Photo Time - Experimenting with Photoshop Actions

15 Weeks

Hike to Dawn Lake

Cousins swinging with Presley

Grandparents backyard

Presley, being cute

Thanksgiving Dinner 2011 - Photo taken by Trinity

15 Weeks + Thanksgiving Recap

15 weeks today! Time is flying by, I can't believe I didn't post for 3 weeks! It's been pretty busy around the Beebe household though with Thanksgiving and all the usual mayhem. 

RECAP:

Thanksgiving 2011

What a great vacation! Me and the kids headed up to my parents house in Mariposa for Thanksgiving. Chris came along later that day in a different car because he had to leave a day early to go to a Wedding in San Diego. The trip actually went surprisingly well, other than the first hour or so. BOTH the kids got car sick within like 30 minutes and Presley threw-up! Big TIME! After THAT mess and clean-up things went smoothly. We even stopped at my cousin's house in Fresno to spend time with her and her 3 kids. What a household it is when 5 kids are running around all between the ages of 1 and 5! Good times :)

Once we got to my parents house, we had to wait a couple hours before anyone got home, but I used that time to "baby" proof -- or more like "Presley proof" the house, lol. Candle holders and fragile items had to be immediately put in higher places! The kids loved running through that house though! Much more room to roam then what they are used to in our humble abode. 

The next day (Thanksgiving) my sister and her husband Keith , Katy (cousin) and her fiance Bobby, Michael (cousin), Darlene, and two dogs (Bubba and Zoe) arrived! When you add in my family of 4 plus my parents it was quite a bunch of people! Thanksgiving was delicious as usual and we stuffed ourselves, watched a bunch of football and played around outside the rest of the day. It was great to see everyone.

The kids did great - Presley was a handful but what can you expect. Trinity enjoyed the company of everyone and playing on my Dad's iPad most of the time, and Me and Chris, well we just followed the kids around most of the time and made the best of it!

RECAP:

Being pregnant :) 12-15 weeks

I had a Doctor's appointment last week and I got to hear the heartbeat! It's like music to your ears when you hear it the first time. It was about 150bpm, perfect! I missed my first screening appointment because the doctor's office scheduled it too late (you're supposed to go before 14 weeks and they scheduled me at 14 weeks 1 day). Doesn't bother me cause you can get another screening done between 15 and 20 weeks without having an ultrasound - just based on your blood.

My energy still comes and goes but overall I'd say it's getting better. My stomach aches are lessening but if I sit around too much (usually in the evenings) I notice it gets worse so I have to keep moving - which is hard to do if you're tired!

Physical changes - UH my BRA size! lol. My weight gain was good when I was at the doctors - and she said that at 14 weeks with Presley I was 10lbs heavier, so I was happy to hear that! I'm not "showing" yet but my mid section just keeps widening, as usual, with my hips first...gosh darn you hips. Unless you see me in a tight tank you can't notice anything except a few lbs. I know I need to put pictures up! I will! Maybe I can work on that tonight...note to self.

Upcoming

Christmas!

Only a couple weeks away and we're leaving for LAS VEGAS wooohooo. I've done most of my xmas shopping already, thank goodness, I just need to get the kids a couple more little things and I think we're good to go.We bought a tree last weekend and decorated it while drinking hot chocolate. It smells sooooo good! I love all the smells of Christmas!

I'LL TRY TO UPLOAD SOME NEW PICTURES TONIGHT :)

12 weeks + Feeling Better!

I've been feeling SUBSTANTIALLY better. I can now eat a meal and not be bent over in stomach pain minutes later for hours on end.  The nausea has also decreased dramatically. I still get sudden bouts of it, but it only lasts a few minutes and sometimes doesn't even require a salty snack to make it through. This has all taken place over the last 4-5 days, so I hope it stays like this. My energy is coming back, slowly, but I'm still done for the night by 9:30 or 10:00 which is just about normal for me.

