32 Weeks

How far along?: 32 weeks
Total weight gain/loss: +20 lbs
Sleep: I absolutely have no hope of finding a comfortable position anymore. If I lie on one side too long, I feel like I'm developing a pressure sore (and if I lie on my left side, my sciatica gets worse)...my hips and all parts of my back ache; and the other night, I woke up from a BURP...and not the dry kind either. Sorry. TMI.
Best moment this week: Meeting Baby 'Lijah and picking Nina's (aka Mommy Extraordinaire) brain for baby info! Thank you for taking me (and Fatso Peanut!) out for lunch!
Movement: Is there such a thing as TOO much movement? I don't even bother doing my fetal kick counts anymore because he moves 10 times at an average of 30 seconds.
Symptoms: Sciatica, back pain, shortness of breath, swollen feet, and NOW starting to have acid reflux (YUCK!).
Symptoms I DON'T have: Nausea, headaches, and cramps.
Food cravings: Honey Nut Cheerios; in fact, I want a bowl right now...but I won't...

Food aversions: Chicken, guacamole, and eggs.
Gender: Boy!
Labor Signs: Not yet. :)
Belly Button in or out?: Poking out a little bit. Wouldn't consider it OUT out.
What I miss: Working out, and I think it's because I'm feeling EXTRA sluggish these days, AND because I've been eating so much food. But now that I'm on modified work duties, hopefully I won't be too tired to take a long walk after work.
What I am looking forward to: Getting the baby's room ready!
Weekly Wisdom: Don't eat right before you go to bed (unless you like the taste of stomach acid in your mouth in the middle of the night).
Milestones: Baby H. is getting ready for "the descent" and is most likely in the head-down position. Yikes.

31 Weeks

How far along?: 31 weeks
Total weight gain/loss: +19 lbs
Sleep: Bad. Just...bad.
Best moment this week: Spending time with all our families, and eating, eating, and EATING. (I actually JUST finished eating a tamale...made by Ralph's Grandma Mary!)
Movement: Almost non-stop!
Symptoms: Sciatica, back pain, shortness of breath, and swollen feet. Ugh.
Symptoms I DON'T have: Nausea, headaches, and cramps.
Food cravings: Same kind of stuff. Anything with meat and cheese.

Food aversions: Chicken and guacamole.
Gender: Boy!
Labor Signs: Not yet. :)
Belly Button in or out?: Poking out a little bit.
What I miss: It sounds silly, but I do miss being able to move around normally. I'm slow in everything I do, even more so with the sciatica. I sometimes even have to wait a moment after standing up before I start walking, or else the pain will shoot down my leg, causing me to stagger.
What I am looking forward to: Relaxing for the next three days!
Weekly Wisdom: If you're pregnant around the holidays, finish your Christmas shopping WEEKS before Christmas to prevent packed parking lots and malls/stores - you can also do all your shopping online!
Milestones: Baby Boy received his first Christmas presents!

30 Weeks

How far along?: 30 weeks
Total weight gain/loss: +19 lbs
Sleep: TERRIBLE. I wake up, AT LEAST, 5 times per night because I'm always uncomfortable.
Best moment this week: Getting a prenatal massage. No contest.
Movement: He moves all the time - mostly when I get up in the morning and after dinner.
Symptoms: Getting tired easily (probably because of the lack of sleep), being emotional (I also blame this on lack of sleep...when I'm tired, I'm CRANKY), swollen feet after work, and back pain. I MAY even have sciatica because I'm getting these sharp pains in my lower back/bum area towards the left side.
Symptoms I DON'T have: Nausea and headaches.
Food cravings: *See chalkboard picture!*

Food aversions: Chicken and guacamole.
Gender: Boy!
Labor Signs: Not yet. :)
Belly Button in or out?: Starting to poke out a little bit!
What I miss: Sushi, sleeping on my back/stomach, caffeinated coffee...
What I am looking forward to: My next day off, which would be Wednesday. Hahaha.
Weekly Wisdom: Get massages as much as you can afford it!
Milestones: This pregnancy is 75% COMPLETE!

28 Weeks / It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas!

Christmas is my favorite holiday; so as soon as Thanksgiving is over, I always decorate my home right away...and this year was no different! We used the same ornaments/theme as last year for the tree. I might change it up next year...we'll see!

My mother-in-law gave me this cute pregnant snow lady ornament.

Middle stocking is for Wendy...there'll be an additional one next year!

Even Wendy is ready for the holidays...she got herself a new Christmas dress.

