Life: A Hello Kitty Baby Shower (dessert table)

Baby, Baby shower, Baking, Buttercream, cake, Cake Balls, Cake Pops, Cakes, Dessert Table, DIY, Life, Parties, Pinterest, Sweets

A few months ago my half-sister approached me and asked me to help her with her son and daughter-in-law’s baby shower. If you have been following my blog you know that she had me by the time she announced that it would be a pink Hello Kitty baby shower. I helped her out by doing the dessert table for her.

I began a baking a week before the baby shower because I’ve learned from previous parties that sugar cookies work better with royal icing when they are completely dry. I used Sugarbelle’s recipe for sugar cookies because I’ve always had good results with it.

Once completely dried I placed the cookies in cellophane bags and I added pink ribbon that I already had.

I worked on the Hello Kitty cake the day of the baby shower. I baked a Hershey’s chocolate cake and frosted it with a buttercream frosting. I use the Hello Kitty cake pan mold and I loved how the cake turned out.

My mom loves chocolate covered pretzels so I had to include those in the dessert table. I purchased the pink baskets at the Dollar Tree and the Hello Kitty in front of the baskets are actually stickers placed over cardstock.

Another must have item in any dessert table are chocolate covered Oreos which I love.

I made the same type of sign I did for my daughter’s 1st birthday dessert table.

The sign says:

The dessert table will be open after Dinner!

Please use the tongs, chose what you like!

Leave some for others, Please be polite!

Here’s the final dessert table. I baked brownies, cake pops, cake balls, brownie bites, and cupcakes. I used Billy Vanilla, Vanilla recipe for half of the cupcakes. My niece and sister decorated the background.

I hope you guys enjoyed the dessert table I created for baby Natalie. I’m glad to say that last week my nephew and his wife had a healthy little girl.

Our little Buttercup’s cute owl nursery

Baby, Buttercup, Inspiration, Kids, Life, Uncategorized

When we first were deciding on a theme we wanted to do something gender neutral but at the end we went with a cute girly theme. One day while we where at Babies R Us the Hubby saw the cute owl bedding and fell in love with it. Since I originally wanted to do a Toy Story theme it took a little more convincing for me but after I found out my grandma loved owls I was sold on the idea. The nursery is one of my favorite places to sit and relax. I hope you enjoy our little Buttercup’s room as much as we do.

The details

Chair and foot stool- Ikea Poang

Owl decal – Amazon

Owl lamp – Amazon (baby shower gift)

Owl Crib Bedding – Amazon (we got ours from Babies R Us but they don’t sell it anymore)

Giraffe – Disney Store (Lion King Collection)

Books – Yard sales, gifts, Burlington Coat Factory, and Target

Crib – Graco Charleston

Mattress – Target

Dresser – Ikea Hemnes

Hampers – Ikea Filur Bin

Blackout Curtains – Target (At first we had white ones but the green ones made the room darker for nap time.)

I’m so happy to finally be able to share my little Buttercup’s nursery with you. I hope you all like it as much as I do. If you have any questions please don’t hesitate to ask.

Life: My little Buttercup’s birth story (Part 2)

Baby, Birth Story, Buttercup, Labor, Life, Pregnancy

The Wednesday my little Buttercup was born…

Midnight: Since I had insomnia I began timing my contractions with an app I downloaded the previous day.

2:00 am: My contractions began to get more frequent but nothing that I couldn’t handle, besides all the classes I had taken had prepared me for this moment. I was following the 4-1-1 method in which you don’t go to the hospital until your contractions are 4 minutes apart, with 1 minute duration, and you have been having them for an hour. Long before I started feeling the contractions I decided that I was going to stay home as long as possible because I didn’t want to be one of those women that went into the hospital with false labor. The Hubby and my mom were fast asleep and had no idea I was timing my contractions.

