26 WEEKS & OUR BABYMOON

ALOHA from Maui! 

It is our second day in beautiful Hawaii and so far we have been enjoying ourselves doing absolutely nothing! lol

We arrived late Monday night so we couldn't do anything, but check in and then sleep. Yesterday, we had breakfast at the cafe on the resort then took a short stroll along the beach. We ended up driving for a bit to see what was around the area, bought groceries, and then stopped by for lunch at a place that was recommended by friends. 

Afterwards, we went back to the room and napped :) When I woke up the Miami Heat game was on so Daddy Ryan and I stayed in the room to watch it. We ended the night having dinner at a nearby restaurant. 

Today we went to the beach which was really great! So far it has been absolute heaven because we literally have no plans to do anything...no alarm clocks to set, no tours to go to...NOTHING and I love every second! 

However, a few days before we left I started experiencing the sacroiliac joint pain I was having a few months AGAIN but this time on my left side. Looks like my hips are stretching out again and it is not comfortable at all. It is making me waddle as Ryan said because it has affected my walk. The pain is a lot more intense this time around so even bending over or getting out of bed is difficult for me. Good thing we didn't plan any intense activities!

We are planning to do the Road to Hana on Friday but so far the other days are free range. I am sure we will catch more waves and sun though! 

I'll post pics when we get back! 

love,

baby p

25 WEEKS

The wedding this past Saturday was great! I didn't get to enjoy the open bar they had all night, but the company of family and close friends always tops it all! Also, I love weddings so it was a really enjoyable day filled w lots of love! Congrats to my bro-in-law Patch and his new wife Lucy! =)

I looked very pregnant on that day as well..Riley was definitely showing and my mom even said I was "waddling!" LOL

Riley has been kicking and punching me a lot more lately or rather I am feeling her more and more as her Daddy says. Ryan is getting to feel her again as well when he has his hand on my belly. It makes me so happy when I feel her moving; she literally puts a smile on my face and I even laugh sometimes cause it feels like she is tickling me from inside. In the beginning of my pregnancy, a lot of people were telling me that feeling the baby move is an indescribable feeling; I say that is pretty accurate...it is really something amazing and the emotion I get from it is just pure joy and love for her. Even while I type this out, Riley is in there moving around and I just love every kick/punch she is making.

Our babymoon/anniversary trip to Maui is less than a week away! We cannot wait to get away...it will have to be one of those VERY relaxing and VERY lazy vacays. I threw away the idea of planning an itinerary (like I usually do) and decided to just wing it. It will be a first for me without a plan or schedule to go by, but I think it will put me more at ease knowing I don't have to follow a timeline for the week and I am sure I will have a more enjoyable time w it just being Ryan and I (and baby p of course).

Our three year wedding anniversary is tomorrow and since we are going to Maui next week we don't have any big plans. However, daddy said he would get me a pregnancy massage while we are there! Lucky me! 

I made a mini collage of my belly from weeks 21 to 24 and below is a picture of this week's belly. There is a definitely a difference:

Here are some pictures from the wedding:

Riley bear got more presents from Ryan's aunt and sister. Thanks Tita Gay and Jeanelle for the goodies!

love,

baby p

First Mother's Day & 24 WEEKS

What a relief! Riley has hit the age of viability and I am praying that she continues to stay warm and cozy in my womb until I reach term. I have hit the 6th month mark and my belly has definitely been making it's way out through my clothes (and work scrubs!). According to my pregnancy app, my uterus is the size of a soccer ball! LOL. It sure doesn't look or feel like that way to me quite yet, but I am sure as the weeks go by it will start to look like one =)

I am still struggling w sleeping on my side. I nixed my pregnancy pillow for now and went back to using our regular body pillows. I just have a hard time staying on my side throughout the night; my back is just too comfortable! I need to change my ways especially when my belly grows more. 

Daddy Ryan and I had a great time on our date day last Friday. We went to breakfast at a cafe near our house then watched a movie afterwards. The weekend was actually really nice since I had the whole weekend off. We even got to swim in our pool both Saturday and Sunday! The only downside was how unbelievably HOT it was. We later found out that our air conditioning is broken. We have been sleeping without blankets and fans directly on us. It has finally been cooling down, but hopefully we are able to get it fixed or get a new unit before the summer comes...otherwise you will find me soaking in our pool all summer long! =\

I was able to have Mother's Day off this year too! Even though Riley isn't here yet it is wonderful that my family and friends greeted me and gave me cards and flowers; it made me feel like I am already a mom! Daddy gave me a sweet card and two onesies. Although they are for our baby, he says it's also for me because Riley will be wearing them while I carry her around lol. Sweet thought babe! ;)

On Monday night, Ryan felt her kick for the FIRST time!!! It made him so happy because he has been wanting to feel her for a few weeks now. In addition, I was actually able to feel her kick too when I put my hand on my belly. It was such a memorable moment; the look on his face was priceless because I know how happy it made him feel. Our Riley is getting bigger and stronger! <3

The three of us will be attending Tito Patch and Tita Lucy's wedding this Saturday! It is going to be a busy, but fun weekend yet again!

