three months

Well technically I'm 13 weeks and 2 days but whose counting?  I have an app on my phone and it tells me how many days I have left and I got stressed looking at it the other day because its now less than 200 days till the baby comes.  I'm like, yikes! I have nothing ready.  We have to combine our guest room and office into one room to make a nursery in the spare room.  Which means we have to get rid of the queen bed and half of the giant desk taking up the office because they both won't fit.  I want to have a yard sale next month and hope I can get enough $ to buy a sofa with a hide-a-bed for the office.  I would like guests to have somewhere to sleep besides a blow up mattress :p but we'll see what the finances allow.  Not to mention decor for the baby room.  I get inspired by looking at pictures of other people's designs but I can never seem to put anything together like they have it.  I mean it took us a year and a half to paint one wall in our living room and you want me to put together a nursery in less than 6 months, ha!  So anyways back to the pregnancy.  I'm not nauseous anymore, just get heartburn like a beast now, burping for days.  Doesn't matter what I eat, I could eat a salad and its the same thing (btw salads are the worst b/c burping lettuce is disgusting).  I'm defin starting to pudge out.  I know I'm supposed to be exercising and eating some kind of healthy but dang I'm tired all the time.  Doctor said that should pass in a few weeks.  I sure hope so b/c I need to get some kind of energy back.  Only other thing that is annoying, besides my pants and skirts not fitting, is the super dry, flaky skin on my face.  I exfoliate, I wash my face with a super sensitive skin cleanser, heavy duty moisturizer and my face just laughs at it.  Its like, oh you want to moisturize, not happening here, go somewhere else buddy.  So  yeah.  Had a check up last week and baby is doing great, measuring at exactly the right size.  My app says its about the size of a peach now, just hanging out chillin.  Definitely a sleepy little booger, couldn't get it to wake up in the u/s for nothing. The technician needed a different view so she was pushing on my stomach, had me flip on my side several times, poor thing I think I mooned her twice :p Finally woke up the munchkin, started flailing its arms and legs like what the heck? I was sleeping people. haha!  Next u/s is in 5 weeks and we'll find out what we are having.  Here's my latest glamour shot, I was laughing at something Mike said.

3 months 1 week

Costa Rica

Ok sorry for my absence.  I haven't felt like blogging lately.  So we recently went to Costa Rica for a good friends wedding.  Since we were going so far for a wedding we figured we'd make a good vacation out of it.  I had it all planned out, we would spend 4 days up in the mountains near Volcano Arenal and then go down to the coast for the wedding festivities.  Well all would have been great if it hadn't decided to rain for those 4 days we were in the mountains.  A constant drizzle to almost heavy rain all day and all night long.  The clouds were so low you couldn't even see the volcano.  The best shot we have of it is the last day and we could only see half the volcano from our hotel room.

We tried to make the best of it. On Tuesday we went to an animal rescue center, Proyecto Asis, and got to pet and hold monkeys and other critters. We also had the opportunity to feed them. It was really neat. Wednesday we went ziplining. I heard the views were supposed to be amazing but since the volcano and lake were covered in clouds all I could see were the trees underneath me. Still it was amazing. Flying along a zipline going 45mph and the lines are over 1/2 mile long. w00t! So the worst day was Thursday. I decided, hey lets go hiking in the rain. It shouldn't be too bad and this lake is supposed to be amazing. Its called Cerro Chato and its an awesome blue-green color. What the websites fail to mention the hike to get there is meant to kill you. Only the worthy may pass. I thought Mike was going to pass out. I kept slipping and sliding in the mud and the stairs. Oh my goodness those stairs that never ended. So we finally make it to the look out point and this is what we see...

Needless to say we were highly disappointed. There was another crazy descent if you wanted to go closer to the lake but at that time we were both like forget it, lets get the heck out of here. Going down the mountain was insane, not only were we going down a giant mountain but the steps weren't real steps, they are just tree roots and logs placed strategically on the path and mostly giant mud puddles. Almost fell several times and was completely wet and filthy by the time we got to the bottom. We couldn't wait to leave that area and get to the coast. The last part of our trip was beautiful. The beach was amazing, it was sunny and NO RAIN! The bride and groom had a weekend of activities planned for the guests. On Friday there was a welcome beach party for everyone. Live music, food and drinks. Of course all I could have was soda :( Didn't want to chance drinking the local water. Saturday we lounged by the pool before getting ready for the wedding. A shuttle took us to the wedding location at Villa Caletas. Where they held the ceremony the view was breathtaking.
 