4:30 am: Although I wanted to let the hubby sleep as much as possible I asked him to call the hospital and ask if I could go in. I was having contractions about 5 minutes apart and I wanted to make sure the hospital knew that I would probably be coming in later that day. The hospital told me to wait it out another couple of hours.

6:30 am: I asked the Hubby to call the hospital again. This time they told me to wait another hour. I began to feel some pressure but nothing I couldn’t handle with a nice hot shower. I have to give credit to the countless classes we took beforehand because they really prepared me for all the contractions. I knew exactly what I needed to do to relax and to tell you the truth the contractions weren’t too crazy. At this point my contractions were averaging 4 minutes apart.

8:30 am: I told the Hubby to call the hospital and tell them I was on my way. They asked me to wait it out longer but I got on the phone and explained to the lady that I was feeling a lot of pressure not pain. I knew it was time to go when the Hubby handed me a bowl of oatmeal and my hands began shaking. Off to the hospital we went! I always thought going into labor was going to be this grandiose production but it wasn’t. We already had everything packed in the car and I just simply walked down stair. The Hubby did not speed like they do in the movies but instead he drove the speed-limit and attempted to tell me some lame jokes. I’m not a mean wife but at this point in time I thought everything coming out of both him and my mom was lame. All I really wanted was some quiet time in the car before my grand performance. Contractions were about 3 minutes apart at this point.

9:30 am: We got to the hospital about an hour later. No we don’t live an hour away but it took me a while to walk to the hospital triage. I refused a wheelchair because I was feeling too much pressure. My mom stayed in the waiting room while we finished checking in. I remember very vividly answering the receptionist questions and signing my life away before they would allow me to go back into the triage. I was standing up leaning my head against the wall concentrating on the pain and breathing exercises as the receptionist inputed all my information into the computer. The contractions were tolerable but the pressure I was feeling was becoming unbearable.

10:00 am: Good Lord about half an hour later we finally got a room in the triage. We waited for a few minutes before a nurse walked, asked us some questions, and went on her way. We heard some commotion outside as the Hubby continued to tell me lame jokes. (Honey, next time I’m in labor lay off the jokes!) A few minutes later the Hubby went outside to try to get me a doctor.

10:30 am: We realized that the commotion we heard earlier had to do with a lady that went into labor by herself. Apparently this lady drove her son to school and then drove herself to the hospital while in active labor. This was her fourth pregnancy so maybe she thought she was a professional. When the nurse went in to ask her some questions she was already crowning.

10:45 am: Yay! A doctor finally went in to check up on me and told us I was dilated 3 centimeters. The nurses all kept insisting that I should probably go on pain medication but I refused it all.

11:15 am: A few minutes after finally seeing a doctor I was moved into a birthing room and this time I took the wheelchair. We were told that in that room we could use our birthing ball, our meditation Cd’s, and the countless other things we could think of to relax and prepare for labor. A nurse walked in the room only to tell me that she would be back in an hour to check me. Before she left the room I insisted she needed to check me because I felt I was ready to have my little Buttercup. Since she couldn’t get an accurate blood pressure reading she finally agreed to check me and when she did she discovered that I was dilated 9 centimeters. Yes, folks you read that right within half an hour I had gone from 3 to 9 centimeters.

Holly smokes Batman this baby is coming. Believe it or not they still didn’t believe me when I kept telling them this baby is coming now. I began to feel so much pressure that I was encouraged to push when they were all setting up for my little Buttercup’s arrival. The nurses were washing their hands, the Hubby ran to get my mom, and I lay there pushing without having anyone below to catch her if she came. The doctor got there right before I gave my last push. She came so fast and yet time slowed down completely for me. I remember so vividly the wonderful words of encouragement that the Hubby yelled in the air. I remember looking up and seeing the cheesy smile the Hubby had on his face as he cut the umbilical cord. I remember seeing my mom praying in corner as I gave my last push and my little Buttercup cried out. I remember seeing this little being come out of me and realizing that things would never be the same again. I always thought I would be yelling or cursing like in the movies but none of that happened. Everything was perfect! I pushed, she came like a bullet, she cried out, and we were instantly in love with her. Sometimes I catch myself staring at her and can’t fantom how this little being was once inside me.