I'm refusing to weigh myself until my next doctor's appointment. I know that I was eating constantly to deal with the nausea, so if I wait a couple weeks it probably won't be as bad - since food consumption is back to normal now. I do feel however, the my little belly is starting to pop out. It's like all the "extra skin" aka fat that I hadn't lost yet from Presley has been shifted upwards and now my lower abdomen is more like a firm bulge.

I was inspired by a friend to get some new comfortable yet  fun/young work clothes and got a couple new cardigans, some fun printed leggings, and a winter jacket at Express. Now, I didn't get anything that I wouldn't be able to wear through a few more months of pregnancy (i.e. the cardigans can be worn not buttoned and the jacket is cute whether zipped or not) and I can more than likely wear them again after pregnancy.

We've also been doing lots of car research. We found out recently that my car, a 2002 Ford Escape, can not accommodate 3 car seats in the 2nd row. We have to find something that's either wide enough for 3, or has a 3rd row. The trouble is finding something this large that still gets decent gas mileage. The ones that DO get decent gas mileage (i.e. hybrids) are outrageously expensive, like around $40,000! I have been comtemplating some SUVs that get DECENT gas mileage like the Dodge Journey, Toyota Highlander, GMC Acadia, Ford Taurus X, Honda Pilot, and the Acura MDX. My car should be paid off in about 5 months, if not sooner, and since we have about 6 months until the baby is here...the timing couldn't be more perfect. Plenty of time to do research, and plenty of time to save up for a decent down payment (especially when we get our tax return!) If anyone has any suggestions please let me know! Our price range is up to $25,000, and I need a 3rd row - DVD player would be a nice bonus.

On another note, Chris bought his first Storage locker yesterday! You know the show Storage Wars? Well, we watch it all the time and we started doing some research to find some Auctions in our area. I think he did pretty well considering I wasn't there to be a voice of reason, and it was his first time bidding in a live Auction. He bought a 5x10 for $50 and actually got a decent haul of stuff! He sold a couch right off the bat for $15, plus there is a California King size mattress and a Full size mattress that has some type of pillow top air mechanism. There were also 7 boxes of decent clothes for men, women and children that can easily make us cash. He also put together a Christmas "Budweiser Sleigh" that we could sell for about $35. We're going to have a garage sale on Saturday to get rid of this stuff, so I'll let you know how much we actually make off of this unit. I'm predicting we will make our money back plus $100, at least. Not a huge profit, but a good start for the his first locker. 

Woot woot.

Where would I be without DH

(DH = dear husband ;)

DH made a comment to me over the weekend that I "never" right about him.  Looking back, I do admit that the majority of posts have to do with either my kids or myself.   I, like many mothers, tend to put DH on the back burner when there are kids who need me the majority of the time. By the time DH and I have a few minutes to ourselves, we are usually watching TV and trying not to fall asleep on the couch (not a very exciting blog topic, lol).  But the truth is, I wouldn't be able to do a lot of the things I do if it weren't for him. He's usually the one that motivates the family to get up and get going for the day. He comes up with ideas for our adventures, and pushes us to find new places to go. If it weren't for him, many of the things I write about probably wouldn't have even happened!

Like all couples, we've had ups and downs. It's been a journey for me and DH since we started out as a family at a very young age. I was 19 when I got pregnant with Trinity, and he was 22. We've had to grow up rather quickly and take on a lot of responsibility. The term "adventure" has a whole new meaning to us know. It used to be an "adventure" going to Mexico at 2 a.m. Now, it's an adventure trying to take 2 kids out to dinner. When DH and I do get a rare period of time for more than a couple hours to be by ourselves, we easily can jump into our old ways and head out to Hollywood or go to a Casino for a gambling adrenaline rush. We should have those time more often, but we do what we can.

I admire him for his effort, especially recently, to help out with house chores. Since I haven't been feeling well, he's really stepped up his game on keeping the house in a stable condition. Dishes don't get piled up, he's trying to keep up with the laundry, and he even cleaned the floors! He takes care of all the rough and tumble play with the kids that I just do not have the energy for - he times this well too right before bed so that they go to sleep quickly, lol.