This week's belly pic..it's definitely getting rounder:

Daddy and Mommy's date day last Friday:

Mother's Day belly pic:

Picture w Daddy after brunch plus the cards and flowers I received:

love,

baby p

23 WEEKS

Another week done and here we are again! As a NICU nurse, I am anticipating next week (week 24) as it is considered the "age of viability," meaning it is the point in which a fetus can survive outside the womb if they were born prematurely. Of course, Riley needs to stay inside my belly much, much, much longer than that. I pray every day she is safe and healthy during this pregnancy. My little bun in the oven needs to bake for MONTHS still!

This week brings on more kicking and punching! :) Daddy Ryan is yet to feel her move. She tends to move a lot during the day while he is at work, but there are days when she moves a lot more while I am in bed ready to go to sleep. 

Another symptom that has hit me in the last two weeks or so and quite honestly is something I find a real DAMPer on this experience: hot flashes! 

If you know me, I already get hot very easily so these hot flashes I get make it much worse. I get it a lot while I am working and it is bad because I will literally be sweating on my forehead, my underarms, and down my back! Not to mention, this happens while I work so I have I wait until I get home to enjoy a cold shower. So just imagine being hot and sticky for 12 hours straight. It is really uncomfortable and I only know it will get worse especially w the summer months coming and I will be in my third trimester! boo to hormones and hot flashes! 

Meals this week have been good. I have been meal prepping my lunches and snacks for work and we haven't eaten out except for when we had Subway for dinner one night. We agreed to cook more at home and so far we have been good. However, tomorrow we have a day date (it's been awhile) so that is definitely an exception! :)

Mother's Day is coming up and even though Riley isn't here yet, it's not to say that I don't already feel motherly towards her. We haven't even met, but I truly love her and I cannot wait until I hold her in my arms! Since I got pregnant, I have come to appreciate my mother and all moms even more now. 

Motherhood is truly a gift and it shouldn't be taken for granted---ever <3

Here is this week's belly pic:

Daddy bought babygirl a present the other day (so sweet). Even though I said no pink he was really excited to show this to me (too cute):

love,

baby p <3

22 WEEKS

The weeks are just flying by since Baby P and I passed the 20 week mark! I feel like my time to post a new blog just go by so quickly! But I will make sure to do my weekly posts, which I think is going well so far.

It is already May! That means our baby moon in Maui is fast approaching and we cannot wait to be on vacation just to relax! It will be a great week for Daddy Ryan and I before Riley comes into our lives.

She has been non stop moving and I am constantly feeling her move all of the time now! =)

After I eat something, she is just dancing in my belly and it makes me happy. Hopefully it is because she likes the food I am eating! Speaking of food, I am constantly being asked if I am craving anything and I wasn't up until about two weeks ago; I started having super serious cravings for HOT CHEETOS! ugh, it's the worse thing to eat I know, but for some reason I am just wanting it all of the time. However, I think it is starting to get to me because I started noticing that I have some serious heart burn when I eat it. LOL! I haven't told Daddy Ryan yet because I am sure he will make me stop eating it.

I made my first big pregnancy purchase the other day and I bought myself a pregnancy pillow at Babies R Us. I had a $20 gift card so I saved a little bit of money on it. It wasn't the exact one I wanted, but it does its job so far. A good thing about it too is that I can use it after Riley is born as a pillow for her and as a Boppy when I hold her to feed. Daddy Ryan will probably get some use out of it as well!

Here is a pic of the pregnancy pillow. Doesn't it look like a snake?!

Here is this week's belly pic:

I had a doctor appointment this morning. The doctor said my second trimester genetic screening is normal as is the anatomy ultrasound I had done when I was 20 weeks! Also, Riley's heartbeat is loud and strong!

The doctor gave me some bad news too which really made my day just...BAD! Turns out that I have "rapid weight gain." Apparently I have gained too much weight since we found out I was pregnant; since then I have gained 13 pounds! I thought I was on the right track, but I guess I'm not. This was something I did not expect and even though she didn't exactly say it, she obviously thinks I am FAT!

UGH! This is really frustrating. I ended up seeing a registered dietician after my appointment. We went through what I would typically eat during the day and then assessed me based on that. She told me that I am eating well, but she did suggest that I be aware of my portions and to modify some of the things I eat (i.e, switch to 1% milk instead of 2% milk). The big thing she did notice was my dinner meals. I have to admit that Ryan and I eat out a lot and that is because we rarely ever cook at home. So she suggested that I start meal prepping, cook more at home, increase my physical activity (the doctor wants me to walk after every meal!), and eating out is to be limited to 1-2 times a week. NO MORE HOT CHEETO CRAVINGS!

I have to be more conscious these days, especially with eating out. I think that is what got me. So from now on I am going to prep my meals for work, be more aware of my portions, and limit the times we eat out! I need to step it up with the physical activity too! My next appointment is in four weeks, so the dietician said I should see what the doctor says after a month of modifying my diet and activity. In addition, I think I will be taking a glucose tolerance test (to test for diabetes) at that appointment so I need to really buckle down. I hope and I pray that I don't get gestational diabetes. Thankfully my blood pressure has been good so far and I pray that it will continue to be normal during the remainder of my pregnancy because I don't want hypertension either! =(

Here's to being pregnant and healthy!

love,

baby p