Without further ado I present to you my little Buttercup! (Unless you follow me on Instagram and have already seen her.)

{Read Part 1 here}

Life: My little Buttercup’s birth story (Part 1)

Baby, Birth Story, Buttercup, Labor, Life, Pregnancy

Now that I think about it I can’t wrap my brain around the idea that I had a baby. I look at how fast she’s growing and yet I still can’t believe it. The things that she does nowadays amaze me but before I get too sentimental let me tell you about her birth story.

The Saturday before my little Buttercup was born the Hubby and I decided to go pick up my mom from the San Joaquin Valley. My relative thought that I was a tad silly going to pick up my mom a couple of weeks before I was actually do but nonetheless I wanted her nearby.

The Monday before my little Buttercup was born I had a scheduled appointment with my OBGYN. My mom went to the appointment with me and we were both able to hear my little Buttercup’s heart beat. I was so excited to hear the little washing machine noise coming from inside me one last time before her actual birth. At that appointment the doctor informed me that I was dilated one centimeter and that the baby might come sooner than we anticipated. That day the Hubby came home early from work because he had a cold and was going to be telecommuting the rest of the day. When the Hubby finally took a break from working I told him that the doctor said my little Buttercup could be born at any minute. The three of us were excited about the possibility of having the baby that night.

The Tuesday before my little Buttercup was born I began to get mild contractions. (I actually thought they were Braxton Hicks contractions.) I didn’t think they were that bad and I continued going through my normal daily routine. The Hubby was still under the weather so he continued telecommuting and after he was finished working we decided that it would be a good idea to have our car seat looked at by a professional. We took our car seat to the local police department and we were impressed with the knowledge they equipped us with. Not only did they tell us all about the safety requirements of our specific model but they showed us different methods of installing it in both of our cars. When the Hubby was practicing installing the car seat I kept getting contractions and I thought to myself what a better place to go into labor, police escort anyone? The officer joked and asked me politely not to go into labor.

…to be continued…
{read part 2 here}

Life: How I dealt with nausea during pregnancy

Baby, Life, Pregnancy

When people ask me if I’m ready to have another baby I remind them how hard my pregnancy was. I had hyperemesis gravidarum also known as extreme morning sickness throughout my pregnancy. My friends and family didn’t understand what it was until they kept hearing on the news that Princess Kate Middleton had it.

Here are the things I did to control my “morning sickness”:

Crackers in the morning (and pretty much all day long) when I got tired of crackers I switched to pretzels.
Ginger everything including gum, fresh, candy, tea, soda, mints, and crystalized ginger.
I wore a Sea-band everyday but I wish I had known about Psi bands.
Preggie pops and other hard candy were always close by.

At around 10 weeks my doctor gave me a prescription for Zofran. I hesitated taking any medication until I couldn’t handle it anymore. Zofran was not a miracle pill for me but it did control most of my vomiting. The only way to describe to people what I was going through was by telling them that I felt like I was on a moving boat all the time. The only time that I actually got some rest from my nausea was when I went swimming. I also read a lot of articles suggesting things like getting out of bed slowly, eating bland foods, and keeping hydrated. I tried a cocktail of things and I somehow got through it. The nausea never really went away but the vomiting slowed down a few weeks before my little buttercup was born.

I hope everyone out there has a better pregnancy than I did or at least I hope your nausea is not as bad.