There's a lot we still have to learn about our relationship, and about being parents, but we are doing the best we can with what life has given us. We take it in stride as it always seems to change. 

I will make an effort to include you in with more of my posts, I promise DH!

10 Weeks down, 30 to go

I had my OB appointment this week which went very well. Boy was she surprised to me! Her first question..."Was this planned?" lol. Well...

I'm basically healthy as a horse and just have to get some more routine blood work done.  She tried to find the heartbeat but she couldn't and said there was nothing to worry about cause it's very early, AND I have a tilted uterus, which makes the baby further away than normal (she remembers this from the first two). She had the results from my ultrasound which confirmed the size of the baby, and reported that the baby has a healthy heart rate anyways. I will be seeing her every 4 weeks up until about February, and then I'll start to see her every 2 weeks, and then eventually once a week. We reminisced about my birth with Presley...and she said as SOON as I even THINK I'm in labor this time I need to head to the hospital and call her, lol. In case you haven't read my birth story about Presley, he was born in basically less than 2 hours from the time I walked into the hospital. If we had waited any longer to leave our house we might have had a home birth! She thinks that this baby will be born just as quickly if not even faster.

I also found out recently that one of my friends is expecting her first baby, and her due date is one week after mine! Looks like I've found a walking partner :) Having a prego buddy is a blessing because you can discuss all the symptoms with each other that your husband doesn't necessarily want to hear about...

And, I've been feeling WAY better the last couple of days.  The nausea has decreased and my overall mood seems much more....me. Even one of my co-workers mentioned how "quiet" and "unapproachable" I was last week, lol. Me? Really? Never...You think this is bad, wait till Week 38!

Sometimes He Just Needs a Hug

My little guy is becoming quite the character. He's funny, and I'm pretty sure he knows he's funny, which makes him that more more funny to watch; but in the mornings, he can be a mess. Between 6:15 and 7:45 a.m. I'm getting ready for work, and helping my kids get ready for school/daycare. This morning Presley ate his morning snack as usual and watched Blue's Clues while I straightened my hair - the one thing I can't walk around and do - and as soon as the show was done he proceeded to throw the rest of his snack on the ground. After being released from the confinement of the highchair - it was time to make lunches for me and Trinity. Anytime we are in the Kitchen Presley likes to take everything out of the Tupperware drawer, and I mean EVERYTHING, and then leave it on the ground as booby traps for me and Trinity to slip on (like lids). As soon as he'd accomplished that, he just walked around crying, picking up things and throwing them, and trying to climb on furniture etc. I finished the lunches, and realised that this kid was not a happy camper right now. I picked him up and he immediately just gave me a big, long, hug. He put his head on my shoulder, and said "Mama". He stayed just like that for a good couple of minutes and then he was fine...Off to play and no more tears, except for Mommy's maybe...   

Telling Your Boss that You're Pregnant...Again

The first time I told my boss that I was pregnant, I had only been employed for about 3 months, and coincidentally I was already 3 months along. I was scared to death that I was going to lose my job, and that they would be upset by the whole situation. Much to my surprise, the news was taken with a hug and a congratulations! Followed by the generic, when are you due, how far along are you, yada yada yada...Everything worked out great, I made it to 38 weeks and then I began my maternity leave. I had the baby 3 days after my due date and took 8 weeks off following the birth before returning to work full-time.

