where to reach me, comment below, email me at wife.nextdoor@yahoo.com or tweet me!

xoxo,

                           wife-nextdoor <3

First It list

How's everyone's month going? We just had our housewarming parties this weekend. On Saturday friends came over and then on Sunday it was a family event! Both successful and we couldn't be happier! All the downstairs has been decorated and it's basically done but I have been stalling the second floor of our house lol blame it on the pregnancy =P

Speaking of pregnancy...I have skipped the last two weeks of my chalkboard progress pictures because in reality, I haven't seen any progress on my baby bump! I still don't look pregnant and I believe I might've gained weight in the wrong place =/ Guess we'll see in early Dec. Now for a new part of the blog...

The IT list

• Cooking. 2 weeks until Thanksgiving and that means we should get started with the planning. If you're like me and it's your first time hosting, you might want to start trying out a few recipes so you can impress and be more than ready by Nov 28th! Pinterest here I come!
• Dog Clothes. Now that it's cooling down is it acceptable to put on clothes on your dog? Who am I kidding, I always do! But for those of you who only do so in the cooler months, this is the perfect time to warm your fur kids w.holiday themed outfits or just cute little sweaters! Here are just a few I've seen.

One | Two | Three | Four

• Fuzzy Socks. I'm not even going to lie, I live in these socks, but if you aren't the kind to wear them 24/7, now is the perfect time of the year to stock up and maybe even put some on your family and friends' stockings for Christmas! Never too early to start Christmas shopping #HousewifeTip
• Hot chocolate from my Keurig! Yum! And if you're a working wife, you can always stop by starbucks for their seasonal flavors! You bet I get my very own red cup every time I go shopping. Irresistible 

 
Well I hope yall enjoyed this new part of my blog, I will continue to post It Lists as the year progresses. Yall know where to reach me, comment below, email me at wife.nextdoor@yahoo.com or tweet me!

xoxo,

                           wife-nextdoor <3

Saving vs Splurging - Baby Edition

Hello everyone! The past two days have NOT been easy to deal with...specially yesterday. I threw up 3 times and ended up going to bed with nothing but crackers in my stomach. Poor baby, I hope my prenatals didn't come out too. Today I've felt nauseous too but I've immediately tried to think about other stuff and take deep breaths. Hopefully it'll all get better.

Now on to the point of this post! Shopping for baby!!!! Monday we had an ultrasound but apparently the person who did it couldn't tell the gender...oh and what's worst? I won't even find out til early Dec. BUMMER. 5 more weeks, 5 more weeks!!!!! Below is a pic of U/S, anyone have the slightest idea of what gender it may be? Lol

But in all seriousness, so far I've come to terms with the reality that the gender of the baby is not up to us to decide or obsess over, but that either way we will love our baby because it's a part of our love and a piece of each of us! Our legacy in the world and we couldn't be more excited!

About 2 weeks ago I found a used wooden high chair in very good condition for only $35 when they are typically over $140 new! It's also Carter's brand! SCORE! I couldn't pass the offer knowing it really won't matter if it's boy or girl, I can always add a pink/blue seat cover. Picture shown below. Great deal huh?

Now there are some things I heard you should never buy used or you may not want to, like specially car seats and safety equipment because you really don't know if the item has been in an accident so you have to trust the seller.

If we have a boy we are getting a brown crib that eventually converts into a full size bed for a very reasonable price everywhere. If it's a girl though...there is nooo way we won't spoil her rotten considering there hasn't been a girl in J's family for decades! Well I came across this royal looking crib at Toys R Us which would definitely be a splurge since It's pretty pricey compared to other cribs but there's just no way I'll resist! Picture below. What do yall think? Made for a princess huh?

 

Well there you go. Saving vs Splurging. What did you save on and what did you splurge on? Well you all know where to reach me, comment below, email me at wife.nextdoor@yahoo.com or tweet me!

xoxo,

                           wife-nextdoor <3

14 Weeks

Pregnancy Q's

How far along? 14Weeks 1Days
Total weight gain/loss: tbh, I don't have a scale lol
Maternity clothes? I'm starting to realize that leggings are my bffs right now
Sleep: Sleeping great
Best moment of the week: No more morning sickness...hopefully
Miss Anything? Being more social
Movement: None
Food cravings: None
Anything making you queasy or sick: Not anymore but I had a cold
Have you started to show yet: If I stick out my tummy
Gender prediction: Girl
Labor Signs: None
Belly Button in or out? In
Wedding rings on or off? On
Happy or Moody most of the time: Ecstatic!!!
Looking forward to: Monday's ultrasound hopefully we can tell the gender!!!