Life: 3rd Trimester {Weeks 28 through 40}

Baby, Baby shower, Life, OC Kaiser, Pregnancy, Weeks

Week 28

I’m so glad I finally hit the 3rd trimester because this is when things are supposed to be magical right? I continue to have “morning” sickness and I don’t think it will ever end so I try to make most of the days when I’m feeling better. I had to get my 1st Rhogam shot and I decided to order some nursing bras this week from Motherhood. The hubby was working long hours so he didn’t celebrate Halloween this year. I couldn’t decide what to be for Halloween so I looked up several costumes on Pinterest and I finally settled on being a witch. I didn’t want to spend a lot of money so I DIY’ed most of it. I spent Halloween with my family and I loved that this year everyone dressed up.

Week 29

This week we had a CPR and car seat training class at the hospital where I will be having my little buttercup. The class was very informative but it scared a lot of the parents that were taking it. They basically told us that everything in our house can harm our child. The CPR class was geared towards babies and we didn’t receive a certificate for taking it. I’m really glad we took this class because now the hubby feel more confident being left alone with the baby. This week we received some sad news that our friend’s dad passed away.

Week 30

This week my parents held our 1st baby shower and here is the recap on that. I’m glad I felt well enough to travel because we had an amazing time. I don’t think the hubby realized how many pit stops he was going to have to make because I kept needing to use the restroom. I also attended a wedding with my friend this week and I had so much fun dancing the night away. People couldn’t believe how much dancing I was doing considering that I was wearing heels and I’m 30 weeks pregnant.

Week 31

Like I previously mentioned my friend’s dad passed away a couple of weeks ago and this week we attended his funeral. On Thanksgiving I usually bake a ton of things but this year I haven’t been feeling well so my family had to settle for store bought goodies. We headed over to Costco and stood in a long line to purchase a few pies. On black Friday we headed out to the mall and we bought a few things for the baby. We were also invited to a wedding but it was too far away for me to travel.

Week 32

I had another OBGYN appointment this week and the midwife wasn’t very nice to me. I was hoping she would give me some information on how the baby was doing but all she did was hear the heartbeat. I was a little disappointed about her attitude and I probably should have filled out the survey about her they sent me from the hospital following my visit. Anyways she said something along the lines that there was no way that I was going to tolerate a natural birth and that I should ask for an Epidural right away. This week we had our Baby Care Basics Class and we found it very useful. So far we love all the classes we have taken. I’m really getting bigger now and a lot more tired. Our lovely friends held a 2nd baby shower for us this week. Since I had previously mentioned that our nursery theme was going to be Toy Story they had a western baby shower for us. It was a lovely event and we received a ton of things for the little one. I can’t believe how blessed we have been because my co-workers decided to throw us a 3rd shower this week. They had a potluck for me at work and my little buttercup received some lovely hand made things. I can’t believe this little girl has a bigger wardrobe than me.

Week 33

Speaking of baby showers well guess who got a 4th surprised shower. While I was attending a work holiday party and my in-laws surprised me with yet another shower. I can’t believe how many blessing my little buttercup has received. This week I’ve had a lot more energy so I decided to join my cousin at Disneyland. I pretty much ate my way around Disney’s California Adventure before heading home.

Week 34

There were so many fun things happening in Southern California this week but I couldn’t do any of them. I’m getting more tired nowadays and the nausea hasn’t stopped. One thing we did manage to do was attend a cloth diapering class and we had a ton of fun learning about the different types of diapers.

Week 35

This week I headed over to one of my friend’s house because she wanted to give me clothes that her daughter doesn’t use anymore. You guys know I’m all about free things so I couldn’t pass up the chance to get some more stuff for my little buttercup. My friends have all been real nice about giving us their hand-me-downs and because of that we didn’t have to buy things like playpens, toys, clothes, and highchairs. On days that I’m feeling better I try to squeeze in some friend’s time and this week I got to have lunch with a couple of them. I had an OBGYN appointment again this week and I got to see my regular Dr. so it went much better. My little buttercup has a strong heartbeat and she’s always kicking up a storm in there. The hubby can’t believe how much kicking she does in there. We also had our Breastfeeding with Success class this week and I learned a lot. I’m really glad we took this class because it eases my mind about what I’m about to take on. Christmas is getting closer and we finally purchased our tree. I love Christmas time and the apartment didn’t seem the same without one. This week the hubby surprised me with a date night. He took me to see the Addams Family and for the first time in a long time I didn’t feel sick all night. We had a blast and I couldn’t believe how accommodating people are when you’re standing in a long line for the restroom and your 35 weeks pregnant. My parents came this weekend and they will be staying with us until after Christmas. My cousin and his girlfriend are also having a baby and this weekend we held a baby shower for them. Before the baby shower we spent some time at Disneyland with a few of our friends. I know I probably shouldn’t be doing so many things but I’m seriously having a blast.