It's been about 13 months since I returned to work, and here I am, pregnant yet again. The SAME fear and anxiety consumed me every minute that went by until I finally got the courage to spill the beans. I was a bit more creative with the news this time around. The Friday before Halloween, I decided I'd send her a picture with the subject line "SURPRISE". I tend to send her occasional picture updates of my kids from time to time and figured she'd assume the attached picture was to that effect. The picture I attached, however, was the ultrasound picture of my new critter and I added to the side the due date May 31, 2012.  I stared at the e-mail for several minutes, hovering over the send button, trying to decide if this was really a good idea or not, but finally, one quick click and it was done. I immediately walked into her office and told her that I had e-mailed her a picture. I sat down and waited for her reaction, and tried to read her face as much as possible. As predicted, I definitely gave her a shock. Her jaw dropped open, which ultimately turned into a smile, but then she said, "What are you guys doing?" lol. It was a playful question, but then she congratulated me and continued to say what a surprise this was.  I told her it was not planned and I was in shock myself (which wasn't really true, but thought that would blow over a lot smoother). There was some brief conversation about the due date and how close the kids would be, but that was it, and then I returned to my desk and we continued working the rest of the afternoon.

I suppose I might be on a fortunate side of things whereas the office I work at was initially a family business (Law Office) that has slowly grown with an additional partner and 3 employees. The overall feel is very caring, friendly, and flexible. I've never had any conflicts with my job and they've always adjusted to any situation I get in.

Once my co-workers heard the news, I was congratulated and hugged as usual, and everyone expressed their happiness for me. 

In my situation, I should have known that the news would be taken lightly, especially since I know how loving the people are that I work with, and that they had shown support in this situation before. Even the first time, I knew that there was a slim chance that I would be "reprimanded" in someway by these awesome people.

All in all, if you work for friendly people, there's nothing to be scared of :).  For those of you with less than compassionate employers...good luck!

9W4D A sigh of relief

Last week I had my ultrasound done at San Luis Diagnostic. They confirmed that I was indeed 9 weeks pregnant and that everything is growing in the right place. I was given a due date of May 31, 2012! Perfect. My little Gemini baby :)



9w0d
10/27/2011



Isn't that picture amazing? You can already see the feet and the little arm buds. That circle that's hovering by the head is what she called the "yolk sac". Apparently the yolk sac is the earliest source of nutrients for the developing fetus.

Symptoms:

Still having small cases of nausea, but only if I haven't eaten in awhile. The biggest bummer is the inevitable stomach ache I get after every meal. And I mean EVERY meal. No matter what it is. Most foods do not taste good, at all, and are not appealing especially if there is an abundance of flavors mixed in. For instance Chris tried to serve me a hamburger (yes, this baby has got me eating meat again, sigh) covered in Worcestershire sauce and garlic salt....not gonna happen. I had to make another one lightly season with salt/pepper then added only pickles and ketchup on top to make it appealing enough to eat.

I haven't been keeping track of weight gain, but my regular work pants still fit just fine. My jeans however are a little snug and I prefer not to button them. Instead I've been using my belly band which is MUCH more comfortable then the button penetrating into my belly fat. 

Motherhood Maternity

I'm still incredibly stressed over affording this third little critter. I'm going to have to find some creative money saving methods.  I've found a few I'm trying out, but I need A LOT more, lol.  I'm generally not very high maintenance, in fact I'm quite the opposite, especially when I know money is tight. Things like pedicures, haircuts, new clothes, shoes, accessories, are all things I can cut out quite easily. We buy the kids clothes mostly at yard sales or the swap meet, and we can usually find them shoes, toys, and books there too. I have no problem with hand me downs! Hopefully since we're getting them accustomed to it now, it won't bother them so much when they get old enough to realise where all their stuff comes from :).

On another note, HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!!

Trinity (Masquerade girl) 5yrs, Presley (tin man) 14 months
Homemade costumes by Grandma Georgianne

 

Nausea setting in.

6 weeks 5 days

Let the nausea begin!

I should be thankful because it's actually not that bad (yet?).  It peaks right before lunch time and then is pretty much over with after I eat. But the mornings are like endless snacking binge to keep the nausea from rising. Bread sticks, apples, yogurt, and peanuts all seem to be helping tremendously. And surprisingly I haven't put on a single pound yet, in fact, I was down a pound this morning to 154. A good start I must say. I feel like this time last pregnancy I was devouring food constantly because the nausea was much more intense.

I finally told Trinity last night at bedtime that Mommy was growing another baby in her belly.

