Missing in action...

I suppose that best describes the last couple of weeks! I didn't realize I haven't been here in that long...I miss my bog! I'm finally finding a little energy to write a quick post and share a bit from the last couple weeks, then again it could be from the 48oz of fresh squeezed orange juice I have consumed today!! That would be today's popular pregnancy craving...ice cold yummy OJ!

So I suppose I can begin with my 8 week belly pic since we missed out on that one due to my lovely morning sickness...I must say between 7-9 weeks has been the WORST but thankfully I have a wonderful dr who became my advocate and spoke to my insurance to get the proper medication I need to get through this yuckiness and I am not suffering so much any more! I wish I was sleeping better but I'll take insomnia over morning sickness any day.

8 Weeks

4-8 Weeks

Today I am at 9 weeks 2 days but here is my 9 Week belly from Monday...I have definitely popped a bit!!

9 Weeks

4-9 Weeks

This past weekend we started Saturday off with a community Easter egg hunt , tons of kiddos family and friends, it was a blast!!

Then we shared a wonderful 3rd birthday with our niece Paige and all of our Hinch family. We had such a fun time at the bounce house and at Mom and Dads bbq'ing on a sunny Saturday afternoon! I was completely exhausted after lunch that I fell asleep on their new couch in their unfinished house and woke up at 7pm!! They let me sleep for hours and boy did I need it! Naps are a necessity these days not a luxury and not an option, I can't believe how tired I have been!!

Daniel learned he still has a bigger belly than his 8 month pregnant sister!!

Sunday we spent the morning at my dads with my brothers and all their boys. They hunted Easter eggs and blew open an Easter piñata for more candy! Mia found the lucky egg with $5 in it, told her I needed it to feed the baby since he wanted a happy meal! She laughed and then said okay anything for my baby brother...so cute! She's such a giving and loving little girl, definitely the first one to give the shirt off her back to someone in need! I love that about her!! After playing with her cousins we headed out to my moms for Easter dinner before daddy had to go to work. I love my moms cooking, almost as much as my grandma and grandpas, I wish he lived closer and I had gotten more of grandmas recipes before she passed...man us Mexicans can make some yummy food!! I would definitely be a hefalump is I was around them when pregnant, grandpa cooks 24/7 and constantly has food coming out of the kitchen!! Yummm I'm almost drooling thinking about it...

Mothers day is coming up soon...it's always a bittersweet time of year for me as my grandma passed away right before mothers day a few years ago. Mia and I miss her so much and we have weekly talks about her and Mia sees her often in her dreams. I know she is watching over us I just wish she was still here with us, we miss her very much. She and I and she and Mia were very close and we are thankful we got to spend her last few days and even hours and minutes and breaths with her but not a day goes by that we do not think of her and miss her so much. Love you grandma!!

Well next Monday marks TEN WEEKS pregnant!! I can't hardly believe it. I'm so excited to get out of this first trimester and start feeling our little love bug move and wiggle around! That was always one of my favorite parts being pregnant with Mia and experiencing this all with Mia and Daniel this time is so very special!! I can't wait to see both of their eyes when they realize IT REALLY MOVES IN THERE! Right now I think they just think I'm crazy most of the time with all of my hormones and cravings and pregnant forgetfulness!! Next week we also have our next baby appointment!! I'm so excited, dr C said she will try to hear the heartbeat with the doppler but if she can't then they will do another ultrasound! I hope we get an ultrasound and get to see love bug again and see his or her little heart fluttering away and hear it...I think she said its easier to hear on ultrasound than doppler at this stage...guess we'll see!!!

1 Samuel 1:27-28

1 Samuel 1:27-28
I prayed for this child, and the LORD has granted me what I asked of him. So now I give him to the LORD. For his whole life he will be given over to the LORD.” And he worshiped the LORD there.

This post is partially inspired by one of my bestest friends. She recently wrote on her blog about her prayers being answered and included a small list of answered prayers one being me and this little one I have growing inside me. It truly brought tears to my eyes. I knew she was praying for me as much as my husband and I were praying for eachother and for the child we knew He had planned for us but it truly touched my heart that not only was this baby an answered prayer for us, it was for her as well.