Week 36

Merry Christmas to all. I enjoyed spending time with my family this week and I can’t wait for next year to get here already. We celebrated both Christmas and New Years at my aunt’s house. On both days we had a lot of fun spending time with family. We decided to go check out the floats at the Rose Parade and I can’t believe we had never done it before. We walked a lot and hopefully that will be good for my labor.

Week 37

I’m finally “full term” and I can’t believe it. I had another appointment with the midwife this week and she was just as mean as the previous time. She keeps insisting that I should consider taking some sort of pain medication during labor but I shall prove her wrong. She couldn’t check and see if I was dilated or not. We are trying to get in as much fun as possible so we headed out on a date this past weekend. I walked a lot more this week in hopes of my little buttercup arriving soon. I’m feeling better this week but my back is really starting to hurt.

Week 38

I had another appointment with the midwife this week and you all know how much I like her. I’m really glad that next week I’ll be seeing my regular doctor. We decided to finally interview some pediatricians for our little buttercup. As previously stated my little buttercup has had 4 baby showers well this week we had our 5th. The hubby’s co-workers were gracious enough to hold another shower for us during lunch time. They served cake and they gave us presents. I decided that this weekend we are going to go pick up my mom because I’m not sure if I’ll make it another couple of weeks.

Week 39

I’m so glad my mom is here because she has been a lot of help. We are still trying to finish up the nursery because I have gotten so big I can’t do anything anymore. I had another OBGYN appointment this week and the Dr. said I might not make it to the next one. The hubby got sick this week and I really hope I don’t catch what he has. We interviewed another pediatrician and we took a car seat safety class and I’m really glad we did because my little buttercup decided to come this week.

Week 40

My little buttercup is in my arms healthy as can be!

We had a baby shower

Baby, Baby shower, Life, Pizza Hut, Pregnancy

My parent’s threw a baby shower for us this past weekend in my hometown. The party was held at local Pizza Hut because my parent’s house is a tad small and doing it outside was not an option due to the weather. I thought it was going to be awkward to have a baby shower at Pizza Hut but after people started showing up and we started playing games we forgot where we were at.

I made a few sweets to go along with the cake. My mom made jello and my dad bought us a tres leches cake. The manager said we could bring in as many desserts we wanted into the restaurant.

The hubby, my little cousin, and I set up the tables. We put some dishes with Jordan almonds on the tables along with baby bottles with nerds in them. By the way we bought all the decorations at the 99¢ Only Store which goes to show that you can decorate on a budget.

We had a ton of pizza and pasta! Yum! I’ve been on a pizza craze so I loved the menu.

We played several traditional baby shower games including the guessing baby food one. I loved people’s expressions as they were trying to figure out which Gerber we used.

My mom was trying to figure out what kind of food was smeared on the diapers.

My mom’s friend was smelling the diaper to see if she could figure it out. Let’s just say that I made it very difficult for our guests to guess which type of food we used.

We also played another game that involved cotton balls and trying to get them into a dish. I’ve never really quite understood this game but I always have a blast when we play it. Notice me in the back laughing my butt off.

Another classic game we usually play when we have a baby shower and we couldn’t leave out was the clothespins one. The object of this game is to try and see how many clothespins you can fit in your hand before dropping them. FYI… Just because someone might have bigger hands it doesn’t guarantee them to win.