Trinity "Why"?
Mommy "Because we love having kids!"
Trinity "Did God put it there?"
Mommy "Yes, and He knows if it's a boy or girl already, but we won't know till Mommy's belly gets bigger"
Trinity "I think it's a girl"
Mommy "We'll see!"
Trinity "You're going to have 3 kids Mommy"
Mommy "I know, crazy huh?"
Trinity "Yeah. Who am I going to stay with when you go to the Hospital?"
Mommy "Who would you like to stay with?"
Trinity "Grandma. Grandma Georgianne."
Mommy "Ok, but that won't be for a long time. I"ll let her know."
Trinity "Ok" (and she silently drifts off to sleep and I lay there with her for a few more minutes)

Presley on the other hand, could care less. But what do you expect of a 14 month old boy? All he's concerned about is hitting everything with sticks and eating other people's food. He's not gonna be happy with the decrease in attention, that's for sure. I think we'll have to start working on that, NOW.

5 Weeks 5 Days

I'm not sure if it's due to the fact a new baby is forming inside of me, or that I've cut down drastically on the amount of caffeine I used to consume, or possibly from a combination of both.....but man, I am soooo sleeeepy. Starting from the time a wake up until the time I go to bed, I could literally take a nap any second for who knows how long. And, I probably would be caught sleeping if it weren't for that small cup of coffee I do let myself have in the mornings!

I was finally able to get a hold of someone at my doctor's office today (they have this absurd schedule where the office is closed from 12-1:30 Mon-Thur. and closed on Fridays, which makes it nearly impossible to get a hold of anyone when I'm on my lunch break). My first appointment will be November 2 at 2:45. They are having me get blood work done before my appointment, and then based on those results which will determine how far along I am, I will probably get an ultrasound too before my doctors appointment. The office told me that the nurse practitioner is going to be gone until February(!) so Dr. Freeman is running solo until then - which makes appointments hard to come by. But, it's worth it. She's awesome.

Nap time.

FROM WED. SEPT. 28

It's confirmed! Pregnant!

So even though this was not really planned, I'm thrilled. I love my kids and hope to have a healthy, happy pregnancy. Chris and I have definitely been through some tough times in our relationship, but we're determined more than ever to make this family work. Ever since he's given up alcohol, things seem to be going a lot smoother. I'm in a great mindset at this point. The thought of becoming a stay-at-home home for the next couple years has been crossing my mind a lot - I just can't see any purpose in paying for full time daycare for 2 kids, plus Trinity's before and after school programs and the hectic schedule that will put us all in. We'll have to work hard up until then to get our monthly payments and expenses down to a minimum, but I think it would incredibly worth it in the end.

The Day I took THE Test - SEPT. 23, 2011

I took a pregnancy test today. I'm still in disbelief, and not 100% convinced, but the result was pregnant - a faint yet noticeable line on the pregnant side. In all honestly, if I really am pregnant, I'm ecstatic! I sorta planned it, but didn't really think it would happen. I have always wanted a Gemini baby, and knew that the month of September was the only month you could conceive and have due date that ended up in the Gemini zodiac.  After TWO days of "trying" - here we are! I've had very mild symptoms - but symptoms that easily could have been from an upcoming period, like mild cramping a week  ago, I've been going pee a little more than usual - but I can probably justify that one because I've been looking for my period to start any day, I have some slight tingling in the tatas, but only if I am really paying attention. The most noticeable symptom has been a dull ache in my lower back. It's hard to say which, if any, of these have been early pregnancy symptoms, but that has been my experience so far.

Had to take 2 just to make sure!

Presley's Room

A work in progress...

Trinity's Last Day at School

Since Georgianne is coming to stay with us next week, yesterday was technically Trinity's last day at school for a very long time. We're hoping that after my maternity leave there will still be openings for BOTH kids, but she can't guarantee anything, which I totally understand. So I asked her to take a few pictures today while the kids were playing so that I can show them to Trinity. I also "friended" the other kids moms on Facebook so that we can keep in touch and set up some park play dates.