When I was pregnant with Mia I found this verse and I remember repeating it many times throughout my pregnancy. The first meaning of Mia's name that I came across was 'prayed/wished for child'. Every time I wondered why or questioned the tough moments in my pregnancy with her I reminded myself of this verse. Mia was prayed for and the Lord granted me what I asked of Him. Just as this little one growing inside of me.

I definitely have not gone through or done many of the things I did in Mia's pregnancy this time around. I have had the same feelings and emotions but I think I just better know how to handle them this time and realize they are crazy pregnancy hormones not what I literally think or feel. It's amazing how something so small growing inside can bring up so many crazy thoughts and actions! It somewhat saddens me for not knowing that this was a part of being pregnant the first time around and that I hurt some very special people because my hormones were simply out of control. Luckily I have had the chance to appologize and rebuild some of those relationships and I am truly thankful for that. I am thankful this pregnancy has made me remember what happened in my last and let me be better prepared for how to handle things and to realize this is just a part of pregnancy for me for some reason.

This week I found myself remembering and repeating this verse over and over again as I battled with awful morning sickness and poor Mia feeling like a 'frog with the chicken pox' as she put it. I struggled with the feeling of being so sick and doubling it up having my baby girl sick and nothing I could do about either. It brings on this feeling of loneliness I cannot describe and have only felt when pregnant. As much as my husband is there for me he is not going through the horrible feeling of sickness and it really brought this sadness of feeling alone inside of me. He recognized it before I did and without me even saying I felt alone he told me I was not alone and that he was always right there by my side. It was exactly what I needed to hear even though I didnt know I needed to hear it.

Mia asked tonight if I wished I only had one baby to worry about and take care of right now and tears filling my eyes I told her that I love both of my babies and I prayed for both of them and that God granted my prayers and trusted me to take care of both of them always and I would never let Him down. I am so thankful for my answered prayers, all of them, big and small. My children are the best blessings I have ever been given and I believe my prayers were answered the day He brought them into my life.

With that written I am choosing to accept the morning sickness and hard times through this pregnancy. I prayed for it and it was given to me. I want to cherish it and be thankful for the Lord granting my (and many others) prayers even on the tough days I need to remember I am truly blessed. I am looking forward to embracing this jouney with my husband and daughter and enjoying the good along with the rough!

Thank you Lord for all of my granted prayers.

Here is my 7 week belly picture, enjoy!

Houston...We have a heartbeat!

Today we woke up to a beautiful Winter Wonderland...on the second day of Spring! Although unexpected it was beautiful and I was excited for Mia to have another 2 hour delay from school and a little family time in bed...it suited perfect to have snow and the delay today for our first baby appt just like the day we found out we were pregnant!! I think its baby saying he will be coming when it snows in November haha.

We got up and headed to town for our first prenatal appt with Dr. C! We all love her, have I mentioned that?! They do the normal paperwork and then comes the dreaded scale...I mean SERIOUSLY?! #1 don't put the damn number right up in a pregnant girls face #2 why even weigh us you know we are gaining weight WE ARE PREGNANT geeze! Just rude I tell ya (totally being sarcastic here)!! Of course I have my nosey husband trying to peak around my shoulder like I'm intentionally hiding it...men! I'm fat so what, I love me and my fat thank you very much! We head back to the room and spend 20 minutes with the nurse going over our family health history, Mia's birth, and our personal health history, blood pressure check, normal nurse stuff.

After that Dr. C came in and did an exam and answered all of our questions...Mia was so intrigued by the whole process she sat quietly listening to every word we were all saying. Finally after pushing and poking here and there all over my body and listening to lungs, heart, and all she rolled in the ultrasound machine! We were all so excited, hoping and praying baby looked good and we could see his little heartbeat. As soon as she started the scan we immediately saw our little love bugs heart fluttering away!!! I immediately got goose bumps and teary eyes, it was that moment it all felt REAL!!! It's hard for any pregnant woman to not think about miscarriage or something being wrong with their baby no matter how educated and prepared you think you are, but once you see that heartbeat those fears subside so much as the risks of miscarriage dramatically drop once baby has a heartbeat. Mia held on to both Daniel and I as we watched our little one on the screen, heart fluttering away, completely on awe. Such a beautiful moment we all got to share together, I wouldn't have had it any other way!