We also played a couple more games that we didn’t take photos of. Everyone who won a game got an awesome gift picked out by yours truly. Once we were done playing games we opened our presents and then we ate cake. Here’s a photo of my cousin’s and I.

Our little buttercup got a ton of things. We are truly blessed for having such amazing people in our lives. We had an amazing time at the party and are truly thankful for those that made it out there. My parents are really excited about becoming grandparents and can’t wait for our little buttercup to get here.

Note: The hubby isn’t in any of the photos because he was kind enough to take them.

Life: We’re having a … {Wordless Wednesdays}

Baby, Life, Pregnancy, Wordless Wednesday

Life: 2nd Trimester {Weeks 13 through 27}

Baby, Life, OC Kaiser, Pregnancy, Target, Weeks

Week 13

I am so glad I finally hit the 2 trimester because I have been very cautious to tell people about the pregnancy until now. I can count in one hand how many people know about it. However, I had to finally say something at work since I keep feeling sick while I’m working. My family is still vacationing in Mexico and my in-laws left this week to a wedding in Atlanta. I was supposed to attend the wedding but due to the crazy all day sickness I’ve been feeling I just couldn’t see myself flying anywhere. The hubby and I went on a date this week to see Smokey Robinson at the Hollywood Bowl. Shortly after seating down I realized I’m still feeling too nauseous to enjoy the concert so we left early. I’m was very excited and surprised this week when I found out that my cousin proposed to his girlfriend. Nothing has really changed about my pregnancy except that people say I’m supposed to start feeling better so hopefully the worst of the nausea is almost over.

Week 14

We finally told my in-laws this week that they are going to be grandparents again. My mother-in-law is extremely excited and she’s hoping the baby is a girl. Since we told my in-laws we decided to announce it to the rest of our friends. I sent out announcement instead of calling up everyone we know. We also told my mom she can tell people in Mexico about the pregnancy and she was thrilled to finally share the news with my family. My belly is getting bigger and my pants don’t quite fit so I decided to do something about it. I first went to Target to see if I could get a band to wear over my pants but they didn’t have my size at the store. Then I decided to go to the actual Bella Band website and I found out they were having a sale and I ordered two bands from them. So far I’m loving the bands because my belly isn’t big enough to start buying maternity clothes but it is getting harder to fasten the buttons on my pants. I’m still feeling nauseous but hopefully soon it will go away.

Week 15

This week has been pretty uneventful I’m still nauseous and I don’t see the end in sight. I’m still nauseous but I haven’t been vomiting like crazy like I was. We went on another date this week to see Pixar in Concert at the Hollywood Bowl and for once I actually enjoyed myself. I’m still hoping there will be a day where I don’t have nausea at all.

Week 16

We had another doctor’s appointment this week and everything went well with our little buttercup. We got to hear the heartbeat and I told the doctor I’m still feeling nauseous but she said that’s its normal for some women. I guess I’m part of the small percentage of woman whose morning sickness doesn’t go away completely but I’m still hoping it will. On another note I found out my cousin’s girlfriend is having a baby too and she’s due about two weeks after me. This week we went to game night at my BFF’s house and his family gave our little buttercup his/her first gift.

Week 17

I’m feeling a tad better this week so the hubby took me on a business trip with him to Orlando, Florida. I get to have a blast in the parks while he has to go to work and in the afternoon he’ll join me or at least that’s what I thought. I was expecting it to be hot but I didn’t realize how bad the weather was really going to be. I seriously had an OMG moment when I realized how hot and humid it was. It didn’t take me long to realize how much more horrible the heat can feel when you’re pregnant. I’ll share more of my trip on an upcoming post. We had the brilliant idea to schedule another date night at the Hollywood Bowl the Friday we got back from our trip. I really regret going to the Hollywood Bowl that night because I was feeling horrible and nauseous. We ended up leaving before the performance was over since we were both pretty tired from the flight.