Doctor's Appointment

As I waddled up the hill to my doctor's office, and up 3 flights of stairs, all I could hope for was some good news that this baby was getting closer to delivery.

Well, I was in luck! The baby is at ZERO station.  Station is how high the baby's head is in your pelvis. In the third trimester they start measureing this on a scale of -3 (being high up) and +3 (crowning during birth). Anything in the positive numbers means that you are basically in labor...so being at Zero station is a very good sign that once he drops a little bit more, its game ON. She also told me that my cervix is nearly completely thinned out and I'm still at 2cm (which is normal to be right before labor). Here is a nice visual:

She said having the baby SO low is yet another reason for my pelvis being so sore. While she was doing the exam, I believe her exact words were, "Well no wonder your in so much pain!". lol.

38 Weeks and Counting

The last two weeks have been, well, painful. In all honesty! I swear I'm not that big of a complainer, and I can definitely handle the pain, but I wasn't prepared for this. The new "sensations" that I was feeling as of my last entry were only uncomfortable, and very manageable. But now I have pelvic/groin pain that is so shockingly sensitive I have a hard time getting up and down. It started after my 36 week doctors appointment. She did a cervical exam ( I won't go into the details of what THAT felt like) and she told me I was 2 cm dialated and about 60% effaced (baby is ready to come out any day when you cervix thins out to 100%). I forgot go ask what station the baby was at, but I'll ask this week on Friday. After the exam I had what felt like menstral cramps, which is normal, but they never went away! It feels like I've been on my period for the last two weeks and the cramps range from barely there to incredibly painful throughout the day. After the cervical exam, the pelvic pain reeeeally flarred up. My joints all around my "area" feel like muscles that have been over-worked for days on end. Last week at my doctors appointment I asked about it and she said that with subsequent pregnancies, the muscles that hold those bones together losen up a lot fast and a lot more than with the first pregnancy. I look like a penguin when I walk because of this. Going from sitting to standing is torture, lifting my legs in any way (like to put on pants) is basically a circus act, and I probably look crippled when I have to physically lift my legs one by one when getting out of the car. It hurts that bad! But I don't really complain....right Chris? :) He probably has a different perspective, but this is MY blog, haha. 

Here I am about to go layout last weekend:

We took our very first trip to the Nipomo Barn:

We had lots of fun!

Week 36 - The final Stretch....literally!

I made it 9 months! For anyone who didn't know...pregnancy actually lasts up to 10 months. I could go into labor anyday now, but its most likely to happen around my due date.

I've been noticing a few new sensations lately: The baby is crushing my bladder more than ever, and my belly button is becoming increasingly tender/sore. I don't think the baby has "dropped" but he's on his way down, that's for sure. I can feel his head moving around pretty close to my pubic bone! I have a doctor's appointment on Thursday I think (or it's on Friday) and I'll get my Group B Step tested. She'll also evaluate if the baby is decending at all, what station he's in, and what position he's in. I haven't weighed my self in like two weeks...since my last doctor's appointment...for fear of what I might see, lol. I'm now starting to feel really LARGE but I only have four weeks left, so I'm trying to not worry about it. Another symptom that's really showing itself now is water rentention. I can't bend my legs all the way because they are swollen most of the time, and my feet JUST barely fit in my work shoes. By the end of the day, I have to use lotion to get my wedding ring off...But, if I were to go into labor tomorrow, the baby would be completely developed and able to survive just fine. The baby is just putting on weight at this point..approximately a 1/2 lb a week.

On a brighter note...I've officially reached the ICE stage. Any and everything cold and crunchy, especially ice, is the most appealing snack on the face of this Earth.

I've been trying to spend a lot of one on one time with Trinity and we talk about the new baby a lot. Explaining breastfeeding has been a little awkward, lol, but she is most curious about how the baby is going to come out...which is even more awkward trying to explain.

Here I am, just a couple of days ago...my 9 months pregnant shot.