OH, BOY!

One of my coworkers surprised me with these Bundtinis after we found out we were having a boy! Thanks, Uncle Jon!

When I was pregnant with Owen, Ralph and I had no intentions of waiting to find out the sex of the baby. The moment the ultrasound technician asked us if we wanted to know if it was a boy or a girl, I don't think I could have said "YES" fast enough. (I know I told everyone that I did not care if it was a boy or a girl, but I really did want a boy to keep the "Herrera" name going...and that's why I needed to know right away; HOWEVER, if it was a girl, God knows I would have loved her just as much.)

This time around, I honestly did not care. I even wanted to wait until the baby was born to find out the sex, but Ralph simply could not. He was sure it was another boy; and when I realized my pregnancy symptoms mirrored those of when I was pregnant with Owen, I was sure it was a boy also.

This past Monday, we got our answer. I saw Dr. L for my 17-week check-up, and he said everything was looking great. When he asked if I wanted to know the sex, I could have easily said "no" because Ralph wasn't there (haha!); but my own curiosity got the better of me. With a turn of the ultrasound probe, I saw the baby's you-know-what on the screen. The doctor didn't even have to say anything; I was already pointing at Baby #2's boy parts and squealing with excitement. I turned to Owen (who had never left my side during the entire ultrasound) and said, "You're going to have a baby brother!"

Yup! It's a boy, alright!

As my appointment was finishing up, I was thinking of ways to surprise Ralph with the news. And since Ralph wasn't supposed to be home for at least another hour or two, I was thinking of making a pull-string piñata, baking cupcakes filled with blue frosting, or filling up a black balloon with blue confetti. Buuuut...Ralph texted me a few seconds later and said his training class ended early and was already headed home. So, scratch all THOSE ideas. I made a quick stop to Party City and picked up a can of silly string.

As soon as I got home, I quickly covered the can's label with white paper (so Ralph couldn't read "BLUE SILLY STRING" across it) and ushered the boys outside so Ralph could spray it all over Owen.

It was a mistake giving him the can...he almost gave it away!

The silly string could have been pink, yellow, green, black, all the colors of the rainbow, and Owen would have had the same reaction, lol! To be honest, I kind of expected him to get a little upset. This is the same kid that gets weird with sand and freaks out if one of my stray hairs gets on his hands.

Don't feel too bad. He now loves watching the video over and over again.

And we know Owen well enough to just give him Pooh Bear, and all life's problems are solved.

So that's that! I'm waaaay outnumbered now! Ralph and I are super excited to have two boys, and we're already talking about future Halloween costumes, bunk beds, and (of course) names! We've had a first name picked for a few weeks now but haven't been able to think of a second name. This morning, my dad sent me a list of second name ideas, and I actually ended up liking the first name he suggested (even though it was a name that I NEVER thought I would like). I did not think Ralph would approve, but after I texted him the whole name, he responded with, "Haha, lock it in!"

You're probably expecting me to reveal the name at this point, but we've decided to withhold it until the baby is born. I know, I know! What stinkers we are! Until then, we'll be referring to Baby Boy #2 as "Rerun", just like Linus' little brother in the Peanuts comics.

Until next time!

16-Week Update and April Festivities

It honestly felt like forever to reach that 14-week milestone/2nd trimester, but here we are at 16 weeks - woohoo!

The first trimester was rather unremarkable, which I'm very grateful for. Just like with the first pregnancy, I only had some nausea and was very tired/sluggish by the afternoon. Now, I'm in my second trimester and feeling great. 

When I was 16 weeks pregnant with Owen, I started doing a weekly pregnancy update (remember the photos with the chalkboard drawings?). Obviously, ain't nobody got time for chalkboard drawings these days (not me, at least), so I'll just be sharing a weekly (haha, maybe) bump photo and survey.

How far along?: 16 weeks

Total weight gain/loss: +6 lbs (I gained 5 pounds the first 8 weeks...)

Sleep: Terrible, but I don't think I've had a decent night's sleep since before Owen was born. I can fall asleep just fine, but I just wake up several times at night.

Best moment this week: Celebrating my mom's 50th birthday!

Movement: YES, there is definitely some fluttering going on in there.

Symptoms: Sorry, might be TMI...groin pain, which I'm GUESSING is round ligament pain.

Symptoms I DON'T have: No more nausea and less urinary frequency.