Dr. C made her measurements and said baby is measuring perfectly for his gestational age, 6 weeks 2 days (on the ultrasound pictures you will see 7 weeks at the top, that's based off lmp-last period, and at the bottom you will see one measurement of 5 weeks 6 days-her first measurement was a bit off she said she couldnt exactly measure which part was baby and which was sack, and the second one was 6 weeks 1 day which is normal for baby's age) and she said we will definitely be going off of the date I know I conceived and that my expected due date was just as I knew, baby is 6 weeks 2 days along and due November 12th, 2012!!

After the appointment was over they sent me down for the last part..the most horrible dreaded part for me. Blood work. Ughh. I cannot say enough how much I DESPISE having my blood taken!! It never fails that I get some IDIOT who just graduated and doesnt know what they are doing. I always express my fears in the begining so they know I'm a chicken, I admit it, just be nice damnit! So of course she pulls out 12, yes TWELVE, viles to put blood it...my stomach was in my throat immediately. She goes for the left arm, its always my best arm (and I managed to drink 48oz of water before my appt so I could be sure I wouldnt be dehydrated for bloodwork!!) and pop she blew the vein after digging around for two minutes trying to get blood....holy OUCH!! She calls over some help for my next arm and a sweet guy basically pushed her aside after seeing how white I was in the face from the pain I recieved in my left arm and he got it on the first try no problem at all...Thank you Lord!! Five minutes later they finally were done...I felt a little nauseas after the vampires had their blood so they gave me a candy and had me sit for a few minutes...I walked out...in pain...and Daniel knew right away they screwed up again. So I got a fruit and yogurt parfait and was all better!

Our next appointment is 4 long weeks away when we will be 10 weeks 2 days and we should be getting another ultrasound (if not then, then two weeks from then around 12 weeks) we cannot wait for April 18th to get here!!! This little love bug is already loved by us all so much and I just want to say thank you to everyone sharing in this time in our life we truly appreciate all your love and support!!

 I remember when I gave birth to Mia that I immediately missed being pregnant, I loved being pregnant with her and all these years I have been dreaming of the day I would carry another child. After she was born I realized how much I pushed the pregnancy to be over because I really wanted to meet her, it's hard not to be excited to meet the one growing inside you, but this time I really want to cherish this pregnancy and take every memory I possibly can and I want Daniel and I to include Mia in all of it. I missed out on so much with her, I was away from all of my family and friends and none of them ever got to experience that time of my life with me other than through pictures. This time around I want to do it all, family maternity photo shoot with Daniel and Mia, belly cast, have my mom there with me in labor and delivery...these things mean so much to me!! I was so alone my last pregnancy and I cannot be more excited and blessed to be sharing these moments with my daughter and my husband and my family and friends. I am so thankful for all God has blessed me with <3

6 Weeks Today!!

Yay I'm so excited to see another week gone!! Only 32 more to go *happy dance*! I cannot wait to meet our little love bug!!! This is an exciting week, we have our first prenatal appointment with Dr C whom we love and we get another ultrasound WOOHOO!!! Not looking forward to the exam and blood work but it'll be worth it to see our baby again. This pregnancy still amazes me how much different it is than with Mia, maybe this is partly why I'm convinced it's a little Hinch boy! I still have no morning sickness like I did with Mia and I have occasional cravings for certain foods but other than that all I want is sleep! I do notice my belly popping out a little already, there's still a lot of bloating and pudge but it's getting pretty hard already too down low. I showed pretty early with Mia too and they always say it happens quicker with second + pregnancies. Other than the tiredness I'm feeling great!! Here is my 6 week belly pic and a progression of the last few weeks and a comparrison from Mia's pregnancy...

Mmmm and Zzzz...