After the ceremony there was the cocktail hour with live music. The bride and groom came out after they were done taking pictures and did a dance together. When the dance finished fireworks went off because why not haaha! After dinner the live band who did the dance music were really good. Of course at this point I'm completely exhausted because I'm pregnant. We finally managed to get a shuttle back to our hotel around midnight :p The next morning we had to really push ourselves to get up for the catamaran excursion. Everybody on the catamaran were wedding guests, there were about 90 of us. It was really nice and relaxing. In this picture you can tell me and Mike are completely exhausted

The next day we got on a plane to come home. Of course the perfect way to end the trip was to get food poisoning from the hamburgers we ate at the airport :p So that was our Costa Rica experience. It was fun but I'm not sure if we'll go back. I would like to go somewhere next time that isn't quite so hot. I think I'm craving some culture, so I think Europe is in our future :) I leave you with this adorable white face monkey who joined us for breakfast every morning :)
 

nausea

So for the most part I haven't felt too terrible during this pregnancy.  I don't have morning sickness.  I get the gas something fierce haha! But that really isn't anything too new for me heehee.  The worst part is after I eat lunch and dinner I have nausea.  Just a general feeling of yuckiness.  I can't vomit I just feel like I need too.  I eat saltine crackers, they help a little bit.  The other day I drank a sprite, that helped alot, I burped it up.  My mom gave me some fizzy stuff yesterday, that actually worked pretty good.  I need to steal it from her ;) They say after the first trimester the sickness goes away and I really hope so because its not fun at all.  I feel sorry for women who get really sick.  Otherwise everything else seems to be progressing along.  I have a small, miniscule baby bump that looks like a fat roll :)  I go in Thursday for my full baby workup, blood work and all.  Till next time.

Taken on Friday, little over two months.

dreams

So ever since we first found out I was pregnant I started having weird dreams.  And very vivid too!  I would have thought they were real if it hadn't been for the absurdness of them.  They have sort of tapered off the past few weeks but I had another crazy one last night.  I was on a cruise ship but we weren't on the ocean, we were in some kind of marshy, swamp area.  I was on the top deck trying to get to the bottom and saw an old friend of mine, Jamie.  I can't remember if we talked I just remember her being on the top deck.  So I finally make it to the bottom because I have to start work.  I'm at Duke now in the basement in Literature program but it looks like the Atkins library here at UNCC.  My old boss, Tim, says "hi Vanessa glad your back." The phone starts ringing and I'm trying to help this person locate a visiting scholar so I put them on hold.  Meanwhile a student is pestering me about something and another phone line starts ringing.  I'm trying to look through the notes that Cristin left and I finally find out what happened to the scholar and get that person off the phone.  Then its five o'clock and I say bye to my coworkers (who are my old coworkers from Banfield).  Then my alarm went off and I woke up.  How is that for randomness?

On another note, since I'm back working in an office I'll be able to update my blog more often and keep everyone posted on baby news.  So right now I'm at 9 weeks 2 days.  Haven't really had too many symptoms, the past couple weeks I was feeling nauseous after eating lunch and dinner.  Just queasy on my stomach.  That feeling has subsided this week so doing pretty good.  I don't have any good tummy shots right now, I just look chubby, lol!  Anyways, till next time :)   

PA trip in photos

Vacations go by too fast. Back to work tomorrow, back to reality. Also back to exercising. I'm a little porker right now, oink oink. Anyways I'll start the pics out with my first day there. Saw the family first of course. I can't believe how quickly Patricia is moving around, last time I saw her she was crawling around, now she's walking full tilt :)

Thursday we went bike riding on the D&L Trail along Lehigh Canal.  We only did a small portion of the trail from Easton to Bethlehem, about 33 miles roundtrip.  It was very scenic.  It thunderstormed a bit but we waited it out under a bridge. 

Thursday night we went to Musikfest.  Mike has been telling me about it since we met so it was nice to finally see what it was all about.  Kinda reminded me of the NC state fair except no rides and lots more music.  Saw a few good bands, enjoyed some good brews and watching interesting ppl.