Food cravings: Tomatoes, avocados, cheese...not usually all together, but if there's a combination of those ingredients, then it's even better! This morning, I had cottage cheese, diced tomatoes, and sliced avocados on toast, and I had to stop myself from making more. I've also been eating a lot of oranges, chicken, and tortilla soup.

Food aversions: It honestly depends on the day. Yesterday, for whatever reason, I could NOT eat a slice of pepperoni pizza. I had a few bites and was over it. But there are no foods that I'm straight-up rejecting.

Gender: Don't know yet! I have a doctor's appointment on the 17th, so hopefully the doctor can tell me then!

Labor Signs: Not yet.

Belly Button in or out?: In.

What I miss: I miss smoked salmon but not as much as I did when I was pregnant with Owen.

What I am looking forward to: Finding out the sex of the baby!

This time around, I'm making sure that I eat right and stay active . I know this is the perfect time to "let go" and "enjoy eating whatever"; but I did that during my first pregnancy, and the end result was something I don't want to experience ever again. I gained, unnecessarily, 30+ pounds, and it took a long time and a LOT of hard work to get healthy and lose all the weight. Of course, I can always "lose the weight again", but why even get to that point? I've gained some weight since the miscarriage, but I'm still 10 pounds LESS than when I found out I was pregnant with Owen. My goal is to not gain more than 20 pounds. (LOL! Yeah right, but I'm praying. Hard.) So I'm eating right (for the most part) and walking several times a week.

One time, I decided to walk to my mom's house. That was a stupid idea.

A plus side to my walks is taking this guy to the park, which means a nice long nap afterwards.

Speaking of eating healthy, we went to Disney's California Adventure last week to partake in the Food & Wine Festival! (I walked that day and did more walking around Disneyland and DCA, so...yeah, I feel less guilty about it.) 

The Food & Wine Festival at DCA started in 2006 but went on hiatus from 2011 to 2015 due to renovations at the park. Ralph and I got our annual passes 2010, so we never really had the chance to experience it until last year at Epcot. We enjoyed it SO MUCH that we just had to go to this year's Festival. We were not disappointed.

LA Style booth - chicken teriyaki slider with a spicy Dole pineapple jam (I didn't eat this because I don't like pineapples, but Ralph loved it).

I Heart Artichokes booth - artichoke carbonara with garlic aioli and smoked bacon (this was amazing).

Garlic Kissed booth - grilled beef tenderloin slider with chimichurri sauce (soooo yummy).

Bacon Twist booth - left: maple-bacon whoopie pie (I did not like it, but the boys loved it); right: smoked bacon mac and cheese with barbeque-seasoned crispy onions (Ralph's favorite).

The Onion Lair booth - braised wagyu beef on creamy polenta with haricot vert and red onion salad and a roasted Cipollini onion (my favorite, and Owen ate almost all of the polenta).

There were more dishes that I wanted to try, but I was stuffed. Can't wait what next year's Festival has in store for us! I would also like to take this moment to say how proud I am of my husband for going out of his comfort zone and trying out all these foods. He has come a long way since 2006.

After we had our fill, we went across the way to Disneyland so Owen can have fun too. We went on his Pooh Bear ride and met up with his buddies.

It must suck being Pluto. All the kids want to hug Mickey, lol!

And, last but not least, it was a very special lady's birthday this past week. My beautiful mommy turned 50 on Thursday, but who HONESTLY can say that she looks even remotely close to 50?!

I hope you had a wonderful birthday, Mama! We love you so much, and we are so grateful for everything you do for our family. May you have 50 more trips around the Sun, our Golden Girl!

Big Bro Owen!

Yes, it is true! We will be welcoming Baby #2 end of September/beginning of October. I can't give an exact date because we have been given two. According to my last menstrual period, I'm due October 3rd; but according to the baby's ultrasound measurements from my last office visit, I'm due about a week earlier on September 25th. I thought my doctor would change the due date, but he didn't. *Shrug*

Truth be told, this is actually our third pregnancy. I had a miscarriage last November; and although I wasn't too far along, it was the most difficult thing I ever had to go through. I had a lot of mixed emotions - I was, of course, heartbroken, but I was also very grateful that I already had one healthy pregnancy, which resulted in my greatest pride and joy, Owen.

And by the grace of God, I tested positive on a pregnancy test only a couple of months later; and even though I was happy, I wanted to keep my feelings at bay until I had visual confirmation of the baby's heartbeat.