Those two words are the extent of my vocabulary these last few days! EAT AND SLEEP!! Isn't that what babies are supposed to do?! Is this in preparation of a newborn?! I am E.X.H.A.U.S.T.E.D. I don't even know how I'm functioning most days, all I can think of is sleep, and when I'm not doing that all I do is eat. This morning after 10 hours of sleep I wanted breakfast. And a lot of it. CD&J's it was, of course since it was 11am they were out of their yummy gravy so I decided on pancakes and oh my gosh they were incredible! I am not normally a pancake person but yum! We ran and picked up some wood cookies from a friend for our next baby nursery project and took them to my dad to be sanded and stained. We came home and I passed out again...woke up when Daniel left for work...AT THREE! Mia came home from Nanas and we worked on some sewing, she learned how to make baby burp cloths all by herself and did an awesome job, it was a great mother daughter evening. We even busted out some for Auntie Amber's baby shower in May! When she went to bed I was craving more sleep but even more so...food! I couldn't decide what to eat, nothing sounded good. Daniel called about that time and suggested a tuna sandwich. I couldn't get off the phone fast enough it was this sudden insane urge to have a tuna sandwich RIGHT AWAY! It was crazy delicious. And so were the tuna and crackers I had with the leftovers! Then I wanted fruit and of course we didn't have any and I about cried over it. Pathetic! Thankfully Daniel brought some home at midnight when he came home from work :) Here is Mia hard at work making beautiful baby burp cloths...

We have been having so much fun working on the nursery lately. Yes I realize it's very early but I'm a huge planner and I enjoy this kind of stuff, we are more than excited about this little love bug!! We plan on finding out the sex but either way I told Daniel he can have full control over the nursery theme...of course he picked camouflage! We were given a beautiful crib and and full camo crib set by some great friends to get us started! We've been researching and finding all kinds of awesome ideas that I cant wait to make and share for our wildlife nursery theme! Here is what we have so far...

Nana bought us the glider rocking chair and I found the super cute hunting dog lamp at Ross and thought it would make a perfect touch on baby's nursery. Yes we plan on leaving the ducks up as well as our antlers on the other walls which I'll show later once we get the dresser/changing table  in the room and all the non nursery stuff out. My sister in law is making us this awesome sign that says 'When I go to sleep, I count antlers not sheep' I'm in LOVE with the sign!! We also have many more cute ideas we are coming up with to decorate for cheap. I cannot wait to get my cougar rug in there on the big wall to top off more of the wildlife theme!!!

First Ultrasound!

So yesterday I started experiencing some painful cramping in my left ovary area. I wasn't too worried as it was coming and going but I quickly realized it was becoming more and more painful throughout the evening. I tried to sleep it off and that didn't work out too well. When I woke up I did a little research, I swear google can be the devil and just TMI for a pregnant woman!! Anyhow the main warning I found for my symptoms and location of pain while pregnant was an ectopic pregnancy. Of course it scared me and e pain was still consistent so I called the on call nurse who spoke with my OBGYN who wanted me in immediately just to make sure there was nothing in my fallopian tubes. An ectopic pregnancy can be life threatening if not caught early enough! Dan and I made it to radiology and had an awesome tech who walked us through everything and shared all his info of what he thought and what he could see. I was so thankful as we were both pretty nervous. Baby looked good, right at its expected 5 week age, saw the gestational sack and yolk sac, no fetal pole yet but that's to be expected at 5 weeks. The pain seems to be coming from my left ovary (where the pain was located) where I have 10-15 small follicles and cysts from my PCOS (poly cystic ovarian syndrome). They are known to rupture or burst and fluid is released from them and this is what causes pain. My right ovary had two larger follicles which he said is semi normal, one is usually used to sustain the pregnancy until the placenta takes over. We headed back up to my OBGYN after we left radiology and the doctor repeated and reinforced everything our ultrasound tech had told us and said everything looked good and like a normal progressing pregnancy so far. We will have our previously scheduled normal first prenatal appointment next Wednesday and they will do another ultrasound to follow up since its part of your first appointment anyways! I can't wait to see our little love bug again!!! They plan on monitoring me a little more than normal because of the PCOS so hopefully well get lots of peeks at our little one. For now here is a 5 week photo at the beginning of our little love bugs life!!!