I can't wait to have a house...I'd go full-out on Christmas decorations; but for now, little decorations here and there will have to do.

And now, after a 4-week hiatus, my pregnancy chalkboard update and survey!

How far along?: 28 weeks
Total weight gain/loss: +17 lbs
Sleep: It's been okay. I asked Ralph if I have begun to snore, and he said no. Hahahaha.
Best moment this week: Thanksgiving with Ralph's families! Sad I wasn't able to see my family though. :(
Movement: I am now starting to feel the different types of movements - the kicking, rolling, moving to one side, and so on. I begin the fetal kick counts tomorrow.
Symptoms: Achy feet, achy back, achy EVERYTHING.
Symptoms I DON'T have: Nausea.
Food cravings: They have been all over the place, and I have recently been craving sweets. I even went out one night at like 9:30 just to get some hot chocolate. Weird.

Food aversions: Chicken (again) and guacamole (again).
Gender: Boy!
Labor Signs: Not yet. :)
Belly Button in or out?: In-ish. Almost flat.
What I miss: Sleeping on my stomach!
What I am looking forward to: My day off on Wednesday because I get to spend time with my mommy! And we're going to all the Asian stores/restaurants that just opened up in Irvine. CAN'T WAIT.
Weekly Wisdom: Prepare for a major sugar crash after doing the glucose tolerance test...I don't think I've ever been so "blegh" at work.
Milestones: Finishing up the 2nd semester and beginning the 3rd...home stretch!

November Updates!

*Whew*...it's been quite some time since I've blogged, but November has been a busy month for me and Ralph.

Moving

In the middle of November, we decided to move out of our cozy little one-bedroom apartment to a two-bedroom apartment (for obvious reasons). Fortunately for us, there was an apartment available within our complex, so we didn't have to worry about breaking our lease, and we didn't have to drive very far; the downside was that we had to move in 10 days. Moving is never easy, but being 6 months pregnant was truly a struggle. I couldn't carry anything heavy, and I got tired easily...so my poor husband had to deal with the majority of the packing. But with the help of our families and my buddy Farhan, moving day was a breeze. And after just a few days, we unpacked everything! I can't wait to start prepping the baby's room. This "nesting instinct" is no joke.

Baby Herrera Update

Because of the move, I didn't have much time to do my weekly chalkboard update and survey...but I did have my 26-week appointment. The doctor said the baby is healthy and looking really comfortable in my womb - here he is:

Don't get too comfortable, kid!

I also had my blood drawn (yes, again) to test for any abnormalities - thankfully, I'm only moderately anemic, which is pretty common in pregnancy. I just have to take an iron supplement twice a day.

Maternity Photo Session

Despite our busy work schedules, doctor's appointments, and moving, Ralph and I managed to squeeze in a maternity photo shoot with our favorite photographer - Christina Cho. (She took our engagement and wedding photos too!) We had our photos taken in Laguna Beach, and we couldn't have asked for a better day. Here are a few of our favorites:

It was so much fun, and I can't wait to get some of these photos as canvas prints for the baby's room. Thanks again, Christina! You're simply the best!

November was pretty crazy, but I don't think things will slow down from here. It's going to be Christmas, then New Year's, then Valentine's Day...and before I know it, the baby will be here. Can't wait!

24 Weeks / Halloween

Halloween came and went without much event. I was never really a big fan of Halloween (because I'm such a chicken when it comes to anything scary), but being pregnant during this holiday presented itself with some cute costume ideas; so I decided to dress up this year.

Unfortunately for me, I had to work...and not only did I have to work, I had a mandatory meeting to attend at 7:00am, so I had to wake up EXTRA early to get ready. This year, I was a skeleton with sugar skull make-up. I'm not gonna lie, I enjoyed the outfit and received plenty of compliments from my coworkers and patients...but I don't think I'll ever wear face paint for a 10-hour shift EVER again! My face felt sooo oily and disgusting; by the time I got home, I washed my face and re-applied my make-up after half an hour of letting my skin breathe. And then I applied Ralph's make-up too. Here was the outcome!

Wendy REALLY wanted to be Elsa. ;)

I purchased the maternity skeleton shirt from CutsieTootsieApparel, which is an Etsy shop that sells adorable maternity shirts (here's the matching shirt for future dads). I purchased Wendy's dog costume at Target (they didn't have a skeleton one...it would've been perfect!).

We barely got any trick-or-treaters this year! I think we had, at most, 7 kids stop by...oh, well. Next Halloween will be better because I'll have a little baby to dress up! (Haha, now I like Halloween!) 