A few days before Owen's 2nd birthday, I had my first doctor's appointment. I was so anxious to do the ultrasound that I kept my conversation with the doctor short and sweet. I don't think I asked one question!

Baby #2 at 8 weeks.

The doctor said everything looked great, and the baby's heartbeat was at 150 bpm - thank you, God! I was so relieved! I should have measured at 8 weeks 1 day, but I was measuring at 8 weeks 6 days. The doctor wanted me to return the following week for a repeat ultrasound to confirm the baby's measurements and the due date.

(A week later...)

Instead of measuring at 9 weeks 1 day, the ultrasound tech measured me at 10 weeks 2 days - so she estimated my due date another 3 days earlier. How...? I wanted to e-mail my doctor to ask how this could be, but I figured I'd wait, since I had another follow-up 2 weeks later.

Baby at 9 weeks? 10 weeks? Who knows...

(Another 2 weeks later...*in SpongeBob narrator voice*...)

At my "9-week" follow-up, my doctor reviewed my ultrasound results with me, and he was also very confused as to why I was measuring a week ahead of schedule. He kept asking me if I was SURE on the date of my last menstrual period, and I have no doubt - it was the same day Carrie Fisher passed away...can't forget that. After reassuring him, he decided to stick with my original October due date (even though he did ANOTHER ultrasound, and THOSE measurements also showed an estimated due date of 9/25-9/26). Still, everything looked fine, and I cannot ask for anything more.

Super grateful that he has been on his best behavior during my office visits. He needs to get used to them anyway...lots more in the future!

Through it all, I am overwhelmed by my blessings. Every day that I get to carry this baby is a gift, and I will do my very best to start enjoying this pregnancy instead of worrying about every little thing. I will leave it all to God's hands and pray for another healthy pregnancy and safe delivery of Owen's little brother/sister.

Until next time!

Love Day 2017

Happy (Late) Valentine's Day! Ralph and I both worked the 14th, so we decided to celebrate the day before. Ralph had the day off for President Lincoln's Birthday. (Seriously, who gets THAT day off?)

Tulips from Ralph and Owen. :)

On Monday, we went bowling for the first time as a family! The lady behind the counter asked us if Owen had been at a bowling alley before, and we said no. She gave us a look like, "You're in for it." And when we asked for one lane for an hour, she gave us another look as if she was asking, "Are you guys out of your minds?" I was starting to get nervous about the whole idea, but Ralph and I were pretty confident that we could handle it.

Owen is obsessed with shoes, so he was super excited when he learned that he would be getting his own pair of rental shoes.

At first, Owen was really into it and couldn't wait until it was his turn. He had a ramp and the bumpers, and I'm SO thankful he did; otherwise, we'd be waiting foreeeeevvvveeeeerrrr for his balls to roll down the lane.

First game results. As you can see, I WAS doing pretty well, considering I hadn't bowled in years...but, as time went on, my game just went downhill from frame 5.

Heck, even Owen was doing better than me - but he had a lot of help.

Shortly after the second game started, Owen began to lose interest and was more fascinated with the ball return; so Ralph and I just took turns bowling for Owen while also preventing Owen from sticking his head and hands in the machine.

He would even try to push the balls back INTO the ball return. *SMH*

Results of the second game.

Afterwards, we went to Spectrum and had lunch at Wood Ranch, and then we stopped by our favorite macaron place, Honey & Butter.

His appetizer plate.

Their character macarons that day were SO cute! I grew up watching Totoro, and Owen loooves Baymax!

Too cute to eat!!!

We had to walk around after stuffing ourselves, so we also went to Barnes & Noble and let Owen run around with other kids in front of the giant ferris wheel.

He passed out in the car on our way home.

Later that day, we took Owen in for a haircut, and no photos were taken because he cried and screamed the WHOLE time. Ralph and I decided at that very moment that Owen will be getting all his future haircuts at home. Overall, it was a great day. We survived bowling with a toddler!

The next morning (Valentine's Day), Owen was greeted with a heart-shaped Finding Dory box filled with chocolates.

I dropped him off at my parents' house, where he gifted them with their own box of chocolates for their 30th Wedding Anniversary. I was able to snap this cute photo before my dad and I had to head out for work.

Happy PEARL Anniversary, Mom and Dad!

I hope everyone had a great Valentine's Day! Until next time!