You can see the black round spot which is the gestational sack and the tiny white blob inside is our little love bug!! He/she should be double this size next Wednesday at our next ultrasound!

What A Weekend!

First off...I'm 5 weeks today YAY!! Got my first OB appointment moved up to March 21st instead of April 9th, that's like TEN days away y'all!!! We are beyond excited to catch a glimps of our lil love bug on ultrasound hopefully and hear its little heartbeat pounding away! No weight gain, actually a little loss but still chuggin along :)

 



So Thursday Daniel had some training at work which meant he had to work day shift instead of swing and when he got off we went on a long 5 mile walk with our doggies. It was a BEAUTIFUL day out and I just had to share a pic we took on our walk. We love walking Bald Hill trails and just getting out in fresh air to talk and reconnect. I love this man so much!

Now our weekend really began on Sunday when we took a night off of reality and headed up to the big city of Portland with my brother Brandon and his wife Brittany for an amazing concert. Daniel and I had bought tickets half a year ago it seems to see Blake Shelton. We have always LOVED his music but fell more in love with him when he picked up the hot sweet Miss Miranda Lambert and they were married the day before us and then he became such an awesome coach on The Voice. When we heard he was coming we jumped on the chance to see him in concert! He had two opening acts, Miss Dia Fampton, his #1 contestant on The Voice (who should have won the show!) and Justin Moore who is also one of my favorite singers. We also got an incredible surprise...Blakes wife Miranda came out and performed during the show and did an insanely great job! All together all of the performers were awesome and we had the best time ever with Brandon & Brittany!! Here are a few photos from the concert...

Daniel & I

Brandon & Brittany

Miss Dia Frampton

Justin Moore

Blake Shelton

Miranda Lambert



Monday morning after waking up from our comfy hotel room bed we headed out in the city in search of an adventure! First up was a tour through Babies R' Us!!

Daniel had never been and I had only been once (8 years ago!) so it was a fun 2 hours looking at all the newest baby gadgets and necessities! I of course had to park in the 'For Expectant Moms Only' spot and pose for a photo :) This pic makes me laugh, it's a lot of chub a little baby and a butt load of bloating haha, I am showing a bit and my stomach is getting pretty hard down low but I dont have what I would call a baby bump...yet! Daniel and I decided when we found out we were pregnant that we would start saving for our time off with the baby. I am planning on taking about 6 weeks off from the salon (depending on when our little one decides to arrive) and going back to work a few days a week around the first of the year. Yea I say that now but I still cant imagine leaving my little one, I didnt work anything more than a few days a week till Mia was 2! I feel very blessed that we work different shifts and our baby love bug will always have either Mommy or Daddy around!! In our attempts to prepare and save we decided to purchase a pack of diapers and a pack of wipes each pay check so that it was the last thing we would ever have to run out to the store and buy once our lil love bug comes! So we purchased our first pack of each!! I think if we can at least stock up on enough meds and diapers and wipes and laundry soap for the first year we should be set since I exclusively breast feed! Baby food we'll get once that time comes around at 6 months or so as I dont want it to expire. I'm SO excited to have a baby shower for this baby, I never had one with Miss Mia and my best friend has already declared that she will be throwing one for me, I cannot wait, I love sharing in this beautiful time in our lives with others!!

After Babies R' Us we headed to Ikea. Daniel had never been there either...we dont get into the city much lol...and my mom asked us to grab something for her. Daniel was in awe of how neat of a store it is so we shopped around and bought a few odds and ends and picked up my moms item and headed back home to make it in time for Mias swimming lesson.

On our way home we got hungry and stopped at one of our favorite spots. Its an ongoing joke with Daniel and his family about Sonic...we all LOVE Sonic...but we dont get it often! So we stopped and of course had to send a pic, we usually get texts back about how mean our picture is so this time it went a little something like this...

My popcorn chicken, cherry limeaide, and baby love bug! Daniel text "You cant be jealous when it's for your grandchild!" Hahaha Grandpa Darrell loved it...all in good cause right?! ;)