Week 18

We had an appointment today that was supposed to be the happiest ones but it ended up being quite frustrating. I was told by my doctor to drink a lot of water an hour before the ultrasound appointment and I wasn’t allowed to use the bathroom until afterwards. If you know anything about pregnancy is that when you’re pregnant you always have to go to the bathroom. The problem was that the nurse forgot about me for about an hour and when I reminder her I was there she told me I never signed in. I was so frustrated because I really needed to use the bathroom and when the technician finally took me back to do the ultrasound he was irritated at me. He blamed me for coming in late when I’m always early to my appointments and he rushed through the whole process. He kept making comments like now I’m going to be backed up for the rest of the day. Anyways, when he finally started the ultrasound he didn’t say a word to me and kept making a frumpy faces. Once he was able to see the gender I asked him if my hubby could come in to see too, he agreed but wasn’t happy about it. Once the hubby got in the room I felt a lot better and we couldn’t believe what he told us we’re having. {I’ll share the gender in a later post.} Before we left he printed out a couple of photos for us and we were on our way.

Week 19

We went to 2 different BBQ’s this weekend where we revealed to our friends and family what we are having. For the most part everyone is very excited about it. I’m craving meat so I had a blast at the BBQ’s. I’m still experiencing nausea on and off throughout the week.

Week 20

The hubby and I celebrated our 3 wedding anniversary this week by staying in since I’m not feeling well. We hosted a BBQ at our apartment and we told my in-laws what we are having. Since I’m still craving meat I had a blast eating everything in sight and swimming with our family. We took our first class at Kaiser and we really enjoyed it.

Week 21

This week is my mom’s birthday but I couldn’t go visit her since I’m still experiencing nausea. This week we also took another class that wasn’t that fun but we did learn a lot. I had another OBGY appointment were the doctor discussed with us the results of the ultrasound. According to my doctor our little buttercup is doing great. We had dinner with our friends this week and we even made an impromptu trip to Disneyland afterwards.

Week 22

We took our maternity hospital tour this week and we had another date at the Hollywood Bowl. I was finally able to enjoy a day at the bowl because my nausea has been getting better. I’m not taking the prescription medication anymore and I’m feeling a lot better without it.

Week 23

My cousin graduated this week but I couldn’t go because I’m getting a lot bigger. I’m feeling better each week but I’m still vomiting a couple a times a week. I’m been wearing maternity clothes for a few weeks now.

Week 24

It was my dad’s birthday this week but once again I couldn’t drive to see them because I’m getting bigger. The hubby, my little cousin, and I went to the O.C. Auto Show this week and we had a great time. I am slowly getting better but I still have some off days. The hubby ran his first 5K without me and I’m glad I didn’t do it because I would have been exhausted.

Week 25

I baked a ton for my friend’s daughter’s 1st birthday party this week. I realized this week that I’m running out of steam sooner and I can’t do as much as I have been. My cousin that recently graduated brought his pregnant girlfriend so we could meet her. I grew up with my cousins so I’m glad my little buttercup will have a lot of cousins to play with. I went to celebrate my cousin’s wife’s birthday this week and for the first time I really enjoyed my dinner without feeling nauseous afterwards.

Week 26

We had another class this week, which was really fun. We are really learning a lot about the birthing process and I’m feeling less anxious about it. The hubby and I went on a date to Disneyland where I was able to eat things that I have been craving without feeling sick. I took a lot of pictures with the Halloween Disney characters and I had a ton of fun. I had a doctor’s appointment this week and I found out that I don’t have gestational diabetes but I am anemic. My little buttercup’s heart rate was beating at 145 bpm.

Week 27

We had another class this week and I love how much we are both learning from them. My nieces’ birthday party was this week and baked a lot of sweets for them. I’m sad that I can’t continue to bake at the intensity I have been but I’m looking forward to having a little helper in the kitchen. I took a sewing class this week and made something for my little buttercup.