Alright, on to this week's pregnancy update!

How far along?: 24 weeks
Total weight gain/loss: +14 lbs
Sleep: The maternity pillow I bought last week is amazing, but my poor husband is losing more and more space on the bed. Hahaha! Sorry, honey...
Best moment this week: My relatives from Vegas visited this weekend, so it was great to catch up and, as always, EAT!
Movement: I'm starting to see a pattern - baby boy is more active at night...my friend told me it means the baby will be born at night time. We'll see!
Symptoms: Achy feet. I find myself wanting to sit down more at work. :/
Symptoms I DON'T have: Nausea.
Food cravings: Sinigang - it is a Filipino soup that is kind of sour...and it's weird because I don't normally like this type of soup. I'm more of a tinola or nilagang type of person. I don't even know who I am anymore!

Food aversions: For the most part, sweets. There's a huge bowl of leftover Halloween candy, and I don't even look at it more than twice a day. If it was a bowl of CHIPS or something, then it'd be gone.
Gender: Boy!
Labor Signs: Not yet. :)
Belly Button in or out?: In.
What I miss: Fried eggs. I know eggs have been under my list of "Food Aversions" for a majority of this pregnancy, but nothing beats a plate of rice, kielbasa, and a fried egg. :(
What I am looking forward to: Weather change! It's been cold this whole weekend, and I'm excited to bust out my California winter clothing!
Weekly Wisdom: Don't buy shoes online if your feet have changed! I'm now a size 7/7 and 1/2!
Milestones: Baby Herrera is now, at least, 1 whole pound.

23 Weeks - Happy Halloween!

How far along?: 23 weeks
Total weight gain/loss: +13 lbs (Hawaii was too good to me.)
Sleep: It has been ridiculous. I had a hard time adjusting to local time in Hawaii (until the very last day we were there), and now I'm sleeping the weirdest hours; but today, I bought a maternity pillow! So let's hope I don't toss and turn as much as I have been the past several weeks.
Best moment this week: Hawaii. Ughh...take me back already!
Movement: Baby boy moves a lot, but he's kicking harder than ever!
Symptoms: Swollen feet while we were in Hawaii - probably because of the heat.
Symptoms I DON'T have: My right hand hasn't been tingling/numb the past few days, but that could also be because I haven't been working for the past 10 days.
Food cravings: I crave everything, but I'm trying to be good. The doctor says the baby is a little bit bigger than average, so I'm eating better to NOT give birth to a 9-pound child.
Food aversions: Nothing at the moment. I was not eating eggs for a long time, but they're making their way back into my diet. Not sure about avocado yet. :)
Gender: Boy!
Labor Signs: Not yet. :)
Belly Button in or out?: In.
What I miss: SUSHI. Oh my goodness, there was poké and sushi at a buffet in Hawaii, and I couldn't eat any of it. Weh!
What I am looking forward to: Dressing up for Halloween. I would've dressed up for this week's photo update, but my costume hasn't arrived yet!
Weekly Wisdom: Spoil yourself every once in a while. :)
Milestones: Our 1st anniversary/honeymoon/babymoon in Hawaii.

Babymoon in Hawaii - Days 4 and 5

OCTOBER 22ND, 2014 - RELAXATION

Wednesday was our last full day in Hawaii, so all Ralph and I wanted to do was just relax. In the morning, we had reservations to have breakfast at 'AMA 'AMA, which is an open-air restaurant right beside Ko Olina Beach. 

Our view!

Ralph ordered the Two-Eggs Entree with Chicken Sausages.

I ordered the Traditional Loco Moco Breakfast.

After breakfast, we went back to the hotel room to "digest" and check-in for our flight home...perfect time, too, because it rained a little. And then...it was beach/pool time for as long as we could stand it! I didn't take too many pictures because I didn't want to take my phone in the pools/ocean; and sometimes, it's just nice to savor the moment without having to take pictures all the time. :) And besides...I think I took enough pool/beach pictures!

Every day, we got a wrist band that signified we were guests at Aulani.

Ralph's favorite thing to do was go snorkeling in Ko Olina Beach.

We spent a couple of hours on the beach, and then off we went to the pools within Aulani - mostly the Infinity Pool and the Lazy River. 

Our favorite place to get a quick bite to eat.

Coconut-Battered Shrimp for me, and the usual Chicken Tenders for Ralph.

We stayed at the pools until it was dark, and we took our sad selves back to the hotel.

Ralph and I stopped by the Kalepa's Store to purchase some souvenirs for ourselves - a picture frame, a Menehune photo stand, an Aulani postcard, and Duffy the Bear (for our baby boy!).