Friday we didn't do that much, ran some errands, it rained a lot.  I had an upset tummy from all that greasy food I had been eating.  That night we saw Total Recall.  It was actually pretty good.

Saturday morning I watched the baby so Analia and Dan could go in service. That afternoon me and Analia had our nails done and had some girl time.  Fun times.  Sunday was the big bbq blowout.  It was nice to see old friends and make new ones.

Monday we were supposed to come straight home but we decided to stop at the Yuengling Brewery for a free tour and free beer samples ;) by the time we left Pottsville (name of the town, I'm not making it up) it was already 4.  As we were about to pass Hershey PA, Mike said lets go to Hershey Park.  I was like, welllll then he called them and after 5:00 tix are only $20 a person.  So you can't argue with those prices.  We went on at least 5 roller coasters, honestly I lost count but it was really fun.  And of course we rode their newest roller coaster, SkyRush, so much fun!  So now, its Tuesday night and tomorrow is work, so all good things must come to an end.  Till our next vacay :)  

Crazy parade walkers at Musikfest

Wish I knew their name, they were really good

Matias' dad cooking the meat

We made it finally!

Enjoying our free samples

Look at that adorable face :)

The start of our ride, passing a small dam

A nice swampy area

Forgot the historical significance

The old steel mill in Bethlehem

Watiting out the storm

pa trip '12

I've only been in pa for one full day but we did alot yesterday. Took lots of pics too ;) went on a really nice bike ride and then came home and showered up and went to Musikfest. That was pretty cool, lots of bands, food and beer. I could only drink one 24oz beer I don't know how ppl can drink more than that. Was starving when we got there so ate the first thing I saw, chicken tenders. Best ever haha! Also managed to find some perogies but they always fry them up here instead of boiling them but beggars can't be choosers. Here's some picsand I'll let u know how the rest of the trip goes. We should be going to the yuengling factory today :)

half a year down

Wow, really its been that long since I last updated my blog. For some reason its hard to keep up with the blog. So much easier nowadays to put up a quick status update on Facebook. Not to mention that hardly anyone reads blogs anymore so its turning to an archaic form of communication. But for the few people out there who still blog I'll bring you up to speed. So the last update was from January, since then I went to Vegas at the end of January for my little cousin Dolores' graduation party. Here are some highlights.

Well that's the only picture I like.  That's my little cousin, so pretty.

Now on to our next big adventure, which was the cruise in April. It took forever to get here and then that week flew by. Literally! All of sudden we were in Miami and next thing I knew we were out at sea visiting different islands, having a blast and then we were back in Miami. I was like "what just happened here?" lol! So this first one was when we first got on the ship, Mike got his Long Island Tea and I had my margarita (I'll be honest, ship drinks aren't that great and rather pricey, its better to get them on the islands and save your money on the ship).  
That night the ship photographers take a million photos of our group eating dinner. I liked the pirate picture but didn't want to pay for it so took a picture of the picture with my camera. haha! so bad.
Moving on. This cracked me up on St. Thomas. Remember folks, whenever you slip and fall, be sure to fall with "jazz hands". lol!
This is where we went snorkeling in St. John. Absolutely beautiful. We took a catamaran out there it was so much fun.
Enjoying our champagne/rum punch after our snorkeling adventure. Not sure what number that was that I had in this picture, one tends to loose count after awhile :p
Every night at dinner the waiters did a song and dance for us. Our waiter, Antonio (the flamboyant fella in the mariachi sleeves), always made us get up and dance. He was so much fun. I miss him.
And finally our group picture. We had a blast!
After the cruise not too much has been going on. I can't seem to get back on my diet and exercise routine. I feel like quite the porker lately. I tried going to the gym last week, made it one day then was sick the rest of the week. So I have high hopes for this week. The weekend before last I was back in my old stomping grounds of Durham. Got to see old friends and family. Its nice getting that recharge.
So back to reality for now. Working and looking for work. Don't get me wrong, I enjoy my job, just not the loooooong hours and the low pay. So looking to get back into the corporate world and plop my big butt back at a desk. In the meantime, we are planning a small trip to visit mike's sister in PA in August or if that falls through maybe a camping trip to the mountains. And I will try to be better about updating my blog ;) Till we meet again