I’m glad that I’ve been feeling a lot better than last trimester. I’m still feeling nauseous and vomiting twice a week but I’ll take that over doing it every day.

Life: 1st Trimester {Weeks 1 through 12}

Baby, Life, OC Kaiser, Pregnancy, Weeks

Week 1-4

When I found out I was pregnant I was ecstatic and I couldn’t wait for our first prenatal visit. The hubby and I headed out to my first appointment at an Orange County Kaiser Hospital. My first experience with OC Kaiser was not a very positive one especially since I was supposed to see a midwife and instead they sent in a student. The student was very polite but I didn’t feel comfortable having a Transvaginal ultrasound done by her. After 15 minutes without seeing anything in my ultrasound the student finally called in the midwife to assist her. At that point I was a tad irritated and very emotional because they couldn’t find anything. The midwife said I was probably too early in the pregnancy to detect anything so she ordered more blood work to be drawn and sent us on our way. I was an emotional wreck when we left the office but I have an amazing hubby that knew exactly how to cheer me up. The results for my HCG were 2980, which meant that they had more than doubled in a week. This meant that I was definitely pregnant and that the doctor’s estimates were about a week off.

Week 5

I still can’t believe we agreed to go back to that midwife once again for the following appointment. This time the midwife was annoyed with us because we told the receptionist we did not want to see the student again. The midwife rushed our appointment but before she did that she said several things that made me upset. We left that appointment very upset and I decided never to go back to that specific Kaiser.

On the bright side here’s what I look like at 5 weeks:

Week 6:

I had another appointment at a Kaiser closer to our apartment and this time I had a great experience. I saw a new OB/GYN and she was able to see our little cupcake right away unlike the midwife. The greatest thing at this appointment was seeing our little cupcake’s heartbeat. The worst thing that happened this week is the crazy nausea that I started developing.

Week 8:

We had an ultrasound this week to pin point how far along I really was. The hubby got to see our little cupcake’s heartbeat. We got a few printouts and I can’t believe how much I already love this little tiny thing growing inside me. I haven’t been able to keep anything down and I feel horrible. At least we finally know how far along I really am and I finally have a fabulous OB/GYN.

Week 9:

The hubby went on a business trip this week but before he left we went to tell my parents. My mom reacted just the way I had pictured it in my head. They are both extremely excited but they have been sworn to secrecy until we reach the second trimester. We told my parents because my mom was going to spend the week with my while the hubby was away on business. My mom didn’t realize how much I had been suffering until she saw how sick I really get. My cousin graduated this week and I had to hide from everyone every time I felt like vomiting. I spend my birthday being sick and the hubby said he’ll make it up to my next year.

Week 10:

I couldn’t handle the nausea anymore and I finally got a prescription for some medication. Later on I’ll write a separate post on all the things I did before I got to this step.

Week 11:

I had another appointment this week and I got to hear our little cupcake’s heartbeat. The heartbeat sounded like a little washing machine inside me. The doctors said the baby cooperated very nicely and the heartbeat was measuring at 180 bpm. This week was extremely hard because it’s 4th of July week and I can’t leave the apartment without vomiting. Since we haven’t told our family I had to tell them we couldn’t go to celebrate with them because I had a migraine. We ended up celebrating at our apartment by ourselves and walking outside to see the fireworks the neighbors had purchased. I couldn’t spend much time outside because after a few minutes I started feeling queasy. We finally told a few of our friends at a monthly dinner we had and they too have been sworn to secrecy.

Week 12:

My family left on vacation this week to Mexico but before they left I made sure my mom didn’t tell a soul. I’m still feeling sick but it has slowly been getting better thanks to the medication. I finally saw one of my best friends in person and I told her I was pregnant. The hubby and I went on a date this weekend but I had a pretty miserable time because I’m still feeling sick. Pregnancy hasn’t been very kind to me.

I wish I had a picture for every week of my pregnancy but it was the last thing on my mind when I was feeling horrible.