Our collection of wrist bands - it's a different color every day.

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OCTOBER 23RD, 2014 - LAST DAY

Of course, on our last day, we finally managed to wake up at a decent hour and not before 6:00am. Ralph went for his final run on the beach while I stayed in to pack and make sure everything was set for our journey home.

Since the cleaning lady put our leis in the shape of hearts, I returned the favor...don't worry, we left more than $2.50 LOL!

Leaving the hotel was hard...Ali'inui Dr. and Olani St. - Aulani's location.

Aulani in the distance. :(

Our "But we don't wanna go!" faces before take-off.

Our flight took off at 12:30pm from Honolulu, and we arrived safely in Los Angeles at 9:05pm. LAX was busy as usual, and we took a shuttle back to my parents' home in Irvine so we could pick up our dog Wendy. We didn't get there until 11:30pm, and we didn't actually get home to our apartment until midnight.

Needless to say, I feel incredibly blessed that Ralph and I were able to take this trip. It was our first REAL vacation in the 8 years we have been together, and it was the perfect place for a couple of Disney enthusiasts to go to. This trip was our honeymoon/babymoon/1st anniversary combined...so it was all worth it, and we would do it all over again! Thank you, Hawaii and Aulani! We had a blast!

Babymoon in Hawaii - Day 3

OCTOBER 21ST, 2014: DAY 3 - PEARL HARBOR

Ralph and I, once again, woke up before 6:00am. Not able to go back to sleep, we watched "A Bug's Life", which we borrowed the night before at the Pau Hana Room. Afterwards, Ralph went for a run at the beach while I just stayed in and lounged around. When Ralph got back, we got ready to visit Pearl Harbor.

So green!

I've been to Pearl Harbor before, so I remembered to leave my purse behind. I felt bad for all the people I saw turning back around from the main entrance to walk back all the way to their cars to drop off their things. And it was HOT and SUNNY today!

"The Tree of Life" by Alfred Preis is a symbol of eternal renewal.

The shrine of the memorial (with the names of the honored dead) was under renovation. Interesting fact: all survivors who have passed away have been interred within the USS Arizona; and the rest of the 9 living survivors have confirmed that they, too, would like to be with their fallen brothers once they have passed.

I didn't really take a lot of pictures because I didn't want to forget the fact that it was a memorial, and Ralph and I wanted to be respectful. And anyway, it's not a place to take a "selfie" of yourself with a huge smile...not very appropriate.

After visiting Pearl Harbor, Ralph and I went back to the hotel to get ready for a long afternoon of swimming.

Had to share - room service arranged our leis into hearts. Cute!

Also, if you're going on vacation, and you need a waterproof case, then THIS is the one to get! I took it with me to the pools, and everything in it was kept dry. You can even use your phone through the screen. Only downside is that your pictures can get a little blurry.

On our way down, we met Duffy! WHO is Duffy? He's a character who was created by Minnie Mouse for Mickey Mouse while he was preparing for a long voyage at sea. Cute, huh?

My dad let us borrow his Kodak Mini Video Camera (waterproof), so we were able to capture one of our many trips down the water slide. *SQUEEEEEEE*

The Waikolohe Stream aka "Lazy River" was definitely our favorite place to be.

Ralph got a nice picture in the infinity pool with an awesome Hawaii sunset in the background...

...and I did not. Super blurry. HAHA.

This pool area was pretty nice. It's 18+, so there were no kids running or splashing around. AND it has a poolside bar...good thing we're not pregnant and super heavy drinkers! ;D (I'm being sarcastic...*ahem*...MOM.)

At around 7:00pm, it was getting dark, so we decided to call it a day and grab some snacks at the Ulu Cafe before going back to the room.

Just realized I didn't have a picture of this - we stayed at the "masculine" tower.

Aulani WOULD have Mickey Mouse Spam Musubis!

Ralph's baby food - free juice included! Lol!

A chocolate chip cookie almost as big as his face for dessert!

And, of course, once we were done eating at 8:00pm, Ralph and I both fell asleep. We should've taken a nap or something...because now, we're both wide awake at 2:00am. Oy vey.

So today was pretty relaxing. We decided to skip the 'Ohana Disney Movie Nights (this is where they would show a Disney movie on a big screen in the same area we saw the Starlit Hui) because...1) We'd be sitting on a mat on the lawn, which isn't too comfortable for me; and 2) The movie was "Halloweentown". Eh...no, thank you.

And that's a wrap for Day 3!