It's all part of the plan

Pregnancy Q's

How far along? 13Weeks 5Days
Total weight gain/loss: Same
Maternity clothes? Jeans are tight or don't button so I need to get on it
Sleep: Sleeping like a baby
Best moment of the week: Moving on to 2nd trimester
Miss Anything? Wanted that margarita at Chilli's the other day...and I miss really enjoying my favorite foods
Movement: None
Food cravings: None
Anything making you queasy or sick: The past month I had started having a lot of nausea and even morning sickness...this week has been better...so far (knock on wood)
Have you started to show yet: If I stick out my tummy lol
Gender prediction: Girl
Labor Signs: None hopefully til end of 8months lol
Belly Button in or out? In
Wedding rings on or off? On
Happy or Moody most of the time: Now that MS has diminished I feel great!
Looking forward to: Monday's ultrasound
Speaking of our ultrasound, we cannot wait! We haven't seen our baby since it was 9 weeks and now its fully developed and bigger so it's even more exciting! Only one person can come w.me (so much for bringing my mom) so J will be recording the US so we can show our family!

Moving up

J and I aren't just lucky, we are blessed! We are very much in love with a baby on the way and are getting an amazing house to start our family in. Next Wednesday we are closing our house and the movers come on Thursday! (Halloween) It's a 4bedroom, 2 1/2bath house...I can't wait to start decorating for thholidays; I love holidays!
Well that's all for now, on Thursday I'll post our 14weeks chalkboard progress! Yall know where to reach me, comment below, email me at wife.nextdoor@yahoo.com or tweet me!
xoxo,
     wife-nextdoor <3

12 Weeks/Second Trimester

It's been a while since I've blogged and it's mainly because so many things have been happening. We had an amazing honeymoon on a cruise to Jamaica, Cayman Islands, and Cozumel Mexico. After that we got a sonogram at 9 weeks and we heard our baby's heartbeat which was just a wonderful experience! We also saw the baby moving its little arms. Sooo cute! We also moved back to Texas at the end of Sep to our first official Air Force base. I was sooo happy; I love this city! We are currently at my mom's and found a house already, but we aren't moving til Halloween! Sooner than expected so we are beyond excited!

Pregnancy Update

So on my last post I was bragging about how easy my pregnancy was going...well I was right, now I'm eating my words...and throwing them up too lol. On our honeymoon, week 6/7 I felt some nausea but I blamed the cruise and it stopped shortly. After that I'd feel nauseous in the car but that's about it...until 3 weeks ago! I threw up in the car on the way to look at possible houses! (Luckily there was a bag in the car lol) While it happens it sucks, but after it's all out omg you just feel sooo much relief! I thought it happened cause we were in the car moving but now it's been happening ever since. One time I did at midnight just to do it all over again right after waking up. NOT fun. This baby better love me forever and be a good boy/girl I swear lol. Yesterday I started eating crackers after waking up and neither then or today did I throw up *knock on wood*
Our next appointment is this Monday...I can't wait since it's been more than a month since my last visit. Well that's the update for now in a few days I'll post the questions about pregnancy and talk about my plans for future nursery! Yall know where to reach me, email at wife.nextdoor@yahoo.com or my twitter!
xoxo,
     @wife_nextdoor <3

Easy Peasy

I may end up eating my words but so far this pregnancy has been amazing! All I've felt is the glow triggered by the immense happiness this baby is bringing us. We love this baby already and it's barely the size of an apple seed! Crazy! It's also dumbfounding to notice all the joy it brings family and friends to know our beloved is on the way. This feeling is unexplainable...feeling sooo much love around us!

UPDATE

So Monday was basically a reconfirmation that I am indeed pregnant and we got scheduled for my initial appointment for September 12th (trust me, it was the soonest they'd take me, baby has to be around 8 weeks). I cannot wait to hear it's heartbeat considering it started beating this week. Our baby is due April 28th, 2014. We already have names picked out for either sex. (:

J and I were sooo excited about our baby that we decided we wanted to be the first to buy something for our bundle of joy. We thought it's be easy to find something unisex but we were waaaay off! Pink, pink, pink, purple. Blue, blue, green, red. Oh there's a yellow bodysuit...oh but those duckies make it seem a little too girly. Hmm there's a white and grey one! Oh but it says "daddy's princess". Omg we looked for a while but finally ended up finding the perfect outfit at Target. Seemed like either boy or girl could wear it to me! 

What do yall think? I think I'm still adding a headband to my little girl just to make it clear lol

Sleep: Sleeping a LOT  #housewifeperks
Best moment of the week: Telling my mom and hearing her cry from happiness!
Looking forward to: Honeymoon!

So normally I'd be going nuts thinking about how much time until the appointment but luckily, we had already booked our 7day cruise honeymoon for this following week! Yesss! By the time we come back there will only be 4days left until we learn all about our baby! You bet I'll be sharing honeymoon pics, I already got a cute one-piece ready! Thanks for reading, yall know where to reach me, comment below, email me at wife.nextdoor@yahoo.com or tweet me!

xoxo,

                           wife-nextdoor <3

The greatest gift ever...

Today was my birthday!!! My golden birthday, 23yrs on the 23rd. I've heard your golden birthday is also your "lucky birthday" and I am going to have to agree!

Before I get started on the story I am going to just come out and say what the title to this post is all about. I'm pregnant!!!! J and I had been actively TTC since our big wedding at the end of May. We are sooo blessed to say it only took us two months! Well now on to story time ;)

With June gone and no luck, I decided to research and actually used WebMD's Ovulation Calculator to find out when I'd actually be ovulating. So I kept anticipating the week lol I was aiming at every other day but we did on occasion on adjacent days. After the time period passed I decided to stop drinking (which sucks cause I love margaritas) just in case since we had actually done things right. Luckily the following weekend my parents visited and I was distracted.

After my parents left I was back to my typical life and so as each day got closer to my expected period day, I kept anticipating and looking forward to a possible pregnancy. Pinterest didn't help either lol. The days of my menstrual week I had slight cramping which made me get more ready for a period and also tender breasts which made me wonder. Finally on  WebMD OC it had told me to take a pregnancy test on Aug 21st if I hadn't gotten my period yet but I decided to hold off til my birthday in case my period was later and if not, I wanted it to be the best birthday present ever! Corny. Lol

My birthday present!

I'm going to admit it was hard not to test right after the 21st but it was well worth it! Soon after midnight, following a cute cupcake w.a candle from J, (which I blew and wished for a baby), I went to take the pregnancy test! J and I had agreed that I would follow the directions, then leave the stick on the sink for us to go look at the result together! I was sooo nervous, even shaking!!! After the 2 min (we waited 3min lol) we walked to the bathroom together and then it was unexplainable. I can't even begin to describe the moment. We were both very happy! I teared up and cried, I was beyond happy! J too of course but we both agreed that it seemed surreal to think that in just about 8 months we will be parents to another human being!

Then the overdone picture galore with the pregnancy test stick began! Ahahah I couldn't resist, especially considering I knew I was going to be sharing my pregnancy on my blog (:

All my birthday Pandora charms w.the later addition of the baby carriage. I love it! <3

So I really honestly believe our little bundle of joy was conceived due to great timing and of course, thanks to God. I threw that last part in there because here is an important side story of my pregnancy. When my parents informed me they were visiting, I asked my aunt if my 12yr old cousin could come visit me too. This cousin of mine and I have had this unexplainable bond since the first time I held her as a baby and I love her soul and feel like I would have loved for her to be my daughter. Anyway I don't say that to anyone cause I don't want my aunt getting angry but my aunt didn't let her come. That night after she said no I was really sad; my mom told me to remember that it's her daughter and blah blah. I bawled my eyes out that night (J was out) and I was literally on the floor crying and I had one of those rare moments talking to God. From deep within my soul I asked for a baby of my own to have that connection with and it was genuine prayer. I really feel that that night, He listened to me and so this baby...it really is Godsend!

We already told our family and everyone is ecstatic! It's great to see/feel sooo much love around us! Well sorry for the long post, it's just life changing! Starting now I am going to start updating on my pregnancy with the questions below and pictures (: 
 

J made me blur the whole last name since we are anonymous you know lol

How far along? 5 Weeks
Total weight gain/loss: Same
Maternity clothes? No need yet lol
Sleep: I always sleep a lot but lately I've felt beter with less sleep surprisingly!
Best moment of the week: Finding out I was pregnant!
Miss Anything? You bet I missed those margaritas on my birthday! )':
Movement: If cramps count ahahah JK
Food cravings: None that I noticed really
Anything making you queasy or sick: Nada
Have you started to show yet: Nope, I look the same
Gender prediction: I don't even want to go there. I kind of feel a girl just because it's what I deep down in my heart want and kind of what I subconsciously asked God for, but J's family is known for boys. (Last girl in family is his great aunt)
Labor Signs: No (And I will go crazy when I finally say yes to this question lol)
Belly Button in or out? In
Wedding rings on or off? On
Happy or Moody most of the time: Overjoyed!
Looking forward to: Monday's doctor visit to get a real due date

Me when I found out. I am sharing since I will add baby bump pics once I get one...yay!

Well thank you for sharing this moment with me...we are beyond blessed and excited and happy and cannot wait to have the baby with us...but in the meantime...we shall enjoy every minute, every moment of this experience together! Well you all know where to reach me, comment below, email me at wife.nextdoor@yahoo.com or tweet me!

xoxo,

                           wife-nextdoor <3

The future

31 Days of Love Challenge

 

As you may have noticed I did not blog yesterday due to the lack of content I would be providing...so today we are doing both days challenges! I can't believe this month is over...it just flew away! I want to thank all of you ladies for doing this with me and for the positive feedback I have gotten thus far. From now on I will be probably blogging every other day or so about different things pertaining to us women so be on the lookout for that (:

Day Thirty/Thirty One

 

30. Reread wedding vows/Make promise. Maybe before bed? Or during an argument you want to end...or some other down time, read your vows to your man and NEVER forget the things that brought you together. If you want to use this during an argument, just use the most significant line from it and remind your love why you two are together...now forever (:   If you are not married yet, sit down and make a promise to your man. A promise about your relationship to demonstrate how serious it is. There is nothing sweeter than meant words.

 

 

31. Plan a future trip together...just imagining it will relax you. To end this interesting month, take time to ask your man where he would like to go with you in the future. Think together of a place and plan a trip! It doesn't have to be next month...or even this year...you can start planning it by figuring out where, how much it'd be, and saving up for it. Working together on a rewarding goal will bring you two closer...especially after you complete it and are sipping on drinks on the beach. Or maybe backpacking across Europe...or exploring unknown cities to you in Asia. Whatever you guys are into do it now because time is precious and we are young now! 

This does not have to be anything extravagant, you can just go on a weekend trip to the beach or a mini vacation at a bed and breakfast at a random town in your state that you haven't been to! I plan on doing that last one once we get back to Texas! These small trips are perfect for couple's with kids (or dogs lol) so to quote Nike, just do it! The purpose of this is to unwind a little from everyday stress and strengthen your bond by creating new memories together (:

 

Once again, thank you to my lovely ladies for taking on this challenge with me! I love you all and hope I helped your relationship even just a little bit, even just ONE day! Yall know where to reach me, comment below, email me at wife.nextdoor@yahoo.com or tweet me!

xoxo,

                           wife-nextdoor <3

Our first time...

31 Days of Love Challenge

 

How was everyone's weekend? Mine was great especially since I spent it with  my husband...I love that he has weekends off (:    So did you end up going out yesterday? What did your man think?! Was he surprised? lol J doesn't get that surprised cause I occasionally offer but he always asks me if I have enough in my account lol duh, if I didn't would I offer to treat? ;) ahahahha. Today's challenge seems like it'll be fun to me...and bonding which is a plus!

Day Twenty Nine

 

Reminisce on your firsts together. Your first date, first kiss, first night together, first pet, first apt, first vacation. Your proposal, your wedding...your marriage/relationship so far...etc. 

 

 

 Taking time to remember important parts of your relationship is a great way to recall why you fell in love with each other. It's also great because in a way, you relive those moments. You can tell each other what you first thought about each other when you met...talk about when you just knew you couldn't live without him...make it fun by maybe writing about it or just sitting and snacking while reviving those early days of your relationship...or even cute like this picture while looking at the stars <3 

 

 

 Well this should be a fairly simple challenge. As we are coming to a close in this monthly challenge we will take quite some time to reminisce (: Yall know where to reach me, comment below, email me at wife.nextdoor@yahoo.com or tweet me!

xoxo,

                           wife-nextdoor <3

My treat

31 Days of Love Challenge

 

So yesterday when I posted the blog I felt like something wasn't right but I didn't check since I was in a rush...and guess what? There was something wrong! So yesterday's post was supposed to have been for today and I skipped yesterdays! I have the 31 days on a document I made before the month started and tried to do them according to day of the week and such. Anyway it's no big deal though...on to today...

Day Twenty Eight

 

Go out for dinner but you pay for the meal. What better way to convince your beau to take you out on the town than you offering free dinner for him? ;) 

 

 

Oh and it doesn't have to be an expensive place either...it can be a dessert/coffee date...or an ice cream date! Talk about adorable! Anyway,  I suppose your man pays for dinner when you both go out but sometimes a girl doesn't feel like cooking or you just want to go out before the dreaded week starts again and so this is a great way to convince your guy...especially if he loves his "lazy Sunday" like my husband does lol. Another reason to recommend this challenge is simply because your partner will feel appreciated and will be impressed that you offer to treat once in a while! Yes gentlemen "should" always pay on dates, but nice considerate women don't mind paying once in a blue moon. I swear to you, he will love that you thought about how he always pays and he will love even more the fact that you decided to do this...at least he should ahahaha...

 Well I hope my lovely ladies had a great weekend and make it a Sunday funday! Yall know where to reach me, comment below, email me at wife.nextdoor@yahoo.com or tweet me!

xoxo,

                           wife-nextdoor <3